AN:

I am honoured to be a part of this great family. I literally found a home here at FanFiction, while I was struggling with a lot of things last year. I just want to say thanks to all the great people, who are so supportive. Thanks to Sniper17, your words mean a lot to me.

So enough goo, let's get back to business. This is an altenative ending to 2.3. It takes up when the Phoenix team is on their flight home from Azerbaijan after defeating the Red Fist. If you are a big fan of Samantha you won't like the story very much. Would be great if you leave me a few words.

Chapter 1

„Twilight! Absolutely," Riley stated.

„You just say that, because you think Robert Pattinson is cute. That's by far not the best film of the decade." Bozer denied. „It's The Hunger Games no doubt about that."

„I have no idea, what you're talking about," Jack shook his head, joining their discussion about the best film of the new century.

„That's probably because you're stuck in the nineties with Bruce Willis," Mac teased.

„Hey, nothing wrong with Bruce Willis. He's a true action hero," Jack shot back. He looked out the window to hide his hurt look. He knew he shouldn't be offended, but he was. The Delta stood up and his knees as well as his back popped loudly.

„Yeah, I'm betting Bruces joints are making the same noises, because he's as old as you are." Riley added her two cents.

„Hey have you heard about his new film Havoc at the old folks home?" Bozer guffawed about his own joke and the others joined him, well apart from Jack.

„I'm grabbing a few winks," the Delta growled and moved to the back of the plane, where he sat down heavily. He closed his eyes and tried to relax, but he couldn't block out the teasing of his team, that went on for a bit, before they changed to another topic.

Sure this was their usual banter, but right now Jack couldn't handle it. He was too upset about Samanthas words at the hotel suite, while Jack tried to get a good picture for the contact lenses Bozer needed to make.

The crazy uncle nobody wants at the family gathering … Bozer had readily agreed, that had hurt, but what had hit Jack even harder was Macs reaction. He said nothing, didn't defend Jack or ask Sam not to talk shit about him. Obviously they didn't care that Jack could hear the whole exchange, because their coms were still open.

They were always teasing each other, sometimes playing a little with their weaknesses. Their job was so dangerous and stressful most of the time, they all needed this little outlet to ease the tension. But it was born out of trust, sympathy and the experiences they had shared. No one should feel hurt or humiliated, they were avoiding certain topics and if it happened that somebody crossed that line, there was always one to jump in and stop it before it got out of hand. Why not today?

Jack was tired, he had a headache and his body hurt all over. The Delta was exhausted, but he couldn't sleep. He felt Mac sit down beside him. „Are you ok big guy?"

Was he ok? Hell no. Jack felt insecure, confused and he couldn't think clearly. „Yeah, I'm good," he mumbled.

„You took some pretty hard hits today." Mac said quietly. The blond didn't like the tenseness that was radiating from Jack. He looked like he was in pain.

„So did you," Jack retorted, but couldn't help himself to observe his partner. „Are you ok? Something I should know about?" As disappointed as he was in Macs reaction, the blonds wellbeing was still Jacks number one priority.

Mac held up his hands and smiled. „Just a few bruises. Makes for a nice change to finish a mission without bleeding all over the place." He motioned to the front of the plane, where Samantha was sitting. „Our Aussie did a great job. She's really an asset to our team."

Jack didn't know what to answer to that. „Look Mac, I'm beat. I just wanna sleep, ok?" He ended the conversation, closed his eyes and leaned to the other side.

„Yeah, sure. I'm gonna let you rest." Mac stood up and walked back to the others.

„Is he ok?" Riley wanted to know. It was unusual for Jack to distance himself from the rest of the team especially after a successful mission.

„I think so, he's just tired." Mac answered evasive, not sure what was going on with Jack, but not willing to share his concern just yet.

„Well no wonder, he's not twenty anymore." Cage took another dig at Jack.

„Cage, that's enough." Mac warned her quietly. Sam shrugged and grabbed a magazine.

