This story was posted by me - Flatkatsi - for my friend Jackie, under my name. I have since opened an account for her work. After several months I have finally received advice from the support section that I can't transfer the story, and that it must be deleted and resubmitted. SO, if you think you have read this before, you probably have. It had 73 reviews before, which are now lost, so how about giving Jackie some new ones? I'll post most of the parts over the next few days. For anyone who hasn't read it before - it is Jackie's only non Sam/Jack story. It's a Jack/Cassie friendship fic, with lots of action.
The Coldest of Hearts - Part 1
"He shoots, he scores!" yelled Jack as he swept the puck into the hurriedly contrived goal, his victory twirl short lived as a figure crashed into him and he went down with a yelp.
The breath knocked out of him, he lay dazed and sweaty on the ice as the figure half on top of him struggled to rise.
"You've been eating too much of your mom's cooking," he complained as he held out a hand to be tugged up.
"And you don't eat enough!" retorted Cassie, her pretty face frowning as she helped him stand. "Sorry Jack, the brakes weren't quick enough then," she apologised.
"Well, at least you didn't get me with the stick," he grinned and tapped her on the helmet she wore.
"Damn, I knew I'd forgotten something," said Cassie grinning, the snapping of her fingers not having quite the effect she was looking for under the thick gloves.
"Oh ... you're sure taking after your mom, she's always jabbing me too!"
"She just likes looking at your butt," said Cassie with an evil grin and hurriedly she skated after the puck that had shot off the ice.
Jack stared after her, his mouth open for a moment, before shaking his head ruefully.
He took off his helmet to rub his hand through his sweat matted hair and skated slowly across the lake.
He breathed the clean sharp air in deeply, the cold pushing through his lungs, his energy revitalised by the rush from the cold sweet air as he gazed across the landscape.
The beauty of the lake and the surrounding area never failed to capture him. Its stunning beauty in winter gave him strong reminders of the thrill of youth - never forgotten moments of chasing across the first ice of winter. Fishing in summer held a certain appeal, but nothing to compare to the sharp blue of the ice, the sun's weak winter rays reflecting from its surface, as well as the added bonus that very few people dared to venture here in winter.
So enthralled was he in the view, he was only partially aware of Cassandra Fraiser skating to a halt besides him, his attention only claimed when she linked his arm and leaned into his shoulder.
"It's really beautiful here, thanks for bringing me. When you said skating I thought you'd be taking me to another rink."
"I haven't been here for a while, but it's not changed," he admitted, his eyes scanning the breathtaking view again.
Cassie squeezed his arm again. "Thanks," she whispered.
"Worth dragging you away from the Saturday gang at the mall then?" he teased.
"Hell yeah!" retorted Cassie.
Jack winced. Cassie seemed to pick a lot up from him ... and Doc didn't seem to think any of it good from the way she lectured him.
"Cassie ..." he began with a sigh, then paused with a smile as he looked down and saw her face beaming with mischief back up at him.
"Gotcha!" She punched him playfully on the chest, skating off.
Jack laughed and gave chase.
It turned into a game of tag on the ice. Cassie eventually surrendered breathlessly, holding her hands up in submission, laughing.
"Ok, I definitely gotta keep fitter, it's not fair an old guy beating me."
Jack laughed and grabbed at her jacket, panting heavily himself. "Less of the old, kiddo!" he complained. "Come on, I've got a flask of chocolate in the truck, let's get back."
Cassie smiled happily. "Mmm, chocolate."
"Huh, what is it with chocolate and women, eh?"
Cassie beamed at being called a woman. At fourteen she considered herself very grown up ... that was until she was with Jack ... then age usually had no meaning for her ... she just enjoyed every minute too much, but the mischief reared its head again.
"Mom reckons it's a substitute for sex," she said, trying to look innocent.
The squawk of embarrassment he began to utter turned into a coughing fit, Jack going quite red in the face and not just from the coughing.
Cassie slapped his back with enthusiasm; it was nice to know she could still wind him up ... with success.
Eventually Jack managed to resume normal breathing and shook his head, giving her a 'You wait' look.
They moved to the bank, took off their skates and replaced their boots, both of them grimacing at the coldness of their boots' interiors.
As Jack slung the skates and helmets over his shoulder, Cassie picked up the sticks for the journey back to the truck.
