CHAPTER 6: NOT A DATE JUST A DRINK

Jack followed Lisa in his truck back to her house. The streets were familiar because they were the same streets he had driven to the school. The town was not small, but it wasn't a large town it was your typical Midwest town that was struggling to stay afloat because all of the major cities like Chicago got the funding. Jack rolled his window down once he was outside of her house and said, "I'm going to go park truck at my house."

"Ok." She said watching him. What was she doing inviting him over for a drink. It was just a drink. What was the problem with just a drink? She was being a good neighbor, nothing more, and she needed to get him his wallet. She felt nervous as she tried to find alcohol she didn't keep much around the house.

A knock came on the door and she looked at herself in the mirror quickly. Shit her hair wasn't right, but if she went to fix it she wouldn't answer the door in a timely manner. She took a deep breath and laughed, she was acting funny just for a drink with no more meaning. She answered the door, "Is wine ok?"

"Sure."

She almost melted as she saw him smile. He had a really nice smile. "Good because that's all I have." She felt her stomach get ready to growl and felt embarrassed quickly by the noise. "are you hungry? You want something to eat." She was nervous god why was she so nervous.

Jack didn't know what to say he was hungry but he didn't want to be a burden. "I was going to go grab something later."

"Oh no please let me make something quickly."

"I couldn't."

"Yes you can I attacked you and you have a nice bruise because of me. It's the least I could do. I mean what are your friends going to say when you tell them you got it from a woman?"

Jack smiled his friend already made a comment, "Nothing. Wouldn't be the first woman." He smiled flirtingly. What was he doing flirting with her, she was just being a ice neighbor.

She blushed, "Darn I really wanted to be the first." She saw the smile on his face fade for a second but he quickly put it back on.

"Sorry to disappoint."

"What do you want to eat?" She said walking to the kitchen he followed her.

"I really don't want to."

"Jack shut up. What do you want I have" She opened the fridge, "Cold pizza, cold pizza, or Lucky Charms?"

"hmm let me think about that. Why don't we run down the street to the small Chinese place and get something to go, that's hot? My treat for scaring you and causing you to beat the crap out of me." Jack smiled at her.

She didn't know what was this a date, or just being friends. She would make sure it was just being friends, she almost laugh as her mind chimed it, wouldn't mind being more than friends. "Sure. Let me go grab my purse."

They walked side by side down to the end of the street where there was a small Chinese restaurant. Lisa smiled as Jack let her order first and than ordered his own food. Finally, a man who didn't order for her. He carried the bag back to her house she walked closer than a normal set of people would walk by each other, neither of them noticing the closeness until Lisa's hand gently brushed Jack's arm. Jack felt a electrical charge, a spark and he felt himself shiver. He had to keep his distance he wasn't here for this. He had work, or something like it to do.

She opened the door to her house and let him in. "I'll get silverware." She said walking into the kitchen.

"They gave us chop sticks." Jack said smiling.

"Yeah never could use those." She said walking towards the kitchen.

"But that's the only way to each Chinese food. At least the proper way." He smiled, "I'll show you it's easy."

She didn't know if she could talk him touching her again. She felt the little electric charge and tried to ignore it, but her body responded in ways she thought it would never do again. She smiled, "Ok but I reserve the right to get silverware ate any time during the meal."

"Deal counselor." Jack took the chopsticks out and showed her how to hold them. After a few minutes of going over it again she took the chopsticks and started eating with them.

"Finally." She said feeling stupid it took her that long to figure out how to use chopsticks.

Jack smiled at her as he took a mouthful of rice in his chopsticks. "See it's not as hard as you thought and the food taste better this way."

They ate and Lisa filled the conversation with her past career efforts. Finally after a glass of wine she was ready to start questioning him, "What brings you from California?"

"A friend asked me to help him with some stuff."

"Like what?"

"I'm not sure yet." Jack said smiling.

"You came all this way because someone asked for help?"

"I owe him a lot they saved me a few times."

"is it Colonel Anderson?" She asked not knowing any of Jack friends but the Colonel seemed to fit the idea of saving his life.

Jack smiled at her he wasn't going to answer. "So tell me more about yourself?"

"I've already told you everything Jack you aren't getting off that easy. At least tell me this much which branch of the Armed Forces were you in?"

"How do you know I was in the Armed Forces?"

"The way you were with my daughter ealirer and the Colonel and you have that air about you."

Jack smiled, "I was in the Army."

"And you did what with the Army?"

"A lot of stuff." Jack felt slightly uncomfortable talking about himself. "What college did you go to?"

"Nope not going to answer that Jack. What type of stuff did you do in the Army?"

"I was in Delta."

