This story takes place during the episode Scratch, just as Jackson is bringing Eric back. I had to write this because Nathan popping up after Melissa's speech just felt like a serious cock-block. Seriously go back and watch it, tell me I'm wrong. So, anyway, Here we go!

Disclaimer: I only wish I owned Jonny Pacar

Cody Jackson had never considered himself especially talented. He could play guitar, but so could a lot of guys his singing was passible on a good day. But with the constant moving from foster home to foster home to juvie, he hadn't had much of a chance to cultivate other skills. What life had taken from the eighteen year old was worse than most people went through in their lifetimes, but what it had given (forced on) him was; the ability to divorce himself from emotion, the ability to intimidate, and the ability to tell when he wasn't wanted. And he wasn't wanted now.

He was no coward, and he didn't care what other people thought of him. But here, on the island, staying where other people were scared of him would only make survival harder. So he swallowed down the knee-jerk reaction to beat in Eric's skull, and packed his gear. Careful to take only supplies that they had a surplus of or were specifically his. And without a second glance, he was gone, feeling no more sorrow than when he left any of his foster homes. No that wasn't quite true, there were a few thing to miss. Like Lex, the kid just brought out a protective nature in everyone, and he'd done his damnedest to protect Jacksons' secret. No one could fault him for that.

And then there was Melissa. Lex had worked his way under Jackson's skin innocently, Melissa had forced her way there. Every smile, every time she cared when she shouldn't, she had wrenched away his armor and wedged her way in, and she'd done it all without realizing. Now though, it was too much to ask her to keep caring after she knew. As for the rest, he simply didn't care enough to stay, so he left.

He'd briefly had some thoughts of going to look for the others, but it was quickly dismissed. He would be better on his own, always better on his own.

There was a storm moving in so he decided to stay close to camp until it passed and move on in the morning. It took him a couple hours to find shelter in the form of a small cave, ten steps wide and just tall enough to stand in comfortably. By the time he'd double checked it was safe and taken off his back-pack it had started raining. He had just started unbuckling his sleeping bag when he heard it; there, through the rain and thunder, someone was calling his name.

"Damn it." he sighed to the empty cave.

Someone had come looking for him, and cold as he was, he wasn't going to just let one of them die out of some misplaced sense of guilt. He re-packed his gear and pulled on his hat, allowing himself one deep breath before stepping out into the deluge. It took him all of ten minutes to find Eric slumped at the base of a tree fifteen minutes from camp. He rolled his eyes.

"You know, you could get yourself fried there."

Eric's head snapped up at his voice, and suddenly Jackson was being hugged against his will, by what looked to be the equivalent of a soggy drowned rat. He didn't move until Eric pulled away spewing predictably selfish non-sense. Jackson remained indifferent, simply responding with; "Camp's that way" before turning away.

But apparently Eric's uselessness knew no bounds, that or Jackson was going soft, because he ended up having to lead the little bastard all the way back.

...

Just as he thought, no sooner had they arrived than Eric was being enveloped by concerned friends, none of whom gave the boy in the tree line any notice. No one, but Melissa. After giving Eric a motherly scolding, soon to be repeated by Daley, she immediately ran after Jackson.

He was only a few minutes from camp when she caught up to him. The boy in all black hiking gear turned when she pulled on his shoulder, only to discover that she had no protection at all. No coat, no hat, she hadn't even bothered to put on her shoes before going after him.

"Go back to the tent, Melissa!" he yelled through the rain.

"Come with me!" she shouted back, her shoulders drawn up against the downpour.

Jackson shook his head, not believing the risks she was taking with her own life just to get him to stay. He started walking away again and she followed behind him.

"Jackson! Hey, stop! What are you thinking, there's a monsoon!"

"It won't last. I gotta try and find the others." he lied. They weren't far from the cave now, as she pulled him round again by his sleeve.

"Listen to me! Whatever happened back home doesn't matter." she rushed desperately.

"Yes, it does!" he said as his mask finally cracked. Thunder struck as Jackson advanced, backing Melissa into a tree, needing her to understand that he was dangerous. "Don't you get it? Whether I like it or not, it follows me."

Thunder struck again and she jumped. It was then that he realized she was more scared of the storm than of him. But that wasn't good enough, he didn't know why, but he knew he had to make her understand why everyone was scared of him and why she should be too.

