Along the Country Road

[Jack Trove]

ooc: I know Madeleine isn't back yet, but dudes, it's taking so long, I might as well start this now. This is set not long after Jack's eighteenth birthday, after Madeleine's gotten back...

Jogging these days just felt like Jack was tempting fate.
Everything had so rapidly returned to normal after Madeleine's return, it was hard to believe that the events following her capture had ever even happened. In Jack's head, the whole thing had blurred around the edges- and was continuing to blur into a whirl of misery; fear; panic; blood and burnt out flames. Madeleine's return had put the whole school on such a high, everything had seemed to be streaked with technicolour. And now, as the grip of normalcy tightened itself once more around the student body, the old way of life was gradually beginning to restore itself. Old feelings were re-emerging- grumbles of hunger when the lunch bell rang; the desire to get back out on the rugby pitches; wondering whether that smiling girl in the corridor had really meant to drop those books or not...
Ah... the simple things in life. He hadn't even realised he'd forgotten them.
But there was still a new edge to this normalcy- a sharper awareness of danger and the movements of the enemy. All one had to do was look out the window and see the still-damaged forest to again feel the distant chill of the old days that had followed the Battle of Blueberg. And the four ex-Heads' presence at the school was a further reminder of just how close to collapsing they'd come.
And that heightened sixth sense was why jogging felt like- to Jack, anyway- he was tempting fate.
And Jack wasn't the only one who felt it a little too close for comfort.
"Jack, what're you doing?"
"Uh..." he stopped, frowning down at his half-laced trainers. "I'm... ah. Well, I'm-"
"You're going jogging." It wasn't a question. The Irish accent that carried the statement seemed to sag under the weight of it.
"I'm... well, it's more what'd you call a... a quick walk," Jack said hurriedly, quicking bending down and finishing up the loop-de-loop he was halfway through pulling. "More like... power-walking. You know what power-walking is, right, Lee?"
"I know what power-walking is," his friend said sourly, stepping back. "I also know you think it's the number one, 'Woman's Way to Not Run'."
... oh. So he did.
Jack straightened up, pulling his height up to its full advantage, but Lee- despite his measly 5 ft 10- didn't seem in the least intimidated. His dark eyes were almost black under the shadows of his curling canopy of hair, which had the nasty effect of making him look madder than he probably really was.
'Cause really, he couldn't be that mad.
Just to be on the safe side though, Jack shrank back.
"Er... it's just jogging, Lee."
Lee's dark eyebrows shot up. "I know that, Jack."
Was that a threat? It sounded like a threat. Oh god it was a bloody threat. The little chess champ was finally growing his balls.
Meanwhile, Jack's own seemed to be shrinking- oh hell he'd never gotten a look that dirty; nor had he ever been so scared by, well, a dirty look.
"Look, Lee," Jack cleared his throat. "I, er... I just... I don't like the gym-"
"I know."
"- and, ah, yeah, haha, you do that's right, and well... ah... jogging builds stamina and I've been feeling a bit outta shape so I need to get some power behind my legs if my rugby's gonna-"
"I know."
"- oh, right, yeah... 'course you do. Well, I..." He trailed off stupidly, paused, and threw caution to the winds. "Aw, come on, Lee, I mean, I know what you're thinking about Madeleine and the battle and all but I haven't been out in days and I just-"
"You know," Lee interrupted sharply, his lips pressing together thoughtfully, as though he hadn't even heard Jack's lame self-defence, "as 2i/c, you're almost as important to the school as any Head. Second only in rank. Am I right?"
Jack's defence... fell flat. Meekly, he looked down. "... yeah."
"You know," Lee pushed on forcefully, "without your guidance in Maddie's absence during the battle... it would have been the school, not the forest, in flames."
Jack's whole body fought against the schoolboy instinct to swing his right leg back and forth and kick at the ground in shame. "I know."
"And you know what else, Jack?" Lee's eyes grew very hard, like black diamonds in their shadows. "You shouldn't be leaving the school grounds alone. The enemy could just as easily use you as bait; leverage- you don't know what they could be planning next."
"I know, I know, okay?!" A sharp flash of anger lit Jack's vision. The schoolboy inside of him had apparently just hit puberty- and mood swings were all the rage in the Land of the Pubescant. "Jesus, I don't need the bloody lecture! Hoodham's told me all this- as has Madeleine- as has Prof- I mean, James; so I don't need you getting on my back, too! Alright?"
Again, Lee barely seemed to react. His lips relaxed into a smooth line and he raised his hand to scratch his head, shifting his curls across his skull and relieving his eyes of their shadows, restoring them to their familiar chocolate colour.
"All I was gonna say, Jack," Lee said softly, "was I'd like to keep you company on your jog. Just to be on the safe side."
... oh.
"... oh," Jack said, momentarily stunned. "I... oh. Okay, then. Okay, that'd be... yeah, okay."
"I'll go get my trainers," Lee told him as he disappeared out the door towards the Boy's Dorms.
"Right, you are, Lee," Jack said dumbly, staring at the space where Lee's eyes had just been, "I'll, er... I'll just wait here."
About ten minutes later the two friends were outside and heading at a light pace towards the fields. Jack didn't plan on jogging anywhere near where... it had happened. He felt that that really would be a little too close for comfort. Naw, Jack had another route mapped out in his head. It was a few miles- nothing strenuous- though for Lee's sake, he wanted to keep the pace nice, slow and steady. After all, even though Lee had given him a bit of a fright back in the Common Room there now, Lee wasn't really all that tough. In actual fact, he was a bit of a rake. In actual fact-
"Jack," Lee puffed beside him, "you're holding out on me! Come on, I can keep up!"
... oh, um, okay.
"... oh, um, okay," Jack said, again momentarily stunned, before he took Lee's advice and picked up the speed.
True to his word, Lee held his own. His cheeks were a little more flushed than Jack's as they went and his breaths were definitely that bit more ragged- but he was keeping up. Actually, Jack was mildly impressed by how well his friend was keeping up. He had to hand it to Kira- she'd really whipped her cousin into shape. The guy had always been a pretty fast sprinter, but he'd never had this much stamina.
Jack was-
"Hey-" Lee gasped beside him, his eyes still fixed on the road before them, "that's- Will- right?"
Huh?
Jack's eyes swung ahead, and sure enough, a familiar spot of red was floating towards them along the country road. Feeling a strangely unexpected lift at the sight of her, Jack opened his mouth and yelled as loudly as his hard-working lungs would allow him:
"OI! WILL!"

