2

He heard movement and grabbed a beer and headed outside before they could catch him listening.

Sam came out, he tried to pull her onto the blanket on the grass with him, but she wouldn't, she sat in the chair again.

"Sam!" he said "come sit down here"

"No Pete, I… I'm not in the mood sorry" he could see she was thinking hard about something.

"Hey!" he said in a cheerful voice "How about some lunch?" She looked at her watch and nodded.

"What do you fancy" she asked and he gave her a leer and she laughed, he loved it when she laughed! "NOT that!" she told him and he pouted.

"How about we find a café and then you can do some shopping if you want, I noticed the cupboards are bare and you have an extra mouth to feed now."

She blushed "Oh god thanks! I forgot I would have to get stuff in for Cassie, what would I do without you!" THAT was more like it! He could put up with the houseguest if he could score brownie points for remembering her.

Everyone piled into his car and they went to the centre of town. They wandered up and down a few streets until they saw a place Sam recognised as serving decent food and they all went in to eat.

After lunch they were doing a bit of grocery shopping when Sams phone went off, she stood in the corner of the store while she spoke, looking around as she did, making sure no one could hear her. Her face cleared almost as soon as she started speaking and she came back to them where they were stood with the trolley. She handed the phone over to Cassie and then they continued down the aisle grabbing things that took their fancy as Cassie spoke to whoever was on the other end of the line.

They piled the shopping into the car as she closed the phone and handed it back.

"Got everything?" Sam asked her, she nodded

"I think so, though where we are going to put it…"

"Let us worry about that for now" She told the girl and hugged her. Pete had no idea what was going on, and it looked like no one was going to tell him either.

When they got back to Sams house he got his answer. Two men, both of whom he recognised from the time he had followed Sam, were unloading things into the house.

The man whose house they had been staking out was talking 19 to the dozen, and the huge black guy was saying nothing at all.

"How'd they get in?" Pete asked, as it was obvious they were not just starting

"They have keys" Sam told him… he wasn't happy at the fact that not only did Sam have keys to 'Jacks' (and he still wasn't sure if that was the Colonel or the General) but these 2 men had keys to hers, they could walk in on them at any time! That would put a damper on him if he ever wanted to try something in the living room, or kitchen… then again with a 16 year old in the house… scratch the idea altogether!

She officially introduced them, he had seen Teal'c and Daniel a couple of times when he was in base, they had come looking for Sam when she was spending time with him, but it wasn't the same. He actually knew who Daniel was, he had done a property search on the address that had been staked out, once he got back to the station and had then looked him up online. Teal'c was…alien, and unlike Cassie his manner screamed it!

They continued unloading and storing items for another 20 minutes, every time Pete offered to help he was turned down. The room Pete had thought would make a good nursery was now Cassies room, if Pete was going to put his plan for the future into action they would be needing a bigger house.

Eventually there just was nowhere to put the rest of the stuff. Daniel said they still had one more load to pick up as well, Sam told them to use 'The Colonels Garage' as he never used it. Both men agreed and when Sam asked they said they had keys, both holding up a set.

Pete actually felt better about it, now he knew they all had keys to each others places… though he did not know why… it was better than if she only had keys to just one of them. It was obviously a team thing, or a military thing. The two men left after giving Cassie a hug and a kiss. He noticed that Cass called both of them 'uncle' were these the men who didn't like him?

Cassie dragged Dominic into her room and turned on some music on the newly delivered system. Sam and Pete sat in the living room.

"Where's the other one?" he asked her casually

"Other what?" she said looking around.

"Other guy, the older one with grey hair? I thought he would have been helping, or isn't he part of the team?"

"The Colonel got injured in the same fight that Janet…" she paused, he felt bad, he shouldn't have mentioned it, but he was jealous, and he could admit it to himself. "He is still in the infirmary" So that sorted that out, Jack was the Colonel.

He pulled her into his side, holding her as she fought not to give in to tears again.

Cassie and Dominic came out after an hour or so.

"Dominic has to go home Sam" Cassie said, obviously the routine was for him to be taken as Sam jumped up and got her keys. Cassie said she would stay as there were things she wanted to do 'before we go' whatever that meant.

Sam told him she would be back soon and left with the youngster in tow.

Pete tried to talk to Cassie, he really did, but all he got back were grunts and single syllables. Eventually he turned on the TV and went to the sports channel for the game.

Cassie went back into her room and the music became louder… Pete turned up the TV so he could hear the commentator, even though he usually spent ages arguing with him! Cassie once more increased the volume, it was a good job they were in a detached house, with a decent gap between them and next door, he thought as he increased the sound again.

He was just about to turn it down… honestly he was, realising how childish it was, when Sam walked in and turned the thing off altogether. She then went to Cassies room and turned the stereo down to an acceptable level. She banged about in the kitchen for a while, making salad sandwiches for everyone. Oh boy, she was pissed, he hoped she would be fair and realise that it was as much Cassie as himself.

She called Cassie to the table and they ate in relative silence.

0o0o0o

Cassie washed and dried the plates when they finished, Pete and Sam sat in the living room, Pete flicking through channels.

He had planned on them going out, it was Saturday night after all, but he had a feeling it wasn't going to work out that way… he kept repeating to himself that Cassie had just lost her mother, but he had a feeling that even if she hadn't she would not be any nicer to him!

He mentioned dinner plans as Cassie walked into the room.

"We are going to the SGC" she said, it was the first he had heard!

"I promised Cassie that I would take her to see the Colonel" Sam said

"We promised to pick some things up as well" Cassie reminded her. "We should get going or they will have him sedated, you know what he's like" Sam gave her a small smile, Pete once more felt out of place.

"OK," he said getting to his feet and turning the TV off by remote "Let's go"

"Erm Pete, you aren't allowed on base" Sam told him.

"Sure I am" he said, "Remember the whole … 11 C 9"

"No, that was just so I could tell you some things, not permission for you to visit" Ah, he should have realised.

"So how come Cassie is allowed on base?" he asked

"It's different for her" Sam said, he couldn't see why, just because she knew about the 'gate and everything should not make it any different from him, after all HE knew now!

Cassie left the room and returned with a swipe card, the type he had seen everyone on the base use when he was there. You couldn't even get in the lift without a card, and once in you couldn't go to certain floors without putting your card into a special slot!

He was getting annoyed. Why bother to tell him ANYTHING when it gave him no access, and why should a child be given the run of the base when he couldn't even get in? Didn't they trust him?

Sam put her hand on his arm and he started to calm down. She could do that to him with just a touch, change his mood instantly… he was lucky to have her, and he knew it, he better not do anything to jeopardise it.

"We will only be a couple of hours, she really needs to see Jack… I mean the Colonel" Sam told him. He sat on the sofa and turned the telly back on. She leant over and kissed him. He refused to watch as she left.