Conception - Part 10
May. 1st, 2008 03:43 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
diandrahollman
Feedback: Would love it! Here or at diandrahollman@yahoo.com
Rating: PG-13 to R most chapters.
Keywords: Slash, Jack/Sawyer, Mpreg and a pretty good share of roughing up of Jack just because.
Spoilers: Follows cannon, sometimes loosely, sometimes very closely, from the Season One finale through season three.
Disclaimer: See prologue. They're not mine. Duh.
Author's Notes: See prologue. I'm trying to do more story and less recap, paring cannon down to its most basic, recognizable parts. Hopefully it makes sense.
Previously
"...three weeks ago," a voice Jack didn't recognize was saying when he entered the hatch. Whoever it was sounded frantic, voice pinched with pain. "We were staying in a cave off the beach...At least untie my arms!"
Jack rounded the corner to find Locke and Sayid crouched beside a bound man. The man had an arrow through his shoulder, yet neither of the other men seemed concerned or inclined to do something about it. "What the hell is going on here," Jack demanded.
All three men looked up at him in surprise. Nobody noticed the small, fleeting smile that tugged at the captive man's lips, the spark of recognition in his eyes that transformed into shock as he took in Jack's obviously pregnant form. Sayid told Jack about Rousseau trapping this man - Henry Gale, he said his name was - and she believed he was an Other.
"An other *what*?" Henry moaned.
Jack fell immediately into doctor mode, kneeling awkwardly beside Henry and giving him water. Henry couldn't tear his eyes from the bulge in Jack's middle. He wondered if his fevered mind was playing tricks on him, but he didn't have a chance to further ponder this strange turn of events before he passed out.
**********
"Is that really what it looks like," Henry finally asked during one of his daily trips to the bathroom, nodding to Jack's stomach.
"Yeah," Jack answered simply, not moving from his position in the doorway as Henry moved to wash his hands.
Henry nodded. "Do you mind if I ask..."
Jack cut him off. "Actually I do."
Henry looked surprised. "I was just curious."
Jack looked away from him and shifted awkwardly. He hadn't agreed with Sayid's "interrogation" of Henry, but he didn't trust the man either. "I'm a hermaphrodite," he said flatly.
Understanding flashed in Henry's eyes and he looked away, turning off the water in the sink and reaching for a towel. "When is it due?"
"I'm not sure," Jack lied. "I've been a little fuzzy on time since we got here. Are you done?"
Henry gave a brief, tentative smile and nodded, letting Jack lead him back to his cell. "Is the father on the island too," he asked innocently.
Jack hesitated, his hand on the door. There was nothing about the man's questions that suggested anything other than natural curiosity, but they still made him uneasy. Perhaps because ever since Jack had pulled an enraged Sayid from him before he could beat the man to death he had been strangely calm and docile, as if accepting whatever fate was in store for him at their hands...or feeling confident that he would be rescued. "Yes."
Henry just nodded thoughtfully, picking up the book Locke had given him and settling on his cot without further question.
Jack closed the door and spun the combination lock, telling himself he was imagining the knowing, solicitous flash in Henry's eyes whenever the man looked at him.
**********
(A couple days later)
"They'll never give you Walt," Henry said with distressing surety.
Jack stared at him a moment longer before brushing past Ana out of the armory. Ana glowered at Henry and shoved the door closed with a dull thud, following Jack into the kitchen.
"I'm not so sure trading people's their thing," she said hesitantly, watching him fuss with his backpack, getting ready for his trip out to the "line".
"Well, talking to him is getting us nowhere," Jack pointed out. "So maybe we can get something for him."
"You want me to come with you," she asked tentatively.
Jack glanced into the next room where Locke sat hunched over the drawing he had been working on for several hours it seemed. Something had happened to Locke in the time he had spent alone with Henry. Jack didn't know what it was but it made him uneasy and he didn't feel like finding out what would happen if they were left alone again. "You need to stay here."
Ana seemed to understand his meaning and accept his judgment. She handed him the gun. "You need it more than I do."
Jack accepted the weapon and flicked it open to count the number of bullets left.
"Do yourself a favor, man," she continued. "Don't go out there alone."