[Will Wright]

((I think I shall have to say something here and that is: FINALLYFINALLYFINALLYFINALLYFINALLYFINALLYFINALLYFINALLYFINALLYFINALLYFINALLYFINALLYFINALLYFINALLYFINALLYFINALLYFINALLYFINALLYFINALLYFINALLYFINALLYFINALLYFINALLYFINALLYFINALLYFINALLYFINALLYFINALLY ^_^ JILL HATH BEGUN!!! HELL YES!!!!!))


The breeze was light, the sun was up and the mood was light.
The country path was empty and Will had finally taken it upon herself to get freash air somewhere other than the Forest or the school grounds for that matter. She'd had enough. It had long begun to feel like a prison.
So here she was, in her sports bra and and tracksuit bottoms. She had intended to go for a jog but couldn't be bothered so she had aimlessly wandered through the forest across the muddy fields and to the country road. So yeah..she was getting a tad bit cold as her powers were kind of still on the fritz and so the usual fire power wasn't there to help her keep warm. She hated when the weather was like this. The sun was sending it's hot rays all over the area but the wind went against it with it's cold currents.
"Bum de ba ba be da ba da," she let out her breath and smiled a small smile. The grass was swaying in the wind and she felt like swaying with it and because it was Will..that's exactly what she did do. She swayed with the grass and the wind. Side to side. Then the swaying became dancing. Slow dancing. But then the slow dancing was too slow and it became faster and faster within seconds and if anyone came by they would surely think she was a lunatic.
"Probably am..wait, I'm no lunatic, I'm just over eccentric and enthusiastic!" shouting out for all to hear. Best guesses; she was letting go of her troubles and felt the freedom.
Madeleine was back. Which meant everyone in school was happy again. It had ceased to be dead. Of course Madeleine was none to pleased about the deaths and the burned down Blueberg..like Will but she was ecstatic like the other three and Jack that the Ex-Heads were in the school.
And she spun before catching herself on her own heel and landing flat on her bakc with her limbs spread wide and panting. She lay there for a minute before bursting into fits of laughter for no reason whatsoever. Again, her random side was finally starting to come back. She was starting to feel more like herself than she had done so in a while. A big part of that was owed to Cass and Cardo. They were such awesome guys.
"Oh god," she gasped as she tried to calm herself down. And as she felt a calmness starting to settle in she sat up and looked up at the sky. The pretty sky. With white clouds. Not those horrible nasty grey things. White fluffy sheep clouds.
And in a daze she stood up and opened her arms and started to spin again while looking up at the pretty sky. She felt free. Like a bird; a Skylark. Such pretty birds. So small and carefree...
"I want to be a Skylark," she exclaimed breathlessly.
Who was that?
"OI! WILL!"
Jack.
"Jack....JACK!" she shouted back as she stopped spinning. He was jogging towards her...with someo - Lee.
"LEE!" her smile widened to a full white toothy one, "Jogging?" she asked the two of them approached her quite fast, "It's a good time for it.." Then why weren't you doing it?...shut up brain.
"How are you guys?" she asked as she sort of ran up and wrapped her arms around them both at the same time giving them the biggest hug she could, making them sort of stumble and stop in their tracks.
What?!
They were her friends..friends are allowed to hug.

