After putting Trey down for a nap Jack left the room feeling good. He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt so good. Over the last few days while he'd gotten to know Trey as well as Shayla and Ryan he'd also gotten closer to Sam. There was only one thing putting a damper on his good mood, C.J.
No matter how hard he tried Jack just couldn't seem to get through to the kid. Jack could tell that C.J. was going out of his way to avoid him, C.J. wouldn't look at him, wouldn't talk to him unless absolutely necessary, hell he could barley even stand to be in the same room as Jack.
Walking down the corridor deep in thought Jack was surprised when he nearly ran the object of his thoughts over. Going to check in on Trey, C.J. wasn't really paying attention to his surroundings and barreled into Jack. Getting over his surprise C.J. quickly made to walk away, but was stopped when Jack grabbed his arm.
"C.J. wait! Look I don't know what's going on with you, but it's got to stop. You can't keep avoiding and treating me the way you have been. Talk to me tell what I can do to set things right." Jack pleaded as he held C.J.'s arm.
"Don't you get it? That's the thing there is nothing you can do." C.J. yanked his arm out of Jack's grip. "You can't change the past. You...he made a choice and I had to suffer for it, hell even Trey suffered from it, having to grow up with out his parents."
"Ok I get that the me in your reality did something that hurt you, but I'm not him."
"That's where you're wrong, you are him. Sure there are differences but there are a hell of a lot more similarities than differences. And when it comes right down to it you are both one and the same."
"If that's really how you feel then I think I at least deserve to know what it is that I did to make you act the way you have been."
"You wanna know what you did? You screwed up, you finally pissed off the wrong people and it was mom that paid for it, with her life. It was about a month after Trey was born, we all went out together as a family for the first time. The people you pissed off had been waiting for the perfect chance to get rid of you and saw the family outing as that chance. Only they messed up and ended up shooting mom instead of you. Janet tried everything she could, but in the end it wasn't enough and two days later mom died.
I could of forgiven you for all of that, but not what you did afterwards. After she died you left and never came back! Her body wasn't even cold yet and you just up and left, snuck through the gate and never came back! You didn't even have the decency to leave a note or anything. People searched for months but you were never found. I had just lost my mother I didn't need to lose my father too..."
With his emotions starting to get the best of him, C.J. took off down the corridor in the direction he'd come from. Jack being too shocked by what he'd just heard let C.J. go. A moment later when his senses finally caught up with him Jack took off in search of C.J.
With his emotions running so high and memories best left forgotten assaulting him, C.J. wasn't really surprised when he found that he'd subconsciously made his way into the SGC's gym. Soon C.J. found himself beginning to hit a near by punching bag relentlessly. It wasn't long before he lost himself in his own little world, trying to get out all of his pain and anger.
Throwing punch after punch C.J. began to grunt harder and harder, sweat quickly started to run down the sides of his face. Pretending that the punching bag represented every bad thing that had ever happened in his life C.J.'s punches grew in strength, rattling the chains holding the heavy bag up.
Thinking of where he might go were he in C.J.'s place, Jack walked into the gym only to be greeted with the sight of a gloveless C.J. beating the crap out of a punching bag. Seeing that C.J.'s knuckles were already split open and bleeding heavily, Jack decided he should stop C.J. before he hurt himself more.
"C.J. stop!" Jack tried to grab a hold of C.J., but C.J. just shrugged him off. "DAMIT!! C.J. will you just stop before you really hurt yourself?"
Jack once again tried to get a hold of C.J., although this time instead of just shrugging him off C.J. actually took a swing at Jack, knocking him flat on his but, then went back to hitting the punching bag.
C.J. started hitting the bag again this time with more ferocity then before. He kept hitting the bag even when the chains really started to rattle and swing. Before long C.J., with sweat pouring down his face, fell short of breath and found himself leaning against the punching bag clutching his chest in pain.
His legs almost gave out on him as he grew lightheaded and was suddenly assaulted with hundreds of different emotions all at once. Trying to hold back the tears that threatened to fall C.J. lurched and attempted to stagger out the door.
Jack getting his bearings back after the punch he'd taken, just barely managed to catch C.J. as he began to collapse to his knees and gently lower him to the ground. Not Knowing what else to do Jack just sat on the floor with C.J., holding him as he cried a healing cry.
