Sorry it has taken me so long to post this. Real life's been alittle hectic lately. This chapter was initially longer, butI broke it down into two parts.

Previously on When the Truth is Told…

"When we leave" he squeezed her a little tighter. "I want you and Lexi to move in with me."

Sam turned to face him never leaving his arms but making eye contact. "Jack that's a pretty big step are you- are you sure?" she stumbled across her words still taken aback by his suggestion. "I mean there's-" She began only to be interrupted by his hand brushing her lips.

He couldn't believe she still doubted "Sam…. I 'm not good at these sort of things-but I've thought a lot about this….I want you with me. If you don't feel comfortable sharing a room then" his brow creased. "we'll work something out."

She leaned forward and brushed a kiss across his lips. "I don't think it'll come to that- needing separate rooms I mean."

Now they were both grinning like idiots.

Jack leaned in about to capture same lips for another kiss when he felt something tugging on his leg. They looked down to find their daughter holding her fuzzy yellow kitten named Homer in her arms, and a HUGE grin plastered on her face with her two little dimples showing.

"So does this mean I need to put in an order to the stork for a baby sister?" The little girl giggled in excitement.

Chapter Ten: Familiar Faces

Jack was standing in a grocery isle in a small town near his cabin. Currently he was pondering over what type of beer to buy.

Finally settling on Guinness, he shuffled over to his shopping cart with his twelve-pack of beer.

A cart squeaked nearby, and a faint scent tickled his nose. The aroma was sweet like candy yet subtle. It was feminine, definitely perfume.

Suddenly a face popped into his mind.

"Jack?"

Her smile was the same. Yet her hair had grown quite a bit, its shade a little lighter in color. She was bound to change, at least to some degree. Nearly nine years have and gone since the last time he's laid eyes upon her.

She wheeled her shopping cart towards the man she once called her husband.

"Sarah, I barely recognized you. You look….great." His features softened and a genuine smile graced his lips.

"And you…" She looked him up and down. "-you look…" she chuckled. "Grey."

"It suits you." She said warmth radiating in her voice.

He ran a hand through his already tousled grey hair. A feature, Sarah noted, was the only change in his appearance….well that and a few more scars and added lines.

Jack glanced over his shoulder for a second and then back to her gaze. He detected a tinge of sadness in their sapphire depths.

"I uh, didn't expect to see you up here so soon."

His brow furrowed.

"With everything that's been going on in the universe, I figured you'd be in D.C. knee deep in press conferences dealing with national security, or negotiating with aliens…" She chuckled.

He glanced quickly over his shoulder once again.

"Well, I figured up here I could escape the chaos for a bit…I take it your in town for your folks' shin dig." Every year like clockwork, her parents would host a forth of July cook-out. The whole Davidson clan would fly in for this one occasion. It was the only family function they ever went to, seeing as how he'd lost touch with his family.

"Yeah, I just thought I'd pick up a few things –you know how I procrastinate…."

Just then out of the corner of her eye, Sarah spots a lurking figure behind Jack. It's small and hunched over as if it were hiding something.

"Um, Jack there seems to be someone sneaking things into your cart."

Jack turned around abruptly.

"FREEZE!"

The rather short culprit stood frozen in action.

"Step away from the cart and put your hands in the air!"

Sarah watched puzzled as the scene played out before her.

And then it hit her! He was playing cops and robbers. And the small culprit was none other than a child. At one time, she'd watched him play the same game with their son and his cousins, during their family picnic. The "robber", a little girl, had her tiny arms raised above her small blonde head, a box of Cocoa Puffs clutched in her fingers.

"Cocoa Puffs, Lexi? No wonder you were trying to sneak'em ." He chuckled ruffling his daughter's soft blonde curls. He had to admire her effort though.

"Ah, come on-I hate eat'n that cardboard stuff Mom likes." She pouted, wrinkling her nose in the process.

How could he say no to that face? Besides he couldn't blame her, that stuff didn't look too healthy. He didn't care how "nutritious" Sam said it was. If it were him, he would've tried to smuggle some real food too.

"Okay, but make it Fruity Pebbles.-At least that has fruit in the title."

The girl grinned from ear to ear as she skipped off to retrieve her sugary cereal

"Sorry 'bout that…" Actually he wasn't sorry, thankful is more like it. He was grateful for the interruption. It's just seeing Sarah again brought back memories; good and bad. One things for sure this wasn't how he'd envisioned telling her about Lexi.

Looking across the isle she saw the little girl retrieving her cereal. She must have been there during their conversation. That would explain why Jack kept glancing over his shoulder; so he could keep an eye on her. "She's your…" Embarrassed if her assumption was she left the question open.

