26x1

The Truth is out there

The blurry vision of the top of the tent's tarp made Jack more confused. Voices were echoing in his mind saying intelligible words. His head hurt more than he could handle but he tried to get up to see where he was.

However, he couldn't because a warm and soft body had him captive. A feeling of panic took him for a few seconds but soon that feeling was substituted by a huge relieve when he saw Kate sleeping by his side, holding his body.

He carefully pushed her away avoiding to wake her up. He sat and looked around. They're still in Sawyer's tent but it was already daylight outside. He looked at the mess surrounding them. There were cups, empty whiskey bottles and poker cards all over but that wasn't everything. A little further Sawyer and Ana-Lucia were sleeping together, holding each other.

He was snoring softly, Ana's head was resting in his naked chest. Jack looked at himself. He was also shirtless but his pants were in place. Kate was still wearing her dress as Ana-Lucia was wearing hers. That was a good sign. Maybe the crazy memories that he had in his mind that moment were just the result of a whole night drinking whiskey. He shouldn't be concerned about anything.

He decided to wake up Kate. It would be better if they leave to her tent. He didn't want to stay in Sawyer's place. He touched her hair and said, affectionately:

"Kate, baby…wake up."

"Mmmmm..."- She protested in her sleep.

Jack kept calling her. He was whispering to not wake up the other couple.

"Come on, princess, wake up!"

"No, just five more minutes pleeease!"- Kate said turning on her stomach.

"If you don't get up, I'll have to carry you sleeping. Come on, let's go to your tent!"

Kate slowly opened her eyes when she heard Jack saying they should go to her tent; that obviously meant they weren't in her tent. She sat down, rubbing her eyes. They were reddish. Her head was spinning.

"Where are we, Jack?"

He pointed to Sawyer and Ana-Lucia that were still sleeping. Kate looked at him. She was feeling so confused. She tried to stand up but her legs trembled. Jack held her.

"What's going on, Jack? I'm feeling sick to my stomach."

"It's ok, it is just a hangover. We drank a lot last night."

"Did we just drink?"- She inquired him but she feared the answer.

"Yes, of course."- He said but he wasn't very sure about it.

Kate closed her eyes and touched her head.

"Let's go outside."- He said. "A little bit of fresh air will do you well."

They let the tent. Luckily nobody was wondering at the beach yet. It was very early still and the previous night had been exhausting to everyone.

"Jack I'm really not feeling well."- Kate complained. Her face somehow looked blue.

She walked away from him to a corner and threw out. Jack went to her and held her. When she stopped throwing, he went to Sawyer's tent and brought back some water to her.

"Drink slow, baby. Everything is going to be alright."

She drank and later she let Jack take her to her tent, carrying her in his arms. Once they're there she took off her dress and went under the blankets. She fell sleep immediately.

Jack stayed there beside her, watching her sleep. Many doubts were crossing his mind. What actually had happened last night in Sawyer's tent? Did they just play cards and drink? Jack couldn't really remember. However, he knew that only one person could give you an answer: Ana-Lucia.

She wasn't drinking because of her pregnancy. He decided he would go talk to her later when Kate was feeling better and his own hangover was over. She would give give him an answer.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Where's the doctor?- Pedro asked when Locke brought him food early morning. "I'd like to speak to him."

"For a prisoner I think you make a lot of requests."- Locke said placing the plate with some fresh cut fruit over the locker where the guns used to be before.

"Am I really a prisoner?"- He asked. "Do you think I really represent any threat to you?"

"I don't know, Pedro. You tell me."

"What's your name?"

"John Locke."

"Right, John Locke, tell me, where are we?"

Despite his fragile appearance and the many wounds, he still had on his face, the man had a remarkable inner strength. If he was one of the Others, he was doing a great job of fooling him again.

Locke decided to use his good sense, if the man was trying to manipulate him to get to Jack and shake things up at their community like it had happened with Henry Gale, he would know. He wouldn't fall in the same sordid trap twice.

