Author's Note: Here is another chapter. Someone asked about Sara O'Neill. She is alive and that is all I'm going to say other than read on.
To my anonymous reviewers: SGAussie (): All I can say is thank you. I'm glad that I make you smile as well. Yes, Charlie kinda hijacked this story in parts. So I hope you all still like it. dp (): Well you will have to wait and see. I love speculation but I try not to give the story away. That would spoil the surprise. ;)
Jack and Sam sat on a bench beside each other, watching Morgan play, while keeping a less dedicated eye on Charlie and the other boys.
Their silence was companionable, and they were just content to be with each other. After a while Jack reached up and took Sam's hand and squeezed it. She turned her head to look at him, "Yes Jack?"
"Sam are you still okay with all this. It's been pretty quick," Jack asked with a little fear in his voice.
She brought their hands up to her lips and kissed them, "I wouldn't want it any other way. Jack, I have wanted this for a long time but I was scared. Scared to take a step forward. I have never been good with men and relationships but I know that I'm ready for this because I want this so much. I love you Jack and I want to give these children a home."
Jack's smile was almost as big as Sam's. "Good!" he reached up and cupped her face with his hands and met hers with a kiss.
They got lost in the moment until Sam felt a tug on her sleeve. "Mommy, I have to go potty. Can we go home now?" Both adults turned to find Morgan standing there with her thumb in her mouth.
Scooping her up, Jack threw the little girl over his shoulder, "Sure Sunshine. Let's go. Sam, can you get Charlie?"
"Sure, meet you at the truck?" Sam asked heading toward where the boys were still playing baseball.
As she drew closer, she called, "Charlie, Morgan's ready to go. It's time to leave."
Charlie looked at the other boys and called, "Calvin, I have to go now. I'll see you later."
He dropped the bat and started to follow Sam when the other boy called, "Hey Charlie, can I get your number so I can call you the next time we play."
Looking at Sam who nodded, Charlie gave the boy Jack's phone number. Jimmy came over and gave Charlie a nudge, "Is that your Mom? She's hot. Isn't she a little young?"
Taking a deep breath as his hands clenched into fists, it seemed that Jimmy was a jerk here, too. "She's my step mom. She and my Dad are in the Air Force. They don't take crap from anyone," he ground out through clenched teeth.
Sam had started heading across the field while Charlie was giving out the phone number and hadn't heard what the boy had said. Charlie took one last look at Sam and then the boys. "Well I have to go. I'll see you around." He ran after Sam, who put her arm around him as they crossed the field.
Calvin smacked Jimmy on the chest. "Don't be such a punk. Why did you do that?"
"I don't like him. There's something strange about him. I can't put my finger on it." Jimmy stared after the retreating forms of Charlie and Sam.
"Well back off. I like him. He's a good player, and if we can get him to come to Central, we just might be able to beat East High this year," Calvin said, as he grabbed his bat and headed home.
Jimmy watched Charlie, knowing that if he came to his school, he would lose his position as a starter, and he couldn't let that happen. He would find out everything he could about Charlie O'Neill.
That night after dinner, Sam put Morgan to bed while Jack talked to Charlie. "Are you sure you want to go to the same school you went to....?" Jack stopped, unsure how to explain his son's other life. "It won't be the same you know. The same kids might be there, but they won't know you. It would be a little difficult, but you could stay home, do your school work there," his eyes were full of worry for his son.
Charlie shook his head, "No, I want to go to school. It should be fine Dad. None of those kids there would have known your Charlie. I know that they won't know me. I want this. It won't be the same, but I want a chance to be a kid. I haven't been able to do that for a while."
Amazed at the man his son was becoming, Jack pulled him into a hug, and the boy did not resist. "Alright, I'll see what I can do. I have a meeting with the General tomorrow to go over base operations. He can get us the documents we need to enroll you and Morgan in school." Jack pulled back and ruffled the boys hair and smiled.
He studied Charlie and knew that he had to ask another question, "Do you want to see Sara? She's still alive here. I'm going to tell her that you are alive, she'll understand. She knows about the Stargate, well sort of. I don't want her to hear about you from anyone other than me."
"Mom, Sara? She's alive. I never thought about that when I decided to come here. I don't know, I'll have to think about it. Sam was my Mom for such a long time. I..." tears formed in his eyes.
"I'm going to go up to my room now. I need to think about this." he turned to leave, but then realized that he didn't have a room to go to. Stopping in the hallway he felt alone and lost.