Jack smiled reassuringly. Ana, while seemingly as defensive of him and his child as anyone else in their group, had never tried to talk him out of anything - only offering help and advice. She seemed to understand his need to do something about these Others posing a threat to them, even if it meant putting himself in danger. Maybe it was because she and her small group of survivors had been through hell because of them but whatever the reason Jack appreciated her support and reservation of judgment. "Okay."
*********
Jack found Kate and Sawyer squatting beside a small inlet of water, Kate catching tadpoles with her bare hands while Sawyer watched and offered both encouragements and taunts in equal measure. "Hey," he greeted.
"Hey yourself," Sawyer replied, his eyes roving shamelessly up and down Jack's body.
Jack spared him a quick glance and then focused on Kate. "I'm going back out into the jungle to talk to our friend with the beard. See if we can make a trade."
Sawyer's eyes widened. "You're doin' what now?"
"Sawyer," Jack sighed.
"Don't you 'Sawyer' me. Why the hell would you wanna go do something stupid like that?"
"I'm just going to talk to him," Jack spit, annoyed. "Not challenge him to a duel."
Sawyer opened his mouth to reply but Kate cut him off with a hand on his arm, still damp and slippery from the water. "He wants to trade Henry for Walt," she explained. Jack nodded, his lips pressed in a firm line.
Sawyer forced himself to calm down and stood. "And I s'pose you're inviting me 'cause you want a gun, huh?"
"I'm not inviting you, I'm inviting Kate," Jack replied blandly, enjoying the brief look of hurt that flashed in Sawyer's eyes a little too much. "I've already got a gun, but thanks for offering."
Sawyer spluttered. "How in the hell'd you get a gun?"
Jack gave a huff of a laugh. "Does it matter?"
'Damn right it matters,' Sawyer thought angrily. 'Someone's gonna have hell to pay for armin' you and lettin' you run off into the jungle like a damned fool.' He said nothing though, too steamed over Jack's refusal to let him go along, if only to protect him.
Kate glanced back and forth between the two of them and nodded. "I'll get my things."
"You sure you don't need me to come along," Sawyer tried pathetically. He knew Jack had been upset after his failed attempt to get Sawyer to give up the guns but how long was he planning on staying angry?
"Yeah, I'm sure," Jack said abruptly, glancing at Sawyer but not meeting his eyes.
Sawyer's eyes narrowed. Something wasn't right but hell if he knew exactly what it was. He watched the two of them walk away and decided he would just have to pull Jack aside as soon as they got back and give him a good talking to.
Next chapter
Jack rounded the corner to find Locke and Sayid crouched beside a bound man. The man had an arrow through his shoulder, yet neither of the other men seemed concerned or inclined to do something about it. "What the hell is going on here," Jack demanded.
All three men looked up at him in surprise. Nobody noticed the small, fleeting smile that tugged at the captive man's lips, the spark of recognition in his eyes that transformed into shock as he took in Jack's obviously pregnant form. Sayid told Jack about Rousseau trapping this man - Henry Gale, he said his name was - and she believed he was an Other.
"An other *what*?" Henry moaned.
Jack fell immediately into doctor mode, kneeling awkwardly beside Henry and giving him water. Henry couldn't tear his eyes from the bulge in Jack's middle. He wondered if his fevered mind was playing tricks on him, but he didn't have a chance to further ponder this strange turn of events before he passed out.
**********
"Is that really what it looks like," Henry finally asked during one of his daily trips to the bathroom, nodding to Jack's stomach.
"Yeah," Jack answered simply, not moving from his position in the doorway as Henry moved to wash his hands.
Henry nodded. "Do you mind if I ask..."
Jack cut him off. "Actually I do."
Henry looked surprised. "I was just curious."
Jack looked away from him and shifted awkwardly. He hadn't agreed with Sayid's "interrogation" of Henry, but he didn't trust the man either. "I'm a hermaphrodite," he said flatly.
Understanding flashed in Henry's eyes and he looked away, turning off the water in the sink and reaching for a towel. "When is it due?"
"I'm not sure," Jack lied. "I've been a little fuzzy on time since we got here. Are you done?"
Henry gave a brief, tentative smile and nodded, letting Jack lead him back to his cell. "Is the father on the island too," he asked innocently.