"You know where we are."- Locke affirmed.

"No, I don.t"- Pedro said facing him without showing any fear.

The man's confidence was bothering Locke.

"If you don't know where you are and have no idea who are we or what we're going to do to you why do you feel so confidant?

The man sighed.

"Because I know that if you wanted to kill me your group would have done it when they found me. You are so curious about me as I am about your group. Besides, to feel fear at this point it would be stupid considering what has happened to me lately."

"Good answer."- Locke smiled. "You seem to me like a philosopher or something like that…somebody with knowledge. I felt that since you've opened your eyes."

"Actually, I'm a writer. Nothing else. Somebody that lives from words, using them on its own favor. I feed from fragments of inexistent lives; and this place is exactly like my last book, the one I couldn't finish because I had an accident."

"What accident?"- Locke curiously asked.

"That boat that brought me here sank, so maybe I'm laying in a hospital bed on a coma covered with tubs and Nikki is looking at me thinking if she'll ever see me awake again."

"Who's Nikki? You asked about her yesterday during your fever. Your girlfriend, maybe wife?"

He shook his head.

"If we have had time, maybe…but Nicole was only the scuba diving instructor that I hired through Oceanic to take me to see the Fiji Island."

"You said Ocanic?"- Locke asked. He was intrigued by his story.

"Yes, like I said I'm a writer. I'm from Brazil but I travel the world a lot doing research for my books. I was in Sidney when I decided to visit the Fiji Islands and scuba dive in the corals."

"So that's how you ended up here?"

"Locke, here is where? This isn't clear to me yet. Nikki and I went to a sand bank far from the village, the engine of the boat crashed and we couldn't go back using the life boat and the current brought us here; when we arrived, the first thing that came to my mind was "this is the scenario of my book, everything, even the rock statue in a shape of a foot with four fingers reminded my plot…"

"You know about the statue then?"- Locke felt suspicious but the story was the most original he had heard so far. The man seemed smart.

"Yes, but the statue wasn't the most surprising thing. Not even being captured by these strange people.

"You and Nikki?"

He nodded.

"The strangest thing that happened to me, John Locke was to wake up in this place and see that girl. The girl that I idealized so many times in my books, the woman that I created in my head and asked to be painted based on my descriptions. The painting that I end up hanging in my bedroom so I could always look at her. She's the main character of my most famous book; she's a criminal but also the victim of a pervert man. They both get into a plane crash accident, falling on an island."

Locke felt surprised.

"What's the name of your book?"

"The Hatch."- Pedro said.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Come on freckles, say my name!"- Sawyer demanded.

"Sawyer!"

"Again!"

"Sawyer!"

Jack woke up scared. He sat on the bed feeling nauseas. He looked at Kate. She was still asleep. He was still feeling tired but he couldn't go back to bed. Every time he closed his eyes, he would listen to those voices again. Words, whispers, moans, things he couldn't understand. Or maybe he was unconsciously trying to forget.

"Damn it!"- He shouted but Jack regret his moment of anger when he saw Kate moving; but she didn't really wake up what made him feel relived. He didn't want her to see him angry that way because he didn't even know why he was angry after all.

He decided to get up when he realized he had left his shirt at Sawyer's tent. He cursed himself. He had to go back there to get it. He drank some water and left Kate's tent.

A few people were up already and started their errands. Rose was one of them. She was preparing breakfast as she did every morning with Mrs. Lewis. She was singing an old song from Stevie Wonder.

- "You are the sunshine of my life..."

Jack passed by them. He was so distracted that he didn't even greet the women.

"Good morning, doctor."- said chubby Mrs. Lewis.

"Good morning."- Jack said. He felt embarrassed for not seeing them before. "Rose?"

"Good morning, Jack. I'm sorry to say, honey but you look terrible this morning."

"Thank you, Rose."- He ironically said while he was already walking away but Rose called for him back.

" Jack, come get some breakfast. I'm warming some milk for poor Shannon. I spoke to Sayid earlier and he told me that she cried the entire night, he's very concerned for her."

