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Chapter 5

Mike could never understand the pain that Sara went through and since the only way he ever would understand would be to lose her, his child, he didn't want to. However he could see that his daughter was falling apart and the breakdown of her marriage would have been the final nail in her coffin so he moved into her house so that he could take care of her, most of the time however it was Sara that looked after him.

Jack's number sits before him on a scrap of paper and besides the paper sits the phone and even though Mike is holding the handset he can't punch in the numbers because he doesn't know what he could say.

How does he tell Jack there is a chance Charlie is alive, when he barely believes it himself? When he has seen the evidence of a strange little boy lying dead on a table and had met Xander who has Charlie's smile?

Outside Mike's den Sara paces the hallway waiting for Xander to arrive, he hasn't said when he would be coming by to fix the garden seat and Sara has woken at the crack of dawn eager to see her son and to fill him in on the truth. Mike runs his tongue over his teeth and starts hitting the numbers on the phone. It is Saturday and

Jack should be at home but knowing Jack there was little chance the man was even there.

" O'Neill." A voice barks down the receiver and Mike slams the handset down like a love sick teenager calling his first crush.

The phone rings less then a minute later and Mike picks it up still lost in thought.

"Mike speaking." He mumbles into the phone.

"Mike, it's Jack what's wrong?" For a moment Mike is stuck unable to decide what to do.

" Sorry Jack?"

" You just called me Mike, so what's going on?" Jack demands the playfulness often found in his voice missing.

" Uh," Mike sighs not knowing where to start.

" Is Sara all right?"

" She's fine, that's not really what I wanted to talk with you about." Mike begins.

" Go on," Jack encourages him and Mike looks back to the doorway to his den as Sara paces past the doorway again.

" Not over the phone Jack. Can I meet you in town?" Mike asks in a hushed tone.

" Very clandestine Mike," Jack retorts to which Mike snaps.

" Can you meet me or not?"

" I'll be at Joe's diner in a half hour and you better tell me what the heck is going on." Jack states.

" All right half an hour, I'll see you there." Mike disconnects the call and stands up from his chair.

Sara has paced back to her own study, but Mike manages to locate the autopsy photo from Sara's coat where she has left it yesterday.

Holding it he looks at the eye of the dead boy again. Who was this child? Were his parents still holding out hope that their son would come knocking on their door?

" I'm headed out Sara." Mike calls out as he replaces the photo. He wants to call out a warning for Sara not to tell Alex that he could be Charlie but the pair had spent most of the night arguing over the same topic and he doesn't want to start that particular fight again.

Jack is already in the diner by the time that Mike has slowly navigated the streets of Colorado Springs and circled the block the diner sat on four times. Despite having a half hour to think of what he could tell Jack he is still struggling to think of an opening to the conversation, or for that matter a middle and an end.

Jack has greyed considerably since Mike saw him last, but he still looks the same, a few extra wrinkles around the eyes but he looks up and gives Mike the same wry smile he used to give him all those years ago.

" Mike," Jack says as he stands and the two men share a quick and manly embrace, patting each other on the back wordlessly.

" You look good Jack," Mike tells his ex-son-in-law as he slides into the booth opposite where Jack is tucking into a stack of pancakes.

" You too Mike, you too." Jack replies retrieving his knife from a puddle of syrup and stranding it on the side of his plate.

" So Mike, why am I here?" Jack asks bluntly and Mike stares at the man before him and he runs a hand through his hair.

" It's kind of a difficult situation, awkward." Mike starts and Jack nods seriously and Mike is stuck as to what to say.

" Mike?" Jack asks after a moment's silence and Mike looks around the diner.

" I think I'll just get a coffee," he states hoping the rich black liquid will help to clear his head.

The waitress is over the opposite side of the diner and Mike tries to catch her eye for a few seconds before turning back to Jack, Jack however never willing to give up on a challenge is holding his coffee cup aloft and the waitress sees the ridiculous motioning Jack is doing and nods indicating with the coffee pot that she will be right with the duo.

Mike misses this though, because he is examining the weathered face of Jack and trying to match the characteristics he sees before him in the face of Alex. The only sounds around them are the general chatter of other Saturday morning patrons and Mike looks up as a boy in a baseball uniform ran past the table. His baseball shoes clattering on the tiled floor of the diner.

Then Mike catches Jack glance at the boy as well and for a second there is a look of longing behind Jack's eyes and Mike recognises it because he sees the same look in Sara, when she watches parents with their children at the mall.

" Jack," Mike starts because he knows now that there is no way a man could have hidden his son from Sara and still gets that look of longing.

Jack turns back to face Mike.

" I need you to come back to the house with me, I have to show you something." Mike says in as serious tone as he can muster.

Jack looks across the table and into Mike's eyes and he nods once.

" Ok, Mike. What is it?" Jack asks.

" It's about Charlie." Mike explains and for a moment Jack is silent.

" What about Charlie?" Jack asks his eyes searching Mikes for any clue

" I think it would be better if I show you."