Jack hesitated, his hand on the door. There was nothing about the man's questions that suggested anything other than natural curiosity, but they still made him uneasy. Perhaps because ever since Jack had pulled an enraged Sayid from him before he could beat the man to death he had been strangely calm and docile, as if accepting whatever fate was in store for him at their hands...or feeling confident that he would be rescued. "Yes."
Henry just nodded thoughtfully, picking up the book Locke had given him and settling on his cot without further question.
Jack closed the door and spun the combination lock, telling himself he was imagining the knowing, solicitous flash in Henry's eyes whenever the man looked at him.
**********
(A couple days later)
"They'll never give you Walt," Henry said with distressing surety.
Jack stared at him a moment longer before brushing past Ana out of the armory. Ana glowered at Henry and shoved the door closed with a dull thud, following Jack into the kitchen.
"I'm not so sure trading people's their thing," she said hesitantly, watching him fuss with his backpack, getting ready for his trip out to the "line".
"Well, talking to him is getting us nowhere," Jack pointed out. "So maybe we can get something for him."
"You want me to come with you," she asked tentatively.
Jack glanced into the next room where Locke sat hunched over the drawing he had been working on for several hours it seemed. Something had happened to Locke in the time he had spent alone with Henry. Jack didn't know what it was but it made him uneasy and he didn't feel like finding out what would happen if they were left alone again. "You need to stay here."
Ana seemed to understand his meaning and accept his judgment. She handed him the gun. "You need it more than I do."
Jack accepted the weapon and flicked it open to count the number of bullets left.
"Do yourself a favor, man," she continued. "Don't go out there alone."
Jack smiled reassuringly. Ana, while seemingly as defensive of him and his child as anyone else in their group, had never tried to talk him out of anything - only offering help and advice. She seemed to understand his need to do something about these Others posing a threat to them, even if it meant putting himself in danger. Maybe it was because she and her small group of survivors had been through hell because of them but whatever the reason Jack appreciated her support and reservation of judgment. "Okay."
*********
Jack found Kate and Sawyer squatting beside a small inlet of water, Kate catching tadpoles with her bare hands while Sawyer watched and offered both encouragements and taunts in equal measure. "Hey," he greeted.
"Hey yourself," Sawyer replied, his eyes roving shamelessly up and down Jack's body.
Jack spared him a quick glance and then focused on Kate. "I'm going back out into the jungle to talk to our friend with the beard. See if we can make a trade."
Sawyer's eyes widened. "You're doin' what now?"
"Sawyer," Jack sighed.
"Don't you 'Sawyer' me. Why the hell would you wanna go do something stupid like that?"
"I'm just going to talk to him," Jack spit, annoyed. "Not challenge him to a duel."
Sawyer opened his mouth to reply but Kate cut him off with a hand on his arm, still damp and slippery from the water. "He wants to trade Henry for Walt," she explained. Jack nodded, his lips pressed in a firm line.
Sawyer forced himself to calm down and stood. "And I s'pose you're inviting me 'cause you want a gun, huh?"
"I'm not inviting you, I'm inviting Kate," Jack replied blandly, enjoying the brief look of hurt that flashed in Sawyer's eyes a little too much. "I've already got a gun, but thanks for offering."
Sawyer spluttered. "How in the hell'd you get a gun?"
Jack gave a huff of a laugh. "Does it matter?"
'Damn right it matters,' Sawyer thought angrily. 'Someone's gonna have hell to pay for armin' you and lettin' you run off into the jungle like a damned fool.' He said nothing though, too steamed over Jack's refusal to let him go along, if only to protect him.
Kate glanced back and forth between the two of them and nodded. "I'll get my things."
"You sure you don't need me to come along," Sawyer tried pathetically. He knew Jack had been upset after his failed attempt to get Sawyer to give up the guns but how long was he planning on staying angry?
"Yeah, I'm sure," Jack said abruptly, glancing at Sawyer but not meeting his eyes.
Sawyer's eyes narrowed. Something wasn't right but hell if he knew exactly what it was. He watched the two of them walk away and decided he would just have to pull Jack aside as soon as they got back and give him a good talking to.
Next chapter
