Chapter Two

Author's note: All of you understandably have couple questions. I'm not going to tell you how it all ends up, because that's lame, but I will tell you that hte main triangle is laley/naley. Other stuff should be fairly evident.
"Hello?"

Brooke slowly opened her eyes to see the man from before hanging over her. She smiled hesitantly.

"Hey."

"I brought you some water," he said.

She took the bottle and smiled at him. Slightly behind him, looking reluctant, was a small blonde girl. Brooke winked at her, and the girl found herself smiling back.

"I'm Jake, this is Jenny," he explained hesitantly.

"Hey. I'm Brooke," she said, mostly for Jenny's benefit.

"How far along are you, Brooke?" he asked.

"Eight months."

"Do you know what it is?" he asked.

"No."

Jake noted her unwillingness to converse, and stood up. Jenny prepared to move.

"That man, from before. He's a Doctor, right?" she asked.

"Uh, yeah. Lucas, I think. He went off to find the cockpit, with two others," said Jake. She nodded. "Don't worry."

Brooke stared down as he left. She didn't want to push them away, because she'd need people in the coming weeks. But she didn't know how to do otherwise.

Jake let his hand rest on Jenny's shoulder as they walked, afraid to be seperated from her amidst the general confusion. She shook him off resentfully. He stared at her as she ran off. He wished he knew her better. Then, at the very least, he'd understand when she distanced herself from him.

Jenny pulled the elastic out of her hair as she ran, letting it trail bedhind her, feeling the soft sand between her feet as they pounded down on it. Past the groups of people, past the fuselage. She smelled the salt of the sea, the smell of smoke in the air. With her eyes closed, it was almost like any other vacation she'd ever taken.

With her eyes opened, it was a living nightmare.

She wanted to run into the ocean, let the water wash through her, but she didn't dare.

Slowly, drained of energy and enthusiasm, she made her way back to the camp.

The pregnant girl met her on the way. Jenny had planned on ignoring her but when her eyes met the woman's hazel ones, she found she could not.

"Hey," she said, her voice breathless.

"Hey. Jenny, right?" asked Brooke.

"Yeah."

"Where are you from, Jenny?" asked Brooke.

"Everywhere," she explained.

"How lucky for you. Most of us only get to chose one," said Brooke.

"I guess I'm not most of us."

"Were you and your Dad going on a trip somewhere?" asked Brooke, a smile beyond her words.

"No. He's not my Dad."

"Is he not?"

"He is, I guess. He hasn't been around my whole life. My mother just died."

"Sounds like you're having a bad month."

Jenny raised her eyebrows in surprise. She hadn't been exactly looking for sympathy, but she'd expected it.

"Is your husband here?" she asked, with all the wordly knowledge of a nine year old.

"No. Don't have one," she said.

"Don't worry. My Mom did fine without," said Jenny graciously.

"That I can see for myself," said Brooke. Jenny smiled and the two, united somehow, sat together, feeling less alone then before.

"Rachel, we're going through the luggage that washed up, trying to see what of it's useful. You could help," said Marvin McFadden suggestively, glancing down at the still form of her, suntanning in her bathing suit.

"There's no point. We're getting rescued, Mouth. It's only a matter of time," she said with disinterest.

"In the meantime we might as well make the best of it," he said.

"I am. I haven't been this near to the equator in ages," she said, carefully unting the strap of her bikini, revealing a faintly white strip where it had been.

"That's great Rach," he said in some disgust, before leaving again. She rolled her eyes at his retreating back. Didn't he understand that she was going through trauma?

Brooke held back a laugh, watching the small man go off in anger.

"Is he your boyfriend?"

For an instant, Rachel laughed at the absurdity of this.

"Mouth? No, he's my brother," she said.

Brooke nodded, casting a jealous glance at Rachel's fat, toned stomach, her long smooth legs. She let one hand fall to her rounded stomach, saw her swollen ankles. Over her shoulder, she saw Jenny staring at her. She smiled.

"What were you talking about?" asked Jake curiously of his daughter. Jenny shrugged.

"Not much. She's cool," said Jenny. Jake smiled. This was more words than she'd spoken all day.

"Yeah, seems to be."

Jenny scrutinized her father's expression and smiled.

"You like her, don't you. You think she's pretty," said Jenny triumphantly. Jake blushed.

"Jenn, she's pregnant," he said.

"So? Mom said that her boobs got huge when she was pregnant and she was a total hottie," said Jenny. An instant later, she felt awkward, wishing she'd been able to refrain longer from mentioning her mother.

"Yeah. Sounds like something she'd say."