Northern Wolf - That's awesome. I'm in love with any kind of science...uh...minus phsyics.
Ha. Yeah. Eventually, he's going to have to sleep...it might just be against his own will again. x]
Anon (Chpt 9) - I kind of figured if anyone else found it, they'd keep it a bit hush hush and only tell Jack then maybe whisper to some others. Had to have someone who'd just yell it out. Hehe.
Anon (Chpt 10) - Charlie and Hurley are so Jaters. x]
Lostcandy - I hope so. I have a habit of starting things...and then just kinda dropping them. -shaaame-
Boo2ubam - Well, Jacob does tend to be invisible. 3 It might be a very long time until Jack finds out he's a father. I doubt he'll think Kate is with anyone off the island since she's pretty flirty with him and Sawyer.
Ah. Yeah. I live in a city...or sorta just outside the city. I don't like it very much. Mainly 'cause people here are kinda weird.
Temporarilymisplaced - Eventually, she might tell Jack he hurt her...but I'm not sure if she'll ever tell him how unless it comes to a point where she needs to stop him from doing it again.
Leytonrox94 - If Jack finds out, it will definitely be straight from Kate and not an overheard conversation. =]
Jess - They still have a chance of getting rescued. Haven't figured out whether or not they will leave the island though.
Pavement Chaser - Glad you liked my ending. =]
Jate-Forever - I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Ilayda - Glad you enjoyed it!
I decided to split this chapter into two parts. Hope you all don't mind.
I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it!
Merry Christmas in July!!! Enjoy!
"I never really liked the holidays."
"Me neither." I walked into the living room, munching on a gingerbread man that was in one hand, carrying a glass of milk in the other. "Aaron has this mad love for Rudolph though." I glanced at the sleeping toddler on my couch and smiled.
When I was younger, we never decorated for Christmas. Wayne thought holidays were for sappy folks who actually got pleasure from spending time with their families. He informed me at an early age that Santa wasn't real - and even if he was, he only delivered coal to naughty little girls like me. That same year, he actually did put coal in a package with my name on it. I remembered being so excited when I saw my gift in the middle of the living room.
I had been begging for a stuffed dog I saw at the store a few weeks before. I wanted a real dog, but was so willing to settle for that toy one. It was a German Shorthaired Pointer. I could still remember exactly what it looked like. It stood a few inches high, able to stand on all four feet without falling over. It was white and covered in two shades of brown spots, except for its head, tail, a spot on its back, and a spot on its neck which were dark brown. It originally cost $9.99 but was on the sale shelf for $6.99. It came in a brown and red box shaped like a dog carrier.
I ripped open the paper on the package as fast as I could. The look on Wayne's face was one of immense satisfaction when I found nothing but an old, brown box filled with dirty, black rocks. Needless to say, I hid behind the chair and cried half the day, skipping out on lunch and beating myself up over being such a 'bad girl'.
By the time Sam came to pick me up for Christmas at his house, I was a mess. I was starving from not eating, but not feeling well enough to actually eat. I was exhausted from crying and grumpy from the experience. When he asked what was wrong, all I could tell him was that I didn't get what I wanted for Christmas. I was afraid he'd be disappointed in me if he found out I deserved coal. It turned out, he became disappointed in me for a whole other reason and lectured me on how we don't always get what we want. He must have felt sorry for me though, because he took me to the store, but the toy was no longer on the shelf when we got there.
The years after that, I no longer got any presents from Wayne or my mom - including coal. 'Santa' would come into my room Christmas Eve nights and do wrong to my small body.
Tonight, it looked like the real Santa exploded in my living room. Aaron insisted on everything being Rudolph themed, which meant my entire living room was covered in blinking lights. It was almost enough to give me epilepsy. A noisy train chugged its way in repeated circles around the over-sized Christmas tree. The sound of its whistle in no way drowned out Frosty the Snowman's voice from my TV though. Wrapped presents were scattered all over the place. For every present I never got, I bought two more for Aaron.
"Here." I finished my cookie and took a sip of my milk then handed the glass to Jack. "I'm going to move the little elf here to his room." I scooped up Aaron as gently as possible, cradling him and placing light kisses on his head as I carried him off to bed. I tucked him in with his giant stuffed whale, wishing them both pleasant dreams. Aaron had reminded me that the toy needed a goodnight too so many times that it was just habit now.
I shut his door, leaving it open just a crack then crept back down a few of the steps. "Hey, Jack," I whispered, peering into the living room. "Turn off the TV. I'll be down in a second. Could you eat the rest of those cookies he set out for Santa? I've already had like ten of them. My limit was five." I patted my stomach for emphasis then hurried back up the steps and into my bedroom.
