Author's Note: Ok, so here's the next chapter! I want to point out that unless I specifically say so these chapters should be read as one shots and not a continuation of any other chapter. For instance, this missing moment takes place in the episode with Lex's obstacle course (can't recall the title at the moment), which just so happens to be the episode directly after Survival of the Fittest when the first chapter takes place. But the Jackson and Melissa in this chapter haven't experienced any of the extra romantic moments I added in the last chapter. The whole point of this series is that it's all the ways I can think of that they might have had their FIRST real romantic moment. Also, I got a little over 30 people reading the first chapter and that is amazing! If even half those people would leave a review it would really mean so, so much to me. Also, please suggest more ideas so I can keep this thing going. Ok, enjoy!

Something Different

Melissa grinned as she watched Lex gaze at his distress sign and Jackson's raft disappearing over the horizon. It had been an odd day between Nathan and Jackson's falling out and the obstacle course craziness. It was all worth it though to see Lex practically glowing with happiness on his birthday. Sometimes it didn't seem like this group could agree on much, but the one thing they could all agree on was that he deserved it.

A slight breeze disturbed the air on the beach and Melissa shivered, wrapping her arms more tightly around her torso. She was soaking wet from her feet up to her chest from wading in to release the raft and a rogue wave had left her hair wet as well. With the sun going down she was starting to get more than a little cold. She took one last glance at her makeshift family celebrating on the water's edge before heading in the direction of camp in search of a towel.

No one noticed her slipping away but Melissa didn't mind. As lonely as it could be being stranded on the island it was also surprisingly hard to get any time alone there. With so much of the island unexplored or inaccessible in reality their worlds had more or less shrunk to their camp and its immediate surroundings. There was always someone else around, always something else that needed to be done, and Melissa had come to treasure the little moments when she could be alone with her thoughts.

Not to mention she was pretty sure she'd heard Nathan and Jackson patching up their fight and she wasn't about to interrupt that. She hadn't told either of them this out of embarrassment but those two fighting was pretty much one of her worst nightmares. Nathan had been her best friend for a long time and Jackson…well, Jackson was quickly becoming very important to her. She already felt like she spent half her time here playing peacemaker between various people, and usually she didn't mind too much. Having to play the go between with Nathan and Jackson was different though. She had been afraid of saying the wrong thing all day and had genuinely worried that one or the other of her friends was going to ask her to choose between them. That wasn't a decision she wanted to have to face anytime soon.

Melissa was still lost in her thoughts about her friends when she reached the tent. She reached into her pack and absentmindedly rummaged around looking for a towel and dry set of clothes to sleep in. It took her a moment to realize that most of her clothes were still hanging on their makeshift clothesline at the edge of the jungle. She had done her laundry earlier and in all the excitement of the day she'd forgotten to take her clothes down.

Even though at this point she was freezing Melissa was in way too good a mood to let a little delay ruin it. Humming to herself she exited the tent and paused for a moment. She could still hear her friends laughing and splashing around a little down the beach. She smiled and made her way down to where they had strung up a cord to make a clothesline between two trees at the edge of the jungle.

Melissa grabbed a towel and gratefully began to dry off the worst of the dripping water from her arms and legs, pulling her hair from its customary bun and toweling it off as well. Quickly running her fingers through her wet hair to remove the worst of the knots before she returned to the tent and grabbed a brush, she examined the clothes on the line looking for something warm and comfy to sleep in. Melissa spotted her favorite Hartwell sweatshirt and a pair of grey sweatpants and decided those would do. She was just about to head back to the tent to change when another gust of wind caught her sending a huge shiver throughout her body. She knew she was only a couple of minutes from camp but she really was cold now.

"I'll just get this wet shirt off and put my sweatshirt on," Melissa thought, already dreaming of the warmth she'd soon be feeling even over a wet bra. "That will make the walk back to camp bearable."

Melissa stepped behind the wider of the two trees tied to the clothesline and quickly peeled off her wet t-shirt. The cool air met her damp skin and she felt herself break out in goose bumps all over. She turned around to grab her sweatshirt from the end of the line only to find herself face to face with the last person she wanted to see at that moment.

