Well, by popular demand, here is the Christmas story, and really the penultimate chapter. I hope you all enjoy it.

Thanks for all the reviews, I really do enjoy reading your comments. Thanks for all your encouragement too, without it I might have given up.

Junior

By Lingren.

Previously:-

"Okay kids! Time for the presents!"

Once the words left his mouth, he stood back, protecting Sam from the stampede.

Chapter 35

Wrappings were soon torn and ribbons and bows discarded as the presents were opened. Wide eyed with wonder, Jon was a little overawed by all the noise and excitement, so he kept very close to Jack, but, that didn't stop him from joining in whenever a present came his way with his name on it.

The adults watched their offspring closely, trying to keep tabs on who gave what to whom.

Jack waited to see if Jon noticed that he hadn't received anything from him yet, and he could see the boy looking round for the one gift he was missing. Big sad eyes looked up at him from the floor by his feet and Jack couldn't help grinning.

"Let's clear away all this paper and then I'll go fetch yours from its hiding place," Jack said with a grin. Jon nodded, full of excitement and quickly cleared the torn wrappings into a waste sack. As soon as he was finished he left them all looking at him curiously. Sam kept Jon on the floor by her feet and told him to close his eyes.

He balked a little but with a warning frown, he did so, really too excited to sit still long enough for Jack to return.

Jack placed the box onto the floor in front of his son then told him to open his eyes.

Jon did so. What he saw was a fair sized box, done up in Christmas wrap and tied with a huge bow on top. He looked up at his father expectantly.

Everyone in the room had quietened down, eager to see what Jon had received from his daddy.

Jack urged him to open it but told him to do so with care, and not to tip the box over in the process.

Within seconds Junior had ripped the paper off and opened the lid.

Sitting in the bottom of the box and looking up at him with huge brown eyes, was a puppy; tail wagging nineteen to the dozen.

Jon couldn't believe his eyes, and the room filled with oohs and ahhs, and all the kids came closer to see the puppy.

"For me?" he cried, his eyes sparkling with joy.

"Sure he is. Every kid should have a dog!" Jack explained with a huge grin.

Jon jumped up and threw his arms around his father. Jack folded his arms around the boy, who still seemed to need reassuring that he was okay after all he'd been through lately.

After Jon had made a fuss of the puppy, and so had everyone else, the kids were shooed out to play with their new toys while the adults opened their gifts, but the puppy stayed with Jack. He didn't want to let him loose in the same place as all those new toys, which would no doubt be scattered all over the floor.

Sam received a beautiful photograph album, for when she and Jack were married and now for when the baby came along too, an address book, and diary, all to match and coupled together with a really nice pen set. Jack gave her a set of diamond earrings and matching necklace, that went well with her engagement ring.

Jack on the other hand was really pleased with his presents. His parents had indulged him with a new watch as he'd unaccountably lost the last one, though he couldn't tell them how. And Sam had presented him with a gold signet ring set with his initials and had a stone of green peridot in the corner; his favourite colour, he received matching cuff links too. She was about to present him with another gift when a scream ripped through the quiet, shattering the peace. The door was flung open and Josie stood there, her face pale and looking scared.

"It's Jon," she cried in a panic, setting off Jack's worry alarm.

Jack flew from the sofa to where the kids had been playing in the family room, only to see Jon almost hysterical, and cowering in the corner of the room.

"What the hell happened in here?" he demanded, gently approaching his son.

Sam had followed with the puppy following on her heels, his tail wagging still.

Jon looked up at his father and blinked a few times.

"Daddy?"

"It's okay. C'mon. No-one's gonna hurt you!" he reassured him. Sam indicated that they all should leave the room, and Melissa agreed, shooing the children and the others that had followed in Jack's wake out into the hall, leaving Jack and Sam alone with Jon Junior.

Jon was shaking, trembling in fear and Jack pulled him into his arms, still mystified over what had taken place. After a few moments, when Jon had calmed down, he explained.

"He was gonna kill me Daddy! Jus' like that nasty man."

