Standard Disclaimer Applies
AN: let the action begin. WhiteWolf extra thanks for helping with the double post for this week.
Chapter 6
The divorce had been disgustingly amicable, Jack had offered the house and contents to Sara and taken only his car and clothes.
Everything else he had left returning to the house occasionally to fetch an item out of the attic.
They had stayed in contact for a few months, calling to check how the other was and skirting the issue of love, the military and loss. This didn't leave a whole lot to talk about and eventually the calls petered out and stopped all together.
Occasionally they would see each other in town, but from what Sara understood Jack spent the majority of time at the base and any spare time was devoted to fishing and being alone. Apart from that they would nod at each other across the street offering a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek but these situations became a rarity.
Xander hadn't said more then two words when he arrived and Sara is waiting in the dying afternoon light of the day after her revelation to speak with him. Not sure of why she's waiting, but too afraid to approach Xander first for fear of rejection.
A knock on the front door snaps her out of her daze and she waits for
Mike to answer without moving, but the knocking increases in intensity and volume and soon turns to pounding and still Mike hasn't answered. Until Sara remembers that he has gone to run an errand in town, prior to leaving he instructed Sara to think about what she was going to do before she rushed into anything. Since then she has been unable to think of anything else.
There is a glass panel in the front door, but Sara can't make out who her visitor is because they are standing out of view. But because she lives in Colorado Springs and because she is not a suspicious person she opens the door wide.
Doctor Burstein bursts into the house, pushing Sara to one side and closing the door in one movement.
" Doctor? What are you doing?" Sara demands harshly as the doctor peers through the glass panelling out at the street before turning to Sara.
" Where is it?" He asks bluntly and Sara shakes her head.
" What?" She asks confused because she can't imagine a lost photo causing the panic she sees in the doctor.
" You know what! The photo. Where is the photo?" The doctor demands as he peers around moving into the living room and knocking a pile of papers to the floor as he shifts through them.
" What the hell are you doing?" Sara asks in a squeak as Doctor Burstein turns and Sara is pushed into a wall.
" I need that photo Sara. Tell me where it is? Do you know what will happen if they find that missing?" Burstein threatens nervously.
" Who?" Sara demands seeing an opening into a line of questions she desperately wants answered, "the people that took Charlie? The people that faked his death?" She enquires and Doctor Burstein knocks her back against the wall with a shove that makes her bang the back of her head sharply against the wall. The man looks terrified as he yells.
"Don't you say that! You don't know anything! Tell me where the photo is or you'll be sorry." He is holding her against the wall now and she struggles to free herself from the surprising strength of the
Doctor.
" Get off me!" She yells in a panic before he slaps a hand over her mouth and leans in closer.
"They will kill me. They will kill you and if they find out where the boy is, they will kill him too!" Burstein yells menacingly and then he is gone.
A blur of brown and skin and before Sara can comprehend what is happening Xander has Burstein pinned face up on the ground the boy's knee resting heavily on the doctor's stomach, one hand wrapped around
Bernstein's throat and the other has one of the doctor's wrists captured tightly in its grasp. The wrist is being forced back at an unnatural angle freezing the doctor in place.
" Sara, are you all right?" Xander asks without looking up and when
Sara doesn't answer out of shock, he turns and fixes her with a strong gaze.
" Sara?" He asks and she nods dumbly. He had moved so quickly and made no noise the stealth he used reminding her of Jack and she is glad that Xander is there to help but frightened of the situation all at once.
"They'll find him! They'll kill him!" Burstein is yelling and Xander turns his gaze back to his captive.
" Keep yelling and you'll die long before the boy." Xander states softly his grip tightening around the doctor's throat and there is a look in Xander's eye that nearly causes Burstein to lose control over his bladder.
" What did you do?" Sara asks as she regains control of her composure and storms forward, "to Charlie? What did you do?" She asks again in
a shout and Xander stares at her as if he is about to say something, but he looks down at the doctor and decides not to.
" Why did you take him?" Sara is demanding and Doctor Burstein is having trouble answering so Xander loosens his grip around the man's throat and he gasps in a deep breath before answering.
" To save him." Doctor Burstein croaks.
" To save him? You stole him!" Sara screams in fury advancing on the doctor and hitting him with her arms as she lands on top of him and
Xander.
There is a tangle of arms and legs and the doctor grunts in pain as he is hit repeatedly and Sara strikes out again this time catching
Xander up side the face and he barely flinches as her engagement ring catches the skin under his eye drawing blood but Sara recoils as she strikes her son.
" I'm sorry," she gasps horrified and Xander shakes his head to clear the pain of the fist hitting his face, blood drips down his cheek.
" Oh god, Charlie, I'm sorry." Sara gasps again as she collapses away from the men and falls against the wall and the room falls under a blanket of instant silence.
Xander is staring at Sara his mouth open in shock at what she has just said, underneath him Burstein is also in shock.
" What did you just call me?" Xander finally asks his voice cracking.
Sara doesn't answer she is horrified at what she has just said, angry at herself for her tactless mistake.
" Sara?" Xander prompts and she finally brings herself to look at him and it is like a force knocking into her as she realises that he is not angry, not confused but very interested.
" Xander I'm sorry, I didn't want to tell you like this but I think that you might be my son." Sara finally gushes and tears of relief
and frustration come to her eyes and roll down her face.
There is silence for another moment and finally Xander smiles a grin.
" God!" He breathes, " I've been thinking that exact same thing."
" No! No!" Burstein yells suddenly thrashing about under Xander and dislodging Xander from his position before he scrambls for the door. Xander is thrown backwards awkwardly, but he jumps to his feet and scurries after the doctor grabbing him by the back of the shirt, hauling him to his feet and slamming him against the wall.
" If you don't mind, I'm trying to have a conversation." He quips inappropriately.
" They can't find out! They can't" The Doctor says in a hushed voice and Xander turns to look at Sara before asking.
" Who can't? Who are they? Why did you do it?" Xander demands in a strong voice and the doctor shakes his head back and forwards repeatedly perhaps wondering how the situation has gone so wrong so quickly for him.
" It wasn't me! It wasn't us! We wanted to stop it, but we couldn't.
He would have killed us." Burstein explodes and his head sags, " I'm a dead man," He whispers in despair and Xander shrugs.
" Then there's no point you not telling me everything you know."
Xander reasons.
" Oh my god! They're going to kill me!" The doctor shrieks as he knees Xander in the groin. Xander manages to pre-empt the movement somewhat and shift slightly away, but the attack allows Burstein to break free and takes off down the hallway and pulls open the front door to escape.
Xander starts to hobble after him as Burstein pushes past Mike and a silver haired man wearing a pair of sunglasses on a loop a plain ratty black t-shirt and a pair of jeans rolled up at the bottoms. The pair has been pushed to one side and are standing mystified on the porch staring after Burstein, as he races across the grass. Jack turns towards the house.
" Sara?" He calls out moving forward into the house to try and find his ex-wife.
" Move!" Xander commands as he sprints past his Father, vaults the railing and takes off after Burstein.
Back on the porch Sara emerges from the house shaken and Jack grabs her by the arm just above the elbow gently.
" Sara, what's going on?" He asks and they all spin around suddenly
as the loud scream of rubber trying to grip the road echoes in the air, and Sara and Jack both turn before Sara gasps and races down the stairs.
" What the hell is going on?" Jack mutters to himself before following.
End Chapter 6.
R&R. The action has started do you like where it's going? Want to see more emotional stuff?