The snow wasn't particularly deep, nicely crisp and they crunched their way across it to the vehicle, leaving clear footprints behind them.
xoxoxo
Cassie practically inhaled the cup of chocolate, reminding him of a certain archaeologist that he knew and his relationship with coffee. She cocked her head at his grin and demanded "What?"
"Nothing," he responded with a shrug.
"Don't nothing me, Jack O'Neill!" she retorted with a swing of her hair.
Jack's eyes narrowed on the vision of Janet that appeared before him. "Don't do that!" he scowled.
"Do what?" she asked innocently.
"Ah, never mind," he finished lamely.
Cassie seemed to be content finishing her chocolate off and Jack tidied up the cab in his truck before neatly capping the flask and putting it away.
"Do you think we could visit that cool shop we saw on the way up?" begged Cassie.
Jack started the truck up, giving her a headshake as he did so.
"Your Mom said to have you back by 1800 hours at the latest."
"Oh, she won't mind if we're late a little bit anyway, it's only 'cause one of Mom's old friends is stopping by."
"Then we had so better not be late," said Jack as he swung the truck around and began the slow journey over the narrow snow covered road.
"There's a great gadgetry-type shop next to it ... pleeease?" she begged.
"Uh ... that would still be a nooo!" he responded with a grin.
"I'll sulk!" she pouted.
"Fine, better you who I can dump off soon, than face your Mom on Monday morning for a physical!" he retorted.
"Dump off?" she echoed. "I'm bitterly wounded," she announced and clutched at her young bosom.
"You really should get better grades at your drama class," he grinned and despite herself, Cassie grinned back.
She could never stay annoyed at him for long!
xoxoxo
Cassie was fiddling with the radio, switching stations looking for music she liked when she felt the truck slowing and looked up.
"Someone broken down?" she asked as she saw the truck to the side of the road. It was an army type truck, the ones with a canvassed back and tailgate, but it bore no military markings.
"Maybe," said Jack as he slowed right down and took the precaution of popping the central locking down.
A figure stepped out into the road from the truck and waved at them to stop.
Jack brought the truck to a halt just behind the truck, but still on the road.
"Hi there, can you give me a hand?" called the man. He was bundled up against the cold, with only a beard and glasses showing from beneath his hood.
Jack wound his window down a little, he felt somewhat uncomfortable, something seemed ... well off somehow. "Want me to call you a tow truck?"
"Maybe you could take a look?" asked the man stepping closer to Jack's side of the truck.
"Well, I'm no mechanic," said Jack with a shrug.
"That's not what Sam told me, she said you kept that old bus running when you all went back to ..." blurted Cassie. Jack's eyes widened and he shook his head and Cassie stopped realising what she had been about to say. She blushed and gave a hurried apology. Damn, why was her mouth running today? It didn't usually.
"Look, I'll call you a ..." began Jack, then stopped dead as he turned back to the window to find the man had a gun trained on him. The eyes that stared back at him were a killer's eyes and he knew the man would have no qualms using the weapon.
"Crap!" he muttered. "Look, if its valuables you want, I've not got much. Take my wallet," he said, raising his hands from the wheel. If the man had been a little bit further away he could have risked pushing Cassie down and gunning the truck away, but where the man was the gun was practically at the window, no way could he miss such an easy shot.
Cassie sat on the seat completely still. Jack heard her take a gulped breath.
"Out," demanded the man.
Jack's eyes narrowed as another figure stepped out from the other truck and moved around to Cassie's side, also brandishing a gun.
"Move!"
Jack weighed everything up quickly and came to the conclusion that there was nothing he could do at the moment – on his own it might have been different, but with Cassie there ...
"Okay, take it easy," said Jack quietly and popped the central locking open. The man stepped back, the gun still pointing at Jack's head, as he opened the door.
"And the girl!" barked the man.
"Cassie, nice and easy, come on," urged Jack, motioning her to follow him out on his side.
Cassie was pale, but she obeyed Jack, sliding over the seat and down to stand beside him at the side of the truck.
They'd removed their coats when they'd got in the truck and the cold wind made them shiver. Jack pulled her closer to his side. "How about we get our coats?" he asked.
The man shook his head. "Uh, you won't need them." He backed away slightly and called into the back of the other truck. "Okay!"
Two more men appeared and the canvas was thrown back. Jack couldn't see into the back of the truck from where he stood.
"Move!" He motioned them with the gun to the side of the road. "We're taking your truck."
"That's fine, we won't be causing you any trouble. Just take it and go," said Jack quietly, but his words were ignored.
