Notes: Well here is another chapter. I actually started writing this at the same time as Chapter 4: Sam. I had so many thoughts I was actually jumping back and forth between the two. When I wasn't sure where I was going to go with one I went to the other. It was a never-ending cycle. I want to say this is the last but I'm just not so sure. If I get where I want to be with this story then it will be. Thank you for reading and reviewing. I love hearing what you think.

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Genjacksgirl90

Notes2: I am soooo sorry it has taken so long to get this story out. I have dealt with some major issues since writing my last chapter and just haven't had the time to sit down and write. So I hope this is up to par with my others. Let me know what you think please and thank you this will most likely be the last of the series. Thank you for all your support and comments. It's been awesome!

Thanks

Genjacksgirl90

Family Ties:

Part 6: Family Ties

2 ½ years later….

Jessi, Khole, Sam and Sara sat in the waiting area of the bridal salon. It was no secret by now. Sara is engaged to her high school sweetheart Jace. They had been dating for about 2 years and he finally popped to question. And now they were here to prepare her for her special day. Jessi was so proud of her sister. She had become an amazing young woman. She worked her ass off the get to where she was at. And now she was a successful, talented hardworking wife to be. Jessi sat back and thought about her big day and how special she had felt when it finally came around. She only hoped that Sara would feel the same when her wedding day arrived.

Jessi has been married for a little over a year and was now expecting twins with her husband Josh Martian. Who, much to her entire families and her own surprise, was her former commanding officer from when she was stationed in Iraq and her brief stint at the Stargate program. Jessi never went back to the Stargate program but got the chance to reconnect with Josh when they bumped into each other at Cheyenne Mountain one day. And from there things developed and the rest is history. Josh was an amazing man. He accepted and loved Khole with open arms and eventually adopted her just before they got married. And now Jessi was 4 months pregnant with twin boys. She and Josh were beyond excited and Khole was just happy that she got to be a big sister. Josh was still in the military and now he was stationed on p4x-889. Better known as Kalona. A popular vacation spot for those who wished to travel through the Stargate.

Just as Jessi was about to go deeper into her thoughts she heard Sara's name being called and stood along with her mother to follow them back to try on dresses.

It had been 4 hours since the girls had gotten to the bridal salon and they were finally heading home. Without a dress for Sara.

"Dear god Sara. 4 hours and you still couldn't find anything? What is wrong with you?" Jessi asked with a slight chuckle.

"I just didn't feel right in any of those. I have to find the perfect one. I am only doing this once and want the dress to represent this"

"You'll find it sweetie. It took me a few months to find mine when I married your father. Everybody was kind of frustrated with me" Sam said to the girls.

"See. Now I don't feel so bad. Just because it only took you a day to find your dress doesn't mean I have to be the same way" Sara said to her sister.

"Yeah yeah whatever"

Early the next morning Jessi woke to the smell's emanating from her parent's kitchen. It was a Saturday so it wasn't uncommon for her entire family to have breakfast together. As they had done for years upon years. And now they were teaching and passing the traditions onto their children.

Sitting up slowly in bed she rubbed her back and then her rounded belly. She smiled as she felt her baby kick. Looking over she spotted Khole sleeping in her bed beside her and she ran her finger across her cheek and Khole smiled not waking. Jessi stood and gently picked Khole up and headed down the stairs.

"Mommy, I'm sleeping. Go back to bed?"

"Nope. Sorry Hunny, Papa and Mama are making breakfast" As soon as the words came out of her mouth she practically jumped out of her arms and ran down the stairs toward the kitchen.

"PAPA PAPA!" She yelled as she entered the kitchen

"Khol Bear!" Jack yelled back as she came within sight of him. Jumping up and down until Jack bent to pull her up into a hug.

"Morning papa. How did you sleep?"

"Morning. I slept well. How did you sleep?"

"Ok. Baby was kicking me all night. Mean baby"

Jessi laughed as she stood in the kitchen next to her mom sipping her orange juice.

