This is a sequel to my story Betrayal. You should read that first or you won't understand some of this story. This chapter is pretty fluffy but there is adventure to come. Please note for you anti-shippers - this is Jack/Sam established.
He could hardly wait to get home. He'd been in Washington for almost a month and he was totally sick of it. He hated the stultifying feeling he got as he spent time in the corridors of power and influence. He'd been away from DC for almost a year and he'd forgotten how oppressive and depressing it could be.
Oh, he knew that for many it was exciting and energizing; but not for him. He was a man of action, not of politicking and kissing ass. No, send him out to fight the bad guys, don't ask him to sit at the table and talk to them!
The President had asked him to come, an invitation that was almost, but not totally, impossible to refuse. George Hammond had also asked and that was one person he definitely would never say no to. He owed George too much – including his life and his sanity – and if the man needed him he would be there.
They wanted him to take back his old job heading up Homeworld Security. George desperately wanted to retire and, according to the President, there was no one else to take the job. Now Jack knew that wasn't true – there were a few good men and women out there who would do an excellent job, but still, it was a hard offer to refuse. That old over-developed sense of duty kept poking him directly in the conscience.
He sighed. He still hadn't made up his mind and knew he couldn't and wouldn't until he'd spoken with Carter. Oops, he grinned to himself, I wonder where that came from? For the last six months Carter had no longer been Carter – she'd been simply Sam. No, he corrected himself, never simply Sam. She was Sam – the woman he loved with every fiber of his being. She was his companion, his love, his life – she was Sam.
He thought again of the journey that had brought him to this place. He remembered that terrible time, almost a year ago, when he'd thought his team, his family, had betrayed him. Anguished, he'd quit his job and left, telling no one where he was going. He'd begun a cross-country journey, not to any place in particular but rather to get away from his hurt and those he'd thought had betrayed him.
He'd found a haven in a small city in the Rocky Mountains in Canada and had been taken in by Molly and her grandson Chris. They'd helped him see that there was still a reason to keep going, that there were people who still cared for him and for whom he could still care. It was there that his team had found him but, before they'd had a chance to work anything out he'd been kidnapped by a rogue Asgard who thought he was the solution to their dying race.
He still cringed when he thought of his time on the Asgard ship. He'd been tortured and horribly wounded. He'd almost died and had suffered what could have been irreparable physical damage. He had suffered brain damage which, without the intervention of Thor, would have left him only half a man.
Again – as had happened so many times in the past – his team had rushed to the rescue. Sam had died in the attempt, sacrificing herself rather than see him die. Witf his love and with the power of the Ancients, he'd been able to bring her back. But that had been the turning moment in their relationship. They'd finally admitted that they had to be together. Since both of them had retired, they were no longer bound by the regulations and were free to pursue a relationship. And pursue it they did! He thought back to their own journey across the country. In essence it had been their honeymoon and they'd spent the time getting to know each other, in all ways.
When they'd returned to Molly's the old woman had asked to speak with them about Chris. She was worried that she wouldn't be able to look after him and had asked Jack and Sam to adopt him. They'd agreed, under the condition that they could 'adopt' Molly as well and have her live with them. So, that's what had happened. The paperwork had finally come through when he was in Washington. Chris was officially theirs – although he'd been that, in fact, long before that.
Jack smiled. He had loved being a father, and although he still felt the pain of Charlie's loss, and knew he always would, he was happier than he had been in a long time. He had a wife he loved and a son he adored. Sam laughed at him and at Chris all the time. She was convinced that they'd been actual father and son in a previous life, they were so much alike. Both of them knew how to have fun and both of them could get into trouble doing it!
Sam was busily engaged in doing research and learning what it was to be a Mom. She was happy as a clam. She was in constant contact with colleagues all over the world (thank God for the internet). The best part however, was that she absolutely loved the mother part of her life. She'd taken to PTA meetings, soccer and hockey games and Mom's groups like no one he'd seen. For someone who'd spent all her adult life protecting her country and then her world she fit in surprisingly well at school fundraisers and 'fun' days.
He enjoyed it too. In fact, he was having a great time in retirement. No longer having to spend his days worrying about whether they were on the brink of disaster, he could instead spend his time, when not with his family, volunteering in the community. He did a lot with local youth groups and in Chris' school. He laughed when he thought of the fact that he'd been asked to tutor kids having trouble in math and science. Who woulda figured! He'd wondered if Sam was a bit put out – she was the astrophysicist after all, but she'd just smiled and kissed him.
"It's good for you Jack – and you're a great teacher."
