The Masters: Island Style {Ana}

[Jack Shephard]

SQUAWK.

Jack jolted as the loud sound broke the concentration. He gripped the golf club tighter as he tilted his head, looking towards where the hole was. The sky was clear for once, and Jack had found solace in the simple game of golf. The green hills melted with the blue sky and ocean in the distance, and it comforted Jack. However, the big black bird that was currently in the way of his shot? It was NOT comforting. "Hey!" he called with a frown, watching as the bird blinked. "You're in my shot!"

SQUAWK.

Jack felt a slight groan escaped his lips, and he felt his shoulders relax as he sighed. "Charlie's not here! You're in my way. Now GO." However, the bird simply blinked it's eyes and tilted it's head sharply. Jack moved, poking the air with his golf club. "Go!"

The bird hopped back a few inches as Jack's club inched closer and closer to it. "Go! Fly! There's a whole island--" Jack stopped himself, shaking his head. "Great. I'm talking to a bird." Doctor Doolittle he was not.

As he heard a sound behind him, Jack turned his head, looking to see Ana walking up. He turned back to line up his shot again, bird or not. It'd move if a ball came at it, Jack silently figured. He brought his club back, and swung, watching as the bird flew off towards where the ball soared. He brought a hand up to his forehead to stifle the sun.

"Part of me wished I would have hit it."

[Ana-Lucia Cortez]

"It could be worse... you could be talking to yourself," the Latina quipped at him, stopping in her tracks as he went to swing. She smirked, the corners of her mouth curling up as she watched the scene unfold before her. It was quite humorous to see, like he actually thought the bird would understand what he was getting at... especially when the bird just continued to hover around him, not moving all that much, making a nuisance of itself.

Waiting until he was done, Ana walked around him, crossing her arms, looking to him and then out into the distance where the ball landed. "Yeah, but then Charlie would be upset and we couldn't have that," she told him, dryly. Oddly enough the same bird had liking to the ex-rockstar. Why she wasn't sure. It seemed where ever he went the bird wasn't too far away. But then, she really didn't have room to talk she was sort of in the same boat with Vincent. Except the damn dog always coming up to her for food when she had it in her hands. He didn't bother anyone else when they had food really, well Sawyer too sometimes, but he always came running, wagging his little tail at her when she was about ready to scarf her food down.

She always gave in to his demands however much she tried to no to.

"The damn thing seems to be taking a liking to you, though," she told him, once more her tone holding some jest as she glanced to where the bird had settled, right nearly on top of the golf ball. Her eyes then darted back to Jack, one of her brows quirked up, slightly higher, inquiringly.

"So... where do you learn to play?" The fact that he knew what he was doing with a golf club didn't go unnoticed by her. His stance suggested he was at least a regular, not a novice, he knew what he was doing with his stance, weight evenly distributed on each foot, knees straight but gently bent, relaxed yet firm. Though, before he could answer she cut in, "Lemme take a wild guess.. weekly visits to the country club? Hanging around with fellow doctors smokin' a Cuban cigar..."

[Jack Shephard]

"I just wish Charlie would come and get the damn thing before Vincent does. That's the last thing I need; Charlie mourning over a pile of black feathers." Jack commented, walking towards where his ball had landed. However Jack teased, it was sort of sweet how the black bird had attached itself to Charlie. At least everything on the island wasn't horrible and twisted.

He listened as she asked where he had learned to play Golf, and he shrugged slightly, however, before he could answer, she spoke once again. His lips twitched up in a smile. "You make it sound so glamorous." Jack said with a grin, and he shook his head. "I hardly had time to go home, let alone go to the golf course. No, my, uh...my dad." he said after a moment. "He used to take me out when I was probably about ten or so."

Jack had remembered the days clearly. However, he remembered going out not with his father, but with his father's friend, Henry, instead. He brought a hand up, scratching at the back of his neck as he looked down at the green grass. "Actually, my dad didn't teach me anything but how to drink." Jack said honestly, looking at her as they walked. "He stayed at the bar most of the time. My dad's friend, Henry. He taught me." Jack shrugged slightly. "I havn't played in a while, though. I think the last time I went was before my wedding."

