Sam’s Place - Boulder, Colorado, Early Saturday Afternoon
It had been, for Jack, 72 hours and he could barely remember how many times since Kawalsky's call.
He'd barely slept.
Walking up the front steps of Sam's house was one of the hardest thing he'd ever done. But he did it. It took him a long time before he could force himself to knock.
Kawalsky
Twenty minutes had passed for Charlie. Not twenty minutes and fifteen seconds, not nineteen minutes and fifty seconds. The knock came exactly twenty minutes after his phone conversation with Harkness had ended. The guy was nothing if not punctual.
Kawalsky answered the door, took one look at him, nodded and walked back into the house, leaving the door open for him to follow if he wanted.
Jack
He didn't want to. He didn't belong here. Not without Sam.
Jack followed him inside, eyes fixed straight ahead. "Letter?"
Kawalsky
"Kitchen." He stayed in the living room, not wanting to be there when he read the letter.
Jack
Jack kept walking into the kitchen, and hated how well he knew this house. Hated how his eyes knew just where to look.
With hands that didn't shake, weren't allowed to shake, he slid the letter across the counter, fingers stroking the paper, tracing the edge, the corner, as if he could feel her on it.
He read it in silence, then read it again. And again. "No." It was far louder than he'd meant to say it. "This is not going to happen."
Kawalsky
It was a small house. Kawalsky heard him from the living room, not actually being all that far away. "You're a little late." There wasn't accusation in his voice, only bluntness.
Jack
His head whipped around in surprise; he'd forgotten he wasn't alone.
Jack returned to the living room, standing in the doorway, watching Kawalsky out of eyes that weren't quite right. "Not going to happen. Not now. Not to her."
Kawalsky
A sharp, bitter remark that marked his shift towards anger caught in his throat as he realized what Harkness meant. His expression changed to one with a hint of desperation. "You can change it?"
Jack
His face went unreadable. "Maybe." Yes. It was just a question of cost.
Kawalsky
Kawalsky closed the distance between them, desperation replaced with determination. "Do it."
Jack
Jack glared, hands curling into fists, control fraying. "I said maybe. Time travel's not a walk in the park."
Kawalsky
"What part of 'do it' didn't you understand?" Sometimes he forgot people didn't take his orders anymore. Sometimes he didn't care and gave them anyway.
Jack
"Do not tell me what to do." He bit off each word, anger roaring up inside him. "I don't take your fucking orders."
Kawalsky
"I shouldn't have to tell you what needs to be done. If you really cared about her, there'd be no hesitation."
Jack
Jack almost drew on him. Almost. His fingers were itching for the trigger, but he knew if he did, someone was going to die.
Someone else. With no warning, Jack moved, slid sideways and lashed out, driving for Kawalsky's gut.
Kawalsky
The blow connected, but Kawalsky's training wasn't forgotten and his reflexes were fast. As he recovered, his right arm went to grab Jack's left shoulder and his right foot stepped out to try to hook behind Jack's right foot. The intended result was to throw the other man off balance and get him to the ground, or at least part way there.
Jack
Except Jack had kept moving, never underestimating him, and he dipped out from under his hand, shoulder dropping as he spun, foot caught by Kawalsky's, but he planted his other flat and drove both fists towards his kidneys.
Still silent, still expressionless. Still not reaching for his gun.
Kawalsky
This time he was expecting a response and followed through quickly, turning out of the way. He lined himself up to take a swing at Jack's jaw, but his balled up fist stayed drawn back for a moment as he stepped back one pace, then two, then another as he dropped his arm to his side. He put his hands up in surrender.
He remembered what Sam had yelled at him after the first fight Jack and Charlie had had.
Jack
Jack followed him, crowded him, reaching to wrap his fingers in Kawalsky's shirt, moving closer. "I'm hers. Her Jack," he ground out. "Say that again and I'll drop you where you stand."
Kawalsky
Keeping his head, Kawalsky didn't move to shove him away. He had his focus again. Focus on one thing at a time was what had kept him alive before and it was what was allowing him to keep it together now. "Make it work. You said maybe. Whatever's stopping you has to be big if you won't save her." He might have been admitting that he was quick to mouth off in a roundabout way. "We can make it work."
Jack
Jack let him go, turning away to put some distance between them. "End of the world big enough for you?"
Kawalsky
He was silent for a beat. "But we can make it work."
Jack
"We can't. Maybe I can." He shoved his hands in his pockets, turning to study Kawalsky, eyes dark. "It'll take some time."
Kawalsky
"You're a time traveller."
Jack
Jack's eyes narrowed. "So get the hell out and let me work."
Kawalsky
Kawalsky squared his jaw and turned, scooping up a set of keys as he headed for the door. Some days, he felt his age. Today he'd felt old and tired, but not as much as when he stood in that house and realized a punk kid no older than a fourth-class cadet had given him an order.
If it meant getting Sam back, it was a small price to pay.
Right now that was a big if.
Jack
Jack watched him go, intending to stay silent.
It was a surprise when he found himself saying, "I will get her back." Even if he had to sacrifice the world to do it.
