Fic: The Final Forgiveness
Title: The Final Forgiveness
Author: Mary (stillxmyxheart)
Beta: Lindsay (rowofstars)
Rating: G
Genre: Fluff, Friendship, Romance
Word Count: 2,012
Characters/Pairings: Jackie, Nicholas, Hannah, David, Rose, Haley, Chris (Jackie/Rose)
"Look, Uncle Jackie!"
Jackie turns at the sound of Nicholas's voice, and grins when he sees him setting up his teeball stuff.
"Okay, buddy, show me what you got."
"Careful, Nicky, make sure you don't hit any of the other kids," Hannah calls from where she's sitting nearby.
Nicholas heaves a dramatic sigh. "I know, Mama!"
Jackie glances at Hannah, smiling as she shakes her head, and then turns his attention back to Nicholas. He lifts his bat, takes position, and hits the ball cleanly, sending it sailing towards the back fence.
"Awesome job, Nicky!" Jackie calls as Nicholas hurries to retrieve the ball.
"Watch!" Nicholas says again when he returns.
"I'm watching," Jackie replies, amused, and glances at Hannah again. "I'm guessing he likes teeball?"
Hannah laughs softly. "Yeah, so far. I think part of it is the whole 'I wanna be like Daddy' thing, but we'll keep doing it as long as he likes it."
"Can he hit an actual pitch yet?"
"Eli's been working on it, but I don't think Nicky's quite coordinated enough for that yet. He's determined, though."
Jackie nods, smiling again as he looks back at Nicholas. The boy hits the ball a few more times, and then Hannah calls to him, "Nicky, honey, why don't you go play with the other kids?"
"But Mama," Nicholas whines, letting the tip of his bat fall against the ground as he turns to face her. "They're all babies."
"Not all of them, Scotty and Derek are right over there. Go on, Nicky."
With a sigh, Nicholas turns and heads over to his friends, leaving his bat in the middle of the lawn. Jackie moves to pick it up, along with the tee and the ball, and stashes it out of the way as Hannah shakes her head.
"4 going on 14, I swear," she mutters.
Jackie laughs softly as he comes to sink into the chair next to her. "I think that's always how it is."
"Yeah, probably. So," Hannah says, changing the subject as she looks over at him, "you and Rose are still going strong."
"Yeah," Jackie replies, laughing again. "Just hit 4 months."
Hannah smiles. "I'm really happy for you, Jackie. I like seeing you happy like this."
"Yeah, it's still kind of weird sometimes. You know, shaking off 40 some years of old habits and all of that, but it's nice. And she's just... really great. I guess I should thank you for introducing us."
Hannah's smile widens. "I'll admit, there was a little part of me that was playing matchmaker, but I wasn't planning to like, force you guys to get together or anything. But I'm glad to see that I was right that you two would be good together."
Jackie laughs, just as one of the mothers walks up.
"Hannah, the drink cooler is getting a bit low."
"Oh, okay," Hannah says, starting to push to her feet, but Jackie waves his hand.
"I'll get it. Are they in the kitchen?"
"Yeah, or in the basement."
Jackie nods and walks across the lawn to grab the cooler before heading up the deck stairs and into the house. He remembers freaking out last Christmas, his first time in David's house since the kidnapping, but not long after that, Hannah had brought him back, just to show him around, and now he's used to it. He still gets those flashes of memories, but they're not as fresh anymore, and it's easier to push them aside now.
It's quieter inside, though he knows that will change when the temperature outside gets too cold, and he loads up the cooler with juice boxes and sodas. He decides to check the basement just in case, and when he returns, he sees David standing in the kitchen, leaning against the bar and blocking the path to the back door. It's obvious that he was waiting for Jackie to come back, and Jackie slows to a stop just before the entrance to the kitchen.
"Agent Cole?" he says nervously.
David looks at him, and then away, seeming to be mulling something over.
"I have some things I want to say to you," he says finally, his voice quiet and thoughtful.
