True North
by Jaclyn Parker

I must acknowledge, once and for all, that the purpose of diplomacy is to prolong a crisis.
~Star Trek, Mr. Spock
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When Jack and Janet arrived at Al's Diner, it became apparent that they weren't the only ones who had the thought of going to the family friendly restaurant for dinner. Jack and Janet waved to Kelly, a familiar waitress who waved back and whispered to the front hostess. Five minutes later they were seated at a side table for two, menus in front of them.

"It's good to know the right people." Janet joked and Jack grinned at her.

A recognizable laugh made Jack's eyes dart to the right and land on the large family sized booth that now made up the far side of Al's Diner. He immediately recognized his kids and ex-wife as well as Dr. Reynolds and his niece.

"Catch this one!" Sage said and tossed another French fry in Lee's direction. The handsome doctor opened his mouth and leaned forward just in time to catch the greasy treat in his mouth.

"Ow! That was hot, Sage! A little warning next time!" Lee cried, chewing quickly and trying to take in air at the same time. They all laughed again at Lee's pained expression, Sage nearly falling off the end of the booth in hysterics.

Carly ducked her head, to hide her face behind her hand.

"You guys are embarrassing me!" She said, jokingly.

"Hey, come on, darlin'. At least we're not sticking them up our noses!" Lee said and winked at the kids, who made faces but continued to laugh.

"Oh, good one, Doc. Let's just encourage the kids to act like crazy people in public." Carly said, her blue eyes twinkling at him. At his shrug she laughed again, as she casually took in the rest of the now full diner.

When Jack and Carly's eyes met, each of them froze in their spots. As it usually did, the world around them seemed to fade to a dull roar and it was as if nothing else existed but them. For a moment anyway.

Sage had followed her mom's gaze and she broke out into a grin.

"Daddy!" Sage looked at Carly, silently asking permission, her whole body shaking with excitement.

"Of, course. Go say hi." Carly said, brought back into reality as she looked down at her daughter.

Sage didn't need anymore encouraging and bolted out of her seat to run and hug Jack.

"Hey Princess." Jack said, hugging Sage tightly and grinning at her. He hated that the argument that he and Carly had the week before had affected their relationship so much, particularly when he knew it was also affecting their kids. When he had told Janet what he had said to Carly that night, even she had looked at him in shock and told him flat out that he was an idiot. Jack kept meaning to apologize but for some reason he just couldn't bring himself to say it, especially when Lee was around.

"Hi, Sage." Janet said and Sage's smile dimmed but not as much as it used to.

"Hi." She said, somewhat shyly. Sage pressed closer to Jack, but she didn't ignore Janet, which Jack took as a good sign.

"Daddy, come say hi." Sage said, pulling away to lead him to their table. Jack looked at Janet who smiled at him.

"Actually, do you mind if I come too Sage? I have to ask your mom something." Janet said and Sage paused but then nodded.

"Um, sure."

Jack exchanged a semi-shocked look with Janet who just shrugged and followed them over to the larger table.

Parker watched them coming and began to feel slightly nauseous. It had been a good, fun dinner and he just wanted to stay as drama-free as possible after the situation with Liberty earlier. He jumped slightly when he felt Mattie squeeze his hand under the table. He tossed her a small smile and she took her hand away, reaching for her milkshake, her wide green eyes observing everything.

Unbeknownst to them, Lee had done the same gesture to Carly, who was watching her ex and his fiancée head their way with an massive sense of dread.

"Hi." Jack said, upon reaching the table.

"Hi." Carly echoed and for a moment they just stared at each other.

Janet watched them, an uncomfortable feeling making the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. She turned to the man sitting next to Carly in the booth and extended her hand.

"Hi, I'm Janet Ciccone." She said, cheerfully, effectively breaking the eye contact that Jack and Carly had going.

"Hi, Lee Reynolds." Lee said, accepting her handshake.

Janet eyed him carefully, taking in how handsome he was and the Australian accent. If she didn't have Jack…

Turning, Janet turned to look at the young girl sitting on his other side and next to Parker.

"That must make you Mattie." Janet said and could instantly see why Liberty had come home in such a funk. The young girl was a knockout and by the way she and Parker were sitting and talking, they were obviously close.

"Yes, ma'am. It's nice to meet you." Mattie said.

"Oh please. No ma'am stuff okay? Makes me sound 90 years old. Good manners though." Janet said and Mattie gave her a small smile.

A silence lulled and Sage looked up at Janet.

"Didn't you wanna ask my mom something?" She said and all eyes turned to Janet, who smiled nervously.

"Um, I did actually. Thank you Sage." Janet said and laughed before clearing her throat and looking at Carly. "I'm sure you know that our engagement party is on Saturday and of course the kids are invited. I just wanted to let you know, formally, that you are more than welcome to come too."