[Jack Trove]

One bone-crushing hug later and the two guys were released back onto the road. Jack reckoned they both must've lost weight with all of the stress of recent events weighing down on them, 'cause there was no way someone as little as Will would've been able to fit both of them into one hug two or so months ago.
Quickly, Jack's eyes flicked over Lee, just to make sure he was the one who hadn't lost the most weight.
"I'm good," Jack said, beaming down at the little Carer.
"I'm better," said Lee, summoning a grin despite his evident fatigue.
"I'm teaching Lee how to be a man," Jack told Will lightly.
Lee rolled his eyes. "Or so he says. What's actually happening is I'm taking the boy-child-wonder for walkies."
"The... wait, what-?"
"How are you, Will?" Lee turned to her, offering her a still wider smile.
Jack suppressed the urge to sock the little git one and did his best to smile at Will, too.

[Will Wright]

Will giggled.
Boy-child-wonder? God.
"Was are you guys doing? Trying to beat each other at who's better? I beat you both cause I'm.....me. Or as Yack would say, I'm being my usual hippy self," she rolled her eyes and spun around once, "At least the weather's nice for a change, I just hate the wind chill. Especially seeing as the sun's heat is actually getting to the earth," god, her accent really had come back hadn't it? For some reason it was heavier than usual.
She loved it.
Her German-ess wasn't gone.
"I'm glad you're taking him walkies Lee, he's been needing it for quite sometime. Not to mention so have I...but that failed, haha. It's great to see you two! It feels like I haven't in...well forever really." she frowned at that. She actually hadn't seen much of anyone but that was because she'd been working in the Hospital Wing or Blueberg for the past few weeks, keeping herself busy.
Her eyes kept flickering from Jack to Lee to Jack as if trying to implant their faces into her brain. New updated versions though. As if I'd ever forget them. She smiled slightly and tilted her head to the side.
"You've both lost weight." she had suddenly noticed what was different with them. Both of their faces seemed thinner. It made their jaws and cheekbones stick out more. It actually kind of suited them and their hair was longer. She had to admit; they both looked good with long hair.

[Jack Trove]

Shít he knew it!
Jack's hands automatically leaped to his stomach, inching quickly across his chest. Yep. There was a definite decrease in bulk there. Had he lost fat or muscle or both? Fat would be fine, sure, but muscle...
Jack needed his muscle.
It was bad enough when gypsy boys sauntered in with rocks for abs to threaten your position as muscle-bound alpha male of the school year... but whenever Jack lost any muscle tone his powers took a direct hit. He may have superstrength, but the more muscle he had, the stronger and more channelled his powers became. Jack did not want to be any weaker than he was before the last battle had started. If anything, he wanted to be much stronger. He wanted to be able to protect his friends, his school, his Head.
Lee- Jack suddenly thought, his eyes flashing to his panting friend- was probably exactly the same.
"You've lost weight, too," Jack said suddenly, looking back down at Will. He'd noticed she'd looked small today... up close, she looked smaller than usual.
But her smile was bright, and her accent was strong, and despite his concern for her physical well-being, Jack's mouth was teased irresistably into smiling back.
"Will, I've gotta say, I'd much rather go... er, walkies with you than with this berk over here."
Lee laughed. "Gee, thanks, Jack. Well, do you know what? I'd rather go with Will, too. So, there."
"Oh, yeah? And lose out to the benefits of my teaching?"
"Heck, yeah," Lee laughed harder. "And another thing- Will would rather come with me, right Will?"
"Yeah, right!" Jack stopped, frowning. "Er... right, Will?"

