Learn To Let Go

[Pengzilla]

I loved that chapter I loved all the JnM banter. There are not enough JnM fics around now, damn it!

I feel your pain. I'm an old JnMer. Like.. really old. "Nicom" old. (Not age-old. 18 next week. Whoop. ) Back in my day there were absolutely loads. I'm very disappointed to come back and there be none. I'm in disgust atm.

So everyone here should post a fic.

[KaiyaBlake]

Someone needs to have a word with all the JnMer's buried in the adult forum! They are dormant

[Pengzilla]

...Amber

The adult forum is dirty anyway. *scrubs at skin*

[Barbara]

^ Lol. You can't go there yet. You're not 18 yet. You wouldn't dare go in the Adult Forum, would you?

I loved that chapter I loved all the JnM banter. There are not enough JnM fics around now, damn it!

I feel your pain. I'm an old JnMer. Like.. really old. "Nicom" old. (Not age-old. 18 next week. Whoop.) Back in my day there were absolutely loads. I'm very disappointed to come back and there be none. I'm in disgust atm.

When I first joined this forum in 2007, there were so many JM fics. There wasn't one day where I didn't have a chapter to read. Now, JM fics are slowly disappearing or aren't being updated (some don't have the inspiration anymore, some are busy or others don't come on BttB anymore or not often).

So everyone here should post a fic.

A few members who comment in here have written at least one JM fic (Stephy, jack+martha=trooluvv, you, me and Kaiya wrote another one a few months ago).

[Pengzilla]

Well.. they should write more. In the summer. When I have time to read them all.

[KaiyaBlake]

Hey hey

Thanks for all your comments! I love them

Uni, assessment, the flu *groans*… It may not be the best chapter, I’m sorry!

But I hope you like, all the same

Chapter 15

“I’m so glad everything is over, now I don’t have to worry about you anymore”, Jack sighed as they lay on his bed together, his hand stroking her hair tenderly.

“I’ve got no one”, she whispered, tears forming in the corner of both eyes. “No family, no home… nothing”

“Hey”, he stopped her, sliding his body around so they were now face to face. “You have me, okay. You’re always going to have me”, he used his thumb to gently wipe away her tears.

“You say that now Jack. But sooner or later some girl is going to walk into your life and sweep you off your feet. I’ll just be a figure in the distance then”, she whimpered.

The corner of Jack’s lips curled up into a small smile. “Not possible. I’ve already found the girl I want”, he whispered, his eyes staring deeply into hers.

“Oh god. If it’s that girl from the movie’s Jack I’m telling you, I don’t even think she came with anyone and I’m pretty sure I saw her following you there”, she laughed back at that day.

“It’s not her”, he chuckled, leaning his face further towards hers so that their noses grazed and their foreheads met. “I’ve known this girl a tad longer then that”

Martha’s smile disappeared as she realized what was happening. “Oh”, her voice caught in the back of her throat and she suddenly realized how close they were.

He pushed his face forward so that only a small part of his lips brushed against hers. A smile formed on her face as he pulled away slightly, she wanted this.

Using her hands that were pressed against his chest, she pulled him back in, placing her lips softly against his. She felt her body flutter and her mind scream at her for not doing this sooner. A happy sigh escaped her lips as he deepened the kiss, she felt as though she was floating. She was feeling so many mixed emotions at once she felt as though she would explode at any second…

…but she didn’t plan on stopping any time soon.

-------------------

She ran her fingers softly over each dress, admiring it’s individual beauty. Her eyes fell onto a dress hidden away amongst the rest of them. “Aha”, she smiled in delight as she pulled the dress into view. It’s delicate straps and flowy material made her heart jump.

“I found it”, she turned to Martha, her head was hung over a nearby rack.

“What? Oh”, she raised her head to find Tasha holding up a white dress in her hand. It wasn’t your typical wedding dress Martha thought. But then again, Tasha wasn’t your typical girl. “It’s really pretty. Very… beachy actually”

“Exactly”, Tasha beamed, throwing her purse to Martha, who looked in every which direction but in front of her, completely missing the catch, before Tasha raced into the changing rooms like a little 6 year old.

“Jack’s right. You don’t do hang over’s very well”, Tasha laughed, calling out over the door.

“I’m fine thankyou”, she sung back. Annoyed at the concept that anyone would ever think Jack Holden could be correct.

A couple of minutes later, Tasha emerged from behind the door. It was as if the dress was made for her, fitting her perfectly with Tasha written all over it.

“Oh my god. Tash”, she cooed, her voice turning into a whisper as if she was frightened that speaking would ruin this moment.

“I love it”, Tasha turned and admired herself in the mirror once more. The thought that she was going to be walking down the isle to Robbie, wearing that made her weak at the knees.