Seeing Charlie's confusion, Jack directed him toward one of the rooms down the hall. "The den is yours. We'll move the stuff out and down to the basement tomorrow. The hide-away-bed is not very comfortable , but it is only for tonight. Now that we have the okay for you two to stay, we can buy what we don't have. The General pulled some strings, and Sam and I are getting married tomorrow after my meetings. Jake is coming through the gate tomorrow, and we'll tell him all about this." he motioned between him and Charlie, unsure what to call the situation.
He studied Charlie, who seemed to have gained control again, "Are you okay with all this? I know it is a lot to take in."
Charlie looked at Jack and thought about what he should say before he answered, "I don't know, seeing those guys today was a little hard. In my world, they are all most likely dead. Colorado Springs was devastated by the Goa'uld. General Hammond tried to evacuate as many people as he could, but not many of them made it to the gate," he looked away as he remembered O'Neill and Carter's deaths. They had given their lives so that the two of them could get to safety.
The emotions that rolled across the boy's face surprised Jack. When the boy looked away to hide his tears, Jack pulled him into his arms once again. "It's alright Charlie. You're allowed to cry for them. Neither Sam or I will be offended if you mourn them. They are your parents and you loved them. We may look like them but we aren't them. They loved you and were proud of you, I know this because I feel the same way. Never be afraid to cry for someone you love."
As Charlie broke down in his arms, Jack hoped that his son would not lock himself away like he had done with Sara when his Charlie died.
After a while, Jack relaxed his hold, letting Charlie decide when to let go. Pulling away, Charlie smiled an awkward smile, "I'm going to my room now. See you in the morning Dad."
Jack watched him go and turned to find Sam standing in the doorway. There was a curious expression on her face and the words left her mouth before she could stop them, "Did you ever cry for your Charlie when he died?" Seeing the expression on his face Sam backpedaled, "You don't have to tell me. It's none of my business."
A wave of emotions swept over Jack, but he didn't want Sam to leave him as his walls came down. They seemed to be deteriorating since he had turned around and saw Charlie standing there in the doorway.
He reached out and caught her hand just as she was leaving the hallway. He didn't really know where he was going until he found himself in his bedroom. The door slammed behind him and the world seemed to fade in and out of focus.
The only real thing was Sam's warm hand in his. He heard her voice "Jack -"
Sam stood with him in the middle of the room. He was breathing hard, his back was to her, and she couldn't see his face. They stayed that way for a few minutes. When he didn't say or do anything, Sam dropped his hand. "I'll leave you. I shouldn't have asked that."
He didn't turn around. "Stay. Please stay," his voice trembled as he tried to keep the emotions in check, but something about her words had broken the scab he'd developed on these feelings long ago.
"I uh-" his voice broke, and he took a deep breath and turned to face her. "No, I never did. There was Iraq...I was there for four months of Hell. Sara and I had just managed to get back on an even keel after that. I never talked to her about what happened there. I couldn't, she would never understand what I had to do to survive. It was so ugly, I felt like it stained my soul. The three of us found happiness despite what happened to me. I thought we would have a good life. Sara had even talked about having another child." He was lost in his memories as he stared out the window. His only connection to reality was Sam.
"We were sitting on the front steps. I just came home. Sara showed me his school pictures. In that Moment we were so happy, then the shot shattered it."
Sam could see that he was crying. His tears streamed down his cheeks. She wondered if she should say something when he began speaking again. "He was lying there on our bedroom floor. I've seen many wounded men and even some children but seeing him like that. I froze, this wasn't supposed to happen. He was going to grow up, go to university and do something with his life, but it was all seeping away with each heartbeat. I knew that there was nothing that could be done. My son was dying, and there was nothing I could do. Sara was yelling at me, and I just stood there."
Standing there in the fading light, Sam had no idea what to do. "Jack it wasn't your fault. It was no one's." She reached up and touched his cheek, "Forgive yourself Jack. I know that your Charlie would want you to."
He turned toward her, but pulled his face away from her gentle touch, "How can I?! He laid there bleeding to death, and I froze. Sara finally wrapped him in the quilt from the bed and got him out to her car." his hand traveled up to his cheek, "She slapped me on the way out the door. Her voice was so hard when she asked me if I was coming to the hospital. I drove us there, but I don't remember doing it. We sat there while he was in surgery, it was like she didn't even know me. I could feel her contempt for me."
He raked his free hand through his hair, "It was hours later when the doctor came out and told us they had managed to get the bullet out. Although his chances for survival weren't good. They let us in to see him. We sat with him, still not touching. After a while, he woke up. He reached for my hand, he said-"
Jack collapsed to his knees and Sam knelt beside him, as he continued, "He said, 'Dad I love you, it wasn't your fault.", and then he slipped away." sobs shook his body as he cried, for the first time, for the son he had lost and Sam held him through the storm.
Leave a review please. I would love to hear your thoughts. ~Kelleth~