Title: The Other Man

Category: Terra nova

Ship: Maddy/Mark, Elisabeth/Jim

Genre: Family/Humor/Romance

Rating: G

Word count: 1104

Spoilers: 'Proof'

Summary: A continuation to 'Proof: Comfort'. Jim reacts to Maddy in Mark's arms.

Author's note: This story is brought to you by shippergal review to my previous story and crystalkei for who was kind enough to fix it. You should probably read that story before this one.

Jim Shannon walks out of the bathroom, the warm shower he had just finished easing some of the day's troubles. He passes Josh's closed bedroom, not ready to talk to his son about his actions. He fears the anger that still whirled inside him would bubble up making whatever conversation they might have useless. Instead he walks into the kitchen to find two of the three women in his life, he smiles at his wife and his youngest as they color his eyes searching for his other baby, his need to have his Maddy close more powerful today than ever.

"Where's Maddy?" He asks as he sits down at the table with Elisabeth and Zoe, grabbing a fruit from the center. He watches as his wife and child share a look and smile to each other, Zoe going as far as giggling.

"She's in the back yard with Mark, Daddy," Zoe answers with a wide smile. "They're resting on the hammock."

"What?" Jim shouts as he stands up quickly, ignoring the snicker that comes out of Elisabeth as he bangs his thigh on the edge of the table in his haste. He also ignores the warning he hears in her voice as she says his name, instead he goes to the back window and looks out, feeling lightheaded at what his finds.

His smart, beautiful girl is asleep in arms of the soldier who is hell bent on taking her away. He's not fooled by Reynolds, all the polite courting crap, he sees right through it. He sees a man that will one day take his Maddy.

"They're cute aren't they?" Elisabeth whispers as she comes up behind him, her arms circling his waist, peering over his shoulder to look at the pair.

He cringes at her words and the dreamy sigh she lets out as she watches them. Cute, cute, no, they aren't cute at all, the image before him, the way his daughter is resting with the young soldier, her arm around him, clinging to him, the way he's holding her to close, one arm around her shoulder, his other hand resting comfortably on her hip, like it belongs there, it's a disturbing image that makes his trigger finger itch.

"Jim," Elisabeth scolds lightly; the woman is a mind reader. "You're going to have to accept the fact that he's not going anywhere."

"Why?" he whines pouting at his wife.

Elisabeth just raises an eyebrow at his tone and he sighs as he looks out the window again. He knows why, because even though he knows he scares Reynolds, he doesn't scare him enough to get him to stay away from his daughter. No, the kid's desire for Maddy is stronger than his fear, he's seen the way Reynolds looks at Maddy, the way he is with her and he knows as much as he hates to admit it that the kid is here to stay.

"He cares about her, Jim," Elisabeth continues, her hands leaving his waist to caress his shoulders and he shudders lightly as her lips brush against the back of his neck. "And she care about him…more importantly I think she needs him."

He shakes his head, hating the idea that his daughter could need more than him.

"She does, Jim," Elisabeth drives her point home, because he needs to hear it. "Look at them out there, she needs him the same way I need you, she's strong like you, but he'll make her stronger."

Jim groans at the words, watching as even in her sleep Maddy holds Mark closer, the boy's grip tightening too.

"If she needs him…"he says in a low tone as he gives voice to his fear. "Does that mean there will come a day she won't need me?"

Elisabeth circles around him, standing in front of him she reaches up, her fingers always soft and warm brush over his cheek bone. "If today taught us anything it's that Maddy is strong and brave, but that even so she still has need for her dad, I don't think that's ever going to change."

He smiles grateful at the words, leaning down he kisses her softly. "Thank you….so I have to like him?"

Elisabeth laughs at petulant tone.

"It might make things easier, because like I said that young man isn't going anywhere…."She trails off a wicked gleam entering her eyes as her lips curled upward. "And after that intense kiss I witness them share earlier, I have a feeling that right next to her is where Maddy wants him, dear."

He stares after his wife as she walks away laughing at his flabbergasted expression. Her words ringing in his ears in surround sound. "Kiss," he croaks his mouth suddenly dry. "What kiss, how intense, Elisabeth? ELISABETH!"

His wife ignores his frantic yelling and just laughs louder as she enters their bedroom.

He turns to his last audience; Zoe is looking at him with a curious smile.

"Did you see Maddy and Mark kiss?"

He is filled with dread as Zoe giggle again with a wide happy smile.

"You like him Zoe?" he questions his little girl.

"He makes Maddy happy, Daddy." Zoe answers with the honestly only a child her age can have.

He turns once more to watch the pair; he's just in time to watch as Maddy opens her eyes and smiles as she looks at the soldier holding her. He watches with his heart in a vice as she leans in and presses her lips on the side of his chin waking the man. He can't look away as the young man greets her with wide smile of his own and says something that makes his girl laugh softly turning the prettiest shade of pink he's ever seen. He has to smile as she answers with a poke to the kid's stomach, obviously catching him of guard because Reynolds eyes widen comically a startled laugh passing his lips. He finds himself laughing quietly as his daughter gets the same look of mischief he has seen on his wife at finding a weakness, and starts poking and tickling, enjoying the fact that Reynolds is obviously sensitive.

His good humor is replaced with contemplation as their joking around trails off and his daughter leans in kissing the boy chastely, he watches the way Reynolds holds his daughter with care and he has to begrudging agree with everything his wife and daughter have said to him.

Mark Reynolds is good for his daughter he has to accept that…but he still holds the right to want to shoot him for the rest of his life.