“Now we just need a bridesmaid dress”, Martha pointed out, almost forgetting that she too was a part of this wedding.

“Already found one when you were ‘resting your eyes’”, she gestured air quotations with her fingers.

Martha blushed. “I’m sorry. I haven’t been a very good bridesmaid today have I?”

“Martha… you wouldn’t be you if your head wasn’t somewhere else”, Tasha smirked. “You’re hearts here, that’s all that counts”

-------------------

Later that afternoon…

“Oh goody look who’s home”, Jack rolled his eyes. He had hoped they would have stayed out longer. But when he had seen Martha this morning he should have known that she was in no state to stay out shopping all day.

“Jack!”, Tasha scolded him, smacking the top of his head lightly from behind him where he was seated on the couch.

“You know I’m always glad to see you Tash”, Jack responded as Tasha’s glare slowly turned into a smile. “On the other hand Martha here”, he cringed, pretending to weigh up his thoughts.

“Shouldn’t you be at work like Robbie?”, she brushed past and fell on the couch opposite him.

“I’m on holidays sucker”, he stuck his tongue out childishly before turning his attention to Tasha. “So how’d you get anything done with good old alco over here?”

“My dress is at your Dad’s house”, Tasha smiled, not realising that neither of them were actually listening anymore.

“I’m an alcoholic? You’re the one who had so much that he forgot everything he learnt when becoming a cop… you do realise that it’s illegal to date a minor right?”, she asked sarcastically.

“You’re still jealous about Lauren? I already told you, I would have introduced you two last night but well… let’s face it, you were too absorbed in the very meaningful conversation you were having with yourself”, he smirked, satisfied that she was showing some kind of interest in what he did. “And by the way, she’s 19. I get why you’re mad though… not everyone can stay as good looking as they were in high school”, he eyed her up and down accusingly.

Martha continued to tease him, ignoring whatever else he had to say. “So what time does she have to be home by? Not too late I suppose, probably has school tomorrow”, she manoeuvred herself onto the couch, kicking her shoes off and hanging her legs over the side so she was lying down.

Tasha watched the two bickering and decided to step in. “Guys just stop”

“Cheap shot”, he brushed her off, but still, she kept a wide grin on her face.

“I’m not the one who picked up some underage bartender at the club last night”, she shot back.

Jack groaned. It was truly getting to the point where he couldn’t stand to be in the same room as her. He knew she didn’t mean to be like this, she was just being her, how she’s always been. Stubborn. But he couldn’t handle it anymore, after a while it turns into more than just a bit of a tease. “You know what…”, he stood up slowly. “I don’t even know why you bothered coming back. We were all better off without if this is the way you’re going to be”, Jack said harshly before retreating back to his room.

“So it’s alright when he gives me **** about Alex?”, Martha spoke aloud to herself. She was just giving it back to him the way he has given it to her. She didn’t know what else to do. They had never really had to be just friends, the concept of it just didn’t make sense. So… she lied, she pretended that none of this phased her. Because that’s all she knew how.

“…and I do not talk to myself”, she defended herself loud enough so that Tasha could hear.

------------------------------

That night…

Jack watched as she laughed away, he had to admit, she was a very pretty girl. Plus, she was light hearted and funny, something he needed right now. He couldn’t help but think about Martha though, was this like how her first date with Alex went? Did she smile and flirt like Lauren was now. Was she truly happy? Or an extremely good liar.

“I had fun”, Lauren stated with a laugh as she stuck her key in the lock and pushing it open.

“Me too”, Jack smiled back weakly.

Her laughter stopped as she stood hesitantly at her doorframe. He eyelashes fell gracefully and she had a look of lust on her face. Jack knew that look, it’s the look Martha used to have whenever he was near her, a look that now seemed so distant and far from his grasp. A look that he would probably never see her give him again.

Knowing there was no easier way around this, he leant, brushing his lips softly over hers before allowing her to kiss him back. Pulling away gently, she smiled at him one last time, before rubbing his arm tenderly and seeing him off.

As he walked back down her driveway towards his car he realised something. That feeling, the burning tingle that made his body always crave for more wasn’t there. He had no desire to resume that kiss and he knew why.

Because it was nothing like the way she used to kiss him.

-----------------------

The next day…

“You guys in for dinner here tonight?”, Robbie queried as he entered Tony’s house.

Both Alex and Martha raised their head from where they were laid out on the couch. “Sure but…”

“I’m actually going to go and catch up with a with a mate in Yabbie Creek for a couple of days, tonight”, Alex finished her sentence.

“Yeah but I’ll come, beats being stuck here by myself”, she laughed.

“Why aren’t you going?”, Robbie asked.

“In the midst of all the drunken men, nar. Plus Tash need’s all my help if we are going to be ready for your wedding next week”, her eyes lit up excitedly.

