Here's the next part of Missing in Action...delivered mid-week as promised! And a long one to boot! Hope it was worth the wait! I am thinking I should have more cliffhangers...I get more reviews that way (Smiles). Warning: tissue alert for the sensitive of heart.
Chapter 8 – Lost and Found
JJ watched as his father left the house in a rush, backed up the big car, and peeled off down the road. The anxiety coming from his father had been palpable, and JJ felt it down to his toes. Turning at Cassie's gentle voice, he looked at her absently, his mind off with his father.
"Come here, JJ," she invited softly, holding out one hand to him, the other clasping Grace's tiny hand. "How about if we read a story together?"
JJ frowned at her; a story? How could he sit and listen to a story when his mommy was missing? "Don't want a story," he exclaimed vehemently, then walked past her and over to the window, where he stood gazing down the empty street.
Cassie looked at him with concern, her own brow crinkling in thought. She didn't think Jack had told the children what was happening, but knew from her own experiences that children could pick up on things very quickly. Glancing down at Grace, she was relieved to see the little girl wearing an expression not of fear, but more of curiosity. "Would you like to hear a story, Grace?"
Grace nodded her head. "Gracie like 'tories. Me hab cookie too?" she asked hopefully, gazing up at her cousin expectantly.
Cassie smiled gently down at the little girl. "Ok, sweetie, you can have a cookie while I read to you. But only one. Once Katie gets up from her nap, maybe you can have another one, OK?"
"Kay," the little girl quickly agreed, for one cookie was certainly better than no cookies!
Looking over at the little boy who stood leaning against the window sill, chin in his hands, Cassie asked, "Would you like a cookie too, JJ?" JJ just shook his head in response and continued looking out the window, his mind heavy with thought.
Cassie decided to leave the little boy for now. She knew he was much like Sam in that he needed time and space to think. And if he had any inkling as to what was going on, he would want to be left alone. She would approach him a bit later and see if she could get him to talk. For now, she would let him be. She would be in the same room, after all, reading to Grace, so could still keep an eye on him. Settling Grace onto the couch, she moved into the kitchen to grab a cookie and fill a small cup of milk for Grace. When she returned, she saw that JJ had not moved from his spot by the window. Sighing to herself, Cassie positioned herself next to Grace and began the story.
From his spot by the window, JJ could hear the low murmur of voices as Cassie read to his sister. Blocking them out, he thought about what he had heard in the car. His mommy was missing…that was all he knew. But where exactly was she when she went missing, he wondered?
JJ himself had been missing once, at the mall. Well, not really missing, he thought to himself; he'd known exactly where he was…it was just his parents who didn't know. He'd become interested in a toy display in one of the department store windows and had decided to go in for a closer look. Ten minutes later, he'd looked up when he'd heard his daddy call his name. JJ had been surprised to see fear on his daddy's face…his daddy wasn't afraid of anything!
Daddy had clutched him tightly, then scolded him for running off. He'd tried to explain, but then mommy was there holding him tightly too, and crying. He felt bad…he didn't want to make his mommy cry! And so then he'd cried too, even though his friend Billy said that big boys don't cry, and then Gracie started crying cause everyone else was. It was a very sad time for JJ and he promised daddy he'd never go off alone again. But now mommy was missing, and they weren't at the mall.
JJ frowned; he knew mommy was at work. And her and daddy's work was a very big place…just like the mall. Maybe mommy had wandered off and they just couldn't find her? JJ was good at finding things; mommy told him so all the time. When daddy couldn't find his keys, JJ always found them. When Gracie's shoe was missing, JJ crawled under the bed and found it in a flash. And he had to find daddy's remote for the TV almost every day!
Though he knew his daddy could do almost anything in the whole wide world, JJ knew that he wasn't very good at finding things. And if daddy had gone up to the mountain to find mommy, he was going to need some help!