"Yeah, but math and science Sam! Come on, if it'd been, oh, I don't know – juggling or something I coulda seen it but not math and science."
"You say that as if you hate them", she said seriously.
"Well, they're okay I guess" he grimaced, "but definitely not as fun as juggling!"
After that conversation she'd told Chris' Principal that Jack was good at juggling. The next thing they knew, he was leading a juggling club at lunch time. It turned out that it was extremely good for kids – teaching them coordination and helping with brain development. The best part of all was that they didn't know any of that. It was simply fun!
In actual fact, however, Jack was brilliant at math and science and in every subject they'd tested him in. The Asgard who had kidnapped him had reactivated the Ancient gene and the result was that he was gaining knowledge and abilities at an alarming rate. It was actually much faster and more profound than he let on. He not only knew things he hadn't before, he found he could figure out just about anything he put his mind to. The universe suddenly felt like an open book to him. It was all very disconcerting and he spent quite a bit of time ignoring it.
He found that concentrating on Chris and Sam and Molly helped him base himself in the real world and not get stressed out over the fact that his brain sometimes felt like it was actually growing bigger.
What had started to worry him lately, was not just the knowledge he was gaining, but he was pretty sure he was gaining some extra abilities. The first time he'd noticed it was when the women were out shopping and Chris was at a friend's house. He'd settled in to watch an afternoon hockey game on the TV. He'd gotten himself a beer and snacks and had lain down on the couch, ready to enjoy an afternoon of pure relaxation. He'd suddenly realized, after he was nice and comfy, that he'd left the remote on the top of the TV.
With a sigh he muttered, "why can't I have left you on the coffee table?" He reached over to put his bowl of popcorn on that self-same coffee table when he saw the remote sitting there. He knew – he was positive – that it had been on the TV. Either he was losing his mind or something very weird was going on. He debated trying something else but decided he'd rather not know. Maybe it would go away.
The trouble was, things kept happening like that. All he needed to do was think about an object and it would be there. He never actually saw them move so retained the hope that it was just his imagination.
There were other things though. He thought about the time a repairman had come by and told Molly that she needed some major repair on her heating system. Jack had instantly known that the man was lying and that the problem was a simply short in one of the wires. Again, it could have been intuition or a lucky guess, but when it happened a few times he started to wonder.
He even caught Chris is a small lie. He hadn't handed in some homework and claimed that he hadn't known about it. Jack instantly knew that wasn't the truth and had punished him , more, it turned out, for the lie than for not doing the homework.
Sam had remonstrated with him. "Jack, he said he didn't know."
"I know Sam, but he's lying. He did know, he just didn't want to do it because he wanted to watch the game with me."
"How do you know?"
"I just do!" he'd said shortly. How could he tell her that he was beginning to read people more than was normal? He laughed softly – he'd be great as a judge or policeman he thought. It could be a great gift to be able to tell when someone was telling the truth but it could also be a pain.
Of course, there began to be other things but he refused to even admit they were happening. The last thing he wanted was to become some kind of freak!
Anyway, right now he just wanted to think about getting home and enjoying an evening with his family. It was Friday so they had the whole weekend in front of them.
He dozed on the plane on the way home. He was flying into Spokane and then taking a short hop to Penticton. He could have flown on a transport – as a retired General he had those privileges, but he decided he'd rather fly on a regular airline. He liked the anonymity.
By the time he'd arrived he was feeling pretty stiff. He was almost fully recovered from his ordeal on the Asgard ship but still suffered a bit of weakness now and then. If he sat too long he noticed some general aches and pains. He sighed – it was probably just that he was getting old! He grinned then because even though his years were getting up there, the Doc at the SGC had told him he was healthy as a horse – as healthy as a much younger man. He figured it was also the Ancient gene or maybe it was something Thor had done. Whatever the reason, he could have given a man 20 years younger a run for his money. Good thing too, he smirked – he had a much younger wife and had to keep up with her.
Wife. Now that was a word he liked. He and Sam had taken the plunge almost three months ago. They'd had a small, winter wedding with just their close friends and family in attendance. It had been magical and a day he'd never forget. Yup he was married to Sam Carter – or Sam Carter-O'Neill as she called herself, much to his delight.
"You sure Carter?" he'd asked.
"Yes Sir", she grinned in reply. Anytime he called her that she'd refer to him as 'Sir' or 'General' just to make a point. He kind of liked it though – it brought to mind some good memories.
"Not too big a mouthful?" he asked.
"No. Hey, if I can handle the man I can certainly handle the name!" He'd laughed in response, agreeing that she had a point.
