tidbits
tidbits; jack/kate; tame; 1014 words
“You should go to the caves.” Kate looked up, eyes falling on a water bottle in front of her face. She took it from Claire who sat down next to her. Motioning her thanks, Kate took a swig and nestled the bottle into the sand next to her.
“Why should I go to the caves?” Claire stretched her hand over her large stomach, finger finding a small tear in her shirt.
“You fell for him, Kate,” Claire stated. “It’s completely understandable, as well. I mean, he’s sweet, he’s a doctor, he’s gorgeous-“
“Wait, you think I should go to the caves for Jack?” Kate asked, a hint of amusement in her voice. Claire didn’t respond and Kate finally drew her eyes from the fire in front of them to her friend. The blonde’s eyebrow was cocked.
“Kate, don’t pull that with me. You basically give off mating pheromones around him.” Kate scoffed. “Why are you resisting this? It’s not like he doesn’t know, Sawyer doesn’t know, hell, I think Shannon even knows and I don’t think she’s talked to anyone except for her brother.”
“Claire, I appreciate you trying to help, or whatever your motives are, but Jack hasn’t fallen for me.” Claire pounced, clapping her hands excitedly, drawing a few strange looks from other groups on the beach.
“I didn’t say he’d fallen for YOU, I said that you had fallen for HIM.” She smiled proudly and stood up. “Don’t forget to take your water when you walk to the caves.” Kate hung her head, staring at the sand beneath her feet. It was late, she was tired and the caves were a long walk away. She looked over to where Claire and Charlie were sitting and talking excitedly about something, Claire grabbing at Charlie’s hand and placing it on her stomach, causing his eyes to light up. Kate smiled and put her shoes on, snatching the water and trudging to the path days of trekking from the beach to the caves had created.
It was terrifically dark once she was away from the beach, and the sounds scared her more than she wanted them to. Every rustle made her jump and caused her to speed her pace up, which in turn caused more rusting. Eventually she paused, breathing heavily. The thick jungle air filled her lungs like steam and burned her nostrils. Heavy with moisture and jeweled scents it almost filled her stomach. Swigging deeply from the bottle, she was about to move on when a patch of sky visible through the tree tops stopped her.
Standing in the middle of buzzing foliage, the break scattered with stars was a moment of clarity. The past weeks had sometimes flown by and sometimes crawled, but there was always something to do. Thinking about survival took up most of her free time, but now she thought about Jack. The caves weren’t far off and she could imagine him, sitting alone, his brain going through the next day’s plan on how to be a hero. Not that she didn’t like having a leader for their rag tag group of plane crash survivors, but he didn’t take any time for himself. Everything was about other people, and Kate knew something had to be seriously off kilter for a man like that.
Kate had no idea what caused him to be that way, but she wanted to. Knowing what makes people tick was generally easy for her, because people were generally fairly simple to read. Jack wasn’t, but that didn’t bother her. She didn’t even want to know all of his issues. She wanted to know the little things he liked; what his favorite movie was, if he liked the morning or evening more, if the ocean drew him or the mountains were his home- nothing heavy, just things that made a person comfortable.
“Kate?” She spun around, chest heaving and found Jack holding a flashlight at her. He lowered the beam from her head down to the ground.
“You scared me,” she pointed out.
“Sorry. I was getting more firewood and I heard someone walking around. What are you doing here? Did something happen on the beach?” She could barely see his face in the dark and stepped closer.
“No, everything’s fine. I just…I thought I’d come visit.” Her tongue pressed against her teeth ad she struggled not to reveal she came just to see him.
“Oh, okay. It’s late, but if we stay away from where people are sleeping I’m sure we can talk if you want.”
“That’d be great. With Claire and Charlie spending all of their time together it gets lonely on the beach sometimes.”
“I’m sure it’s not that bad.” He was in front of her now, holding branches away from her and expertly navigating to the entrance of the caves. He crept to his bag and took out a mango and a blunt looking knife, motioning for her to follow him. He lead them to behind a rock and sat down on the ground, his back resting against the uneven surface.
She sat down next to him in silence as he cut chunks of the mango off and handed them to her.
“So why are you really here, Kate?” He glanced over at her and watched her swallow the fruit slowly.
“To visit, I told you.”
“Yeah but you were lying. Even I could tell. Sawyer would be ashamed.” She laughed, surprised to hear him making jokes about Sawyer.
“I guess I missed you, Jack. Not just you, but everyone. It seems like more people are migrating out here. Charlie’s been trying very hard to convince Claire and now Sayid’s gone…it’s tough out there.”
“So you came to visit me because you missed me? That’s very forward of you, Kate.” She nudged him with her shoulder and stole the piece of slippery fruit from between his fingers.
“I have my true motives, Jack,” she said, emphasizing his name only slightly.
“Care to share them with me?”
She paused and then spoke, her mouth half full of mango.
