Disclaimer: I don't own Lord of the Flies. William Golding does because he thought of it first, that jerk.

Author's Note: Did you see I separated it this time? Eh! XD Okay well. I sort of didn't want this to happen, but I do. You know what I mean? Well you will soon. I have no idea how many chapters are left, still. I could end it in one… but… do I want to? (PS: Please Review because I love it when I get email. Hehe. )

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Jack had such a mixed feeling inside of him for the past two days, he thought he was going to explode. He walked up to Ralph, who was still sitting on the edge of the stream. Jack sat and put his legs in the water, letting the slow current relax his muscles. He watched the waves lick at his tanned legs and watched as bits of clay, blood and sand got washed away.

He wished his feelings would wash away like that.

He wanted to be happy, honestly he did. He put his hands behind him and leaned back, looking over at Ralph. Ralph was splashing water onto his scab, trying hard not to wince, but how tight he was closing his eyes gave away how much pain he was really in. Jack was glad Ralph was up and about, but he still worried. Roger could be watching them right now, waiting to get another shot at Ralph.

Jack looked up at the sky, trying to push the fear away. He was caring too much about Ralph. Maurice had already seen through that and was starting to act like friends with Jack, and not like Jack was his superior. He was calling him Jack, not Chief. Jack didn't mind. He grinned when he remembered how childish he seemed on the first day. 'I want to be Merridew. Why should I be Jack?'

Then he remembered when Roger introduced himself. He was hiding in his skin and only mumbled his name and wouldn't say more. They were all innocent before.

Jack sighed.

"Are you okay?" Ralph wet hand went onto Jack's shoulder at the water dripped down Jack's chest.

Jack looked over at him and forced a smile. "Yes. I'm perfect."

Ralph grinned. "You can't fool me. You're worried."

Jack smiled. "Well, yeah, but I think I have a good reason to be. You're getting better but Eric's not. Well he is, I think, but not very quickly. And what if Roger comes back? Right now? To finish you off."

"Well that's what the bodyguards are—" Ralph cut off as he looked around. Maurice and Robert had run off. Ralph smiled, having a feeling that he knew what they were off doing. "—were here for. But I'm sure we can manage on our own." Ralph let his hand fall onto Jack's hand that was closest to him on the ground.

"But what if..?"

"You're not the 'what if' kind, Jack. You never acted on this island on 'what ifs' before. Why are you doing it now?"

Jack's hand turned over as he sat up, taking Ralph's hand in his. "Because now I have something to care about on this hell of an island. I don't want to lose that… I don't want to lose you."

Ralph smiled and blushed, but his smile faded quickly. "Jack?" His voice lowered. "I.. I don't think Roger's going to kill me."

"What?" Jack looked confused.

"That night… he wasn't going to kill me. He would have killed me when he had his chance. I think he's planning on doing something else." Ralph looked down, pulling his hand from Jack's. Jack let his hand go, but brought it up to Ralph's chest, running his finger to the right of the mark down to his belly button. Ralph winced slightly.

"I understand now." Jack said; his eyes on the wound. "It's not matter of taking your life. Taking your life wouldn't be enough for him." Ralph nodded and Jack spoke the words they both wanted to avoid. "He wants to demoralize you. He wants to cut you from yourself." Jack eyes softened and looked disturbed. "He wants you to wish for death… Ralph…" He looked up to Ralph's eyes.

"He's going to… he's going to…" Ralph nodded, his eyes lowered, avoiding Jack's gaze. "J-just like the pig."

Ralph looked back up at Jack, his heart aching, and saw the fear in Jack's eyes. He thought back to the boy who ordered Roger to tie him up. Fear was something Ralph thought Jack was unable to feel, but the look in his eye was… painful.

To Ralph, it seemed as if Jack was the one who just found out he was going to slowly be tortured and possibly sodomized with a spear. Ralph shuddered, fear controlled his life too. How he wished he could make it go away. Especially for Jack's sake. Jack didn't have to worry about Ralph.