JJ was startled from his thoughts by the crying of his baby cousin, Katie Rose. He turned and watched as Cassie got up from the couch, patted Gracie on the head and said, "I'll be right back, sweetie." She looked at JJ then and gave him a smile as well before leaving the room to tend to her little sister.
With a look of resolution, JJ walked over to where his jacket was draped over a chair and picked it up, quickly slipping his arms into the sleeves. He fumbled for a few seconds with the zipper before it caught. When he was ready, he looked up, surprised to find Grace standing in front of him.
"Where you go, JJ?" the little girl asked, cocking her head slightly to the side.
JJ thought for just a moment before answering her. "Mommy is losted. I has to go help daddy find her."
Grace's forehead creased into a frown as she tried to understand what her brother was saying. "Mommy at work," she stated plaintively.
JJ shook his head at her. "No, daddy talked on the phone. Mommy is losted. I has to go and find her." He started to worry when his little sister's lower lip began to tremble.
"Me tome too?"
"No, Gracie, you has to stay here. You isn't as good at finding stuffs as me," JJ answered. "Mommy is losted in the mountain, but I will bring her home, I pwomise." He put his hand on her shoulder and squeezed once before turning to the door. Without a backward glance, he opened the door and left the safety of the house.
Grace tried valiantly to hold back her tears, but as soon as Cassie reentered the room not more than 5 minutes later, carrying Katie with her, the little girl burst into tears and ran to the older girl. It was a good ten minutes later before Cassie had both her and Katie calmed down enough to understand what Grace was saying, and by then, it was too late. JJ had been gone for almost 15 minutes and Cassie hadn't noticed…she had been too caught up in trying to calm Grace to notice that the quiet little boy was no longer in the room.
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While some people spend their lives trying to compensate for their inability to find their way around, others are born with an innate sense of direction. JJ O'Neill, at the tender age of five, was an unacknowledged member of the latter group. From the age of three, he could remember the directions to almost anywhere that his parents had taken him; provided he hadn't fallen asleep in the car on the way there. And so, as the little boy set off from the Jackson's home, he already had a destination in mind…the daycare center.
He had been taken there so many times that he lost count. Sometimes his mommy or daddy took him and Grace, sometimes Auntie Janet, Uncle Daniel, or even Cassie, when she was home. So JJ headed East, knowing that the daycare center wasn't too far away, and that the mountain where mommy and daddy worked was just a long climb up the hill from the daycare center.
JJ stopped as he came to the end of the first block he had walked, his eyes wide with shock. Uh oh! He had to cross a street to keep going! JJ hadn't thought of that when he had set out. Mommy and daddy had told him many times that he wasn't allowed to cross the street without a grown-up. How was he 'posed to find mommy if he couldn't even cross the street?
For the first time since daddy had dropped him off, JJ felt tears begin to prick in his eyes. His lower lip trembled as he tried to hold in his emotions and think about what he should do. He couldn't go back…he just had to find his mommy! Besides, he had promised Grace.
"Whassa matter, kid?" JJ turned his head to find a big boy with a mop of brown hair standing next to him, holding a basketball under one arm and drinking a soda with his other hand. JJ wasn't sure how old the boy was, but he had to crane his neck really hard to look up and see him. The big boy frowned down at him. "Cantcha talk?"
JJ sucked in a deep breath, trying to hold back the sob that had threatened to escape, then said quietly, "I have to find my mommy. I need to go that way." He held out his arm and pointed across the street.
The older boy cocked an eyebrow, very much like Uncle T did, JJ thought to himself. "Well, what are ya standing around for?"
JJ looked down, feeling just a bit ashamed as he quietly said, "I'm not 'posed to cross the street by myself."
The boy snorted, then looked down at the sad face below him. Heaving a sigh, he said, "Well, come on then. I'll take you across. But I ain't going no further. Got a game to get to." He shoved the basketball under the arm that held the can of soda and held out a now free hand to the little boy.
JJ gave him a tremulous smile before reaching for the proffered hand. The teenager rolled his eyes but didn't release the child's hand. Looking carefully both ways, the two safely made it to the other side. Dropping the hand, the older boy looked down at JJ, his mind beginning to fill with doubt. "Hey, where is it you said you're going?"