The man stood guard over them while boxes were being unloaded from back of the other truck. Jack shielded Cassie the best he could from the bite of the wind, keeping her wrapped in his arms. He could feel her trembling slightly, but whether it was from the cold or nerves, he wasn't sure. He watched the men carefully, tucking away in his memory everything he could about them, but they were well cocooned in their clothing, not giving much away.
The other three men kept moving the boxes and then called for assistance with something.
"You," motioned the man with the gun. "Any funny business and the girl gets it!" he warned, gesturing Jack over to the others.
Jack reluctantly moved over and what he saw made his eyes widen. A missile gleamed wickedly in the truck's dim interior. He realised that this was no ordinary liquor warehouse robbery or something and it stunned him for a moment.
Two of the men climbed into the truck and Jack stood at the back with the other man, waiting as the long, thin body of the missile was slid towards them. "Make sure you get a proper hold," warned the man beside him with a glare.
Jack took hold and grunted a little with the weight. The markings on the missile told Jack all he wanted to know ... and all he wanted for the moment was to ensure that Cassie wouldn't be harmed.
The men staggered over to Jack's truck and carefully loaded it. Two of the men secured it.
The man with the gun pushed Cassie over to them and she shot forward to hug Jack. He enveloped her shivering body in his arms, wondering what was next.
xoxoxo
One of the men had been rummaging around in Jack's truck and he came over, throwing Jack's wallet to the man with the gun.
"What?" demanded the man irately as he caught the wallet with one hand, the gun unwavering.
"Check it out ... he's Air Force!" growled the man. "Colonel O'Neill!" he stressed the 'Colonel'.
"So?" said one of the other men as they moved over.
"So ... should they catch us up, what better hostages than an Air Force officer and his daughter?"
Jack winced, he had been hoping they would just be abandoned with the broken down truck, maybe even hog tied, he could have done something about that ... but as hostages...
"My Mom's expecting us home real soon," announced Cassie.
"Yeah and when they start looking for them it won't be just a quick nosey around by the local sheriff," added one of the others.
"No, but you know we need two days before we get picked up, and the army is hot on our trail. This could just be the leverage we need. They'll think twice about coming in with guns blazing if one of their own is in the firing line," said the man with the gun.
Jack sighed heavily. He so knew it wasn't going to be a simple robbery, things were never that simple for him!
"Look I'm almost retired, I fly a desk, they're not gonna be screaming for me. Besides that I am not army. They won't be too bothered about saving my ass from being shot," he urged quietly.
"You're coming with us. Any smart stuff and the girl gets it, okay?" snapped the gunman, his mind obviously made up. "Get in," he ordered. "In fact, you can drive, you obviously can handle it in the snow," he said, with a sly dig at the man who was about to get behind the wheel. The would-be driver scowled and moved over, allowing Jack to get in.
Jack settled behind the wheel with two of the men beside him. Cassie was pushed into the back, sandwiched between the other two. The gun dug into her ribs, making her yelp.
"Hey, there's no need for that," snarled Jack, turning on the seat.
The gun was suddenly jammed against his throat. "Just drive where I tell you. Any sudden moves and your daughter is history, got that?" The gun barrel was jabbed, punctuating each word as the man spoke.
Jack nodded slowly and turned back around.
"Good, now follow the road up to the crossroads, then right on up to the old fort."
Jack nodded and put the truck into gear, making a smooth start. He kept the truck going steadily, well accomplished at driving in snow; it held no fear for him. He knew they were heading up to the old army base. It had been abandoned some ten years ago, but there were still buildings, and, Jack remembered, a landing field.
xoxoxo
The journey seemed to take forever, yet was only a little over three hours. They'd made good progress over the higher road where the snow was heavier still, even though it was treacherous, steep, and narrow. The high cliff on the left ensured the road was always scattered with loose rocks just waiting to snare the unwary. The base had been primarily built as a training camp, but its inaccessibility for part of the year and the inability of the road to cope with the traffic it necessitated, were just a couple of the reasons it was abandoned Jack recollected, not alone that its small landing field was unsuitable for anything except helicopters.
Jack kept glancing in his rear view mirror to watch Cassie, proud to note that although pale and obviously frightened, she held still and kept her head up.
