AN: Hey guys, this is the first thing I've had a chance to write in quite a long time. For anyone who's interested an update to Convince Me is in the works. This fic is set pre-first season. If you haven't seen Gone With the Wind you will probably be a little confused. Please R&R and let me know what you think. Also, a big thank you to my little sister, a bona fide Gone With the Wind junkie and creative genius. Enjoy.
Late Night Movie
Jack blinked awake in the darkness of his bedroom. He rubbed a hand over his tired eyes, trying to get them to focus enough to read the clock on his bedside table. The small red digital numbers told him that it was 2:30 in the morning. He groaned slightly, frustrated with his inability to sleep. It had been an incredibly stressful week at the office and now that he finally had some time off he was still unable to get any rest. He felt around the other side of the bed, finding it empty he groggily sat up, swinging his legs over the side of the bed and turning on the lamp.
The door of the bedroom was slightly ajar and he could just make out the muffled noise and dim glow of the television in the living room. He shuffled into the living room and found Nina curled up on the couch, clearly engrossed it whatever it was that she was watching.
"Hey." Jack said, his voice still husky with sleep.
"Hey." Nina said scooting over to make room for him on the couch. "Did I wake you up?"
"No I couldn't sleep."
"Me neither."
"What are you watching?" Jack asked shifting so that he could put his arm around her. She leaned back against him resting her head on his shoulder.
"Gone with the Wind. Have you ever seen it?"
"Not all the way through. I think I watched part of it with Kim for a school project or something."
"I had never seen it either, but it was on TCM so I figured I would give it a try and it is excellent." Nina said her voice filled with an enthusiasm Jack had rarely heard.
"What's happened so far?" Jack asked, he was curious and her enthusiasm was as infectious as it was unexpected.
"Shh, it's back on. I'll catch you up next commercial break?" Nina shifted her full attention back to the movie.
They sat for a long while in comfortable silence. Jack had to agree with Nina this was a very good movie, but honestly he could think of much more fun ways of dealing with their mutual insomnia. He shifted slightly and began kissing Nina's neck. She turned kissing him once rather succinctly and then returning to the movie. It was clear she was too engrossed to be distracted.
As the music of the closing credits filled the living room, Nina sat in stunned silence her eyes still fixed on the screen.
"Wow, that was a good movie." She said turning to Jack and waiting for him to concur.
"It was a good movie." Jack said a little surprised at how much he had enjoyed it and more than a little surprised by how emotionally involved Nina had gotten. He couldn't be sure but in the half-light he noticed that her eyes had the glassy appearance of unshed tears.
"It was just so sad. Scarlett finally realizes she loves Rhett and then he leaves her. And what was with Ashley? What an ass, stringing her along."
"I don't think he was an ass. Pathetic, sure but not an ass." Jack said surprised that he was getting sucked into this discussion.
"He was awful. All he had to do was make a choice. Either he loved Scarlett or he loved Melanie." Nina's voice was more defensive than she meant it to be.
"I don't think it was that simple. He loved them both in different ways and he couldn't imagine his life without either of them. And what about Scarlett it's not like she was the hapless victim in all this, throwing herself at a married man."
"All he had to do was tell Scarlett he didn't love her and she would have backed off. He strung her along and his selfishness in large part kept her from ever being able to be genuinely happy with anyone else. Honestly, if he knew all along he was going to stay with his wife then why the hell didn't he tell her so?" Nina was genuinely angry now and she wasn't even really sure why. Jack sat for a moment in silence as the weight of what she had just said washed over him. He slid his arm out from behind her and got up.
"Look, we're both exhausted. I mean we're sitting here arguing over the fates of fictional characters." Jack knew that the argument was now about much more than the movie and he was not at all anxious to see where it was headed. "I am going back to bed."
"Fine." Nina said her voice colored with the icy even quality she often adopted when Jack shut down during arguments.
Once back in his bedroom Jack angrily flipped off the lights and found his way to the bed. He lay down and stared blankly into the darkness Nina's words reverberating in his brain. He tried to tell himself that this was an entirely different situation. He willed himself to believe that he wasn't delaying making an unavoidable decision and in the process being unfair to all the people he cared about, but he knew it was a lie. He knew eventually he would either have to go back to the life he had once had with Teri and Kim or start a new life. He also knew that no matter what he chose, someone would get hurt. As Jack's mind reeled silently in the dark, Nina slid back into bed next to him without saying a word. She turned her back to him and lay staring into the darkness, confronting for the first time the anger she felt about their relationship. She loved being with Jack, it just made so much sense, but she also knew that nothing about what they had was permanent and she had no reason to hope that it ever would be. She realized for the first time that this made her angry. Physically they were only inches apart as they both lay brooding in the dark but emotionally they were miles apart driven further and further away by unresolved conflicts and unexpressed sentiments. Who knew a movie could cause so much trouble?
