Author's Note: Here is the next chapter. I hope you guys like it. More soon.

Land of Sky Blue Waters

After they had eaten and both of them had taken short naps, Jon and Cassie took Jack's battered canoe out onto the lake. Cassie sat in the front while Jon paddled from the back. They slowly circumvented the lake watching the moose and other wildlife from the boat.

After a while Jon stopped paddling, letting them drift with the lake's current. He couldn't help remembering the last time he'd – Jack had – done this was with Charlie. It had been their last trip to the cabin before the boy's death. At first it had been really hard as he remembered his son that wasn't his son, but Cassie's quiet chatter and tour guide persona soon broke through his melancholy allowing him to enjoy the scenery around him for its own sake once again.

Hours later, they turned the canoe back to the cabin. As they neared the dock, Cassie began to rock the canoe, first gently, then with more and more vigor. "Cassie, what are you doing?" Jon demanded irritated as the boat dipped close to the surface of the water.

"I'm having fun. Haven't you ever tipped a canoe before?" as she filled the boat with water.

"Can't say that I have. I thought that was the whole point of a boat was to you dry and not get soak-" Jon was cut off as Cassie managed to roll the canoe enough to tip it over and both of them spilled into the lake.

Coming up sputtering, Jon glaring at the half sunk canoe and then at Cassie before demanding, "What do we do now?" he asked, gazing at the dock which was still a good fifty meters away.

"We just tow the canoe to the dock and empty it out. You can't tell me the water isn't nice after being out in the sun." She was treading water beside him.

"Yes, it is, but we could have changed and gone swimming after we got back to the shore. I hate wet shoes. These aren't going to be dry until sometime tomorrow." Gesturing at the submerged but still half floating canoe, "Are you going to help me with this?" He tried to push the heavy canoe toward the dock.

With a smile on her face Cassie swam over and helped him move the water-loaded boat. They emptied the canoe and tied it up on the dock. Next they took off their sodden life jackets flinging them on to the dock to dry.

Jon was about to ask Cassie what she wanted to do now as she jumped out of the water, landing on Jon's head and dunking him under.

He came up a little ways from her, shaking his hair, spraying her with water and smiling a devious smile before he disappeared under the water. Cassie scanned the water, wondering what he was doing.

A minute or so passed and she began to get worried. "Jon where are you?" She spun around in the water, but he was no where in sight.

Suddenly, something pulled her by the legs beneath the surface, barely able to snatch a breath before submerging. Kicking whatever had grabbed her leg she realized it was Jon. He was grinning like a Cheshire cat.

They surfaced together and Jon chuckled. "Don't challenge me. I always win."

"I can see that now. Truce?" Cassie watched him warily, wondering if she was now going to get dunked too.

"Truce, let's go find some food. I'm starved." Jon swam back to the dock again. He climbed out of the water offering Cassie his hand.

With a smile on her face she took it, pulling him into the water before climbing out herself. "Never underestimate me either." and then she headed into the cabin to change clothes.

Jon treading water watched her walk away. "I won't," and he climbed out of the water to followed her to the cabin to get changed.

The next few days were spent with enjoyable long walks through the surrounding woods. Jon let Cassie lead him through the trails that he'd walked over hundreds of times, but with her, it was like seeing them for the very first time. Cassie showed him all the little things he had never noticed or looked for, thinking he knew the paths so well.

The first thing she pointed out was a tree where a bear had left it's claw marks, then an alpine meadow just off the trail where there was always deer to be seen and wild flowers to be picked, an eagles' nest high in an old tree where, if you were patient enough, you were able to see eaglets being fed. Each one was a small amazing thing that made his life a little brighter, just like Cassie did.

The morning of the last day, Jon and Cassie packed a picnic and took it up to the meadow, where they spent the morning watching the deer quietly from the edge of the forest. When the deer finished grazing and left, the teenagers entered the meadow choosing a spot to spread out their blanket, slowly eating their meal.

Once they were finished and had packed away the leftovers to take back to the cabin, Cassie wandered through the meadow, picking various wild flowers. When she had gathered a large bouquet she came back, lying down on the blanket, resting her head on Jon's leg. Her fingers quickly wove the stems into two crowns, one which she placed on Jon's head and the other on her own.

