Author's Note: I have decided since today is my birthday, I won't tell you how old I am but I am the mother of five kids, you guys get another chapter. So make my day and leave a review.
Also people have been asking about Sara. She is coming up soon, really soon. I had other things that I needed to do before I got back to her. So if you want Sarah read on. Thank you to everyone who has review and to all you just plain readers. You guys are great!!
Now on with the show.....
By the time half their leave was over, Sam's house had been emptied of everything she wanted to move into Jack's house and was up for sale. The only thing Jack had left to do was to call Sara and let her know about Charlie and his marriage. He had picked up the phone many times only to put it back down on the cradle, unsure what to say to his ex-wife about their now resurrected son.
In the end, it was Charlie who finally got him to make the call.
Jack was standing out on the deck cooking steaks for dinner on the BBQ when Charlie came up behind him, "Dad?"
Flipping the steaks, Jack covered them with sauce, "What's up Charlie?"
He looked everywhere but at his father, "A while ago you mentioned my mother - I mean Sara. I've thought a lot about it and I would like to meet her. Have you talked to her yet?"
Looking down at the steaks, Jack said, "Uh, no, I haven't. I wasn't sure how to explain it to her. It was bad enough when some blue crystal alien showed up at her house pretending to be me looking for Charlie. I have no idea what to tell her now that I have our son alive and well."
Charlie nodded, he understood, after all, he had been the one showing up on Jack's doorstep and telling him the same thing. "Maybe we should just show up on her doorstep like I did with you. There really is no way to make it easier for her. It's going to be a shock, no matter what we do."
Jack sighed, "You might be right. We'll go after diner." he grabbed Charlie's shoulder, "Are you sure about this? You don't have to see her if you don't want to."
Charlie met his gaze for the first time since he'd come outside, "I know, but I want to do this. For her, as much as me."
Jack nodded his head, he understood - sort of, "Okay, can you go inside and tell Sam that I need to talk to her for a moment?"
"Can do. I need to set the table anyway," with a wave, he disappeared inside.
When Sam emerged from the house a few minutes later, Jack was staring off into the distance, leaving his meat to burn, more than usual.
"Jack are you okay?" she asked from the doorway. He didn't answer and Sam crossed the deck to stand beside him. Reaching out, she touched his shoulder, "Jack?"
He jumped and looked over at her surprised to see her standing there. Covering her hand with his own, he said, "Charlie wants to meet Sara. I told him that I would take him over there after dinner. I should call her and let her know I'm coming. I need to tell her about us, too; she should hear it from me, not scuttle butt."
Jack pulled away from her touch and crossed to the other side of the deck, "Sam, this is so much harder than I thought it would be. How do I tell a woman that I now have a duplicate of our son living in my house? I have no idea how she will react. If she reacts badly, how will it affect Charlie?"
Sam was watching him and he seemed to be so alone and she knew, no matter how much she wanted to take on this burden, it was his alone to bear. "In a way, I wish that you could have left Sara out of this, but she is his mother and she deserves to see Charlie." as she spoke Sam crossed the deck and wrapped her arms around him from behind.
"I know. I'll grab the meat and bring it inside. Why don't you round up the troops?" his voice was sad but resigned.
She grabbed his face and kissed him on the lips, "See you inside then."
He watched her go, not really believing that she was his. Sighing heavily Jack scooped the meat off the grill, heading inside. He stopped just outside the door, something was wrong. There was a tickle at the back of his neck, someone was watching him.
Intently, he scanned the yard seeking something wrong or out of place. Shrugging off the feeling, he headed into the house and closed the door behind him.
The drive over to Sara's house was quiet. Charlie and Jack both had no idea what to say or do. Jack had called Sara before they left and told her that he had something to tell her as well as someone he wanted her to meet.
Jack pulled up to the house that they both had once called home, just in different universes, and sat there for a moment before he turned to Charlie, "I'm going to go up to the door and talk to her first. You wait here."
Charlie nodded and he watched Jack walking up to the door.
Jack looked at Charlie once more before turning to the door. The boy nodded his head and Jack pushed the button and there was no turning back.