Jackson.

For a moment neither of them reacted just stared at each other in shock. If Melissa had been capable of thought at all in that moment she might have noticed that with his hair tousled by the wind and his wet shirt clinging to his chest Jackson looked even more attractive than usual. As it was she was only capable at gaping at her unexpected visitor in horror.

For his part Jackson's eyes were wide and they weren't exactly staying on her face. Melissa felt herself turn beat red as she saw his gaze travel quickly over her far too exposed frame before she came to her senses and threw her arms up to cover herself as much as possible. Her action seemed to snap Jackson out of it as well and he whipped around to face the other way so fast she was surprised he didn't hurt his neck.

"Mel, I'm so sorry, I didn't realize you were uh…" He trailed off, his voice rising a little at the end.

Melissa might have been gratified at being able to rattle Jackson if she weren't so mortified.

"It's ok," She told him, even though the truth was she felt anything but.

""No, really, I'm sorr…"

"Don't look!" Mel shrieked.

Jackson had started to turn his head as he talked out of habit until Melissa's cry had him whipping it back in the other direction fast enough to throw off his balance and make him stumble a bit.

"Sorry, it's ok, just hand me my sweatshirt," Melissa begged, her cheeks feeling so blazing hot she thought she might be giving herself a sunburn.

Jackson reached out and yanked her sweatshirt from the line before reaching blindly behind him to hand it to her. Melissa snatched it from his grasp and had it over her head in what had to be record time.

"Ok, you can turn around now," Melissa muttered, embarrassment leaving her tempted to just bolt for camp.

Jackson turned around slowly, one hand ruffling his hair nervously.

"I was just looking for some dry clothes," Jackson offered, clearly stating the obvious just for the sake of saying something.

Melissa nodded. "Me too. I've got them now, obviously, I mean…ok, I'll just leave you to it."

Melissa gathered the rest of her clothes and towel and turned to make her escape back to camp. She made it about three steps before her brain regained its higher functions and she realized just how pathetic she'd sounded. She hadn't sounded that ridiculous talking to Jackson since she first tried to introduce herself to him back at Hartwell. She had changed a lot since then and she didn't like the idea of slipping back into that awkwardness just because Jackson had accidentally gotten a split second glimpse of her in a bra that showed less than some of Taylor's swimsuits.

Melissa turned back and met Jackson's inquisitive gaze squarely.

"I just wanted to say that was a really great thing you did today," She told him earnestly, closing the gap between them until they were only a few feet apart. "For Lex."

"Yeah, well," Jackson cocked his head and shrugged as if to say it was no big deal. "He told me it was his birthday on the plane and I just figured he deserved a break from being the one with everything figured out."

Melissa refused to let him downplay the fact that not only had he done something completely selfless for Lex, but he'd done it even when he'd heard half of his fellow survivors talking about him like he was a crazy person who would snap at any moment.

"You did a good thing, Jackson," She reached out a hand and touched his shoulder gently.

Jackson looked away pensively and Melissa let her hand fall away. She desperately wanted him to say something but she could wait. She'd been waiting for him to open up to her ever since they met and slowly but surely it seemed like they were getting there.

"Nathan thinks we come from different worlds," He said at last as the breeze hit them again though Jackson gave no sign of feeling it despite his wet clothes. "But the problem is there's only one world and it never changes. My whole life it was always some new house, some new set of state appointed parents, some new school but nothing ever really changed. There was always someone who needed their ego massaged, someone who thought they could get something from me, someone who thought they had me all figured out. And the worst part is I never learned, Mel. I knew how things would be but I still let myself hope for something different."

"When you came to Hartwell," Melissa filled in, as Jackson finally turned to face her again.

He nodded.

"Except things weren't any different," Jackson sighed. "Big surprise. Then we crashed and I let myself think, maybe this will equal things out, we're all stuck here. Wrong again."

"That's not fair," Melissa interjected, taking another step closer to Jackson and forcing him to look at her. "Nathan's already apologized and you can't just assume everyone here thinks of you a certain way because one of us had a bad day and blamed you."