He knew he could be a handful but he kind of thought Sam was surprised at how easy it was to be married to him. He didn't say anything but he'd had a great marriage his first time, until the death of his son had destroyed it, and was totally ready for being married again. While there were things he was still learning about Sam, for the most part he understood the give and take of marriage. He knew when to hold his ground and when to compromise. He understood her need to be alone sometimes – she'd lived by herself for a lot of years after all – and he knew when she needed a hug or a shoulder to cry on. He also knew that she was deserving of his utmost respect. She was a brilliant woman and a very special person and he let her know that he was honored – no, thrilled, by the fact she had chosen him to spend her life with.
Yup, marriage was great and he was really looking forward to getting home.
"There he is!" he heard the small boy's voice shout as he passed through the door in the airport. Sure enough, there were Sam and Chris waiting for him, smiles on both their faces. He dropped his luggage and a small body hurtled into him. He picked Chris up – thank heavens he was still small enough to appreciate it – and gave him a hug.
"How ya doin kid!" he said. "Have you looked after Sam and your Grandma for me?"
"You betcha Jack. I looked after them real good. Didn't I Sam", he turned to the woman coming up behind them."
"He did Jack. He was a great help while you were gone and mostly stayed out of trouble."
"Mostly?" Jack asked, leaning back to look at his son.
"Yeah", Chris grimaced, "I got into a fight with Tyler and got grounded!" he said in disgust. "But you would have done it too Jack. He was, he was being mean to Emily so I told him he was a Gold!"
Jack raised his eyebrows at this and looked at Sam. She nodded. "Yes, he called him a "Gold" . "I'm afraid we have Daniel to blame for that one. That's one of the reasons he was grounded. He knows better than to say things like that. But, he apologized and everything's good now. Yesterday was his last day of being grounded so we can do something tonight."
Jack looked at Sam in appreciation, knowing she'd done that as much for him as for Chris. Setting the boy down "I have to kiss Sam now", he did just that. After a few seconds he felt a tug on his pant leg.
"Jack!" the boy called. "You gotta do that at home!" Jack and Sam both laughed. Chris was starting to get to the age where adult 'cuddling' was 'yucky'.
"Okay young man, let's get homel" He turned to Sam. "How's Molly?" Molly was over 80 and so he worried about her even though she was incredibly healthy.
"She's fine. Cooking up a storm for your arrival. She's sure they didn't feed you properly in Washington."
"Must admit I'm looking forward to some home cooking after all that restaurant food. I had to make sure and run every day or I'd have put on 20 lbs."
As they drove the short distance home from the airport Chris talked non-stop about everything that had been happening at school. That evening they spent time playing games and laughing, enjoying being together. Molly was in her element – there was nothing she enjoyed more than cooking for her family and then watching them simply love each other.
After Molly and Chris had gone to bed Jack walked over and pulled Sam up off the couch. "Come on."
"Come on where?" she asked slyly.
"To bed woman! I've had a month of cold showers and we're still officially newlyweds. Cold showers are definitely not what I should be having!"
"No?" she asked as she walked with him to their bedroom. "And what should you be having?"
"Sex – continual, constant and glorious sex – with my wife."
"I see" she turned and put her arms around him as soon as they closed the door to their room. "I think that sounds good."
"Good?"
"Okay, wonderful , perfect, and very much missed."
It was quite a bit later before they both collapsed back on the bed, exhausted but sated.
"Much better", Jack sighed. "God, I missed you."
"Was it awful?" she asked sympathetically.
"No, not awful, just tiring. I'd forgotten how much I hated all of that."
"So you didn't find yourself wanting to get back into it, back into the Air Force?"
"Oh, there was a small piece of me that found myself wanting back in. I think talking to George and meeting up with some old buddies made me feel a bit nostalgic. It was also good getting caught up on all that was going on – I'll tell you about it tomorrow – but for the most part all I wanted was to get home."
"Did they offer you the job?" He hadn't really said much to her since they didn't have a secure line of communication and he hadn't been sure what to say.
"Yeah", he breathed out deeply. "They laid it on pretty thick. The President thinks I'm the only one for the job and George really wants to retire. They threw out all sorts of incentives."
"Really?" she propped herself up on her arm, "like what?"
"Oh, a big house in Georgetown, a full time car and driver, private school for Chris, medical coverage for Molly, a fourth star, a bonus after one year -"
"Jack!" she cried.
"Yeah?" he wouldn't look at her.
"Four stars?"
"Yeah."
"Oh my God. Can you refuse that?"