The rest of the flight was quiet. Most of them were sleeping. Jack dozed on and off, but he was still too tense to get some decent rest.

Debfrief was done quickly as the mission was a success. The team was in a good mood when they left the Phoenix. They agreed to meet at Macs place for pizza and beer. Jack was driving Mac home. It was a silent ride, Jack was lost in thoughts and Mac didn't want to push his friend. The Delta pulled into the driveway, but made no move to leave the car.

Mac had enough. „Jack, what's wrong? You were pretty quiet while debrief and on our way back here you didn't say a word."

Jack smiled „nothing's wrong hoss. I'm just tired." Mac nodded, not really convinced. „Yeah, me too." The Delta looked indeed exhausted, but there was something else bothering him.

„Well, you can crash here tonight if you want," he offered and left the car. When Jack didn't move, the blond leaned back in and said with a grin. „Come on old man, shake a leg, the beer's getting warm." Mac tried to lighten the mood.

„Nah, think I'm gonna head home and hit my own mattress, see you tomorrow at work Mac." He didn't wait for Macs answer and started the engine. The blond was surprised, but it wasn't the first time, that Jack wanted to be alone after a mission. He waved goodbye and headed to his door.

Soon after him the others arrived. They sat around the firepit and had a good time.

Jack was driving home, but he was distracted. Was he imagining things or had the teasing about his age increased since Cage joined the team? The sound of a horn pulled him back to the presence and he avoided a head on collison with another car at the last second. Shaken Jack pulled over into the next parking lot and killed the engine. He leaned his head on the steering wheel and tried to get his breathing back under control. „Damn, I'm messed up," he swore. After a while he had calmed down somewhat. What he really needed right now was a stiff drink.

Jack turned his phone off, left the car and looked around. There were a few bars along the road, but they were all too fancy for Jacks liking. He walked for an hour until he reached the part of the town, where the buildings had seen better days. Jack stopped at a bar that looked as run down as he felt right now. He entered and sat down at the bar, ordering whiskey. The first one went down in one go, as did the second. After that he slowed down, savouring the taste and enjoying the warmth that was spreading in his body. It chased away the cold emptyness he had felt since he had heard Cage analyze his family.

The crazy uncle nobody wants at the family gathering … was it true? Didn't they want him around as much as they used to? Jack couldn't deny that they were working well with Cage. When Matty had pulled Jack from Rileys first solo op Mac and Cage had finished the mission successfully. He knew he was wrong in not trusting Riley enough to manage on her own, but he had been so afraid for his girl.

Mac went back into the house and grabbed another beer for himself. When he stepped back out he heard Cage speaking.

„…he change his cover story? That was stupid."

Mac immediately got angry. „Jack's not stupid. He's an expert at undercover work. He realized immediately, that Ernie Bung wouldn't have had a chance in joining the VIPs at the poker table. So he came up with the Beef Jerky King and it worked, nobody doubted him until the security lady appeared."

Sam held up her hand. „Whoa Mac, I get it. He's your best friend, but he's also volatile and that's dangerous. That's all I'm saying."

„I'm too, it's how we work. We have to face unpredictable situations every day. We adjust, improvise and get the job done." Mac felt the need to defend himself and his partner.

„I needed time myself to get used to their MO, but it's working great." Matty spoke up.

„You mean talking crazy? That's definitely a new method." Cage answered sarcastically.

„Stop it! Now! I won't stand by and let you talk shit behind Jacks back. I should have stopped you back at the hotel, when you said he is the crazy uncle that nobody wants around at the family gathering. That was mean and uncalled for." Mac said annoyed.

Bozer looked down ashamed. „You're right Mac. I felt bad as soon as I had agreed to Cages statement."

Cage raised an eyebrow. „Self-contempt, interesting."

