Chapter 4
"What's wrong?" asked Major Davis.
"He's." Jesse couldn't believe what she was seeing. "You're."
"Lieutenant, you're not making an sense."
"Bryan."
Corporal Tanner head came up in a shocked motion but he hid it quickly. "What are you talking about, Lieutenant?" he asked.
"You're Bryan Maybourne." Jesse said.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Tanner said.
"You even know he's been looking for you." Jesse said not quite knowing how she knew this.
"Who?"
"Your father."
"I'm here to give you important information on the NID not to be hounded by this kind of talk, Lieutenant."
"That's enough." Davis told the both of them. "Lt. O'Neill if you can't handle this."
"You knew."
"I had to."
"And you didn't warn me!" Jesse angrily told Davis.
"Please I have no idea what's going on but I need to be at an NID meeting an hour so and it'll look very shady if I'm late." Said Tanner.
Jesse reluctantly sat down to discuss the information.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`
"Maybe you're not the best person to do this."
"You know I am." Jesse turned angrily around to Major Davis. "I will be able to pick up this information very easily and remember it."
"Professionally, yes you are a good person for the job but."
"But nothing." Then suddenly she realized that she was talking to a superior officer. "Sorry sir." She said with an air of dignity and respect that wasn't in her voice before. "I can handle it, sir. It's not like I haven't handled keeping business and personal affairs apart before." She gave the shocked Major a slight smile and waited for her next order.
"Okay." Said Major Davis with a renewed confidence in the woman's ability to do the job. "Lets go." He said and started walking forward placing his hat on his head. Jesse silently followed after.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`
**Two weeks later**
"Lt. O'Neill." Called out a voice behind her. A chill ran up Jesse's spine and butterflies formed in her stomach as she recognized the voice instantly.
"Bryan-I mean Corporal Tanner." She said unconsciously pulling the loose hairs on the top of her head back in. "What can I do for you?" she asked trying to keep her voice professional and steady.
"Nothing much I just wanted to discuss with you about what you said to me the day we met."
"I'm sorry for that. I must have mistaken you for someone else." She lied. If he thought she was brushing it off as a mistake and not as the truth she knew then maybe they could have a good working relationship to get the job done.
"A mistake?" he asked with a bit too much condensation in his voice.
"Yes a mistake." Jesse said. "Unless you have something to tell me." She amended with a slight smile.
"Actually before I say anything else I know your lying."
"Was I trying too hard?" she asked with the same smile on her face.
"Maybe not enough. You know who I am." He said.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~'
"So, Bryan." she said his name slowly as if testing how it rolled off her tongue.
"Yeah." He responded.
"What's with David Tanner?"
"A guy I knew died a few years back right after we got promoted to Corporal." He said as if remembering the time in his mind. "After my mom died." If he was saddened by the event he didn't show it. "My dad tried his hardest to find who shot her, in secret of course. When he found out it was the very people he worked for he knew I was the next target."
"So he set it up so that you could take Tanner's identity?" asked Jesse disbelieving. Bryan nodded. "But it doesn't add up."
"What?" asked Bryan confused.
It was Jesse's turn to look condescending. She edged closer to him over the coffee shop table. "About three weeks ago your father came to me about finding you. He didn't know where you were and I could follow and guess most of his story because of my ability to." She stopped herself not knowing of he knew about her.
Over Bryan face passed a confused expression before an understanding one. "I know." He said. "Go on."
"Okay, well I turned your father down because if I found you it would seriously make things complicated."
"Because of your involvement with the me in your universe?"
"Yeah."
"Go on."
"Well from his story of events he didn't know you were even in the military. Let alone in contact with a corporal or a corporal yourself."
"Its sounds very sneaky."
"Why would he try to find you anyway?"
"Well I can tell you it's not a father's wish to see his son."
"I figured that since he wasn't exactly using a desperate need to see his son as his platform for convincing me."
"Be shocked if he did."
Jesse allowed herself a smile and just stared at him for a bit. When he noticed he turned away.
"What's wrong?" he said noticing her smile disappear.
"Its just." She looked down. When she came back up she looked recovered. "Nothing."
"Its something."
"I saw you die." Jesse said hiding every pained emotion very well. "Or at least ascend to a higher plain of existence or some crap like that."
"It wasn't me. It was him." Bryan said understanding her pain.
"I know." Jesse said slowly and softly fascinated by the rim of the coffee cup. Soon she found herself standing up. "Well, Corporal Tanner." She said once again reminding herself whom she was talking to. "I have to be going."
"You know Jesse." He looked at her for permission to use her first name. She nodded. "I know I'll always be Bryan Maybourne to you."
"Yeah lets hope no one else does, Bye." She said.
"Yeah, bye." Bryan said taking a sip of his coffee.
AN: I think it's a big longer than usual. Anyway, I hope have happy holidays no matter what you celebrate. More coming soon.
