Author's note: Thank you so much for all your reviews!

And another very special thanks to LuSo for betaing! Hugs and Kisses

Chapter 10

Sam and Jack knocked on the wooden door of Al's little house. The fireplace was alight with a crackling, toasty fire, illuminating the Lounge room.

"Come in!" Al beckoned. Together they entered the house, their hands brushing against each other as they hastily walked through the doorway to make sure Charlotte was safe and sound.

"Where's Charlotte?" Sam asked immediately, and Nan obviously noticed the fear in Sam's voice

"Hey sweetie, don't worry. She's asleep on the couch over there. See? I think all that running around with Donald drained her energy, for a little while at least" Nan announced pointing towards the sofa next to the fireplace. On the couch lay her little girl covered with a light blanket, hugging Donald close, mumbling in her sleep. Sam smiled when she felt Jack standing behind her and knew their daughter was safe. "She's beautiful." He stated matter-of-factly, his breath tickling her ear. "She's like her father, Jack." Sam returned leaning back against him, and for a moment they forgot about their sorrows and enjoyed watching their daughter sleep peacefully.

"Anybody in for a cup of coffee?" Al finally broke the silence that had filled the room for the previous moments. For the first time since they had entered the house, Al got a close look at Sam's face and he gasped in shock when he noticed the black eye Pete had given her forming on her delicate features. He strode towards her.

"How did that happen? Why is your eye that swollen? Jack?" Al asked demanding an explanation from Jack, but he was looking at Sam who averted her gaze as she blushed with embarrassment. Although she liked the older couple, she certainly didn't want to discuss her marriage with them. However one way or another they were going to find out, she had chosen to come with Jack, and to be completely honest she had expected them to notice as soon as she walked through the door. How could anybody not notice the tender discoloured state of her eye, which was also still red from the tears she had been crying?

"We got a visitor at my cabin earlier." Jack offered in way of an explanation, which got him a questioning look from Nancy who had already risen from her seat next to Charlotte to take Sam's hand and lead her into the kitchen.

"Come on, honey. I guess that must hurt, let's go find some ice to cool that eye." Nancy suggested, still pulling Sam along behind her, she turned when Sam stopped abruptly pulling her hand from the older woman's light grasp.

"Thanks, Nan." Sam looked at the ground, her voice just a whisper. "I'd rather go home." She looked at Jack who nodded his agreement.

"Let me at last get you an ice-pack for your trip back, Sam." Nancy insisted, walking into the kitchen to run her errand, while Al dragged Jack away from the spot in the lounge room, where he had been quietly watching his daughter sleep. When they reached the little room near the front door Al turned to Jack, "Jack, what's wrong? Tell me." he insisted quietly, and not without hesitation Jack answered: "Sam's husband showed up at my cabin. I don't exactly know what happened but by the time I entered the house I saw him take a swing at her, hence the black eye."

"Her husband?" Al questioned, clearly in need of a little elaboration on what Jack was getting at.

"I told you she was married. He'd been violent before, that's why she left, but obviously he doesn't want to let her to go." Jack sighed deeply. "I don't know what it is with her, Al. I know she can kick his butt, but she didn't. She's a trained Air Force Officer. Level three in hand-to-hand combat, why the hell didn't she defend herself the first time, never mind the other times? Sometimes I just don't understand her."

Jack's outburst stopped abruptly as Sam and Nancy came to stand next to the sleeping child; tears threatened to fall when he thought about the things Pete might have done to Sam if he hadn't shown up and stopped Pete, she clearly wasn't taking any action. He tried to hide the tears and keep them at bay, but it certainly didn't help as he imagined what his life would have been like if Pete had taken them out of his life a second time. "That's not all, Jack, is it?" Al questioned, having seen the glistening of tears in Jack's pained brown eyes.

"No." Jack admitted, his head dropping to his chest as he recalled the painful revelation that he had missed the first two years of his daughter's life, which she had spent with Pete, a man that hit the woman he loved more than life. He dreaded to think that Pete might one day have harmed Charlotte.

"Want to talk about it?" Al questioned, knowing there was something the man he thought of, as a son wasn't telling him. His eyes were still on the women in the living room when he stated: "She's my daughter, Al. My little girl. I can't stand the thought of her or Sam getting hurt." The older man didn't seem surprised when he patted Jacks shoulder.

"She's safe now, Jack, they both are. Look at them." And he did as Al said; everything looking so natural, as the mother of their daughter gently stroked her golden brown ringlets as she slept restfully, curled up on the couch with Donald. The only distracting thing was Sam holding an ice pack against her beautiful, delicate face.

"You're right, Al. They are safe. I guess I'll take them home now, how about you save the coffee for tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow Jack: I'll hold you to that. We can't wait to have this little gem with us again."

"And you, of course." Nancy added smiling brightly from her position in the doorway to the lounge room, where she had been keeping Sam and Charlotte Company. When Jack joined the women in the living room Sam had already started to free the puppy from the little girl's arms, so Charlotte was ready to be picked up and carried home to bed. When Jack did so, she immediately snuggled closer against him. Sam put the ice down and placed a light kiss on her daughter's forehead, unintentionally knocking Jack's arm in the process, disturbing Charlotte's sleep.

"Daddy?" she mumbled as she gazed sleepily up at her father.

"Yes baby, it's Mommy and Daddy." Jack returned, pure adoration shining in his eyes.

"Love you, Daddy." The little girl confessed before she fell asleep again, Jack's heart instantly filled with pride and devotion, even more.

"Love you too, little one." Jack whispered softly as he stroked the soft hair on her head until she was fast asleep in her daddy's arms.

By the time they finally said their goodbyes Charlotte was sound asleep in her car seat, buckled and all ready to go. However, before Sam entered the car she heard Al inviting them for lunch the next day. "We'll be bringing the car back anyway, let's say we call you before we come around, ok?" Jack suggested.

"Alright." Al agreed, seeming happy when he drew Jack into a fatherly embrace, while Nancy walked around the car and made Sam promise to come to visit again the following day.

When the three of them finally arrived back at Jack's cabin it was late at night. He took Charlotte out of her car seat and took her inside; Sam followed them thinking about how good he was with children. She shouldn't be surprised, she'd seen him with lots of children over the years they'd worked together and he'd always been a natural.

"Hey, you okay? How is your eye? Do you want some painkillers, we have some inside?"

"Yeah, I'll get this little one to bed first though."

"Coffee?" Jack suggested

"Sure." And with that Sam walked upstairs, with Charlotte fast asleep in her arms to get her changed and ready for bed. She placed her in the middle of the spare bed and tucked her in so she wouldn't roll off until Sam arrived, whilst Jack took his time making the coffee.

Sam finished tucking Charlotte into bed and gazed down at her precious little girl, smiling at how she curled up on her side, she was the best thing that had ever happened to her and she'd kept her a secret for more than two years. She was immediately tugged out of her reverie when she heard a rustling from behind and languidly turned around, completely relaxed in this environment that felt like home.

"Hey." She smiled softly as her eyes drifted to the very welcome intruder leaning against the door fame.

"Hey yourself. What ya doing? Coffee's waiting." Jack looked at her and his gaze spoke volumes of the love he felt for them both, reflecting the emotions in her own deep oceanic blue depths.

"Just adsorbing every little detail about her, it is as if I see her in a new light now. She's so much like you, Jack. And now I'm finally allowed to voice my thoughts and feelings but I can't stop feeling guilty for hurting you so much. I'll never forgive myself for taking two years of yours lives together away from you."

Author's note2: Next chapter should be up soon :o)