"Where is Sayid now?"- Jack asked.

"He's with her. He said he wouldn't leave her until she was feeling better. You guys should be more careful with your guns. What if one of the children have gotten it?"

"You're right Rose, it was a lot better that Shannon got it instead."- He sarcastically said.

"My God, what happened to you? You seem so weird."- She said. "Don't you think, Dana?"

Mrs. Lewis shrugged.

"You definitely need a warm cup of coffee. I'll make you one right now.

"No Rose, I just want a cup of milk, please."

Rose served a little bit of Dharma Initiative milk in a cup.

"Here it goes, drink it."

"Sorry, it's not for me. If you excuse me."- He said leaving towards Sawyer's tent.

"I've never seen him like this."- Rose commented with Mrs. Lewis and went back to her chores.

When got it to Sawyer's tent, Jack stopped at the door and thought if he should really go in there again. He needed to speak urgently to Ana-Lucia and clarify things. He wanted to take out of your shoulders that weird feeling of guilty. He took a deep breath and went in.

Jack placed the cup of milk on a corner and softly touched her arm so she wouldn't get scared and wake up Sawyer.

She immediately woke up with his touch. She sat up and confusedly said:

"What? Jack?"

"Shhhhh..."- He told her and, he got the cup of milk back before asking her to come out of the tent with him.

Once they were out of the tent, Jack asked her:

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah!"- She quietly said. "I'm just a little tired, why?"

"Here, drink it."- He gave her the cup of milk. "It's good for the baby. It has calcium."

"Thank you."- She said and drank the milk.

"I'm sorry, Ana-Lucia."

"You sorry for what?"

"For last night."

"What happened last night?"- She enquired.

"You know what I'm talking about. You were sober!"

"Be more specific, please."- She asked him as she really didn't understand what he was talking about.

"I was drunk, we shouldn't have…"

"What the hell are you talking about, man?"

She watched him with suspicion, her dark eyes were facing his; she had one hand on her waist and the other one holding the empty cup of milk.

Jack tried to read what was written in her eyes but he couldn't find anything there that could help him to feel better; looking at her just made him to feel more disturbed.

"Abre los ojos!"- Jack finally said. "What does that mean?"

"Open your eyes."- She answered. "Why are you asking me that?

"Because you told me that last night. Jack, abre los ojos!"- He touched her shoulder.

"Jack, I didn't say that you. Man, what's your point?"

Jack tried to seem calm but he wasn't. He started to think that Ana-Lucia was playing games with him pretending not to remember.

"Last night after the incident with Shannon, Sawyer invited us to play poker on his tent, right?"

"Right."

"We went there and took three bottles of whiskey. Correct?"

"Correct."- She repeated after him.

Jack took a deep breath and continued:

"After a few doses of whiskey and a few rounds of poker, I suggested we should take the game to another level…"

"Yeah! You said let's play strip-poker."- She said with a half smile.

"And everyone agreed to it."

"Yep!"

"Ana!"- He raised his voice.

She frowned.

"If you agree with me why don't you tell me what happened after that?"- Jack asked in desperation.

"Why should I do that?"- She retorted. "You don't remember anything? Seriously?"

Jack realized she wasn't going to say anything so he decided to give her more details about their previous night.

"Ok, during the game, after Sawyer and I lost our shirts, you lost your dress."

Ana-Lucia seemed to pay more attention when Jack said that. She looked around them to see if anybody was listening to their conversation. She approached Jack more and said:

"What do you really want to know?'- She asked.

"If that really happened? Did I take off your dress?"

She anwered:

"Yes, you took off my dress. Sawyer took off Kate's. So, what? It was just a game and it is over. If I was you, I would take care of this hangover, your eyes are red for God's sake! What are you going to tell people if they see you like that? You're the leader!"

"Ana, I won't be able to think about anything else if you don't tell me the truth."

"Ok, do you want the truth? Yours or mine?"