"Sure, why not? I never thought I'd get one and four – well, it just means more responsibility and more people sucking up to me."
"But you gotta admit that that's kind of fun." She grinned. She knew how much he hated 'ass-kissers' but at the same time he'd enjoyed dealing with all those people who'd told him he'd never make anything of himself.
"Yeah, I'd love to go back and see old Brisket!"
"Brisket?" she asked, puzzled.
"My old CO – Major Charles Brisquet. He was a complete ass. I used to get into trouble for simply blinking around the man. I almost quit the Air Force after a year with him. I remember him telling me I was a disgrace and I'd never make anything of myself – that I'd be lucky to make Captain."
"Is he still around?"
"Yeah, he was only a couple of years older than me. He'd risen in the ranks because of his Daddy – an old buddy of the former President. Last I heard he was a one-star General. I'd really love to go to his base and do an inspection!"
"That's mean Jack."
"Yup", he grinned, "but it'd be fun."
She laughed and agreed. She'd had a few of those in her career and would have loved to have gone back and rubbed their noses in her success. After a while she sobered up and looked at him.
"Jack, do you think you'll accept?"
"I wanted to ask you. It's not just up to me. I think this has to be a family decision."
"But do you want to do it? You know I'll support whatever you want."
"I know Sam, but it has to be right for all of us, not just me. If it was totally my choice than no, I wouldn't do it. It's hard to say no to the President, but not impossible – it's George I'm worried about."
"Worried? Why?"
"He's looking tired and he really wants out. He should have stayed retired. I blame myself for doing this to him."
"Jack!" she said sharply. "Don't you dare start feeling guilty about this. The President could have appointed someone a long time ago to take your place. You know these are pressure tactics to force you to take the job. Tell him no and he'll find someone soon enough."
"I guess."
"You're not sure are you? There's a part of you that wants the excitement again and is missing the action."
He stayed silent for a few minutes but then nodded slightly. "Mostly I don't miss it, but every once in a while I think of all we did and then I do miss it –l at least the good times – there's lot's I don't miss of course. I just don't know Sam", he said in frustration, "I told them I'd let them know in the next few weeks."
"Good. So right now we should simply rest and put it out of our minds. We can think about it tomorrow."
"I have a better way of putting it out of my mind", he said. "Something that will definitely take my mind off of it", he leered.
"Again Jack?"
"Yeah", he said hopefully.
"Good!"
The next day was Saturday and they decided to go snow shoeing in the mountains. Pretty soon the snow would begin to melt so they decided to enjoy it while it lasted. Molly helped pack a 'snack' (enough food to feed an army for a month thought Jack) and they headed out.
By the time they returned they were cold, wet, tired and laughing. It had been a wonderful afternoon and Jack wondered why he would even consider returning to DC. This was a wonderful place to raise a family and he had time to do things with those he loved. As Director of Homeworld his time would be much more restricted.
Later that night he and Sam were sitting, curled up together on the couch watching some silly movie when they heard the sound of a small boy come out to the living room.
"What are you doing up Chris", Sam asked. "It's past your bedtime."
"I know", he stood there looking uncomfortable.
"What is it young man?" Jack asked gently. He looked over at Sam and raised his eyebrows. Something was definitely up. When Chris still didn't say anything Jack sat up and patted the seat beside him. "Come and sit."
The boy just shook his head and continued to look as if the words just didn't want to come.
"Is something wrong sweetheart", Sam asked.
He shook his head.
"Are you feeling sick?"
Another shake of the head.
"You'll have to tell us sometime you know", Jack smiled. "Unless you want to stand there all night?"
He finally he opened his mouth. "I just – can I ask you something?"
"Of course Chris", Sam said, looking at him gently. "You can always ask us anything, you know that."
"And you won't get mad?"
The two adults exchanged looks, wondering what this was about. "Just tell us Chris. You know everything will be okay."
The little boy took a deep breath and started talking extremely quickly. "You know Cameron? He's my friend and he was telling me that he and his Dad are going on a father son camping trip with the cubs and I said I wanted to go and he said I couldn't because it was for boys and their Dads and I call you Jack and Sam not Mom and Dad even though you said I was your son but I was wondering if maybe I could?"
Jack and Sam both looked at him with their mouths open wanting to take a deep breath for him. He hadn't paused once during his narrative and they wanted to be sure they heard right. After a second or two – in which Chris' face looked like it might crumple at any minute – Jack spoke.
"Sorry kiddo, I'm not sure I quite got that. Are you asking if it's okay to go on the trip cause of course you can. I can come because I'm your Dad now, even though you call me Jack. Remember, we showed you the papers."