"What's wrong?" asked Major Davis.
"He's." Jesse couldn't believe what she was seeing. "You're."
"Lieutenant, you're not making an sense."
"Bryan."
Corporal Tanner head came up in a shocked motion but he hid it quickly. "What are you talking about, Lieutenant?" he asked.
"You're Bryan Maybourne." Jesse said.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Tanner said.
"You even know he's been looking for you." Jesse said not quite knowing how she knew this.
"Who?"
"Your father."
"I'm here to give you important information on the NID not to be hounded by this kind of talk, Lieutenant."
"That's enough." Davis told the both of them. "Lt. O'Neill if you can't handle this."
"You knew."
"I had to."
"And you didn't warn me!" Jesse angrily told Davis.
"Please I have no idea what's going on but I need to be at an NID meeting an hour so and it'll look very shady if I'm late." Said Tanner.
Jesse reluctantly sat down to discuss the information.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`
"Maybe you're not the best person to do this."
"You know I am." Jesse turned angrily around to Major Davis. "I will be able to pick up this information very easily and remember it."
"Professionally, yes you are a good person for the job but."
"But nothing." Then suddenly she realized that she was talking to a superior officer. "Sorry sir." She said with an air of dignity and respect that wasn't in her voice before. "I can handle it, sir. It's not like I haven't handled keeping business and personal affairs apart before." She gave the shocked Major a slight smile and waited for her next order.
"Okay." Said Major Davis with a renewed confidence in the woman's ability to do the job. "Lets go." He said and started walking forward placing his hat on his head. Jesse silently followed after.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`
**Two weeks later**
"Lt. O'Neill." Called out a voice behind her. A chill ran up Jesse's spine and butterflies formed in her stomach as she recognized the voice instantly.
"Bryan-I mean Corporal Tanner." She said unconsciously pulling the loose hairs on the top of her head back in. "What can I do for you?" she asked trying to keep her voice professional and steady.
"Nothing much I just wanted to discuss with you about what you said to me the day we met."
"I'm sorry for that. I must have mistaken you for someone else." She lied. If he thought she was brushing it off as a mistake and not as the truth she knew then maybe they could have a good working relationship to get the job done.
"A mistake?" he asked with a bit too much condensation in his voice.
"Yes a mistake." Jesse said. "Unless you have something to tell me." She amended with a slight smile.
"Actually before I say anything else I know your lying."
"Was I trying too hard?" she asked with the same smile on her face.
"Maybe not enough. You know who I am." He said.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~'
"So, Bryan." she said his name slowly as if testing how it rolled off her tongue.
"Yeah." He responded.
"What's with David Tanner?"
"A guy I knew died a few years back right after we got promoted to Corporal." He said as if remembering the time in his mind. "After my mom died." If he was saddened by the event he didn't show it. "My dad tried his hardest to find who shot her, in secret of course. When he found out it was the very people he worked for he knew I was the next target."
"So he set it up so that you could take Tanner's identity?" asked Jesse disbelieving. Bryan nodded. "But it doesn't add up."
"What?" asked Bryan confused.
It was Jesse's turn to look condescending. She edged closer to him over the coffee shop table. "About three weeks ago your father came to me about finding you. He didn't know where you were and I could follow and guess most of his story because of my ability to." She stopped herself not knowing of he knew about her.
Over Bryan face passed a confused expression before an understanding one. "I know." He said. "Go on."
"Okay, well I turned your father down because if I found you it would seriously make things complicated."
"Because of your involvement with the me in your universe?"
"Yeah."
"Go on."
"Well from his story of events he didn't know you were even in the military. Let alone in contact with a corporal or a corporal yourself."
"Its sounds very sneaky."
"Why would he try to find you anyway?"
"Well I can tell you it's not a father's wish to see his son."
"I figured that since he wasn't exactly using a desperate need to see his son as his platform for convincing me."
"Be shocked if he did."
Jesse allowed herself a smile and just stared at him for a bit. When he noticed he turned away.
"What's wrong?" he said noticing her smile disappear.
"Its just." She looked down. When she came back up she looked recovered. "Nothing."
"Its something."
"I saw you die." Jesse said hiding every pained emotion very well. "Or at least ascend to a higher plain of existence or some crap like that."
"It wasn't me. It was him." Bryan said understanding her pain.
"I know." Jesse said slowly and softly fascinated by the rim of the coffee cup. Soon she found herself standing up. "Well, Corporal Tanner." She said once again reminding herself whom she was talking to. "I have to be going."
"You know Jesse." He looked at her for permission to use her first name. She nodded. "I know I'll always be Bryan Maybourne to you."
"Yeah lets hope no one else does, Bye." She said.
"Yeah, bye." Bryan said taking a sip of his coffee.
AN: I think it's a big longer than usual. Anyway, I hope have happy holidays no matter what you celebrate. More coming soon.