A special thanks to Athena and Gillybean for their suggestions, and of course to those of you who reviewed.
Past, Meet Present
Kate was coming down from her high, her legs wrapped tightly around him, scratching her nails along his back, just as Jack reached his, biting pleasantly into her neck and breathing heavily. His weight remained on top of her and his head close to her neck. He didn't want to move just yet, as Kate's neck was a safe haven, her traveling fingertips graceful and comforting.
Finally, when their breathing had slowed, he looked into her eyes and kissed her sweetly, but a bit longer than he'd intended, and rolled off of her when they broke apart. Kate kept their hands latched, just as they had been earlier when they moved together. She moved to rest on her side, staring at his relaxed, sated face until he looked back at her, almost dreamily. They smiled at each other and Jack turned to face her, running his free hand through her long hair.
"Hey," he said in a hushed tone.
Kate closed her eyes, sure that the smile on her face was just as far away as the one he'd just given her. "Mmm," she moaned happily. "Hi yourself."
Whatever doubts that started to form in her head as they were tempting sleep were erased when Jack scooted closer to her, his stubble scratching the delicate skin on her cheeks and chin as he moved to suck lightly on the spot just below her ear he'd found she liked so much. Kate laughed in his ear when the same hands that she'd discovered the talents of a short time ago scaled down her body, and she rolled on top of him, taking him by surprise. And afterward, when they'd finally drifted off to sleep, Jack found his mind pleasantly empty.
He woke to light suckling on his neck by Kate's warm mouth. Feeling his movement, she pulled back slightly and looked into his brown eyes. "Morning," she mumbled happily before returning to her actions.
Jack laughed against her and pulled her mouth up to his to kiss her quickly, even though every feeling in his body was screaming for more. "You're trying to make it a good one, huh?" he asked her, amused, but mostly happy that the morning didn't present the awkwardness that could've easily been there.
It should've been awkward, he thought, but it wasn't somehow, as they eased together in such a way that it seemed they'd been together for ages. The sky outside was just beginning to lighten when he slacked against her, confident that nothing could go wrong now. Not today.
"I have to go to work," he told her in between chaste kisses. "And so do you."
"You always have to ruin all the fun," she teased him, her green eyes flashing at him. Only then did a brief awkward moment ensue; when Jack got up and gathered his clothes from all around the bedroom, dressing silently. When he was finished, they stared at each other expectantly, though neither was sure what to say and how much longer the air would be filled with silence.
"So," he said, failing to meet her eyes and shoving his hands into his pockets, making Kate feel for a moment like they were back at the beginning. "I'll see you tonight?" he asked hopefully.
"You better," Kate smiled back, gathering the sheet around her body and leaning up on her knees to give him a kiss goodbye. "And just so you know," she told him coyly. "She was crazy to leave you."
He scanned the cafeteria for his mother- she'd managed to get him to cave in and have lunch with her. It was on Jack's terms, however, as she was being forced to eat in the culinary masterpiece that was the hospital cafeteria.
"Hi," he said, kissing her on the cheek before taking his own seat.
"So," she got right down to business as they were standing in the line. "I had to hear from Kate that you two are together?"
"You're one to talk, mom," Jack rolled his eyes. "Thanks for putting me on the spot about Richard," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Okay, okay. Fair enough. He's really a nice man, though."
They sat down together at an empty table. Jack picked at his food and Margo didn't pretend to be enjoying hers. "So is this serious, Jack? With Kate?"
When he'd been trying to deny his feelings for Kate, being serious about anything other than his job was out of the question. But now that he'd managed to get to this point, he didn't see the sense in backing out or giving up on something that was so hard for him to achieve in the first place.
"Yeah, it is," he said, bringing his eyes up to meet his mother's stare. He saw what he thought might be happiness, or maybe it was relief, flash through her dark eyes.
"Good," she told him. "I'm glad that if you're going to move on, it's with her."
Stubbornly he rested his elbows on the table. "And what about you and this guy? How serious is it?"
"Not too," she retorted. "Can't you just be happy for me, Jack?" Margo put her fork down and set her stare upon her son.
He leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms on his chest. "I just think you're moving awfully fast."
"That's within your right to think," she said fairly. "I loved your father, very much, and I'll never be completely over him. I'll never forget him."
"I know."
"But we both know he was far from a perfect man, and I put up with a lot, Jack. More than you'll ever know about or I want you to know about. So now that Richard has come into my life, or even if this doesn't work out, someone else, I deserve the chance again."
It finally clicked in his mind that he'd made his mother's dating too much about him. After all, he'd been given another chance too, even though he'd tried to blow it all away. Although stubborn, Margo deserved to be happy, and to have someone to share that with. Even when Christian was alive, he wasn't around enough to share much at all with.
They'd finished their meals, or what they ate of them anyway, and he hugged his mother goodbye. As he pulled away, she raised her eyebrows at him. "You look particularly happy today... any reason for that?" she asked him, giving him a slight wink and walking away, her heels clicking on the hard floor.
Kate skipped her coffee that morning, finding that she was still running on adrenaline. Any more and she would've skipped down the hallways. Still, out of habit she made her way to the teacher's lounge while her class was at gym.
"You were right," she told Caroline, scaring her red headed friend from the table, where she was reading a magazine.
She looked up, distracted. "About what?" Kate reached into the fridge and poured filtered water from the clear pitcher.
Kate smirked at her friend. "I'll leave it at... he doesn't just look like he'd be good." She turned on her heel and walked swiftly from the lounge, feeling Caroline behind her not long after.