The scene that followed could have been taken from any primetime sitcom.

The kids and Lee looked at Carly; Carly looked at Jack; Jack looked at Janet; and then they all looked down at the table, trying to figure out the best course of action for what to do next.

Carly's mind went through a complete schizophrenic cycle, from shock to anger to disbelief to shock again and then finally…acceptance. She knew she needed to do this, for her kids if not for herself. Carly knew that Jack was going to get married and she, during times of extreme stupidity, had even pushed him into Janet's arms herself. She was partly to blame for the way things had turned out and no matter how much it tore at her inside she would not deny him a chance at happiness. Not this time.

"I'd be happy to go, Janet. Thank you for inviting me." Carly finally said slowly and it was as if someone had hit a pause button on a movie. No one moved; no one even breathed.

"You…I…really?" Janet said and at Carly's nod, she broke into a grin. "That's fantastic! And of course you can bring your…friend."

Lee bit back a chuckle then a yelp when Carly's nails dug into his thigh. He quickly covered them both up with a fake cough.

"Thank you." He managed to get out, tossing Carly an amused look when she calmly handed him her water glass.

"Okay," Jack said, dragging out the word as he tried to figure out what had just happened between Lee and Carly. He glanced down and saw that his hands had curled into fists. He quickly told himself to relax and forced the wave of what he told himself was irrational anger, back down. "We're sorry to interrupt your dinner. We'll head back to our table and I'll see you on Thursday for Thanksgiving."

A chorus of goodnights sounded and the respective tables went back to their own meals. It was a relatively quiet from that point on and soon Lee and Carly were preparing to get the check and say goodnight themselves.

While waiting for the check J.J. recounted his last soccer game to Lee and Sage entertained Carly with stories of riding Spanky, giving Parker a chance to talk to Mattie.

"I can't believe that all just happened." Parker said and Mattie gave him a small smile.

"It's a good thing though, right? I mean, it's gotta be real hard for your mom after everything you told me about your parents. I guess she really is trying." Mattie said and Parker frowned, not having thought about it that way before.

"Yeah, at least Lee will be there to keep her company. I can tell you right now, that party is going to be mega uncomfortable." Parker said and then looked down at his nearly spotless plate.

"Not just for your mom, huh?" Mattie said and she placed an understanding hand on his shoulder. "You gonna be okay hanging out with Liberty?"

Parker was quiet and then he turned to Mattie, a strange look in his eye. "It'd be better if you were there."

"Whoa, whoa there, Yank." Mattie said, holding up her hands. "I know it was sort of fun teasing her today but I don't play the 'let's make her jealous' game any more than that."

"No, Oz, that's not what I meant." Parker said honestly. "I just…I really think I might need my best friend there."

Mattie blinked hard and then grinned at him. "Well in that case, I'd be happy to go. If you think it's okay with your dad and future stepmom."

Parker grimaced at her words, but then nodded. "Yeah, it'll be cool."

"Hey, your Aunt Emma's helping cook, right? At least we know there will be wicked food." Mattie joked.

"Yeah, if Janet let's her in the kitchen long enough." Parker said, finishing his own milkshake and eyeing the rest of Mattie's mint chocolate chip one.

She followed his gaze and rolled her eyes, pushing the thick glass towards him. As he grinned at her and quickly slurped down the rest of it, she gave a small laugh.

"I am starting to think that your Aunt Emma's comment about there being too many cooks in the kitchen the other day wasn't really a joke. I get the distinct impression that sometimes she'd just as soon take Janet out with one of her own casseroles."

Parker's eyes flew to where Jack and Janet sat and he almost choked trying to hold back his laugh at the sudden mental picture her words brought up. As their private chuckles subsided Parker suddenly sat up straight, practically slapping his forehead. "Oh man, I totally forgot. I meant to ask you to help me with my stupid Shakespeare essay on Othello."

"Death by casserole made you think of Shakespeare?" Mattie asked, looking at him strangely.

"No, it was me almost choking on your milkshake. Othello killed Desdemona by smothering remember? Choking...smothering...no air. Same thing."

"Right." Mattie said, but the tone of her voice told him that she clearly thought he had lost his mind.

"Anyway, you said you did a whole semester of him at your old school, right?" Parker said, moving on.

"Yeah, right, I did. I like that stuff, it's fun. When is the essay due?" Mattie said and Parker smiled at her sheepishly.

"Um, tomorrow."

"Yank, sometimes you really are a complete twit." Mattie said, smacking him in the shoulder and rolling her eyes in disgust.

"Hey Mom, can Mattie come over for a little bit? I really need her help with my English homework." Parker said, knowing that Mattie would help him anyway.

"Well," Carly said looking at her watch and then at Lee.

Mattie quickly turned to Lee. "Do you mind, Uncle Lee? Just for a little while. Probably not more than forty-five minutes, an hour tops. Trust me...he needs the help."