Dropping to my knees, I dug through all the junk I always managed to fit under my bed. It was a good minute or two before I pulled out a yellow plastic bag. Exactly what I was looking for. After a quick glance out the bedroom door and into the hall, I tugged my shirt over my head, followed by my bra, pants, and underwear. I pulled my new clothing out of the bag and eyed it wearily. I met a woman also eyeing it at the store and she almost forced me to buy it, telling me I would look absolutely gorgeous to whoever I was going home to.
The top was red and lace, see-through except at the breasts. The straps were so thin, they were almost non-existent. Around the top was a thin, green lace design. Just under the breast area, a green ribbon wrapped around and tied into a small bow just off to the side. The underwear were also red and lace and had a tiny, fake piece of holly on the side. I slid the outfit on then examined myself in the mirror. My hair had been tied back because I kept somehow managing to get it caught in the Christmas lights earlier when I was fixing a broken bulb Aaron wouldn't stop complaining about. Who knew Santa wouldn't come if one of your Christmas tree bulbs stopped blinking? I pulled the hair-tie out, letting my curls fall loosely around my face.
"Kate, we have to do something about all these cookies!" Jack called. "I'm going to look like Santa before the night is out. I can feel my pants button coming undone!"
I laughed and ran my brush through my hair a few times before walking downstairs. I hit the CD player in the hall, allowing Christmas songs that were finally not kids songs drift through the house. "Hey." I stopped in the doorway of the living room, leaning against the wall in a way I hoped was more sexy than awkward.
Jack turned to face me and choked on his milk. He looked so adorable standing there in a green sweater and blue jeans with a glass of milk in one hand and a gingerbread man with a missing head in the other. "Kate." He sounded like he was still choking as he placed what he was holding on the coffee table. "You look…" He cleared his throat, obviously shocked.
I shifted nervously from one foot to the other. "It doesn't look right on me, does it?" My walls fell down and exposed my nervousness.
"You look gorgeous," he finally managed to get out, crossing the room to get over to me. He pressed me against the wall, taking a moment to let his eyes wander before pressing his lips against my own. Electric sparks shot up and down my body as his tongue nudged my lips and demanded entrance. I deepened the kiss, soaking in feelings of comfort and security. He pulled away a few seconds later, sliding his hands down my arms so lightly it gave me goose-bumps until he took my hands and backed toward the couch, pulling me with him.
When he sat down, he pulled me with him and I straddled his lap. My eyes drifted shut as his warm lips brushed against mine and his hands slid under my top just at my waist. "Jack," I moaned softly against his mouth.
"Kate," he mumbled back. His hands explored for a moment and my head tilted to the side as he placed warm, wet kisses against my neck.
"Jack," I whimpered again, finding his name was the only thing I could get out.
"Kate."
"Kate!"
My eyes snapped open at the sound of my name. At the sight of Jack hovering above me with worry etched on his face, I was sure my cheeks went as red as my top had been in my memory/dream. "What?!" I snapped.
"You were moaning my name," he answered, looking confused. "You sounded like you were hurt or something. Is your arm okay?"
"It's fine." I heaved a sigh and pushed him away from me with my good arm as I sat up. I tried to think up a good excuse, because he was still staring at me as if he was waiting for an explanation. "I was just…"
A scream broke the moment and I collapsed back down onto my back out of relief as Jack exited the cave. "Thank you, Claire," I muttered under my breath. My eyes drifted shut for a few moments longer before I opened them again and quickly sat up. Claire. I scrambled to my feet and followed the sound of commotion out of the cave. When I got there, Charlie was ushering everyone away and assuring them everything was fine.
"Jack, are you sure it's okay to leave her alone?" I asked, following him as he passed me on his way back to our cave. "I mean, she was pretty hysterical."
"She was just having a nightmare, Kate. Apparently it's a night for nightmares since I woke you up from one." He sat down on the ground, leaning back against the dirt wall.
Nightmare? I was definitely not having a nightmare, but if he wanted to think that - more power to him! It meant less worry for me. "You ever have nightmares?" I questioned, but didn't wait for him to answer. "Oh, you wouldn't know. You don't sleep. Never mind." I lied back down again, noticing for the first time that he wasn't wearing a shirt. My cheeks suddenly felt hot and I turned so my back was to him, trying to drift back off.
----------
"It'll get back to you," Jack told Claire. "I had a girlfriend once that told me I talked in my sleep."
"What did you say?" Claire asked.
"Don't know," Jack answered. "Whatever it was, she didn't like it."
