Title: Caught Between a Rock and a Hard Place
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: Assuming that everyone knows about Jack's relationship with Sam, then none really as of now.
Summary: This story is focused on Jack's estranged relationship with his daughters, Hanna, and Katie. After Jack's affair with Samantha Spade, which broke up his marriage, Marie filed for divorce, and left New York City, taking Hanna and Kate with her. Aside from the annual birthday and Christmas cards, neither girl has had any real communication or contact with their father since they left New York.
Notes: The setting for this story is ten years into the future, with Kate being 16, and Hanna being 18. I wasn't sure of their ages on the show, so if these aren't accurate, let me know and I will change them (and be grateful forever). As for content...well, you can judge that for yourselves. And VERY SPECIAL THANKS to Fastdancr for setting me straight on which daughter is older!
Disclaimers: I do not own any rights of any sort about any person, place, or thing that I write about. Also, this doesn't follow with certain events from the actual TV show's timeline. But it's just a fic, so isn't that to be expected? ;)
***
Jack Malone reached into his mailbox, pulling out the bundle that had been piling up for the past three days. It had been one hell of a week, so busy that even small, simple things like taking in the mail or doing laundry had been forgotten or overlooked. Jack was tired and looking forward to taking a hot shower, sifting through his mail, and going to bed.
Climbing the three flights of stairs to his empty two-bedroom apartment, Jack grunted as he finally reached his floor, winded from the walk. "I'm getting too old for this," he muttered, wiping the sweat from his forehead and brushing back his thick greying hair. Jack managed to catch a glimpse of his worn reflection as he passed by a window during his trek to his apartment. Sighing, he realized that he could use another touch-up, and made a mental note to pick up another box of "Just for Men" on his next shopping trip.
"Whenever that will be," Jack sighed, unlocking his door and stepping inside, trying to forget about the pending cases waiting for him back at the office. His back ached from sitting in his stiff office chair, his feet were swollen from all the pacing he had done that day, and his heart was heavy from the news he had received that morning.
"Samantha Spade..." Jack murmured, forgetting the mail as he pulled out the small, white envelope that had been sitting on his desk for him when he came back from lunch that day. It was a wedding invitation. Her wedding invitation. Jack reread the invitation aloud as he loosened his tie and fell into a chair.
"You are cordially invited to the union of Sergeant Emmanuel Dennis Finger and Samantha Spade, on the morning of July the fourth, two-thousand and twelve," he recited, groaning as he got up from his chair and went into his kitchen, pulling down a small shot glass from the cabinet and reaching for a dark glass bottle.
"Who the hell marries some guy named after a goddamned body part?" Jack grunted, pouring himself some scotch, a small knot forming in his stomach. He downed the glass with one swig, old emotions stirring around inside of him. Sure, at one time he had loved Samantha, but when she had split up his marriage, only to get cold feet once they had the actual opportunity to pursue something other than a work-related relationship, Samantha had asked to be transferred, finally breaking it off with Jack, calling their time together a "mistake that would haunt her entire career."
"And what about my career?" Jack asked aloud, pouring another drink, this one to nurse, and going to sit down at his kitchen table. He had argued about their relationship with himself many, many times, and after a week as horrendous as his past week had been, Jack didn't feel like being schizophrenic that night.
Thumbing through his mail, Jack's eyes rested on an official-looking envelope that was postmarked from Rochester, New York. The small knot in his stomach was slowly growing to the size of a soccer ball. After his divorce, Jack's ex-wife Maria had won full custody of their daughters, Kate and Hanna, and moved from New York City to Rochester. The move was very sudden, and Maria hadn't been joking when she had told the judge that she would not allow Jack visitation rights to their daughters. Jack sighed, remembering the then on-going investigation from the Office of Professional Responsibility, which was more than enough to convince any judge that he was not worthy of visitation rights.
Tearing the envelope, Jack wondered what this could be about. "She probably remembered that I still have her grandmother's china," Jack grumbled, expecting something of that sort. But nothing could have prepared Jack for what he was about to read.
