Hello guys! Monday it is, and there we go with a new chapter. I want to thank you again for all your great reviews, I'm moving from border-line suicidal to just manic-depressive (LOL), so if you keep going I might come to sanity one of this days... ;)
So, in this chap we get to know where this Scarlett came from and why Claire is such a bitch now, mmh... interesting, don't you think? In the next chapter, the infamous surprise party for Scarlett. Cat fight? Mmmh... we'll see... ;)
In other topics, someone told me it's hard to read the dialogues with —dashes— and that it'd be better if I used "quotes". What you think? You hate dashes too? Would you let me know please?
Well, enough of me, enjoy and please keep reviewing!
P.D. Special thanks to 4-8-15-JuliaThorne-16-23-42(yeah, please recommend this fic to everybody!), sofia and gellybean, who had reviewed every chapter, love you guys, really:D
Chapter 6
— A penny for your thoughts… —Scarlett told Jack before kissing him deeply on the lips. She was lying on his chest, her long black straight hair resting on the bare skin of her shoulders and her back. Then she scooped from the container of that chocolate ice cream she loved so much. — God I missed this thing…
He smiled. From all the things he saw in her, spontaneity was the one he loved the most. Scarlett was not only hot, she was young, fun and shinny, and she loved him madly. She had already proven she'd do anything for him and Claire, and that she'd be by his side no matter what. Scarlett was transparent and kept no secrets, like she had nothing to hide or be ashamed of. When she wanted to know something, she'd just ask directly, and she always spoke her mind. But above all, Scarlett never lied, and that was something Jack was really grateful for.
She came from a fine family. Her mother, a beautiful British lady, had died after giving birth to her. Being a huge fan of "Gone with the Wind", her last will was that her baby daughter was named Scarlett, assuring the kid was the spitting image on Vivien Leigh.
Therefore, her father raised her alone, just with the help of his mother, who had died after Scarlett finished high school. Her dad was an important attorney who owned a prestigious law firm. Even though he loved his daughter like anything in the world, he was most of a workaholic and Scarlett didn't see him that much.
So, with almost no relatives, Scarlett was pretty much a loner, yet a kind, friendly girl, not to mention she was loaded, since she was the only heiress of the family. But she was not a spoiled, airhead brat. She was caring and generous, and she was eager to share everything she had.
She had met Claire in college. She first noticed Claire when one of her friends mocked her saying she was "too old" for college, and that she "even" had a baby with no father. Scarlett stood up for Claire and defended her, which caused a confrontation between her and her friends, and eventually her exile from the so called "popular clique". Scarlett didn't give a damn. She couldn't tell why, but she believed Claire was a nice girl and soon introduced to her.
Claire felt relieved that someone actually liked her in there. Scarlett helped her adjusting to the place, showing her everything there was to know about the campus, the teachers and the classmates. They became inseparable ever since.
Claire was indeed late to attend college, but Jack encouraged her and convinced her she was able to do whatever she wanted. He was trying hard to build, with her, the family none of them ever had. He got a place for her near the campus and hired a nanny to watch Aaron while she attended her classes.
He also got her a car and paid her tuition, her books and her clothes, also all of her expenses as well as Aaron's, apart from the monthly allowance he destined for her. Money was not a problem for Jack, and he wanted to protect his recently discovered little sister by any means. He felt responsible for her, of course, and believed he had to make up for her after his father abandoned her, and specially after all she had been through on the island.
Claire and Jack bonded fast, since all they had was basically each other. Besides, they already shared a deep bond due to the island experience. Claire always recognized that Jack was a good man, a real hero, the one who actually made the impossible to get them rescued, with the help of many others of course, like her beloved Charlie, for whom she still cried often.
One day, Claire skipped classes because Aaron was sick. Scarlett went to her place to leave her the books and notes she needed for the assignments. Jack happened to be there. Scarlett's jaw dropped the minute she saw him, not only because she believed he was Aaron's dad, but also because he was simply the most gorgeous man she had ever seen in her life.