Ralph didn't like Jack when he looked like this. His hands balled into fists and his eyes distant, in remembering something. "Jack?" Ralph said quietly. "You want to go back now?"

Jack looked up at Ralph and his eyes calmed. "Yeah." He stood up and brushed himself off and held an arm down to help up Ralph. Ralph took it, and he noticed Jack changed again. His eyes lit up, in a happy way and he grinned.

Ralph stood with Jack's help and they let go of each other, walking quietly back up to Castle Rock. Jack stopped suddenly, and grabbed Ralph's hand, his other hand going up to his face, making a 'be quiet' sign with his hands and mouth. Ralph looked confused. He didn't hear anything. His heart raced. Did he hear Roger? Suddenly he heard a giggle, and Ralph almost laughed with relief.

He knew right away it was Robert and when he looked at Jack, Jack was grinning. He leaned over and whispered in Ralph's ear. "We're going to get them back."

"What if… what if they're doing more than kissing?" Ralph said, feeling himself blush.

Jack frowned and stayed quiet again, moving slightly toward where he'd heard the noise, then he pulled Ralph to him, their chests touching. "They're not. Can't you hear it?" He whispered.

In all honest, all Ralph could hear was his own heartbeat and he was sure Jack could feel that through his skin. Sure, Ralph and Jack had kissed, but whenever they got this close, Ralph still got really nervous.

Jack grinned and turned, taking Ralph's silence for a yes, and lead Ralph by the hand, quietly toward the sound.

Once the two younger boys came into view, Jack let go of Ralph's hand, and leaned casually against a tree, running a hand through his hair. "So this is where you two went."

Neither Maurice nor Robert was pinned against anything. They both stood in a small clearing; arms wrapped around each other, but looked over at Jack when he spoke. Ralph smiled. They looked so cute, standing there, almost carefree… in love. But he liked to be pushed around. He liked to fight for dominance.

"Jack." Maurice squeaked. "Um… How… How long…?"

Jack just laughed and put his arm around Ralph's shoulder, leading them away. Maurice and Robert looked at each other, blushed again, and followed their Chief back to camp.

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Another two days passed and Eric was getting better. The wounds, they realized, were more scratches than anything. It wasn't deep. They looked like they were caused by fingernails, not spears. The boys couldn't be sure if this was comforting, however.

The boys had decided that something had gotten in the wounds when Eric lay unconscious before Sam found him. Something that made him get a fever, and that's what the deliria cam from.

And both nights, Roger had come to see Eric. He only stayed for a few minutes, but it was enough for Eric. Seeing Roger again was what made him get over his fever, faster. Ralph didn't go in the hut to see Eric. He felt that this might make him delirious again, somehow. Jack though Ralph was being stupid, but Ralph wouldn't go in to see him.

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Roger was in his cave again, but his solitude was getting the better of him. He felt the need to hurt again. To rip and kill. How long had it been since he lashed out on Ralph and Eric? Four days? He found some sort of animal inside a shell that got stuck in his cave when the tide drifted away and he crushed it in his hands.

The broken fragments of shell made his hands bleed, but he didn't feel anything. Flesh deep pain didn't seem to bother him anymore. Not since that night…

Roger had Eric by the hair, practically dragging him to the stream. Eric's eyes were bloodshot and his cheeks were tearstained. Roger threw Eric against a tree, and he sank to his knees sobbing. "Oh, get up." Roger said, sounding like Eric was over exaggerating his pain.

Eric stood. Roger had Jack's knife in his hand and he was studying Eric's chest. There were scars already, but a lot of untouched flesh. Roger was wondering where to make the wounds. Eric breathed heavily, closing his eyes. But the cut never came. He heard a small thud, the knife hitting the ground beside him and felt a wet finger started tracing his chest.

Eric opened his eyes to see blood slowly dribbling out of a wound on Roger's forearm. It was a long, and pretty deep gash, on his left arm. Roger studied the blood, with a small frown on his face. His hand went up to rub the blood, getting more on his fingers. He then looked back at Eric, and began to draw on his face and chest, again, using his blood.

