Chapter number 22. Just friends? Or more?

"We better get home" Jack said as he stopped the car at a dead end, "It's getting dark".

"Ok" Rose agreed, a little disappointed, she just wished that they could find Martha now, after what happened earlier, she didn't really want to go home with Jack.

"Now where are we?" Jack said looking around at all the bush, they were definitely out of the city now.

"I don't know, but we should probably head that way" Rose said pointing out the obvious.

"Yeah well I'm not an idiot, of course we go that way. I'm sure were really going to find our way home through the bush" Jack teased sarcastically. "Anyway" he started again, turning on the light of the inside of the car, "Could you pass me the map in the door, it's a few years old, but I'm sure well be able to find our way from that".

"Yeah sure" Rose said reaching into the pocket on the inside of the door and passing the map to Jack. There hands brushed against each other and they both imediently looked at each other wondering what the other was thinking, there was some kind of connection that had passed between them, it was warm and comforting, yet seemed to make them both tingle inside. Jack moved closer to her, their faces grew closer and it happened again, that same moment, a moment where what they wanted took over, and there brains thoughts were blocked out.

Jack planed a soft kiss on Rose's lips, she so badly wanted to return it, but her brain kicked in right that second. She pulled away, leaving Jack in disappointment. "We can't" she said softly, shaking her head. "We can't" she repeated more quietly than before.

"Why not?" he whispered, there faces were still only about twenty centimeters apart. Rose was about to say something, but she stopped, no words could answer that. About a minute passed until she answered. "But don't you love Martha?"

Jack paused, that question was now haunting him once again and he could only answer it one way, "I don't know..." he answered. They both were still looking deeply into each others eyes, there was only one person stopping them from giving into their desires, Martha.

"Look, we should really go" Jack broke the silence, taking his eyes away from her. The car was filled with an uncomfortable amount of silence the whole way home and the only words that were said were rose giving Jack the directions off the map.

As the next week passed, things were still tense between Jack and Rose. Rose moved out, she went to stay with Roo after they were told about the mix up at the hospital, she was happy living with her, they had so many things in common that it was scary.

"So are you going to tell me what's going on between you and Jack?" Roo asked, looking at Rose from across the table in the dinner.

"What do you mean?"

"Come on, I'm not blind, I've seen the was you two have been acting around each other".

Rose sighed, "Why do mothers always have to notice everything" she mumbled.

"Because it just comes with the job" Roo joked. "Now come on, spill".

"Look it's really, really complicated".

"I can handle complicated".

"Ok, but you better keep this to yourself, ok?"

"Alright, I won't tell a soul" she promised.

Jack was sitting at home, he'd just come from the dinner where he'd bumped into Rose and Roo on his way out, he was so confused. 'Why do I feel so weird around her?' he thought, why couldn't life just be simple. Over the last week he'd made up his mind that he did in fact love Rose, but if he loved Martha, well that was something he still couldn't decide, one moment, he'd think that he didn't love Martha, and the next he wasn't sure. It was just all to complicated.

"Jack" Tony called out coming down the hall way.

"Yeah" he answered.

"Oh there you are" he said when he saw him, "Look Jack there's a coming up party in Sydney that we've just been invited to, next Sunday".

"Ok, cool, who's is it?"

"Well" Tony started, "that's actually more what I wanted to talk to you about" he said, sounding edgy.

"Dad is everything alright?"

"Um, I'll let you decide that. Look you remember how a few years ago, um, when, um... Martha went missing".

Jack just rolled his eyes, he knew where this was going, but it couldn't be Martha's party, could it? "Yeah, how could i forget. Anyway, what's this got to do with the coming up party?"

"Well" Tony sighed, "I think you should make your self comfortable, it's a long story".

"Is it Martha's party?"

"Yeah" Tony told him, Jack just looked at him confused.

"But... How?"

"Well, her father Brett, you know the rich business guy we met in the city about a year ago".

"Yeah"

"Well lets just say, Martha's living with him and-"

"Oh, I see" Jack said sounding disappointed, so she wasn't a slave anymore, Martha obviously didn't love him, if she did then she could of easily come and seen him ages ago she had promised him he could still see it in his head, it was a flash back from when he saw her at Sash's in the store room.

FLASH BACK

"Please don't tell anyone I was here".

"Why not Martha, they can help you".

"No they can't, like I said before I belong to Sasha now. Just please don't tell them, I don't want them to worry about something they can't fix, ok".

"Ok, if that's what you really want".

"Thank you".

"but only if you promise me one thing".

"What's that?"

"If you ever leave here, don't run anymore, come home".

"Jack, I can't leave, not even if I want to".

"Yeah I know, you told me. But if for some reason you do leave..."

"Ok, I'll come home then, but don't count on that happening" Martha agreed.

END OF FLASH BACK

Come home, she'd come home alright, just not the home he ment. Jack sighed he didn't know how she'd gotten out of slavery, but how ever she did didn't matter now, she'd moved on, so he was going to too. Jack seemed to cheer up pretty quickly, he'd made up his mind, he loved Rose.

"Jack, are you ok?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Well I don't know, you just sounded disappointed before".

"Well I'm not anymore, lets just say a burden has been lifted" he said, cheerfully getting up.

"Where are you going?"

"Out, I've got a lot to do today so I should head off".