"Up there," JJ pointed far off into the distance where the teenager could see the top of Cheyenne Mountain. "My mommy works up there. She's losted and I need to find her."
The teenager looked back down at JJ uncertainly. "That's a long way, kid. You sure you're not the one who's lost?" He was rather surprised by the look of determination that came over the little boy's face.
"Mommy's losted, not me. I need to find her…I pwomised Gwacie."
The boy looked to his left, where a path led to the park he was supposed to meet the guys at and play some ball. Then he looked back down at the little kid in front of him. Knowing he'd regret it if something ever happened to the kid, he heaved a sigh. "The things I get dragged into," he mumbled under his breath. "All right, kid. I'll come with you. But only as far as the base of the mountain. I ain't got all day to be traipsing around with some little kid!"
JJ hesitated; he wasn't 'posed to be talking to strangers either. Maybe if he knew this boy's name, he wouldn't really be a stranger anymore, and then he couldn't get in trouble for breaking that rule. He looked up at the teenager. "I'm not 'posed to talk to strangers. I'm JJ. Who are you?"
The teenager finally cracked a smile. "JJ…cool name. Friends call me Blaze." He held out his hand and the two boys shook.
JJ smiled too. He felt better. This boy was not a stranger any longer, and he was going to help JJ find his mommy.
"All right JJ, my man, let's hit the road." JJ nodded his head in agreement and the two started down the street, Blaze bouncing his basketball as they went, JJ watching in fascination. They stopped once to watch several police cars zip down the street, each wondering what might be happening, before they resumed their journey..
They had traveled several blocks together when the ball hit a large bump in the pavement and it squirted away from Blaze and into some nearby bushes. With a quick, "I'll get it!" JJ scampered after it, pushing his way through the tangle of branches to rescue his new friend's ball. From his place in the bushes, he didn't see the familiar SUV drive past, its two passengers leaning out the windows on either side of the vehicle, searching frantically for something as they slowly drove along.
It had been just after 5:00 when JJ had left Grace and Cassie. At this time of year, the sun started to set early. By the time JJ and Blaze neared the daycare center, the sun was beginning to set. Mommy and daddy didn't like JJ to be outside by himself when it got dark. It wasn't safe, they said. JJ briefly thought of all things he'd done today that he wasn't 'posed to; leaving the house without telling a grown-up, crossing streets, talking to strangers, and now being outside without them after dark. He worried that daddy was going to scold him, and maybe not let him watch TV for a few days, but then he pushed the worry aside. It didn't matter if he couldn't watch TV for a year! If he could find his mommy, it would be all worth it.
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They were within a few blocks of Daniel and Janet's house… could actually see the lights from the police cars flashing up ahead, when something made Sam pause. She craned her neck and looked behind her, clearly seeing the upper part of Cheyenne Mountain in the rapidly approaching sunset. She frowned in thought, then turned when Jack said, "Sam?"
"Jack, turn around," she stated without preamble. Jack looked at her, puzzled by both her abrupt request and by the look of contemplation on her face. It was a look he had seen many times during their years working together on the same SG team. Never one to question her ideas, he immediately made a sharp U-turn at the next intersection and headed back the way they had come, waving on the vehicle that carried Teal'c, indicating they should continue on their way to Daniel's house.
"Where to?" he asked, not doubting her instincts for a moment.
Sam looked at her surroundings, frowning thoughtfully once again. "Where is the one place JJ knows how to get to from Daniel and Janet's, without fail?"
Jack gave her a sidelong glance, not sure where she was going with this. "The park?"
Sam's eyes scoured the sidewalks as they drove, trying to catch some small sign of the little boy she was looking for. Finally, she replied. "No...the daycare center. He counts off the blocks to Grace as we drive there from Janet's. He knows exactly when we need to turn. And he knows that we work just up the mountain from the center." She finally met his eyes, a look of confidence on her face. "If he thinks I'm missing, he just might be headed to the mountain. And his first stop would be the daycare center...it's a point of reference for him."
