The Undaunted

A Penchant for Trousers

"Children are the world's most valuable resource and its best hope for the future." - John F. Kennedy

***

For the longest moment they held each other, Jack's arms wrapped tightly around Jenny, her face buried against his chest, her eyes, which couldn't seem to stop leaking, wetting the fabric of his shirt as she silently wept. When a deep, shuddering sob finally shook her back and shoulders, she felt his arms tightened around her and then the dam broke.

His name fell from her lips and choked, broken whispers. "Jack...Jack..."

His hand cupped the back of her head, fingertips caressing her skull tenderly until she tipped her head back to look up into his eyes.

"God, you're beautiful," he murmured. "Do you know how many times over the years I've thought about this?"

Jenny laughed through her tears. "Not half as many times as I have!" She reached up and awkwardly wiped at her wet cheeks with the heels of her hands. Hearing the sound of youthful voices nearby, she cleared her throat and quickly stepped away from him even though every cell in her body was crying out to throw her arms around his neck and kiss him senseless. But, remembering that he was a married man now with children of his own, she took a step back trying to control her emotions. "How are you? How have you been, Jack?"

He swallowed hard as he released her, also stepping back watching her closely as she surreptitiously looked over her shoulder before meeting his eyes again. He wanted nothing more than to grab her and hold her to him again and questions be damned to hell for now, but he tried to match her control. Her return to propriety.

"I've been good, Jenny. The paper's been a tremendous success."

"I know," Jenny said quickly, her smile bright while her eyes still sparkled with unshed tears. "I've been following its success. I'm so proud of you, Jack."

Jack looked down at his feet in his typical bashful way, shaking his head. "You know its success is due in large part to your articles, Jenny. Without them..."

"The paper would have been a huge success anyway. Your answering articles were brilliant, Jack. Just as I always knew they would be."

He looked pained and Jenny dropped her gaze, unable to meet his eyes. She glanced up at him and found him staring at her then looked quickly away again. She gestured towards a wrought iron bench set in the lee of a tree bearing a profusion of blushing Juliets.

Together they sat, side by side, in silence for a few moments. Then Jenny took a deep breath and turned slightly towards him.

The sound of a soft muffled giggle nearby followed by a masculine laugh startled Jenny, jerked her back into reality. "Where is Hope?"

Jenny did not mistake softening of Jack's expression when she said her daughter's name. "She somewhere about. With Patrick."

Jenny looked at him sharply and started to rise. "Oh God, Jack...they met in London and...I'm so sorry. I should have told you there was a possibility that...that..." She put a hand over her face. "They met last month in London and..."

Jack pulled her back down and placed a silencing finger on her lips, shaking his head, an inexplicably amused look softly curling his lips. "Jenny, shhh, it's alright. Pat is not my biological son."

It took a couple of seconds for his words to sink in. Jenny's eyes widened slowly, and her lips parted in disbelief. "What?"

Jack's smile was tired, almost sad as he continued to shake his head, his eyes looking seriously into Jenny's to assure her of the earnestness of his words. "Pat is not my biological son," he repeated slowly. He took a deep breath and sighed tiredly. "Ashton confessed to me shortly after Patrick's twelfth birthday. She had an affair back in the early days of our marriage to make herself feel better. Or so she said. Ours wasn't a real marriage until that one night..." Jack's lips twisted bitterly as he remembered that one awful night in the marital bed with Ashton. "She was already pregnant and knew it. She hated it when I touched her, but she knew it had to be done in order to convince me the baby was mine. I wish I had never let it happen. I stayed with her until Pat was sixteen. In spite of her infidelity, in spite of what she had done to get me to marry her, I still couldn't ignore the fact that I was responsible for what had happened to her, Jenny. I will always be responsible for that."