Chris didn't look happy and Jack wasn't quite sure if he'd gotten it right. It was Sam who spoke next.
"Chris, what is it you would like? You know we'll do whatever we can to help."
He took another deep breath. "I was wondering if it was okay if I called you" he paused "you know – Mommy and Daddy? If you don't like it I won't or even if you just let me for the camping trip that's okay too but then I'll show Cameron that you really are my parents even though you're adopted."
Sam glanced up at Jack and wasn't surprised to see his eyes go slightly damp. This must be both sweet and bitter for him. She reached out and gently pulled the little boy forward. "I'd like nothing better than if you were to call me Mommy. In fact, I'd be very proud and you can call me Mommy whenever or for however long you want." Chris smiled and reached out and gave her a big hug. Sam felt her throat tighten and knew it wouldn't take much to begin crying. She was sure that this, right now, was one of the happiest moments of her life – along with her first time with Jack and her wedding.
"I love you Chris", she said softly, "as much as if I'd given birth to you. I know I can never replace your real Mom, but I promise I love you every bit as much as she did and I've promised her I'll look after you for her." He began to cry softly into her shoulder but squeezed her like he'd never let go.
Finally, however, he did. He pulled back and wiped his nose and eyes on his sleeve. The 'Mom' in her wanted to protest but knew now wasn't the time.
Chris slowly turned to look at Jack, obviously frightened by what he'd find. Before Jack had a chance to speak he started talking again. "You probably don't want me to call you Daddy because I know Charlie was your real son and you miss him. I know he's more special so it's okay, I can still call you Jack. I'll just tell Cameron -"
"Whoa", Jack put his finger over Chris' mouth and stopped the torrent of words. "Chris, of course I'll always love Charlie. He was my little boy, but so are you. I don't love him more than you – I love you as much as I did him. Like Sam" he turned to her and smiled, "no, I mean 'your Mommy' just said, I love you every bit as much as if you were our 'natural' son. And, just like Sam – I'd be more than proud to have you call me Daddy. I can't think of anything I'd like more!" With that Chris launched himself into Jack's arms. Sam watched and wasn't sure who was the more emotional of her two boys!
"So", Jack said after he'd wiped his own eyes, "when is this camping trip and am I invited?"
"Yeah!" Chris answered. "It's in three weeks and I brought the form home. We're going to be staying in tents and everything." He stopped, looked rather worried, "Ja ck" he stopped again grinned, "I mean Daddy, do you know how to camp?"
Sam laughed. "Oh yeah Chris, he's a great camper. In fact, I bet he's one of the best campers of all the fathers."
"Really?" he said, awed. Oh boy, this was going to be a great trip, he decided. He couldn't wait to tell Cameron.
"Okay my boy", Jack said firmly, "it's late and time you were sleeping. Come on", he reached down and lifted the boy up. "Let's get you tucked into bed. Come on Mommy, we have to kiss this boy goodnight."
It didn't take long for Chris to fall asleep once he'd hugged his 'Mommy and Daddy' (a few more tears were shed that night). Jack and Sam decided to head to bed themselves, worn out but happy with all the emotions of the evening.
"God, I love that boy", Jack said as he lay back on the pillow, his arms under his head. Sam was curled up with her head on his chest.
"Yeah, me too. I never really understood what they meant when they talked about a mother's love, but now I get it. I wanted to keep hugging him tonight."
"I know." He turned to look down at her, putting one hand on her head and gently caressing her hair. "You're an amazing Mom you know. He's one lucky little kid. Heck, I'm one lucky big kid."
"Oh, so you think of me as your Mommy do you?" she asked cheekily.
"Absolutely not! If you were my Mommy I definitely couldn't do this." That was the end of the talking for that night.
"So, camping eh?" she said next morning as she poured him a cup of coffee. "How do you feel about that?"
"It should be fun although I haven't slept on the ground in a while. I just wish you could come too although I guess no Mom's are allowed."
"Too bad. I could show them how to do it!"
"That you could Carter, that you could! Well, the nice thing is that we don't have to worry about bad guys, aliens or the end of the world. It should be just a nice, fun camping trip without any trouble. It'll just be a few dads and their sons out enjoying nature with nothing to worry about except maybe mosquitoes. I gotta say, I'm really looking forward to it.
It was too bad that Jack didn't count fortune telling amongst his new abilities or he would not have been looking forward to the coming trip at all. As he stood up to kiss Sam he had no idea of what was to come.