"They look good together, don't they?" Daniel asked Jacob as he nodded to the couple on the grass sitting on either side of J.J.
"Daniel..." Jacob said with a warning tone of voice.
Daniel, being Daniel, ignored it. "She wants you to be okay with this, Jacob" Daniel said. "And he'll never say it, but so does Jack."
"Listen to Daniel, Jacob" Selmak ordered his host.
Jacob chose not to listen to his symbiote, saying instead "I've spent my entire adult life as a USAF officer, Daniel. I've lived my life by the rules and regulations."
"So have they, Jacob" Daniel retorted. "They've obeyed the regs for nearly five years now, but it's time to stop pretending. They love each other, Jacob! Let them be happy."
"What about the team, Daniel?" Jacob asked. "Can you be sure he won't sacrifice you or Teal'c to try to save her? Or she him?"
"Yes," Daniel answered with quiet conviction. "Neither of them would sacrifice a mission either, Jacob. They've already proved that. He shot her to protect the base. You weren't there, Jacob. You didn't see. I thought we were going to lose him too."
"Daniel..." Jacob once again warned the younger man trying to get him to drop the subject. He didn't want to hear about yet another incident that had nearly cost Sam her life. Sometimes he had enough problems dealing with the ones in which he'd been directly involved.
"And when Jack was trapped on Edora," Daniel continued to argue. "We had to watch her like a hawk to make sure she didn't work herself into collapse. She did it anyway more than a few times. She wouldn't eat, wouldn't sleep. She would have killed herself to get him home, Jacob."
"You're finally mending your relationship with Sam and Mark," Selmak told his host adding his own weight to the argument. "Don't let this come between you. She deserves to be happy, Jacob. Jack makes her happy. They don't have forever like we do."
"Jacob, we've both lost our wives," Daniel said, "but at least we had some time together. How much worse is it going to be for one of them if something happens to the other. Never knowing what they could have had. Living with what might have been. We sacrifice enough, Jacob. Not this. They deserve this."
"Alright, Daniel" Jacob conceded. "I'll think about what you've said."
Jacob watched from his seat on the back porch as Jack rose from his position on the grass then reached down to help Sam to her feet as well. He then reached down again and picked up a sleeping J.J. to carry him inside to bed. The change in position was enough to wake the toddler though. J.J. protested loudly about going to bed, but in the end he settled into his grandfather's arms after making his grandma Sam promise to come with them to tell him a bedtime story. Jacob had to admit that in that moment as they walked together into the house, they looked like they were meant to be together.
Twenty minutes later when Jack and Sam still hadn't returned from upstairs, Jacob decided to go investigate.
'Jacob,' Selmak scolded his host. 'Leave them alone. They're grown adults.'
'I just want to see if something's wrong with J.J.' Jacob argued as he climbed the staircase.
'I doubt they need help putting a toddler to bed,' Selmak told him with a mental snicker.
A door at the end of the hallway was slightly cracked and Jacob could hear J.J.'s voice from inside the room. He approached the door quietly and peeked inside. The sight that greeted him made him want to laugh and cry at the same time. Selmak had no such trouble deciding however as he howled with mental laughter. Jacob kept his own laughter under control as he snuck quickly back downstairs in search of the others and a camera. A few minutes later with everyone else in tow he headed back upstairs with Jack's camera in one hand. He gently pushed the door open a bit wider so that the others could see inside as well. There were smiles on everyone's faces at what they saw.
Jacob lifted the camera to his face and aimed it at the bed along the far wall. He waited for the perfect moment then depressed the button. The flash of the camera startled J.J. into looking up from where he was 'reading' a book to himself. When he saw the rest of his family standing in the doorway he gave them a big smile then placed a finger to his lips. "Ssshh...Gamma and Pappa is sweeping," he explained in a loud whisper from his position between the two dozing adults. "Gamma Sawa, will woo finish my stowy?" he asked as he held up the book in his hands. "Gamma and Pappa goed to sweep befowe de end."
"I see that, J.J." she said as she controlled her laughter with difficulty. "Jacob, I want a copy of that picture," she said.
"Oh, I think we all want a copy," Daniel agreed as his laughter finally broke free. Like a dam bursting it was enough to set the others off as well. J.J. didn't know what was so funny, but he laughed right along with the adults.
The sound was enough to wake Jack and Sam from their sleep though. They were both instantly alert upon waking though confused as to what was going on. "Wha?" Jack asked as he sat up on the bed.
"Woo goed to sweep, Pappa" J.J. explained as he patted his grandfather's hand. "Awe woo goin' to finish my stowy now, Gamma?"
"Uhh, sure J.J." Sam replied as she too sat up and ran one hand through her hair. Looking at Jack, she noticed he was blushing almost as much as she was at being caught asleep. It was then that she noticed the camera in her father's hand. "Dad?" she asked. "What's the camera for?"
"You didn't really expect me to not take a picture?" he asked.
Sam covered her face with her hands as she groaned. "Please, God" she said. "Please don't let that picture make its way on base."
"Don't you think George would like to see it?" Jacob teased them. "J.J. how about you let me finish that story?" Jacob asked. "Grandma's tired."
"I'm fine, Dad" Sam assured him.