"No the baby's not mean. He or she just loves its big sister very much and right now because it's inside mommy's belly it can't do much more to say that. But don't worry. It won't be in there much longer and then it won't kick you anymore" Jack tried to explain to his granddaughter.

Khole just looked at him and blinked "How did the baby get into mommy's belly papa?" She asked so innocently and Jack coughed slightly "Uhh, I think that's a conversation that mom should have with you, when you are much, much, much, much older" Khole just shrugged her shoulders and went to sit down for breakfast.

Jack sat down across from Sam after serving everyone their breakfast. "So when is Mr. "wonderful" coming back?" Jack asked his daughter jokingly

Jessi glared at him and smiled "He will be back for Sara's wedding and the birth of his child. At least he better be. Because I'm pretty sure I will have to kill him with my bare hands if he isn't here. And I know how to make it look like an accident" Jessi said with a laugh.

"Well, note to self don't cross the pregnant woman. She'll hurt you" Jack said as she laughed

Jack, Sam, Jessi and Khole sat at the table for the rest of breakfast and just talked and planned out their day. It was set Khole would spend the day with Jack, just so she could get away from the wedding planning and shopping. And Jessi, Sam and Sara would go out and shop for more dresses. And this time Jessi was determined that Sara would find a dress or else she would just wear Sam's.

As the day progressed and they visited almost every shop known to man in the Colorado Springs area and still no dress Sara was begging to think that maybe she would never find the right dress for her in time for her wedding in 4 months.

"Mom, why is this so hard? Why can't I find something that I even like at any of these shops?"

"Because your heart knows best. I remember when I started shopping for my dress I went to almost every store known to mankind. And at this point I was still at the SGC. I wasn't a frilly, girly girl kind of person. I wanted simple but beautiful. Something that would definitely knock your fathers socks off. I found it 1 week before my wedding. But it was perfect everything I ever wanted and more. You just have to be patient and the right dress with be found" Sam explained to her

"Mom, can I see your dress? I mean I know I've seen it in pictures, but can I see it in person?"

"Of course. I'm sure your father won't mind pulling it out of storage" Sara smiled and thanked her mother as they all 3 went on their way to finish the rest of the day.

The girls went on and finished the rest of the shopping they had. Sara felt somewhat like her wedding was coming together. And that made her feel a little less stressed.

4 months later…..

Sara was counting down litterly the days until her wedding. She was nervous but excited. And she continually reminded everyone that there were only 4 days until her wedding day. She had found the perfect dress and everything was almost complete. Once Sara had seen Sam's wedding dress she just knew that she had to wear it. It was everything she was looking for. Simple but beautiful. When she told Sam she wanted to wear her dress Sam cried and gave her full permission.

And now here she stood, in front of the mirror for her last fitting. When she finally heard the zipper go up and looked up into the mirror she beamed with excitement and looked back at her sister and her mother.

"Oh Sara! That is absolutely perfect on you" Sam beamed

"Thank you mom. I love it!"

"I do have to say that I never expected to see my wedding dress worn again"

"Well I'm glad that I get to be the one to wear it again. It means the world to me to have this beautiful dress on right now" Sara turned and hugged her mom tight before turning to change out of the dress.

Later that night Jessi sat at home with Khole and just watched as she played with her toys. She loved moments like these. Quiet, peaceful and nothing to worry about but her daughter. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes and immersed herself in the quiet. When she woke again she felt Khole lying down next to her. Jessi smiled and reached over to lift her daughter onto her lap and stretch out on the couch. 'Why move now?' she thought to herself and fell back to sleep with Khole by her side.

Jessi woke the next morning to a knock on her door. Puzzled she slowly got up, careful not to disturb the still sleeping Khole and slowly made her way over to the door. Unlocking and opening it Jessi was surprised to see them at her door. She knew immediately what it meant to have them standing there. She had made trips like this to fellow officer's homes herself. But still somehow she didn't want to truly believe it herself. Is this how those poor families had felt when they saw her standing at their door dressed to the nines in her dress blues, not a thing out-of-place.

