Author's Note: (before the story? odd for me) I couldn't make it a one-shot! My mind won't let me. I can't promise the flashback will be coming soon, though. I have a saga like story I'm trying to write more revolving around Sam's family and oh so much more.
Anyway, to the story:
********
Jack woke up the next morning after falling asleep watching TV. The pounding in his head momentarily made him think he'd had a bit too much the night before, but then he remembered he'd only had one beer and the pounding was coming from the door.
He opened the door and was taken aback to find Leila standing on his doorstep. "What are you doing here?" was the first thing he could think of to say.
"Honestly?" she started, falsely cheerful. "I have no idea."
He stood aside and opened the door wider. "Well, come in. It's cold." She stepped into his house and they stood in silence for an awkward moment. "Do you want some coffee?" he asked, finally breaking the silence.
She nodded. "That'd be great."
He motioned to the other room. "You can wait in there... I'll go make the coffee. Oh, how do you take it?"
"Black. Strong as possible."
~~~~~~
Jack handed Leila the cup of coffee and sat down across from her. "She never told you, did she?" she asked before taking a sip of the dark liquid. He shook his head in response. "But you knew?"
He nodded slowly. "My wife noticed. She said you had my eyes. She was just joking, I think, but..."
"She always said you were smart," Leila said quietly. "She also said that you were then best person to have around if you needed someone shot."
"Ah. She always disapproved of the military career."
"She was proud!" Leila corrected, a little shocked. "She always had stories about how brave you were when you were kids. She said you would always play war and you'd kill everyone then she would save your life when you got shot by the enemy sniper."
He laughed slightly. "Yeah. Did she mention that she was the one who always pointed out that the sniper had me in his sights?"
Leila laughed as well. "No. She left that part out."
"With good reason. It makes her look better to be the saviour and not the instigator."
She nodded slightly. "Grandma said that you wanted to get custody of me when Mama was missing in Lebanon."
He nodded. "Mahin refused. She said Peta wouldn't have wanted you to grow up worrying that you were going to lose both of your parents. Peta told me the same thing when I saw her after she... came back." Jack could still hear her voice, furious as he was about the whole situation. 'Dammit Jack! She already has to deal with having her mother gone. God– I *died* when she was four years-old! I can't give *my* daughter a father just have him disappear for months at a time, possibly to never come back! And don't you dare say that's unfair because you know fair doesn't get to be a part of our lives!'
"So... you were just Uncle Jack who sent me money on every holiday and birthday?" she asked, cutting into his thoughts.
He nodded. "Paid for you braces too."
She unconsciously let her tongue run across her perfectly straight teeth. "Thanks for that one." She took a small sip of her coffee and turned the cup around in her hands. "And you know about the twins, right?"
He nodded. "It only took me slightly longer to figure that one out."
"You mean yesterday?" she asked, looking at him from underneath her eyelashes.
He gave her a look. "You learned that from your grandmother, didn't you?"
She shrugged.
"Does Mahin know you're here?" he asked suddenly.
"Nope."
He smiled. "You are my kid, aren't you?"
She smiled in return. "Certain documents attest to that, yes." They sat in silence for a moment, finishing their cooling cups of coffee. "So," Leila said, breaking the comfortable silence. "Was that woman you brought to the service your girlfriend?"
"No. She's my teammate, my second-in-command, actually."
"You got a girlfriend?"
"Nope."
"Boyfriend?" He gave her a look. "What? It's possible," she said innocently.
"Do you have a boyfriend?" he asked her pointedly.
She rolled her eyes. "Sometimes, not at the moment. He's in Malta right now, forgot to call on my birthday. I'm not speaking with him."
"Archaeologist?" She nodded. "Yeah. They'll do that. Are you just studying rocks?"
She laughed. "I'm studying anthropology too."
"No linguistics?"
"Actually, yes. That sort of comes with the territory."
He gave her a funny look. "Are you sure you're name isn't Jackson?"
She laughed again. "Positive. But I met him about ten years ago when Uncle Keith fulfilled my greatest dream and took me on a dig in North Africa. How do you know him?"
The cover story came out of his mouth immediately. "He was on my team. We work around the world with deep-space radar telemetry, and Daniel was our resident diplomat."
She gave him an odd look. "Why do I not believe you?"
"Let's move on. What's your middle name?"
"Claudia."
"Do you have any nicknames?"
"Just Lay-lay, but no one's aloud to call me that anymore."
"What's your boyfriend's name and how old is he?"
