Author's Note: Sorry, guys. Real life is threatening to take over. I'm trying to stay in real time with my updates but this week might get a little crazy so bear with me. Enjoy as always! ~ JP

True North
By Jaclyn Parker

Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.
~Benjamin Franklin
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As Jack kicked a rock that was barely hidden by the melting layer of snow, he couldn't help but glance at his watch again. Carly and the kids would be touching down in sunny LA within the next hour.

'And we can't forget the beautifully perfect Doctor Lee.' Jack scowled and he kicked harder at another rock. This one proved to be one of the large decorative rocks lining the pathway of the sidewalk in Old Town and Jack bit back a curse as all he got for his efforts was a very sore big toe. As he glared down at the rock, he heard a voice that he thought would only be in his nightmares.

"Hey Jack, you keep that look on your face and it might just freeze that way."

Jack's eyes traveled slowly from the ground up to land on the smug face of Craig Montgomery.

"I heard rumor you were back, Craig. So which one of these did you crawl out from under?" Jack asked, his eyes narrowing even more as he gestured to the rocks on the pathway.

"Still haven't lost that amazing sense of humor, I see." Craig smirked and Jack's hands curled into fists at his side. Of all the people he really didn't want to see today, Craig Montgomery had to be at the top of his list.

"Hello, Jack."

As Jack turned to see Janet coming up to where he and Craig stood, he realized that his previous thought was wrong. Make Craig Montgomery the second person on his list that he didn't want to see. In the month between this moment and when he had broken off the engagement, he hadn't seen Janet in more than a passing glimpse on the street. He still hated how badly he had hurt her, but in the end he stood by his decision that it wouldn't have worked out.

"Hey." Jack shifted and Craig was completely forgotten for the moment. "I, uh…Happy New Year."

Jack could have kicked himself the moment those words slipped out of his mouth, but to his surprise Janet just gave him a sad smile.

"It's not the way I pictured this year to start, that's for sure." Janet said and then shook her head, seemingly to clear whatever she was thinking about. "I don't want to fight with you, Jack. In fact, I really hope you find what you're looking for….even if it is with Carly."

"You mean that?" Jack asked, looking at her closely. Janet let out a laugh that was filled with something Jack didn't think he wanted to identify or else he'd feel like a bigger jackass than he already did.

"I think a small part of me does. The larger part kinda hopes that somehow you find yourself roasting over a large fire pit with an apple in your mouth but what're you gonna do, right?" Janet's eyes filled with a slight film of tears as she shrugged and again she shook her head, blinking rapidly.

"That's actually not a bad mental picture."

Jack's jaw ticked as Craig once again decided to pipe up and was about to turn and full on slug him but Janet's move stopped him in his tracks. Placing a hand on Craig's arm, she just looked up at him.

"I'm okay. Can we just go?" She asked, her warm brown eyes sending him a very definite signal.

Jack was frozen in his tracks as he watched Craig's face soften as he looked down at Janet and his shoulders relax. Not since Rosanna, had Jack seen someone calm Craig down so quickly. Not even Carly had ever had that effect on the annoying man.

"Janet, can I talk to you for a second?" Jack asked and at her look he sighed. "Please?"

She frowned but followed him when he took a couple steps away, enough so that Craig couldn't overhear them.

"Look, Janet, please don't get involved with this guy. He's been nothing but trouble to anyone he's ever had contact with and I don't want to see you…" Jack trailed off as he realized what he was about to say but Janet's eyes narrowed having picked up on his thoughts anyway.

"What, Jack? You don't want to see me what? Get hurt?" Janet asked scornfully and Jack had the decency to look embarrassed. She moved to step away but Jack reached out and took her arm; not hard enough to hurt her but enough to make her pause.

"Janet, you can hate me all you want. I don't blame you. But please just think twice about this. He's a dangerous man no matter what lies he has been telling you." Jack tried to plead with her.

"Jack, I'm going to say this once and only once." Janet said, her eyes glinting in the stubborn way that he had seen so many times before. "You lost the right…no, you lost any right at all to any decision in my life about a month ago. Craig Montgomery might not be a candidate for a person of the year award but he made me smile during a time when I needed to desperately. So you know what? Back…off."

With that, Janet turned on her heel and strode to where Craig had been watching unabashedly. She reached out a hand and placing his into it he let her, basically, drag him away. Before they disappeared around the corner, Craig threw an arrogant grin over his shoulder and with his other hand wiggled his fingers goodbye at Jack.

Jack watched them go, the tick in his jaw threatening to become a full on twitch. Catching a movement out the corner of his eye, he turned to see his reflection off of a store window. He stared hard at his image for a moment before nodding.