It took several minutes before she realized that one of the young men was talking to her "Mrs. O'Neill-Martian?"

"Uhm, S..sorry. Yes. May I help you?"

"Yes ma'am. We are truly sorry to inform you that your husband Joshua Chase Martian has been killed in action. We offer our sincerest apologies…." The young man stopped and looked down as Khole sleepily walked over to her mother and grabbed her arm

"Mommy who is that?" She asked innocently

"Um, these are friends of mommy's. They were just coming by to visit. And are just getting ready to leave" Jessi looked at the men and took the paper they held out to her. Fighting back the tears for the sake of Khole. 'Be strong, don't show your emotion. Fight it back be strong' she repeated in her head over and over.

The rest of the day all Jessi wanted to do was lock herself into her room and shut out the world. She didn't call her family. She didn't call her in-laws. She just slipped on one of Josh's shirts and curled up on his side of the bed and held his picture and pillow tightly against her chest. Only moving when she knew Khole needed something. But even then she walked around with no feeling. Just being on automatic.

Jessi was lying in bed with her back to the door when she heard Khole's soft voice outside. Jessi listened closely and heard her talking to someone on the phone. She knew who it was without having to go out and ask. God she loved Khole and knew without a doubt she was the smartest kid ever. After a few more minutes of thoughts Jessi just listened to the one-sided conversation that her daughter was having.

"Papa?" she said with tears in her throat. She didn't know what was wrong with her mommy but she knew she had to get her papa and mama here fast.

"Mommy's sad. A man came to the door today dressed in blue and they made mommy cry and now she won't come out of her room. Papa can you and Mama come fast please?" Khole sat outside Jessi's door and held the phone to her ear and stayed that way like Jack requested her to do and just waited for them to get there.

Jack and Sam sat out on their deck enjoying the peace of the morning. It had been a long time since there house had been this quiet and they were kind of feeling lost. They loved having the noise in their house and it was a strange feeling they hoped they didn't have to get used to.

As the day went on they both started to do minor things around the house. Going out to lunch and enjoying each other's company. While Sam was in the kitchen preparing dinner for them and the family Jack came in a wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and kissed her neck as he used to do back in there younger days. Sam smiled and leaned into his embrace and moved her head to the side.

"I love you Samantha. Even more today than back in the day. You are and always will be the most beautiful woman I know" Jack whispered in her ear

Sam smiled and listened replying "I love you Jack. More and more every day" She turned in his arms and immediately placed her lips on his. His kiss never failed to take her breath away. Just as things started to get a little heated between them Jack's phone started to ring and they pulled apart. Jack groaned and pulled it from his pocket looking at the screen he chuckled and showed Sam.

"Almost all day with no calls" Sam started to pull from his arms and he tightened his grip and pulled her closer not wanting to break the contact he had with his wife.

"Hello?" Jack said with slight exasperation in his voice from having been interrupted by this damned phone ringing.

"Papa?" He heard Khole's choked and small voice on the other end of the phone and that made Jack rip his attention away from Sam and pay attention to the conversation

"Khol? What's wrong sweetie?" Sam looked up at him with confusion in her eyes. Why would Khole be calling them and not Jessi?

"Mommy's sad. A man came to the door today dressed in blue and they made mommy cry and now she won't come out of her room. Papa can you and Mama come fast please?"

Jack released his hold on Sam and ran into the living room grabbing his keys and shoes. "Babe, Jessi needs us" Jack didn't have to say more she was at a move and gathering her things and walking to the car.

They jumped into the car and Jack continued to talk to Khole "Khol stay on the phone with me. Mama and I are on the way. Just stay on the phone ok?" Jack didn't hear a response just her breathing. Jack drove as fast as he could to get to his daughter's side. He hated the feeling he had in his stomach right now. Something horrible had happened and Jack didn't know why Jessi didn't call him earlier.