Late Night Movie
Jack blinked awake in the darkness of his bedroom. He rubbed a hand over his tired eyes, trying to get them to focus enough to read the clock on his bedside table. The small red digital numbers told him that it was 2:30 in the morning. He groaned slightly, frustrated with his inability to sleep. It had been an incredibly stressful week at the office and now that he finally had some time off he was still unable to get any rest. He felt around the other side of the bed, finding it empty he groggily sat up, swinging his legs over the side of the bed and turning on the lamp.
The door of the bedroom was slightly ajar and he could just make out the muffled noise and dim glow of the television in the living room. He shuffled into the living room and found Nina curled up on the couch, clearly engrossed it whatever it was that she was watching.
"Hey." Jack said, his voice still husky with sleep.
"Hey." Nina said scooting over to make room for him on the couch. "Did I wake you up?"
"No I couldn't sleep."
"Me neither."
"What are you watching?" Jack asked shifting so that he could put his arm around her. She leaned back against him resting her head on his shoulder.
"Gone with the Wind. Have you ever seen it?"
"Not all the way through. I think I watched part of it with Kim for a school project or something."
"I had never seen it either, but it was on TCM so I figured I would give it a try and it is excellent." Nina said her voice filled with an enthusiasm Jack had rarely heard.
"What's happened so far?" Jack asked, he was curious and her enthusiasm was as infectious as it was unexpected.
"Shh, it's back on. I'll catch you up next commercial break?" Nina shifted her full attention back to the movie.
They sat for a long while in comfortable silence. Jack had to agree with Nina this was a very good movie, but honestly he could think of much more fun ways of dealing with their mutual insomnia. He shifted slightly and began kissing Nina's neck. She turned kissing him once rather succinctly and then returning to the movie. It was clear she was too engrossed to be distracted.
As the music of the closing credits filled the living room, Nina sat in stunned silence her eyes still fixed on the screen.
"Wow, that was a good movie." She said turning to Jack and waiting for him to concur.
"It was a good movie." Jack said a little surprised at how much he had enjoyed it and more than a little surprised by how emotionally involved Nina had gotten. He couldn't be sure but in the half-light he noticed that her eyes had the glassy appearance of unshed tears.
"It was just so sad. Scarlett finally realizes she loves Rhett and then he leaves her. And what was with Ashley? What an ass, stringing her along."
"I don't think he was an ass. Pathetic, sure but not an ass." Jack said surprised that he was getting sucked into this discussion.
"He was awful. All he had to do was make a choice. Either he loved Scarlett or he loved Melanie." Nina's voice was more defensive than she meant it to be.
"I don't think it was that simple. He loved them both in different ways and he couldn't imagine his life without either of them. And what about Scarlett it's not like she was the hapless victim in all this, throwing herself at a married man."
"All he had to do was tell Scarlett he didn't love her and she would have backed off. He strung her along and his selfishness in large part kept her from ever being able to be genuinely happy with anyone else. Honestly, if he knew all along he was going to stay with his wife then why the hell didn't he tell her so?" Nina was genuinely angry now and she wasn't even really sure why. Jack sat for a moment in silence as the weight of what she had just said washed over him. He slid his arm out from behind her and got up.
"Look, we're both exhausted. I mean we're sitting here arguing over the fates of fictional characters." Jack knew that the argument was now about much more than the movie and he was not at all anxious to see where it was headed. "I am going back to bed."
"Fine." Nina said her voice colored with the icy even quality she often adopted when Jack shut down during arguments.
Once back in his bedroom Jack angrily flipped off the lights and found his way to the bed. He lay down and stared blankly into the darkness Nina's words reverberating in his brain. He tried to tell himself that this was an entirely different situation. He willed himself to believe that he wasn't delaying making an unavoidable decision and in the process being unfair to all the people he cared about, but he knew it was a lie. He knew eventually he would either have to go back to the life he had once had with Teri and Kim or start a new life. He also knew that no matter what he chose, someone would get hurt. As Jack's mind reeled silently in the dark, Nina slid back into bed next to him without saying a word. She turned her back to him and lay staring into the darkness, confronting for the first time the anger she felt about their relationship. She loved being with Jack, it just made so much sense, but she also knew that nothing about what they had was permanent and she had no reason to hope that it ever would be. She realized for the first time that this made her angry. Physically they were only inches apart as they both lay brooding in the dark but emotionally they were miles apart driven further and further away by unresolved conflicts and unexpressed sentiments. Who knew a movie could cause so much trouble?