Posted November 5, 2021

A/N: Alex was invited to this special dinner party for Sarah moving in with Chuck eight days ago. That night, Casey was advised that going was a better idea than making a bad first impression by wrecking his Crown Vic. It's finally time for the two to meet.

This story is Casey's POV, but in a way, Alex is a Casey, even if she doesn't know it yet, so this chapter is from a different Casey.

I feel a little bad. davida6 didn't get pie for the great job he did as beta for this chapter. He should have.

The Next Afternoon
March 17, 2008
The Pie Shack

Alex McHugh was almost done. The Pie Shack served breakfast and lunch, so working until 2:30 meant she was closing the place for the day. This was her third time closing by herself. The place was small, so it wasn't like she was a manager. She simply was experienced enough that they let her lock up by herself. It was nice that she was trusted enough, but she was learning the downside. Three months ago, she would have been done for the day, so she could go home and study. Now she had to do all of the extra things, like close the register and make sure the grill area was clean and ready for tomorrow. She couldn't wait to talk to Morgan, though he was working anyway. She grunted to herself. She needed a plan. Maybe she should go to the Buy More.

After checking that the napkin dispensers weren't empty, she turned to get her stuff from the back and yelped in fright. Sarah and Mr. Casey were standing right there. Sarah was dressed in some designer outfit, looking like a million bucks, like usual. Casey was casually dressed.

After a second, Alex held her hand to her chest as caught her breath. "It's just you two. I didn't hear you come in. I thought the front door was locked."

"It is," Sarah answered.

"What… How… How did you get in?"

Sarah was not her normal cheerful self, like she was wherever Chuck was around. "We came in the back. That was locked."

That didn't explain how they got in. "What are you doing here? We're closed, and the cook is gone."

"This man needs to talk to you." Sarah sternly said.

Alex's initial fear from finding other people in an abandoned restaurant with her had been replaced with relief that it was people she knew. She had dinner with them last night. However, the relief disappeared and was replaced with concern. She had a feeling she didn't want to know more about how people could enter the back while she was alone.

Her immediate concern was Mr. Casey. Before last night, Morgan had said that he was scary, but a good guy. From what Alex had managed to get Morgan to tell her, about him pushing her boyfriend around the Buy More, she wasn't sure he was a good guy. Then last night, he was weird. He kept staring at her and had a weird look on his face, almost like he was trying to smile but didn't know how. He was creepy.

She decided to deal with the tension by getting into her comfort zone as a waitress. That would put her back in charge. "The grill is off, but how about pie?"

Sarah smiled and said, "That would be wonderful. Chocolate Silk. please."

Mr. Casey said, "Apple Pie." Alex knew he was in the Reserves. She should have guessed that.

Alex returned with a couple to-go boxes. She didn't get one for herself because her stomach was uneasy. Alex and Mr. Casey went to a table to the side. It was the same one Sarah, Chuck, and Morgan always sat at. The man sat where Sarah normally did, facing the door. Sarah didn't join them. She claimed the next table over. That left Alex with the person who needed to talk to her, but who she didn't want to talk with.

Maybe he was there to apologize for being weird last night. Or maybe Sarah was making him. Alex didn't need an apology. She didn't need anything from him. She simply wanted him to leave her boyfriend alone.

They were all quiet for a minute. Alex broke the silence. "Mr. Casey, I'm with Morgan."

The big man across from her started to quietly growl. Sarah ordered, "Stop it." He actually apologized for growling.

Alex continued, "I'm not interested. You're old enough to be my father."

"I am your father," he said.

That didn't make sense. Wasn't that the line Darth Vader said in The Empire Strikes Back? This person couldn't say something like that. "My father was a war hero!"

"I was Alex Coburn."

He was… How could Mr. Casey know that name? It couldn't be true. In disbelief, she turned and looked at Sarah, who wasn't at the table, but was close enough in an empty restaurant to practically be in the conversation.

Sarah nodded once and said, "It's true."

Alex didn't believe her. "How could that be?"

"I've seen your birth certificate," the other woman said.

That didn't mean anything. Alex said, "I've seen that. Alex Coburn died in the Marines."

"This man, who you met last night as John Casey, joined the Marines as Alex Coburn. I've seen his file from when he joined the military—from before he faked his death."

The man asked Sarah, "How did you see that file? That's classified."

Sarah shrugged. "I know a guy."

Alex didn't want to look at the man across from her—the man who might be her father—the man who never was around and abandoned his mother. What was Sarah doing there? "How can you be sure? Why do you know?"

"I'm his partner," she answered.

Alex Coburn was in the Marines. John Casey was in the Reserves for the Marines, too. If he was even Reserves. "You're in the Marines, too?"

The man grunted, "She wishes."

She finally looked at him, "Why did you fake your death? Why did you leave Mom?"

The man breathed in and out deeply. "Your mother knew what I always wanted to do. That was the only way. I didn't know about you until I did a background check."

"Why would you do a background check on me?"

