Lost Video Island

[SuperKC]

I saw that!

[Hobbes]

lol it's starting to bug me that Nikki thinks of all the smart things nowadays .
Cool challenge (get it? "cool"?! Haha ha... heh..), poor Claire . Sucks to lose by that much. Sucks indeed.

[mistojen]

Damn the random pulls. Maybe I should start pulling them myself since when I have the girls at work pull the results they're always so painfully close that it sucks even more to lose that way
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avatar: Plastic!Winchester Theater by anteka @ LJ; icon by me
sig by AlcoholicPixie

[PsychoCynic]

Oh my goodness, Ruth!!!

Your graphics are HAWT!

I especially love the Jack/Steph one (kind of wish it were me in Steph's place. lol). Though, the you/Paul one is awesome in its own right.
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[Rocksiren]

thanks!

Ah beer and popcorn for the masses- while they enjoy the pain and discomfort of others!



L to R: Paul, Sun, Aislynn, Sawyer
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"You are just an encyclopedia of weirdness." ~ Supernatural

[Aislynn]

[Rocksiren]

Ais- you thought I forgot about you, didnt I?

"Bring voted off was the best thing ever...check the talent."


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"You are just an encyclopedia of weirdness." ~ Supernatural

[mistojen]

[Aislynn]

[mistojen]

[Hobbes]

LMAO so THAT's why Marcus was talking about Jarren didn't even notice that one on the first read through. Too caught up in the strategy

[mistojen]

[mistojen]

NOTE: If you are playing Jack, SEND A PM TO STARDAEL WITHIN 48 HOURS OF THIS MESSAGE, or I will be forced to recast you. You have been MIA for quite a few votes, now. Our numbers are dwindling and every vote counts.

Thanks.
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avatar: Plastic!Winchester Theater by anteka @ LJ; icon by me
sig by AlcoholicPixie

[mistojen]

“Hey,” Claire whispers, shaking Warren’s shoulder.

Warren grumbles in his sleep and rolls over. “Tomorrow night we’ll go to the other island, Jen.”

“It’s Claire,” she hisses at him, shaking him again. She makes a face at being called Jen.

“Huh?” Warren rolls over again and opens his eyes. “Claire? What’s up?”

“Can I talk to you?” she whispers, looking around the room hastily.

Warren frowns. “I’m tired...”

“It’s important...” Claire pleads.

Sighing heavily, Warren sits up, rubbing his eyes. “Yeah, all right. What is it?” he whispers back.

Claire sits down on the edge of Warren’s bed. “She’s going to vote me out,” she tells him, “I know it.”

Warren circles his neck and lets out a huff of air when it cracks comfortably. Claire crinkles her nose at the sound. “Who?”

“Jen,” Claire whispers. “And I don’t want to go home. I don’t trust Charlie anymore...”

“What’s that got to do with me?” Warren asks, squinting at her in the darkness.

“Can you help me?” she asks.




“Hey, what’s got you awake so late?” Jack asks, surprised to see Ruth in the kitchen alone nursing a bottle of beer.

Ruth shrugs. “Can’t sleep.”

Nodding, Jack smiles. “I feel ya,” he replies with a small laugh. He opens the refrigerator and takes out a can of soda, cracking it open and dropping down onto the stool beside her. “This game is pretty rough, huh?”

“No kidding,” Ruth sighs, taking another gulp of her beer.

“Secretly,” Jack says, “most of us wanna go home...we just don’t wanna give up that money, I think.”


“Got that right,” Ruth laughs, smiling for the first time since she woke up in Paul’s bed by herself.

Jack’s smile fades a little. “You’re okay, though, right?”

Ruth looks up at him, a little surprised. “Yeah...”

“Okay,” Jack replies. “Looking out for my team, y’know?”

“Yeah,” Ruth says, nodding. “Where’s your girlfriend?” she jokes.

There is a short pause in which Jack’s cheeks go pink. “I thought that you weren’t sleeping that night. Breathing wasn’t shallow and steady. You’re missing Paul, huh?”

“I guess so,” Ruth admits, “I keep wanting to be in this game, you know? I keep wanting to kick ass and play, but my heart isn’t in it anymore. It’s kind of stupid.”