When she learnt he was Claire's divorced brother, she smiled thrilled. A couple of days later, she assured Claire they'd become sisters in law someday. You don't know what you're saying, Claire replied rubbing her temples and shaking her head. At that moment, Scarlett believed it was just sister jealousy, or that maybe Claire found awkward her best friend dating her brother, who was way older than her, by the way.
She didn't see Jack that much at the beginning, and every time they ran into each other at Claire's, he only smiled kindly and greeted her, but never showed the slightest interest in her. In spite of all her efforts to be noticed by him, he didn't even look at her. She was just his little sister's friend.
Then something happened and, all of the sudden, Jack became a junkie alcoholic self-destructive man who made crazy trips every single weekend to the other side of the world. When he wasn't at the airport or at some remote destination, Claire had constantly to go out in the middle of the night to get him from godforsaken bars, or even worse, to get him out of jail for driving under the influence or getting into a fight. Scarlett always came with her.
Soon after, Claire became somehow paranoid. She was always jitter and worked up, and was fearful and scared all the time. Scarlett didn't understand what was going on, but she knew there was definitely something very, very wrong. Whenever she asked Claire, her eyes filled with tears and she said it was complicated and that she couldn't tell. All she said was that Jack was "losing his mind" and "obsessed".
It seemed to Scarlett they were both obsessed with something, with someone. Whenever things got rough, both Claire and Jack called someone on the phone, someone who never seemed to answer.
One night when Jack hit deep bottom and he ended up in the hospital, Claire was desolated and left zillion messages for that mysterious person Jack demanded to see. That mysterious person was Kate. But Claire could never reach her, apparently she was nowhere to be found, or didn't want to be found.
Desperate, Claire couldn't take it anymore and broke down. Concerned to death, Scarlett begged Claire to tell her what was going on and to let her help her and Jack. She told Scarlett both her and Jack had been in that famous Oceanic plane crash, and that they were stranded in a place they were not allowed to even mention. Claire assured they were being watched, and that they were not supposed to be in touch, let alone living like brother and sister. She also said their lives, Scarlett's included, were in danger just by the daring of speaking about it.
Stunned and scared, Scarlett asked Claire who was the person they always wanted to reach on the phone so bad. With resentment in her eyes, Claire just replied that it was someone that didn't deserve Jack. Scarlett then knew it had to be a woman, a woman Jack loved in a very deep —but specially destructive— way. Finally, Claire begged Scarlett not to ask any other questions, nor to tell a soul about that conversation.
Another thing that broke Claire's heart was seeing that Kate didn't give a damn for everything Jack was going through and that she wasn't merciful enough to at least talk to him on the phone and listen to what he had to say. Even worse, Kate didn't give a damn for her either, and they were supposed to be good friends.
Furious, Claire promised herself she wouldn't let her brother fall apart and give up. He was a damn hero, she thought, and if he was a hero she could be one too, they had the same blood running through their veins after all. She remembered the way he conducted himself back on the island and how he dealt with critic situations. She started following his example fast, and from that moment on she became a tough girl. That way she managed to clean Jack's mess and prevented him from losing his medical license. Yet she couldn't avoid that he got fired from Saint Sebastian.
One night, when Jack was still in the hospital, Claire was having a final term exam the next day, but was really concerned about leaving him alone the whole night. Scarlett offered to stay, so that she could go home and study for the test. By that time, Scarlett had already fallen deep for him, in spite of having seen him in the lowest of the low. Jack woke up in the middle of the night and saw Scarlett there, reading a book on the couch near his bed. He realized she had always been there whenever he got into trouble. Why you do it? Why you care so much about us?, he asked her. Because I love you, she replied determined. At that moment, he thought she meant she loved Claire, Aaron and him as a family.
Later on, when Jack was discharged after three days, Claire gave him a piece of her mind. With tears in her eyes and rage in her voice, she demanded him to stop trying to find the island and contact the other survivors. She demanded him to stop calling Kate and to face she didn't love him or cared about him. Then she demanded him to sober up and get cleaned, so that they both could start trying to live the closest thing to a normal life. Otherwise, Claire threatened, she'd vanish, just as Kate had, and he would never see her and Aaron ever in his life again.
