Conflicting Loves

Chapter 9: While You Were Gone

A/N: This is going to be great. I thought up a really great thing to do in this chapter. Poor Jack. After this chapter is over, he won't have a clue what to do. That's all I'm going to say before I get into the chapter.

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"This is just great." Jack was saying, rather sarcastically, as he paced back and forth inside of his house. The dogs followed his movement like a pair of spectators at a tennis match. "It's the last day of Summer and I still haven't made up my mind about Nami. I know that she loves me and I love her, so there shouldn't be a problem. Right?" Jack looked over at A and B for an answer, but neither supplied him with something to calm his nerves.

"Well, let's put everything out on the table. We both love each other; that's a pro. I still love Elli. Con. Destiny fulfilled. That's a good thing. The fact that I hate this destiny because it ruined what I had with Elli. Bad thing." Jack was now rummaging through his rucksack, taking out items to represent each of the points that he came up with. He was about to state another fact when his hand grabbed hold of the Blue Feather. The farmer pulled the item from his bag, eyeing the feather in disdain. "The fact that I don't know what I want…"

Jack's conversation with himself came to an abrupt end as a knock came at his door. "Jack, get off your lazy behind and come do some work for a change!" Takakura shouted before continuing on with his work.

The young farmer smiled as he restocked his rucksack. "Takakura's right. Some farm work might help me make up my mind. Something's bound to come to me and put everything in a different light."

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Nami was just as stressed over the matter as Jack was, but for an entirely different reason. She knew that the longer Jack took, the more likely that it would be too late for Nami. Elli would be arriving any day now and that would spell the end of any chance that Nami had of living happily ever after with Jack.

Did she regret forcing Jack to propose to her? Of course she did. She was, after all, a stickler for things being done properly according to tradition. The courtship process was one of those traditions that she believed in, but there were times when drastic matters had to be taken.

Ever since that moment when she had seen Jack and Muffy kiss, she felt madly in love with Jack. At first it was only a jealous reaction, but upon further dwelling, she realized that it was love. Nami, despite her travels, actually wanted nothing more than to settle down with a good man and raise a family. Jack was the closest thing to accomplishing her dream that Nami had run across in her entire life, so she wasn't going to let her own cousin ruin it for her.

A new thought suddenly sent a shiver down Nami's spine. What if Jack did propose to her? Was she really ready? Even is she accepted, Elli was still going to show up and put a wrench in Nami's plans. There was always the chance that Jack would abandon her to return to his ex-girlfriend. Maybe it would be better if she went and told Jack what she knew.

"I'm going to go see Jack." Nami's sudden announcement caused Ruby to jump. Ruby had completely forgotten that Nami was outside on the balcony while Ruby cleaned the room. Nami rushed past Ruby and down the stairs. Ruby headed over to the window and leaned out to watch as Nami emerged from the entrance of the Inner Inn. Ruby's eyes followed Nami as she ran over towards Jack's farm and disappear around the corner. She was just about to return to her work when a boat's whistle sounded from down at the beach. "This won't turn out well." Ruby whispered, knowing fully well what that whistle meant.

Nami heard the whistle, sending her heart into a frantic frenzy. "I thought she said that she'd be here Fall first!" She complained to herself as she scoped the farm for Jack. Seeing the young man that she loved nowhere in sight, she began searching through the buildings. He wasn't in the barn. The same could be said for the tool shed. Finally, Nami came across someone, but it wasn't Jack, "Oh, sorry Takakura, I didn't mean to disturb you. Where can I find Jack?"

The old farmer grunted, "He's not on the farm, I can tell you that. The last I saw of him, he had his fishing pole in hand and he was heading upriver. Most liberal translation of work I've ever seen."

Nami hadn't bothered to stick around for the rest of Takakura's complaints. She was already out the door of the chicken coop. Takakura watched as the red headed girl hopped the fence of the pasture, heading for the path across the farm. "He crossed the river!" Takakura called out, but it was too late. Nami had already reached the path and was heading towards the waterfall.