[ooc: pre-played with kawalsky, letter written by carter_i_am, NFB, NFI, OOC is all good.]
He'd barely slept.
Walking up the front steps of Sam's house was one of the hardest thing he'd ever done. But he did it. It took him a long time before he could force himself to knock.
Kawalsky
Twenty minutes had passed for Charlie. Not twenty minutes and fifteen seconds, not nineteen minutes and fifty seconds. The knock came exactly twenty minutes after his phone conversation with Harkness had ended. The guy was nothing if not punctual.
Kawalsky answered the door, took one look at him, nodded and walked back into the house, leaving the door open for him to follow if he wanted.
Jack
He didn't want to. He didn't belong here. Not without Sam.
Jack followed him inside, eyes fixed straight ahead. "Letter?"
Kawalsky
"Kitchen." He stayed in the living room, not wanting to be there when he read the letter.
Jack
Jack kept walking into the kitchen, and hated how well he knew this house. Hated how his eyes knew just where to look.
With hands that didn't shake, weren't allowed to shake, he slid the letter across the counter, fingers stroking the paper, tracing the edge, the corner, as if he could feel her on it.
He read it in silence, then read it again. And again. "No." It was far louder than he'd meant to say it. "This is not going to happen."
Kawalsky
It was a small house. Kawalsky heard him from the living room, not actually being all that far away. "You're a little late." There wasn't accusation in his voice, only bluntness.
Jack
His head whipped around in surprise; he'd forgotten he wasn't alone.
Jack returned to the living room, standing in the doorway, watching Kawalsky out of eyes that weren't quite right. "Not going to happen. Not now. Not to her."
Kawalsky
A sharp, bitter remark that marked his shift towards anger caught in his throat as he realized what Harkness meant. His expression changed to one with a hint of desperation. "You can change it?"
Jack
His face went unreadable. "Maybe." Yes. It was just a question of cost.
Kawalsky
Kawalsky closed the distance between them, desperation replaced with determination. "Do it."
Jack
Jack glared, hands curling into fists, control fraying. "I said maybe. Time travel's not a walk in the park."
Kawalsky
"What part of 'do it' didn't you understand?" Sometimes he forgot people didn't take his orders anymore. Sometimes he didn't care and gave them anyway.
Jack
"Do not tell me what to do." He bit off each word, anger roaring up inside him. "I don't take your fucking orders."
Kawalsky
"I shouldn't have to tell you what needs to be done. If you really cared about her, there'd be no hesitation."
Jack
Jack almost drew on him. Almost. His fingers were itching for the trigger, but he knew if he did, someone was going to die.
Someone else. With no warning, Jack moved, slid sideways and lashed out, driving for Kawalsky's gut.
Kawalsky
The blow connected, but Kawalsky's training wasn't forgotten and his reflexes were fast. As he recovered, his right arm went to grab Jack's left shoulder and his right foot stepped out to try to hook behind Jack's right foot. The intended result was to throw the other man off balance and get him to the ground, or at least part way there.
Jack
Except Jack had kept moving, never underestimating him, and he dipped out from under his hand, shoulder dropping as he spun, foot caught by Kawalsky's, but he planted his other flat and drove both fists towards his kidneys.
Still silent, still expressionless. Still not reaching for his gun.
Kawalsky
This time he was expecting a response and followed through quickly, turning out of the way. He lined himself up to take a swing at Jack's jaw, but his balled up fist stayed drawn back for a moment as he stepped back one pace, then two, then another as he dropped his arm to his side. He put his hands up in surrender.
He remembered what Sam had yelled at him after the first fight Jack and Charlie had had.
Jack
Jack followed him, crowded him, reaching to wrap his fingers in Kawalsky's shirt, moving closer. "I'm hers. Her Jack," he ground out. "Say that again and I'll drop you where you stand."
Kawalsky
Keeping his head, Kawalsky didn't move to shove him away. He had his focus again. Focus on one thing at a time was what had kept him alive before and it was what was allowing him to keep it together now. "Make it work. You said maybe. Whatever's stopping you has to be big if you won't save her." He might have been admitting that he was quick to mouth off in a roundabout way. "We can make it work."
Jack
Jack let him go, turning away to put some distance between them. "End of the world big enough for you?"
Kawalsky
He was silent for a beat. "But we can make it work."
Jack
"We can't. Maybe I can." He shoved his hands in his pockets, turning to study Kawalsky, eyes dark. "It'll take some time."
Kawalsky
"You're a time traveller."
Jack
Jack's eyes narrowed. "So get the hell out and let me work."
Kawalsky
Kawalsky squared his jaw and turned, scooping up a set of keys as he headed for the door. Some days, he felt his age. Today he'd felt old and tired, but not as much as when he stood in that house and realized a punk kid no older than a fourth-class cadet had given him an order.
If it meant getting Sam back, it was a small price to pay.
Right now that was a big if.
Jack
Jack watched him go, intending to stay silent.
It was a surprise when he found himself saying, "I will get her back." Even if he had to sacrifice the world to do it.
[ooc: pre-played with kawalsky, letter written by carter_i_am, NFB, NFI, OOC is all good.]