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: Assuming that everyone knows about Jack's relationship with Sam, then none really as of now.
Summary: This story is focused on Jack's estranged relationship with his daughters, Hanna, and Katie. After Jack's affair with Samantha Spade, which broke up his marriage, Marie filed for divorce, and left New York City, taking Hanna and Kate with her. Aside from the annual birthday and Christmas cards, neither girl has had any real communication or contact with their father since they left New York.
Notes: The setting for this story is ten years into the future, with Kate being 16, and Hanna being 18. I wasn't sure of their ages on the show, so if these aren't accurate, let me know and I will change them (and be grateful forever). As for content...well, you can judge that for yourselves. And VERY SPECIAL THANKS to Fastdancr for setting me straight on which daughter is older!
Disclaimers: I do not own any rights of any sort about any person, place, or thing that I write about. Also, this doesn't follow with certain events from the actual TV show's timeline. But it's just a fic, so isn't that to be expected? ;)
***
Jack Malone reached into his mailbox, pulling out the bundle that had been piling up for the past three days. It had been one hell of a week, so busy that even small, simple things like taking in the mail or doing laundry had been forgotten or overlooked. Jack was tired and looking forward to taking a hot shower, sifting through his mail, and going to bed.
Climbing the three flights of stairs to his empty two-bedroom apartment, Jack grunted as he finally reached his floor, winded from the walk. "I'm getting too old for this," he muttered, wiping the sweat from his forehead and brushing back his thick greying hair. Jack managed to catch a glimpse of his worn reflection as he passed by a window during his trek to his apartment. Sighing, he realized that he could use another touch-up, and made a mental note to pick up another box of "Just for Men" on his next shopping trip.
"Whenever that will be," Jack sighed, unlocking his door and stepping inside, trying to forget about the pending cases waiting for him back at the office. His back ached from sitting in his stiff office chair, his feet were swollen from all the pacing he had done that day, and his heart was heavy from the news he had received that morning.
"Samantha Spade..." Jack murmured, forgetting the mail as he pulled out the small, white envelope that had been sitting on his desk for him when he came back from lunch that day. It was a wedding invitation. Her wedding invitation. Jack reread the invitation aloud as he loosened his tie and fell into a chair.
"You are cordially invited to the union of Sergeant Emmanuel Dennis Finger and Samantha Spade, on the morning of July the fourth, two-thousand and twelve," he recited, groaning as he got up from his chair and went into his kitchen, pulling down a small shot glass from the cabinet and reaching for a dark glass bottle.
"Who the hell marries some guy named after a goddamned body part?" Jack grunted, pouring himself some scotch, a small knot forming in his stomach. He downed the glass with one swig, old emotions stirring around inside of him. Sure, at one time he had loved Samantha, but when she had split up his marriage, only to get cold feet once they had the actual opportunity to pursue something other than a work-related relationship, Samantha had asked to be transferred, finally breaking it off with Jack, calling their time together a "mistake that would haunt her entire career."
"And what about my career?" Jack asked aloud, pouring another drink, this one to nurse, and going to sit down at his kitchen table. He had argued about their relationship with himself many, many times, and after a week as horrendous as his past week had been, Jack didn't feel like being schizophrenic that night.
Thumbing through his mail, Jack's eyes rested on an official-looking envelope that was postmarked from Rochester, New York. The small knot in his stomach was slowly growing to the size of a soccer ball. After his divorce, Jack's ex-wife Maria had won full custody of their daughters, Kate and Hanna, and moved from New York City to Rochester. The move was very sudden, and Maria hadn't been joking when she had told the judge that she would not allow Jack visitation rights to their daughters. Jack sighed, remembering the then on-going investigation from the Office of Professional Responsibility, which was more than enough to convince any judge that he was not worthy of visitation rights.
Tearing the envelope, Jack wondered what this could be about. "She probably remembered that I still have her grandmother's china," Jack grumbled, expecting something of that sort. But nothing could have prepared Jack for what he was about to read.