Mac didn't like how the evening had turned out and he had to put an end to it. „Stop analyzing us Cage. We're not your random suspects. We are a family, we care about each other and if you ever want to be a part of that family you will have to change your approach. I think we all hurt Jacks feelings on the flight back and that is the real reason, he's not here. We literally ganged up on him. I feel bad about it, because he's like a brother to me. He's looking out for all of us and keeping us safe. And what did we do? We made fun of him." Mac ran a hand through his hair and sighed. „I think it's better we call it a night now." The blond stood up and walked into the house, that was the clue for the others to leave.

They silently sat around the fire pit for a moment longer, digesting Macs words. Riley was clearly as upset as Mac. Bozer looked guilty, while Mattys and Cages expressions were unreadable.

Jack swirled the golden liquid around in his glas. His thoughts were going round like the whiskey. His kids didn't need him anymore. They had somebody else now who fit better in the team. Young and fresh as they were and capable of handling the bad guys. Samantha was good at fighting and a decent shot, add to that her profiling and interrogating skills and Jack became redundant. It may have sounded as if he was jealous, but that was not true. The Delta felt that the dynamic in the team had shifted and he was wondering if there was still a place where he fit in.

He downed another glass and tried to reassure himself. Mac was his friend, he would never do this to him. But Mac was also the kindest person he knew, he wouldn't tell Jack outright, that he didn't need him anymore. Jack was not stupid, he was well aware of his age and the fact that he would have to pull out of the field sooner than Mac. Had he reached this point already? No, he decided. He hurt all over, no shit, but he was still in excellent shape. The Delta was working hard for it. But did the others look at it the same way? If they hadn't faith in his ability to keep them safe out there, it didn't matter anyway.

The problem was that Jack didn't trust Samantha. Sure she had helped them on their missions so far, but what was driving her? She didn't reveal anything personal and kept them in the dark about her past. That alone let Jacks alarm bells ring. The betrayal of Nicki and Thornton was still too fresh on his mind. But the thing that disturbed Jack most about Cage was the fact that she didn't seem to make an effort to really know them better. She kept her distance. For Jack it felt like she was gathering intel about his family and that didn't sit right with him. The only consolation he had was that Matty wouldn't let another mole undermine their organization.

So, what should he do? Was the constant teasing about his age a hint that they didn't want him around anymore? The thought that he couldn't work with Mac any longer was killing him. He had sworn that he would never leave his friend and Mac seemed to be happy about it. But lately Jack wasn't so sure about it anymore. Their fight at the cafe in Paris popped into his mind. Mac didn't want him to be there and it was the first time, he had outright told Jack so. The hurt he had felt was still fresh on his mind and the guilt that weighed on Jack, when Murdoc had kidnapped Mac. What a mess! What should he do? Jack downed another whiskey and glanced at his watch. Three o'clock, he had been at the bar for five hours. Time to head home when he wanted to get some sleep.

Jack left the bar and started walking down the street. He swayed a bit but managed to keep his footing. The crisp air felt good and eased his headache a bit. A car turned into the street and the driver was obviously drunk or drugged, because he couldn't drive in a straight line and he was going way too fast. Jack didn't see it as it was coming from behind. Suddenly the driver lost control and the car shot onto the pavement. Jack sensed that something was wrong but he had only time to turn around before he was hit. The Delta felt a sharp pain in his knee and then his right side exploded with agony as he crashed into the windshield. His body was thrown over the car and landed in a heap on the pavement. The driver didn't care obviously, because he didn't even slow down. He took the next corner at high speed and was gone.

Several minutes had passed and Jack hadn't stirred. A group of juveniles appeared on the street and spotted him. They looked around, but there was no one else on the street. One of them bent down and started going through Jack pockets.

Pain, everywhere. Jack couldn't even locate where he was hurting the most. Forcing his eyes open, he thought his head might explode. Moaning he tried to focus. There was somebody in front of him, touching him. „Mac?" Jack forced out and reached out a shaking hand, but was met with a boot to his face that sent him back into oblivion.

Please let me know what you think!