"all that I've got" by sam carter o'neill Wagtail
Chapter 8: memories
At O'Malley's, Jack and Sam had been placed across from each other without thought. At first, Sam wasn't sure whether she was glad about it or not. She'd figured they might get the chance to finally talk about… things.
But as it turned out, their wounds'd had plenty of time to fester— their meal was over (they'd just paid the check) and they'd barely said three words to each other (and those three words were Sam's: "Pass," "the," and "ketchup").
She'd discovered before they'd sat down that she couldn't look at him without losing her breath. She didn't admit it to herself but every time she looked at his lips, she felt the same feeling that swept through her when he'd kissed her for the first time. She remembered the love and passion and desire in his eyes. And when she'd accidentally bumped into him under the table she remembered the way all the pain and sorrow and worry of her life had vanished when they'd made love.
She wanted to cry.
She wanted to go to the home she'd had in Colorado Springs, crawl up into a little corner and cry until it was 2005 again….
That wasn't entirely true. She had Pat. She had Jacob. And she loved them with all of her heart… she just didn't feel that she deserved the right to love after what she had done.
"You can stay at our house, if you need to, Uncle Jack," Cassie offered.
"Thanks but I still have my house here. I rent it out to tourists who come here to ski sometimes but it's empty this week. "
"Oh, okay."
They stood up, put on their coats and pushed in their chairs, all in animated conversation except for Jack and Sam.
Jack had felt a sharp stab of pain every time he looked at her or heard her voice, or smelled her… a sight, a sound, and a smell he had known too well once. But "once" was over. Those things weren't his to see or hear or smell. They never were, really.
But he felt an entirely different emotion when reality struck him and he saw the honkin', shiny rock on her finger. He didn't feel guilt or remorse or grief—he felt something dangerously close to rage.
"Uh… sir?"
He turned like a shot and stopped to see Carter behind him, "I'm retired."
"I'm sorry… I forget, I guess… I just wanted to say that I'm… that it's good to see you. "
He looked at her, blue eyes staring up at him hopefully. A million options presented themselves to him—he could return her…cliché, he could ask her bluntly what the hell her problem was, he could be a sarcastic bastard… but he did none of those things. Instead, he turned his back on her and walked away. Just like she had done to him.
Sam's heart dropped and she really felt like crying.
"Sam?" Cassie beckoned from behind her.
Sam wiped her eyes and turned to greet Cassie.
"Sam, there's something I'd like you to know. "
"What is it?"
"George left you his house here in Colorado Springs."
"What!"
"He wanted you to have it," Cassie explained, "he felt that this is your home; that you just need a house here."
Sam blinked at her.
"I agree with him," Cassie said as she held out an envelope to Sam. The envelope was heavy. Sam guessed it held the keys.
"I—I can't accept this, Cass."
"The house is yours. I'll see you tomorrow, Sam. Take it easy."
A/N: Oh, it's just getting good…After this chapter, it'll get great! This is so much fun! XOXO je vous aime!