"Okay," Jackie replies, his heart pounding so hard he wonders if the other man can hear it.
"You hurt my daughter. Whether or not you actually laid a hand on her is irrelevant, the fact that it's been nearly ten years since it happened is irrelevant, because you still hurt her. What she went through when she was with you, and what she went through after she came home... no parent wants to see their child like that. No parent wants to have to comfort their child after she wakes up screaming from a nightmare about being raped by the man who kidnapped her, or wants to have to remind her to breathe, remind her that she's okay, remind her that she's perfectly safe, when she has a panic attack after smelling cigarette smoke. I sure as hell never wanted to have to do any of that. Thing is, though, I would do it over again if I had to, because she is my daughter, my baby. I love her so much, and I would do anything to keep her safe."
"I know," Jackie whispers.
David looks up at him again, studying him for a moment, and then walks around to the end of the bar, standing to face Jackie, though his eyes are on the floor.
"The other thing is... Hannah is an incredibly strong woman, and a better person than I am. A more forgiving person. She forgave you. And I couldn't understand that, and maybe it's because I didn't know everything, because she never wanted to talk about it with me, at least not the really bad stuff, and I accepted that. All she told me was that you took care of her, that you - you protected her, and I was able to accept that without you, I probably wouldn't have found her alive. But the fact that she forgave you... I couldn't comprehend it. When she started visiting you regularly, I wanted to stop her, Eli and I both did, and we tried, once, and then realized how idiotic it was, because Hannah is a grown woman fully capable of deciding what's best for her, and after that, I kept my thoughts to myself. And now she's moved on, she's accomplished so much, she has the job she always wanted, she's married with those two beautiful children, and the kidnapping isn't a thing for her anymore."
David lifts his gaze to Jackie, and raises his eyebrows. "But I have been angry with you for the past 9 years, and I know you can understand why."
Jackie nods. "I do."
"But... I've also gotten to know you over the past year and a half, regardless of whether or not I wanted to, because Hannah has made you a part of her life, and I've watched you with her, I've watched you with her kids, I've even watched you with Rose, and I've been able to see that she was right. You're not a - a cruel man. You're a very kind, considerate man, and I can tell you care for Hannah very much. She trusts you, her kids adore you, and even Eli has come to accept you with much more ease than I would've thought. And now I can really, finally see that you were just someone who made a poor choice, that it wasn't a choice you wanted to make, but you were trapped in a bad situation. Never as bad as the one she ended up in, but still. Nothing will ever excuse the choice that you made, nothing will ever make what you helped your brother do to her okay, but I can understand a lot better now."
David takes a breath. "This isn't easy for me to say, because I'm almost 59 and more of a stubborn asshole than I ever was, but - I'm sorry for what you went through, Jackie, and I - I forgive you."
Jackie stares at him, momentarily too stunned to speak, and then he swallows hard as he stammers, "Th - thank you, sir."
"You're welcome," David replies sincerely. There's a beat, and then David hooks his thumb over his shoulder at the cooler on the counter. "You need help taking that back out?"
"Um, yeah, I think so."
David beckons him over, and the two of them move to lift the cooler off the counter, carrying it back outside and setting it on the lawn.
Hannah walks over with Rachel on her hip, and smiles at the two of them. "Thanks, guys."
"Let me have the birthday girl," David says as he reaches for Rachel. "It's been like, an hour since I had granddaughter cuddles."
Hannah laughs, and lets David take Rachel, smiling again when Rachel rests her head in the curve of David's neck, wrapping her arms around him.
"Someone's getting a bit worn out, I think," she murmurs, lifting her hand to brush Rachel's hair from her face. "It's getting late, though; I think we'll call an end to the party soon."
David nods, rubbing his hand over Rachel's back, and moves away to settle into a chair.
"Everything okay?" Hannah asks, looking up at Jackie. "I saw Dad go into the house after you did."
"Yeah, we, um, we talked. Things are actually pretty great now."
