Title: Learning To Hunt
Chapter: Section 12
Fandom: The Tribe
Author: PinkTribeChick
Summary: Sometimes, love is just right under your nose . . .
Extended Summary: An alternate-universe Series 4 romance story, from the point of view of Pride, Jack, and an original female character.
Rating: Teen
Pairing: Jack-Original Female Fiction Character, Pride-Original Female Fiction Character, Jack-Ellie, and Bray-Amber, with a few mentions of other pairings.
Author's Notes: Massive thanks to Ariannya and Whit for their thoughts and proofreading on various sections over the years! Enjoy, and please review! Feedback is much appreciated!
Disclaimer: All characters, situations, and song lyrics remain the property of their respective owners. Any original characters are sole property of me, PinkTribeChick.
Learning To Hunt
Section 12
"Jack?" Liliana said a few hours later. She was stretched out on her bed with a sleeping Samuel curled up once again in his crib, while Jack sat upside down on the couch, his head hanging off the edge. He looked up at her.
"Yeah?" he responded. She had to stifle a laugh. From where she sat, he looked cross-eyed, and his face was a bright shade of red. Looking at him, she felt like she could trust him with her secrets. And before they went any further, he needed to know everything. Or just about everything. There were certain things she would never be able to tell him or anyone else.
"Well . . . have you ever just wanted to throw your hands up in the air and say 'Screw it all, I give up?' What I mean is . . . uh . . . do you ever have days when you just want to walk away from it all, just take a break?" she asked. "Your life, that is." Jack sat upright and looked at her strangely.
"Why? Do you?" he questioned back.
"Yeah . . . a lot, actually," she replied, sounding ashamed. Jack got up and walked over to the bed, sitting down beside her. She hung her head, her cheeks burning red.
"Why do you sound so guilty when you say that? It's nothing to be ashamed of," he inquired. "I mean, I want to escape from all of this world atleast twenty times every day. It's a normal feeling. You wouldn't be human if you didn't feel that way." She was looking at him like a wounded puppy. He gave her a puzzled look, confused by her words.
"But for me, it shouldn't be. I don't have just me to take care of. I have Samuel. I can't walk away from that responsibility, ever, atleast not until he's grown," she said quietly. "And every time I feel like running from it all, I feel so guilty. Because Samuel depends on me so much, and all I can think about is getting as far away as I can from him and everyone else I know. It's not fair to him."
"Where is this coming from, Liliana?" Jack said, taking her hand in his. At every turn with her, he always found something new and fascinating out about her, but this just didn't make any sense to him. She wasn't making any sense.
"What do you mean?"
"A few minutes ago, we were laughing about that story you were telling me, about Samuel spitting up all over Pride, and now you're suddenly all serious and sad, not to mention depressingly introspective. I'm just wondering what sparked it," he remarked, giving her a smile. He touched her cheek tenderly, brushing away a strand of hair. She stared at him for a while before speaking. She could see in his eyes that he really cared for her, but something just kept telling her to hold back, be cautious. She couldn't take having her heart broken again.
There were times with Jack when it was really easy for her to have a deep, thoughtful conversation with him, to open up to him. And then there were times like this one, where it was like pulling out a splinter from a finger. Very, very painful. He had no idea all that she had been through in the past year and a half, so how could he understand what she meant and why she was saying it? There were things about it that she didn't understand even though she was in the middle of it all. It had been happening to her, but she was numb to bits and pieces of it.
She'd been holding it all inside for so long, she was aching to find someone that she could trust, that she could spill to. She had made a connection with someone for the first time in a long time, with Jack. She knew she could trust him with her life. And there was a part of her that still didn't feel entirely comfortable about telling him all of it yet. She wasn't sure she could trust him completely. It was a battle she'd been having internally for hours. She could trust him . . . no, she couldn't. She couldn't risk that Jack might go and tell Pride everything she said. Especially when so much of it involved him in one way or another. She swallowed hard, pushing her thoughts back inside her head, and pried her fingers from his.
"Nevermind," she said coldly. "I don't really know where that came from." She scooted back on the bed, not looking at him anymore.
"Okay," Jack said slowly. Now he was really befuddled. A moment ago, she had been acting as though she was about to open her soul up to him completely, and now she was acting as if she were scared to death of him, repulsed by him. He could tell from the look on her face that the damage had been done, and there was little he could do to rectify it right then, whatever it was. He stood up, walking toward the door. "I'm going to head off to bed. It's late, and you need your sleep. We both need sleep."
"Alright," she said softly. She hadn't meant to sound mean or angry, but she had. And there was nothing she could do about it now.
"Night, Liliana," he responded sullenly.
"G'night, Jack," she said, her voice wavering. He left, shutting the door behind him. She blew her bedside lantern out, curling up underneath the covers. Quietly, she started to cry, crying herself to sleep again. Meanwhile, Jack was sitting in the room he shared with KC and Andy, trying to figure out what in the world he'd said to upset her. He finally gave up and nodded off to sleep.
That's all for now, folks! Thanks again for reading, now please go and tell me what you thought of what you read! I love reviews – they keep me going! Toodles until later . . .