Disclaimer: Only non SG-1 characters are mine.
A/N: Thanks to each and every one of you for your encouragement and kindness. I never would have been able to finish it without knowing you were waiting for the next chapter. Each word you wrote spurred me on and turned a short story into something much bigger that I have enjoyed writing.
Sorry it took so long to get this up, but an epilogue was hard to write.
Eight Years Later
Sam stood among the mostly packed boxes and smiled as she looked at the framed photo in her hand. It was one of the many taken on the day she and Jack were married on Earth that were scattered around their house. The one she held was her favorite though and it had been on her bedside table during her stint as he commander of Atlantis. It showed the look on Jack's face as he saw her at the altar for the first time. He'd been completely shocked by the diaphanous, Grecian style, white dress she'd chosen, but appreciated her sense of humor. He had let out a happy laugh just as the photographer snapped, capturing forever the sheer joy on his face. Sam set it back on the mantle and sighed. She and Jack had spent much of their marriage in separate states or galaxies, but now they had both decided to retire from the military and planned to spend the rest of their years together. The moving company would be arriving in a few hours to move their belongings that had been packed the day before, to take them to their new, larger house, and she was enjoying having a few minutes to remember the good times they'd shared in this home. She'd insisted on moving a few small personal things herself, the pictures being some of them. She sighed again, looking around. Despite their frequent absences, the house had seen dinners and cook outs with friends and family, holidays, anniversaries and even a few Simpson's marathons. There had been much love and laughter. The house had also had its share of sadness. The day they found out about their separate assignments had been especially hard. Waivers and married or not, the needs of the military came first, and they'd barely been married a year when they came down on orders. She'd cried all evening on Jack's shoulder and he'd sat quietly, trying to control his anger. They'd both wept over the loss of her father within a few months of their wedding, and Sam had raged at the universe, several universes, in fact, when she found out she couldn't have children. Jack had done everything in his power to assure her that she was more than enough for him, but she knew that deep down, he missed being a father.
Her eyes moved to another photo on the mantel. Jack was holding then three year old JD and laughing at something the little boy had said. They'd adopted him just before his first birthday and Sam couldn't imagine loving her own child any more than she loved JD. If she didn't know better, she'd swear he was her and Jack's natural child. He was funny and smart and incredibly mischievous, with a sense of adventure that nearly exhausted them both. He'd been three and a half when they brought home their second adopted child, Sadie, a little girl with big brown eyes and hair the color of the night sky. She'd been nine months old when they got her and latched on to her big brother like she'd known him her whole life. Sam had been worried JD would be jealous, but he and Sadie been practically inseparable from day one. On trips to the cabin, they had to sleep in the same room, sometimes the same bed, or there would be no end to the crying.
"Mama! Mama!" Sam turned to see a little bundle of energy run straight at her, ice cream from the cone he was holding melting down his hands.
"Hey, hey, slow down, sport," Jack said walking through the door with an equally sticky Sadie on his shoulders. "You'll get your mom dirty and then we'll all be in trouble."
JD stopped abruptly and smiled. "Sorry," he said, giving her an impish grin that he could only have learned from Jack.
"It's okay. Let's go wash your hands." They walked to the kitchen and rinsed the little boy's hands, while he told her about his day, excitement in every word.
"We went back to the house so I could see my new room again. It's HUGE! Sadie said she's going to move in with me, but I think I'm getting too old for that. Dad says I'm becoming a man and that means I need my own space, right?" He didn't wait for an answer. "I told Sadie she could visit my room if I said so and we could still sleep together at the cabin, but other than that, it's my private space. Right? Oh, and we saw two big squirrels and some birds in the backyard! They were cool. Sadie and I picked out the place we want the swing set to go. Dad showed me where he's going to build the roof servatory."
Observatory," Jack corrected him as he wiped Sadie's face.
"Gonna look at stars and da moon!" Sadie put in, excited to be in on the conversation. "Daddy said he gonna show me da whole galazy!"
"That's right, sweetheart." Jack kissed her nose. "Maybe even other galaxies."
Sam stood and looked over at Jack. "You have ice cream in your hair."
Using the towel she handed him to wipe his hair, he leaned over and kissed her gently. "JD, why don't you and Sadie go play in the yard while Mom and I get ready for the movers?"
The words were barely out of his mouth before the kids were through the door, yelling something about travelling to space. Jack watched them for a moment before turning back to Sam. "I'm too old for this, you know."
"Well, when you give them ice cream at ten a.m. what do you expect?"
Reaching out, he pulled her close and leaned in to kiss her. "Have I told you how gorgeous you are today?"
"Only once." Sam snuggled into his chest and inhaled deeply. Even after all the years, the scent of him still made her weak. "A few more wouldn't hurt. Of course it won't distract me from the ten a.m. ice cream."
Jack kissed the top of her head. "I never even thought to try."
"Liar."
He laughed, hugging her close. Eight years of marriage had still not dulled the awe he still felt over the fact that the woman in his arms loved him. Every day they had been together had been a small miracle to him. After he lost Charlie, and then Sara, the thought of being happy again seemed like an impossible dream. Sam had made it come true though. She's been there for him every step of the way, even when she'd been at Area 51, commanding Atlantis or The Hammond. They'd spoken on the phone, sent emails, data streams and been together as much as they could. That's not to say all the separation had been easy, but the love they held for each other got them through it. "You ready for this?"
Sam looked around the kitchen and sighed. "Not really. I'm going to miss this place."
