A/N: I don't think that I've ever seen a story that offers an explanation as to why Jack was in Malibu. Then again, there are a lot of SG-1 stories out there. In any case, this is my attempt at an explanation.

I've never written a story with Vala in it, so I was a little worried about how she'd turn out. Of course, she doesn't have a very active role in this story.

I would love to hear/read any opinions on the story.

Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Stargate... yet...

"So, Jack," Daniel said, suddenly turning to Jack. The original SG-1, Cameron Mitchell, and Vala were all standing around, chatting amicably at the party that Generals O'Neill and Landry threw in order to commemorate the ten years that the SGC had been in operation. Even retired General Hammond had made a brief appearance, though his health was not what it had been, and he had had to bow out early. The group had been talking about nonsense for most of the evening, carefully avoiding any conversation about the Ori, Ba'al, or the Lucian Alliance.

Jack cautiously turned to Daniel, who had a smirk on his face. "What?" he asked, not sure if he wanted to hear the question.

"What were you doing in Malibu?" Daniel asked.

Jack glanced at Sam before answering. The glance was not lost on Daniel, but he chose to ignore it for a moment. "I told you. I was there on business," Jack answered.

Daniel looked over at Sam, who had schooled her features quite well. Looking back at Jack, he said, "What kind of business?"

"Top secret stuff, Daniel. Can't tell you," Jack replied with a smirk.

"Jack, you know that we have the highest security clearance," Daniel countered with a glance to Cam, who had so graciously reminded them of said fact only hours earlier.

"Military clearance, Daniel," Jack clarified. "This was civilian stuff."

"Jack," Daniel whined. "I know you don't have the authority to withhold that information. What were you doing?"

"This and that. Stuff," Jack said. He looked as if he were trying really hard to keep eye contact with Daniel and not smile, all at the same time.

"Stuff?" Daniel questioned, the exasperation of questioning his friend becoming apparent in his tone..

"Stuff," Jack repeated with a satisfied nod.

"What's going on?" Vala asked, looking between Daniel, Jack, and Sam. She too had noticed the glances that were being exchanged, and she had the insatiable desire to know what was happening between the three.

"Nothing," Sam answered, before biting her lip. She hadn't meant to answer for Jack, but it had slipped.

The group looked over at Sam. She shrugged sheepishly.

"If you must know, I was looking at some properties out there," Jack said.

"Properties?" Daniel questioned.

"Yeah, Daniel, properties. As in houses. On the beach," Jack answered.

"Why?" Daniel asked.

"Daniel, I thought we were here to have a party, not to play Twenty Questions," Jack said with a sigh. He knew that Daniel was not going to drop the subject.

"Well, we're not talking about work. Why were you looking at properties?" he asked, again looking over at Sam.

By this point, Cam was enthralled by the conversation. He had been wondering what General O'Neill had been doing in Malibu, but he had refrained from asking, as General O'Neill was his superior. He looked between the three, just as Vala was doing.

"If you must know, Minnesota gets cold in the winter and my knee's been acting up. I need a vacation place that's a little warmer," O'Neill answered. "Especially now," he added.

Vala, figuring that something else was going on, decided to take a more active role in the conversation. "You said that you had unfinished business. What did you mean?" she asked.

"Oh, that," Jack said. He looked down, as if he suddenly found his shoes interesting. "Well, I bought a place."

"And?" Daniel prompted.

"And, I had to give the extra keys to Carter," Jack answered, finally getting to the point.

"To Sam?" Vala questioned. "Why?"

"Yeah, sir. Is that…. Appropriate?" Cam asked cautiously, hoping that he wasn't overstepping any boundaries.

"Well, we are married, Mitchell. I think Carter should have the keys to our vacation home," Jack answered.

Cam looked between the two, opening and closing his mouth in shock, unable to speak. Jack looked over to Sam. "You never told him?"

Sam shrugged. "Never came up," she answered. Then she turned to Cam. "We've been married for almost two years."

Cam closed his mouth, took a breath, and then spoke. "So that explains why you didn't want to come back."

Sam nodded. "We got married when we both transferred out of the SGC."

"Married?" Vala said, clapping her hands together. "Well, that's wonderful." Then she realized that Daniel had never mentioned it before and gave him a swift punch in the arm. "Why didn't you say anything, Daniel?"

Daniel looked over at Vala and then took two steps away from her, closer to Teal'c, rubbing his arm where she had punched him. The group broke out into laughter, which cut through the thick air that had been building because of Sam and Jack's news.

"So, sir," Cam started, hoping that polite conversation would completely clear the air. "Did you find a nice place?"

"As a matter of fact, I did, Mitchell. Right on the beach," Jack answered.

"He's been looking for weeks, in his spare time," Sam added. "I'm just glad that he finally settled on a place."

"I wasn't being that picky," Jack responded, feigning indignation.

"The place in Orlando had one too many windows…" Sam pointed out.

"It did," Jack said.

"You just wanted a place where you could still easily go fishing," Daniel observed.

"Maybe," Jack said with no shame. "But this is a great place. You guys should come visit some time."

"After Sam's seen it, of course," Daniel said with a smirk.

"Punch him for me, Teal'c," Sam said.

Teal'c bowed his head to her and turned to Daniel, who backed away. "I'm not safe anywhere," he said, putting himself in a defensive position.

The group laughed again. Cam looked between the four original members of SG-1 and then at Vala, who was also looking at the four original team members. They had both known how close the team had been, and clearly, the dynamic had remained even over the past two years. There were certainly times when the two felt like outsiders, even after so much time spent together on SG-1.

Sam caught the two looking and noticed that their laughter had subsided more quickly than the rest of the group's. "Vala, you'd like the beach. And I'm sure you could use a break from reality too, Cam. We'll go as soon as Jack and I get the place set up," Sam said, smiling at the two newest members of SG-1.

Cam and Vala both beamed at Sam. And then, sometimes, they were just part of the family….