Her determination and the idea of losing her and Aaron were it for Jack. He promised her he'd finally let go and start over for good. He checked into rehab and soon after he was attending AA meetings. He even went to therapy just to please Claire, and finally he stopped trying to reach Kate.
Little by little he rebuilt his life and moved on. He got the new apartment and moved in with his sister and nephew. Scarlett kept hanging around of course, but she had somehow lost hope of getting Jack's attention. But then his birthday came and Scarlett gave him a present that didn't go unnoticed. She made a photo album of him. She had taken his pictures without him knowing while he was hanging with Claire and Aaron, even when he was at his AA meetings and of the day he started his new job. Happy birthday Jack, she said with a smile and glint in her eyes. When she saw the astonishment in his face as he saw the pictures, she said concerned: Don't think I'm a stalker or anything. But he didn't think she was a stalker. He had just realized she was in love with him. Right afterwards he remembered she had been in the worst moments not only for Claire, but also for him.
After hesitating for some time and being way encouraged by Claire, he finally decided to give it a shot and asked her out. But it sure wasn't easy for Scarlett at first. Of course he was quite a gentleman, he was attentive, caring and tender with her. But when his gaze got lost in the horizon and he went silent, or when he only stared at her and his mind flew miles away, she could tell he still thought of that woman that had broken his heart. Yet Scarlett decided to stay put and kept trying to win him over.
On the other hand, she really made it simple for Jack. Loving her was really easy. She was a devoted girlfriend, she made him laugh and was easygoing, not to mention she was beautiful. Her joy was contagious. Soon he let himself go and could finally get lost in the creaminess of her skin, the perfume of her silky hair, the sweetness of her kisses and the passion of her loving.
As time went by, the memory of Kate started fading away and one winter night after making love to Scarlett, Jack could finally tell her from the bottom of his heart that he loved her. She cried in emotion when she heard the words she had waited so long to come out from his lips.
That feeling got confirmed when she left to Barcelona. He really missed her like hell and when she made sometime to come to the city, he couldn't get enough of her. He couldn't wait for those five months to finish. Now that she was back, he really felt relieved, specially with Kate in the picture again.
— Come on, tell me…
— Tell you what? —he asked Scarlett as he played with her hair.
— Why are you so quiet lately?
— I was just thinking how I could live five whole months without you…
She smiled. — What you should be asking is how I could live all that time without this thing… —she said as she had more ice cream.
He chuckled and then checked his watch. — I've got to go… —he announced while he moved her aside and got up.
But she quickly reached for his back and embraced him. — Why don't you just stay over? —she asked seductively as she kissed his neck and shoulder.
— I have no clothes here and I have to be at the hospital at first hour tomorrow.
— Then I'm coming to your place…
He stiffened. — You really want to do that? —he asked, regarding the presence of his "guest" back home.
— Why not? You think your friend would be uncomfortable? —she asked casual.
He bit his lip, not looking at her. — I don't know…
She rubbed her forehead. — When she's leaving anyway?
— As soon as she finds a job and a place she can afford…
— Yeah, but when is that happening? Don't you have a deadline?
He turned to meet her face. — What you mean?
— Yeah, I mean, what if she doesn't find anything like in three months or so?
— You want me to kick her out already?
She looked away. — I just asked you a simple question.
He shook his head. — Scarlett, when I told you about this you said there was no problem and that it was okay if I housed her.
She rolled eyes. — And it's true, but I really think you should ask her how long she's planning on staying…
— She's not planning on staying Scarlett, I don't think it's any easier for her to be homeless and broke. She's just told me she's desperate…
The fact that he was defending this friend really annoyed her. — Then leave her your place and move in with me… —she said flatly. His eyes opened wider. He didn't expect that reaction coming from her. — Just while she leaves… —she completed before he started believing she was pushing him.
He caressed her face gently. — Honey, if this is about you wanting me to stay here tonight, then I'll stay… But I'm leaving before dawn, I can't be late for work…
She looked down defeated. He didn't seem to get her point. — No, go home. It's okay… As she watched him getting dressed, she threw another question. — When am I going to meet her, your friend?