“What’s your favorite movie?”
“You should go to the caves.” Kate looked up, eyes falling on a water bottle in front of her face. She took it from Claire who sat down next to her. Motioning her thanks, Kate took a swig and nestled the bottle into the sand next to her.
“Why should I go to the caves?” Claire stretched her hand over her large stomach, finger finding a small tear in her shirt.
“You fell for him, Kate,” Claire stated. “It’s completely understandable, as well. I mean, he’s sweet, he’s a doctor, he’s gorgeous-“
“Wait, you think I should go to the caves for Jack?” Kate asked, a hint of amusement in her voice. Claire didn’t respond and Kate finally drew her eyes from the fire in front of them to her friend. The blonde’s eyebrow was cocked.
“Kate, don’t pull that with me. You basically give off mating pheromones around him.” Kate scoffed. “Why are you resisting this? It’s not like he doesn’t know, Sawyer doesn’t know, hell, I think Shannon even knows and I don’t think she’s talked to anyone except for her brother.”
“Claire, I appreciate you trying to help, or whatever your motives are, but Jack hasn’t fallen for me.” Claire pounced, clapping her hands excitedly, drawing a few strange looks from other groups on the beach.
“I didn’t say he’d fallen for YOU, I said that you had fallen for HIM.” She smiled proudly and stood up. “Don’t forget to take your water when you walk to the caves.” Kate hung her head, staring at the sand beneath her feet. It was late, she was tired and the caves were a long walk away. She looked over to where Claire and Charlie were sitting and talking excitedly about something, Claire grabbing at Charlie’s hand and placing it on her stomach, causing his eyes to light up. Kate smiled and put her shoes on, snatching the water and trudging to the path days of trekking from the beach to the caves had created.
It was terrifically dark once she was away from the beach, and the sounds scared her more than she wanted them to. Every rustle made her jump and caused her to speed her pace up, which in turn caused more rusting. Eventually she paused, breathing heavily. The thick jungle air filled her lungs like steam and burned her nostrils. Heavy with moisture and jeweled scents it almost filled her stomach. Swigging deeply from the bottle, she was about to move on when a patch of sky visible through the tree tops stopped her.
Standing in the middle of buzzing foliage, the break scattered with stars was a moment of clarity. The past weeks had sometimes flown by and sometimes crawled, but there was always something to do. Thinking about survival took up most of her free time, but now she thought about Jack. The caves weren’t far off and she could imagine him, sitting alone, his brain going through the next day’s plan on how to be a hero. Not that she didn’t like having a leader for their rag tag group of plane crash survivors, but he didn’t take any time for himself. Everything was about other people, and Kate knew something had to be seriously off kilter for a man like that.
Kate had no idea what caused him to be that way, but she wanted to. Knowing what makes people tick was generally easy for her, because people were generally fairly simple to read. Jack wasn’t, but that didn’t bother her. She didn’t even want to know all of his issues. She wanted to know the little things he liked; what his favorite movie was, if he liked the morning or evening more, if the ocean drew him or the mountains were his home- nothing heavy, just things that made a person comfortable.
“Kate?” She spun around, chest heaving and found Jack holding a flashlight at her. He lowered the beam from her head down to the ground.
“You scared me,” she pointed out.
“Sorry. I was getting more firewood and I heard someone walking around. What are you doing here? Did something happen on the beach?” She could barely see his face in the dark and stepped closer.
“No, everything’s fine. I just…I thought I’d come visit.” Her tongue pressed against her teeth ad she struggled not to reveal she came just to see him.
“Oh, okay. It’s late, but if we stay away from where people are sleeping I’m sure we can talk if you want.”
“That’d be great. With Claire and Charlie spending all of their time together it gets lonely on the beach sometimes.”
“I’m sure it’s not that bad.” He was in front of her now, holding branches away from her and expertly navigating to the entrance of the caves. He crept to his bag and took out a mango and a blunt looking knife, motioning for her to follow him. He lead them to behind a rock and sat down on the ground, his back resting against the uneven surface.
She sat down next to him in silence as he cut chunks of the mango off and handed them to her.
“So why are you really here, Kate?” He glanced over at her and watched her swallow the fruit slowly.
“To visit, I told you.”
“Yeah but you were lying. Even I could tell. Sawyer would be ashamed.” She laughed, surprised to hear him making jokes about Sawyer.
“I guess I missed you, Jack. Not just you, but everyone. It seems like more people are migrating out here. Charlie’s been trying very hard to convince Claire and now Sayid’s gone…it’s tough out there.”
“So you came to visit me because you missed me? That’s very forward of you, Kate.” She nudged him with her shoulder and stole the piece of slippery fruit from between his fingers.
“I have my true motives, Jack,” she said, emphasizing his name only slightly.
“Care to share them with me?”
She paused and then spoke, her mouth half full of mango.
“What’s your favorite movie?”