“It isn’t stupid,” Jack counters, taking a drink of his soda, “it’s just that you’re missing him. Fight to stay here...you’ll see him again. Just finish the game, first.”

Ruth nods. “Yeah, that’s a little easier said than done, seeing as how we’re from different countries, but I get you.”

Another short pause falls between the two and Jack gulps down the last of his soda. “Well, I’m off to try another stab at sleep. You coming?” he asks her, standing and putting the can in the trash.

Ruth knocks back some more of her beer and then stands. “Yeah,” she replies, dumping the remaining beer down the sink and trashing her bottle. “Thanks, Jack.”

With a smile, Jack nods. “No problem.”




The next morning, Jen and Ruth climb out of the swimming pool, wrapping towels around themselves.

“God, do you guys have to do that every morning?” Marcus asks, making a face as he walks out of the kitchen to eat his breakfast at the picnic table. Colin walks out behind him.

“You guys can do that every morning if you want,” Colin tells them confidently, “girl power and all that.”

Jen rolls her eyes and Ruth grins, tightening her towel around her chest. “Thanks, Colin,” Ruth says, shaking her head.

“Hey, no problem,” Colin replies amiably as the girls walk past them and back into the Community Room.

“Perv,” Marcus says as he sits down and stuffs his mouth with a forkful of eggs.

“You’re a perv,” Colin counters, “you’re the one who wanted to eat out here when you know they take a bath in the pool every morning. Are the eggs any good?”

“Course they are,” Marcus says with his mouth full.

“Well Claire made them,” Colin says, “and she’s on the Red Team, so, you know, I wasn’t sure,” he adds with a grin.

“Shaddup,” Marcus replies, flinging a forkful of eggs at Colin, purposefully missing.




“God, that smells good!” Kate squeals excitedly as she comes into the kitchen with Steph and Jack.

Locke looks up from his breakfast. “It’s goin’ fast,” he says, “so you’d better get your share quick. Bacon’s almost gone...”

Kate crinkles her nose. “I don’t want bacon,” she says, “vegetarian. But those eggs smell awesome.”

“And the pancakes!” Steph adds.

“They’re waffles,” Claire replies, taking a sip from her orange juice. “That’s the only thing I couldn’t figure out right, so John had to help me.”

“Claire, you made this all by yourself? There’s so much here!” Jack says, awestruck.

“There was more before Warren, Marcus, and Colin got to it,” Claire laughs, “they’re all on seconds.”

“What made you want to make a huge breakfast?” Steph asks, filling her plate with a couple of waffles and some bacon.

Claire shrugs and finishes her juice. “I woke up early and couldn’t fall back asleep. John was already putting around and getting things out, but I figured...he was the last one to make a huge meal for us all, so I thought I’d give it a shot. I promise it’s all safe...he walked me through all of it,” she says with a grin and a wink.

“Hey, Claire!” Charlie calls out from the Community Room.

“Yeah?” she calls back.

“Is there still bacon?” Warren yells.

“A few pieces,” Claire replies.

“Brilliant,” Charlie’s reply is slightly muffled from the distance.

Jack and Steph exchange looks. “You’re in a bright mood,” Jack says.

“Why not?” Claire asks, “it’s a gorgeous morning and I feel like a million bucks after sleeping off all that cold.” Secretly, though, her talk with Warren the night before has pacified her. While he didn’t promise her anything, citing that he couldn’t control what their other teammates, particularly Jen and Charlie, did, he offered her some solace in that if she did go, she’d be part of the castaways on the other Island and she’d get to probably help decide the winner of the game. The thought of choosing someone—anyone—over Jen for the win made Claire feel much better. She almost wished Jen would make it that far just so that she could.

Jack shrugs as Ruth, Jen, Charlie, and Warren make their way back into the kitchen. “Claire, did you really make all this?” Ruth asks.

Claire nods. “Well, most of it. John did the waffles,” she clarifies.

Jen looks over at Charlie and sighs. Her stomach is growling with hunger but she can’t stand the idea of taking something Claire made. She doesn’t think Claire would appreciate it, and anyhow, Jen has recruited Warren to get extras on his own plate so she can steal something for breakfast.

As Charlie and Warren fight over the bacon, whispering heatedly at one another about who deserves the last few pieces more, Ruth takes a waffle and a few pieces of toast, then pours herself a glass of milk.

