Part Three
Go slow, Jack!, Jack told himself, not wanting to destroy the fragile trust she'd developed in him. Over the last ten days, he'd learned enough to know that she'd been badly hurt by a man – likely her husband, seeing as he wasn't in the picture – and he wasn't about to scare her.
Never mind how nicely her tall lush curves melded against his long frame as she sat next to him, or how good she smelled, or … Hoo, boy, you got it bad, Jack, his inner voice cackled.
Ah, shut up, he told that annoying inner voice.
Little Tiressa – blissfully unaware of Jack's mental rambling – took her picture, then went over to the picnic basket and dug out some paper and pencils. She then lay down on her stomach and began scribbling intently, her tongue poking out of the corner of her mouth in her concentration.
Jack smiled at the sight – God, she was adorable.
Malia looked at him quizzically. "What are you smiling about?"
Just like her mom. Jack chuckled. "What; ya don't trust me?" he replied.
Malia closed her eyes. "Jack … don't be an ass," she said.
Whoa … was she channeling Daniel? "Okay, okay." He gave in and waved his hand at the oblivious Tiressa. "That kid's just so damn cute."
Malia returned his smile a touch shyly. "You really do like children, don't you?" she said.
"Yeah. Kids are my favorite people. Is that such a surprise?"
Malia frowned. "You're military," she said. "Most soldiers bury their feelings – they have to."
Jack shrugged. "I'm not big on the whole showing my emotions thing, but there's just … something about kids."
Not entirely comfortable with the direction the conversation was going, he sought a way to change the subject. He groaned and stood up stiffly. "Geez; I think I've been sat on my butt too long," he complained, wincing as the feeling began to return to his feet. He staggered. "A-ah; got legs!" he added, stamping his feet firmly.
"Be careful of your knee," Malia said anxiously, standing up and grasping his shoulder. "You wouldn't want to incur Peral and Simona's wrath if you undo their hard work."
Jack grimaced, remember the various methods of punishment ol' Doc Fraiser used to mete out when he was being particularly obnoxious. "Good point," he admitted ruefully.
Malia studied the older man as he engaged Tiressa in a tickling bout that sent the little girl into fits of laughter. His low laughter echoed her high-pitched giggle and she chuckled to herself. Simona had been saying for a while that Tiressa needed a male presence in her life. Even though Jack would be leaving within the next few days, he'd brought something out in her daughter that Malia had rarely seen.
Although Tiressa was an affectionate loving child, she tended to be chary with anyone other than Malia and Simona – and males were a big no-no. Yet she'd freely offered her affection to the Earth man, who seemed to reciprocate.
She sighed, wondering what it was about this man that interested her. Yes, he was attractive, but she'd seen much more handsome men without being affected. Perhaps it was the combination of his rough good looks, occasional charm and genuine affection for both her and her daughter.
Charm … Simona would have choked if she'd heard that word applied to Jack O'Neill. He'd made a complete nuisance of himself during his incarceration in medbay, tormenting the nurses and barking at the doctors. Simona's relief at his final release had almost been palpable.
"Hey," Jack said.
She blinked at him. "Oh, sorry." She blushed. "I was in another world."
He chuckled. "That's pretty obvious. Whatcha thinking about?"
"Nothing important," she temporized. She took her courage in her hands. "Jack … I was wondering if you'd like to spend your last evening with us? Both Tiressa and I have really enjoyed your company – most of the time – and we'd like to say goodbye."
"Yeah; I'd like that," he returned, grimacing at her in return for the subtle dig. He hadn't exactly been sunshine and light during his convalescence. "Ya know I'm gonna miss you both, right?" he added.
Three days later:
Jack quickly rolled up his sleeping bag and attached it to his backpack. He'd spent yesterday evening with Malia and Tiressa wishing that he could stay. But having the hots for a beautiful woman wasn't enough – not when said beautiful woman was skittish.