I choked on the banana I was eating, earning myself a foreboding look from Jack. "It's not that." I laughed then took another bite. "I'm just wondering how that happened since your body is apparently immune to fatigue." Another unhappy look. "I'm just gonna uh…" I motioned toward my banana. "I'm just going to eat my breakfast." I smiled and continued eating. Jack did talk in his sleep, but it was never anything I could say I didn't like.
"I was thinking about helping you take water to the beach," I commented when he stood up after his discussion with Claire. "Last I checked, they were running pretty low and no one seemed to eager to make a run to the caves. We could also use some fish." I followed him toward the stream, sliding my backpack off my shoulders as we walked. "Oh, come on, Jack," I said as he ignored me. "I was just kidding with you."
"I know," he answered simply.
I thought about telling him grumpiness was a direct result of lack of sleep, but decided I was better off keeping my mouth shut about the whole sleeping deal for now. "Do you think I'm going to start wandering around in my sleep now?"
"What?" He glanced at me before kneeling down to fill up some of the bottles.
"Well, it just seems like the whole nightmare thing comes with pregnancy." I lowered my voice at the last word, not yet willing to let the others in on my secret. "You think I'm going to start walking around, screaming bloody murder?"
"I doubt it." He handed me a few bottles then began to fill his own backpack. "Vivid dreams are pretty common with pregnancy, but Claire has probably had some history of sleepwalking. You want me to baby gate our cave so you don't go getting yourself into any trouble in the middle of the night?"
I smirked and rolled my eyes. "So you can tease me, but if I try to tease you, you get all petulant."
His jaw dropped. "I am not petulant, Kate." He stood and put his backpack on his back.
"Cantankerous then?" I attempted, grinning ear to ear as I walked with him toward the beach. "Or how about pugnacious? No, because you're not…"
"What are you, a walking thesaurus today?" he questioned, arching a brow. "I am not any of those things or any synonym for them you could possible think of." He paused. "Here's one for you. I'm very affable."
I laughed. "Sometimes," I agreed. "But I still think petulant describes you too."
He snorted and smirked. "Of course you do."
I eyed the look on his face. "What do you mean, of course I do?" He didn't answer. "Jack?" I tried to walk in front of him and look at him. "Jack?"
"I'm just saying that in some past life of yours, I must have committed some heinous crime or something by how livid you get whenever I do something you don't like. It just makes sense that you would think I'm petulant, because part of you already hates me. Kate?" I walked away. "Kate? I was kidding! This is exactly what I mean though!"
----------
I delivered water to those at the beach then removed my shoes and stood by the ocean. Sinking. It almost seemed childish to do these days, but it brought a feeling of solace that the only other place I could find was from Jack. It almost made me dizzy now that I was pregnant and I felt a bit sick, but I stared out at the endless blue water anyway, losing myself in thought.
"Well this is a first." Jack stopped beside me. "You standing still in the middle of the day doing nothing. Amazing."
I glanced over at him, my anger melting away. "I'm doing something," I replied in a bit of a haughty tone.
"Yeah?" He questioned, chuckling. "What's that?"
"I'm sinking," I answered. "Water goes out, takes the sand with it, and you sink." I paused and hesitated. "I used to do it with my mom when I was a kid." My fading smile made him look suddenly uncomfortable and he glanced away. I looked down at my feet.
"Ah, new plan." I could tell he was trying to liven things up again. "You're just going to sink your way right off the island. Sayid would be proud."
I laughed and nodded. "Well, someone has to be thinking up ways to get off this island until he gets back."
He reached over and touched the fabric of my shirt, rubbing the material between his thumb and pointer finger. I swatted him away and raised my eyebrows. "Jack, what are you doing?"
"How are you keeping your clothes so soft?" He questioned. "They don't even look stiff. The seawater is taking a toll on everything I wear. You stashing laundry detergent somewhere?" he teased
I froze for a fraction of a second. "Maybe it's the fabric," I suggested.
"Hm." He nodded his head after what seemed like he was considering that answer. "Could be."
"If you plan on just standing here, you might as well sink with me." I motioned toward his shoes. "Take those off."
"I don't think it's a good idea." He smirked and shook his head. "I got my share of fun from golfing."
"Come on, Jack." I looked at him sweetly. "Just try it for a few seconds."
"Fine." He sighed and took a few steps back, slipping off his shoes and socks and placing them in the sand. "Like this?" He walked out a few inches in front of me and stood there, staring straight ahead.
A nice sized wave flooded forward, reaching almost to my knees. I stumbled back and remained standing, while Jack tumbled backward, choking on water and trying to catch his shoes as they drifted away. He got to his feet, soaked and holding a shoe in each hand with one sock missing. I muffled a giggle and shook my head. "No, not like that."