“This is really cool, Claire,” she says, smiling.

“Really!” Kate agrees with her mouth full of eggs.

Claire blushes and smiles. “It’s no big deal...”

“Jen, you have to eat something, you know,” Nikki says as she enters the kitchen and passes Jen, making a beeline for the waffles.

“I’m okay,” Jen insists. “I’m not hungry.”

“Have a piece of toast, at least,” Nikki insists, “you need the energy in case we have a Challenge today.”

“She’s right, you know,” Charlie says.

Jen rolls her eyes at him.

Raising an eyebrow, Claire shifts her weight from one foot to another. “I didn’t poison it, Jen...” she says softly.

“If it was because you made it, I’d just eat the waffles, Claire,” Jen lies, “it’s not that. Don’t worry. I’m just not hungry.”

Warren looks up from his bacon victory and piles a few extra slices of toast on his plate. He catches Jen’s eye and points at the butter raising his eyebrows at her. She nods very subtly. Warren nods back and butters a few pieces of toast.

“You’re sure?” Claire asks, “there’s a lot of food left, still...”

Jen nods. “Thanks, Claire. I’m fine, though, really.”

Claire shrugs. “If you say so...”

“At least have some juice,” Nikki says, handing Jen a glass of orange juice.

“Thanks,” Jen says, sipping at it a little. She leaves the kitchen and makes her way outside, passing Marcus and Colin as she goes.

“Hey, not having breakfast, Mon Amie?” Marcus asks, looking over his shoulder and slowing his walk.

Jen shakes her head at him. “I’m not a breakfast person, really.” It’s not a lie.

Marcus shrugs. “If you say so...” he says and disappears back into the hut.




“Colin what on earth is in your hair?” Steph asks, beckoning Colin closer.

Colin shrugs and walks over to her. He frowns slightly as she picks through his hair the way his mother sometimes used to when he was little and had managed to get food or fuzzies or gum in his hair.

“Colin...” Steph laughs, taking a piece of scrambled egg out of his hair and holding it out to him. “You’re a little slob when you eat, you know,” she adds jokingly.

“Marcus threw it at me!” Colin insists, wide-eyed.

“Gerbil!” Steph gasps, mockingly shocked.

Marcus holds both hands up in the air defensively. “It slipped.”

The whole group in the kitchen bursts out into laughter.




“Here,” Warren says, sitting down at the table with Jen out by the pool, pushing his plate toward her. “Nikki’s right; what if we have a Challenge?”

Jen shrugs.

“It looks bad if you keep acting like this, you know,” he tells her, “Claire’s not so bad.”

Again, Jen just shrugs, taking a bite of a piece of toast. “Thanks,” she says to him, nodding down at the plate.

Warren nods. “No problem. Hurry and eat, okay? Ten minutes til the vote,” he adds, standing up and leaving her.

“Hip-hooray,” Jen groans to herself, rolling her eyes as she tucks into what’s left of Warren’s breakfast.




The group assembles in the Community Room together, waiting for Ben’s voice to fill their ears and to commence the process of voting. The Red Team is looking exceptionally more glum than they had in the kitchen minutes ago, especially Jen and Claire, both of whom feel that they’re on the chopping block. Charlie looks more guilty than worried, but, he, too, is feeling a little on the fearful side.

On the Blue Team, everyone is looking calmer and a little more relaxed. Granted, they have to vote, too, but the person’s name who turns up on the screen in bold blue letters isn’t going anywhere, really.

Ben’s voice finally comes through the speakers and, one by one, each of the remaining players stands and makes their way to the table in front of the television, punching in their vote either for the person on their team they want to sit out the next game, or for the person on their team they want to send home.

The few minutes between the last vote—Marcus—and Ben’s voice bringing the speakers back to life feels like the longest three minutes in Charlie’s life.

He looks from Warren to Marcus and then to Jen and Claire, his eyes resting last on Nikki. He wonders if being in the middle of the Red Team’s resident love-triangle will be the last straw for him.

Claire catches Warren’s eye and smiles slightly. Warren doesn’t smile back. He, too, could be on the chopping block. Any of them, at this point, could be the next to go and the thought of it doesn’t sit well in Warren’s stomach.

Sighing as she runs her hands through her wet hair, Jen frowns, waiting, feeling slightly ill with anticipation.