"What? Who?" Jack was stunned by the statement. All the kids had been good to him so far, even protected him a little, being the youngest. The kids would have noticed an intruder.

"Brett."

"Brett? What? Why would he say that?"

"He's got a gun and he said he was gonna shoot me!" Junior snivelled, his tears falling again.

Jack's heart broke as he hugged the boy., Gently hushing him with soft murmurings and a soothing hand rubbing his back while he rocked him in his arms.

The small puppy not to be left out of things, made his way over to his young master and pushed his cold wet nose into Junior's hand, making the boy smile through his tears. Automatically Jon's hand turned and started to stroke his dog, making him feel better already.

Jack's shoulders had slumped in defeat. He knew that the kid's experience with Ba'al was going to surface soon, in one way or another. It seemed like Jon was now afraid of guns, and who could blame him? It wasn't a bad thing though. He'd already outlawed them in his own home with good reason. But how had Brett managed to get hold of a gun? There had to be a simple reason to all of this.

He'd calmed the boy but it was the puppy who had worked a miracle. His very presence made Jon chuckle and Jack passed his son over to snuggle up to Sam, while he went and had a word with the other children.

"Is he alright?" Melissa asked anxiously, as Jack appeared in the hallway, shutting the door behind him. Everyone had stayed outside in the hall eager to know what had happened. The children had tried to explain but everyone was talking at once and no-one could make any sense from it.

"Yeah, just a little frightened. He said Brett was gonna shoot him," Jack sighed, rubbing a hand over his face and upwards to card through his hair. He turned to look for his nephew, spotting him hiding in the background. One look from Jack's stern face and Brett stepped forward to face his uncle.

"Did you say that to him? Did you have a gun?" Jack demanded, though not angrily.

Brett nodded holding out the pistol and silently handed it over to his uncle. Jack took one look and sighed. First of all it wasn't even a real gun, but the fact that he'd pointed it at Jon Junior and told him he was going to shoot him was something that wasn't funny under the circumstances.

As much as Jack couldn't give any details, he needed to tell them something to explain Jon's reaction.

"I don't know if Mom or Dad told you guys that Jon and I were kidnapped recently..." He held up his hand to stop the questions they were all clamouring to ask. "Ack! Let me finish. While we were there, Jon was tormented by a crazy fella who threatened to kill us both by shooting us. I can't give you any more details than that because it's, well, it's classified, but needless to say Jon is still a little traumatised by his experience. So please put it away for now, Brett, please. Wait until you get home, eh?" he sighed, giving the toy back to his nephew.

Brett hung his head in shame. He'd never meant any harm by it, but now he could now understand the reason that Jon had flipped.

"I'm sorry uncle Jack. I never meant to upset him. I didn't know. Sorry."

Jack patted the boy's head, and cupped his chin, making him look up at him.

"I know you didn't mean it Brett, it's not your fault. If anyone is to blame then it's that maniac that held us...hostage," he finished lamely. It wasn't quite what happened but it was all he could say. He left them to it, hearing everyone start questioning his Mom, he needed to return to Jon and Sam. He could hear his dad, telling everyone to go back into the lounge and he'd answer any questions there.

After the crowd had retreated he entered the room again quietly, Sam was sitting on one of the armchairs, with Jon snuggled up on her lap, sucking his thumb and she was reading a book to him, the puppy was curled up asleep at Sam's feet. Jack stood there for a moment, not wanting to disturb the homely image it portrayed. This is what the future held. He could picture Sam sitting with their children, reading to them and him watching them or sitting with another child on his lap, perhaps asleep; the dog sleeping on the rug in front of the fire. Damn, how he'd missed that.

Sam finished the book and Jon looked up to see his father standing quietly by the door. He smiled round his thumb, reluctant to release the digit or move from the comfort of Sam's lap. Jack smiled back and walked over to them, absently patting the puppy's head when it had perked up.

He squatted down beside the chair and reached out a hand to cup Sam's cheek as he drew her in for a kiss, then with the other hand he held the back of Jon's head, and kissed him on the forehead. Holding them both like this, he couldn't have been more content than he was right then, and just knew they'd be okay.

TBC