A/N- Thanks again everybody for the reviews! Here comes Ch. 5! This one takes place a bit later from the last chapter. If you're just dying to know how they got the antidote-let me know. I'll go through a whole lengthy explanation- but somehow I think most of you don't really care about that. Usual disclaimers apply- the lyrics are from Sarah McLachlan's "Possession."
Counting the Cost
~*~
Chapter Five
Breathe Your Breath
~*~
"So here we are, Jack. The end of the road. I told you Mandy was a pleasure to work with. Such flexible loyalties if the pay-off's big enough." Nina took another long sip from her champagne glass, looking at Jack sitting across from her in the plush hotel room.
The London skyline was soaked with rain from a pounding storm outside their hotel room. Jack looked out the window, tired but hopeful. They had the antidote. They had done it.
Nina pulled the antidote out from the inside pocket of her jacket, looking at it for a long moment. Its fluorescent green color was reflected strangely in her pale green eyes.
"Shouldn't you be going?"
"It's three o'clock in the morning, Nina. Why would I do that?" Jack looked up at her, surprised.
"I'm of no more use to you, Jack. You got what you wanted, and then you leave. Isn't that how our little story of dysfunction goes?" Nina crossed her legs, taking an even longer sip, starting to feel a slight pounding in her head. She suddenly realized she had drunk almost half the bottle.
"Nina, we're both tired. We'll talk about what happens next in the morning."
"No, I'd really like to talk about it now."
"Well, you're drunk and exhausted, so I really think that's pointless."
Nina slammed the champagne glass down angrily, putting the antidote on the bedside table.
"You're such a bastard, Jack."
"Why's that?"
"I put everything on the line for you, I practically hand you the ticket to your daughter's salvation, and you still condescend to me! You don't even thank me! Yes, I know you hate me-but you came to me and I delivered. If you hate me so much, then why'd you even ask for my help? Why do you keep reappearing in my life? Why can't I ever just get away from you?" Nina was now working herself into a frenzy, something Jack didn't think he had ever witnessed in all of his years of knowing her.
"Nina, this wasn't easy for me to come to you. And we're not going to go through all that again with the reasons why. You know them, and I know them. But despite my personal feelings about you, I am very grateful. You saved Kim's life. You were right. I do owe you."
Nina looked at him, laughing callously.
"You think so?"
Jack nodded, going to sleep on the couch.
"Jack, wait."
He turned to face her, looking confused.
"Can I ask you one more question?"
"Yes."
"Did you feel anything? When we…in Mexico? Or was that honestly and entirely a deception?" Nina crossed her arms, looking at her feet.
Jack sighed.
"I don't know, Nina."
"How can you not know?"
"It's complicated."
"Yes, clearly. But just tell me the truth. I'll never bring it up again."
"Nina, I don't know."
"Well, I could offer some clarification on the matter." Nina took off her jacket, looking at him with a very unclear expression. It looked oddly businesslike, but there was definitely something underneath it. Something Jack couldn't identify.
"Nina-I am grateful to you for the antidote. That doesn't mean anything's changed."
Nina sighed in annoyance.
"I don't care about you changing your mind. Just once, Jack…and mean it this time. Then you never have to contact me again. I don't really care. I'll be out of your life."
"I'm not so sure I believe that."
Nina stepped closer to him, the thin, silky strap of her shirt slipping off her shoulder.
"Jack, for once in your entire life, just stop agonizing over every single decision. You want this. Some part of you does. I know you better than anyone, and I know that. You were holding back in Mexico. And I don't want you to hold back now. That's all I'm asking in return for my help."
Jack looked at her unwaveringly, not really feeling the reservations he would have expected.
Nina looked back at him expectedly. Jack took a step closer to her, his breath slightly shortened.
"Just remember this, Jack- if I don't buy it, I'm digging one of these insanely expensive heels right through the antidote. I mean it."
Jack nodded, thinking that the fact that this time he had the use of his hands would probably make this a little more convincing. She was a beautiful woman. One he had kissed many times before; made love to many times before.
This couldn't be that difficult.
He finally closed the gap between them, his lips softly pressing against hers. Nina broke away from him immediately.
"Come on, Jack." She rolled her eyes.
