Chapter Fifteen
The next week and a half was spent in high spirits. Kate's clothes came in the mail and she put on an impromptu fashion show for Jack. She also gave a ten minute complaint about why had he spent so much money on lingerie when it stayed on an even shorter amount of time than her regular clothes. She had coaxed him into lugging boxes full of Christmas decorations down from the attic and had merrily decorated his house. She had even (somewhat begrudgingly) put together Jack's fake Christmas tree and they had decorated it together. In an effort to make a compromise Jack had brought home pine scented spray and let Kate spray it anywhere she wanted. She had thanked him, but still reminded him daily that it just wasn't the same as a real tree.
A few days before Christmas, Kate was putting the finishing touches on the decorations around the house while Jack ran into work for a few hours. It was the last day he had to work until the week after Christmas. She was sprinkling tinsel on the tables in the living room when the phone rang. She paused and let the machine get it. Kate had gotten a few more weird calls like the one she had received the day of Hurley's visit, and she just didn't feel comfortable answering the phone anymore.
"Hey, Jack," a man's voice she didn't recognize spoke. "It's Steve. I just wanted to let you know how glad I am you've finally been taking some time off work. I was worried about you when you got back because you had been working so hard. I guess that girl I hear your with has really done wonders for you. Today's been a pretty slow day, so don't worry about calling in. We'll see you next week. Merry Christmas, Jack."
Her mouth slightly agape, Kate threw the tinsel down on the couch and silently fumed. So Jack wasn't at work. What was the problem? Did he think they were spending too much time together? He could have just said that. He didn't need to lie.
Her eyes traveled across the room to the digital clock on the DVD player. Jack had been gone for. . . nearly six hours. Her anger momentarily evaporated into a mixture of panic and worry. She reached for the phone and quickly dialed his cell phone number. After one ring it clicked over to his voicemail. Cursing, she threw the phone down next to the tinsel.
Too annoyed to continue making Jack's house more merry, Kate collapsed down on the sofa and picked up the remote. She turned on the TV and scrolled through the movies for several minutes before finding one that sounding halfway interesting. She bought it and paid half-attention through the whole thing. Just as the credits began to roll, Jack walked into the living room.
Smiling, he offered her the bouquet of white carnations that he held in his hand. "Beautiful flowers for a beautiful lady." He reached down to kiss her.
Kate dodged the kiss and swatted at the flowers. "I don't want them."
Jack cocked his head, and she tried to ignore how adorable he looked. "Would you have preferred roses?"
"I would have preferred," Kate stood up and gave him a sharp look, "for you to have not lied to me about where you were going today."
Jack licked his lips and set the flowers down on the coffee table. "Hmm."
Kate gave him an incredulous look. "Hmm, Jack? I just called you out on lying to me and hmm is all you have to say?"
Sighing, Jack glanced back towards the flowers. "So, you really don't want them? It was kind of out of my way to go and get them. I was going to get roses, but roses are kind of cliché, aren't they? Carnations seemed more sensitive, they have an understated beauty. They reminded me of you."
Kate didn't know whether to be touched or roll her eyes. It was the first time he had ever brought her flowers. With a sigh, she reached for them and brought them to her face. "Where were you?"
Jack glanced away, as if trying to decide something. "It's a surprise. Don't be mad at me, I really can't tell you. But you'll find out soon enough, I promise."
"Then why didn't you just tell me that's what you were doing?" Kate felt the tension draining out of her. Tilting her head, she asked, "What the hell kind of surprise takes eight hours to work on?"
"If I told you," Jack said softly, leaning over to meet her lips. "Then it wouldn't be a surprise."
Kate kissed him then pulled back, her head tilted to the side. "Okay. But you're not completely forgiven yet." She breathed in the scent of the flowers once more and walked into the kitchen, locating a vase under the sink and filling it with cold water before placing her carnations in it. When she walked into the dining room to put them on the table, Jack was leaning against the wall, arms crossed, smirking.
She put her hand on her hip and eyed him suspiciously. "What?"