Eric closed his eyes again, and tilted his head up. Roger began to make bloody lines over Eric's neck.

That was the day Roger realized that pain and pleasure coincided perfectly. Like Yin and Yang… or something like that. He picked up the knife, which was laying a few inches from Eric's foot and handed it to Eric.

"My blood as your mask, we switch places today." He said, in a moan, stepping back and opening his arms, wanting to be cut. Eric looked scared, but gave Roger his wishes. However, he dropped the knife, and grabbed Roger's shoulders and spun him around forcefully, pushing Roger's back against the tree.

Roger grinned, and his hands fell to his sides. Eric's eyes flashed, the mask of Roger's blood had seemed to show the true savage in Eric, Eric bit hungrily at Roger's bottom lip, enough to draw blood, then licked the liquid from the other boy's lips. Roger gave a small moan in reply.

Eric's fingers dug into Roger's shoulders, breaking the skin, eight lines of blood trailed down Roger's chest. Roger didn't feel any pain; he simply felt an explainable desire to want more.

Eric did well, being Roger. Eric forced Roger into another long kiss, only breaking when they heard a small crash come from the forest, Eric jumped back, and became himself again, blushing, and Roger quickly made the over up. He grabbed Eric's arms and spun him around, slamming him roughly against the tree.

"Don't do that again!" Roger sounded more than convincing. "You hear me?"

Eric nodded pitifully, not sure if Roger was as angry as he seemed.

However, it was Jack that walked into the clearing. He took a look at the two boys, noticing how Roger seemed to be bloodier than Eric, with the exception of the bloody mask Eric wore, but kept to his own business and said. "We're going hunting, boys. Finish this later."

Roger sighed, as the rest of the memory faded away and his dark cave was all he could see. His right hand slowly snaked up his left arm, and he removed the tied piece of cloth that he'd kept there since that day. He had a nice scar now, a nice souvenir of that memory, but he kept it hidden. It was his memory and nobody else's. He didn't want to share. There had been other scars that piece of cloth had covered, and that was another reason he kept the cloth there.

Eric would have noticed if Roger started getting more knife wounds, he didn't want Eric to get angry or suspicious. So he hid them. He ran his fingers over them. He never told anybody, but he always preferred to use his own blood when he made his mask. His own blood or Eric's, or clay as a last resort or if he was around other people. He moved his arm at a different angle and there were scabs from fresher wounds. Those wounds had been made to keep Jack's handprints on.

He picked up his spear and made another slice, just below the lowest one. He watched the blood dribble out, content, feeling no pain, but no pleasure either, and dabbed his fingers in it, and started to trace the handprints once again.

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"Chief!" Bill called as Jack reached camp with Ralph. The duo had been down to the stream again, Jack had given into Ralph's please and they'd gone, again, both days. Jack let go of Ralph and stepped forward. "Chief, Eric says he wants to see you."

Ralph thought this was the breakthrough Jack had been hoping for, but Jack seemed worried. Jack had gone to see Eric both days, as he got better, but he'd never specifically asked for Jack before…

Jack opened the door and walked in. Eric was sitting up, with the bloody rags removed from his body. The buises were getting better, a little, and the cuts didn't have the red infectious glow they had a few days ago. Eric was smiling, looking almost like nothing had happened.

Jack moved forward, leaving Ralph standing in front of the door. "Eric? How are you feeling?"

"Oh." Eric smiled still. "I'm feeling pretty good. Good enough to get up and about, in fact, I think." He ran his fingers over his new wounds, almost proudly. "I'm sorry to have caused you trouble. Sorry to you too, Ral—"

Eric looked up at Ralph and his smile faded. Ralph wanted to melt. Eric was staring at Ralph's chest, where his wound was. And Ralph could feel the hate, like heat, generating from Eric's body. "R…R…" Eric's eyes grew wide and Jack look confused, then he looked up at Ralph, trying to see what was making Eric so… weird.

