Take a Chance on Me - Chapter 24
Author's notes: I had been spending the last week writing Chapter 24, when I realized that I was missing a huge chunk of the story, so, I decided to make that chapter 25 and to now write this as chapter 24. Suffice it to say, it's been a while since my last posting and, because I'm going back to school soon, the postings may be a bit more spread out. I'd also like to mention that I'm working without a beta, so if you spot any errors, or plot holes, please let me know and I will attempt to repair them. Once I finish this story I plan to repost it on Jonasfic, so any errors you catch will be repaired there. Thank you for all of your words of encouragement. I'm glad that you are enjoying my story!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Jack tried to shake off his dark mood as he stepped into the infirmary. After hearing the news of his late sister-in-law, he had gotten word that his nephew was on a submarine on maneuvers and couldn't get anywhere near a base for at least 24 hours. He sent out orders that as soon as he reached port he was to be escorted under heavy guard, but that he was not under arrest and was not to be cuffed unless there were problems. He didn't want to make the Goa'uld any more suspicious than necessary. Now though he had a bigger task ahead of him.
He found Jonas lurking outside the curtain that surrounded Rayne's bed. "Hello Colonel." He greeted.
"What's happening, Jonas?"
"I gave Rayne her letters. She's reading the ones from after the blending."
"With the Goa'uld, Jonas, it isn't a blending. It's a rape of the mind. Remember that." He turned to the curtain. "Rayne, I'm coming in to talk."
Jack reached up to grab his forearm as he reached for the curtain. "Colonel. In this case, you ask, not order." Jonas informed him, firmly. "Rayne, Col. O'Neill wants to come in and see you. Would you like to see him?" Jack stared at him in amazement laced with anger, but Jonas was unyielding. He didn't exactly disagree, but he didn't like being ordered around by someone who didn't have the authority to do so.
Jack opened his mouth to protest, but Rayne came to the curtain to welcome him in. "Come in, Uncle Jack." She said quietly. She looked at Jonas bemused, but turned away from him without saying anything.
Jack stepped behind the curtain, Rayne settling into the single plastic chair. Jack looked around uncomfortably before perching himself on the edge of the bed. He opened the duffle he was carrying and began pulling out the bundles of letters that he had brought with him.
Knowing the answer, she asked, "What are those?"
"Your letters to Charlie. I got them from Sara." He began tentatively.
Rayne interrupted. "Why didn't you get them from Charlie? Doesn't he get a say? Is he away at college? Did he join the military? Can I see him?" She asked urgently.
"Listen Rayne." Jack drew a breath to calm his voice. It had been a while since he had to explain what happened to anyone. "A lot of things have changed."
Rayne looked up at him, her eyes growing wide. "Why do the letters stop when I was nineteen?"
Jack slid off the bed and kneeled in front of her. "A little over six years ago there was an accident." Rayne started to shake her head in denial. "Charlie got a hold of a gun. My gun." He corrected. "The house was under construction; there were steel support beams just outside the window where he was aiming. The bullet ricocheted off the beam and hit him in the neck. He died in the hospital."
"No. That didn't happen. I know Charlie. I know him better than anyone. He told me everything." She shouted at him through choking sobs. "He wouldn't have done that."
"Rayne, it was an accident. It wasn't intentional." Jack was shocked that she could think such a thing. "The trajectory of the bullet was at an weird angle. It was a one in a million shot."
Rayne wasn't listening; she continued to argue. But Jack realized that she wasn't arguing with Jack. She was arguing with herself. "That damn snake left something in her head." He thought to himself angrily. God he hated them. He captured her head between his hands, stopping her tirade. "Rayne, Charlie did die, but it was an accident. It didn't happen on purpose." A thought occurred to him. "It's not your fault, there was nothing you could have done."
Rayne stared at him, unconsoled. "You read my letters." It was almost a question.
Jack dropped his hands onto her knees. "I didn't. I didn't even know about them until earlier today. I didn't know about his perch either, until today. Thank you for that."