"Michael and twenty-eight."
"Do you have any hobbies?"
"Does sleep count?" she asked lightly. "Because if it doesn't, I'm known to have a fondness for old cars and the Real Madrid football team."
"Anything I should know about Gracie and Jude?"
She thought for a moment. "Gracie and Jude are Alia Grace and Casper Jude when their in trouble, which is a lot. And they've wanted a dog their entire lives."
"Do you like 'The Simpsons?'"
She gave him an odd look. "I've watching it every week for the past thirteen years. Why?"
He shrugged. "Just seeing how well we'd get along."
"How'd I do?"
"Do you like snakes?"
"Hate them."
"You pass." They both laughed and looked up as the phone rang. Jack got up and answered it. "Hello? Ah, Mahin... Yes, she is here actually... Well, I have to go out of town tomorrow, so I thought I'd send her back before then."
Leila stood up as he said that. "I actually have a return ticket for eleven," she said. "I should probably head out."
Jack moved the phone away from his mouth. "No, I'll drive you... Yes, Mahin. She'll be back in a few hours... No I didn't tell her the military would solve all of her problems! When have I ever said that?... No, fine. I have to take her to the airport... Yes. Talk to you later... Good– Good-bye, Mahin." He hung up the phone and rolled his eyes. He turned o Leila. "You can't just run out on that woman!" he chastised, grabbing his keys. "You're mother did once and she stayed away for thirty years because Mahin yelled so loud."
Leila laughed as she walked out the door. "So, that's why she devoted her life to helping people in warring countries! I'd always wondered about that career choice," she joked.
~~~~~~
Sam caught up with Jack after the debriefing the next morning. "Now are you doing, Sir?"
He nodded, a smile slowly appearing on his face. "Surprisingly good," he said. "Leila showed up yesterday. I guess with her so upbeat about the whole situation sort of rubbed off."
Sam looked surprised. "Leila?" she repeated. "Was this a good surprise?"
"Are any surprises good?" he asked sarcastically. Sam gave him a disapproving look. "It was... good to see her," he said slowly. "I think it helps her to know that she has a parent out there she can call form time to time."
"That's good you can finally get to know her," Sam said sincerely. "Just don't mess it up by threatening her boyfriend."
"How'd you know I wanted to do that?" Jack demanded as Sam hurried off to her lab.
Anyway, to the story:
********
Jack woke up the next morning after falling asleep watching TV. The pounding in his head momentarily made him think he'd had a bit too much the night before, but then he remembered he'd only had one beer and the pounding was coming from the door.
He opened the door and was taken aback to find Leila standing on his doorstep. "What are you doing here?" was the first thing he could think of to say.
"Honestly?" she started, falsely cheerful. "I have no idea."
He stood aside and opened the door wider. "Well, come in. It's cold." She stepped into his house and they stood in silence for an awkward moment. "Do you want some coffee?" he asked, finally breaking the silence.
She nodded. "That'd be great."
He motioned to the other room. "You can wait in there... I'll go make the coffee. Oh, how do you take it?"
"Black. Strong as possible."
~~~~~~
Jack handed Leila the cup of coffee and sat down across from her. "She never told you, did she?" she asked before taking a sip of the dark liquid. He shook his head in response. "But you knew?"
He nodded slowly. "My wife noticed. She said you had my eyes. She was just joking, I think, but..."
"She always said you were smart," Leila said quietly. "She also said that you were then best person to have around if you needed someone shot."
"Ah. She always disapproved of the military career."
"She was proud!" Leila corrected, a little shocked. "She always had stories about how brave you were when you were kids. She said you would always play war and you'd kill everyone then she would save your life when you got shot by the enemy sniper."
He laughed slightly. "Yeah. Did she mention that she was the one who always pointed out that the sniper had me in his sights?"
Leila laughed as well. "No. She left that part out."
"With good reason. It makes her look better to be the saviour and not the instigator."
She nodded slightly. "Grandma said that you wanted to get custody of me when Mama was missing in Lebanon."
He nodded. "Mahin refused. She said Peta wouldn't have wanted you to grow up worrying that you were going to lose both of your parents. Peta told me the same thing when I saw her after she... came back." Jack could still hear her voice, furious as he was about the whole situation. 'Dammit Jack! She already has to deal with having her mother gone. God– I *died* when she was four years-old! I can't give *my* daughter a father just have him disappear for months at a time, possibly to never come back! And don't you dare say that's unfair because you know fair doesn't get to be a part of our lives!'