She'd admitted that she'd miss him when he left, but when he'd brushed a kiss onto her lips in good night, she'd flinched, regarding him with huge wounded eyes. Yep; it was definitely time for him to move on – before he did anything stupid.
He laced up his boots and got up, startled when his knee didn't give the sickening crack to which he'd become accustomed. "Well … where to next?" he mused out loud. Geez; talking to himself! What next? Maybe the Alpha Site – catch up on what's going on back on Earth.
Jack paused suddenly. Earth. Not 'home'. When had that happened? He shook his head and picked up his backpack, slinging it onto his shoulders. Then he headed for the Stargate, about two klicks east.
He'd gotten about halfway there when he heard someone call his name frantically. He turned and saw Malia rush toward him, her face streaked with tears. "Malia?" he said.
"Jack!" she said. "My baby … she's gone!"
Jack felt sick at the thought that someone had taken that little girl, then pushed the emotion aside. Malia needed him. "Have you told the police?" he asked.
She nodded and sniffled. "They're … doing everything they can, but … I'm so scared. What if … what if they can't find her? I can't lose my baby!"
He drew her into a gentle hug and dropped a kiss onto her forehead. "Let's get you home," he said.
Malia allowed Jack to draw her into a hug as they entered her living room. Tiressa was right; he really was a good hugger. That thought brought another tear to her eye, and she stepped away from him. "Uh … I'm sorry," she mumbled. "You were supposed to be leaving."
"I'm not going anywhere, Malia," he said quietly. "I care about that little girl … and about you."
Malia sat down on the settee and threaded her fingers together. "We … had a fight this morning," she said. "She was mad at me. I didn't even tell her I love her – I just left her at the school and went to work mad." Her voice cracked. "That's how she's going to remember me; mad."
Jack sat down next to her and covered her hands with his. "You listen to me," he said. "The cops are gonna find your kid; you're gonna ream her good for scaring the spit outta you; then you're gonna give her the biggest bear-hug she's ever had."
"You can't know!" she cried. "This is my child!" Then she flinched – his child had died. She put her hand to his lean cheek. "I'm sorry," she mumbled. "I … didn't mean it."
He brushed his knuckles across her cheek. "I know," he said, although a hitch in his voice indicated that her remark had hurt. "I'm no good with the words but" – he put an arm around her – "my arms are good."
She gave a watery laugh. "You are a good hugger," she admitted, allowing her head to drop to his shoulder and breathing in the clean masculine scent of him.
He put an arm around her shoulder and she sighed. He felt good … maybe too good for her own peace of mind. But she was so tired and scared. Right now, she needed the comfort of another presence – even if it was that of a very attractive man.
Several hours passed and Jack and Malia were now pacing frantically in the S&R division of the GTU. The Doc walked in and headed straight up to Malia. "I just heard," she said gently. "I'm so sorry."
"Simona …". Malia gave a small wail and fell into her smaller friend's embrace. She didn't cry, Jack noted, but shook mightily. "What do I do? I can't handle this!"
Simona rubbed her friend's back in a soothing circular motion. "You're a lot stronger than you realize, Malia," she said. "Besides, it's only been six hours – you shouldn't give up hope."
Jack stuffed his fists into his pockets, glad that Malia's best friend had arrived. He went over to the Altern at the front desk. "You need another man for the search?" he asked.
The young man looked at him. "You're a stranger, sir; you don't know the terrain."
"Screw that," Jack snapped. "I spent over twenty years in my country's Air Force – I've got valuable search and rescue experience." And a buttload of extraction experience from his Black Ops days – if he found the guys who'd taken his little girl, he could kill them in a variety of painful ways.
The Altern looked at him a little more closely then nodded his head, seeming to recognize that Jack needed to do something other than pace. "Then thank you, sir," he said. "Report to Commandant Tirol – he's coordinating the operation."
"Right," Jack said curtly. He went over to Malia and put a hand to her cheek. "I'm going to go look for her," he said then nodded at Simona. "Take care of her, huh, Doc?"