Jack pulled up to Jessi's house and he and Sam were out of the car before the engine had time to be completely shut off. Jack took long strides and was at Jessi's door in no time. Walking in the house he hung up the phone and ran down the hallway to where Khole sat on the floor. He reached down and scooped her into his arms and opened the bedroom door walked in.

Jack sat down on the edge of the bed and waited. Waited for Sam to come take Khole. Waited for the right words to form in his mind to help his daughter. Just simply waited.

When he was finally alone with Jessi he turned on the bed and gently laid his hand on her shoulder and turned her. It didn't take much at all before she was sitting up and throwing herself into Jacks arms.

"Oh god he's gone!" was all she said before she began sobbing into his shoulder. She could finally let go. She didn't have to hold onto all the emotion. All the tears and frustrations anymore because her dad was here to protect her from it all.

Jack pulled her in as tight as he could and let her cry "Shhhhh. I know baby. I know. Just let it all go. It's ok" Jack didn't know what else to say. So he sat and he held her shaking body as tightly as her pregnant belly would allow him to.

After about twenty minutes Jessi pulled from his arms and gave him a slight smile before looking away. She didn't talk right away and when she did Jack had to strain to listen because she spoke so softly "He… uh… He… He got sick" She started and then chuckled slightly

"No, that's a lie actually. He did this to himself. He was having nightmares and he couldn't take it anymore. He was trying to get permission to come home but was denied. And the kicker of this entire messed up situation is I don't know who the hell I should be mad at. Should I be mad at the general for making him stay there? Should I be mad at the SGC for just simply being open again? Should I be mad at Josh for so selfish that he would take his own damn life? Who the hell should I be mad at dad? Who?"

Jack's heart broke for his daughter. He didn't know how anyone could do this to her. He was just as angry as she was. At all the above that she mentioned "I... Uhh... I don't know Jess. I don't know"

Jessi looked at him and nodded her head. "He wrote me a letter. Says he's sorry. That he felt this was the only way out the only way to stop all this from happening over and over. How am I supposed to feel about that? He says he loves me but he took himself away from me. Away from his kids"

At the mention of the kids Jessi broke down again and Jack wrapped her in his arms once more and let her cry until she fell asleep.

After Jack laid her down on her bed he walked out in the living room where his entire family was sitting. And they all looked at him with expectant looks.

"Uhh… Khole, Mikah, and Carter will you please go play in Khole's room while we grownups talk?" Mikah, being the oldest, knew that grandpa wasn't messing around and grabbed hold of Khole and Carter's hand and walked with them to the bed room closing the door behind them.

Sam was the first to speak up after the kids had gone "What happen Jack?" He turned to his wife and all she saw in his eyes was a sadness she knew too well. Reaching her hand out toward him Jack took it and moved to sit next to his wife.

"Earlier today Jessi got a visit from two SF's. They came to inform her that…" Jack had to swallow back his anger and emotion if he was going to get through telling his family this.

"That Josh… Josh is dead. He killed himself on Kalona 2 days ago" Jack watched the emotions on his family's faces. He saw the same anger on Jake's face as he felt in his heart. He saw the same sadness in Sara's face as the one he saw on Khole's face when he arrived. And he saw the same shock on Sam's face that he knew was on his when Jessi told him the very same news.

Sara was the next one to speak "Oh god that's horrible! I have to cancel the wedding. My sister needs me. It's the least I can do for her" As she finished what she was saying Jessi made her way into the living room.

"Don't you dare Sara! You've waited for this day for a long time. Don't let Josh take that away from you" she told her

"But Jess…"

"NO buts'! You ARE NOT canceling that wedding!" Jessi told her firmly. She wasn't about to have her baby sister's wedding ruined because of her loss.

