Title: Once Again
Author: Tasha
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Romance and Angst
Summary: J/I Takes place after Endgame
Disclaimer: I do not own Alias and am not making any money from this fic.
~ *FLASHBACK*~
"Do you want some popcorn?" Jack whispered.
"No, it's fine. I don't want out to miss the show. Just…stay here." He heard Angie shift in her seat and felt her blonde head come to rest on his shoulder.
Jack thought about what his friend Drew had told him. Drew was a year older and had more experience with girls. Following his friend's advice, Jack shifted and stretched, trying to surreptitiously place his arm around her shoulders. He managed to wrap his arm around her and move as close to her as the cinema seats would allow.
"Jack?" Angie's voice was muffled by his shirt.
"Shh, we'll get booted out if we talk much more." Looking cautiously around, Jack saw most of the other theatregoers were involved, in each other.
"I just wanted to tell you that I love you, Jack Bristow." Then she sighed and looked up at him, her eyes wide.
"I…uh…I love…uh…you too." The words stumbled out ungraciously, but by her sweet smile, Jack could see Angie knew he meant it.
"We'd better watch the show," he replied hesitantly.
~*END FLASHBACK*~
He had always known that he and Angie had not belonged together. She was sweet and he had loved her, but her life was dry. He had always wanted more.
As a kid Jack remembered going up to stay with his grandparents in Oshawa, Ontario and hearing about a place called Camp X. He and his friends had ridden their bicycles up to the shore of Lake Ontario and had clambered over the old barbed wire. The camp was still a secret in the 50's but one of his friend's parents had spilled the secret one night.
Camp X had been an espionage training facility for the Allies during WWII and a communications centre. While Jack's friends had run all over, peering in broken windows and pretending to shoot each other, he had stood still for a minute. It had been then, when 10 year old Jack, who had still been called Jonathan, decided he wanted to do something real with his life.
He hadn't thought of the CIA, he hadn't even lived in the United States, but his father and mother had both been American and so he had dual citizenship. So, for the next 8 years he had studied hard and soaked up as much information as he could. It was near his eighteenth birthday that a CIA recruiter had approached him in LA, where he was living with his dad. It hadn't taken his long to decide to join the CIA and he hadn't looked back. The path had been right for him, he knew that, and had led him to Laura.
~*FLASHBACK*~
Jack rested his head in his hands and sighed heavily. "Laura, how important is this essay?"
"You don't have to help me, Jack," she replied defensively. "Don't be silly. You'll never finish if you don't have my help."
She swatted his forearm playfully, "You know it is partially your fault."
Jack gave her a disbelieving glare from where he was slumped on the table. "And, how, pray tell is that?"
"You kept me up all last night."
"Oh, and you weren't a willing participant, I suppose?" he asked.
"Just a helpless victim in your evil conspiracy…" trailing off into laughter, Laura tried to force her face into a stern expression, with little success. She fell into Jack's lap in gales of laughter and he began laughing too.
"…Forced to comply with every whim…" she could barely get her words out in between laughs.
"Laura, you have had far too little sleep and far too much coffee for one day. We should get to bed."
"Yeah, we should." Laura said, her laughter having stopped. Serious now, she reached up and placed one hand on his right cheek.
"Jack, can I tell you something?" She looked straight into his eyes.
"Laura, you're scaring me. What is it?" Jack reached up and placed his hand over hers.
"No," she laughed breathlessly, "Jack, I love you."
They both leaned together, just so their lips touched, once. Jack moved back slightly, "I love you, too."
~*END FLASHBACK*~
Hindsight is 20/20, or so they say. He had thought Laura was right for him. He had thought they would spend the rest of their lives together, but she didn't exist anymore.
Lately, it seemed morbid thoughts were the order of the day. Sydney would have told him to go see Barnett. Somehow, he had never put much faith in shrinks, although the CIA seemed to think they were the answer to every problem, from hangnails to depression. What would Barnett tell him today, he wondered. That he was still in…
"Director Bristow?" Christy's voice intruded in his thoughts.
"Yes?" His tone was no less curt than usual.
"Agent Roberts wanted to know if you would like to go to lunch with him and a few others."
"Fine. Tell him I will meet him downstairs in," Jack looked down at his watch, "Twenty minutes."
Anything would be better than sitting here alone in his office, thinking about what he could never have again.
Author's Note: I hope you liked this chapter, because I liked writing it. Please review, Tasha.