"Can't I?" Jackson chuckled, but his tone was a lot less angry than it had been a few seconds ago.

Melissa was now standing next to Jackson as they both stared out towards the ocean, not looking at each other just sharing the moment.

"No, you can't," Melissa smiled and bumped her shoulder against his earning her a real smile from the boy next to her.

They were both silent for a moment before Melissa spoke again.

"You're a good guy, Jackson, and you don't have to prove it, not to me."

Jackson didn't reply just shook his head and gave her a soft smile as if weren't sure he could believe her words but he was grateful for them anyway.

"Yeah, well, what about you?" Jackson countered,

"What about me?" Melissa looked at up the boy beside her not without a little bit of anxiety. Jackson was never the most forthcoming with his opinions about anything, let alone her. His usual silence made the opportunity to hear his thoughts about her both exciting and terrifying at the same time.

"Come on, Mel. I know what you spent your day doing," Jackson looked down at her and gave one of his patented expressions with head cocked to one side and one eyebrow raised slightly.

"Laundry?" Melissa asked half sarcastically.

"Running interference between Nathan and I," Jackson corrected. "Melissa saves the day again."

Melissa shook her head, slightly embarrassed. She knew the others sometimes thought of her as nice to a fault and even annoyingly naive in the way that she couldn't stand for people not to get along. She didn't want people to start thinking of her as some kind of peacemaker wind-up doll that just spent her time bouncing from one person to the next begging them not to fight.

"I mean it, Mel," Jackson said firmly, interrupting her silent self-doubt. "Nathan's been your best friend forever and he had everybody scared to so much as look at me, but not you. You showed up and actually managed to make me feel better."

"It didn't seem like it," She told him, genuinely surprised at his words. She'd been sure that her attempt to talk to him earlier had done nothing but leave him annoyed with her.

"Trust me, knowing that not everyone thought I was a 'loose cannon' helped," Jackson assured her. "And whatever you said to Nathan must have gotten through to him too, since he showed up to clear the air."

"And then you pretty much used the idea of the obstacle course to intimidate him," Melissa giggled, shaking her head. Boys, she honestly didn't think she'd ever understand them.

"Yeah, well, nobody's perfect," Jackson chuckled, meeting her eyes affectionately. "Anyway, I think things are more or less patched up now, so…thank you."

Melissa grinned up at him savoring the feeling of everything being right in her world again, or at least as right as it could be when she was stranded on this island. A few moments passed with the two of them simply smiling at each other before Melissa realized she'd probably been staring up at him for a little too long. She dropped her gaze quickly and tried to ignore the blush that she could feel creeping up over her cheeks.

The cool ocean breeze kicked up again offering Melissa some relief from the heat her face was producing. It also reminded her why they had ended up there in the first place and gave her enough mental clarity to organize her thoughts.

"You must be freezing!" She said guiltily, resting her hand on the still wet sleeve of Jackson's t-shirt.

"Not really," Jackson shrugged, though he did reach over to the clothesline and grab his worn grey sweatshirt. He pulled it on quickly then glanced over at Melissa as the breeze hit them again. "Are you cold?"

"Me? I'm fine," Melissa insisted, trying to play off the chill that by this point seemed to have sunk in all the way down to her bones.

Her denial was quickly proved to be a false one when Melissa's body rebelled against her wishes and shivered letting a forceful shudder run through her entire body.

Jackson laughed. "Are you sure about that?"

Melissa managed a smile in return. "Well, maybe a little."

Jackson glanced away for a second as if considering then he slipped an arm around Melissa's shoulders and tugged gently until she closed the gap between them. For about half a second Melissa was frozen with confusion and nerves. Was this really happening? Did it mean anything? Was Jackson offering her a little bit of friendly warmth or something more?

These doubts didn't manage to hold sway over Melissa's mind for long though. The pure wonderfulness of feeling herself pressed up against Jackson pushed out every thought of deeper meanings and awkward tomorrows.