"You started dating Morgan."

Sarah added, "And he's family."

"Morgan knows?" This was surreal. A few weeks ago, she was the daughter of a single mother, daughter of a man who died serving his country, and a normal college student, working to help pay her way through college. Now, she had a boyfriend she was starting to… Now, she had a lot of new friends, like Sarah, Chuck, and Ellie… And now, she had a father? "How dare you come into my life after abandoning my mother for twenty years!"

Her father said, "Not everyone knows. Just you and me, Sarah..." He looked at his "partner" before suggesting, "And Chuck?" The woman nodded. "And Chuck. That's it. I would never have left your mother if I had known she was pregnant. I want to do right by you, I can explain things to her. And I can help—"

"No," Alex interrupted. "I'm having trouble understanding this, so you are not going to upset her. And we don't need your money…" She could see her father's discomfort. "What did you do?"

He didn't answer at first. Then he said, "I paid off your college loans."

"You what?"

"It's the least I could do. You should have received survivor GI benefits since Alex Coburn died, but they stopped doing that, and I didn't die anyway. Consider this back-pay for the 'Casey GI Bill,' since I wasn't there for you when I should have been. Waiting for the government to forgive all college loan debt is unpatriotic."

Then, he stopped talking about money. He said, "I'd like to get to know you outside of government databases."

Alex still didn't know what to think of this situation. She didn't know him. It would explain a little of last night. He wasn't awkwardly drooling over another man's girlfriend. He was a new father who didn't know who to act. She looked at Sarah for a suggestion. Alex barely knew her, but for some reason she trusted her. "Is he ok?"

"Casey's the best partner I've had."

Alex didn't even know what kind of partners they were. He was a Marine. She was not. They could break into locked restaurants. He used government databases to do a background check on her. She was supervising the construction of a new yogurt shop, and he was working at the Buy More, but they had some other job. Alex knew where they lived. Everyone at dinner last night seemed like a normal person. "Why are you guys here?"

The man—her father—said, "We can't tell you that."

Sarah said, "Casey obviously doesn't understand being a father. Please be patient. I don't understand how to be a girlfriend, but I'm fortunate enough to have Chuck who is very patient. Casey wants to get to know you. How about he comes by for more pie, when you are open."

Alex agreed. "Yes." She let out a quiet laugh and said to her not-dead father. "I was worried you liked me another way, and I have a boyfriend who—"

"No. I don't want to know about Morgan."

"Please don't hurt Morgan," Alex said. "He said you were a good person."

Sarah said, "Casey will not hurt him. He's been my boyfriend's best friend for twenty years. He's as good as family. That means he's under my protection."

"Unless he's ever bad to you, in which case I'll…" Alex had the feeling that she didn't want to hear the end of that.

After the serious discussion, Sarah sounded almost as happy as she always seemed. "Are we done for now? I really want to see Chuck."

Another grunt. "You see him all of the time. You even live with him now." Alex thought maybe that was a good thing. She liked this Sarah better than the scary one that ate the pie, even though none of that was directed at her. Chocolate pie and the mention of Chuck made her seem a lot nicer.

"Let's get out of Alex's hair. Alex, I'm sorry this wasn't handled better last night, but there really wasn't the right opportunity. It was important that this wasn't hanging around until next time." She was right. There wasn't a good time. "It was good to see you."

Sarah wasn't a hugger like Ellie last night. She smiled and started to leave.

Alex's father stood and solemnly looked at his daughter. She could tell he didn't know what to do. As angry as she was at him, a little part of her felt sorry for him. All of the weirdness last night made sense. He wasn't a creepy neighbor and coworker. He had spent twenty years being some kind of hero like her mom always told him he wanted to be. Now, he was a sudden parent to an adult daughter who didn't know what to do. She could tell he wanted to do right by her and be part of her life. He just didn't know how.

She grew up around pictures of a younger Alex Colburn. The man in front of her looked like someone older, but he looked like the same man.

That same man said, "You can't tell anyone."

Alex nodded. "You faked your death. I don't know what you are doing in Southern California, but it's some big secret. I won't tell anyone. However, you can't talk to my mom. I want to get to know my father, but do let you know you left her. She's moved on and doesn't deserve that heartache."

Her father nodded, agreeing to her terms.

They couldn't change the past. They could try to make things better going forward. In this case, Alex needed to take a step part way and help the lost hero. She stepped towards her dad and gave him a hug. He awkwardly reciprocated.

The mysterious two people left as quietly as they came, leaving Alex to reflect on her future. A few weeks ago, she was the daughter of a single mother, daughter of a man who died serving his country, and a normal college student, working to help pay her way through college. Now, she had a boyfriend she was starting to… Now, she had a lot of new friends, like Sarah, Chuck, and Ellie… And now, she had a dad who she was starting to get to know.

A/N: Alex knows some things. In the last story, Morgan learned some things that Casey doesn't know he knows. He doesn't know other things. Everyone will not learn everything, but you'll see what happens in the final chapter.