"You're tired, Sam" Jacob argued. "Let Jack drive you home," Jacob said as he looked both of them in the eye in turn. "I'm going to stay here, read J.J. his story, and get to know Charlie better. Let Jack take you home."
"Dad?" Sam asked unsure of just what her father was really saying.
"Charlie and I'll make breakfast when you get here in the morning," Jacob said as he gave Sam a kiss on the cheek. He tightened his hold on her for a moment, knowing he had to let her go.
"Right," Jack agreed though his expression was a little dazed at being given Jacob's tacit approval. He let Sam grab his hand and lead him down the stairs leaving the others standing in J.J.'s bedroom staring after them.
"Well, Grandpa, if we're going to make breakfast in the morning," Charlie said to break the silent tension in the room, "the first thing you should know about me is that I cook worse than my dad."
Those that had been subjected to Jack O'Neill's cooking in the past winced visibly.
"I suggest going to Denny's, Jacob" Mike told him with an almost entirely straight face.
Daniel and Teal'c both nodded emphatically.
When they finally reached his house the next morning, Jack and Sam found a note taped to the door. "J.J. was hungry. Meet us at Denny's. Dad," Sam read the note to him with a glare.
"Why am I in trouble?" Jack complained. "What did I do?"
"Oh, I don't know, Mr. 'I'm already up'. Why are we so late?" Sam retorted though she had trouble keeping the angry expression on her face from slipping into a satisfied smirk.
Jack of course, didn't even attempt to keep the smirk from his face as he lead her back to his truck. "Hey, there were two of us in that bed," he reminded her.
Within minutes they arrived at the restaurant. After telling the hostess they were meeting their party they wandered around until they found the table they were looking for at the back. Charlie, Jacob, and the kids weren't alone however.
"What? Did no one go home last night?" Jack asked as he took one of the two empty seats at the large table.
"Just you and Sam," Daniel replied from his seat between Cassie and Janet. His eyes twinkled with laughter as his friends blushed under the knowing looks of the rest of the family.
"So what did the two of you do last night?" Sara asked then laughed as Jack and Sam looked at each other with matching grins. "Never mind. I think we can all guess."
Jacob saw Sam looking at him questioningly and decided to put her fears to rest. He leaned over to whisper in her ear, "You've never looked happier, princess. Don't let him get away now."
Sam smiled then leaned over to whisper in his ear, "Not a chance."
Jacob laughed and kissed her cheek.
Jack looked at them suspiciously. He had some idea he was the topic of their whispered conversation, but he had no chance to ask about it as the waitress came to take their order. 'No problem,' he thought. 'I'll just get it out of her later.'
"Charlie," Cassie began cautiously. "Mom and I talked some last night, and I've got a suggestion about the kids."
"What's that?" Charlie asked as he snuck a quick glance at Janet, but she had carefully schooled her expression.
"School's out in three weeks," Cassie said. "And I'd like to take care of the kids over the summer."
"Cassie..." Charlie began.
"Don't give me any crap about 'I should be having fun with my friends.'" she warned him. "My friends are all getting jobs for the summer. Any fun we'll be having is going to be limited to evenings and weekends most of the time anyway. You don't have a lot of money right now, Charlie."
"Money's not a problem," Jack objected.
"Yes, I know. Everyone sitting at this table will help with that," Cassie interrupted him. "But this is something I can do. I want to spend time with J.J. and Samantha."
"What do you think of this, Janet?" Charlie asked.
"It's alright with me," she said. "Cassie's mature enough to handle it."
"I was babysitting kids over the summer when I was her age," Sam agreed. "She'll have people she can call if there are problems."
"Do you really want to put them in day care?" Sara asked pressing the advantage for the younger woman.
Charlie grimaced recognizing that the women had closed ranks on him on this subject. He hated the idea of putting either of the kids in day care so soon, but he hadn't seen a way around it until Cassie made her offer. "J.J. how would you like Aunt Cassie to take care of you and Samantha while Daddy works?" he asked his son.
J.J. smiled a syrup covered grin and nodded as he stuffed another piece of French toast into his mouth.
"Okay," Charlie finally agreed before turning the conversation to other subjects. "Dad, I need to borrow the truck after we get done here, and I need someone to watch the kids."
"Why?" Jack asked.
"Cause I could really use some civvies that aren't borrowed," he explained.
Jack's eyes narrowed as he looked at what Charlie was wearing. "I thought that looked familiar," he agreed as he fished the keys out of his pocket and handed them to his son.
"Can I go with you, Charlie?" Cassie asked. "I need to get some stuff from the mall as well. You can drop me home later."
Charlie looked questioningly at Janet who nodded. Cassie just rolled her eyes deciding that it wasn't worth the effort to be angry at him for asking permission. She knew that even though she and Charlie had come to an understanding about their relationship (or current lack of one), their parents still worried about them. This was Charlie's way of reassuring Janet that he knew Cassie was still a teenager and under her mother's watchful care.
"I don't suppose I can bum a ride with you as well, son?" Jacob asked. "I want to pick up some stuff too. I've finally convinced Selmak that it won't diminish our standing among the Tok'ra if we wear jeans and a t-shirt now and then."