"Alright then, I won't keep you any longer" Tony said picking up the news paper of the coffee table and began to open to the sports section.

"So that's my complicated life at the moment" Rose finished after telling Roo everything about the way things had been around Jack lately.

"So what are you going to do about it then?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well you can't just leave things the way they are, you'll drive yourself crazy" Roo told her.

"Yeah, but what am I supposed to do? I don't want to make a fool of myself, it would just make things even more weird between us".

"Rose would you rather leave it the way it is or at least try to fix things? You haven't got anything to lose".

"I guess so, it couldn't really get much worse than it already is".

"So when are you going to tell him?"

"I don't know".

"Well how about now?"

"No, later".

"Well to bad cause he's heading this way" Roo told her looking over Rose's shoulder towards the door of the dinner.

Rose looked around for a second and saw Jack coming, "Oh no" she mumbled.

"Ok, nows your chance" Roo encouraged her.

"Hey" Jack greeted.

"Hey" Rose answered, putting on a happy bubbly face.

"Look I better get going" Roo said grabbing her bag, Rose just gave her a death stair. "I've got a few things to do, so you two stay here".

Rose was definitely not happy at this, but didn't show Jack that, "You sue you don't want me to come help?" she asked, trying to get out of there a quickly as possible.

"No sweety, you stay here".

"Well I'm just going to get a coffee, I'll be back in a second, do you want one too Rose?" Jack asked.

"Um... No thanks"

"Ok then" Jack replied walking of to the counter.

"Why did you have to leave me here with him?" Rose asked under her breath.

Roo just patted her on the shoulder, pretending not to hear that, "Bye sweety" she said in a cheerful voice, "oh, and don't forget to tell him how you feel" she whispered.

"How could I possibly forget" Rose answered back sarcastically, as Roo walked out of the dinner.

"So" Jack started as he sat back down on the opposite side of the table to Rose, "how have you been".

"Alright I guess. Look Jack there's something I have to tell you".

"Ok shot" he answered, hoping that she was about to tell him that she loved him and that them kissing hadn't been a mistake, she was, but something stopped her.

"Um, I, u-"

"You what?"

'Come on Rose think of something' she told herself. "Um, you know how the other day I told you about that place where I got sent after my family died?"

"Yeah".

"Well I think I'm ready to dob them in now" Rose told him, she wasn't lying though, she was ready.

"Ok, well do you want me to take you down to the station now then?"

"Yeah, that would be nice".

x0x

"You look beautiful sweety" Brett commented as he approached his daughter, it was the night of her coming up party.

"Thanks dad" she replied, she was so happy that she had butterflies in her stomach, not nervous ones though, just ones filled with excitement, something was telling her that tonight was going to be excellent.

"So how about I introduce you to some of our guests" Brett asked leading Martha into the large ball room, crowded with lots of people.

Martha's mouth dropped when she saw the room "are you going to introduce me to all of them or just some of them?"

Brett laughed slightly, "No just some of them, we don't want to spend the whole night shaking hands, now do we?"

"No".

"Ok lets start over here, I want you to meet some of the people from the Townsville family".

"Ok" Martha agreed, following her father through the crowds. "How did you manage to get this many people to come?"

"I've got my connections, well to many to be correct, but they come in handy sometimes".

Over the other side of the room, through the crowds was none other than Jack along with the rest of the Holdens and the Hunters. "Do you think she'll remember me?" Beth asked nervously, she had only found out about the mix up a week ago and was egar to meet Martha as her daughter. Brett had arranged for Martha to meet up with her later that night, Martha didn't know this yet though, but until the time was right Brett had to keep Martha occupied with talking to everyone but Beth.

"Of course she will" Tony said supportively, now there's no need to be nervous".

"Yeah I know, but it's just... I don't know, I've never really thought of Martha as my daughter before, and now it feels like I'm about to meet her for the first time" Beth explained, trying to be calm. "What if she freaks out?"

"Beth" Tony started.

"Alright, alright, I'll stay positive" Beth agreed after seeing the look on Tony's face.

"Good, now how about we go and get a drink" Tony suggested.

"Ok".

"You ok Jack?" Lucas asked, sitting next to his brother on one of the seats along the wall of the fancy ball room.

"What?" Jack said dreamily, breaking out of his daydreaming.

Lucas sighed "Ok what's wrong?"

"Luc, I'm fine".

"No your not, this is about Martha isn't it?"

"No it's not Luc, just mind your own business, I told you already, I'm fine" Jack said raising his voice slightly.

"Right, sure it's not" Lucas said sarcastically. "Come on admit it" he pushed.

"Look it's complicated, now could we just leave it at that?"

"Ok" Lucas sighed.

"Dad I'm just going to get a drink" Martha said to her dad before he could introduce her to anyone else.

"Ok, I'll just be over talking to Harry over there ok" he told her pointing to where Harry was.

"Ok, I'll be over there soon" she said walking over to the drink table and taking one of the glasses that was placed there. Then looked up to see someone familiar, "Jack?" she said looking shocked.

"Martha" he answered, he couldn't tell if the look on her face was looking at him in horror or in shock, but he would find out soon enough.

Next time:

Two girls, one guy, who loves who?

Is this the start of another love triangle?

Martha meets Beth as her Mother, how with it all go?