Okay, by now you all probably know how my mind works. And yes, it's by not letting me finish one fic without having one already on the work. So, here we go again… Family ties is still ongoing; I hope to have a chapter ready soon. :D

Things I should clarify for this, this is based on the parent trap movie ( a guilty pleasure that I just found on Netflix again…) I've never been on a cruise or to Europe. I was a camp counselor for one summer. And nope, I don't own anything from Stargate. I wish I did; a zat would come quite handy …

Anyhow, this is me shutting out again …

Enjoy!

M.

Chapter One - 1990

Jack O'Neill reached home after a long while out; his mission took him too long, six months long to be exact. And he couldn't wait to get home to his wife and to that cruise they finally were going to be able to go to.

He smiled dumbly as he parked his truck in front of his home. Then he noticed, the lights were off, and it was only 1900. He frowned, Sarah was supposed to be there. He decided that maybe, she had gone and visited her father grabbing his duffel back he walked towards the entrance and tried to open the door before raising his eyebrow when he found it locked. They never locked the house, but there was always a key hidden under the carpet. He took the key and slid it in, unlocking the house and entering in.

The first thing he noticed was the letters piling on the floor, then the smell of the old trapped air. He looked around wondering about the whereabouts of his wife. He walked around the house and reached their room. And the first thing that he saw was the brown envelope sitting in the middle of the bed. He took the contents out, and he was shocked to find out divorce papers.

He read the papers carefully until he had learned the words by heart. Disheartened and confused he walked towards the phone. And dialed the number of his father-in-law.

"Hi, Mr. Thompson. It's Jack…. Yeah, it's Sarah there? Tomorrow? Ok. I'll see you then."

He stood up way until the night gave space to the day. And before he noticed, a car was parking outside his home. He didn't bother to stand up from the couch as much as he hadn't bothered to change since getting home.

"Jack." Sarah's voice called him.

"Sarah." He raised his eyebrows just to notice she wasn't alone.

"This is my lawyer Mr. Orwell."

"Nice to meet you, Mister O'Neill."

"Major O'Neill…" Jack grimaced when he noticed Sarah's expression.

"Major O'Neill. I'm here because my client thought it was for the best. The agreement is as it follows, Sarah Thompson will remain with the house, while you Jack O'Neill remain with the cabin in Minnesota."

"Hey, that's inherited! It's been in my family for ages!"

"Yes, and she is willing to allow you to keep it. Also, she resigns to an allowance if you are willing to accept to cancel the mortgage."

"Sarah…" Jack said. "Can we talk?"

"Mister O'Neill."

"Major!" Jack growled.

"It's okay Patrick; I'll talk with him." He pointed the doors to the garden. "What is it, Jack?"

"Come on, Sarah. A divorce? Don't you think you are overreacting?"

"I'm over reacting? How would you know? You are never around, Jack!"

"You know how this was going to be, Sarah. You married a military man!"

"Yes, but now I want an out before my life is over and I'm stuck with a man I don't know for the rest of it."

"But you know me…" He added.

"Do I?"

"Yes! Come on, give us a chance. Let's take that cruise I booked for us; it's in three months, and it's all paid for…"

"No, Jack. I won't, I don't want to spend one extra minute with you, I love you, but I need to let you go," she said a tear escaping her eyes. "I'm sorry, you must let me go," she pleaded. He bit his lower lip.

"Is that really what you want?" He asked.

"Yes." She whispered back.

"Then, call him. I will sign the papers. I'll move out to the cabin as soon as I can pack my things." He said clenching his jaw.

Sarah called the lawyer back in, and he was surprised to see Jack had signed the papers. He had never experienced a man who had signed them so quickly.

"Major O'Neill," Patrick said. "I know this might seem sudden…"

"No, it isn't. We've been married for six years, Mrs. Orwell. And she is right; she has spent more of those years by herself. She deserves better." Jack told him.

"Okay, since you both agreed on this, the divorce should be completed during the week. Let me tell you, Major; I've never met a man who thought on their partner before taking this decision. It's a fresh view."