[Will Wright]

Blink.
Will just blinked and looked back and forth between them. Were they actually fighting over who wanted to...walk/jog with her? Over her? She was confused and shocked. And she couldn't even answer them because of it. And Jack had kinda insulted her by the whole thinner remark...then again for all she knew she could have just insulted him too with the same comment. He had smiled though.
He'd smiled at her.
And one thing was for sure between this shock and confusement: they were making her laugh and giggle non-stop.
"Erm...right." she gave a shrug and her smile faded a bit.
They both stared at her before Lee prodded her, "To which?"
Will blinked and her smile faded altogether. She didn't like being put on the spot like this. Especially when her friends were involved...and what was more she was being asked to choose between them both by both, "Erm, I actually don't mind who I walk or jog with. Please don't make me choose guys," she gave an awkward grin and scratched her head.
She hated being put on the spot.
She looked up at the sky and closed her eyes and breathed in deeply feeling a calming sensation wash through her. Out doors WIll felt free...as a bird, "If you really want I could mosey on down here and you guys can go back to your, eh, walk...ies?" she then turned around and went over to some flowers and let heat travel through her hand and onto them and they opened up in all their beauty. They were lovely and red when they blossomed though underneath they were pure white.
She carefully picked one of of their stems and placed in her hair behind her right ear to hold it back in one place. She had all but forgotten Jack and Lee were there and when she turned to face them again she was slightly surprised to see them still standing there...locked in an eye staring contest.
She smiled and coughed a little loudly trying to bring them bakc to earth, "How about we all go walking...or jogging?" she asked thinking it was a better way to settle things.

[Jack Trove]

"She's not going to choose, Jack," Lee said softly, looking back round at Jack. "That's diplomacy for you."
"Please," Jack said, rolling his eyes, "she just didn't want to hurt your..."
Will's hands were travelling across the growing floors. In spite of himself, fascination gripped Jack, and he gazed a little in awe as he watched the bright flowers bloom underneath the glowing warmth of her hands.
Could Jack do that, he wondered, with his powers?
No...
His hands were too rough, and his grip of his powers too awkward. He would only end up singeing the flowers or setting them on fire altogether. He lacked Will's skill; her attention to delicacy and detail...
Her small hands plucked one of the flowers and tucked the stem behind her ear, running its long green stalk through her curling scarlet waves...
"Jack?"
He jumped, swivelling to look at Lee, who was staring at him with arched eyebrows.
"Huh?" Jack grinned weakly.
"How about... we all go walking... or jogging?"
Both guys jumped and looked round again at the Head Carer, who was watching them both with wide, surprised eyes, as though unable to believe they were both still standing around.
"Nope," Lee cut in, before Jack had a chance to answer. "I'm going back to school."
"Aha," Jack muttered. "Knew you couldn't cut it at the faster speed."
"Oh, I can cut it, Jack," Lee smirked suddenly at him, with a knowledge sparking in his dark eyes Jack neither liked nor understood. "I just get the feeling you'd be... better at going this one alone, eh?"
"Huh?" Jack's mind blanked. "What? I thought you said at school-"
"Forget what I said," Lee was already turning back down the path, waving his hand over his shoulder in goodbye. "See you guys back at the school!"
And Lee started jogging to Orchid again.
Jack turned, a little confused, back to Will, but quickly his expression relaxed into a smile. "Guess it's just us, then."