"My daughter."

Sarah gave a sad smile, "And her mother?"

Think Jack, Think. You haven't discussed this topic with Sam. You can't give away any details just yet.

"She's at work." It wasn't technically a lie. He and Lexi had volunteered to do the grocery shopping. Knowing Carter she would be exactly where they'd left her; typing away on her laptop, oblivious to the outside world. Jack always considered that to be work.

Silence ensued for several agonizing seconds which felt more like hours.

He glanced towards the isle which held the cereal seeing his daughter looking at the pictures of cartoons on the back. "Come on peanut, grab the cereal so daddy can get out of this situation."

"A bit awkward isn't it?"

"Yeah a bit" she muttered.

"Look I would've told you."

"-No you wouldn't have." Knowingly she said, without a trace of anger in her voice.

For Sarah this experience was bittersweet. She'd loved his man for twelve years, and in her own special way she still did. How could she harbor any feeling other than happiness for him? He was, after all, able to rid himself of the guilt that had undoubtedly consumed him after Charlie's death. She understood why he felt the need to conceal this from her. They'd tragically lost their son. How could he go to her with his happiness after what they'd lost?

She was brought out of her musing by a dark haired, well tanned man placing a few items in her cart.

"I got the potato salad." He placed a kiss on her cheek, and wrapped an arm around her waist.

His appearance somehow made Jack feel less guilty.

"This is Brent, my fiancée. Honey, this is Jack O'Neill…my ex-husband."

The two men shook hands. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, sir. It's not every day you meet someone who's been to other planets." Brent chuckled, trying to alleviate awkwardness, and lighten the mood.

Lexi had wandered back to the group and had immediately hugged her dad's leg.

Sarah bent down to Lexi's eye level. "Well, It's nice to meet you…?"

"Lexi" Jack added.

"What a perfect name for such a pretty girl?" Sarah smiled at the angelic child.

Lexi stepped away from her father's leg toward the nice woman who seemed to know her daddy. She stuck out her tiny hand. "It's nice to meet you too, lady." She beamed, not the least bit shy.

Sarah came to stand at her full height. She looked at Jack and gave him a watery smile. "She has Charlie's eyes."

Jack ruffled his little "peanut's" hair.

"I know." He said softly.

"Well you'll never guess who I ran into today?" He flopped down on the couch turning on the television in the process.

"Who's that?" her muffled voice came from the kitchen.

"Sarah"

"Sarah?" She asked, giving her daughter a kiss on top of her head, before she skipped into her room, Homer trailing after her.

"Yeah" he confirmed. While channel surfing something caught his eye, hastily flipping back he noticed Sam's face plastered on the screen. A reporter was obviously doing a segment on the program and its members. He flipped off the television and vowed not to watch the news for a t least a year.

"Your Sarah?"

That got his attention.

He got up off the couch and joined Sam in his small kitchen.

"It's been years since she was my Sarah."

This was unknown territory. Their relationship was new to both of them and to be perfectly honest, she had no idea what to do in this situation. Jack O'Neill is not and open book. He's rarely talked about his former life. She knew the best thing to do was to listen, don't probe, just let him say what he's willing to. Anything to keep the "book" from closing.

A sad smile painted her face as she submerged her hands into soapy water. Jack was standing at her side drying and putting the dishes away, while she washed.

"It didn't exactly go as well as I had hoped."

She was silently scrubbing away at a pot they had earlier use to make spaghetti in.

"I didn't get around to telling her about Lexi before the little tyke showed up. I wanted to break it to her better than that." He winced at the recollection.

"Did she take it well?" Sam asked thoroughly concerned, while handing him the pot.

"Yeah, I s'pose…She's getting married. After learnin' that I felt less guilty."

Sam nodded in understanding.

"I almost…" he shook off the notion.

"What?"

"I was just thinkin'-and don't take this the wrong way- I'm almost glad you weren't there. I think that would've been like salt in an open wound, ya know…She asked about you though."

Sam faced him eyebrows raised, her attention diverted from her chore to him. "Me?"

They hadn't even discussed how to approach this subject. She knew they'd eventually tell the public about having a child together. I guess I'd hoped the time would be later rather than sooner. But…Jack wouldn't just blurt out something of this magnitude to his ex-wife, without even discussing it with me would he?

"Well not you specifically but…Lexi's mom."

Sam nodded her silent question answered she continued to wash the remaining dishes.

The next chapter will be up in a couple of days. Please review. Oh, come on you know you want to.