Replacements 2- part 8

As we finished our shelter, darkness enveloped us. We had no light, save for the light of the moon. Thank goodness it was full.

There was noticeable tension in the air. We sat there quietly, listening to the sounds of the forest behind us and the waves in front of us for quite a while.

Mark broke the silence. "I'm going to take a walk on the beach." He stated. Then, he stood up and trod slowly along the shoreline.

I watched him disappear in the distance.

"You really care about Mark, don't you?" Jason observed. I didn't realize he had been watching me.

"Huh?" I reached up and brushed back an unruly curl from my face. "Yes. I care about everyone on the team."

"But not in the same way you care about Mark."

I didn't reply. I just sat there, staring at the sand in front of me.

Jason continued. "You two are getting pretty close, aren't you? Sneaking out when you're supposed to be on curfew…"

I could hear the teasing tone in his voice. How did he know about that?

"It was me who was breaking curfew. Mark just followed me." I replied angrily.

"And why do you think he followed you?" Came a sarcastic reply.

"He was there to reprimand me, for breaking the rules." I growled.

Jason clicked his tongue in response. "Now you and I both know that's not why he followed you. He admitted to me that he has feelings for you."

I gazed up at Jason wearing a shocked expression on my face. Jason knew?

"Don't act surprised, Princess. It's only natural that a guy like him would fall for a girl like you." Jason grinned. "You should have heard how mad he was when he saw me kiss you on the beach. I thought he was going to hit me."

"About the kissing…" I began. I had been wondering what was going on with Jason ever since the race. He had kissed me twice now, both times in full view of the Commander. Albeit, on the beach, he didn't know the Commander was there.

"Why did you kiss me at the race?"

Jason took out a feather shuriken and popped it into his mouth.

"Easy." He grinned. "Mark needed a little push. He moves way to slow when it comes to girls. He needed to be shown the way it's done."

Jason's cavalier attitude was showing on his face, even in the dim evening light.

"And what about the beach, earlier?" I continued. "Mark wasn't around, then."

Jason's smile faded for a minute. Then he spoke. "Well, I figured since Mark wasn't doing anything right, that maybe you'd appreciate seeing what a real man has to offer." His smirk spread across his face once more as he chewed on the shuriken.

I was suddenly glad it was dark, because I didn't want Jason to see me blushing. Did he have feelings for me, too? I cared for Jason deeply, just not in the same way as I cared for Mark. Jason was attractive in a dangerous way, whereas Mark was attractive to me on a deeper level.

Regardless, I could tell that Jason knew where he stood now.

I punched him playfully in the arm. "Well, see to it that the love lessons cease." I giggled. "Besides, how do you know what has gone on between Mark and me?"

"I don't." Jason grinned devilishly. "I just know how lame Mark is."

"Well, let me just say that he isn't as lame as you think he is…"

Jason coughed. "You mean? The guy with the corncob up his ass finally made a move?" He pulled the shuriken out of his mouth and gaped. "I don't believe it. No wonder he was so mad at me earlier."

He sat quietly for a minute, and then another sly grin spread across his face. "So you two did it, then?"

"Shut up, Jason! That's none of your business!" A voice came from behind us, making us both jump out of our skin.

"Jeez, stop doing that!" Jason choked. "You nearly gave us a heart attack!"

"Ninjas are supposed to be stealthy, aren't they?" Mark replied. "What exactly are you two talking about?"

"Oh, n-nothing, Mark." I answered nervously. "Come, sit down."

Jason winked at me, and then looked back at Mark and stretched. "Well, if we're going to get off this island tomorrow, we'd better get some sleep. I know you two will miss me terribly, but I'm going to get some shut eye."

After Jason left, the beach grew eerily silent. Mark sat very still, looking out over the moonlit waves. The ocean breeze billowed through his thick, dark hair.

What was wrong with Mark? He seemed to be more edgy than usual.

"Mark…"

"Aha…"

"What's wrong?" I asked.

Mark pulled out his boomerang and fingered it lightly. The sharp, silver blades glistened in the moonlight.

"I'm just thinking about how we can get off of this island. I feel responsible that we're not back safe and sound at Center Neptune right now."

"It's not your fault. It's just the way things happened." I wrapped an arm around his hunched shoulders. "Besides, we're all alive. That's what counts."

Mark threw his boomerang down in the sand. "You two have no idea how much you worried me out there!"

"What are you talking about, Mark? We can handle ourselves."

Mark grimaced. "Yeah, and you can handle each other, too. Why were you kissing Jason when I walked up to you on the beach this afternoon?"

"I'm sorry, Mark." I swallowed hard, trying to fight back tears. "I thought Jason needed CPR, but it turned out he was just paying me back for what I did at the lake."

"So he kissed you?" Mark's eyebrows knit together. His eyes glistened with rage.

"He was just playing around. You know how he is."

"Yeah, I know. That's what bothers me." Mark huffed. The raw pain and emotion in his eyes tugged at my heart. I had no idea how much this had affected him. "He has no right to play like that."

"Don't be angry with him, Mark." I pleaded. "He and I talked about it, and it won't happen again. He didn't know that you and I…"

I stopped there. What was I going to say next?

"Were involved?" Mark muttered.

I suddenly felt self conscious. We hadn't really discussed our feelings for each other at length.

"Well, we were...have been...I mean..."

"Jason and I had a little man-to-man discussion this afternoon, and he knows about us." Mark cupped his hand around my chin, and pulled me closer to him, staring into my eyes.

"I still care for you deeply, Princess." He stated, with an intense gaze. "I love you."

Then, without allowing a response from me, he pulled me down in the sand with him and kissed me fervently. Deep, soft kisses continued, as his hands snaked along my body, finding gaps of bare skin beneath my tattered uniform, and sending delicious chills all over my body.

I drew in a deep breath.

"I love you, Mark." I breathed. "I'm sorry if I caused you to worry."

Mark pulled me to him once more and pressed his soft lips against mine. "Apology accepted, Princess. Just keep your distance from Jason, ok?"

"Sure thing, Commander." I grinned and rested my head on his broad chest, and drifted off to sleep.