Ah Charlie, good ole Charlie. The only offspring of the O'Neill's and the only one there would probably ever be. The blond haired child was a sports star. Well, a baseball star actually. What an arm he had on him… whew! And what about that batting average? The kid was just like his father. They were so much in common except for one thing.
He was dead, Jack was not.
The colonel looked at his internal struggle critically and saw a glimmer of hope for him yet, but not for now. No, he'd have to wait and see. In the meantime, Charlie's face still haunted the mind of Jack O'Neill. It had been three days since the… energy… had gone through the gate back home. Jack still wasn't over his son.
The hopes and dreams his kid had had. Jack missed those conversations with his son. Sitting on the bed and debating jobs, this usually ended up in a tickle fight. Sara would pop her head in the room to see Charlie attacking his dad and his dad viciously defending himself against the tickle-foe. She would laugh and scold them for fighting at such an hour. And they would reply, "Who me?"
How much like dad he was… if only Charlie knew how much dad missed him, maybe he would come down and greet Jack once again.
Yes… Jack remembered those days and it brought a rare, these days, smile to his face.
"Hey dad?"
"Yeah?"
"What's it like being a pilot?"
"Well…" he considered, "it's a lot like being Superman. You zip around in this really cool plane saving the world. And all the damsels in it!" They laughed.
"Dad, could I be a pilot?"
"If you wanted to bad enough, sure! Me and you would fly around and get rid of all the bad guys."
"And we'd be Supermen together!" Charlie crowed.
"That's right, and no one could stop the mighty O'Neill's!"
"No way dad!" Charlie laughed. Jack started making flying sounds and called a name off an imaginary list.
"Lieutenant Charles-"
"Nuh uh! Charlie!"
"Okay then… scratch that… Lieutenant Charlie O'Neill, you will fly today with your dad. What do you have to say?"
"Cool!" he cried out and straightened. "Lieutenant O'Neill reporting for duty sir!"
"Aww… sir? I'm touched!" Jack played out. Charlie punched him on the shoulder playfully. "Seriously though, would you join?"
Charlie nodded seriously. "First I'll join the Air Force, go to Air Force school, and join their baseball team."
Jack smiled. "You know, my team is the best around."
"No way."
"Yeah, and I'd like to see your team beat it!"
"We'll do better than that! We'll demolish it!" Charlie grinned.
"You think so? Bring it on punk!" Jack had turned to face his son and was pointing fingers at him. Charlie was on his knees, facing his father.
"Alright! Come on dad, let's go at it!" Charlie leaped at Jack and knocked him over. The tickling had begun. Fifteen minutes later, Sara popped into the room and stopped.
"No what are you two doing?" The men untangled themselves and grinned.
"Nothing," the crowed innocently.
"Uh huh… in bed, both of you!"
"Ohhh mom!" Charlie complained jokingly.
"Mo-om!" Jack complained.
"In bed!"
"Night mom, night dad."
That had been the night Jack had discussed Charlie' future with his mom. She was happy for him, but at the same time didn't want her little one hurt. Sara never really approved of Jack's military status. She had always worried about him, but was nice about it.
Oh the happy days. Days when being a parent was fun and joyful. He remembered the day the kid had been born. Jack had paced the hospital for hours, nervously awaiting the birth. At one point, one of the nurses, highly experienced in extremely nervous fathers-to-be, came over to him, grabbed him and sat him down. She brought hellos and 'I-love-you's from his beloved. The nurse said Sara was fine. He had relaxed some, his pacing was now restricted to the waiting room.
Charlie's life passed before the eyes of Jack O'Neill. That wasn't how it should have been. Charlie's life, passing before his eyes. Charlie should have been still alive and well. How old would he be now? 12, 13? Yeah, something like that, four years had passed by. Amazing how time flew, wasn't?