"You want to know what happened? I went home, to my old neighborhood, to tell them about this-this amazing adventure to the south seas I was going on. And yeah, yeah, I was bragging. I just wanted them to know that I was doing something worthwhile for a change."

"What's wrong with that?" her face had gone soft and wide eyed.

"They said that I'd changed. That I was throwing it in there faces, that suddenly I was better than them. I thought I was talking to people who actually cared!" he braced his arms on the tree to either side of her head, still not touching her. His attempt at intimidation now, also, functioning as a confession.

"So, what happened?" Melissa asked, trying to absorb as much of his body heat as she could through the rain.

"One guy stood up for me, one guy." He smiled bitterly, "He got shoved, and a fight broke out. I tried to break it up but, someone pulled a knife and, he got hurt." Jackson shrugged as if he didn't care even though the truth was in his eyes plain as day. "Perfect, right."

"Was he okay?"

"Yeah, but now the cops are after me." Her eyes immediately went defensive.

"But if it wasn't your fault-"

"It doesn't matter!" he cut her off, pressing her into the tree with his body, needing her close. Melissa shuddered at the heat and feel of him, only to be shocked when he pulled completely away, all at once. "I was there, I wasn't supposed to be, someone got hurt. Strike three." he listed off.

She watched, amazed, as he fought back tears, showing the most emotion she'd seen from him since the crash.

"Where am I supposed to go now?"

Melissa launched herself off the tree, throwing her arms around him, and was only slightly surprised when responded in kind.

"You're already there," she felt him squeeze her tighter, "without you we'd be lost."

"Mel," he mumbled into her shoulder, " I wish I could believe that. See things the way you do."

She pulled back just enough to see his eyes. "Stop that! You don't get to de-value yourself just because Eric's being normal."

"He's being an ass." Jackson corrected

"Same thing." she quipped, earning a chuckle from the man in her arms. "You are brilliant, you're level-headed, and we need you. Whatever happened back home doesn't matter, you can't leave."

She wanted him, he realized. That's what it came down to, she wanted him there in spite of everything she knew about him and that made her all the more beautiful. Jackson gripped her by the back of the neck and, in one move, pressed their lips together and her back into the tree. She had a brief moment of shock before she realized that Jackson's tongue was doing wonderful things to her mouth and his hands were being wicked at her hips. She ran her hands over all of him she could reach, but his gear was attached to tightly to allow her much access beyond taking off his hat, which was no where near enough.

Melissa jumped at the next thunder clap, which Jackson took as an opportunity to lift her up against the tree, though his pack got in the way of her legs wrapping around his hips. There was nothing quiet or gentle about them now. Their embrace mimicked that of the storm around them; harsh, and beautiful, and un-controlled. Thunder sounded again, and again she jumped. Jackson pulled away, studying her as hard as he could by the lightning flash, before giving a resolute nod.

"Hang on to me." he commanded in a rasp. Melissa shivered for a reason that had nothing to do with the rain and nodded as well;

"Alright."

And then he was off. Faster than she would have thought possible, given the rain and the extra weight he was carrying, he ran to the to the cave holding her up the entire way. He ducked inside and set her on her feet before dropping his backpack and shedding his jacket. Melissa had dropped his hat somewhere in the trees before he started running.

Jackson was breathing heavy but hardly looked exhausted as he dug a water bottle out of his pack.

"Why'd you carry me?" Melissa asked shyly. Now that the storm wasn't right on top of them, the strength she'd been drawing from it was harder to reach, and the lack of Jackson's body heat cutting through her damp clothes left her shivering.

He glanced over his shoulder at her and gave her the look; the one with the little smirk and the arched eyebrow. The one that always made her weak at the knees and her heart beat faster.

"You're not wearing any shoes, Mel." he said simply.

She looked down to see her own feet covered in mud ruined socks. "Oh, right. Of-of course." she stumbled

"And," he cut her off with a grin, "because I didn't want to let you go."

"Oh!" she said again, this time with a pleased smile "Jackson, I know you kissed me back there because of all the pent up emotion and I know tomorrow we'll be back to 'can't have a relationship on the island' but-"

Jackson stood up, shaking his head at her rationalization. Gently he took her face in his hands and drew her close, she did nothing to resist.

"Shut up." he said fondly.

my thanks to TheOnceAnonymous14 for the lovely review. I have updated this chapter and will start on chapter two (which will be steamy) soon.

Lots of love,

littleviolentone