It just so happened that at that exact same moment, Jack was entering the farm from the other entrance. The farmer had a rather large fish in hand and was absent mindedly climbing over the fence into the pasture. He walked straight towards the new pond where he gently released the fish. Then, Jack proceeded to pull out his fishing pole and cast it into the pond after the fish. "Jack! What on earth are you doing?" Takakura screamed.

"Shhh! You'll scare the fish!" Jack replied with a smile as he reeled in the very fish he had just released.

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Down at the beach, the boat was just pulling away after dropping of its passenger. The passenger, who was wearing a rather bulky white trench coat, pulled the brim of her very familiar looking hat a little bit lower over her hazel eyes before climbing the hill up into town. "Can I help you with something my good traveler?" A friendly voice asked.

Elli looked over at the smiling man wearing the purple shades. "Tell me where I can find Jack."

Gustafa smile grew a bit wider. "Oh, Jack! He's one of my bestest buddies, you know. He lives on the farm just behind those trees there. He's done an awesome job with the place since he came here."

Elli followed the man's pointed hand, making out the faint outline of some building behind the wall of trees. She took in a deep breath, mentally preparing herself for what she was about to do. She had been going over this process in her mind thousands of times since Jack had left, so she knew exactly what she wanted to do. Elli reached up, removing the cap from her head, letting her auburn hair drop perfectly into its natural style. Her gaze settled on the blue feather taped to the inside of the hat, where she had been keeping it. "You're all that I have left." She whispered softly as she determinedly headed towards the farm.

The sound of frantic footsteps approached Elli, causing her to look in the direction that the sound came from. A red haired girl emerged from a path between the trees then turned, running across a bridge and back the direction she had come in. "Maybe he went to the dig after fishing." The girl was muttering as she vanished from sight.

Elli almost called out to the girl; sure that it was her cousin, Nami. She decided not to, remembering that she had someone more important that she needed to see first. With each and every step that she took; the closer she got to Jack; the faster her heart beat. So much was riding on this reunion. She was counting on Jack to take her back, even after what she had done to him. The mental image of her pointing towards the door as she tried to hold back the tears had been burned into her mind, scarring her for these last seasons.

Her dress, beneath her coat, lightly swept across the ground as she stepped onto the farm. Nearly instantly, she spotted him. "Jack!" She cried out, casting aside the lines that she had scripted as she ran to the fence. Elli watched as the fishing pole dropped out of Jack's trembling hands. He knew who it was, but he didn't believe it. He slowly turned his head, praying that it wasn't his imagination playing games with him. His eyes finally caught sight of Elli and he broke out into a run towards her. "Elli!"

Jack jumped the fence and was immediately embraced by Elli, who buried her face into his chest. "I've missed you so much." She admitted amid tears. Jack merely smiled, just glad to be with Elli again. "What brings you here?" Jack finally asked.

Elli gingerly released Jack and wiped away a tear from her eye. She looked up into Jack's eyes, seeing the same tender love that they had the last time that she had seen him. "Jack, you're the only one I have left."

"What happened to Stu and your grandmother?" Jack asked, a feeling of dread filling his stomach.

Elli stifled back the tears, knowing that Jack was here to console her. "Ever since you left, my life's been a mess. Those first few days without you were horrible. I felt terrible, especially when I realized how I had reacted to you. I should have been happy for you, after all you were getting your own farm, just like you had always wanted. Instead, I took it personally, like you were leaving to get rid of me.

From there, things just got worse. About a week after you left, my grandmother passed away." Elli stopped momentarily as she felt Jack take hold of her hands. Her spirits were immediately lifted. She felt like she belonged again. "I was a mess. I didn't go to work; all I did was sit at home and cry. A few days later, they took Stu away from me because I wasn't able to care for him on my own. I was wishing that I could just turn to you for support, but you weren't there anymore."