"Well," he drew out the word, and glanced away. A faint trace of his dimples showed as he tried to hide the huge grin that was spreading across his face. "If you're really mad at me, I guess you don't want the surprise I have for you outside."
Kate wasn't sure whether or not she trusted him. "Am I going to like this surprise?"
Jack nodded, finally giving up on containing his grin. "Oh, I think you'll like it a lot. Of course, it does require a bit of work on your part. You've worked so hard to make the house ready for the holidays already. . . I'm not sure I want to put that heavy load on your shoulders, Kate. Do you think you can handle it?"
Exasperated, Kate rolled her eyes and sauntered over to Jack. "Can you ever just make your point without drawing it out for an hour? I could have seen this so-called surprise already. But instead you're just --"
Jack cut her off with a short, soft kiss. When he pulled away he rested his forehead against hers and wrapped his arms around her waist. "I love you, Kate."
"I love you, too," Kate kissed him again quickly. "Now. . . surprise!"
Laughing, Jack rolled his eyes and took her hands, leading her into the living room. "Now, stand here and keep your eyes closed. I mean it, don't peak, or I am returning this surprise to where it came from. You got it?"
"Whatever you say," Kate nodded. She closed her eyes and heard Jack exit through the front door. A tiny thrill ran through her and she giggled, bouncing back from one foot to another.
She heard the front door close, and a second later she thought she heard Jack mutter a muffled, "Ouch." There was some rustling, and then he spoke. "Alright. Open your eyes."
Kate opened her eyes, and let out a squeal when she saw what was in front of her. Jack was holding up the perfect Christmas tree. She took a step forward and closed her eyes, breathing in the scent of pine.
When she opened her eyes again and saw Jack grinning proudly. "Surprise, honey."
"You got me a Christmas tree," Kate said softly, running her hand over one of the branches, loving the prickly feeling on her palm. "A real Christmas tree. Jack, you said you didn't think they were worth all the work they cause."
Jack was quiet for a few moments, and then shrugged. "You're worth all the work that they cause."
Kate blushed, and continued to look around the tree, not meeting Jack's gaze. "It's pretty big."
"It's not too big though," Jack assured her. "We have a lot of ornaments we didn't use on the fake tree. Plus, I got this one." Reaching into his jacket pocket, he handed her a plastic bag.
Removing the ornament that was nestled inside tissue paper, Kate saw two snowmen holding hands. The snowwoman was labeled with her name, while the man was labeled with Jack's. At the bottom, 'Out First Christmas' was scripted.
Kate stared at it, not quite knowing what to say. It was a sweet gesture, and she was touched. But, for some reason the small ornament made her more nervous than anything else he could have brought her would have. The fleeting thought that the ornament should have been labeled 'Our Only Christmas' crossed her mind, but she kept silent. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt Jack.
"It's beautiful, Jack," she told him with a nod. "Thanks. Thanks for everything."
She took a step back and smiled, "Well, I guess I'll move this tree out of the way and start un-decorating it while you set up the new, real tree."
They worked quickly and silently, each trapped in their own thoughts. She had reacted exactly how Jack hoped she would; he had known she would love the tree. But something was wrong, and he couldn't quite place it.
Kate saved their new ornament for last and centered it in the front of the tree, where it was easiest seen. She smiled at Jack, and reached for the star, trying in vain to place it on top of the tree. "It's too tall!"
In one swift motion Jack moved under Kate, scooping her up on his shoulders. She giggled somewhat nervously and balanced herself before reaching and placed it on the point. "There we go. Now put me down!"
Jack stepped back from the tree and wobbled slightly. Kate let out a startled shriek, and tried to let herself off his shoulders, but her scrambling only served to throw Jack even more off balance.
They landed with a thud on a pile of silver tinsel.
Seeing the startled expression on Jack's face, Kate burst into a fit of giggles. When Jack sat up and dumped her on the floor, she saw that a few pieces of tinsel were stuck in his short hair and laughed even harder. Jack stared at her, bemused. He had never seen her laugh like that. "I take it your not hurt."