-------------------------

That night at dinner…

“Alright guys, well we’re going”, Tasha told them happily as her and Robbie got up from their seats.

Martha looked over at Jack, seeing he was as confused as she was. “What?”, she half laughed, still thinking this was a joke. She thought they were having dinner here.

“Don’t ask me, this is all Tash”, Robbie defended himself before heading out the door where he could wait for Tasha outside.

“Me and Rob are going out”, she shrugged like it was no big deal. “I’ll see you then”, she waved goodbye before running out after Robbie, they could yell at her later. Right now, they needed to talk.

“They have to be kidding”, Martha groaned before she too stood up from her chair. Walking over to the table near the door she grabbed her bag before beginning to head out the door, making no effort whatsoever to even acknowledge Jack.

Jack just rolled his eyes, it wasn’t a very thought through plan on Tasha’s part. Of course she was going to leave, it’s what she did. He moved over towards the sink, putting all the empty plates and cutlery in, he’d do all that later. Now was time for some good old-fashioned football.

He was surprised however, when Martha waltzed back in, and boy did she look pissed.

“They took my key!”, she exclaimed, still rummaging through her bag in hope she might have missed it. “Don’t you have a spare one, it’s your old house”, she finally looked at Jack, who sat carelessly on the couch, beer in hand.

“On the hook”, he gestured towards the hooks of keys hung up by the door.

Martha grabbed the only pair of keys before she realised they weren’t it. “These are your car keys!”, she whined. “Great, I guess they planned this better than we thought.

“Doesn’t effect me”, Jack grinned uncontrollably; getting great satisfaction at the fact Martha was practically stranded with him.

“Actually…”, Martha started. She was quite surprised she hadn’t thought of this before. She was too upset over the thought of being stuck there with Jack and his stupid remarks all night. “Now’s the perfect chance to get answers to all those questions I’ve been asking”

Almost immediately, Jack increased the volume of the TV, hoping to drown out her voice.

No such luck though, sitting down next to him she snatched the remote roughly out of his hands, switching it off and before he could even began to reach for it, she opened the back and took out both of the batteries, tucking them in the pocket of her jeans

“Don’t make me go there”

“I’m serious”, she looked him straight in the eye, causing him to cave. There was no way around this, he was going to have to talk.

“Why? You wouldn’t hear anything I had to say yesterday”

“Yeah, I heard you, you wish I had never come back”, she pretended to recite what she had heard, even if that was no where near what he had said.

“I didn’t say that”, he quickly objected.

“Alright, I may have changed it a little bit. Just answer my questions!”, she began to get agitated at how easily he was avoiding this.

“Alright”, he caved. “Go on then, ask. If you want ‘answers’, I’ll give them to you, but I don’t know why you’re fishing, it’s not like you’re going to like anything I have to say”, he pointed out, finally turning his full attention towards her.

Martha stayed silent. Mentally going through every single thing she wanted to ask him… she didn’t even know where to start. “What happened to Emma”, that was an obvious one so, she might as well get that out of the way.

“Moved away for Uni the last I heard”, he answered, not really caring about where she moved. “Can you let her go Martha?”

“Uni, right. Is that what she told everyone”, Martha laughed, dodging Jack’s question. No way was a girl like Emma smart enough for University; she was probably off living at some brothel, too embarrassed to tell the world.

“Why did you become a cop?”, she then asked.

Jack stared at her, was it just him, or had Martha become extremely clueless to her past life. “Do you really have to ask that?”

“I just want to know”, she pushed him.

Letting out a deep breath, Jack looked away from her. Was it really her job in life to make his hell? “You know why”

“Say it”

“No”

“Jack! Just say it!”, her voice rose dramatically. Her body had risen from the couch slightly in the heat of the moment.

“Say what? That I did it for you! Well the ‘you’ you used to be anyway”, he matched his volume with hers. “Stop acting like you care”

“Acting?”, she scoffed. “I’m not even trying to pretend I care”, she lied, instantly backing down and stopping herself from getting any closer.

“If telling yourself that keeps you sleeping at night, then go ahead”, he moved himself forward so she had no more space to move. Even an inch and her body would be pressed against his. “I know you care… and it’s really giving me the ****s that you’re giving me this whole ‘I have a boyfriend, I’ve moved on’ act. I really pity the poor bloke”

“Yeah well, I have”, she gulped, not even attempting to bring Alex into this. It hurt to lie to him like this, but she had to, she couldn’t let herself fall. Even if she knew how much this would be hurting him also. “You should too”

Jack backed down, feeling as though she had taken all his confidence. “Sorry, some of us can’t lie as well as others”

“What about the date with that bartender girl, I heard you did just fine… Romeo”, she mocked him. Tasha had of course told her about his late night kissing at the door, which Robbie had shared with her. Jack had obviously made it seem much more romantic then it actually was.