"So... you were just Uncle Jack who sent me money on every holiday and birthday?" she asked, cutting into his thoughts.
He nodded. "Paid for you braces too."
She unconsciously let her tongue run across her perfectly straight teeth. "Thanks for that one." She took a small sip of her coffee and turned the cup around in her hands. "And you know about the twins, right?"
He nodded. "It only took me slightly longer to figure that one out."
"You mean yesterday?" she asked, looking at him from underneath her eyelashes.
He gave her a look. "You learned that from your grandmother, didn't you?"
She shrugged.
"Does Mahin know you're here?" he asked suddenly.
"Nope."
He smiled. "You are my kid, aren't you?"
She smiled in return. "Certain documents attest to that, yes." They sat in silence for a moment, finishing their cooling cups of coffee. "So," Leila said, breaking the comfortable silence. "Was that woman you brought to the service your girlfriend?"
"No. She's my teammate, my second-in-command, actually."
"You got a girlfriend?"
"Nope."
"Boyfriend?" He gave her a look. "What? It's possible," she said innocently.
"Do you have a boyfriend?" he asked her pointedly.
She rolled her eyes. "Sometimes, not at the moment. He's in Malta right now, forgot to call on my birthday. I'm not speaking with him."
"Archaeologist?" She nodded. "Yeah. They'll do that. Are you just studying rocks?"
She laughed. "I'm studying anthropology too."
"No linguistics?"
"Actually, yes. That sort of comes with the territory."
He gave her a funny look. "Are you sure you're name isn't Jackson?"
She laughed again. "Positive. But I met him about ten years ago when Uncle Keith fulfilled my greatest dream and took me on a dig in North Africa. How do you know him?"
The cover story came out of his mouth immediately. "He was on my team. We work around the world with deep-space radar telemetry, and Daniel was our resident diplomat."
She gave him an odd look. "Why do I not believe you?"
"Let's move on. What's your middle name?"
"Claudia."
"Do you have any nicknames?"
"Just Lay-lay, but no one's aloud to call me that anymore."
"What's your boyfriend's name and how old is he?"
"Michael and twenty-eight."
"Do you have any hobbies?"
"Does sleep count?" she asked lightly. "Because if it doesn't, I'm known to have a fondness for old cars and the Real Madrid football team."
"Anything I should know about Gracie and Jude?"
She thought for a moment. "Gracie and Jude are Alia Grace and Casper Jude when their in trouble, which is a lot. And they've wanted a dog their entire lives."
"Do you like 'The Simpsons?'"
She gave him an odd look. "I've watching it every week for the past thirteen years. Why?"
He shrugged. "Just seeing how well we'd get along."
"How'd I do?"
"Do you like snakes?"
"Hate them."
"You pass." They both laughed and looked up as the phone rang. Jack got up and answered it. "Hello? Ah, Mahin... Yes, she is here actually... Well, I have to go out of town tomorrow, so I thought I'd send her back before then."
Leila stood up as he said that. "I actually have a return ticket for eleven," she said. "I should probably head out."
Jack moved the phone away from his mouth. "No, I'll drive you... Yes, Mahin. She'll be back in a few hours... No I didn't tell her the military would solve all of her problems! When have I ever said that?... No, fine. I have to take her to the airport... Yes. Talk to you later... Good– Good-bye, Mahin." He hung up the phone and rolled his eyes. He turned o Leila. "You can't just run out on that woman!" he chastised, grabbing his keys. "You're mother did once and she stayed away for thirty years because Mahin yelled so loud."
Leila laughed as she walked out the door. "So, that's why she devoted her life to helping people in warring countries! I'd always wondered about that career choice," she joked.
~~~~~~
Sam caught up with Jack after the debriefing the next morning. "Now are you doing, Sir?"
He nodded, a smile slowly appearing on his face. "Surprisingly good," he said. "Leila showed up yesterday. I guess with her so upbeat about the whole situation sort of rubbed off."
Sam looked surprised. "Leila?" she repeated. "Was this a good surprise?"
"Are any surprises good?" he asked sarcastically. Sam gave him a disapproving look. "It was... good to see her," he said slowly. "I think it helps her to know that she has a parent out there she can call form time to time."
"That's good you can finally get to know her," Sam said sincerely. "Just don't mess it up by threatening her boyfriend."
"How'd you know I wanted to do that?" Jack demanded as Sam hurried off to her lab.