Understanding dawned in Jack's eyes and he let his own gaze fall back to the sidewalks as he drove slowly along the street to the daycare center.
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The boys came to the last intersection before the highway and JJ pointed to the right. "We has to go this way first," he informed his teenaged guide… though in actuality, JJ was the one doing the guiding.
Blaze looked back the way they had come. They had walked together for quite a few blocks, and now it was getting late. The sun was approaching the top of the mountain and the older boy knew that as soon as it did, darkness would not be far behind. He was starting to think that maybe he'd better get some help with this kid…get him back wherever he belonged. "You sure about this kid? I mean, its getting pretty late. Maybe we should head back the way you came…let the grown-ups find your mom for ya."
JJ shook his head. "NO. Mommy say JJ good at finding things. Not daddy."
Blaze cocked his head at the little boy, not quite understanding what the kid's father had to do with anything, before he shrugged his shoulders and followed along, figuring he'd find a way soon to get the kid to turn around. They made their way together toward a one-story building that lay just ahead. "What's that?" he asked, pointing to the building.
"That's where me and Gwacie go to daycare. Mommy and daddy drops us off, then goes up the mountain," JJ informed the older boy.
Hmm, Blaze thought to himself, maybe I can duck in there and get someone to take the kid home. JJ skirted the front of the building, pulling Blaze along to the side yard of the daycare center, where swings and sandboxes sat abandoned on the other side of a chain link fence. JJ didn't want any of the grown-ups who worked there to see him, for he knew they would call someone to come get him. And JJ was bound and determined to find his mother and bring her home safely.
Blaze looked around himself, considering his options, before he looked down at JJ. "Uh, JJ. I need to…uh, take a leak, if you know what I mean. I'm going to head inside and see if I can use the bathroom, OK?" Blaze redirected the little boy's attention to himself.
JJ frowned with worry; if Blaze went inside, would the grown-ups find out he was out here? If they did, they would call Cassie and she would come and get him. Then he wouldn't be able to find mommy. But he knew he couldn't ask Blaze to hold it. JJ's daddy had to make stops lots of time for him and Gracie to use the potty. It was hard to hold it if you had to go bad. And so JJ nodded his head, but whispered, "Be really quiet, and don't tell no one I's out here." He held a finger to his lips as a reminder of silence.
Blaze gave JJ a conspiratorial wink. "Don't worry little man. You stay put by the fence. I'll be right back." Blaze handed the basketball to JJ, who took it carefully into his hands, his thoughts on the familiar name that Blaze had just called him. As he watched Blaze walk around the corner of the building, doubts began to assail his mind. He shrank back into the shrubs that clung to this side of the fence, unknowingly obstructing himself from view.
Daddy and mommy called him "Little man" all the time. Mostly daddy, though. JJ was starting to miss his daddy, along with his mommy. Maybe he shouldn't have set off all alone to find his mommy? Maybe daddy wasn't too good at finding things, but he remembered Uncle Danny once saying how daddy could find people who were losted better than anyone. Well, maybe not better than Uncle T, but second best for sure! And what if daddy did find mommy, then they went back to get Gracie, and he wasn't there? JJ began to breath faster, panicking at the thought that they might not realize he wasn't there and all go home without him.
While he was deep in thought, JJ didn't notice the SUV pull up into the back parking lot, nor the two adults who hurriedly got out from the vehicle. The adults didn't see the little boy at the side of the daycare center. The man said something to his wife, then hurried around to the front of the daycare center, taking the opposite route that Blaze had just taken. He left his wife to search around the back.
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As Jack took the few steps into the center two at a time and opened the front door, he registered briefly a tall, teenaged boy with a mop of unruly hair standing at the front desk. Not wanting to wait for whatever the kid was talking to the front attendant about, he was just about to push him aside when he heard the words the boy was saying. "…a little kid who says he comes here sometimes with his sister. He's out looking for his mother."