A slow smile curves Hannah's lips as she looks over at her father, and then she looks back at Jackie. "Okay, then."
She moves away to go talk to some of the other parents, and Rose takes her place, wrapping her arms around Jackie's waist and tipping her head up to look at him.
"Hello," she murmurs with a smile.
"Hello," he replies, grinning back as he rubs his hands along her arms.
"I got embroiled in kiddie games with Madison, and then realized I missed you."
"I missed you too, but you were cute doing the kiddie games with Madison, so I figured I'd leave you be."
"Enough leaving me be," Rose replies, grinning as she tugs on the back of his shirt.
Jackie laughs softly, and bends to kiss her. A beat later, he feels something pressing against his legs, and looks down to see Haley trying to push him and Rose apart.
"And just what are you doing, little miss?" Rose asks, amused.
There's a rustle of footsteps, and they look up to see Chris walking towards them.
"Sorry about that," he says, shaking his head as he lifts Haley into his arms. "She's started doing this thing with Kari and me, where she tries to push us apart when we kiss. We thought it was just us, but she's done it to Han and Eli too, and Ben and Maddie, and now you guys. I guess she just wants in on the kisses."
"Well, we can share kisses," Rose says, standing on her toes to kiss Haley's cheek. Jackie leans over to do the same, and Chris grins as he looks at Haley.
"Is that better?"
"More, Daddy!" she crows, and Chris laughs, pressing kisses to Haley's face and sending her into delighted giggles as they walk away.
"So," Jackie begins, making Rose look up at him again, "you want to come over to my place tonight, and we can watch scary movies in between trick-or-treaters?"
"Is that just an excuse because you think I'll get scared and cower in your arms?" Rose replies, crinkling her nose. "Because I have news for you, Mr. Connolly, scary movies don't scare me."
"No, it's actually for me, because I'm a giant wimp and can't watch scary movies by myself."
Rose laughs, shifting closer to him and tightening her arms around him as she rests her head on his chest. Jackie grins, clasping his hands at the small of her back, and drops a kiss to the top of her head, feeling a little more content with life.
Author: Mary (stillxmyxheart)
Beta: Lindsay (rowofstars)
Rating: G
Genre: Fluff, Friendship, Romance
Word Count: 2,012
Characters/Pairings: Jackie, Nicholas, Hannah, David, Rose, Haley, Chris (Jackie/Rose)
"Look, Uncle Jackie!"
Jackie turns at the sound of Nicholas's voice, and grins when he sees him setting up his teeball stuff.
"Okay, buddy, show me what you got."
"Careful, Nicky, make sure you don't hit any of the other kids," Hannah calls from where she's sitting nearby.
Nicholas heaves a dramatic sigh. "I know, Mama!"
Jackie glances at Hannah, smiling as she shakes her head, and then turns his attention back to Nicholas. He lifts his bat, takes position, and hits the ball cleanly, sending it sailing towards the back fence.
"Awesome job, Nicky!" Jackie calls as Nicholas hurries to retrieve the ball.
"Watch!" Nicholas says again when he returns.
"I'm watching," Jackie replies, amused, and glances at Hannah again. "I'm guessing he likes teeball?"
Hannah laughs softly. "Yeah, so far. I think part of it is the whole 'I wanna be like Daddy' thing, but we'll keep doing it as long as he likes it."
"Can he hit an actual pitch yet?"
"Eli's been working on it, but I don't think Nicky's quite coordinated enough for that yet. He's determined, though."
Jackie nods, smiling again as he looks back at Nicholas. The boy hits the ball a few more times, and then Hannah calls to him, "Nicky, honey, why don't you go play with the other kids?"
"But Mama," Nicholas whines, letting the tip of his bat fall against the ground as he turns to face her. "They're all babies."
"Not all of them, Scotty and Derek are right over there. Go on, Nicky."
With a sigh, Nicholas turns and heads over to his friends, leaving his bat in the middle of the lawn. Jackie moves to pick it up, along with the tee and the ball, and stashes it out of the way as Hannah shakes her head.
