Story: Lights Out and Shoot Up The Station
This is my first go at a Tribe fic...I hope the cut works...I hope you enjoy it.
Title: Lights Out and Shoot Up The Station
Pairing or Characters: Jack/Ellie Jack/OC Ram/Ruby Lex/Taisan Ebony/Slade Salene/May
Word Count: 1,147
Rating: PG-13/
Disclaimer: These characters aren't mine
The first letter arrived.
And it didn't change anything, immediately.
It was from a woman, somewhere on the mainland desperately asking for information on her sister, last seen in the company of a tribe called the Mallrats.
And it had passed through many hands, until it had eventually found it's way onto Alice's ferry, and their island.
The description was vague, just an estimated age, the woman had managed to calculate if her sister had lived, thirty-five.
That age alone singled out only a handful of the female population of the Mallrats, and even within that grouping Tai-san, Salene and Ruby had been only children, and May had claimed to only half remember a younger brother.
The letter lingered longest with Amber, and oddly Ebony.
But eventually even they forgot about it.
How exactly it had ended up in Jack's possession he couldn't remember, but why he'd replied was a simpler question to answer.
Living on the Mallrat's island home had never really clicked for him, he'd been a City boy at heart.
His role within the group, had slowly been swallowed up by Ram, leaving Jack just a tinkerer reporting to a genius.
The real shift had taken place about five years previous to the arrival of the letter, when he'd asked Ellie to marry him and she'd unexpectedly turned him down.
He'd only asked her, because after so many years of watching their friends doing the same thing, and having families, Jack had thought he probably should, that it was what she might have wanted.
It was after Ellie's refusal he'd realised he hadn't loved her any more, not the way he had.
The odd thing was, he'd known it was the same for her, they just played the parts that had been assigned them so many decades earlier.
She was brilliant though, a force of nature, Ellie had carved her niche and followed her dream, becoming the reporter on Ram's island broadcast system.
Jack had been proud of her, he'd only wished Ellie could have felt the same way about him.
His own reply to the letter had written itself one day when boredom had gotten the better of him.
To who it may concern,
Your letter has reached us.
Need more information on your sister, no match here as of yet.
Perhaps more details about you may aid our search.
I hope you find what you're looking for.
At the end of his own brief note, Jack had made the odd decision to sign off with KC's name.
KC who had never been within a metre of a writing implement, to the best of Jack's knowledge.
When the second letter had appeared, less than a week later, this time it had been addressed to KC. Jack had skilfully managed to intercept it before the spiky haired deputy had, had the chance to ponder of it's contents.
Dear KC,
Thank you for your note.
The problem is...
The woman didn't remember much, over the course of the side and a half of rumpled paper, she revealed that she had been in some sort of plane crash, Jack guessed that she must have, at one time been a prisoner of the Techno's, going down in one of their airships.
Her memory was affected, leaving her with only bits and pieces of her former life, for instance the knowledge of a sister, and a photograph of the pair.
On the mainland the woman lived a somewhat isolated life as a teacher, and when Jack had penned his reply, he transformed himself from minor mechanic and inventor, into deputy Sheriff, and all round man of action.
She signed off with the name Solange.
The more letters he sent, the more he received back from Solange.
Each always addressed to KC.
Jack had always enjoyed the power that came with knowing something other people didn't, he relished it, and over time he began to fall in-love with the new version of himself he'd written into his letters.
And then, after a flurry of correspondents the day finally came, when Solange had asked to meet KC.
The day Jack had dreaded.
In two weeks, I'll be at the tribal gathering, and I'd really like to see you. I can show you the picture of my sister in person. Let me know, which dock your ferry visits, and I will be there. I'll wear a white flower in my hair so you'll be able to recognise me.
He couldn't go, he could never actually meet her.
For a start he wasn't KC, and secondly there'd been his relationship with Ellie to think about.
Jack couldn't just wander off, and spend the day with a woman he'd been writing to in secret for weeks without it seeming considerably odd.
Besides he'd have to get past Alice first.
He'd been considering it though, strongly, desperately.
Jack liked Solange, she'd been sweet, vulnerable, funny and clever.
Actually a lot like Ellie before they'd both grown up.
It was over hearing one of Lex's drunken diatribes one night in Ruby's Saloon, that first put the solution into Jack's head.
He'd send KC to meet Solange.
KC who never fully recovered after the sudden death of Gel.
For once in his life Lex had been right, the deputy Sheriff had needed to be healed, and Jack was certain if anyone could do it, it would be Solange.
Before putting his plan into action Jack decided to run it past another human being first.
The first and only person he'd thought that may have been able to understand this madness was Salene, who'd sat in silence on the edge of the bed he shared with Ellie, while he poured out his heart.
"That's insane." She'd responded, finally.
"Why. It's the perfect solution."
"But Jack, are you seriously telling me that you're going to be able to sit back and watch as KC lives out your life?" Salene had countered.
"My life, I don't understand. It's not my life, I was only pretending to be KC."
She'd looked genuinely pained.
"Jack, don't you think this is all a little odd, even for you."
He hadn't been sure how to take that.
"I mean, you've been writing to this girl for who knows how long. Don't you think there might be something more to all this than you're admitting to yourself. You need to talk to Ellie."
"No, she'd never understand!" He'd admitted.
"I don't understand. But, I do think that this wrong, wrong to KC, and that poor girl, and Ellie, and you. Jack if you're this unhappy with your life, you really need to do something about it."
After that Jack didn't mention the idea to Salene again, nor had he listened to her.
Jack had been sure he was right.