“If comparing everything about her to you is fine… then it was peachy”, he confessed, deciding to put it all out in the open. She wanted the truth, she was getting it.

“Well that’s not fair Jack”, she sat back, flopping her legs over his lap. “No one can even compare to me”, she joked, suddenly feeling a whole lot more smug.

His eyes fell on her legs, strewn over him and then wandered up to her face. She was just sitting there, staring at him, her arms crossed tightly around her front. She was producing such a straight face, but Jack could see, underneath, she wasn’t okay. He was so close to breaking her, he could feel it. “I don’t want to do this anymore”, Jack sighed, pushing her legs off his so that he could shuffle over closer to her.

“Don’t”, she muttered, trying to get him to move away from her, even if she had made no attempt herself.

“I miss you”, he whispered, taking her hand in his and stroking it tenderly between his fingers.

Her eyes closed lightly as she felt his soft skin holding hers, it all felt so familiar and warm. She just wanted to fall into his arms and have him close to her. But she knew this was her body talking, she knew it wouldn’t last.

“We were never going to work Jack, we should have stayed best friends and not have gone and ruined everything. We were just too young and naïve to realise that”, she cautiously opened her eyes and found his own two brown eyes gazing deeply into hers.

“Stop making excuses. I ruined everything Martha, nothing else, it was me”

Martha sighed, pulling her hands from his. “We stopped working way before that Jack. It’s not like everything was perfect until that day”, she pointed out.

“Can we ever go back to how things were?”, he looked at her, hope brimming in his eyes as he waited for her response.

She didn’t know what to say. She didn’t know how she felt. So badly she wanted to just speak the words he wanted to hear and make it all better. “I’m sorry”, she shook her head slowly, watching as her words cut into him like a knife and he pulled away, returning to sit on the other end of the couch.

“We can be friends?”, she said regretfully, knowing that was just a big slap in the face for him.

“…with benefits?”, his face lit up as the idea popped into his head.

“Sadly, not”, she half smiled at the cheekiness in his voice.

“Then I can’t… I’m sorry”, he said quickly, much to Martha’s surprise. Was that all he wanted?

“The only reason I got through these past 2 years is because I kept looking forward. I told myself that you’d be back and it would all be okay again”, he told her sadly, just picturing his future now. Sad and alone while Martha ran off with some prince charming, whoever he might be and lived happily ever after. He was just the childhood friend, the high school sweetheart who everyone seems to phase out. “Who’s going to be my best friend?”

“I am”, she grinned, hoping this would cheer him up.

“I’m not sharing my best friend with Alex, and that’s not up for discussion Martha. As your best friend, I forbid you from being his. It’s bad enough he’s your ‘boy friend’ or whatever you call rebound guys these days”, he sighed, causing Martha to roll her eyes. “But he is never… I repeat never going to be your best friend, deal?”, he continued to ramble and Martha only just understood what he was saying.

“I’ll give you a week’s trial run”, she laughed. “No slip ups okay!?”

“Me? Slip up?”

“Jack”, she warned him.

The smile fell of his face as he lowered his head, avoiding any possible eye contact. “I’ll try”, he groaned, causing Martha to laugh.

“Good. Now where’s the wine?”

Jack couldn’t help but be relieved at the fact they were fine with each other now. He knew it wasn’t much, far from what he had hoped for actually.

But all good things come to those who wait, right?

--------------------------------

Next Chapter: Is everything getting a tad to raunchy for Martha’s liking?

[amz89]

loved that they discussed poor jack.. More soon please, what u studing at t uni??

[lino]

Just loved it. Can't wait for more.

[Mia;]

I love Jack so much right now. Martha on the other hand, why is she being so stubborn?

Though, I guess 'best friends' is a start

Next Chapter: Is everything getting a tad to raunchy for Martha’s liking?

^That sounds interesting Maybe JM could start seeing each other behind Alex's back?

Can't wait to read more

EDIT: I just read the chapter again. I loved this ;

The corner of Jack's lips curled up into a small smile. "Not possible. I've already found the girl I want", he whispered, his eyes staring deeply into hers.

"Oh god. If it's that girl from the movie's Jack I'm telling you, I don't even think she came with anyone and I'm pretty sure I saw her following you there", she laughed back at that day.

"It's not her", he chuckled, leaning his face further towards hers so that their noses grazed and their foreheads met. "I've known this girl a tad longer then that"

He pushed his face forward so that only a small part of his lips brushed against hers. A smile formed on her face as he pulled away slightly, she wanted this.

[Nourtz]

That chapter was funny!! Martha and Jack so want eachother, i wish Martha would just admit that, please update again soon, it won't be long until Martha gives in, Jack makes her weak at the knee!!!!!