"4 going on 14, I swear," she mutters.
Jackie laughs softly as he comes to sink into the chair next to her. "I think that's always how it is."
"Yeah, probably. So," Hannah says, changing the subject as she looks over at him, "you and Rose are still going strong."
"Yeah," Jackie replies, laughing again. "Just hit 4 months."
Hannah smiles. "I'm really happy for you, Jackie. I like seeing you happy like this."
"Yeah, it's still kind of weird sometimes. You know, shaking off 40 some years of old habits and all of that, but it's nice. And she's just... really great. I guess I should thank you for introducing us."
Hannah's smile widens. "I'll admit, there was a little part of me that was playing matchmaker, but I wasn't planning to like, force you guys to get together or anything. But I'm glad to see that I was right that you two would be good together."
Jackie laughs, just as one of the mothers walks up.
"Hannah, the drink cooler is getting a bit low."
"Oh, okay," Hannah says, starting to push to her feet, but Jackie waves his hand.
"I'll get it. Are they in the kitchen?"
"Yeah, or in the basement."
Jackie nods and walks across the lawn to grab the cooler before heading up the deck stairs and into the house. He remembers freaking out last Christmas, his first time in David's house since the kidnapping, but not long after that, Hannah had brought him back, just to show him around, and now he's used to it. He still gets those flashes of memories, but they're not as fresh anymore, and it's easier to push them aside now.
It's quieter inside, though he knows that will change when the temperature outside gets too cold, and he loads up the cooler with juice boxes and sodas. He decides to check the basement just in case, and when he returns, he sees David standing in the kitchen, leaning against the bar and blocking the path to the back door. It's obvious that he was waiting for Jackie to come back, and Jackie slows to a stop just before the entrance to the kitchen.
"Agent Cole?" he says nervously.
David looks at him, and then away, seeming to be mulling something over.
"I have some things I want to say to you," he says finally, his voice quiet and thoughtful.
"Okay," Jackie replies, his heart pounding so hard he wonders if the other man can hear it.
"You hurt my daughter. Whether or not you actually laid a hand on her is irrelevant, the fact that it's been nearly ten years since it happened is irrelevant, because you still hurt her. What she went through when she was with you, and what she went through after she came home... no parent wants to see their child like that. No parent wants to have to comfort their child after she wakes up screaming from a nightmare about being raped by the man who kidnapped her, or wants to have to remind her to breathe, remind her that she's okay, remind her that she's perfectly safe, when she has a panic attack after smelling cigarette smoke. I sure as hell never wanted to have to do any of that. Thing is, though, I would do it over again if I had to, because she is my daughter, my baby. I love her so much, and I would do anything to keep her safe."
"I know," Jackie whispers.
David looks up at him again, studying him for a moment, and then walks around to the end of the bar, standing to face Jackie, though his eyes are on the floor.
"The other thing is... Hannah is an incredibly strong woman, and a better person than I am. A more forgiving person. She forgave you. And I couldn't understand that, and maybe it's because I didn't know everything, because she never wanted to talk about it with me, at least not the really bad stuff, and I accepted that. All she told me was that you took care of her, that you - you protected her, and I was able to accept that without you, I probably wouldn't have found her alive. But the fact that she forgave you... I couldn't comprehend it. When she started visiting you regularly, I wanted to stop her, Eli and I both did, and we tried, once, and then realized how idiotic it was, because Hannah is a grown woman fully capable of deciding what's best for her, and after that, I kept my thoughts to myself. And now she's moved on, she's accomplished so much, she has the job she always wanted, she's married with those two beautiful children, and the kidnapping isn't a thing for her anymore."
David lifts his gaze to Jackie, and raises his eyebrows. "But I have been angry with you for the past 9 years, and I know you can understand why."
Jackie nods. "I do."
