DISCLAIMER: Characters aren't mine. Seems like I’m doing more writing for fandoms I haven’t previously written for…
ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.
Before Juliet
By TheAgonyofBlank
There's a first time for everything.
Before Juliet, Kate had never had sex in the sea.
It's different, but a good kind of different.
The waves pounding against them, swallowing the sound of their cries.
Kate can't imagine anything more beautiful than that.
At first, Kate doesn't realize that anything's wrong. Even though there's this uncomfortable sting when she 'goes to the bathroom' – figuratively speaking – she doesn't dwell on it too much. Seeing as how she's been living on the island for three months now, this was bound to happen. But she's sure that this, whatever this is, is just a minor thing and will go away quickly. Besides, she's never been a worrier, especially not when it comes to her own health. But then later that evening, she relieves herself again and finds that it still stings. By the end of the next day, she's discovered that even though it feels like she needs to go, she doesn't really need to at all.
She figures it out quickly enough after that. She's never had a urinary tract infection herself, but she knew someone who did and recognizes the symptoms. She's pretty sure hers is less severe, because she recalls her acquaintance running a slight fever, and she wonders whether she will get one too if she doesn't get treatment soon. It's not like she can really get treated for something like this anyway, as they're kind of strapped on medical supplies. She then wonders if she can die from a UTI; it seems like a pretty sorry way to go, especially after all she's been through on the island.
It's dark now and everyone's asleep – not that that really matters, because even if people were awake, there isn't anyone Kate wants to ask about urinary tract infections. If she were in the real world, she would consult a doctor about it, but she wasn't in the real world, and the only doctor on this godforsaken island is Jack. Jack, who will ask a million and one questions about her supposed UTI, most of them likely unrelated to her infection. She knows she can't handle the prying in disguise as part of his questioning – there are some things she'd rather keep to herself – and that is exactly why she decides she can't tell Jack.
She tosses and turns under the thin sheet she calls her blanket, and gradually she falls asleep to the sound of the waves.
There are things Kate does now that she'd never done before.
Before Juliet.
As Juliet presses her back into the rough bark of the tree, she thinks that this is just one of those things.
"I need some cranberry juice."
That's the first thing Kate says to Juliet in the morning, and she hopes Juliet won't ask too many questions. In fact, she hopes Juliet won't ask anything at all. All she wants is some cranberry juice, she's certain there's some on this island, and she hopes Juliet will just give some to her. It's not like she's asking for an arm or a leg. It's not like she's telling her she'll never sleep with her again, though she has more than half a mind to do just that, because look where that got her?
Nowhere, and with a urinary tract infection.
"Good morning to you too, Kate."
Juliet says this with a bemused tone, and she presses a light kiss to Kate's cheek.
Juliet has always had a soothing effect on Kate, sort of like a cease-and-desist order that renders her higher brain functions useless. She won't deny it; just hearing the other woman's voice calms her down. But she refuses to give in this time, not when there could be gallons of cranberry juice for her to drink in her fight against urinary tract infection.
"So do you have it?" Kate presses on. Seeing a confused look pass briefly across the other's features, Kate adds, "The cranberry juice. Do you have any?"
There's a pause, and just for a moment, Kate's foolish enough to hope that Juliet will hand the juice over, just like that. Of course, it's not that simple.
"Why do you need cranberry juice, Kate?"
Sometimes Juliet reminds her of a shrink. But then again, it's typical of Juliet, really, to answer a question with another question. One of these days, Kate is going to have to teach her the proper way of answering questions: With an answer.
But there is no way that Kate is answering that question, so instead she frowns.
"If I said I just had a craving for it, would you believe me?"
Juliet fixes her with a look – a look that is equal parts exasperation and amusement.
She knows Juliet won't give her what she wants unless she tells her what's going on, and she even considers lying to her. But finally, she leans in close to the blonde, so close that her nose almost grazes Juliet's ear, and she says, "I'm pretty sure I have a UTI." She refuses to look Juliet in the eye after that, until she realizes that what she initially mistook for awkward silence is actually strained silence in which Juliet's trying not to laugh. Affronted, she folds her arms across her chest and says, "Don't you dare laugh!"
Only then does Juliet really laugh – really laugh, and Kate suddenly realizes that she's never heard Juliet laugh, not like this. If this were any other situation, she would find her laughter infectious and join in. But she has a UTI, for God's sake! She stubbornly refuses to see the humour in the situation.
"I- It's just…" Juliet takes a moment to compose herself, and then continues, "I wonder where you got that from."
Juliet's sarcasm is usually hard to detect, but this time it's clear as a bell, and Kate fixes her with a death glare.
There's something about Kate and Juliet and water that just seems to click.
Before Juliet, Kate rarely swam, much less had sex in a pool of water with the sound of a waterfall cascading behind them.
Now it's more like an everyday occurrence.
Eventually, Kate gets hold of the cranberry juice.
Juliet tells her that cranberry juice won't be any use, that the infection is likely to go away on its own.
But of course, Juliet doesn't have any, so she would say that. Sawyer, on the other hand, does have some. It takes a little bribing on her part, but the important thing is that she manages to get him to part with the little juice that he has left.
Maybe because Juliet asks, he slips her some antibiotics.
Her infection goes away after about a week or so, though by this point she's run out of cranberry juice and antibiotics and thinks that, just like Juliet said, the damn thing would've gone away by itself, if she had been patient enough to wait.
She takes one look at Juliet's knowing, smiling face, and swears she will never have sex with her ever again.
There's just something weird about the feel of being pressed up against a rock with water up to her shoulders.
And there's something even weirder in knowing that someone was watching.
Before Juliet, she wouldn't have had a UTI, and thus she wouldn't have had to do this.
But Juliet's surprisingly open about things like that, and Kate owes Sawyer anyway.
Besides, like she said, there's a first time for everything.
The End