He sighed with frustration.
"Fine. FINE." He practically snarled, pulling her to him roughly.
He angrily kissed her again, his mouth against hers with almost bruising intensity. Nina kissed him back hungrily, drinking in the taste of him that she could never quite get out of her mind. It didn't have the strange unease of Mexico, where the thought of his betrayal always hung heavily in the back of her mind. It was a long, almost painful kiss with too much tongue and too much contact to leave any doubt in her mind that he wanted this.
When it ended, they broke apart breathlessly, both still inches apart. Nina took a deep breath, wanting him so badly that it was causing her physical pain. But she knew he had done everything she'd asked. So she just smiled, looking up at him.
"Well…thanks for that, Jack."
She started to disentangle herself from him, her hands shaking slightly.
But suddenly and totally unexpectedly, Jack grabbed her upper arm. Before Nina could even register what was happening, he was kissing her and pushed her rather violently onto the bed. Nina looked up at him in shock.
"Jack, you don't have to do this. If you don't want to, I…don't either." She tried as hard as she could to sound convincing. She was still trying to come to terms with the fact that this was actually happening.
"Just showing my appreciation, Nina." Jack mumbled against her mouth, kissing her again and ignoring the cautions roaring in the back of his mind.
Following the rules had left him empty and alone. He was tired of always doing what everyone wanted him to do. There was something liberating about forgetting his past, forgetting the consequences, and just feeling her warm skin pressed against his. As the lightning cracked through the sky outside, Jack finally allowed himself to feel something without expecting heartbreak in return. This wasn't another one of his long string of sweet, innocent girlfriends. This was Nina. And she was strangely and suddenly exactly what he needed.
But as he finally rediscovered a feeling he had long thought lost, Jack had no idea he was making the worst mistake of his life. Every choice has consequences. Everything in life has a cost. And as they fell asleep much later that night, soaked with sweat in each other's arms, Jack had absolutely no grasp of what that cost might be.
~*~
Through this world I've stumbled
so many times betrayed
trying to find an honest word to find
the truth enslaved
oh you speak to me in riddles
and you speak to me in rhymes
my body aches to breathe your breath
your words keep me alive
And I would be the one
to hold you down
kiss you so hard
I'll take your breath away
A/N- Review please!
Counting the Cost
~*~
Chapter Five
Breathe Your Breath
~*~
"So here we are, Jack. The end of the road. I told you Mandy was a pleasure to work with. Such flexible loyalties if the pay-off's big enough." Nina took another long sip from her champagne glass, looking at Jack sitting across from her in the plush hotel room.
The London skyline was soaked with rain from a pounding storm outside their hotel room. Jack looked out the window, tired but hopeful. They had the antidote. They had done it.
Nina pulled the antidote out from the inside pocket of her jacket, looking at it for a long moment. Its fluorescent green color was reflected strangely in her pale green eyes.
"Shouldn't you be going?"
"It's three o'clock in the morning, Nina. Why would I do that?" Jack looked up at her, surprised.
"I'm of no more use to you, Jack. You got what you wanted, and then you leave. Isn't that how our little story of dysfunction goes?" Nina crossed her legs, taking an even longer sip, starting to feel a slight pounding in her head. She suddenly realized she had drunk almost half the bottle.
"Nina, we're both tired. We'll talk about what happens next in the morning."
"No, I'd really like to talk about it now."
"Well, you're drunk and exhausted, so I really think that's pointless."
Nina slammed the champagne glass down angrily, putting the antidote on the bedside table.
"You're such a bastard, Jack."
"Why's that?"
"I put everything on the line for you, I practically hand you the ticket to your daughter's salvation, and you still condescend to me! You don't even thank me! Yes, I know you hate me-but you came to me and I delivered. If you hate me so much, then why'd you even ask for my help? Why do you keep reappearing in my life? Why can't I ever just get away from you?" Nina was now working herself into a frenzy, something Jack didn't think he had ever witnessed in all of his years of knowing her.
"Nina, this wasn't easy for me to come to you. And we're not going to go through all that again with the reasons why. You know them, and I know them. But despite my personal feelings about you, I am very grateful. You saved Kim's life. You were right. I do owe you."