Lee looked at Carly who just shrugged. He turned to Mattie and Parker nodding. "But only an hour at the maximum, guys. I have an early rotation tomorrow."

"Promise!" Mattie said leaning over to kiss Lee's cheek, who grinned and gave her a quick side hug.

"Okay then," Lee said grabbing the check and waving off Carly's protests. Dropping the appropriate amount of bills on the table with a very decent tip, he nudged Mattie and Parker out of the booth with his hip. "On to Milltown."

"I get to ride shotgun in Eleanor!" Sage cried and jumped up out of her spot in the booth.

"Hey, no fair! You got shotgun the last two times." J.J. said and then seemed to realize that he was arguing with his 10 year old little sister in public. "Fine, but I call shotgun next time, Squirt."

"Well, I can see that who's really valued in this equation." Carly said, smiling at Lee when he helped her with her coat.

"What can I say, Luv? Me and Eleanor, we win 'em all over." Lee said, waggling his eyebrows earning him a chorus of groans.

"That's it. I'm moving back to Australia." Mattie said, covering her face and Carly slung her arm around Mattie's shoulder.

"Oh trust me, sweetie. Parents are embarrassing no matter what continent you're on. It's our job."

They were just about to leave when Carly glanced over at Jack's table. Seeing Janet get up to go to the bathroom, she paused. Jack caught her eye and motioned for her to wait.

"Um, I'll meet you there in a minute, okay?" Carly said and Lee turned to study her for a moment.

"Are you sure?" he said and she nodded, handing him her car keys.

"Yeah, I won't be long." She said and he leaned over to kiss her cheek.

"Be careful, Luv." He said and she smiled at him before turning to meet Jack who was now heading their way.

Jack watched in silence as Lee nodded to him before ushering the kids into the night.

"He's a nice guy." Jack said and Carly nodded. "You see a lot of each other?"

"Yes, he is and yes, we do." She said but let it go after that.

"Carly, I have the right to know who my kids are hanging out with." Jack said, getting mildly frustrated.

"Jack, if this is why you wanted me to wait…" Carly said, her own frustration mounting.

"No, no it's not." Jack said, forcing his ego in check. "What I wanted to say…I wanted to say thank you. You know, for accepting Janet's invitation to the party."

"It will be good for the kids to see us all getting along. I think it's past time, don't you?" Carly said, giving him a small tight smile.

"Yes, I do." Jack said and he placed a hand on her arm, his fingers unconsciously caressing her sleeve. "I also wanted to apologize for what I said the other day. It was out of line."

"Yes, it was...but thank you, Jack, for the apology. I appreciate it." This time she gave him a real smile.

"Um, so you know Thursday is Thanksgiving?" Jack said and Carly nodded.

"I know. I'll have the kids ready by 4:30 for you to pick them up."

"Well, you know you can always come with them. To the farm for Thanksgiving dinner." Jack said and Carly felt panic rise in her.

"No!" She cried and then glanced around her as she realized how loudly that had come out.

There was a time in her life when Thanksgiving at the Snyder farm meant home and love and family; things she had craved growing up. Yet now, with everything that had happened between her, Holden, Lily, Jack, and Janet it just wasn't someplace she wanted to be this year.

"No," She repeated, more calmly this time. "Thank you."

"Carly, I don't want you to spend Thanksgiving alone." Jack said, moving closer to her. A different type of panic began to fill her and once again her mouth opened before her brain had fully processed what she was about to say.

"That's okay, Jack. I got plenty of practice last year." Carly said, referring to when Jack had been so angry with her after her false brain diagnosis that he had refused to let the kids be with her on Thanksgiving.

Jack stepped back as if she had slapped him and immediately Carly closed her eyes in regret, her hand reaching up to touch his cheek.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." She whispered.

Opening her eyes again, she stopped herself just before she made contact with his skin and just looked at him with tears glistening in her blue gaze.

"God, Jack, why is it that we know exactly what to say to hurt each other the most?" Carly asked, her voice raw and her eyes beseeching him to give her a reasonable answer.

Instead, Jack could only shake his head and force the lump that was in his throat back down. She bit her lip and out of the corner of her eye she saw that Janet had retuned and was watching them warily. Carly looked up into Jack's face and then took another step back.

"Thank you for the offer, but I'll be fine. The kids and I decided to have a Thanksgiving brunch together instead and then Lee and Mattie already asked me out to dinner with them." Carly said and then gave him a watery smile. "I'm not sure what spending Thanksgiving with a couple of Australians is going to be like, but it probably won't be boring."

"No, I'm sure it won't be." Jack finally said and she nodded to him.

"Uh, I have to get going. You have a good night, okay? I'll see you later."

Before Jack had a chance to say anything Carly slipped out the door and into the cold night air. And all Jack could do, was watch her go.