Entwined Together
Summery: Jack and Kate meet one night in a bar, one going through a divorce, the other just killed her father. Somehow their lives become entwined, and they discover they aren't as different as they thought. Takes place as if there wasn't a crash.
Chapter Two: Dinner With A Stranger
Jack couldn't be happier that he was leaving the bar. After getting the courage to drink alcohol only hours before he was scheduled to enter the ER, he had found himself getting into a bar fight. A bar fight with the bartender, of all people.
He knew he did the right thing; that was never the issue. Ever since he had offered the brunette a ride and a place to stay, he started to wonder why. Was it because he was looking for revenge after what happened with Sarah? Or was he truly feeling guilty about what happened?
It certainly wasn't his fault that it happened. It wasn't his fault that the guy was a complete creep. It wasn't his fault that the woman who introduced herself as Kate couldn't get out of his grip no matter how hard she tried. He had done the only thing plausible in his mind.
Every so often he would use his peripheral vision to get a better look at Kate without turning his head so that she wouldn't know that he was looking. What he was looking for, he wasn't so sure. She was staring out of her side window, watching as the buildings passed her by. She seemed so interested in everything, as if she were seeing the world for the first time.
Kate turned, probably sensing Jack watching her. She didn't say anything, only blushed slightly and turned away from the window, staring at her lap instead. Jack had a sudden and unexplainable urge to wrap his arm around her and comfort her. Tell her that everything was going to be okay.
What worried Jack the most was the fact that she didn't seem all that jumpy that she had nearly been raped back at the bar. He didn't see any signs of reservation, other than the growing silence building between them, but that was common in people who were meeting each other for the first time.
Jack decided to leave the questions for when they got back to his house which, thankfully, wasn't that far away. He wanted to get her to some food since she looked as though she hadn't had a decent meal in a while, and he wanted to get her to a bed so that she could sleep. Though she was trying to hide it, he could see the dark spots below her eyes, and he thought he saw her stifle a yawn a few seconds before.
"We're here," Jack said quietly so as not to startle the woman. She looked up eagerly, and he watched in slight guilt as she took in the outside of what he considered a lonely home. She obviously hadn't been in town very long if she thought this was amazing. It was only a two story Victorian house with a porch on the second story, and a bright red BMW beside the Mercedes in the driveway.
"Is that your car too?" Kate wondered as she got out, staring at the BMW in clear adoration.
Jack shook his head. "No, that's my…ex's," he settled, hoping Kate wouldn't tell him she was sorry, but he didn't want to appear as one of those stuck-up rich men to her, because he somehow knew that she wouldn't be impressed.
Luckily Kate just nodded, and followed him to the front door. He unlocked it, and opened the white door wide so that she could come inside with him. "Is she here?" Kate wondered, staring at everything around her.
"No, she's with her parents. She's coming back tomorrow to get the last of her stuff, including the car. She won't really mind though…" he kept talking, wanting to fill in the silence and explain away his and Sarah's situation and pass it off as no big deal, but he failed to notice Kate as she turned her attention to the little brown oak table resting against the wall.
The picture was what he and Sarah used to call their 'memory table.' Every time they took a picture of the two of them together, they would buy a frame, and put it on their table so that they could look back on them for years to come. Kate's eyes trailed from a picture a friend must've taken at a lake. Both he and a tall blonde woman were holding up matching five inch fish, smiling into the camera as if they had just accomplished the most magnificent task of all.
She found their wedding photo next. The same blonde woman was wearing a white bridal gown that Kate had only ever imagined in her childhood fantasies of getting married. She had a veil that was pulled back so that the camera could capture her face, and she had a trail of dress flowing at least two feet behind her. She was still holding her bouquet, probably waiting until the picture was taken before throwing it to the bridesmaids. Jack was wearing the standard black suit, only something about it made him stand out even more. He was smiling so sincerely that Kate let out a small smile.
"That was certainly a day to remember," Jack said, interrupting Kate's thoughts. He went to stand beside her and picked up the picture and looked at it though he were remembering something he had long ago forgotten.
"Well, there's still some spaghetti on the stove. I could heat up a plate for you if you like," he breathed, placing his wedding photo back in its proper place, looking forward to a change of subject.
"That would be fine, thanks," Kate said gratefully and trailed him into the kitchen. Jack was busy dishing up a plate, putting as much of the food on as the fancy plate would allow, and slipped it into the microwave.
"Have a seat," Jack signaled for Kate to sit at the dining table resting a good seven feet or so from the kitchen area.
Kate took the chair closest to the door, just in case she needed to make a break for it. She highly doubted that she would, unless this man was a very good liar, but she wanted to be safe anyway.
Jack set the plate in front of her a few minutes later and took the seat directly across from her. Kate took the fork he had handed her and began eating, not taking much notice of how hot the spaghetti was. She knew that eating like she had never eaten anything like this before wasn't exactly letting her keep her cover, but she didn't care at the moment.
"You should slow down before you get sick," Jack made it a point of saying. Kate made an effort to do as he said, but couldn't. It had been too long since she had had a good meal. In fact, she couldn't really remember the last time.
She finished in record time. Jack handed her a glass of water, which Kate took gratefully. She felt considerably better now that she had a full stomach.
"Do you need any more? I've got plenty," Jack offered, concern detectable in his voice.
Kate shook her head. "No, I'm fine, thanks," she said, letting him take her plate and empty glass to the sink.
"I'll show you to the guest room now if you want. You look tired," Jack said as he came back.
Kate nodded. "Okay." She got up and followed him down the hall to the flight of stairs. When they got upstairs he took a right and opened the first door on the left.
"Well, here it is. Do you need a sleep shirt or something?"
"Sure." The moment Jack had opened the door she went immediately for the bed. It had been too long since she had slept in one that she felt like if she closed her eyes for just a second she would be out cold and never wake up. She almost wished it would happen.
But Jack returned with one of his too large t-shirts that he knew he would never wear again. He smiled in amusement when he saw his guest sprawled out on the bed, taking no notice at Jack's arrival.
"Kate?" he questioned, not entirely sure if she was awake or not. She responded quickly to her name and jumped up as though forgetting where she was.
"Here. You can keep it if you want. My room is just a couple doors down. If you need anything else just come in and ask. Okay?"
Kate nodded. "Okay," she agreed, and Jack gave her a quick goodnight smile as he left, closing the door behind him.
The t-shirt went just above her knees, the perfect size to sleep in, she decided. The realization that she was about to fall asleep in a stranger's house suddenly caught up with her, and it felt like she had been punched in the stomach. She didn't know Jack. He was nice enough, and had come to her defense when she was sure no one else would, but what did she really know about him?
He was married, for one. What would his wife, or ex-wife say if she knew that he had let some strange woman crash for the night?
She wasn't doing herself any favors by just standing around thinking about it. Where the hell else was she going to go? It was either sleep in Jack's house where she could hypothetically get something to eat before she hit the road again, or keep walking until she could find some motel.
With that thought in mind, she climbed into the bed and fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.
A/N: Thanks bunches to helaluvE, Spiral Static, jimmy-barnes-13, Orlando-crazy, Foxy4ever, Bryana, CrAzYhOrSeGIRL88, Marauders-playgirl for reviewing, your input means a lot! Don't forget to drop me a line!