"No," she managed between giggles. "You kind of broke my fall." She laughed again, and let out a little snort. Her eyes grew wide and her hand flew to her mouth. Calming down, she reached over and brushed the tinsel off of him.
"Sorry," she murmured. "I don't know why I thought that was so funny."
"Don't apologize," Jack said softly, bringing his hand up to her cheek and wiping away a stray laughter tear. "You should laugh more often. It suits you. You really look beautiful, Kate."
Kate laughed nervously and glanced away, blushing. Her hand went to her hair and she picked a few strands of tinsel out. "Please, I'm a mess. I have tinsel in my hair and. . ."
He silenced her with a kiss. "You look amazing to me."
She immediately felt bad for her earlier thoughts about the ornament. Maybe it was their first Christmas of many, maybe everything could work out, maybe they could figure out how to take care of themselves and -- she cut herself off before she let her thoughts wander any further into their uncertain future.
Placing her hands on his cheeks, she said, "The tree is beautiful, Jack. I don't know how I can thank you."
An impish smiled danced its way across his face and he pulled her close to him. "I can think of a way. . ."
Kate leaned in, meeting Jack's lips in a soft, slow kiss. His hands trailed up her arms, then down her sides, before working their way up her shirt. He lightly stroked her skin before, in one swift motion, he began to tickle her.
She pulled away quickly, collapsing into shocked laughter. He continued tickling for several moments, as she pleaded through giggles for him to stop. Finally, he released her and pulled her in for another kiss. "You always just assume I want sex."
"That's because," Kate smiled, kissing him softly on his neck. "You always do want sex."
Jack playfully pushed her away. "Well, maybe I don't. Maybe sex isn't what I want at all."
Kate arched her eyebrow, and pulled away slightly, crossing her arms in front of her, waiting for him to continue.
"Maybe what I really want to do," he lowered his voice dramatically, before standing up, striking a pose, and bursting out into off-tune song. "Is to make love you, like you want me to, and I'll hold you tight, baby all through the ---"
"Oh, please," Kate tried to hold back her laughter, and rolled her eyes playfully. "Now you're definitely not getting any." With an exaggerated sigh, she turned and headed for the stairs.
Jack was faster than her, and had her slung over his shoulder before she had reached the first step. Her shirt had ridden up, and he placed several kisses on her exposed side as he walked up the stairs. "You know you can't say no to me. I'm too good in bed."
Kate giggled, and pounded on his back. "Put me down! Remember what happened last time you picked me up? I think it might hurt worse to fall down stairs than onto tinsel."
"No, I'm sorry," he laughed, stopping in front of the bedroom door. "I can't put you down. Not until you say it. Say Jack, you're good in bed."
"Jack, you're good in bed," Kate repeated in a monotone voice. "Now will you put me down?"
"Say," Jack paused, thinking. "Jack, you're the best I've ever had."
Kate giggled. "Sorry, I have a strict policy against lying."
Jack tried to hide his laughter and set her down gently on the bed. "Would it help if I faked a Southern accent."
She didn't respond for a moment, and half wondered if he was completely joking or not. Shrugging, she replied, "Maybe. Why don't you try it?"
He nuzzled his face into her neck, and did his best attempt at a Tennessee twang. "Tell me what you like, Freckles."
Kate bit her lip to stop the laughter from rolling out. "Mmm, I like it when you call me that."
"Okay," Jack pulled away, giving her a mock glare. "It's gone too far."
Giggling, she laid down, pulling him on top of her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and brought her lips to his ear. "I love you, Jack. I love everything about you. I couldn't imagine having anyone more wonderful than you. You're perfect. Everything about you is perfect."
He pulled away to look at her, not quite sure what to say. Apparently, she wasn't so sure either. Slightly embarrassed by the flowering words she had just sprinkled upon him, Kate shrugged. "Except for that ridiculous fake accent. Let's not try that again, ok?"
Jack nodded his agreement and leaned down to kiss her, content that Kate finally seemed content with the way things were going.
