Title: His saving grace.

Author: Roque872002

Rating: K

Summary: She was his saving grace. She was perfect.

Pairing: Sam/Jack.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Authors notes: This is for Tel Nok Shock. Who requested "Something with Grace. And Jacob." Two ideas popped into my head. This is the first - it does not contain Jacob. (I did send this to her after I wrote it, but with a 9 hour time difference… I got impatient! I hope she likes it!)

As much as I like seeing followers and favourites in my inbox, it's the reviews that I crave. They make everything worth it. Its like getting paid. Love it, hate it, have an idea or suggestion, let me know. Don't be shy!

Thanks to Sparky She-Demon for looking over this! All other mistakes are my own.

SJSJSJSJ

Sam looked out of the window in front of her as she finished washing the dishes. The view in front of her was spectacular. Green grass met the edge of the small blue lake. Trees as far as the eye could see just beyond the opposite end of the lake.

And a small brown dock, perfect for sitting on to fish. A folding deck chair had been placed on the dock almost immediately after arriving. A man sat on the beloved deck chair, on the beloved dock, fishing in his beloved lake.

His hair, now mainly grey instead of the brown it had been when she had first met him, was ruffled and sticking up in every direction possible. His posture was relaxed as he held the fishing rod in his hands, his arms snuggly around one of his favourite things in the galaxy.

His eighteen month old, blonde haired, blue eyed daughter.

Sam smiled as she placed the last dish on the rack and saw her tiny daughter waving her arms around. Her arms were the only part of her she could see, the rest of her hidden by her father.

She knew that her husband had wrestled the wriggling girl into a tiny bright yellow life jacket. She also knew that he would never let the girl closer to the lake than where she was. But he was being careful. He wouldn't leave anything to chance.

Sam knew all too well how fast her daughter could run and stumble if given the chance. She also knew that her husband had layered the sun lotion onto the little girl. She had giggled the whole way through it. Sam couldn't help but laugh along with her, her laughter was contagious.

She loved watching her husband and daughter together. She knew her daughter had her husband wrapped around her little finger so tightly it was bound to hurt.

She had never seen anyone go from Hard Ass General to a pile of mush quicker than when their daughter ran towards him shouting "Daddy!" while he was giving a couple of Airmen a dressing down.

Sam laughed at the memory. She had just gotten back from Atlantis and had picked their daughter up from daycare on her way to the Pentagon.

They held hands as they slowly walked down the corridor towards his office. She knew that he would know she was home already. He always knew everything before she did.

His voice travelled loudly towards them. He was angry, she could tell. Sam knew that someone was getting disciplined. She was glad that she had never been on the receiving end of the O'Neill anger. Sure, they had had their arguments while she was under his command and sometimes he would make her feel stupid, but he had never fully unleashed his anger on her. She winced as she heard his voice get even louder.

The little girl ignored the harshness of his voice and quickened her steps towards him, stumbling slightly in her haste, her mother making sure she never fell to the floor.

As they rounded the corner the little girl let go of her mothers hand and ran as quickly as she could towards her red faced and angry father. The two Airmen in front of him looking towards the ground in shame.

"Daddy!" the little girl cried as she held her arms up.

Jack's attention quickly averted to the small child running towards him, the anger draining away from his face as he bent down to pick her up.

"Mommy home!" she squealed as she threw her arms around his neck and smiled at him.

Sam laughed to herself as she watched him change into the loving and devoted father that he was. A far cry from the angry General he had been mere moments ago.

"I can see that!" he smiled at his excited daughter. He turned towards the Airmen. "Get out of here before I change my mind. We'll continue this later."

Sam watched as they quickly saluted him and scurried away. Jack made his way over to his wife and wrapped an arm around her tightly.

"My two favourite girls," he whispered before kissing them both on the cheek, while playing with the eagle on his wife's shoulder.

"You're due leave aren't you?" Sam asked her husband as she let her fingers dance at the nape of his neck.

"Yeah," he answered. "What did you have in mind?"

"Let's go fishing," she smiled.

"Fishing Daddy!" the little girl cried as she buried her face in her fathers neck. How could he say no?

Sam slowly walked towards her little family on the dock, another chair in one hand, a fishing rod in the other.

"Mommy!" her little girl smiled and held out her arms as Sam sat down. She reached over and lifted the toddler from her father's lap and secure embrace. "Love you."

"I love you too baby," Sam said as she playfully tapped her daughters nose.

Jack watched with a smile on his face as his daughter interacted with her mother. He loved them both with all his heart.

His daughter was his saving grace. His beautiful, fair skinned, blonde curly haired, blue eyed bundle of laughter.

He thought back to the first time he had held her.

She was only minutes old. She hadn't been washed, but she was perfect. She wrapped a hand around his finger and he was gone. Lost in a world where only his love for her was real. He blinked back tears. He had forgotten what it was like to hold your child for the first time and he wasn't prepared for the tsunami of emotions that washed over him.

"You're my saving grace," he whispered to her, his voice thick with emotion.

"That's a beautiful name for her," he heard his exhausted wife whisper. He looked away from his newborn daughters face to the face of his wife.

"What is?" he asked.

"Grace," she replied, smiling at the scene before her.

"Grace," he whispered as he looked at his daughter again, sleeping soundly in his arms, her hand still wrapped around his finger. "My little Grace. You're perfect."

He had vowed to himself that he wouldn't make the same mistakes again with his second chance at marriage and fatherhood. He vowed he would never take anything for granted and that he would protect both of his girls with his life.

He watched as his Grace snuggled into her mothers side before falling asleep. He reached over and took his wife's hand in his. He knew that right then, his life was perfect.