[Ana-Lucia Cortez]

"Death by canine, how sad," she remarked with a bit of sarcasm, the smirk on her lips becoming slightly more wicked as she trailed after Jack. Though, it really would make the man sad, the loss of his beloved pet. He was almost as attached to it as he was with Claire and Aaron. It was almost like a happy family, with a child and a pet. A slight pang hit her chest at the thought as she shook her head, clearing her thoughts as instantly as they entered her head

"You mean, that's not what you doctors do for your favorite past time? I'm shocked," she drawled as he answered her. Well, she figured it anyway, they had money up the ass with their job, much more then a police officer, and even the higher ups in the department didn't have the extra pocket cash for that type of thing. At least the only time they went to the golfing range was when they had the annual golf meet, and she rarely went.

Listening along, she nodded as he spoke about his father. She knew it was a touchy subject, especially because that was the reason he was on the flight in the first place. He was bringing his father back to the states for a funeral. And not only that he never seemed to talk about it really before. Attempting to lighten the mood, she spoke. "I think the last time I went golfing, or at least was teeing them off, I was at my brother's kid's birthday party... I ended up embedding the, uh, golf ball in the ceiling of the range."

[Jack Shephard]

"At least we wouldn't have to feed him for a day or so." Jack commented when Ana said 'death by canine'. However, as Ana spoke further, Jack found himself smirking, and he looked over at her. "No, you're wrong. We sit around all day in a fancy, overdone offices with leather chairs and roaring fires, laughing and talking about how once again, we saved lives and are therefore masters of the universe. I'd tell you more, but I'd have to kill you. It's that other oath we take."

If only it had been as humourous as that, Jack thought silently as he idly swung the club in his hand before looking at Ana with a slight eyebrow arched. "...you do realise at driving ranges, you're supposed to...DRIVE the ball away from you. Not embed it into the ceiling." He smirked wider. "It's not really that hard. You just set your stance," Jack pretended to set up at an invisible ball, and he arched the club back, "You arch back--" he brought the club down in a harsh swing, and looked back at her. "And let go." He dropped his shoulders and turned to her. "It's empowering to see how far a simple arch make something go so far. And hey, if you make it into the hole, even better luck."

[Ana-Lucia Cortez]

"Hey, hey! I did DRIVE it!...." she told him, quickly interjecting the statement as she held her hand up, her face turning somewhat stony, trying to look serious as possible, but it wasn't working fully. The facade faltered however, her lips curling in humor once more. "... Just into the ceiling. I'm sure if it wasn't in the way I could have pulled a Tiger Woods... Or not." More then likely not, she wasn't an avid golfer and anything she knew she learned by guess work. Not as impressive as being taught by someone, but it at least got her through miniature golf rounds.

Watching as he setup for a false swing, Ana let her eyes wander, partially watching his stance taking the note, the other just admiring the view. Shameless, simply shameless, she knew it was, but that didn't stop her eyes from having a mind of their own. Or her thoughts that seemed to slip into the gutter as he spoke further. "Arching and making it in to the hole... You know, it doesn't sound like you're talking very much about golf there, Jack" she added bluntly, her gaze slipping up to his face, awaiting his reaction, wondering if she'd make him laugh, or make him blush. But it was of course for the most part innocent. She liked making him uncomfortable, like she would a sibling.

[Jack Shephard]

"If you're able to pull a Tiger Woods, I'll get rose to fine some sort of leaves or fabric or something to make you a Green Jacket." Jack said with a grin, until Ana spoke once more about making it into the hole, and Jack scoffed, shaking his head lightly. "You just have to remind me that I'm on an island, don't you?" he asked, and then moved, holding out the club to her. "Here. Show me what you can do, and I'll see if I can get you hitting like Tiger."

He moved, grabbing one of the tee's and balls from the bag and he bent down, setting the ball up. He looked back up at her and laughed slightly. "C'mon! Show me. It's not like we have anything better to do. Besides, I think you may surprise yourself when you don't have a ceiling over your head."

[Ana-Lucia Cortez]

Eying the club as he placed it in her hands, her brow furrowed. The expression on her face clearly showed off her thoughts almost as much as her words did as he moved off to the caddy. "You're kidding, right?" she voiced, not liking where this was going. Not that she was really embarrassed, there were very few things she was embarrassed, and a game of her screwed up golfing skills was thankfully not one of those. It was hazardous for everyone else standing around when she had a golf club in her hands, with her luck she'd end up swinging and sending the ball backwards hurling at the poor doctor's head. Although, the logic of physics would probably disagree with that judgment, but the island seemed to defy all other logic, so why not?