"But... I've also gotten to know you over the past year and a half, regardless of whether or not I wanted to, because Hannah has made you a part of her life, and I've watched you with her, I've watched you with her kids, I've even watched you with Rose, and I've been able to see that she was right. You're not a - a cruel man. You're a very kind, considerate man, and I can tell you care for Hannah very much. She trusts you, her kids adore you, and even Eli has come to accept you with much more ease than I would've thought. And now I can really, finally see that you were just someone who made a poor choice, that it wasn't a choice you wanted to make, but you were trapped in a bad situation. Never as bad as the one she ended up in, but still. Nothing will ever excuse the choice that you made, nothing will ever make what you helped your brother do to her okay, but I can understand a lot better now."
David takes a breath. "This isn't easy for me to say, because I'm almost 59 and more of a stubborn asshole than I ever was, but - I'm sorry for what you went through, Jackie, and I - I forgive you."
Jackie stares at him, momentarily too stunned to speak, and then he swallows hard as he stammers, "Th - thank you, sir."
"You're welcome," David replies sincerely. There's a beat, and then David hooks his thumb over his shoulder at the cooler on the counter. "You need help taking that back out?"
"Um, yeah, I think so."
David beckons him over, and the two of them move to lift the cooler off the counter, carrying it back outside and setting it on the lawn.
Hannah walks over with Rachel on her hip, and smiles at the two of them. "Thanks, guys."
"Let me have the birthday girl," David says as he reaches for Rachel. "It's been like, an hour since I had granddaughter cuddles."
Hannah laughs, and lets David take Rachel, smiling again when Rachel rests her head in the curve of David's neck, wrapping her arms around him.
"Someone's getting a bit worn out, I think," she murmurs, lifting her hand to brush Rachel's hair from her face. "It's getting late, though; I think we'll call an end to the party soon."
David nods, rubbing his hand over Rachel's back, and moves away to settle into a chair.
"Everything okay?" Hannah asks, looking up at Jackie. "I saw Dad go into the house after you did."
"Yeah, we, um, we talked. Things are actually pretty great now."
A slow smile curves Hannah's lips as she looks over at her father, and then she looks back at Jackie. "Okay, then."
She moves away to go talk to some of the other parents, and Rose takes her place, wrapping her arms around Jackie's waist and tipping her head up to look at him.
"Hello," she murmurs with a smile.
"Hello," he replies, grinning back as he rubs his hands along her arms.
"I got embroiled in kiddie games with Madison, and then realized I missed you."
"I missed you too, but you were cute doing the kiddie games with Madison, so I figured I'd leave you be."
"Enough leaving me be," Rose replies, grinning as she tugs on the back of his shirt.
Jackie laughs softly, and bends to kiss her. A beat later, he feels something pressing against his legs, and looks down to see Haley trying to push him and Rose apart.
"And just what are you doing, little miss?" Rose asks, amused.
There's a rustle of footsteps, and they look up to see Chris walking towards them.
"Sorry about that," he says, shaking his head as he lifts Haley into his arms. "She's started doing this thing with Kari and me, where she tries to push us apart when we kiss. We thought it was just us, but she's done it to Han and Eli too, and Ben and Maddie, and now you guys. I guess she just wants in on the kisses."
"Well, we can share kisses," Rose says, standing on her toes to kiss Haley's cheek. Jackie leans over to do the same, and Chris grins as he looks at Haley.
"Is that better?"
"More, Daddy!" she crows, and Chris laughs, pressing kisses to Haley's face and sending her into delighted giggles as they walk away.
"So," Jackie begins, making Rose look up at him again, "you want to come over to my place tonight, and we can watch scary movies in between trick-or-treaters?"
"Is that just an excuse because you think I'll get scared and cower in your arms?" Rose replies, crinkling her nose. "Because I have news for you, Mr. Connolly, scary movies don't scare me."
"No, it's actually for me, because I'm a giant wimp and can't watch scary movies by myself."
Rose laughs, shifting closer to him and tightening her arms around him as she rests her head on his chest. Jackie grins, clasping his hands at the small of her back, and drops a kiss to the top of her head, feeling a little more content with life.