Jack had no idea what possessed him to do something so foolish. Actually, he did. Right around when Sarah had gotten married he made a few passing comments to Mac about how he felt his mortality creeping up on him and some sort of comment about seeing a bunch of little Jacks running around. Of course that all could have been the after affects of whatever drug whats-his-name-bad-guy-of-the-week had pumped through his body a few days before he felt compelled to fill out an online dating profile.
Old-man. Crazy uncle. Comments about the gray in his hair. These were just some of the things that his friends teased him about. Now Jack knew that it was all in good fun and that Mac, Riley, Bozer, and hell even Mattie the Hun didn't really mean anything by the jokes. But still. Sometimes the comments ragged on him and built up momentum over time. Of course Jack wasn't going to deny that the clock was ticking and that he had been around the block once or twice. Or maybe a few more times then that but who's counting anyway? Jack wanted to live his life to the fullest. As much as he could being a covert spy for the government anyway.
He didn't want any lingering regrets over his head the kinds that he confessed only to his fathers tombstone after his passing. Simple little things like how Jack felt bad he had missed so much of his fathers life after they stopped talking to each other after Jack enlisted in the army. Jack also talked about the things he still didn't want to miss. Having a child. Maybe a son or a daughter, thinking of Riley. Maybe both. A wife.
Realistically Jack knew he was no spring chicken and some day maybe sooner then he was ready for, his number would be up on one of the crazy missions his team and he completed. Mac was the absolute best at what ever you call what he does, he was also the smartest person that Jack had ever come across in his whole life. That didn't mean that one day there could be a miscalculation or a variable that Mac couldn't account for in time. When that happened Jack knew without a doubt that he was going to be the one to go. He would make sure of it. There was no way he was going to let his best friend or his pseudo daughter Riley be put in harms way. Not when Jack could prevent it. Even if that meant stepping in front of a bullet.
Although, none of that mattered right now. How could he have been so stupid?
6 Months Earlier...
Jack nervously tapped the fingers of his right hand down on the glass neck of the beer bottle he had been nursing for the last ten minutes. Jack started to scold himself for doing this in the first place. If Mac only knew what he was up to. Actually, Mac probably would be more than fine with this, he'd just rib him about it. Jack glanced up at the front door when it was opened but turned back to his beer bottle when it wasn't who he was waiting for.
As Jack sat there he let his mind wander back to a few weeks ago when he had received a message on his online dating profile. There was a picture of a beautiful Asian woman who had seen his profile, liked what she saw and asked him if he would like to meet. Now Jack may not have been as smart as Mac but he was nobody's fool. So the first thing he did was research this woman to make sure this she was real and on the up and up. He didn't see anything in a quick search that would give him reason to sound the alarm. Except for the fact she didn't look any older than Mac or Riley, which was kind of disconcerting. When he finally responded back to her, her age was one of the things he mentioned. She replied that she had always looked young but that she was in fact the thirty-seven years that her profile stated as her age. She had her birth certificate to prove it.
So taking a leap, Jack had responded to her after a wonky mission that had left the whole team exhausted from the constant running they ended up having to do, and maybe his defenses were lowered from being tired but he said that he would meet with her. Not long after that she sent him the info to meet up with her. Which was what he was doing sitting in this bar that had surprisingly good line up of beer on tap and delicious smelling appetizers coming out of the kitchen. Jack was so focused on reminiscing the last few weeks that he almost missed seeing her walk through the doors. Almost. She was even prettier than her picture gave her justice for. Jack sat stupefied for a few moments while she scanned around the bar. Most likely looking for him. It was just long enough for some young stud who was three sheets to the wind already, to start staggering toward his date.
Jack jumped up and breezed past the unsteady twenty-something staggering in her direction and stepped up right in front of her. She was much shorter than he anticipated. Only coming up to his shoulders, barely. "Are you Kagome?" Her startled eyes swung around from taking in her surroundings to meet him and the chocolate brown depths warmed upon recognizing him. "Yes, I am. You are Jack Dalton?" her voice was light and airy. Before he could respond with an affirmative. The drunk came right up to her by-passing Jack completely without even a glance. Big mistake.
"Hey, Babe." He slurred. "Why don't you and I go out to my car and I'll show you how fast I can go." The innuendo wasn't lost on either of them. Kagome shuffled away a little from the rude drunk at the same time that Jack grabbed his upper arm and forcefully pushed him out the front door of the bar. "You do not speak to women that way." Jack outright growled. When the drunk staggered a bit and tried to take a swing at him. All Jack had to do was lean back a little and the other man unable to catch himself, fell flat on his face. Jack turned just in time to see Kagome come stop beside him. As she gave him a once over from head to toe Jack looked down and became nervous that this date may not even have had a chance to start before she took to the hills.
"Are you injured anywhere?" Jack snapped his head up at her calm tone, meeting her curious eyes he shook his head no "Good." She nodded. "Thank you for that. You handled that very efficiently." Jack was about to say that he'd seen his fare share of scuffles in his. When Kagome lunged passed him he watched out of the corner of his eye, startled, as she slapped the drunk out cold who had been trying to come up behind him. Kagome turned to look at him. Sheepishly she commented "I took self defense classes a few years ago." She must have felt she needed to say something to the wide eye stare he was giving her when he saw her move so fast. "So," Jack shook himself a little. "It's nice to meet you." He asked more than stated.
The tinkling of her bell like laughter had a shit eating grin slowly over take his face. Finally catching her breath she looked at him "Want to get out of here? I know a really good diner around the corner from here and they have a really great apple pie." Jack chuckled a little to himself knowing that he would really like getting to know this woman. "Darlin' I would like nothing better than to go to that diner with you."
Present Time...
Kagome held out her hand as she looked at him from under her dark bangs fine tremors racking her whole body. Jack took a step closer and looked down already knowing what he was going to see even as the dread started to settle in the bottom if his stomach. The one little word stood out like a neon sign staring up at him almost mockingly. PREGNANT.
Well, shit.