Chapter Eighteen: Make the World Brand New

Living in LA, Kate missed the seasons. There were a lot of things she missed out on while living in the city, but the extent of these things never really occurred to her until she left it.

As Jack awkwardly carried their suitcases into the rural mountain cabin, slipping once along the way and cursing loudly, she smiled and realized that he was not a country boy in the same way that she was a country girl.

The interior of the cabin was small and cozy, completely at odds with Jack's modernly decorated apartment back in LA. He watched, disoriented, as she ran around, turning on lights and looking behind doors. He was still tired from their flight, and his mind still hadn't fully moved beyond their first time together, and the subsequent hours spent in bed.

"I took Sarah to Nassau on our honeymoon," said Jack, regretting his words almost as soon as he spoke. He was relieved when she smiled. "It was different than this."

"What, nothing but swim up bars and sex on the beach?"

"Sarah didn't like sex on the beach. She didn't like how sand got everywhere... Why am I telling you this?"

Kate shrugged, and Jack cursed himself once more for bringing up Sarah in front of her.

"Don't look so freaked. You were married to her for years, I get that." Jack watched in interest as Kate peeled off the shirt she was wearing and began to rummage in her suitcase for another. "I'm going to out. Do you want to come? We can explore. I bet if we look we can find a..."

Still transfixed by the image of his half naked wife, Jack began to walk toward her.

"Woman, do you never rest? We just got here," he said. She smirked.

"Oh, so you want to rest?"

Jack shrugged.

"Eventually."

Kate took a step backward and found herself pressed up against a wall. Jack smiled at her as he reached her and placed a hand on either side of her body.

"You seem to have dishonourable intentions on your mind, Mr. Shephard," said Kate teasingly. He leaned down to kiss her, lightly.

"I've always had dishonourable intentions toward you, Mrs. Shephard, but up until lately I've been too honourable to act on them." She found herself at a disadvantage as his hands began to roam around her bare skin. "Now come on. Place is empty for miles. We don't even have to worry about being overheard."

Kate smiled and followed her husband into the bedroom. She was aware that they had different ideas for their honeymoon but it was far from inconvenient for her.

Jack was able to delay her for several hours, but eventually he gave up and she went off on her own to explore.

He wandered around while she was gone, surprised to find himself missing her. Though they had dated for months, they'd never been together for such a solid block of time and he'd been surprised by how much he enjoyed it.

It felt so different from his first marriage. Sarah had been so needy. They'd both been needy. Kate was so independent, so inappropriate for him, for the society he was a member of. So often, it ran through his head the long list of reasons why it was inappropriate. That she was so much younger than him. Though he knew it bothered her, he barely noticed. Only on days like today, when they'd spent hours on a plane, followed it up by hours in bed, and she'd still been itching to go out and explore. Some days he did feel older.

He often ran these reasons through his head, but rarely they were any sort of actual obstacle to him.

When Kate returned he was on his laptop, browsing through his emails. He looked up guiltily when the door slammed shut.

"We really do have different ideas of what constitutes a honeymoon," she said with a smile. She walked over to him and sat on his lap.

Jack linked his hands around her body, and realized vaguely that she was about to ask for something he was not going to want to do.

"Come out with me? It's really nice," she said. He glanced out the window and frowned subconsciously.

"It's getting dark, Kate," said Jack. She shrugged.

"We'll be back before it's totally dark. Come on. There's a river, and some great climbing trees. You'll love it," she promised.

Reluctantly he followed her out the door, rationalizing it with the thought that they could make up for doing what she enjoyed by spending the night back in the cabin, doing what they both enjoyed.

Jack cast a suspicious sideways glance at his wife as the sky began to darken quickly.

"We're lost, aren't we?" he asked. She shook her head quickly.

"No. I mean, I left a trail for us to take back. We can't be lost." She glanced over her shoulder and intently studied an oddly hanging branch and then frowned.

He watched her as she took several confident steps than then faltered, checking her surroundings once more.

"Kate, clearly we're lost," he stated. She turned to him in frustration.

"It's just that it looks so different in the dark!" she exclaimed. They both looked up as the sun sunk into the hills, sending the last few rays of light into the forest they walked in.

"It's okay. Look, I'll..." Jack reached into the pocket of his jeans and withdrew his cell phone. He cursed when he flipped it open to see that it had no bars. "Well, maybe not."

Kate giggled nervously as they looked around the clearing they were in. She reached into her backpack and withdrew a water bottle.

"Thirsty? I also have granola bars and some oranges," she said helpfully.

"Were you ever a girl scout?" he asked curiously, taking an orange.

"No. My dad was and I used to go hiking a lot," she said. She handed her pack to him and he was relieved to find the food and water as well as a blanket, a lighter and a flashlight.

"Okay. We can work with this. Want to make a fire?" he suggested.

Some time later, after having collected rocks to make a fire pit and sticks to make a fire, they huddled together in front of it.

"I'm sorry. I know this isn't how you imagined the first night of our honeymoon," she said. He chuckled.

"I've learned to expect the unexpected with you, Kate," said Jack. She nodded.

"You know, I like marriage so far," she said, surprising him.

"Yeah. It's fun," he agreed.

"Let's keep it that way," she said, suddenly serious. "Let's not become bitter. If we stop having fun, let's make sure to have it again."

"We should have put it in the vows," he mused. He looked down at her and realized how serious she was. "Okay. I promise."

She moved in closer to him, both for warmth and comfort.

"We should live like this all the time. We could have a tree house and go swimming in the ocean," said Kate.

"Oh, there's an ocean now?" asked Jack in amusement. She nodded with certainty.

"Oh, there'd be an ocean."

"Would it be warm there?" he asked.

"All the time," she promised. They looked sideways at each other and kissed. He held her as he moved onto his back and she climbed astride him.

"What would we do besides swim in our ocean?" he asked. She kissed him and then looked thoughtfully at him.

"I don't know. Have sex in the jungle?" she suggested.

"Oh, there's a jungle now?" he teased. She nodded.

"There's definitely a jungle," she affirmed.