"Sorry." C.J. apologized moments later as he tried to pull away from Jack. Not wanting to let go just yet Jack slightly tightened his hold.
"Nothing to be sorry about." Jack assured him. "Seems like that was something you needed to do for a while. Feel better now?"
"Yeah thanks. You know I think that's the first time that I've ever really cried since... you know."
"Yeah about that... look I can't begin to imagine why my counter part did what he did and to be honest I don't really want to know why. There's no excuse for him abandoning you and your brother. I know you think him and me are one and the same, but we're not. We may have only met a few days ago but already I can't imagine not having you and Trey in my life. I can't promise I won't make mistakes along the way, but I would really love the chance to be a father to the both of you, if you'll let me. So what do you say, give this family thing a try?"
"I guess we could give it a shot, but only for Trey's sake,"
"Deal. Now what do you say we get you to the infirmary and have Doc. Take care of your hands? No gloves what were you thinking?"
"Ah do I gotta? You know she's gonna find a reason to stick me with one of her needles."
"Yup." Jack then picked himself and C.J. up off the floor and herded C.J. towards the infirmary.
"Have I mentioned the fact that I don't like the infirmary very much? I mean for obvious reasons."
"Can't say I blame you. It's not exactly my favorite place either but you're still going."
"D'oh!"
Shayla was becoming getting bored. Getting sick of staring at the same four walls Shayla decided to go see what kind of entertainment she could find for herself. After wandering around for a while Shayla soon found her way into Daniel's office, where he and Sam were working on something.
"Hey Shayla, what's up?" Daniel greeted looking up from his work.
"Hi guys. Not much the boys are down for a nap and I got bored so decided to come bug you."
"Where's C.J.?" Sam hadn't seen him since breakfast, she hadn't seen Jack much either come to think of it. Sam wondered if she should be worried about that considering the hostile situation developing between the two.
"Not really sure. I haven't seen him much today." And it was the truth Shayla had hardly seen C.J. today, of course she hadn't tried very hard to seek him out either. Although she was beginning to wonder if maybe she should have.
For as long as she could remember she and C.J. had always for some reason had this connection of sorts to each other. They always seemed to be able to sense when the other was near by. Also they seemed to be able to sense the other's moods, when one of them was in an upset, happy or any other kind of mood the other could seem to feel it as well. And for the last few minutes Shayla had been sensing C.J.'s turmoil.
After spending another few minutes hanging with Sam and Daniel Shayla couldn't take the onslaught of feelings she was getting from C.J. and decided to go find him. So after voicing her concerns about the lack of contact from either Jack or C.J. the three quickly left in search of C.J. and/or Jack.
Their search soon led them to the infirmary, which both surprised and worried them at the same time. Entering the infirmary they found C.J., with his knuckles bandaged up, out cold on one of the beds as well as Jack sitting in a chair near the bed holding an ice pack against his eye, which was sporting the beginnings of a nice shiner.
'They finally came to blows.' Was the first thing that entered their minds at seeing this.
Arriving in the infirmary Jack helped C.J. to get situated on a bed then was about to go find Janet, when all of the sudden she seemed to appear out of no where. Having a slow uneventful day with no patients, Janet had easily heard and witnessed Jack and C.J.'s entrance into the infirmary.
"Colonel, C.J." Those two words told both men that Janet wanted a dame good explanation for why they were in the infirmary.
"Doc." They both answered at the same time and in the same neutral tone.
"Please don't tell me that you two finally came to blows."
First looking at C.J. then Janet, Jack answered, "No, no we didn't... Let's just say that we finally came to an understanding." C.J. nodded his agreement.
Janet may not have known what exactly happened but she did know that something significant had happened between the two. So she didn't question the answer Jack had given her, she just merely began treating C.J.'s hands and Jack's eye. By the time she was done C.J. was sound asleep and Jack had taken up residency in a near by chair.
Later when Shayla, Daniel, and Sam walked into the infirmary Jack quickly jumped to his feet and intercepted them.
"It's not what it looks like." Jack assured them. "I can explain." Shayla already having a good idea what happened just pushed past Jack and walked over to C.J.'s bed, sat in Jack's chair and took a hold of his hand, while the others stood waiting for Jack's explanation.
The noise of people entering the infirmary again drew Janet's attention. Seeing Janet, Jack silently asked permission to move the conversation into her office. With her agreement the group moved into the office where Jack told them what had happened between him and C.J.