Jon's first impulse was to take it off, but then he saw the glint in Cassie's eye: she had expected him to do just that, so instead, Jon leaned back against the tree trunk and closed his eyes. The breeze was warm and the smell of wildflowers tickled his nose: the sensation of peace was back.

He had been doing a lot of thinking about what he would do with his life ever since that first day on the dock. About a month ago he had written the SATs and scored high, which was to be expected when you had the memories of a man who had lived over fifty years, and had done so the first time already. His plan had always been to go back to the Air Force Academy and follow the same path Jack had walked, but now he wasn't sure that he should or that he actually had to.

A great part of him wanted to see and to do different things, learn more about the way things worked, to maybe understand more than just the basics of what Carter was talking about when she prattled on about all that stuff Jack didn't care about. Though Jack had always pretended to be, he was everything but a stupid man and neither was Jon. He had the ability to do so much with his life. Maybe it was time to head back to school, only this time it would be to the Academy.

A surge of excitement coursed through him at the decision as he took another step towards becoming, leaving Jack in the past where he belonged.

"What'cha thinking about?" Cassie's voice startled him out of his thoughts. He had actually forgotten she was there.

"I was just making a few decisions about my life. I'm gonna go back to school," Jon explained to Cassie as he played with a strand of her red-blond hair.

Cassie looked up, "Really, you're coming back to Central?"

He could hear the excitement in her voice at the thought of seeing him every day. He hated to burst her bubble, but it was better to do it now than later. "No, I was thinking more of college. I scored high enough on my SATs to be able to get in. I need to do something that challenges me and high school just doesn't cut it. I need to push my life forward, find out what I want to do with my life. I always thought I would have to go one way, but I don't have to. It's my life not-" he stopped, suddenly realizing what he had been about to say.

Wondering what he had been talking about, Cassie asked, "Not whose life?"

Jon searched for a way to climb out of the hole he'd dug for himself. "My brother. I don't have to follow in his footsteps. I can make my own choices and be me."

"You have a brother?" She sat up and looked at him. Her eyes were full of compassion. "Why haven't you ever mentioned him before? I mean, you don't like to talk about your family, so I never asked." Cassie wanted to know about his life and his family, but she wasn't going to push him to talk about them.

She had come to care deeply for him and she wanted to understand his pain, and thus understand him a little better, but it was like peeling an onion: you got through one layer and there was just another one to be found.

Rubbing the back of his neck, Jon sighed and tried to think of a way to explain about Jack without really revealing his relationship to Jack. "My brother and I don't get along very well. He and I are too much alike. So we have agreed to just ignore each other. It's better that way for both of us. As for my parents, they're both gone. They died a few years ago and my brother and I parted ways about six months ago."

Sitting up Cassie touched his face, "Is there no one else, nobody?"

Shaking his head Jon said, "I had some friends I was really close to. The three of us had been through a lot together but we lost touch when I left home. I miss them and my old life, but I know I can't go back. It's lost to me forever. I can only go forward." He forced himself to smile. "Besides I have you." Turning his face, he kissed the palm of her hand.

Cassie's heart wrenched. His story was so close to hers. He'd lost everything, just like she had. Jon had always talked around what had happened to him, but hearing it now made her want to cry. She had been so wrapped up in her own misery she had failed to wonder about Jon's. A single tear slipped out of her eye and Jon reached out and caught it with his thumb. "Don't cry for me. I'm not worth it. I never was."

Smiling a watery smile, Cassie shook her head. "That is what makes you worth it. You fail to see how wonderful you are. Jon, I have never met anyone like you. You seem to understand me, without me saying anything. It's like you knew everything about me before I told you." Cassie's eyes took on a soft dopey look as she leaned forward and Jon knew just what she wanted to do.

Breaking the moment, Jon suddenly got to his feet, "We should get going. We still need to pack and clean the cabin before we go tomorrow. We should head back."

Cassie looked disappointed, but didn't say a word as she helped him fold the blanket, tucking in into his pack. She headed down the path, feeling alone once more. Jon caught her hand before she's gone a few steps and squeezed her hand. Trying to keep his voice light, he asked, "What are you making for our last meal?"

"I thought I'd let you cook those steaks you bought, just don't burn them like Jack does. I hate the taste of charcoal." She smiled then and he knew that they were okay.

Hand in hand they headed back to the cabin.

There you guys go. Leave a review and make me smile. I really do when I read them. Kelleth