Over the next few days Jessi moved about on automatic. She spoke when spoken too, she did everything she was asked. But still she didn't let herself feel. Just kept repeating to herself 'All about Sara. No pain, no tears, no sadness'

Today was all about Sara. Her wedding day was here. And it was the most beautiful day she had ever experienced. And Jessi was very proud of Sara and of the amazing woman she had become. She was going to make a beautiful wife and a wonderful mother some day. Jessi only hoped and prayed that she would never feel the type of pain Jessi constantly found herself in since learning of her husband's death.

And when the day was over and the hustle and bustle was through Jessi sat alone in her room while Khole slept. Deep in thought. She just couldn't imagine how things had gotten to this point. Could she have stopped Josh from doing this if she was with him? Would he still have done this to them? Left his sons before they could even get the chance to see what a wonderful person he was. Now how was she supposed to tell them about him? That in the end none of them were enough for him to want to come home.

Jessi didn't have time to think about any of this anymore because that night her two baby boys decided to make their presence into the world and at 4:45 in the morning Jessi welcomed her two beautiful boys Liam Joshua Martian and Bentley Chase Martian. Jessi was ecstatic and saddened at the same time. How the hell was she going to do this?...

3 weeks later…

Jessi stood in her kitchen looking out over her back yard. It was quiet at her house right now. Khole was with her parents and Liam and Bentley were napping. So Jessi took this time to try to straighten things up. Jessi hadn't been outside of her house since Josh's funeral 2 weeks ago. Her family had stopped by many times during those weeks and many people who knew her brought meals for her and Khole. And now Jessi felt it was time to clean things up so she could return them to all those kind people.

Jessi was so lost in thought that she didn't notice the knife she was holding slip from her wet hand leaving a small cut there that stung when the hot water hit it.

"ARGH! GOD DAMNIT!" She yelled failing to notice her brother entering her kitchen.

"Uh. Jess? You ok?" he asked and she chuckled sarcastically

"Dumb question Jake. Dumb question" She said

"Ok, that's true. What's wrong?" Jessi stood there in silence for a moment before turning toward her brother and completely exploding.

"I'm pissed Jake. I'm angry that I let myself once again be put in this position. I'm pissed that I let myself fall in love again knowing how well it turned out the last time. I'm PISSED THAT MY HUSBAND DECIDED THE ONLY WAY TO CURE HIS NIGHTMARES WAS TO END HIS OWN LIFE. IM PISSED THAT MY TWO WONDERFUL BOYS WILL NEVER KNOW THEIR FATHER. I'm pissed, I'm just pissed…" Jessi trailed off and began to cry and Jake was at her side pulling her in and holding her tight as she cried. When she was ready she lifted her head from his shoulder and thanked him.

"No problem. That's what brothers are for. Feel better?"

"A little yes. What uh.. What are you doing here?"

"Mom asked me to come get you and the boys. She is having a big dinner and wants you there. So I was sent over to make sure you get dressed and actually go"

"Oh ok. Well I guess I have no choice in this matter do I?"

"No not really" Jessi nodded and walked out of the kitchen and down the hallway to her bed room. She quickly threw something on and then walked into the boy's room and carefully got each of them ready and in their car seats and prepared a dipper bag. Picking up both car seats she walked into the living room where Jake stood.

"Ready? I'll take the boys and get in the car"

Jessi thanked him and followed him out to the car. The car ride to their parent's house was made in silence. The only noise was that of the boys cooing in the back seat. After arriving at her parent's house Jessi truly felt better being around her family. Her family was her rock and if anyone was going to help her get through this it would be them.

As the night went on Jessi was able to relax more and more and before it was over everyone in the room didn't fail to notice that for the first time in weeks Jessi had a real genuine smile on her face and she laughed harder than they had heard her laugh in a long time.

They all knew that this was going to take time to truly get through. But they would be there with Jessi no matter how long it took. They loved her and they would do anything they could to help her through the hard times ahead.

That's what family ties truly mean. To protect, support and love no matter the situation. And for that Jessi was truly grateful!