Elli paused, taking a deep breath. "This is the part I'm really ashamed about, but I have to tell you." Elli looked back into Jack's eyes, trying to read his emotions as she slowly undid the coat. A tiny mischievous glimmer showed in Jack's eyes at first, but the look disapeared when she removed the coat, showing her bulging stomach. Now, Jack had a look of shock across his face. He knew that it wasn't his. "I went into work one day, in an attempt to get my life back on track. Tim was there for me, trying to be as consoling and helpful as possible. I misread his intentions, because he… he…" Elli began sniffling as she tried to tell the sordid secret that had caused her so much trouble back in Mineral Town.

She didn't dare look him in the eyes anymore. This was the one part about her speech that she knew was going to be difficult. How could you tell the man that you loved that you were carrying a child that wasn't his? Worse off, how could you admit that you were raped by his rival? She half expected that Jack would turn his back on Elli, just as she had when he came to tell her that he was leaving. Instead, she felt Jack's hands on her shoulders. Elli looked up, directly into Jack's eyes. They held a look of intense burning hatred, but underneath there was understanding. The hatred wasn't directed at her. Jack once again embraced Elli, holding her tight against his chest as he whispered into her ear, "I'm sorry that I wasn't there for you."

These simple, reassuring words were all that Elli needed. Now it was time for the final part, the one that she needed to work. She still had Jack's hat in her hand. "Jack?" Elli probed, gently wriggling out of Jack's hold. The farmer looked confused as Elli handed him the hat, with the Blue Feather sticking out. She wanted him to ask the question that he should have asked when he had given her the hat.

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Nami couldn't find Jack anywhere. She had searched up and down the river, dropped in at the dig site, even stopping by to ask Celia if Jack had come by. Nobody had seen the farmer recently. To make matters worse, Nami knew that Elli was looking for Jack as well. Whoever ran into the farmer first would be the one walking away with the prize. "Where are you Jack?" She cursed as she crossed back across the bridge.

She was just about to run into town to look for him when she happened to cast a glance over at his farm. There was Jack, and he was talking to a girl, who had to be Elli. Elli was obviously pregnant, looking like she was at least two seasons pregnant. But wait… two seasons ago, she was with Jack…

Nami felt her heart nearly rip in half as she stumbled towards the reunited couple. She watched as they hugged. Then, she saw the Blue Feather in Jack's hand. He had been playing her the entire time. Never once had he intended on marrying her. The entire time, he was just waiting for Elli to arrive so that he could live with his future family.

Elli spotted the approaching Nami, waving her over. "Hey Nami! It's been a long time!" Jack, who had his back partially turned to Nami, looked over his shoulder. "Nami, have you met Elli?"

Nami's response was simple. For the second time this season, she slapped Jack across the face. "How could you?" She screamed out, on the verge of tears, "I poured my heart out to you and this is how you repay me! You lied to my face, each and every time that you said that you loved me. Now, you're going to marry my cousin! I hate you; I hope that I never see you again." With that Nami turned on her heels and stormed back towards town.

"Nami, wait!" Jack called out. He realized that she had seen the Blue Feather in his hands and had assumed that it was the one that she had found in his tool shed. Jack quickly reached into his rucksack and produced the second Blue Feather. "This is the one meant for you!"

Apparently, this was the wrong thing to say, especially right in front of Elli. Jack found that his cheek now stung twice as bad as it had mere seconds ago. "I thought that you were telling me the truth. You'd come back for me! Not until after you've slept around! And to think that I was came all the way here for you!" With that, it was Elli's turn to walk out on Jack, leaving the poor farmer standing all alone on his farm holding two Blue Feathers.

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A/N: That's a pretty good lead up to the final chapter. But, I'm still wondering who Jack is going to end up with. There's only one chapter left for him to fix things with either Nami or Elli. Will he be able to do it? Or will he end up giving up on both and going for Muffy? I'm sure that she'd accept his proposal. No, I won't do that; it'll be either Elli or Nami. Thanks for reading and please leave a review voicing your opinion on this matter.