Forget Me Not
Chapter Two
Out of habit, Jack glanced at his left wrist where his watch usually was, forgetting that he hadn't worn one since the day of the crash, finding time didn't matter on an island. By the position of the moon, and his own body's restlessness, Jack estimated it to be around eleven-thirty. He himself was getting tired, but he wasn't going to say anything as long as Alex kept moving in her steady pace in front of him, walking effortlessly through the jungle as if it were broad daylight. He could only wish that he had her skill.
"So tell me again why you didn't let anyone know about this before," Jack said, unable to stand the silence.
Like many, Jack hated to have to surrender to silence, afraid of the thoughts and realizations that it would bring.
"I just couldn't find the time," Alex lied, shrugging.
Time was all she had.
"Didn't want to cause an uproar."
"There are people here who lost loved ones in the crash that were in that section of the plane," Jack said, remembering Rose, "didn't you think that they deserved to know?"
"I guess," Alex said, "I dunno. Look, I'm sorry, all right?"
"Yeah, I know," Jack sighed.
Alex hiked a few more paces to the left and then stopped.
"Why'd you stop?" Jack asked, looking around for a reason.
"Because we're here."
She stepped aside to give Jack a good look at what she was looking at. In front of them in a heap of wreckage sat the remainder of the tail section, a long piece of aircraft surrounded by dozens of bags of luggage.
"Just as I found it three days ago," Alex added, "no one's been back since. I don't think there were any survivors."
"There wouldn't be here," Jack said, looking around, "this is the rest of the cargo. Mostly luggage. Any bodies would be nearby."
At the mention of 'bodies', Alex let out a shiver that even Jack four feet away from her noticed.
"You okay?" He asked, concerned.
"Yeah," Alex said, wrapping her arms around her chest, "I'm fine."
As if the cool night air wasn't enough, Alex was smart enough to go into the jungle at night wearing a tank top. Sure she had felt fine when she was beside a fire, but out here there was nothing but the swaying trees and wind. She took a step towards Jack, curious as to what piece of luggage had him intrigued, but faltered as she did, tripping. Grabbing onto a suitcase, Alex caught herself just before she fell, and Jack reached out to help her up.
"Are you sure that you're okay?" Jack said, helping her up.
Jack couldn't help but to notice that Alex's arms were a good deal skinnier than they had been a week ago, and now that he thought about it, she looked lighter than she had before. The jeans that had been the 'perfect fit' just a few weeks ago were now sliding off her small waist every few steps, and the straps of her shirt fell to her shoulders whenever she moved her arms. Letting go, Jack looked up at her, more worried about her more now than ever.
"Have you been eating?" He inquired seriously.
"What's it to you?" Alex snapped, stepping away from him. "Come on, we found the place. Maybe it wasn't such a good plan to come looking for it tonight. Let's go back to camp. You and Sayid or somebody can come looking for it tomorrow."
"No," Jack said, right away making up his mind, "you're in no condition to hike through the jungle at night, and really, neither of us should."
"Then what do you suggest that we do?" Alex asked, suddenly wanting nothing more than to be back in the caves, surrounded by other people, where she would be safe.
Not that she didn't trust Jack, there was just something about being out in the jungle stashed away in the back of the set of the "Twilight Zone" with dead bodies everywhere that creeped her out. Not to mention that Jack wasn't exactly the most 'in-place' guy around, not that was his fault though, and it wasn't that much of a big deal anymore. It was as big as Jack made it seem.
"Make camp," Jack answered, "we should be fine for the night, if you don't mind. I mean, if this makes you uncomfortable-"
"No," Alex said quickly, flattered that Jack actually cared about how she felt about the situation, "I'll be fine, and your right, with that thing out there-"
"It's not real," Jack said sternly.
"Right," Alex rolled her eyes, "and with the thing out there that eats people but isn't real out there, we can't be too safe."