"I need a drink."

Ten minutes later he was seated at Yo's Bar and already finishing his first beer. Sensing a movement to his right he wasn't completely surprised when an arm slung over his shoulder and a familiar voice spoke up.

"Wow, Big Brother. Starting a little early, aren't we?" Brad said and Jack gave him a half-grin, half-sneer as he tried to ignore him.

"Nah, it's never too early for a good beer right, Jack?" Holden said from Jack's left and put three fingers up, ordering the next round.

"What? Are you guys tag teaming me now?" Jack asked, looking at his cousin and then brother quizzically.

"Nope, we were just in the neighborhood and decided to stop in for a couple of drinks. Maybe stick around to watch the first game of the day." Brad said and Holden snorted.

"Wrong! You got us kicked out of your house." Holden said handing his credit card to Joe, the bartender, and passing out the fresh beers. Jack looked at Brad with raised eyebrows and Brad rolled his eyes.

"Lily and Holden came over to help paint the office which is going to be the new nursery. I don't know anything about Sunshine Yellow versus Daisy Yellow. So I tried to help the only way I knew how and got yelled at for it!"

"You put a hole in the wall!" Holden said, his eyes widening at Brad's lacking recap.

"She said she wanted shelves! How was I to know that the plaster wasn't as thick there?" Brad said, holding his beer out in a helpless gesture.

"Brad, it wasn't even where Katie wanted the shelves to go! She even had a drawn up design for you to follow! It was practically a paint by numbers!" Holden said, shaking his head in exasperation.

At this, Jack couldn't hold it in anymore and burst out laughing with Holden quickly joining him. Brad watched them in a huff and then frowned, taking a swig of beer.

"Yeah, laugh it up. None of this would have happened if Lily and Katie had just waited until Carly came back from gallivanting in LA. It was her design anyway." Brad said and Jack's laughter died in his throat. His eyes narrowed and he quickly drained the beer that Holden had bought him, motioning to order another round. Holden and Brad's eyes met and they nodded to each other.

"Hm, by your less than subtle reaction can we assume that this early afternoon drink fest has something to do with Carly and the kids being in California with the handsome doctor?" Brad said and Jack turned a death glare on his younger brother.

"Shut…up." Jack growled and, nodding his thanks to Joe, picked up the new beer in front of him.

"Look, dude, they'll be back in four days. What damage can he do in four days? She's loved you for more years of her life than should be allowed." Holden asked and Jack turned a wry look on his cousin.

"After everything she told me yesterday, I'm surprised she even still speaks to me." Jack said and at their confused looks he gave a rundown on what had happened between him and Carly. The confusion melted away into wide-eyes and eerily similar looks of pity.

"Wow, man. She gave it to you with both barrels, didn't she?" Holden said, whistling low under his breath.

"And an Uzi for good measure." Brad added causing both Holden and Jack to give him a weird look, which he returned with a shrug. "What? It seemed appropriate."

Shaking his head, Jack stared at the condensation forming on his bottle of Budweiser. "I had no idea how far apart Carly and I had drifted over the past couple of years. And now, just when I realize that I want it to work with her more than I've wanted anything in my life, I've lost her."

Sighing and going to take another sip of beer he added, "And there's nothing I can do about it."

Brad and Holden were silent for a moment then both of them reached out to thump Jack across the back of the head.

"What in the goddamn hell is the matter with you?" Brad exclaimed.

"That is the dumbest thing I think I've ever heard you say." Holden said simultaneously.

"Hey!" Jack yelled back, rubbing the back of his head and glaring at the two men glaring right back at him.

"Jack you are a bigger dumbass that I thought you were if you think you couldn't win Carly back from Lee in a heartbeat." Brad said and Holden nodded in agreement.

"Everyone in this town knows that when you and Carly decide that you are going to fight for each other, that it's just best to stay out the way until the dust settles." Holden said and Jack frowned in thought. Holden could see that they were getting to him and kept going. "There's more history between you and Carly than most high school text books. Maybe it's time you stepped up your game and reminded her of the reasons you two fell in love in the first place."

"Which time?" Jack said, not being able to help the smile that went across his face at his own words.

"All of them!" Brad said firmly.

Jack stared down at his hands holding his beer and let his thoughts drift back over the years. Suddenly his eyes took on a sparkle and he nodded decisively.

"You know what? You're right." Jack said. "When Carly gets back from LA, I'm going to show her that there are just some things you can't hide from."

Jack raised his beer bottle in the air and grinned. "Boys, the G-man...is back!"

Brad and Holden grinned too and clinked their bottles with his. Brad nodded and said what both he and Holden were thinking.

"It's about damn time, Bro. It's about damn time!"