I'll meet you on the pier, and look out for you're white flower.
Love
KC
Title: Lights Out and Shoot Up The Station
Pairing or Characters: Jack/Ellie Jack/OC Ram/Ruby Lex/Taisan Ebony/Slade Salene/May
Word Count: 1,147
Rating: PG-13/
Disclaimer: These characters aren't mine
The first letter arrived.
And it didn't change anything, immediately.
It was from a woman, somewhere on the mainland desperately asking for information on her sister, last seen in the company of a tribe called the Mallrats.
And it had passed through many hands, until it had eventually found it's way onto Alice's ferry, and their island.
The description was vague, just an estimated age, the woman had managed to calculate if her sister had lived, thirty-five.
That age alone singled out only a handful of the female population of the Mallrats, and even within that grouping Tai-san, Salene and Ruby had been only children, and May had claimed to only half remember a younger brother.
The letter lingered longest with Amber, and oddly Ebony.
But eventually even they forgot about it.
How exactly it had ended up in Jack's possession he couldn't remember, but why he'd replied was a simpler question to answer.
Living on the Mallrat's island home had never really clicked for him, he'd been a City boy at heart.
His role within the group, had slowly been swallowed up by Ram, leaving Jack just a tinkerer reporting to a genius.
The real shift had taken place about five years previous to the arrival of the letter, when he'd asked Ellie to marry him and she'd unexpectedly turned him down.
He'd only asked her, because after so many years of watching their friends doing the same thing, and having families, Jack had thought he probably should, that it was what she might have wanted.
It was after Ellie's refusal he'd realised he hadn't loved her any more, not the way he had.
The odd thing was, he'd known it was the same for her, they just played the parts that had been assigned them so many decades earlier.
She was brilliant though, a force of nature, Ellie had carved her niche and followed her dream, becoming the reporter on Ram's island broadcast system.
Jack had been proud of her, he'd only wished Ellie could have felt the same way about him.
His own reply to the letter had written itself one day when boredom had gotten the better of him.
To who it may concern,
Your letter has reached us.
Need more information on your sister, no match here as of yet.
Perhaps more details about you may aid our search.
I hope you find what you're looking for.
At the end of his own brief note, Jack had made the odd decision to sign off with KC's name.
KC who had never been within a metre of a writing implement, to the best of Jack's knowledge.
When the second letter had appeared, less than a week later, this time it had been addressed to KC. Jack had skilfully managed to intercept it before the spiky haired deputy had, had the chance to ponder of it's contents.
Dear KC,
Thank you for your note.
The problem is...
The woman didn't remember much, over the course of the side and a half of rumpled paper, she revealed that she had been in some sort of plane crash, Jack guessed that she must have, at one time been a prisoner of the Techno's, going down in one of their airships.
Her memory was affected, leaving her with only bits and pieces of her former life, for instance the knowledge of a sister, and a photograph of the pair.
On the mainland the woman lived a somewhat isolated life as a teacher, and when Jack had penned his reply, he transformed himself from minor mechanic and inventor, into deputy Sheriff, and all round man of action.
She signed off with the name Solange.
The more letters he sent, the more he received back from Solange.
Each always addressed to KC.
Jack had always enjoyed the power that came with knowing something other people didn't, he relished it, and over time he began to fall in-love with the new version of himself he'd written into his letters.
And then, after a flurry of correspondents the day finally came, when Solange had asked to meet KC.
The day Jack had dreaded.
In two weeks, I'll be at the tribal gathering, and I'd really like to see you. I can show you the picture of my sister in person. Let me know, which dock your ferry visits, and I will be there. I'll wear a white flower in my hair so you'll be able to recognise me.
He couldn't go, he could never actually meet her.
For a start he wasn't KC, and secondly there'd been his relationship with Ellie to think about.
Jack couldn't just wander off, and spend the day with a woman he'd been writing to in secret for weeks without it seeming considerably odd.
Besides he'd have to get past Alice first.
He'd been considering it though, strongly, desperately.
Jack liked Solange, she'd been sweet, vulnerable, funny and clever.
Actually a lot like Ellie before they'd both grown up.
It was over hearing one of Lex's drunken diatribes one night in Ruby's Saloon, that first put the solution into Jack's head.
He'd send KC to meet Solange.
KC who never fully recovered after the sudden death of Gel.
For once in his life Lex had been right, the deputy Sheriff had needed to be healed, and Jack was certain if anyone could do it, it would be Solange.
Before putting his plan into action Jack decided to run it past another human being first.
The first and only person he'd thought that may have been able to understand this madness was Salene, who'd sat in silence on the edge of the bed he shared with Ellie, while he poured out his heart.
"That's insane." She'd responded, finally.
"Why. It's the perfect solution."
"But Jack, are you seriously telling me that you're going to be able to sit back and watch as KC lives out your life?" Salene had countered.
"My life, I don't understand. It's not my life, I was only pretending to be KC."
She'd looked genuinely pained.
"Jack, don't you think this is all a little odd, even for you."
He hadn't been sure how to take that.
"I mean, you've been writing to this girl for who knows how long. Don't you think there might be something more to all this than you're admitting to yourself. You need to talk to Ellie."
"No, she'd never understand!" He'd admitted.
"I don't understand. But, I do think that this wrong, wrong to KC, and that poor girl, and Ellie, and you. Jack if you're this unhappy with your life, you really need to do something about it."
After that Jack didn't mention the idea to Salene again, nor had he listened to her.
Jack had been sure he was right.
I'll meet you on the pier, and look out for you're white flower.
Love
KC