Blaze was beyond shocked to feel himself spun around, a hard hand gripping him by the shoulders. "What did you say?" a tall man with silver hair questioned him harshly.
Not one to be intimidated too easily, Blaze shrugged of the man's hand. "I said I had a little kid with me who is looking for his mother. What's it to you, Gramps?" he asked with a frown.
Jack's eyes narrowed menacingly as he took a step toward the boy, feeling a smug bit of satisfaction when the boy took a step back. "I just happen to be looking for my son, who's been missing for the last 30 minutes, that's what it is to me, kid. Now," he leaned even closer to Blaze, "What's this boy's name and where did you leave him?"
Blaze gulped once, looked at the attendant, who was offering no help whatsoever, then back to Jack. "Uh, he said his name was JJ, sir. I left him on the side of the building." Blaze felt an immense rush of relief when Jack backed off, then stiffened again as the man grabbed his upper arm.
"You're coming with me," he tugged the teenager after him as he retraced his steps to the front door. "And so help me God, if you laid a finger on my son…"
He left the threat unspoken, but Blaze got his drift. Not one to be blamed for something that didn't happen, he had the guts to speak up, "Hey man, I didn't touch the kid; only took his hand to cross the street. What the heck are you doing anyway, letting a little kid out on his own like that?"
Jack growled but didn't respond as he hustled both the boy and himself down the steps and around the corner of the building.
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JJ was still thinking about the possibility of his family going home without him, clutching the basketball tightly to his chest, when he heard a soft gasp coming from the previously empty playground. Cautiously, he edged away from the bush and peered around it, his gaze taking in the lone figure on the playground. JJ's eyes widened in surprise and excitement: Mommy? What was mommy doing at the daycare's playground? She stood by the swingset, absently pushing an empty swing while she looked up at the mountain. JJ could tell from his spot by the fence that mommy was crying, for her shoulders were shaking and she was wiping at her eyes.
Not wanting to see his mommy frightened and losted anymore, for that had to be the reason she was crying, JJ carelessly let Blaze's basketball drop from his grasp as he ran toward the gate. "Mommy?" he called loudly as his small fingers tried to open the latch from the outside.
Sam's head spun when she heard JJ's voice, and she sobbed with relief when she saw her little boy at the gate, fingers frantically grasping at the latch that was keeping them separated. "JJ! Oh my God, JJ!" Sam ran over to the gate, gently pushed his fingers aside, and then threw open the gate. She collapsed onto her knees and took her son in her arms, holding him tightly and sobbing his name. "Oh, JJ! I was so worried! I didn't know…" she couldn't finish, the words stuck in her throat as she cried her relief at finding her child safe.
JJ clung tightly to her neck and wrapped his legs around her waist. He buried his face against her cheek, breathing in the scent that was uniquely his mommy. As she continued to cry, JJ pulled back and looked her in the eyes. "It's OK, Mommy. You're not losted anymore. I found you!" Then he gave her a smile. "I is very good at finding things, right?"
Sam laughed out loud and hugged him tightly once more. "Yes you are JJ. Yes you are." Then she pressed a kiss to his cheek and ran a hand through his hair, so thankful to have him with her once again. Sam got to her feet, still holding JJ, and moved toward the gate. She knew Jack would want to know that she had found JJ.
She had just turned the corner of the building when she came face to face with her husband, who was pulling a rather ill-tempered looking teenager in his wake.
Jack stopped abruptly when he saw Sam clutching JJ in her arms. His heart felt ten times lighter as he took in the beautiful smile on her face and the sight of his son, safe in her arms. "JJ?" he asked, dropping Blaze's arm as he came closer.
JJ swung around at his father's voice, his eyes lighting with pride. "Daddy! Look – I finded Mommy! She's not losted anymore!"
Jack's eyes were suspiciously moist as he placed a gentle hand on his son's head. "No, JJ. Mommy's not lost anymore. And neither are you."