Malia leaned up and placed a gentle kiss on his cheek, her huge eyes brimming with tears once more. "Thank you," she whispered.
Jack found himself paired with that kid he'd nearly throttled his first night on the planet … Remik. He swung his flashlight around, suddenly noticing small footprints. "She's been this way," he told the younger man.
The Sub-Altern bent down. "She was on her own at this point," he added. "No other prints."
Jack nodded his head – the kid was good. He clenched his hand around the flashlight as they combed the area. God … he hated this.
Jack started as he heard scrabbling in the bushes near him. He slipped his hand into his pocket, retrieving his nine mil, communicating silently with the younger man. Remik nodded and withdrew his own weapon.
They walked along the path, Jack angling off slightly. Then he made a long arm and dragged their stalker out of the bushes. He nearly dropped her. "Tiressa!" he exclaimed and hugged her tightly to him. "Oh, God … baby!" He blinked back his tears of relief. "You scared the crap out of me and your mom!"
"I got losted," Tiressa sniffled. "Mommy's mad at me, isn't she?"
"She will be," Jack said, kissing her plump tear-stained cheek. "But she loves you – just remember that. And she'll be so glad to see you."
He settled her onto his hip and smiled slightly as she snuggled her curly head into the crook of his neck. "Let's get you home, baby," he added softly.
In the meantime:
Malia had resumed her pacing as Simona received a progress report on one of her patients. She heard the birds singing … How can they sing when my baby's missing?, she thought in anguish. It was just … wrong.
Simona came back over to her. "Malia; you're going to wear yourself out," she told her gently. "I'm sure they're doing everything they can."
"I … I feel so useless, Simona," Malia whispered, her hand going up to her mouth. "All I can do is pray to gods I don't believe in for a miracle I don't think can happen."
"Jack said he'd find her," Simona said. "He's a very determined man – if he has to tear up the whole countryside, I believe he will."
Malia managed a small laugh. "By determined, you mean stubborn and cantankerous," she said.
"Absolutely," Simona agreed. "He was easily my worst patient, but his stubbornness will serve him well. Besides, I saw his face – he loves Tiressa; he'll do everything in his power to bring her home safely to you."
Malia nodded her head, realizing that it was true. The Earth man and her daughter had formed a strong and tender bond during his short stay on Belrina. "He does," she sniffled. "And she loves him, too. She even calls him Uncle."
"And what about you, Malia?" Simona asked. "I've never seen you let a man hug you the way he did."
"I … don't know," Malia admitted. "He's a kind attractive man, and he loves Tiressa. But … even if I could reciprocate, he'll be leaving soon."
"And that hurts," Simona probed.
Malia sighed – she'd never been able to hide anything from her friend. "It does," she said. "I … I'm scared of physical intimacy, yet I draw strength from him. He's a very giving man."
Simona's comdev beeped and she tapped at it. "Simona; go," she said. She listened to the caller. "She's here; I'll tell her."
Malia clutched at her friend's hands. "Tiressa?" she said, pleading for good news.
"Jack found her," Simona said. "He's taken her home."
Malia dashed the tears from her eyes. "I … uh … I have to go," she said and flew out of the GTU base.
Four hours later:
Malia stood at the doorway to her daughter's bedroom, watching as she mumbled gibberish in the depths of sleep. She'd been standing there for the last two hours, just watching her. She started as a warm hand touched her cheek. "Hey," Jack said, handing her a cup of tea.
She sighed and took the cup from him. "Thank you," she murmured. Her eyes filled with tears. "And … not just for the tea. For my baby."
"Here." Jack took the cup from her shaking hands and he led her quietly to the living room. He sat down on the settee and opened his arms. "C'mere," he invited gruffly.
She sat down next to him and chewed on her lip, struggling against the emotions that threatened to overwhelm her. "You were right," she admitted. After Malia had been reunited with her daughter, she'd told her off for scaring her, then nearly squeezed the life out of her.