[Will Wright]

As Lee left, Will felt a surge of appreciation and thanks for him. She would have to thank him later. Whether intentionally or not, Lee was giving Will what she wanted: time alone with Jack.
She was still staring after him as his figure dissappeared whne Jack spoke to her, "Guess it's just us, then."
She looked after Lee for a few mor seconds before she turned her head towards Jack who was smiling down at her which in turn made her smile but also made the slightest flush appear, "Looks like," she agreed. She just stood there looking at him although she didn't actually mean to. She had been thinking of something to say but nothing came to mind so she stared.
Even though he had lost weight he was still Jack.
Still had the same blue eyes.
Same colour of hair.
Same straight but angular nose.
Same everything.
The perfectness that was Jack was here before her and what was more, they were totally alone. But as she though of this she felt herself blushing a bit more by the second and so she looked at the ground beside him.
"What shall we do then? Want to carry on jogging or what?" she asked eventually. She was getting a bit uncomfortable standing in the one spot. And it was starting to get warmer.
She circled round behind Jack and came to stand in front of him but closer. And she had to crane her neck even more just to look up at his face...she only came up to his chest but that didn't bother her. In fact, she kind of liked it. Being nine inches smaller than him didn't make any difference to her at all. She fiddled with her green stud that was in her right ear while waiting for Jack to reply and started to hum Summertime to herself.

[Jack Trove]

Jack found himself straining slightly to look down at Will. Suddenly, she seemed very close. Usually he didn't have to crane his neck so far to meet her sparkling eyes.
Did he want to carry on jogging?
All of a sudden, not really.
A walk would be better. He didn't see Will keeping up with him much, anyway. And besides, a walk would give them more opportunity to talk. Jack had been feeling guilty lately as he hadn't been seeking out Will's company in the same way he would have been, because he was still avoiding Olivia.
It was hard, thinking of her moving on, now; moving on with her life, getting back to her regular duties and maybe even meeting other guys...
It was hard, but it was right. They both had to move on, because with the amount of baggage they'd left hanging between them, had they tried anything again... it would have fallen to pieces.
Jack knew this.
Olivia knew this.
But it was hard.
Jack was glad Lee had gone, now that he found himself alone with Will. He'd missed the little Carer- more than he'd actually realised he had. He hadn't seen her since he'd found her that day in the forest...
She seemed so much brighter now.
"Can we just walk?" he asked her, smiling. "I've been jogging for a while, anyway..."

[Will Wright]

"'Course we can!" she smiled warmly back and started walking in the direction of where all the other fields were. She knew from experience hardly anybody came down this way. And it was somewhere she liked to go to get away from everyone. She was about a quarter of the way down the lane where she half turned and saw Jack still standing there. She smiled a toothy one and jerked her head to the other side, "Come on Jack," she called and laughed afterwards.
She felt so giggly for some reason...kinda like after she had had Diet Coke but she hadn't had any. Maybe it was just the fact she was outside, free and winding down after the whole battle and Madeleine ordeal, just like everyone else.
She walked over to him, still smiling and grabbed his hand and lead him somewhat of the way down the country road. She decided she wanted to be beside someone. She didn't feel like being alone this time and as her hand held his it felt more right to be holding his hand than it had any other. It felt more right holding Jack's hand than it did Anton's or Jessen's and when she let go and decided just to walk beside him it felt weird.
She wanted to hold his hand again.
Hold it and never let go.
But she didn't want to make him feel uncomfortable and if she had...
"I feel freeeee!" she twirled, once again, and walked a tiny bit ahead of Jack and laughed while at it, "Don't you feel free?"...Okay, no. He probably just thinks I'm weird and then agree just for the sake of agreeing and not knowing how to answer...argh! How am I going to ask him or how can I give him anymore hints or hint to him in a different way? Why did mum think that if I tell him out right it'd work? Mmmh.
Will had never done anything like this before. She didn't even know how to go about it. It was at times like these that she wished she had the confidence of Olivia Skye or any of the girls like her. Her mum's confidence even. But no, when it came to things like this, Will clammed up and became shy not knowing what to say or do.
She kept glancing up at him, about to ask something and then stopped.