“It’s okay, Mon Amie,” Marcus tells her confidently, whispering in her ear, “I have a good feeling.”

Jen looks up at him and forces a smile. “I hope your feeling’s right.”

Nikki simply stares at her feet, waiting to hear the announcement and knowing that she’ll have to sit through the Blue Team’s decision first.

The Blue Team, on the other hand, sits together in a huddle. They have come to an agreement, the night previous, that it doesn’t matter who gets the most votes today, because no one is going home.

Steph absently braids a piece of Ruth’s hair as she sits on the floor between one of Steph’s legs and one of Jack’s. Kate is on Jack’s other side, sitting between he and Colin, while Locke is perched on the arm of the couch.

And everyone waits.

“The member of the Blue Team voted to sit out of the next Challenge is...” Ben’s voice says. The screen flashes white and Ruth’s name appears in the infamous bold, blue lettering.

Ruth nods and looks down.

“Ruth, you have been chosen to sit out the next Challenge,” Ben says.

There’s a short pause that, to the Red Team, feels like hours, before Ben’s voice returns to their ears. “The member of the Red Team voted out of the game is...”

Ben lets the word hang in the air as the Red Team fidgets nervously, waiting to hear their fate.

Jack looks over at them all, frowning. He’s glad he hasn’t got to worry about whether or not he’s going home today.

Colin and Steph exchange looks and then look sadly over at the Red Team. They’re just happy it isn’t them...but they feel the Red Team’s pain. It isn’t as if, after all, that the Blue Team hasn’t ever voted someone away.

The screen flashes white, recapturing everyone’s attention and then the bold red letters split the serenity of the screen. CLAIRE.

Charlie and Jen both look down at their feet, feeling guilty. Marcus and Warren frown, and Nikki bites her bottom lip not to cry. Claire takes a deep breath, closing her eyes in a slow blink, and then stands up, not looking at anyone on her team. “Fine,” she says softly and leaves the Community Room to pack as Ben’s voice begins to tell her to do just that.

“The rest of you, please return to the Community Room following Claire’s departure for a clue for your next Challenge,” Ben says, and then Claire’s name and the white screen fade away into blackness, leaving the room in a painfully loud silence.

“That’s horrible,” Kate whispers, looking over at the Red Team, particularly Jen and Charlie, disapprovingly. “That’s really...horrible.” She stands and leaves the room, wanting to help Claire pack and needing to look away. Kate didn’t think, especially after the way that Claire fought so hard for her team at the previous day’s Challenge, that Claire should have been the one to go. The Red Team was playing dirty, as far as Kate was concerned, and she didn’t like it one bit.

Nikki looks over at Charlie and Jen, certain that they have voted Claire, considering their own personal gain to be had if she is to leave. But then, her eyes widen a little. She knows she hasn’t voted Claire, and if she hasn’t voted Claire and she knows that certainly Claire has not voted herself, she wonders who Marcus and Warren have voted. Did they, too, vote Claire, or were their votes simply enough to break up the rest of the votes, making Charlie and Jen’s votes the majority? No, Nikki thinks, sure that she and Claire had worked out the same vote. One of them, at least, has voted Claire as well. Who was it? And more importantly, was she the next in line?

The Blue Team disperses, some heading to the swimming pool, others to their Team Hut to reflect the situation. No one on the Blue Team agrees with the ousting of Claire, considering the shady Jen and Charlie business that created such friction on the opposing team. The fact that they all disagree with the Red Team’s voting, all of the Blue Team has had this discussion, too. Stay out of the Red Team’s affairs and let them slaughter one another, so that when the teams come together, as they inevitably will at some point, the Blue Team will have the number advantage. Keep winning the Challenges and forcing the Red Team to dwindle.

Warren looks over at Jen, moving his eyes onto Charlie, and then Marcus. “I’m gonna help her pack,” he says softly.

Jen fails to respond.

“I’d offer, too, but I think I’d just get in the way...” Marcus says awkwardly.

“I’ll help,” Charlie says.

Warren looks at Charlie and frowns. “I doubt she wants your help,” he says bitingly and stands, leaving the three of his remaining team members on the couch together.

Charlie stares after him and hates to admit that Warren is probably right. So, Charlie doesn’t move from his spot beside Jen on the couch.