"Yeah, well… You know what they say right if you love them let them go…"

"Right, it was a pleasure to meet you, Major O'Neill. Sadly it wasn't the best circumstances, anyhow here is my card, feel free to contact me if you ever need a lawyer."

"Sure."

He watched them go and sighed. He was completely devastated and had no idea what to do with himself. He plopped on the couch and decided he needed to vent.

"Charlie?" He said when he heard the voice on the other side of the line. "I've just been dumped."

Two hours later, his front door was opened and someone called "Honey, I'm home."

"Bedroom!" Jack barked.

"What the hell happened, Jack?" was the next thing Jack heard. Turning around he found his friend Charlie Kawalsky on the threshold of his former master room.

"I'm not too sure, Charlie."

"Beer?" He offered, raising the six pack on his hand. Jack nodded, and they walked to sit on the porch. "So, she left you?"

"She started the divorce…" he said sipping his beer.

"Oh. And what are you going to do?"

"I already signed the papers, Charlie."

"Oh… I'm sorry."

"Don't be; I guess it was long overdue. She told me she wanted to find a way to spend more time with me, and I went and took this last mission instead of taking the position in the Academy. I screwed it up." He shrugged. "the funny thing is, I bought a package for a cruise, we were supposed to leave in three months for a 27 night's cruise around this luxury places, starting in Venice."

"Venice, huh? That's romantic."

"Yeah. And now, I'm stuck with it and wifeless."

"You should go, maybe you find someone to keep your mind out of her." Charlie wriggled his eyebrows. "You know, one of those hot women who have no tan lines."

"You are disgusting!"

"No, really. I think you should go. What do you have to lose? I mean, you said it yourself it's already paid for, three months is enough time to mourn for a marriage that wasn't working, we both know it. And your leave is already accounted for, which is the most complicated part of being a USAF member."

"I'll think about it."

"Don't think, just take it. Vacations never hurt, Jack. It will help you move on. I'm sure of it."

She was ecstatic and a little sad. She was going out of the country alone for the first time in her 22 years of life. But, it was all due to a promise she had with her grandmother who had passed away barely a week before.

A month earlier she was finishing her thesis for her Doctor's degree when her grandmother had decided she deserved a vacation. She tried to convince her grandma that it wasn't true but she was tired, and her mind could use a short break.

"You have earned it, Samantha. I mean it. You invested your time on getting yourself to college early, and now you have reached to the scholar point you wanted. You might not be joining the Air Force for NASA, but at least, you have plenty of jobs offers you can take any one of them when you return."

"Can I least think about it, Gram?"

"Sure, but don't doubt it too much, Samantha. It's twenty-seven nights on a cruise; there's not much for you to lose."

"I don't have any money to spend there," She sighed.

"You won't need to, or you don't need much of it. It's an all-inclusive cruise, stop giving me excuses and take my offer already."

"I'm not sure that I can."

"Samantha, promise me you will. I already booked your place, and I'm only waiting on my bank to cancel it."

"Grandma…" Sam bit her lower lip.

"It's in a month time. That's plenty of time for you to finish and deal with everything before you must go. Then you will have 27 nights to find yourself while visiting the most enchanting places you will meet. And knowing you, this will be the only vacations you will be willing to take."

"I'm not that bad."

"Sammie, you've spent the last 20 minutes trying to convince me that it's a bad idea. Any other in your place would've jumped on it before I finished asking."

"Okay, I promise I will go."

Two weeks ago, she presented her thesis and successfully passed the exam, she was a Doctor in Theoretical Astrophysics. And the moment she announced it to her grandmother, everything turned out wrong. The happiness of it caused her grandmother to have a heart attack. Sam spent the better part of that week taking care of her grandmother until she had finally collapsed. The last thing Sam heard before she passed away was 'remember your promise.'

So, that was the reason why she was now standing in the airport waiting for the plane that would take her to Italy. And then, she had to get herself to the train that would take her to Venice from where her cruise was supposed to sail.