AN: This is my second episode tag, and my second in what will be my personal challenge to write a tag for every episode. I'm not as impressed with this one, and it was harder to find something to write about. It's more of a drabble than anything else, but it's okay I guess. I hope you enjoy it, and please leave a review!
Within a few minutes of being on the road - after getting away from Barrio's men of course - both Mac and Riley had fallen asleep. It had been a long day, so Jack wasn't surprised, but that left him and Sarah basically alone in the car. Neither one really knew what to say, which lended to the slightly awkward silence between them. It was ironic, really. There was so much that both of them had to say, yet neither one knew where to begin. Sarah eventually decided to just start with the basics.
"Thanks, Jack. If it weren't for you and your team, I could be dead, so thank you," she finally said, keeping her voice down as to not wake the sleeping geniuses.
"I'm just doing my job, but I'd gladly do it again, for you," Jack replied in the same, calm voice.
"Your team is pretty good. But how'd you end up with two kids? Like I said, they're good, but I would've expected someone as experienced as you to have a team that's equally experienced," she finished, somewhat hesitantly. It sounded like she was afraid of offending Jack, and wasn't sure what her words sounded like.
Jack understood her curiosity. She wasn't the first to underestimate Mac, or Riley for that matter, because of age, and she certainly wouldn't be the last.
"Oh trust me, they're a lot more experienced than you would think. Both of them have had pretty hard lives, but it's made them who they are. Riley, she lived with a single mom most of her life. Her dad was a deadbeat, and abused her mom. I, uh, actually, dated her mom, for a little while, so I've known her since she was twelve. Things eventually went from bad to worse, and she ended up in prison for hacking the NSA. But, she's one of the most brilliant young women I've ever met, and she knows how to handle herself. What she lacks in field experience, she makes up for in bravery and creativity.
"Mac, on the other hand, his mom died when he was five, and his dad walked out on him when he was ten. He hasn't seen the old man since. The kid dealt with all kinds of bullying growing up because he was different. You know how kids can be. He did two years at MIT, then we met in the desert. He was an EOD tech, and I was his overwatch. Now, I gotta be honest with you, I actually thought he was super annoying when we first met, but I quickly grew a soft spot for the kid."
Jack paused, but Sarah was pretty sure he wasn't done talking, so she didn't say anything.
"I don't know why I'm tellin' you all of this, but I guess you deserve to know. I reenlisted because of him. Nearly every single person that has ever been important in that boy's life has left him." Another pause. "I couldn't be one of them. I had to protect him. Eventually, some stuff went down that I really shouldn't get into, and we were both honorably discharged. We took the job at Phoenix soon after, although it wasn't called that at the time, and we've been together ever since. And I wouldn't change a thing about it.
"This team means everything to me, Sarah. These kids mean everything to me."
The emotion in Jack's voice was palpable, leaving Sarah with an odd mix of emotions herself. She had never realized how much she had missed Jack until she was with him again. The man was truly remarkable.
"I can tell. And I'm pretty sure the feeling is reciprocated. I haven't been one of the CIA's top profilers for nothing. I can see how much they both care about you too," she said.
"Aww thanks, Sarah. They're great kids. I'm glad you've gotten to meet them."
Neither one mentioned the fact that Jack was talking about the two as if they were his own flesh and blood children. Maybe Sarah would have said something, but both she and Jack noticed that Mac was stirring. It was better that that conversation was had in private, if to be had at all.
"Me too," she whispered. "But I just have to thank you again, Jack, for getting me out," she continued, returning to a normal tone of voice now that Mac was awake. Sarah then turned the conversation back to the original topic. That was enough emotional conversation for one day. Or maybe it wasn't.