[Jack Trove]

Jack felt almost like a child with Will holding his hand; it was as though she was guiding him... where he wasn't sure, but he didn't mind. The day was stretching before them, and they were in no hurry. They could take their time. Suddenly, the day was theirs', and all of Jack's Warrior duties and rugby practices and things to do and homeworks to complete... fell away, to someplace hazy near the back of his mind.
When she let go and decided just to walk beside him it felt weird.
He couldn't decide why though. The, 'why', was also lost in that hazy place where things mattered.
He was happier here, in the present, where nothing mattered nor did it feel like it anything ever would again.
Will was weird.
She was twirling and he'd no idea why. And she'd just asked him something... about being free, was it?
"Er, yeah, free," he nodded. "Pretty free, yeah." Then he laughed.

[Will Wright]

He laughed.
Will, being the perceptive person that she was, knew when people laughed for real or when they put it on or when they weren't sure if they should laugh or not. Many people had different laughs; cackling laughs, snorting laughs, stiffled laughs, quiet laughs or loud laughs.
She had heard so many and each one was unique to the person that owned it. Some of them irritated her but Jack's didn't. It never had. The tenor sound was light, easy and free.
It made Will smile and she looked down at the ground her hair falling over the side and covering her face from his line of view. Everytime she was going to ask she froze and her cheeks burned. It was too embarrassing. She let out a silent sigh and walked a bit slower, taking in the surroundings.
Letting Jack overtake her she watched him. Watched the way he walked, his gait, the way he held his head high but not in an intimidating manner like some of the tall guys at the school did. The he was walking was...gentle?
She imagined what this was going to turn out like. And she could just see herself with him and the height difference brought a wide smile back to her face. A towering 6 foot 3 against a medium 5 foot 6. It was so hard not to burst out laughing at the image of it.
Just do it!
She blinked to refocus her eyes and realized just how far ahead Jack was. She hadn't even noticed she had stopped walking and so she jogged to catch up with him, the wind blowing her hair out behind her while it bounced up and down of her back. Finally she was at his side again and the urge to take his hand in hers again was so great that her hand curled into fists.
"Jack..." do it, do it, do it! "Do you- I mean, would you- What do you-" sigh. She couldn't do it. She knew what to say and how to say it but everytime she just froze up, "Eugh, nevermind, forget I said anything." she gazed at the ground again and felt her cheeks warm up..yet again.
Why was she blushing so much?
Can't I just not blush while doing this..or while attempting to anyway?

[Jack Trove]

Forget it?
Jack frowned. He didn't really like being told to forget things. Especially when these, 'things', turned Will that colour.
It sounded like she'd been about to say something important. Or was he imagining that? He was sure he wasn't. And besides, when Will chose not to say things... well, usually, what she'd chosen not to say turned out to be pretty weird or pretty funny or just plain pretty and- well-
"Will?" Jack looked down. "What do I what?"
Silence.
"No- come on," he let his hand rest on her shoulder, shaking her ever so slightly, "you have to tell me now. What's up? Come on, tell me... please?"
The latter being an afterthought.

[Will Wright]

"..please?"
Well now she'd have to answer him. Jack wasn't bad a saying please but he didn't usually think to say it. And his hand on her shoulder wasn't making it any easier to answer him. It was distracting her.
Her heart was racing. Each breath seemed to take forever.
"Well, do you- I-" she sighed. It just didn't want to come out. Maybe she could ask something different..but along the same lines.
She stopped and turned to face him, craning her neck more than she would have to as she was standing close to him...God..I just want..
She took a deep breath and smiled. His facial expression just seemed so natural. Soft yet confused. Gentle yet questioning. It was a natural Jack face. And her lips grew into a small smile and her eyes sparkled as she just stared. And she could just stare and stare and stare. Stare until the earth ended in 2012..Or so they say.
"Well, would you mind if I came and watched you train on the Rugby pitch?"...not the question she was going to ask but she couldn't come out with it. It was too difficult- too embarrassing. "Maybe I could dress up in a cheerleading outfit with the pompoms an' all and cheer you on in the annoying way the cheerleaders do, haha."
She smiled wider this time, her white teeth flashing. Jack's hand was nice on her shoulder. She felt the urge to grab it and hold it again. It just felt so..natural when they had before. But she could wait. She'd been waiting this long, so she could wait just a tad more longer. It wouldn't kill her. Well, she hoped it wouldn't.