"Wait," she called out in a pout, practically running down the hall after her and waving her arms frantically. "I need details! My boyfriend isn't as gorgeous as yours!"
Jack scoffed as the elevator doors in his apartment complex almost shut, before a foot stuck between them, forcing them to bounce back open.
"Thought it might be you," Kate smiled devilishly, her arms full of groceries. Jack pulled her into the elevator, and this time the doors shut in front of him.
She kissed him hello, stopping when they'd reached their floor. He helped her with her bags and she promised she'd be over in a few minutes. Unlocking the door, Jack stepped inside and found that it welcomed him home instead of reminding him about his once pathetic life. He wasn't sure how long he stood there, but it was long enough for Kate to sneak up behind him and wrap her arms around his waist.
"How was your day?" he asked her happily, turning around and pulling her toward him.
"Good," she answered briefly. "Better now," Kate smiled, wrapping her arms around his warm neck and leaning her forehead against his. She didn't have to wait long before he'd pressed his lips against hers. She smiled against him and he returned it, but somehow they didn't break contact. It easily could've gotten out of hand from there, she realized, but she wanted to talk, to make sure everything was okay with them, although judging from each other's reactions things had never been better.
"I had lunch with my mom today." He walked over to the fridge and got out a cold beer for himself. "Want anything?" he motioned.
"Oh yeah? How'd that go?" she asked, accepting the bottle of beer from him gratefully. Jack sat on the armchair and patted his lap as Kate giggled and sat on it, wrapping one arm around his neck and shoulder.
He leaned back comfortably, resting his chin on her arm. "She put me in my place," he offered, laughing lightly. "I'm going to try. With Richard." Richard's name still rolled off his tongue with some attitude, some reservation of sort, but Kate was glad he would try to accept that his mother, too, was moving on.
They sat together, drinking their beer in relative silence, enjoying the company that sometimes even silence could bring. Was it supposed to be this easy? Kate had never thought so, not until now, when she found herself comfortable just listening to him breath, or watching his face relax when he closed his eyes. She ran her hand over his short hair, enjoying the soft but prickly sensation it sent over her palm.
"So I knew there were more," she joked with him until he opened his eyes and gave her a look of confusion. "Tattoos," she added with a smirk, watching his face break into a grin and his hands tickle at her waist. "Now I know why you didn't show me before," Kate managed to croak out through her laughter, trying desperately to pry his stronger hands from her stomach.
Finally he stopped after she'd started thrashing violently around, afraid for certain body parts of his. He nuzzled her neck, continuing to make her squirm. He breathed into the soft skin there, breathed her in. "You act like I didn't find one more on you," he laughed and she smacked him playfully.
"Yeah, well not many people get the opportunity to see that one." She sat against him, remembering the smirk that had crossed his face when he'd found it and the way he'd traced over it on her inner leg.
A wicked idea ran through his mind. "How many?" he asked as nonchalantly as he could manage.
"How many people have seen it?" Jack nodded against her, trying desperately to suppress the laughter that was quickly threatening to burst out.
Kate turned so she was straddling his lap, looking down at him with a somewhat amused glance. "Jack..." she said slowly, "Are you trying to ask me how many people I've slept with?"
The man she'd come to adore in such a short amount of time grinned guiltily at her. "Maybe."
She whispered in his ear, as if there could possibly be anyone around them listening. "Five?" he mocked her, shouting this loudly, earning himself a smack. "I'm kidding, babe," Jack said, and it surprised him that such a term of endearment flowed right out of his mouth. "Five's fine," he reassured her. "I knew you were no saint," he wiggled his eyebrows up and down.
Kate looked at him expectantly, but he sat that, pretending not to notice her intense stare. "What?" he asked innocently, the mischievous glint still in his eyes. "Fine," he rolled his eyes. "I knew I couldn't get away with this without having to answer too."
He took awhile to answer and she smacked him. "I'm no saint either," he tried, holding back his answer. "Umm... I don't know, somewhere above 10 and somewhere below 20?"
"Seriously?" Her eyes were wide and she was almost outraged, but she took another look at the man she was sitting on and realized there were probably girls chasing after him.
"College," he explained. "I had a penchant for the bottle during med school," he laughed. "You're not mad are you?"
"Nope," she teased him. "Caroline was right, after all."
Jack made his way from his car the next morning, surprised that he wasn't more tired. He hadn't gotten much sleep over the past few nights, not that he ever did, though. The parking garage was dimly lit in the early morning, and he rubbed his eyes on his way to the elevator. A man was standing there already, tapping his foot but otherwise waiting patiently for it to arrive on their floor.
"Morning," the man told him.
Jack grumbled back as pleasantly as he could, glancing at his watch.
"Kind of cold this morning, huh?" the man conversed, and Jack nodded. He was tall, but a little shorter than Jack, with light brown hair and fierce blue eyes.
They stepped into the elevator and found themselves alone in it. The man saw Jack getting his badge out of his bag. "You work here?" he asked, seeming interested.
Jack nodded, and the short ride came to a halt at the ground floor. As he stepped off, the man tugged on Jack's arm, and then suddenly his fist smacked roughly against his cheek, blind siding him. Before Jack had gotten the chance to react, the man's fist connected with his jaw, sending a blow to him that knocked him to the ground.
"Stay away from her," the man threatened him, hovering over him dominantly. He began to walk away in loud steps, but stopped a few short of the exit. "And Jack?" he called out nastily as Jack had begun to collect himself on the ground. "Since I know you won't stay away from her, tell Kate I say hi. The name's Greg."