Nina looked at him, laughing callously.
"You think so?"
Jack nodded, going to sleep on the couch.
"Jack, wait."
He turned to face her, looking confused.
"Can I ask you one more question?"
"Yes."
"Did you feel anything? When we…in Mexico? Or was that honestly and entirely a deception?" Nina crossed her arms, looking at her feet.
Jack sighed.
"I don't know, Nina."
"How can you not know?"
"It's complicated."
"Yes, clearly. But just tell me the truth. I'll never bring it up again."
"Nina, I don't know."
"Well, I could offer some clarification on the matter." Nina took off her jacket, looking at him with a very unclear expression. It looked oddly businesslike, but there was definitely something underneath it. Something Jack couldn't identify.
"Nina-I am grateful to you for the antidote. That doesn't mean anything's changed."
Nina sighed in annoyance.
"I don't care about you changing your mind. Just once, Jack…and mean it this time. Then you never have to contact me again. I don't really care. I'll be out of your life."
"I'm not so sure I believe that."
Nina stepped closer to him, the thin, silky strap of her shirt slipping off her shoulder.
"Jack, for once in your entire life, just stop agonizing over every single decision. You want this. Some part of you does. I know you better than anyone, and I know that. You were holding back in Mexico. And I don't want you to hold back now. That's all I'm asking in return for my help."
Jack looked at her unwaveringly, not really feeling the reservations he would have expected.
Nina looked back at him expectedly. Jack took a step closer to her, his breath slightly shortened.
"Just remember this, Jack- if I don't buy it, I'm digging one of these insanely expensive heels right through the antidote. I mean it."
Jack nodded, thinking that the fact that this time he had the use of his hands would probably make this a little more convincing. She was a beautiful woman. One he had kissed many times before; made love to many times before.
This couldn't be that difficult.
He finally closed the gap between them, his lips softly pressing against hers. Nina broke away from him immediately.
"Come on, Jack." She rolled her eyes.
He sighed with frustration.
"Fine. FINE." He practically snarled, pulling her to him roughly.
He angrily kissed her again, his mouth against hers with almost bruising intensity. Nina kissed him back hungrily, drinking in the taste of him that she could never quite get out of her mind. It didn't have the strange unease of Mexico, where the thought of his betrayal always hung heavily in the back of her mind. It was a long, almost painful kiss with too much tongue and too much contact to leave any doubt in her mind that he wanted this.
When it ended, they broke apart breathlessly, both still inches apart. Nina took a deep breath, wanting him so badly that it was causing her physical pain. But she knew he had done everything she'd asked. So she just smiled, looking up at him.
"Well…thanks for that, Jack."
She started to disentangle herself from him, her hands shaking slightly.
But suddenly and totally unexpectedly, Jack grabbed her upper arm. Before Nina could even register what was happening, he was kissing her and pushed her rather violently onto the bed. Nina looked up at him in shock.
"Jack, you don't have to do this. If you don't want to, I…don't either." She tried as hard as she could to sound convincing. She was still trying to come to terms with the fact that this was actually happening.
"Just showing my appreciation, Nina." Jack mumbled against her mouth, kissing her again and ignoring the cautions roaring in the back of his mind.
Following the rules had left him empty and alone. He was tired of always doing what everyone wanted him to do. There was something liberating about forgetting his past, forgetting the consequences, and just feeling her warm skin pressed against his. As the lightning cracked through the sky outside, Jack finally allowed himself to feel something without expecting heartbreak in return. This wasn't another one of his long string of sweet, innocent girlfriends. This was Nina. And she was strangely and suddenly exactly what he needed.
But as he finally rediscovered a feeling he had long thought lost, Jack had no idea he was making the worst mistake of his life. Every choice has consequences. Everything in life has a cost. And as they fell asleep much later that night, soaked with sweat in each other's arms, Jack had absolutely no grasp of what that cost might be.
~*~
Through this world I've stumbled
so many times betrayed
trying to find an honest word to find
the truth enslaved
oh you speak to me in riddles
and you speak to me in rhymes
my body aches to breathe your breath
your words keep me alive
And I would be the one
to hold you down
kiss you so hard
I'll take your breath away
A/N- Review please!
