Disclaimers: I don't own it, any of it, because things would be a LOT different if I did.
Notes: Chloe's about 14 in this, and Sam & Chloe live in Atlanta, in their house Sam bought in season 3. Oops, and this isn't exactly following canon. In my fic, sometime in the second season, Bailey was killed by Jack. Yes, I am working that into another story.
Samantha Waters sat up in her bed, gasping for air. "It was only a dream... A dream." She pushed the covers off, and swung her legs over the side of the bed. She glanced at the clock before getting out of bed and stumbling down the hallway to Chloe's room. After checking to make sure Chloe was fast asleep, Sam went downstairs and picked up the phone. She dialed a number, and waited for an answer. "Hey, it's me... Yes, I know it's 2 o'clock. Can you come over? Please.... Great, I'll see you soon." She hung up, and walked over to the large window, resting her head on the cool glass, watching the rain pour down outside.
Soon after that, there was a knock on the door. Sam rushed over and unlocked the door, throwing it open and pulling the visitor inside.
"Hey Sam, what's wrong?" John Grant asked, taking off his coat. Sam took his arm and led him to the couch, where he sat down.
"I had that dream again," Sam said, pacing the floor. "The one where Jack comes back. The one where he takes Chloe and just disappears. And this time, it seemed so real. There was just something about it, that made me think 'What if Jack isn't really dead? What if he's just waiting to pounce, waiting for us to relax enough so that he doesn't think we care anymore?' And I just..."
John grabbed Sam's hands, and pulled her on the couch next to him. "Hey, it's okay, Sam. We know Jack is dead. We know it's the real Jack, too. He's been gone for 5 years, Sam. What's making you hold on?"
"John, I know he's dead, but it's hard to forget living in fear sometimes. I'm still getting used to not having a security camera in every room of the house. He stalked me for six years! He took away six years of my life! He killed so many people I love. Tom, Coop, Bailey... All of them were killed because they got too close to me!"
"They knew what they were doing. They stayed with you because they loved you, Jack or not. And Sam, how many chances did he have to hurt you, or Angel, or Chloe? What about the rest of the VCTF? If Jack wanted to kill everyone who ever got close to you, he would've had to kill me, Grace, George, Nate, and Marcus, too. We all knew that getting close to you was dangerous, but we did it anyway. We love you, Sam."
"What if... What if I hadn't came back? I'm doubting everything now, John. What the hell possessed me to come back? I knew that coming back would be a death sentence for someone... When I started at the FBI, I started because I wanted to be able to help others, not hurt them. I wanted to be able to save lives, dammit!" Sam said loudly.
"You did, Sam. You saved so many people from killers. You can't save everyone, you know. When I started, I wanted the exact same thing. I realized long ago that it wouldn't happen. We try our hardest to save people. Most of the time, it's only after 3 or more people are murdered. But some... Some we just can't save, and those are the hardest. I know we tried our hardest to save Bailey, Sam," John said. "I know it wasn't enough. No one says anything, but I think all of us regret sending him there alone. And you can see it in everyone's faces. It's was exactly five years today... Grace and George were both silent. The rookies couldn't understand."
"I can't either. Why him, John? Why pick the man I was in love with?" Sam asked, tears silently making their way down her face.
"I don't know. Some people call it fate, some people call it destiny. Personally, those sound too happy for what it really is. It's just what happened when a cruel cold blooded killer fell in love with you, Sam. You didn't have any control over it. Now, I want you to go upstairs, give Chloe a kiss for me, and go to bed, okay?" John said.
"Okay, I will." Sam watched as John stood up and took his coat off the back of the chair he had tossed it on. He moved into the foyer to open the door when Sam asked him to wait. She stood up and crossed the living room into the foyer. "Thank you, John. I really-"
"It's no problem. Anything for you, Sam," John said, giving her a hug. "I better go."
"Night, John," Sam said as he walked out into the rain. She closed and locked the door behind him, and headed upstairs. "I won't think about it today, I'll think about it tomorrow, because after all, tomorrow's just another day."