Rayne stood up abruptly and picked up a bundle of letters. "Charlie didn't bundle these. Who did?"
"Sara."
"She read them." She said emotionlessly.
"Yes. She did."
He picked up the bag full of binders that Jonas had given to her. "You're going to take these?"
Jack looked at them. Letters from Charlie, tantalizingly close. All he had to do was reach out. . . He tore his eyes away to look at Rayne. He stood up and faced her. She watched him. "I want to read them, but I won't do it without your permission."
She studied him closely. "You have my permission."
He took the bag containing the letters. "Thank you." He leaned forward to kiss her on the forehead. As he did so, she jumped away from him with a wince. She braced herself, cowering.
"Rayne? I'm not going to hurt you."
"Sorry."
"You don't have to be sorry."
"Can I be alone now?" She asked, not looking at him.
"Rayne, we're going to talk about this." Jack ordered.
She looked up at him sharply, her eyes growing wide with fear.
Jonas ripped open the curtain. "Colonel, ask. Ask, don't order." He snapped, pulling him out by the arm. "Rayne, it's okay, he didn't mean it."
Jack yanked his arm from Jonas' grasp. "What is wrong with you? This is *my* family. You have no idea what you're talking about." He stood nose to nose with Jonas, seething.
Jonas swallowed. "I do know what I'm talking about." He said softly, his voice full of meaning. "I really do."
Jack's glare melted and he took a step back. Jonas watched him for a moment longer before stepping back himself and pulling the curtain closed.
Jack turned to face Rayne, who quickly averted her gaze. He cleared his throat. "I would like to talk to you later. Let me know if you're interested." When, after a moment, she didn't respond, he sighed and stepped out of the enclosed area. Jonas was back in his chair outside the curtain.
Jack looked at him. Jonas had been a member of SG-1 for a little over a two months, but Jack was still getting used to him. At least that's the excuse he gave himself for not knowing anything about his team member. Masking his emotions he clapped Jonas on the shoulder and walked out of the infirmary.
Author's notes: I had been spending the last week writing Chapter 24, when I realized that I was missing a huge chunk of the story, so, I decided to make that chapter 25 and to now write this as chapter 24. Suffice it to say, it's been a while since my last posting and, because I'm going back to school soon, the postings may be a bit more spread out. I'd also like to mention that I'm working without a beta, so if you spot any errors, or plot holes, please let me know and I will attempt to repair them. Once I finish this story I plan to repost it on Jonasfic, so any errors you catch will be repaired there. Thank you for all of your words of encouragement. I'm glad that you are enjoying my story!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Jack tried to shake off his dark mood as he stepped into the infirmary. After hearing the news of his late sister-in-law, he had gotten word that his nephew was on a submarine on maneuvers and couldn't get anywhere near a base for at least 24 hours. He sent out orders that as soon as he reached port he was to be escorted under heavy guard, but that he was not under arrest and was not to be cuffed unless there were problems. He didn't want to make the Goa'uld any more suspicious than necessary. Now though he had a bigger task ahead of him.
He found Jonas lurking outside the curtain that surrounded Rayne's bed. "Hello Colonel." He greeted.
"What's happening, Jonas?"
"I gave Rayne her letters. She's reading the ones from after the blending."
"With the Goa'uld, Jonas, it isn't a blending. It's a rape of the mind. Remember that." He turned to the curtain. "Rayne, I'm coming in to talk."
Jack reached up to grab his forearm as he reached for the curtain. "Colonel. In this case, you ask, not order." Jonas informed him, firmly. "Rayne, Col. O'Neill wants to come in and see you. Would you like to see him?" Jack stared at him in amazement laced with anger, but Jonas was unyielding. He didn't exactly disagree, but he didn't like being ordered around by someone who didn't have the authority to do so.
Jack opened his mouth to protest, but Rayne came to the curtain to welcome him in. "Come in, Uncle Jack." She said quietly. She looked at Jonas bemused, but turned away from him without saying anything.
