Family Discomfort
By Cypher

Okay, this is distinctly…uncomfortable. I mean, I'm used to being judged. Hell, I'm a Colonel in the Air Force. We get reviewed by superiors so often it's not funny. Bt this time…it's different. I'm not in uniform. Just some jeans and a turtleneck. And it's not some superior officers checking me out, it's members of a family I've never met before.

Daniel's family.

Now, I admit I thought Daniel had gone off his rocker when he said he couldn't spend Thanksgiving with me because of family obligations. I AM his family…well, me and SG-1. It took a bit of wheedling to find out that actually he was attending a wedding. Now, if he had just said that, no big deal. But then he says he's the best man to his foster brother.

And that's when things started getting complicated for me.

I have to admit, after the mental torture with the Gamekeeper and that whole incident with the crystal skull, I kinda pegged Daniel's life as none too pleasant. I mean, he watched his parents get crushed, his grandfather rejected him…what conclusion was I supposed to draw? The foster system isn't exactly the US's most successful story. And Danny wasn't exactly social when we met. Hell, until we slept together after that Christmas party, I didn't even knew he could be aggressive.

Not that I mind him like that, nosiree. Absolutely love when my Danny's on the prowl. And I'd better stop this line of thought before my body does something…embarrassing.

Anyways, Daniel's never said anything about a foster family. In the four years I've known him and the two we've been dating, he's not uttered a peep or given any indication he had one. He explained, though, that he was always the quiet child, and not very noticeable. The shy one in a pact of outstanding extroverts. But he survived, and when he shipped off to college they kept in contact, though not often.

Seeing the family now, I can understand why. They must have seven kids here, and those just belong to the parents Daniel greeted with a hug. Obviously some of Daniel's 'siblings' decided to follow in mom and dad's footprints. I love kids, I really do, but this…this is a little much for me.

But Daniel's happy, and if Daniel's happy, I'm happy. And he's excited as all get up for his brother. Apparently, the guy getting married went to college the same time as Daniel--though he was eighteen at the time. And the two are obviously close--duh, O'Neill. He asked Daniel to be his best man even after all this time. And Daniel, the upstanding man that he is, accepted. He just didn't realize I'd be tagging along.

An action I kinda regret, now.

My family, one that I try to avoid at every turn, is pretty scary. There's no other word for it. You wouldn't believe the amount of crap Sarah had to go through to pass their scrutiny. Actually, my ego took quite a beating at that time. They kept saying she could do better, that I wasn't good enough for her… I burned a lot of family bridges when I was young, sue me.

But my family can't hold a torch to this one. They're evaluating me and judging me and I swear I heard someone ask for the FBI's number. Obviously they take the protection of their charges very seriously, and don't stop at age eighteen. I've already been asked by four people what I do, how much I make, and why I think I deserve Daniel.

And that was only in the first twenty minutes. This rehearsal dinner is even worse. Each dance partner I've had has interrogated me, and I've noticed that all my ex-partners seem to be meeting at a table and reporting something to Mom and Pop. And I laughed when Daniel said they'd be as bad as IRS auditors.

Who's laughing now?

Actually, Daniel is, at something the bride-to-be said. I don't know what they're talking about, but there's a lot of obvious glances in my direction. Bastard. He's enjoying watching me squirm. Just you wait until my next family reunion rolls around, Doctor Jackson. I'll have my revenge! Oh wait, half my family is military…crap, can't do that. Ah! Cassie needs a host for her next birthday party. I think I know who to volunteer. Not that twelve teenage girls can compare to this, but it'll have to do.

Another swing around the dance floor finds me in Daniel's arms. I try not to blush, but obviously his family doesn't care who your dance partner is. Or they've put two and two together and their love for Daniel overcomes their homophobic tendencies.

"I told you ," he mutters, "that this wouldn't be as much fun as you thought."

"And have a major holiday without my favorite archeologist? Not on your life."

He blushes at my comment and takes the lead, bringing us off the dance floor and to a nice corner table. "They like you."

I snort. "No they don't."

"Have you been kicked out on your ass?"

"Obviously not."

He nods, as if that proves his point. "They like you."

I glance around the room, taking in the suspicious looks and whispered comments. If this is how they act with someone they like, I'd hate to see what they're like when they hate you. "If you say so."

He squeezes my hand. "They do, Jack. And…I'm glad you got to meet them."

"You are?" It's news to me.

He ducks his head. "It's a part of my life I…don't really share. Except with people who are really special to me."

Two years of dating and I'm not special?! Well, there was that rough six months…okay, maybe it just took him time to fully admit and believe it himself. Even so… "You weren't going to tell me about this trip."

"I was trying to wait until Christmas. So we had enough time for you to really get to know them." He shrugs. "We don't have to, if you don't feel comfortable."

I look at these people, this family that Daniel loves. He's willing to share this part of his life with me. I smile gently and squeeze his hand back. "I think I'd like that." His smile lights up the room, and I feel some of the heated stares leave me.

Evidently I've passed their scrutiny and won their approval.

Author's Prattle: I decided to write this around Thanksgiving, when all these fics about Jack feeling sorry for Daniel and taking him home to meet the family came out. I thought 'who said he didn't have a happy childhood? Just because we never hear about it doesn't mean it doesn't exist. He's a busy guy!' So, this popped out as a result.

Disclaimer. I don't own Stargate SG-1. It belongs to MGM, Gekko, Secret Productions, and Sci-Fi channel. I'm just using them in a form of creative exercise.

As always, feedback is welcome, and I hope you enjoyed it!