— Whenever you want… —he replied with an unreadable look.
— Fine…
When he was done, he gave her one long, passionate goodnight kiss. Before he left, she said: — Jack, I love you… Don't you ever forget that, okay?
He sat on the bed and kissed her again. — I love you too…
Back home, Jack found Kate in the living room, sitting on the floor and writing something down on a piece of paper, the classifieds and other stuff scattered on the coffee table. She seemed really concentrated.
— Hey… —he said with a short smile as he sat on the couch in front of her.
She looked at him and couldn't help but smile widely. She loved to see him arrive. — Hey…
— What you're doing? —he asked.
— Oh, I'm sorry to mess your place up, I'm just writing down a resume and filling a couple applications, but I'm done now… —she affirmed as she started picking everything up.
— No, it's okay, I don't care… —he assured as he looked at the terrace, almost set for Scarlett's birthday.
— You're throwing a party…
He chuckled. — Actually Claire is…
— I know, she just invited me, hope you don't mind...
He smiled. — Of course I don't mind…
— I'm just checking because the host didn't tell me, you know… —she said playfully, referring to him.
He shook his head and smirked. — The host is Claire and she didn't ask for my opinion either, believe me…
— It sure runs in the family… —she stated immediately.
He laughed. — Yeah, you bet… So, you're writing a resume…
— Yeah, I think I'm close to finding a job…
His eyes opened wider. — Really?
— Yeah, there's this really fancy restaurant and they need a hostess…
— A hostess? —he asked frowning.
She looked down. — Well I don't have too many options. I'm not a doctor…
He knew Kate never went to college, but he still believed she deserved better. If she were with him, he thought, she wouldn't even have to work. He immediately tried to get rid of those ideas. — I didn't mean that… —he said somehow ashamed.
She gave him a sweet smile. — So, you'd sign a letter of recommendation for me?
— Sure, no problem…
Their eyes locked in one deep longing look. Come on Jack, just tell me, I know you feel the same way, she thought. But soon he had to look away, as if he had read her mind. He stood up and walked away, but then he stopped at the mantelpiece. — What's this? —he asked, grabbing the photo frame that was still facing backwards.
— I don't know, Claire put it there before she left… —she replied casual as she walked to him.
He threw a short smile and placed it besides Claire's picture. — She's pretty… —Kate affirmed.
He turned around and ran into her face, now dangerously close to his. — What? —he asked abashed.
— Your girlfriend…
He took a step behind. — Oh…Yeah… — he replied looking away.
— I can't wait to meet her… —she announced with an impish, almost challenging smile. — Good night Jack…
As he watched her walking away, he rubbed his hair in despair. It was clear that Kate was trying to seduce him, and he didn't like it at all. At that moment he realized what Scarlett meant before. He thought it was disrespectful of Kate to be playing that little game. What was she doing? When she showed up, he really believed she needed help, and he just wanted to help her, but now things were going in another direction. It had to stop. How the hell did I get into this? Fuck…
He went to his studio before going to bed, to check some e-mails he was waiting from the hospital. After about 20 minutes he was done, tired and ready to just lie down and sleep. His jaw dropped when he walked into his room. Kate was there and the TV was on. She had just come out from the shower, his shower. Her wet hair rested on her bare shoulders.
— Kate, what the hell are you doing? —he asked stunned.
— I'm brushing my hair… —she replied nonchalant, her eyes fixated on some TV show.
— You're brushing your hair on my bed in a towel? —he asked back in disbelief.
She motioned to him to be quiet, like she really wanted to listen to the TV. But he didn't find it amusing at all, so he took the remote and turned it off and stood right in front of her.
— Oh come on! —she complained in a childish attitude.
But he gave her a set look. — Kate, I'm not going to sleep with you… —he snapped.
She had to breathe deeply not to burst into laughter. Then she got up and stood just two inches away from his lips. — Neither am I… —she assured with a wry smile.
After she left his room, he closed the door and locked it. Then he leaned on it and rubbed his face, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. — Damn it!