Jack smiled gently at her. "Just adopt that as your mantra and you'll be fine," he teased. "Jack is always right. I will always listen to Jack. Jack is God. And if anyone honks Jack off, he'll personally deliver you up to the Goa'uld." He looked up at the ceiling. "Uh … no offense with the God comment there, big fella."
Malia managed a watery chuckle. "You're very silly, Jack," she said. She brushed at the tear that leaked out. "Damn." Another tear leaked out.
"Oh, for cryin' out loud," Jack mumbled. He scooched along the settee and pulled her into a gentle hug, rubbing his hand over her back. "Come on, baby – let it all out," he coaxed. "No-one's around to see you lose the bad-ass Sub-Commandant attitude."
She sniffled inelegantly then gave in to the mixed emotions that threatened to undo her. "Oh, gods …," she muttered, curling her fingers into his shirt and burying her head in his chest. Then she 'let it all out'.
She cried away the grief, the pain, the fright … She cried away the abuse at Kitan's hands … She cried for Jack going away. The Earth man tightened his arms around her and pressed soft comforting kisses to her hair. "There ya go," he said. "You'll feel better soon."
All cried out for now, she rested her damp cheek against his chest, feeling the strong steady heartbeat. "Thank you," she muttered, her hand still clutching at his shirt.
"You're welcome," he returned quietly, dropping a kiss onto her forehead. "Look; you're absolutely beat – why don't you go to bed?"
She yawned and nuzzled into the hollow of his throat and heard him swallow hard. "Good idea," she said around another yawn. "But only if you stay here tonight – you've had a hard day too and you deserve better than a bag on the ground."
"I don't want to impose," he said.
Malia rolled her eyes. "After what you did for me today, this is hardly imposition," she pointed out. She gulped then carried on. "Thank you is poor and inadequate, but … it's all I have." She brushed her lips across his cheek. "Please stay," she added. "I'm afraid there's no spare bed, but the settee is very comfortable."
Jack sighed then stretched his arms high above his head. "Ya sure?"
"Oh, for crying out loud!" she grumbled. "I'm sure!"
He offered her a quirky grin. "You've been spending way too much time with me," he teased lightly.
Jack shucked off his boots and swung his long legs up onto the settee, closing his eyes. He was so goddamn tired – it had been a long fraught day and his own reaction was now settling in. Earlier, he had pushed his emotions aside to concentrate on Malia – now, the stubborn little buggers refused to be silent.
He sighed heavily, sweeping shaking hands through his hair. "A-ah, damn." He got up from the settee once more and padded quietly to the kitchen. He opened the door to the fridge … check that; coolant unit … and pulled out a bottle of milk. He downed half its contents straight from the bottle then grimaced. Sara had hated when he did that – he'd lived alone too long, become uncivilized.
He put the bottle back in the fridge, suddenly wishing desperately for a cigarette. He'd given up smoking nearly seven years ago – after he'd gotten back from the first mission to Abydos – yet the cravings occasionally hit him, even now.
He knew they were nasty. He knew they were stinky. And he knew they could kill him. But they were just so … right. Crap. He hurriedly scooped up a piece of pie and bit into it, closing his eyes in bliss as the sweet pastry mingled with the tart apple-like fruit. Yeah; he was orally fixated – so what?
"Jack?"
Busted. He turned and faced Malia – a sweet rumpled vision with black curls and a body to kill mere mortals. "Ummph," he grunted around his pie.
She chuckled. "Chew and swallow, Jack," she advised lightly. "You can't inhale pie, much as you might like to."
He swallowed. "Yeah," he said less than articulately. "Sorry 'bout that – attack of the munchies."
She went over to him. "I went through the same thing when …" – she swallowed hard – "… I became addicted to anti depressants." She frowned. "But I got through it, and so can you."
He shook his head, wondering what she wasn't telling him. "Not pills for me," he said. "Cigarettes."