His eye level was too Ralph's wound and he quickly yelled. "Get out, Ralph!" Ralph turned and walked out, but Eric was shaking again. Jack quickly slid over him, pinning his arms down at his wrists. "Maurice, go get some water. Ralph, go with him. Sam, get some cloth. Hurry!"

Jack barked orders and Robert came over to help Jack hold Eric down. Eric groaned, closing his eyes and Robert held Eric's hands down while Jack felt Eric's forehead. He was burning. The fever must not have gone away.

Maurice ran and grabbed two coconuts and ran back to the stream. Ralph ran into the cave, getting the coconuts that Jack had in there. Maurice was in head of him, and by the time Ralph got to the stream, Maurice was leaving. "Hurry up, Ralph." Maurice yelled over his shoulder, quickly running from view.

Ralph fell to his knees, holding the coconuts in the water, letting them fill. He stood up and turned around to run back, but a masked face greeted him. Ralph lost his balance in the surprise and fell backwards into the stream. "R.. Roger."

Roger's eyes seemed completely black, and he quickly lowered himself on top of Ralph, pinning him in the water, allowing him to stay just above the water, just so he could breathe.

"Ralph. We meet again."

"J… Jack!" Ralph yelled.

"Oh. Your lover won't be coming to your aid, this time." Roger frowned. "I just have to get some revenge. You made me do something I shouldn't have done."

"What do you mean?" Roger pushed Ralph's shoulders further into the deeper water, causing Ralph to go under for a few seconds, before he let him back up.

"You made me hurt Eric."

"How in hell did I make you hurt Eric?" Ralph said, confused.

"Don't play stupid, Ralphie. You stole Jack from me and Eric paid the price. Jack was mine and he chose you. But I can understand why. You're a biter. Jack always liked it rough."

Roger pushed Ralph across the stream, and onto land. Ralph shook, a desperate attempt to throw Roger off, but Roger pushed his hips into Ralph's and frowned. He quickly surveyed his surroundings, and grinned at a tree. He quickly grabbed a creeper from the ground and got off of Ralph.

Ralph got up and tried to run, but Roger was faster. He grabbed Ralph's hair and pulled him back. Ralph yelled in pain, but Roger threw him against the tree, moving his hand to his wrist. He pulled both of Ralph's hands behind his body, and around the tree, tying them back there in a painful pose. With Ralph's hands tied, Roger quickly turned and started to tie Ralph's feet to the tree, so he was of almost no resistance.

Ralph slammed his back against the tree in a desperate attempt to free himself, but parts of the bark splintered and dug into his back, causing him to wince. Roger stood and put his hands on Ralph's face, pushing his body against Ralph's. "Don't try anything cute this time."

Ralph shut his eyes and tried to move his head away, but Roger's hands held his skull still and he felt Roger's chapped lips on his again. Ralph tried to keep his mouth shut, but Roger dug his fingers into Ralph's jaw, forcing them apart, and keeping them in there so Ralph couldn't bite down without hurting himself. Again, Roger's tongue was forced into his mouth and he explored, furiously, touching their tongues together. Ralph tried to keep still, to bore Roger, and tears burned his eyes.

Roger moved his fingers away from Ralph's jaw a little, so it shut more, and tilted Ralph's head to one side, pushing in farther, attempting to make the kiss deeper and mean more. Ralph shook his shoulders, trying to get Roger off, but it hurt him more than it hurt Roger. Roger moved back for a breath.

"Why don't you make this easier and kiss me back?" Roger said, his eyes trying to burn holes through Ralph's, his hands dropping to the other boy's chest.

Ralph frowned. "I would never kiss you."

"Well you sure aren't trying very hard to get me off." Roger said, grinning. "You like this. You know you like it when I hurt you." Roger shook his head. "And what's Jackie going to say, Ralph?" Ralph groaned as Roger pushed his hips further into the other boys, painfully. "What's he going to say when you tell him you didn't fetch his water like a lapdog because you were to busy with me?"

