The trip to Washington was a lot less eventful than the trip to Minnesota. It helped that John and Sammi had new identities, complete with passports, driver's licenses, and birth certificates. John had to hand it to Sam and Jack, they'd really worked hard to set it all up. Every time they had to show ID or pass a checkpoint, John waited for the inevitable sirens to blare, but they never did. The trip went smoothly from start to finish.
It took just under 30 hours to travel from Minnesota to the nation's capitol by bus. It wasn't the most comfortable ride, especially whenever John's arm fell asleep from Sammi sleeping on him, but it beat the hell out of jacking cars and evading police.
Sammi even managed to strike up a conversation with a girl named Clare. She was born and raised in Washington and was traveling back from a two week trip to her dad's house in Chicago. She had boarded the bus during one of the stops and plopped down across the aisle from them. When she found out Sammi and John were moving to her hometown, she regaled them with stories of growing up in the city.
"You and your brother will love it there!" Clare had exclaimed. "Maybe we'll even go to the same school."
"Maybe," Sammi agreed politely, "and John's not my brother."
"Oh?" Clare had eyed him speculatively.
"He's my sister's, husband's son," she said, using the full identities they'd assumed for the first time.
"So that makes him?" Clare looked confused.
"My step-in-law something or other?" Sammi laughed as she realized she had no clue how to introduce him. She glanced at John, who was feigning sleep, and saw his lips quirk in amusement.
"So you're not actually related," Clare whispered. "Lucky you."
Sammi couldn't help the faint blush at Clare's insinuation. If the girl only knew the truth.
Their conversation finally came to an end when the bus rolled into the Dupont Circle bus terminal. Sammi stood up and immediately swayed, her legs jelly.
"Whoa," John said as he pulled her against him to keep her steady. "You okay?"
Sammi blinked up at him, her mind not engaging, instead focusing on the feel of his body against hers.
"Sorry," she said, finally regaining her wits and her balance enough to shove those thoughts aside. "My mind is sluggish from all this travel," she lied.
"I know what you mean," he reached into the overhead compartment and retrieved their backpacks, slinging one over each shoulder. When he saw Clare struggling to reach hers, he plucked it down. "Go on, I've got it."
"Thanks," Clare beamed at him, leaning close to Sammi and giggling something about chivalry.
As they exited the bus, Clare started waving wildly at a young man near the entrance of the terminal.
"That's Louis, my step-brother," she told them, running forward. "I missed you Louie!" She exclaimed, embracing him. "Come, I want you to meet my new friends, Sammi and her—um—John."
John handed Louis Clare's bag, then shook his hand. "Pleased to meet you."
"Likewise," Louis said, his handshake firm as he appraised John. "Hopefully my sister didn't talk both your ears off," he joked.
"Nah," John grinned. "I'm used to this one," he bumped Sammi with his shoulder gently.
"Can we give you a ride?" Clare asked, "you don't mind, right Louie."
"We'll take a cab," John started to say.
"Nonsense," Louis shook his head. "It'll take you forever to get one," he pointed toward the line.
"Alright," John said, as Sammi pulled out the note with the address on it.
"No way!" Clare exclaimed as she read it.
"What?" Sammi asked in a worried tone, wondering what the problem was.
"You live on our street!" Clare bobbed up and down on her toes. "I bet we will go to the same school!"
"Small world," John forced a smile, suddenly uneasy. Was this just a coincidence or a setup? Who could have predicted they'd meet Clare?
"Car is parked this way," Louis said and started walking.
John's gut told him these kids were just that--kids. He exchanged a look with Sammi, seeing she felt the same way, they followed Louis and Clare to the parking garage.
The drive took a little over thirty minutes, but Sammi was impressed with Louis' driving skills. He couldn't be older than 18, but he weaved in and out of DC traffic like a seasoned pro.
"This is Sycamore Street," Louis told them as he made a right turn. Sammi wanted to whistle as she took in the houses—more like mansions, she corrected herself.
"That one is ours," Clare pointed to a large brick estate as they drove by. Three houses down she added, "this is you. Mrs. Whitman lives here, I think. How do you know her anyway?"
"She's a—relative," John hedged, as he caught Louis staring at him.
"Wow," Sammi couldn't hold in her shock at the three-story, stately brick home.
"You've never been here before?" Louis looked at John and Sammi in the rear view mirror.