JJ frowned. "I wasn't losted, was I Blaze?"
All eyes turns to the young man who stood silently taking in the scene before him. The woman's gaze was curious, yet open. The man's was still a bit on the guarded side, yet appeared as if he was willing to reserve judgement, now that his son was safe.
"Uh, no little buddy. You seemed to know exactly where you were going," Blaze replied, giving the little boy a small smile of encouragement.
"See?" JJ said proudly. "I wasn't losted. I was looking for Mommy." His eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at Sam. "You have to be more careful, Mommy. People worries when you are losted."
Both Sam and Jack chuckled; they would have a serious discussion with JJ later about taking off on his own, but for now, they were going to enjoy having their son back where he belonged. "I will be more careful in the future, little man," Sam assured her son.
JJ exchanged a grin with Blaze at the nickname, then he squirmed out of his mother's arms. Walking to where the basketball lay abandoned against the fence, JJ picked it up and brought it over to Blaze. "Here's you ball, Blaze. Thank you for helping me cross the street and for helping me find my mommy." He reached out and handed the ball to Blaze.
Blaze took it in his hands. "No sweat kid," he replied. He looked thoughtfully at the little boy, then back down at the ball. Reaching out, he handed the ball back to JJ. "Here, you keep it. It'll give you something to remember me by."
JJ's eyes lit up. "Really? I can keep it?" At Blaze's nod of assent, JJ took the ball and smiled brightly. "Thanks, Blaze. I won't never forget you."
Sam stepped forward and placed her hands on her son's shoulders. "Yes, Blaze. Thank you…for everything." Her eyes were full of meaning as she said the words. Blaze nodded in response, thinking to himself what a lucky bastard the old guy was to have such a beautiful wife, and such a great kid.
Jack stepped up to the boy, digging out his wallet as he did so. Blaze, seeing the action, immediately held up his hands. "Uh-uh. I ain't taking no money from you for helping the kid. I didn't do nothing no decent person wouldn't of done." Jack stopped his actions, feeling a measure of respect at the boy's words. He nodded his understanding at the boy, then pulled out a small business card.
Holding it out, he said, "You ever need anything, you call, got it?" The two men regarded each other carefully before Blaze took the card from Jack's hands. Glancing down, he read, Ambassador Jack O'Neill. Whoa – must be someone pretty important., he thought to himself before tucking the card into his back pocket. Taking the hand Jack held out, he shook it briefly before letting go.
Clearing his throat, Jack turned back to his family. "Well, little man, we'd best take off. Lots of people are waiting to see you and mommy back at Uncle Daniel's." He shared a look with Sam…they both knew they would have a lot of explaining to do!
JJ smiled. "Gwacie is going to be so happy. I pwomised her that I would bring Mommy home, and I am!" He beamed proudly at his parents.
Laughing, Jack swung JJ into his arms and onto his shoulders. "Well then, little man, let's get your mommy home. We don't want to make Gracie wait any longer, do we?"
"Nope!" JJ laughed as they walked off, holding his daddy's neck with one arm and his basketball tucked under the other. Mommy held his leg, as if afraid to let him out of her sight. He smiled down at mommy – he wouldn't let her get lost again. He'd have to tell her that later.
JJ craned his neck around to see Blaze one last time. "Bye Blaze!" he called, releasing his grip from Jack as he waved quickly.
Blaze held up one hand in farewell, a slight smile on his face. "See you, dude." As they disappeared from sight, Blaze let his hand fall to his side. As long as he lived, he knew he would never forget the look of utter love and happiness on the faces of JJ's parents now that they had their son back with them. He thought it was pretty cool the way they didn't ream the kid out for taking off, but let him think that he had found his mother all by himself. Even the old guy wasn't half bad, he thought to himself as he turned around and began the trek back to the park.
His fingers absently went to his back pocket and pulled out the business card JJ's father had given him. And as he walked along, he wondered if someday, he have a reason to give the Ambassador a call.