She raised her eyebrows he just didn't have that air about him, but than she hadn't expected him to be a CIA agent. "Delta like the special forces Delta?"

"That would be it."

"What did you do in there?"

"A lot of stuff." Jack answered dodging the answer.

"You are one hard person to get information out of Jack." She smiled at him she saw a sad smile for on his face and she wondered what she said. "What did you do in L.A.?"

"I worked for the government."

"Which part?"

"National Security." He was really uncomfortable now, he felt like he was a witness being crossed examined.

"National Security ever meet the president?"

Jack lowered his head he could lie to her and say no, or he could tell the truth and get more questions, "Yes. I've meant President David Palmer on a few occasions."

"No way?" She laughed, "What was he like?"

"Probably one of the best Presidents the United States ever had. He was a very honest man who cared for this country."

"God that must have been great?"

"I guess." Jack thought the circumstance for the first meeting weren't great.

"Anyone else?" She asked eagerly listening.

"No not really."

"What about his size is he as big in person?"

"He's huge. He always made me feel like a midget."

"Well you are." She laughed he was smaller than her normal type of guy, but there was bite behind him she could tell.

He laughed, "I'm just a little short."

"So what did you do for National Security?"

"You are very persistent you've always been like this?"

"I just like to know a lot about my neighbors and people I beat the crap out of."

"Where did you learn those moves?"

"A friend of mine. A cop friend of mine. I'm a D.A. here in town and he thought it'd be good for me to know some moves so when I'm out late working I can fend off unsuspecting good citizens."

Jack laughed a real laugh something he hadn't done in awhile. He enjoyed talking to her, she was a very nice person, and very attractive with her long brown hair and her green eyes.

The front door to the house came bursting open and Liz came rushing in excited her father not far behind her.

Dave saw the man sitting at the table with his ex-wife, "Who's this?" He asked his voice holding a slight tone of anger.

"Dave this is my neighbor Jack." Lisa said hoping saying he was her neighbor would be enough to get him to stop.

"o so you're fucking the neighbors now?"

Jack felt a slight bit of anger flush over him, he didn't like how the man was treating Lisa, nor the implications. Jack was going to get up but Lisa shot him a look of sorry. He stayed in the chair not wanting to escalate the scene.

"So how is my wife Jack the neighbor?"

"Excuse me I think I'll go home now. Thanks for the company Lisa." Jack got up to walk out the door.

"Hold on not so fast Jack. I asked you a question."

Liz was standing in the hallway watching. Lisa didn't see her, "Dave leave him alone. We were just talking and I haven't been your wife in a long time. Now get out of his way. You always have to do this."

Dave didn't move Jack stood there he wasn't going to force his way out and give Dave a reason to hit him. "Oh I think what you do in the house where my child lives is a concern to me. How many strange men do you bring back here?"

"Dave stop it now." Lisa said her anger flushing her.

Jack moved forward a little more as Dave had moved a little out of the way. Dave saw him moving and decided to swing at Jack.

Jack ducked out of the way of the punch and as a reflex sent two more at Dave hitting him in the chin and than the stomach. Dave stumbled back dazed.

"Dad!" Liz rushed over to her father who stumbled back.

"I'm sorry." Jack said looking at Lisa who looked shock. "I'm sorry Dave I shouldn't of I'm sorry it's a reflex."

Dave rushed at Jack knocking Liz over. Jack tried to grab Liz before she fell to the floor hitting her head on the small table, but Dave hit Jack with a full force tackle.

Jack fell to the floor with Dave on top of him. He moved his hands quickly to protect his face from the on coming punches Dave was throwing. Dave hit Jack in the ribs once. Jack held himself back from attacking Dave. Liz didn't not need to see her father beaten in front of her eyes. Jack managed to catch Dave's next punch and than struggled with the man as he continued to hit Jack in the head with his other free hand. Jack struggled the punches were hard and dazing him quickly, he felt his grip loosening on Dave's hand and he made a choice. He punched Dave hard in the head dazing the man enough to get him off him. Jack stood up and moved away from Dave who lay on the ground.

"I'm sorry Liz and Lisa." Jack said before walking out of the house. He walked in the night back to his house down the street. He opened the door and walked into his dark house. He heard a noise in the other room and he felt his sore body tense.

He walked cautiously to the other room and saw a man sitting in the chair.

"What the hell happened to you now?" The colonel asked seeing blood coming from the side of Jack's head.

"Nothing." Jack said finally feeling the blood. "Give me a minute to go clean up."

Jack walked into the bathroom and washed the blood from the side of his head he had a few more bruises starting on his face. He walked back out the Thomas, "What do you need my help with?"