Ralph felt his wall break with every word. How could he possibly explain this to Jack? The only comfort he had was that Roger wasn't doing to him like he did to the pig. Ralph's clothes had stayed on and he could tell Roger didn't intend on ruining him like that, yet.

"Everyone knows you're just like Eric." Roger laid his chest flat against Ralph's, one hand gliding up his chest, resting on the back of Ralph's neck, the other slowly making it's way up his neck, gently, over his cheek, and through his hair. Roger turned his head to whisper into the boy's ear. "You suck it up and hide your emotions pretty well. And everyone knows what I do to people like Eric… people like you." Roger nipped playfully at Ralph's earlobe before moving back, looking over Ralph, hungrily.

Ralph tried to look away, feeling naked and exposed to Roger's gaze. Roger's bent over and picked up his spear and stood up. His other hand went up to his arm, to the spot with the cloth tied around it, for a second it looked like he was going to remove it. His knuckles turned white, he was clenching the spear so hard, and he swallowed roughly. Suddenly, he seeped to snap out of it.

Ralph looked at Roger strangely, and Roger looked scared for a second, before he remembered Ralph was tied up. Roger smirked and said, "Don't worry. I'm sure Jackie will be by to pick up your pieces, and hold you while you cry and swear that you couldn't have done anything to throw me off." Roger grinned, leaning in, kissing Ralph lightly on the lips. "Which is a lie."

Roger turned and walked off, spear in hand, laughing. Ralph looked closely for wounds, but he didn't have any. None physical, anyway. He started to cry and tried to sit, but he was tied too tightly. His shoulders throbbed, from his hands being tied, so he leaned his head back, looking up at the sky as tears blurred his vision, and ran down his cheeks, unable to wipe them away.

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Jack dabbed Eric's forehead with a wet piece of cloth as the boy started to calm down. "Jack… Jack… Roger… Ralph." Eric's head moved from side to side.

"Stay quiet, Eric." Jack said, dripping some water onto the boy's forehead.

"Roger… Ralph…" He frowned. "Jack. Help."

"Eric?" Jack leaned back. "Eric what are you talking about?"

Eric opened his eyes, they were full of tears. "Roger… Roger and Ralph…"

Jack sighed. Seeing Roger's mark on Ralph must have really bothered Eric. "Everyone leave." Jack looked at Sam, who was crying in the corner. "You too. I have to talk to Eric."

Sam was angry. "No. You can't make me leave. Eric's my brother and anything you say in front of him… you can say in front of me."

Jack, out of habit, almost called for Roger, but instead he got off of Eric and walked over to Sam. "You listen to your Chief!" He took Sam by the hair and pulled him to the door.

"Sorry Chief!" Sam muttered pathetically as Jack threw him out and let the door fall shut. He turned back to Eric, to see him smiling, slightly.

"Eric…" Jack said, sitting down across from Eric. "Tell me what's bothering you."

Eric sat up, tears swelling in his eyes. "It's… It's the same for me as it is for Roger, almost." Jack looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "He loves someone who doesn't love him back."

Jack felt his heart sink to his stomach. "And… And I love him. But he's so worried about you that he doesn't care for me, anymore. And now… he's got Ralph."

"What do you mean 'he's got Ralph.' He hasn't got Ralph." Jack looked worried.

Eric frowned. "I love Roger... you know. And it hurts me… when he constantly wants you. I deserved the beating I got, Jack. I lied to him. But now he's got Ralph too and…"

"What do you mean he's got Ra—"

"Didn't you see the fucking scab, Jack?" Eric yelled, surprising himself. Jack and Eric both looked away. "He's claimed Ralph now, too. So I think you should pay a little more attention to him."

"He hasn't left my eye sight in three days."

Eric's voice was so small, Jack couldn't even be sure he heard it. "Then where is he now?"