The Community Room is empty of activity.

“Uh...” Marcus says quietly, “I’m...gonna...go...”

Again, Jen says nothing, but at least she looks over at Marcus, nodding slightly as if to say she understands his desire to get away from the awkward tension in the room. Marcus stands and leaves Jen and Charlie alone.




“Hey...need help?” Warren asks as he stands in the doorway of the Red Team Hut.

Kate looks up from folding one of Claire’s tanktops and looks back down again. She doesn’t know if Warren is one of the good guys or bad guys on the Red Team, so she says nothing.

“Thanks, Warren, but I think we’ve got it,” Claire says quietly.

“You okay?” he asks her.

She shrugs back at him. “I think this is crap,” she replies honestly.

Warren frowns. He lets himself further into the room and sits down on Jen’s bed, beside Claire’s. “I’m sorry you have to go...” he says awkwardly.

“Me too,” Claire sighs, “especially after yesterday,” she adds a little bitterly.

“I can’t...” Kate starts and stops herself, reminding herself of her promise to the rest of her team to stay out of the Red Team’s affairs. “It’s horrible that you have to leave, Claire. I’ll miss you.”

Claire packs the last of her things and looks up at Kate. “I’ll miss you, too. Listen...can I talk to Warren for a minute?”

Kate looks at Claire questioningly, but nods and stands up, leaving them alone.

Confused, Warren raises his eyebrows at Claire.

“Thanks, anyway,” she tells him, frowning a little. “Do me a favor?”

“Sure,” Warren replies automatically.

“Make sure those two don’t get much further in the game,” she says bitterly.

Warren swallows hard. “I can’t promise anything like that, you know, Claire?”

“Do your best,” she amends. “If you can.”





“So...” Charlie says awkwardly.

Jen looks over at him. “We’re in the doghouse,” she whispers.

“We’re not the only ones that voted for Claire, Jen,” he tells her quietly.

“Maybe we are,” Jen says, “it’s possible that the rest of the votes were just so split that we were the only ones who voted together...”

“Possible,” Charlie says, “but not likely.”

“I feel kinda bad...” Jen sighs. “Really bad, actually. Like we did something wrong...”

Charlie makes a face. “I mean, what were we supposed to do, love? Vote for ourselves?”

Rolling her eyes, Jen sighs again. “No, but I just feel guilty.”

“Well, don’t,” Charlie says and leans toward her to kiss her.

“Oh, my God, Charlie,” Jen snaps, standing up and looking down at him distastefully, “she isn’t even gone yet!” With that, she storms out of the Community Room to wait outside for Claire’s send-off.




As the taxi pulls up and Warren and Charlie load Claire’s bags into the trunk of the car, the rest of the group stands outside the Community Room saying their goodbyes. Claire has already given everyone hugs and she stops in front of Marcus. She smiles. “Win the money, kiddo,” she says, ruffling his hair and hugging him. Marcus resists the urge to make a face at her for ruffling his hair. “Since you’re a fellow Aussie,” Claire adds.

Jack frowns as he watches Claire walk away. After everything she did for them...putting herself on the line last Challenge like she did...and they’ve sent her packing anyhow. It makes him angry and truthfully, a little sick.

Claire hugs Warren as she walks by and shoots Charlie a nasty glance.

“Claire...” he says quietly as Warren goes back to join the rest of the players in the Community Room doorway.

Shaking her head, Claire rolls her eyes at him and nods toward Jen. “You win, Charlie,” she mutters and gets into the taxi, turning her head away from him as Ben shuts the door and gets in the front passenger seat.

As the taxi pulls away leaving Charlie standing there dumbstruck, the rest of the players file away, going into the Community Room for the next clue. Jen alone stays on the stoop, frowning.

“Charlie.”

Charlie turns.

“Come on,” she says softly, nodding toward the door, “we have a clue to read.” With that, she heads back into the Community Room, leaving him behind.
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avatar: Plastic!Winchester Theater by anteka @ LJ; icon by me
sig by AlcoholicPixie

[Rocksiren]

Okay dokie! Whoo hoo I love you for this story Jen, hehe. And now that theres that little cabin with MY mon amie in it, I dont feel so bad...
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"You are just an encyclopedia of weirdness." ~ Supernatural