Sara came to the door quickly after that, "Jack it was good to hear from you, come in please." she pushed the screen door to open wider and looked around, "I thought that you were bringing someone with you?"
Jack looked back at the truck where Charlie sat. "I did but I need to talk to you for a few minutes first."
Sara looked one last time at the truck and waved her hand, "Come in and we can talk."
Following Sara into the living room, Jack sat down. He studied the room, it hadn't changed at all since he was here last about four years ago just after the blue crystal Jack/Charlie thing.
They had shared an awkward dinner together where they talked about Charlie for the first time since his death. Then that was it, they both knew it was over and Jack signed the divorce papers the next day. It was the end of over twelve years of marriage. He had still loved Sara, but he just couldn't live with her any more. There were too many bad memories to outweigh the good ones.
"Jack?" Sara's voice pulled him from his memories.
"Sorry, I was just remembering. We were happy once, weren't we?" he picked up the last family photo they'd taken.
Sara took it from him, "Yes, we were, we just weren't strong enough to survive Charlie's death." she looked up at him, "Jack, why did you come here?"
He studied her for a moment before saying, "Sara, you know that strange things happen with my job. There is this mirror thingy and-" he stopped, running his hands through his hair, "Well, people come through from alternate realities and Charlie, he came through, too. Our son, who in some other place didn't die, came through and he wants to meet you."
"Charlie?" she brought her hand to her mouth, "Alive?"
"Sara, he's not our son. He's older and lived through some horrible things. In his reality, you died of cancer while I was in Iraq. He never shot himself, instead of losing him, I lost you. When I came back, he was living with someone, they thought I was dead and she had adopted him. I need you to understand that."
"Jack, are you sure this is a good idea?" Sara looked at the door unsure.
"It is up to you? If you don't want to, he'll understand, but all he asks is for you to see him." Jack turned and walked toward the door and waited with his hand on the knob, "What do you want me to do Sara?"
There was a heavy silence, "Tell him to come in."
Jack nodded, "I'll be right back." he opened the door but stopped, "Sara there is something else I should tell you. Charlie didn't come through the mirror alone. He also brought my daughter with him." he saw a light come on in her eyes and he hated to kill it but she shook his head, "She's not your child, but mine and someone else's. I know that same woman here and we have gotten married so that we can raise the two children together." he waited for her to say something- anything but she just sat there not moving.
He was about to head through the door when Sara's voice stopped him, "Jack, are you happy?"
A smile crossed his face, "Yes Sara, I am. Are you?"
The look on her face made him sad, "I don't know Jack, I really don't know."
Charlie sat in the truck, wondering if this was what he really wanted. Part of him wanted to get his dad and leave, but he had to do this. This was part of who he was, and if he wanted to make his life here, this was the first step.
Finally, Jack motioned for him to come inside, and Charlie got out of the truck. Slowly he entered the house and came face to face with his mother a woman he had not seen for many years.
She stared at him for a moment. Whatever she was looking for, she didn't find it, "You were right Jack, he's not my son." Then she turned and walked away from them without saying a word.
Charlie felt the world go cloudy as she walked from him. Jack grabbed his shoulder, "Come on, let's go Charlie. There is nothing for you here."
Turning away Charlie said, "Goodbye Sara. Try to be happy, I know he would want you to be, because I do."
Jack wrapped his arm around Charlie's shoulders and together they headed out to the truck.
From his hiding place beside Jack's deck, Jimmy Wilson sat stunned. Charlie was a clone? How had they done it. It was an amazing story of a life time. His father would be so proud of him.
He turned on his father's recorder and listened to the two conversations he had recorded once more. This was better than he thought, he had the proof, and now and it was time to take all of his evidence to his father.
I tend to take a different view of Sara. I still see the cigarette smoking woman in the movie who seemed not to care what Jack was going through. She seemed like a nice enough lady in the Blue Crystal Alien episode but that first impression of her is still etched in my mind. Sorry if it's not the same as your but it is how I see her.
Leave a review and let me know your thoughts. I would love to hear them. ~Kelleth~