However, even as he set up the ball, she looked back the club, gritting her teeth. There was obviously no winning for her in this argument as he pressed on. And maybe it wouldn't hurt to 'attempt' her hand. His funeral honestly. Exhaling, she rolled her eyes, stepping up to the plate. "Don't blame me if you get hit," she told him, waiting for him to move out her striking distance before she started to set up her stance.

Getting parallel with the ball, she stood right beside it, like she'd seen him do, she spaced her feet apart, standing up straight but not locked up. Glancing into the distance briefly she tried to judge how hard to try to hit the ball as well as the distance from where she stood in comparison to the hole before glancing down again. Bringing up her club, she practiced swung once, getting a feel for it in her hands, lining up the shot so when she brought it down again she wouldn't do something stupid, like swing and miss the damn thing.

However, when she was satisfied, she brought down the arc, hitting the ball as hard as she could, the ball and the tee flying into the air. The tee came down first, a few feet away, getting lost in the grass, while the ball went up more straight into the air, landing a few yards ahead. "You were saying?" she asked, towards the horrible swing, her face looking somewhat smart-assed as a 'I told ya so' look spread over her features.

[Jack Shephard]

Jack felt himself smirk as he watched her set up, but as Ana hit the ball, Jack's mirk twisted into something between a confused look and an amused look. He watched as the tee shot up into the air, as well as the ball, and arched an eye brow as they both landed on the ground a few feet away from her. He watched face, his confused smirk spreading into an amused one. "Well," he said after a moment, "You hit the ball?" he offered. "That's good that you hit the ball, you just need to work on yoiur swing."

He moved, bending down to get the tee and ball. He set it up again, and motioned for her to come over to him. "You're making it too hard. You're wanting it to bad." he told her, and moved behind her, wrapping his arms around her so he could take the club, placing his hands over hers. "Besides, your gripping the club like you're going to choke it. It's not Sawyer's neck, it's just a club." he commented with a smirk before releasing her hands slightly on the club. He placed his hands over hers, and looked towards where the hole was. "Just picture the ball going into the hole. Look down at the ball and picture the club hitting it." He lifted her arms with his. "Don't swing it like an axe...it's got to glide." he told her, making a practice swing with her arms and hands. "You'll be surprised how far it will go without you trying to destroy it."

He adjusted his stance slightly, looking at the hole and then at the ball. "Take in a breath, bring the club back, and--"

The club that Ana and Jack were holding connected with the ball, and it soared, bouncing and rolling to land in the hole. A smirk crossed Jack's face as he squinted against the sun to see where the ball had landed, only to see that she had made it. The smile spread wider. "Well, we won't count that earlier swing. Practice shot. So," he said, looking at Ana. "Hole in one. Congratulations."

[Ana-Lucia Cortez]

Her eyes rolled up to the sky as Jack commented on the swing. This whole idea of golfing was slowly winding down the drain it seemed, but then Ana wasn't ever really all that great with sports if they weren't contact sports. Give her a football, or a basketball, or hell, a hockey puck and she could easily pull a miracle off. Exhaling as she watched him set it up again and motioned for her to come to him she apprehensively stared at him a moment. "Your funeral," she mttered after a moment and moved towards him.

Getting into her stance again, she looked over her shoulder at him as he came up behind her, grabbing at the club. Trying to relax her hands some, she did just as he instructed, but that didn't stop the next comment from her lips. "Still fun to pretend," she remarked. "Not like he wouldn't be good for it." Of course she still felt back about the whole stomping on his shoulder, feeling partially responsible for the fact his wound had gotten infected. He hadn't exactly deserved it, but he had a rock in his hand and no doubt he was going to use it to get back at her. And then there was the whole Sun kidnapped incident where everyone thought it was her just trying to get them to use the gun. She was still highly pissed over that fiasco.

However, she couldn't think about that as Jack tried helping her through the motions. Relaxing her grip she followed his movements as he lead her hands. Glide.. Glide... Gotta glide the damn thing, her mind interjected as she finally followed through and the club swung back, and forth back and then finally she hit it and the ball went soaring. This time it flew in the air, and not straight up. Following it, it kept going into the distance, becoming smaller and smaller until it touched down... rolling... rolling until it finally landed into the hole. "Holy shit..."