Jack stepped behind the curtain, Rayne settling into the single plastic chair. Jack looked around uncomfortably before perching himself on the edge of the bed. He opened the duffle he was carrying and began pulling out the bundles of letters that he had brought with him.
Knowing the answer, she asked, "What are those?"
"Your letters to Charlie. I got them from Sara." He began tentatively.
Rayne interrupted. "Why didn't you get them from Charlie? Doesn't he get a say? Is he away at college? Did he join the military? Can I see him?" She asked urgently.
"Listen Rayne." Jack drew a breath to calm his voice. It had been a while since he had to explain what happened to anyone. "A lot of things have changed."
Rayne looked up at him, her eyes growing wide. "Why do the letters stop when I was nineteen?"
Jack slid off the bed and kneeled in front of her. "A little over six years ago there was an accident." Rayne started to shake her head in denial. "Charlie got a hold of a gun. My gun." He corrected. "The house was under construction; there were steel support beams just outside the window where he was aiming. The bullet ricocheted off the beam and hit him in the neck. He died in the hospital."
"No. That didn't happen. I know Charlie. I know him better than anyone. He told me everything." She shouted at him through choking sobs. "He wouldn't have done that."
"Rayne, it was an accident. It wasn't intentional." Jack was shocked that she could think such a thing. "The trajectory of the bullet was at an weird angle. It was a one in a million shot."
Rayne wasn't listening; she continued to argue. But Jack realized that she wasn't arguing with Jack. She was arguing with herself. "That damn snake left something in her head." He thought to himself angrily. God he hated them. He captured her head between his hands, stopping her tirade. "Rayne, Charlie did die, but it was an accident. It didn't happen on purpose." A thought occurred to him. "It's not your fault, there was nothing you could have done."
Rayne stared at him, unconsoled. "You read my letters." It was almost a question.
Jack dropped his hands onto her knees. "I didn't. I didn't even know about them until earlier today. I didn't know about his perch either, until today. Thank you for that."
Rayne stood up abruptly and picked up a bundle of letters. "Charlie didn't bundle these. Who did?"
"Sara."
"She read them." She said emotionlessly.
"Yes. She did."
He picked up the bag full of binders that Jonas had given to her. "You're going to take these?"
Jack looked at them. Letters from Charlie, tantalizingly close. All he had to do was reach out. . . He tore his eyes away to look at Rayne. He stood up and faced her. She watched him. "I want to read them, but I won't do it without your permission."
She studied him closely. "You have my permission."
He took the bag containing the letters. "Thank you." He leaned forward to kiss her on the forehead. As he did so, she jumped away from him with a wince. She braced herself, cowering.
"Rayne? I'm not going to hurt you."
"Sorry."
"You don't have to be sorry."
"Can I be alone now?" She asked, not looking at him.
"Rayne, we're going to talk about this." Jack ordered.
She looked up at him sharply, her eyes growing wide with fear.
Jonas ripped open the curtain. "Colonel, ask. Ask, don't order." He snapped, pulling him out by the arm. "Rayne, it's okay, he didn't mean it."
Jack yanked his arm from Jonas' grasp. "What is wrong with you? This is *my* family. You have no idea what you're talking about." He stood nose to nose with Jonas, seething.
Jonas swallowed. "I do know what I'm talking about." He said softly, his voice full of meaning. "I really do."
Jack's glare melted and he took a step back. Jonas watched him for a moment longer before stepping back himself and pulling the curtain closed.
Jack turned to face Rayne, who quickly averted her gaze. He cleared his throat. "I would like to talk to you later. Let me know if you're interested." When, after a moment, she didn't respond, he sighed and stepped out of the enclosed area. Jonas was back in his chair outside the curtain.
Jack looked at him. Jonas had been a member of SG-1 for a little over a two months, but Jack was still getting used to him. At least that's the excuse he gave himself for not knowing anything about his team member. Masking his emotions he clapped Jonas on the shoulder and walked out of the infirmary.