Melissa snuggled further into Jackson's chest and turned her body slightly so that he could pull her even closer. Sighing contentedly, she rested her head against his chest and after a moment she felt Jackson rest his head on top of hers. His other arm came around to hold her and they stayed like that locked in a hug that both of them had probably needed for a long time without actually being brave enough to ask for it.

They stayed like that for an indefinite period of time that at once felt like it lasted forever and as though it passed in the blink of an eye.

"They're probably wondering where we are by now," Jackson murmured near her ear, breaking Melissa out of her reverie and reminding her that there was actually a world beyond the warm comfort they'd created.

"Mm hm," Melissa answered softly still not making a move to pull away from the boy next to her. "Jackson?"

"Yeah?" He murmured.

Melissa could feel the gentle rumble of his voice through his chest and there was something about that closeness that made Melissa more certain than ever that her feelings for Jackson weren't just the schoolgirl crush they had been in the beginning. In that moment the fact that she could feel rather than just hear his words seemed like an apt metaphor for the way their relationship had progressed during their time trapped there.

Jackson may have felt cursed by his reputation as a troublemaker, but Melissa didn't think they were as different as people assumed. In her experience the word 'nice' had become just as much of a burden as 'trouble' was for him. People had expectations of them both that left them feeling like their actual thoughts and feelings didn't matter much to anyone when compared with the assumptions people made about them.

Sometimes Melissa could swear that she heard so much more in Jackson's few words then what he was actually saying. Now she wanted to believe that someone would hear something more in her and she wanted to believe it would be Jackson.

"Don't stop hoping for something different," She told him softly.

"I'm tired, Mel," He sighed, and Melissa hugged him a little bit tighter. "I'm tired of waiting for something that never comes. It's easier not to care."

Melissa pulled away just far enough that she could look up and meet Jackson's eyes though she stayed within the circle of his arms.

"Jackson, it's not about people changing," She felt as though for once she knew exactly what she wanted to say and the words came easily to her unhindered by embarrassment or shyness. "What's important is that they don't change you, and you are a good guy who doesn't give up, and hopes for something better, and…"

Melissa was cut off by Jackson's hands coming up to cup her face and his lips descending to cover hers. She froze in complete shock but quickly managed to regain enough control of her body to respond to the insistent pressure of his lips against hers. Melissa reached up and tangled her fingers in the hairs at the nape of Jackson's neck and leaned further into the kiss. One of his hands traveled from her cheek down to the small of her back and slipped under her sweatshirt to meet the bare skin there causing Melissa to shiver yet again this evening for a very different reason.

Her reaction seemed to draw Jackson back into reality because he broke away from her gasping.

"Mel, I'm sorry," It was his turn to look nervous and Melissa took a few seconds to gain control over her breathing and her hormones before she responded.

"You're…sorry?" She echoed, feeling disappointment welling up inside her. The thought that such an amazing moment for her might be one he regretted was almost too much to deal with.

"Not like that," He reassured her quickly, one hand coming up to brush a wet strand of hair away from her cheek. "That was just…intense. I don't want things to get out of hand like this, stuck here…we can't."

Melissa let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding in relief. She stepped forward back into Jackson's arms and held onto him for dear life.

"I can wait," She told him, her voice slightly muffled as her face was buried in his sweatshirt.

"I hope I'm worth the wait," He said softly, doubt apparent in his voice.

"You are," Melissa answered firmly. "I wish you would believe that."

"Not yet," He admitted, hugging her a little closer. "But you do, and that's enough for now."

Melissa grinned into his chest, glad that he couldn't see her expression. She knew it would be sometime before she could fully process everything that had happened between them tonight but what she'd always suspected had now been made clear. Jackson wasn't as solid as he pretended to be and she wasn't quite as afraid as her shyness made her appear. They complemented each other, needed each other, and despite all the thousands of reasons it might seem impossible they had each other. Melissa, secure in that knowledge, knew they could face anything. Together.

She still wasn't sure Jackson had taken her words to heart, but as for her, hope for the future was suddenly incredibly, perfectly, instantly…easy.