Jack couldn't handle her avoiding to answer anymore. He needed to know.

"Ana-Lucia, did we have sex last night?"

Ana-Lucia spread her eyes, she was surprised with his question. She raised an eyebrow and said with a half smile:

"Are you fantasizing about me or what? Kate wouldn't like to know that."

"You didn't answer my question."

"And do I still have to answer? Jack, look at me, I'm pregnant."

"That doesn't mean anything."

"Fuck you, doc!"

She turned her back to him. Jack held her arm:

"Please Ana, tell me!

Sawyer showed up at his tent's door, still shirtless. His face had wrinkles and his hair was a mess:

"What's going on?"- He asked when he saw Jack holding Ana-Lucia's arm.

"Ask him what you really want to know, Jack. Ask him!- She challenged Jack. Sawyer came to her and put his arms around her.

"Ask me what?"

"If I left my shirt in your tent?"

He decided not to say anything; he didn't want trouble with Sawyer. He started asking himself what he was actually doing and the answer was pretty obvious. Ana-Lucia wasn't talking because she didn't want to and he was being inconvenient making assumptions about what had happened last night.

Sawyer interrupted his thoughts:

"Go inside and look for your damn shirt, Jacko?"- Sawyer said what it seemed to him the obvious.

Jack passed by them and went inside the tent.

"I think he had too much whiskey last night."- He commented.

"Definetely!"- Ana-Lucia agreed.

"Would ya like to go have a deep at the waterfall? We can pick some mangoes for breakfast. What ya say, pumpkin?

"Looking forward to it, cowboy."

He kissed her forehead. Jack came outside holding his shirt then he rushed to leave.

"I got my shirt. See you guys later."

"I'm going to my tent to change, baby. I'll be right back. Ana-Lucia said.

Sawyer nodded and went inside his tent to do the same. Ana-Lucia then walked fast to catch Jack.

"Jack, wait!"

He stopped.

"My granny used to say that people see what they want to see and what I see is that you're in love with Kate and I love Sawyer. Nothing has changed. You're my buddy! You're the only person that stood up for me when I shot Shannon. So what else can I say for you to stop worrying, man?"

Jack smiled. He had finally understood.

"Thank you, Ana. I won't mention this again"

He went back to Kate's tent. He was feeling a lot better after talking to Ana-Lucia. However, half an hour later when he was finally able to get some sleep again, he heard a voice outside calling for him.

"Jack, dude, you there?"

It was Hurley.

"What do you want?"- Jack grumpily asked. He was holding Kate in his warms. She woke up in that very moment.

"There is something weird going on here at the beach."- Hurley told him.

"Hurley, I'll check that later, ok? Thanks for letting me know."- Jack said while Kate was pecking on his lips.

"I don't think so, dude. I think you'll want to see this."

"Damn it!"- Jack said taking a deep breath.

"Poor baby!"- Kate said caressing his chest.

Hurley insisted:

"Jack, you really don't know, dude but Locke just brought a guy to the beach that Desmond said was locked on the hatch before."

"What?"- Jack freaked out. He got up immediately and looked for his clothes. Kate did the same.

"Jack, why John would do something like that? We don't know much about this man yet…"

"I have no idea, Kate but it is so typical of Locke to do things without talking to me first."

He left the tent followed by Kate. Hurley was still standing there waiting for him. When he saw Jack coming out, he pointed to the middle of the beach where people were agglomerated around Pedro. Locke was right beside him, smiling. He seemed to be introducing the men to the people.

"Locke must be crazy!"- Jack angrily said. "Where the fuck is Sayid?"

"He's still with Shannon in their tent."- Hurley said.

"Go get him, Hurley!"

Jack walked straight to Locke and Pedro. He looked furious. Pedro noticed that and told Locke:

"I think bringing me here wasn't a good idea, John."

"Don't worry Pedro. Jack will understand."- Locke assured him.

"Locke!"- Jack shouted. "What the hell you think you're doing?"

To be continued...