She gave another frown – this one more a puzzled one. "Cigarettes?" she queried, tilting her head slightly to one side.
Jack closed his eyes in remembered bliss – the click of the lighter, that first pull … Damn; where was a 7/11 when you needed one? "Nicotine, a plant on Earth, is shredded and stuffed into little paper tubes. People smoke them to relax. It ain't the same as pep pills."
"This nicotine … it's also a drug, yes?" she said.
She had him there. "Yeah," he admitted reluctantly. "I was a twenty a day guy for over fifteen years. I gave up a while ago, but I still want one – or ten – when I've had a crappy day."
"Like today," she said. He nodded his head then grinned as she pulled out the entire pie. "The hell with it – let's stuff ourselves until we burst!" she added.
He chuckled. "I like your style, babe," he admitted.
One pie and several portions of meat later, Malia leaned back against the settee, her stomach full and complaining. "Ugh," she groaned. "I feel like a ril'ta."
Jack waggled his eyebrows at her. "A what?"
Sometimes she forgot that the man was an alien. "Oh. It's a farm animal we have on this planet. It's rotund and will eat almost anything."
Jack chuckled. "Yeah; we got something similar on Earth. We call 'em pigs," he offered.
"Pigs." She nodded her head. "I like that word – short and to the point." She sighed as her stomach complained again, then turned and faced Jack, placing her hand on his. "I … wanted to apologize for last night," she added. "You … took me by surprise."
"You felt threatened," he replied, squeezing her hand. "Malia; you've gone through crap no-one should ever have to go through. I don't know what that is, and I suspect I'll never know. But … you should talk to someone about it. You're a young beautiful woman, with your whole life ahead of you. You deserve happiness."
Malia's eyes widened at his perspicacity and she nodded her head. "Simona said the same," she admitted. "But I'm not fond of professional analysts – I don't trust them." She returned the gentle squeeze. "But … thank you, anyway," she added, brushing a kiss onto his cheek.
His eyes closed for a second then he smiled at her. "No problem," he responded, letting go of her hand after another squeeze.
Malia screwed up her courage, and put a trembling hand out to trace the line of his lips. For a hardened soldier, they were surprisingly soft. Then she leaned forward and touched her lips to that softness.
He didn't respond overtly to the kiss, seeming to sense that she needed to dictate the pace, but his lips parted slightly. Feeling a little more confident now, she rested a hand on his shoulder and pressed a warmer kiss onto his lips.
This time he responded, brushing her lips softly with his tongue before withdrawing. "Sweeeeeeeet," he muttered.
She went pink but chuckled at the same time. "I liked that," she murmured shyly. "Thank you for … letting me do that."
"Oh, my pleasure," he said cheekily, bringing another smile to her face.
She groaned as her stomach complained again, then leaned up against Jack with a yawn. "I'm tired," she mumbled.
He put an arm around her shoulders. "Then get to bed, young lady," he said in a would-be stern manner.
She yawned once more and shook her head. "I can't sleep," she admitted. "I know … she's back safe, but I keep thinking what could've happened." She slipped an arm around his lean waist, taking comfort in his strong presence. "Let's … just sit here a while longer, huh?"
Jack woke up reluctantly. He'd not slept so well in years, and he wondered what was different.
Then he realized that his arms were full of a soft warm female. Ah. He shifted carefully as she mumbled something, tightening her hold on him. "Jack …," she said, burying her face into the crook of his neck. "Don't go."
Oh, this was so not good. Well, it was good, but … D'oh! Jack would have slapped his head if he'd had a hand free. "I'm not going anywhere," he said.
"What?" She blinked up at him then sighed. "Was I talking in my sleep?" she asked. "I tend to do that."
Her lips hovered near his Adam's apple and he swallowed as he became aware of every inch of her curved form. "Okay …," he said cautiously. Think non-sexy things!, he chanted to himself. Think non-sexy things!
Much to his surprise, it actually worked and his heart rate settled down. Huh; Black Ops training at its best, he mused.