"Not since I was a boy," John said with such bitterness that Sammi wondered if he was telling the truth. "Thanks for the ride," he added, getting out of the car and offering a hand to Sammi.
"Maybe I'll see you at school," Clare said excitedly. "Call me!"
"Yeah, ok," Sammi responded, both happy to have made a friend but nervous at the prospect of school. Up until now, she hadn't thought about the logistics of assuming her new identity. Could she really pretend to be a high school student? Would she stick out like a sore thumb...again? She suppressed a shudder as painful memories flitted through her mind and focused on the task at hand.
"Do you think anyone's expecting us?" she followed John up the stairs to the front door.
"Let's find out," he rang the doorbell.
Less than ten seconds passed before the door opened to reveal a pleasant-looking woman in her mid-sixties.
"Can I help you?" She asked them with a smile.
"Hi Katherine," John said, drawing a gasp from Sammi.
The older woman's eyes widened. "Oh! You must be John and Sammi! Come in, kids, come in."
"So you are expecting us?" John asked as they entered.
Sammi woodenly followed, completely unsure of what was happening. She glanced at John, unable to read his expression. How did he know this woman?
"Jack sent word you'd be coming," Katherine nodded. "He wasn't for sure when, just that you'd be needing a safe place to stay."
"You know Jack?" Sammi asked, her eyes darting between Kathrine and John. How did they know this woman?
"Since he was a screaming baby," she chuckled. "Always was grouchy, that one."
"Katherine is Jack's oldest sister," John said softly, his eyes meeting Sammi's.
"And you are a spittin' image of him," Katherine shook her head in awe. "I didn't believe it when they told me..." she trailed off.
"Your home is beautiful," Sammi tried to fill the silence, but her voice came out shaky.
"Well, it's your home now too, dear, for as long as you want," Katherine turned towards the double staircase. "It belongs to all the O'Neill's, I'm just the oldest of us, so it is my privilege to care for it."
"Oh, I'm not an O'Neill," Sammi stammered, caught off guard.
"You're Jack's niece by marriage, aren't you?" Katie paused.
Sammi nodded, flabbergasted and speechless.
"Then, you belong here," Katherine shrugged daintily, "simple as that. Now, I know you both must be exhausted from your trip," she led them the rest of the way up the stairs. "Why don't you freshen up and rest; Sammi this is your room, John you're across the hall."
"Okay," Sammi said, still stunned and unsure of what else to do.
"Katherine—" John started to argue their being separated while Sammi was still being hunted.
"This house has a military-grade security system in place," Katherine said smoothly. "Charles, my late husband, owned a security firm, his specialty was home defense. No one is getting inside this house without being invited, understand?"
John merely nodded before looking to Sammi. He couldn't quite read her expression, but he assumed he had a similar one on his face.
"Dinner will be on the table at six," Katherine smiled, leaving them alone.
John felt bad as he handed Sammi her backpack before simply entering his room, but he needed a few minutes to regroup. He hadn't expected this turn of events, which seriously derailed his mission. Did he ever have a mission anymore? Did he want one?
He kicked himself for not recognizing the address as soon as he saw it. He had very faint memories of being here when Jack was a young boy. It was before the rift formed between his parents and his grandfather, following his grandmother's death. Ultimately, Jack was sent to live with his grandfather in Minnesota, while Katherine and their other sister stayed in Washington. The last time he remembered actually seeing Katherine was at Charlie's funeral. John squeezed his eyes shut, forcing painful memories from his past life aside. Right now he had a call to make.
Retrieving the earbud and paperclip from his backpack, he walked onto his private terrace.
"Sparrow reporting in," John glanced around to see if anyone was around to overhear.
"Go for Sparrow," Hawk responded evenly.
"Forceful extraction attempt failed," John stated, keeping the anger out of his voice. "Of course a warning would have been nice."
"Eagle ordered the forceful extraction himself," Hawk replied smoothly.
"Bossman gave me 72 hours," John said as klaxons blared in his head.
"Bossman isn't in charge anymore," Hawk said with an evil tone. "Eagle wants her now."
Shit. Shit. Shit.
"I need more time to reach the rendezvous," John stalled, trying to think of a way to buy himself more time.
"We know you aren't bringing her to the rendezvous point. What's your current location, John?"
John pulled the earbud out of his ear and tossed it onto the ground. Without hesitating, he smashed it with the heel of his boot. Turning around he froze at the sight of Sammi standing in his doorway. The look on her face could only be described as furious.
