Part V - 16: Jack

Jack stood at the edge of the lagoon with a forever breathe mask in his hand, wondering whether or not to swim down to the bottom of it. He had decided he was going to quit the next day, which would make this his last night. He still loved Neverland, but these developments with Cora and Mason were just too irritating. He hadn't seen them kiss, and he was glad for that, because the image of it would probably give him an ulcer, but he had heard Tink talking about it, and that, coupled with the fact that Cora had left Neverland with Mason, had made Jack angry enough to want to leave his job.

So now he looked out at the water in a state of indecision. He wanted to see Cora one more time to say goodbye, and maybe tell her how he felt. It was unlikely that he would see her at the surface, so his only option was to go down to her, but he couldn't imagine that she'd be too thrilled about being woken up in the middle of the night just so he could be sentimental. Well, he thought, she already hates me, so I don't have much to lose. Plus, he'd never have an opportunity like this again. He put on his forever breathe mask and dove into the lagoon.

The water was oddly comforting as it enveloped him. He'd always felt at home in the water, and the mask made swimming even more effortless. He swam down until he found Cora's sleeping pod. He grabbed the side of it to anchor himself and peered in. Cora looked almost blissful as she slept, with a smile tugging at the corner of her lips. Jack suddenly realized what a terrible idea this was, but as he was preparing to turn around, Cora's eyes flew open and she sat up so quickly that she banged her head on the top of her pod. When she focused on Jack, her expression became furious, which was no less than he expected.

He tried to make signs that he wanted to talk to her, but the more she glared at him, the more foolish he felt. Finally she opened her pod and swam out, gesturing for him to follow her. He swam behind her a few meters until they came to something large and spherical. She opened a gate and took him through a tunnel until they emerged into a room with mirrors and gel stools that was only halfway filled with water. She turned on a low light then spun around to face him.

"You'd better have a really good reason for nearly giving me a heart attack!" She exclaimed.

Jack removed his forever breathe mask and rubbed his wet beard. When she put it like that it made him feel like a real jerk. He thought about making up some emergency, but decided against it. He had learned that honesty was always the best option.

"I'm sorry I scared you," he said softly. "I came down to say goodbye."

"Goodbye?" Cora yelled, her face reddening with rage. "You woke me up for goodbye?"

"Yes!" Jack yelled back, feeling a spark of indignation. "I took this job because of you, and now I'm quitting because of you!"

Cora made a face. "Well, that was a dumb thing to do."

"Yes, I've realized that now."

Cora scowled. "What, did you come here to research me? Have I satiated your curiosity? Have you found out everything you need to solve the mystery of the freaky fish girl?"

Jack shook his head in amazement. "No!" he exclaimed, "I came to work here because I like you!"

Cora looked directly into his eyes and softened for a moment, but then she turned away. "Well, in case you hadn't noticed, I have a tail."

"In case you hadn't noticed, I don't care!"

"I don't know if that's really sweet or really twisted."

"Neither do I, but it's true, and it's driving me crazy."

Cora rolled her eyes. "Well, let me put you out of your misery."

Jack sighed. "I didn't mean it like that." He ran his hand through his hair. "Look, I know you're not interested. I know you're involved with that Mason guy." He looked down and fiddled with his mask. He didn't really know what to say. He glanced back up at Cora and realized how much he still cared about her. "Just... be careful," he said finally. "Don't trust that guy with everything, you hardly know him."

Cora laughed. "Oh, and I know you so much better?"

Jack shrugged. "We've had some moments."

Cora shifted uncomfortably. "Mason understands me."

Now it was Jack's turn to roll his eyes. "Oh sure. You took one look at him and told him all your secrets."

"It's more than that," Cora shot back defensively.

"It's okay, I get it," Jack said, holding his hands up in defeat. "You like him more than me." Cora raised an eyebrow and Jack added, "A lot more than me."

"We have a lot in common."

"Yeah, you're both too attractive for your own good."

Cora gave him a sad smile. It might have been the nicest expression she'd shown him in all of their interactions. "I'm sorry, Jack, you seem like a great guy, but I'm just really... complicated."

"I've noticed," Jack replied. He gestured to her tail. "And it's not just because of that."

Cora inclined her head, but she didn't say anything else.

Jack recognized that this was the end of their conversation. "It's been really nice knowing you, Cora. I apologize for waking you up. Good night, and goodbye."

She looked like she might say something, but Jack had had enough for one night. He slipped on his mask and then dove down through the tunnel and out the gate. He passed several exotic fish and a huge sea turtle as he swam back to the surface of the lagoon, but he ignored all of them. He just wanted to get out and forget Neverland forever.