The light was beginning to fade as they made their way to the camp gates. Jack saw that there had been some traffic up there recently; the tracks in the snow seemed quite fresh. The warning notices reflecting in the headlights, the 'keep out government property' signs ... blatantly ignored as one of the men jumped out and removed the chain and heaved the gates open. Jack drove through and halted the vehicle as the man fastened the gates again, before jumping back into the truck, shivering.
"Damn it's cold out there," he complained, gesturing Jack on.
"It's gonna be a damn sight colder later," said the man beside Jack as he nodded towards the huts. He motioned to Jack to pull up in front of a warehouse and two of the men jumped out to open the doors before waving him to drive in.
"Out," ordered the gunman as he slid across the seat, pulling Cassie with him.
Jack turned off the ignition, but left the keys in. Wordlessly he climbed out and stood waiting. Everyone's breath was marking the air and the cold stung.
"At least let us get our coats," he asked quietly.
The man considered it for a second or two, and then nodded. Jack went to the back of the truck and rummaged behind the rear seat where the men had thrown their stuff.
Jack's hand slid into his coat pocket and found his cell phone still there. Obviously the man who had found his wallet hadn't checked further. He slipped it out of the pocket and after switching it off, put it down beneath the seats. He didn't think the man with the gun was dumb enough not to search him properly. He retrieved Cassie's coat, hat and gloves as well as his own and climbed back out. He held the coat out to Cassie, but the man with the gun stopped him and throwing the gun to one of the others, searched the coat thoroughly and then pushed Cassie up against the truck before doing the same to her.
He repeated the actions with Jack, kicking his legs open wider, making him stand palms down against the bonnet of the truck. Jack wondered at the man's efficiency and thought he might be ex-army or police.
Satisfied that there was nothing, the man allowed them to don their coats. "We'll unload in the morning," he said taking his gun back from the other.
Jack was pushed roughly out of the warehouse. He kept Cassie close to his side, his arm around her shoulder.
The gun poking into his back kept him steady as they approached the barrack block. The building looked dark as they walked towards it, but the door opened to show the lighting was on and the heat from the wood burning stove greeted them kindly.
"Bout time!" complained one of the two men sitting close to the stove. He stood up quickly as he saw Jack and Cassie. "Who the hell are they?" he demanded.
The gunman shoved Jack forward into the room. "We had a little bit of trouble with the truck."
"What? Where's the consignment?" growled the man who had risen. He was well built, face rough with stubble and his blond hair was dark with grease.
Jack noted the rifle he had slung in his arms, held lightly and easily.
"It's safe. Thankfully the Colonel here had a nice truck we could use," laughed the gunman.
"Colonel?" queried the blond.
"Want to off them now?" asked the other man who now rose. He was massive, his bulk reminded Jack of Teal'c, but the man's face showed none of their alien friend's intelligence, he looked at them with an expression that Jack couldn't quite pin point yet.
"Nope. They make hostages for now ... maybe later," he grinned in response, laughing when Cassie's gasp of fear reached his ears.
"Okay, Brinks, stow them in the back room. Think you'd better tie them up."
Brinks, the blond man nodded. "Come on, Si," he motioned the huge man beside him.
Si bent and retrieved some rope from the backpacks that were heaped in a corner, before walking to the back of the room and opening another door.
Brinks motioned with his rifle for Jack to follow.
Si flicked the switch on the wall and the dim lighting showed them a dusty corridor. The cold outside the room hit them, making them shiver slightly. Si pushed open another door just a little way down.
The room was bare and dusty, the single lit bulb showing the cobwebs hanging from the low ceiling, and Cassie shivered again. Jack squeezed her shoulder comfortingly.
Si threw some of the rope at Jack. "Tie her up," he ordered.
Silently Jack took the rope. He motioned Cassie to sit down and she put her hands in front and held them up to Jack.
"Sorry, Cass," he gave her a tight smile.
"It's okay," she whispered.
"Less talk and more action, old man," threatened Si.
Jack quickly completed his task. He wasn't foolish enough to leave the ropes lose, but made them only as tight as was necessary.
"Feet too," said Brinks.
"She's just a kid for crying out loud," complained Jack, as he straightened a little.
The blow from the rifle butt connected with him even as he saw it coming and it dropped him in one.
"Jack!" screamed Cassie as Jack went down like a lead balloon across her legs.
Brinks laughed. "Chicken shit officers!" He put the rifle down and dragged the unconscious man off Cassie, tying the Colonel up proficiently, and making sure that the ropes were good and tight.
xoxoxoxo