Title: Breaking The News
Rating: PG:13
Disclaimer: Not mine, nah-uh.

"But---don't you love Mommy?" Kate's voice is small and Jack sighs, this is harder then he expected it to be. Hannah is old enough to understand, but Kate is still trying to get the fact in her head that mommy and daddy are getting a divorce. Jack suspects that finding out he's got a girlfriend, is even harder for her to understand.

"Of course I love Mommy. But Mommy and I don't get along anymore, you know that Kate. We've talked about the divorce before."

"Divorce is one thing, dating the office slut is another." Hannah muttered under her breath. He just barely heard it. He could swear, sometimes it seemed like Hannah was already a teenager.

"Hannah! We do not talk like that in this house!"

"I'm only repeating what Mom said." He frowns, Maria must still be 'hostile'. It's not like she hasn't moved on, she moved on before the divorce papers were even drawn up!

"I don't care. You will not talk like that. Especially about someone I care about."

-

They'd seen Sam before, at the office. But now it's like they look at her differently. He places a soft kiss on her lips and moves out of the doorway to let her into the apartment. He's still hoping this was a good idea.

There's muffled whispers coming from behind them. He wonders if all children are like this when their parents start to date other people.

"Sam, you remember Hannah and Kate." He turns to the two and gives them a 'look'. "Girls."

"Hi, Sam." Kate listens to her father, greeting their guest and giving her a smile. Hannah does the opposite, folding her arms over her chest and looking the other way.

"Why don't you two go wash up for dinner?" The groan before turning and walking down the hallway towards the bathroom.

He takes Sam's coat and ushers her towards the table. "Sorry about Hannah, she's not too happy about me dating."

"It's alright." Sam smiles and sits down, pulling him down for another kiss. "I missed you today at work."

"Wish I could have been there." He stands and goes to the kitchen to get the food. Comes back at the same time as the girls do, sets the food down and moves to sit in the chair beside Sam. Dinner goes well, it must be because Hannah and Kate are too hungry to stop eating and ask Sam the dreaded twenty questions.

"Sam, what's it take to be the office slut?" Sam nearly chokes on her food before sending Jack a questioning look.

"Kate, honey, what did we say about using those words?"

"I was just curious!"

-

"I'm sorry about what Kate said earlier." Jack whispers, washing another dish and handing it to Sam to be dried. Thankfully the girls went to bed.

"It's alright. I understand that she's going through alot and she doesn't know what to think about most of it."

"You're okay with it then?"

"Jack, I love you. Which automatically means I love everything about you, including your children."

"I love you too."

The End