"Good," Jack nodded, and looked behind him to a spot that wasn't covered luggage "I'll sleep over here and you-"
"I'll be over here," Alex said, sitting down against a tree across from Jack.
She watched as he rearranged some luggage to make sure that they didn't fall on him in the middle of the night.
"Kate won't get jealous, will she?" Alex asked, her eyes twinkling in the night.
Jack gave her a sly smile.
"Don't worry, she's had her share."
Alex chuckled at Jack's humor and searched behind her for some wood for fire. She soon had a fire going(practice really make perfect), and Alex sighed as she laid her head back against the tree she was leaning against, and glanced over to Jack, who was by now fast asleep. She could only wish that she had the same skill.
(Space)
"They're probably wondering where we are," Sayid said to Shannon, who lay beside him on the beach.
"No one will miss me," Shannon said, with a hint of sadness in her voice that only Sayid could detect.
The night was perfect. The two had walked until the beach dissolved into jungle, and Shannon had picked a place to rest, but the rest drew out longer than expected, and Shannon and Sayid now lay in the sand, with their elbows propping them just up above the sand. Shannon gazed into his eyes, praying that he wouldn't say anything that would make her feel worse.
"What about Boone?"
Like that.
"He's probably still out with Locke," Shannon said, rolling her eyes, "I swear, someone should tell those two to get a room or something. Or at least they should try and find out what they're up too."
"You know how that one went," Sayid said, recalling their many attempts to rat out Locke and Boone.
"Yeah," Shannon sighed, "I know."
The streets of LA were jam packed as Shannon walked downtown in a quick pace. Though she was only sixteen, a leather name-brand purse dangled from her fingertips, which probably cost more than the outfits of the last two pedestrians she past, and small diamonds flickered in the sunlight that rayed on her tiny earlobes. Above the traffic and daily conversation on the streets, Shannon's ring tone- a two dollar movie theme from some classic she had never even watched- rang. She groaned as she checked the caller id, wishing that she hadn't already pressed the 'talk' button.
"What?" She said bitterly into the phone.
"Shannon, I need your help," a desperate voice on the other line said.
"What the hell could you possibly want from me?"
On the other line Boone, her ever-so-loved stepbrother, sighed.
"I need a place to stay."
"Didn't you just by that fancy apartment of yours?" Shannon said with jealousy.
Still only in her teens, Shannon was stuck living with her depressed mother while Boone had moved hours away a week after her father had left. No one had even bothered to ask Shannon how she felt about the situation.
"Someone's after me," Boone said, breathing heavily.
From the background sound, Shannon assumed that Boone was already packing.
"I still live with mom, you know," the sixteen year old reminded him.
"I know!" Boone exclaimed. "I just need to get out of here! I need your help!"
"Fine," Shannon said, crossing her arms, "but for a price."
Miles and hours away, Boone stopped.
"What?"
"Five thousand dollars," Shannon said with no regrets, "and as soon as you get here you have to talk mom into getting me a car."
"Three thousand," was Boone's answer.
"Four thousand," offered Shannon.
"One thousand and I'll buy you the car."
Shannon thought about it, and then..
"Deal."
Author's Note: Well look at that, Shannon/Boone centric flashbacks. This should get interesting. Oh, and I've decided to make the next fic Sawyer-centric and then the one after that Jack. I thought about making the Sawyer one post-island, but then that would've ruined another plot I have with the island series. Anyway, sorry for the shortness of this chapter, and thanks for the reviews..um..review. Where'd you guys go? Oh well.
P.S: Please don't look at the Jack/Alex as a romance. That's just..disturbing. They just care about each other..like a friendship. This series is totally Jate.
Next fic, "The Wall"(working title):
A new island patient of Jack has a past connection to Sawyer.
Coming up next on "Forget Me Not":
Unable to sleep, Alex and Jack have a little late night chat about the previous life, and in the morning, Shannon discovers a secret about Sayid.
Until next time..
October Sky