"Me too," Jack said. It had been their first home together and while they certainly needed more room, it wouldn't be the same. "I'd say we can come visit, but I'm not so sure the new owners would like that too much." They could hear the kids laughing and yelling as they ran in the yard. "Oh, you should know that since we'll have a bigger yard, JD told Sadie he thinks we should get a dog. It was the only talked about it the whole way back here. I was going nuts. I thought buying them ice cream would put a stop to it, but, no such luck."
Sam pulled away and looked at him suspiciously. "A dog? What kind of dog? You didn't tell them yes did you?"
"No way. I told them Mom and I would think about it. And as to what type of dog, that depends on which one you ask. JD thinks we should get something big and hairy, like a Wookie. Remind me to have a talk with Teal'c about all this Star Wars business. Sadie thinks we should get something tiny that she can carry around in a purse and give a princess-y name."
Sam snorted. "Figures." Sadie loved all things princess even though Sam had tried to steer her away from them. When the love of princesses proved strong than Sam anticipated, she'd finally given up, figuring Sadie would outgrow it on her own, and put on a crown for Sadie's tea parties. Jack always told them he had the two most beautiful princesses in the whole galaxy. "And what does Dad think about this?" She asked.
It was Jack's turn to snort. "Since when does Dad's opinion matter?"
She smacked him in the chest. "Just because I don't happen to agree with it all the time doesn't mean your opinion doesn't matter."
Jack turned at the sound of the doorbell. "Ah, must be the sitters! Saved by the bell." He opened the door and the whirlwind that was Vala came through, followed at a more sedate pace by Daniel, holding their four-year-old son, Teagan.
"Where are my little loves?" Vala asked. Sam pointed to the back yard and Vala headed straight there. "Hello my darlings! Auntie Vala is here!" The children ran squealing and threw themselves into her arms.
"Thanks for doing this," Sam said to Daniel. "Moving with the kids underfoot would be miserable."
Daniel shrugged. "Vala is like three kids packed into one, so what's two more?"
The kids grabbed their overnight bags and set off for a fun few days with Vala and Daniel, leaving Jack and Sam alone. "Do you remember the first day we came home together after P7X something?" Jack asked, putting his arms around her.
Sam laughed and turned in his arms to face him. "Of course I do. You nearly dropped me trying to carry me across the threshold."
"Mmmm…I don't remember that part." He nuzzled the side of her neck, smiling as he felt her shiver. "I do recall christening the hall, bedroom and kitchen counter though." He glanced up at the clock on the microwave. "We still have a while before the movers get here. What's say we give them one last go, eh?"
Sam grinned at him wickedly. "Think so?" She began unbuttoning his shirt as he set her up on the counter. She was amazed that she was still just as attracted to him as much as she'd ever been. Sometimes she found him even more attractive than she had in the beginning. He was still a handsome man, who kept himself in shape and had a smile that could make her melt.
"Absolutely."
Later that night, Jack and Sam walked up the sidewalk to their new home, after having gone out for a quick dinner. They'd had a long day of directing the movers, and now just wanted to relax in the quiet. "Think the kids are okay?" Sam asked.
"'Course. Daniel would have called if they weren't."
Sam sighed. "I know, it's just-"
Jack put an arm around her as they walked up the steps. "It's just that you're their mom and you worry."
"You know me so well, General O'Neill."
"Indeed I do General Carter-O'Neill," Jack said smiling. He'd been so proud to pin her star on her uniform. She'd deserved more and probably could get all four if she wanted. He unlocked the door, and scooped her up in his arms.
"Jack!" Sam cried. "What are you doing?"
"Carrying my gorgeous wife over the threshold." He carried her into the large foyer and set her down. "Whew! That's not as easy as it was the first time."
Sam arched her brows. "Are you saying I'm getting fat?"
He laughed. "If anything, you're in better shape now than you were then, probably from chasing those crazy kids of ours. It's me who's getting old."
"I've got plans to keep you young, General," Sam told him, her hands sliding up the back of his shirt.
"Really? And those plans would be…?"
Sam looked around, her finger skimming the waistband of his jeans. "You know, this house has more rooms than the other one."
Jack liked the way this was going. He nibbled on her earlobe. "It does," he agreed.
"Do you know what they need?"
He moved his mouth down the column of her neck. "What?"
"Christening." Her fingers undid the button of his fly.
Jack's hand slid up the front of her shirt. "Hmmm…you could be right. In fact, as smart as you are, I'm fairly certain you're right."
"I usually am."
Jack let out a small groan as her hand slid lower. "We'll discuss that later. Right now, we should concentrate on the task at hand."
"We should. What room seems appealing?"
He looked up, eyes moving to the doors that opened up to various rooms. "I say we start at the front and work our way back. This foyer should be the first, I think."
"With your knees?"
Jack gave her a wide smile. "Well, there are other ways. Your knees don't seem to give you any trouble."
"I like the way you think."
She slid his shirt over his head. "Too bad we don't have a bunch of sleeping bags. We could reenact our first time."
"No," he said quickly.
"No?" She inquired. "Was it that bad?"
Jack pushed her blouse off her shoulders and pulled her to him, bring their bare flesh together. "No, it was fabulous. Incredible, even, but every time since has been even better. Why would I want to go backward?"
She let out a whimper as his mouth made its way across her shoulder. "Why Sir," she said, using the all to familiar moniker, "that's almost romantic."
"I do what I can." He had unhooked her bra and tossed it aside. "Now, what's say we get on with this christening thing, shall we?"
"Sounds like a plan. How many rooms do you think we can get through tonight?"
"I love you, Carter. More than you can ever guess."
Sam smiled, remembering him saying that the first night they'd been in his home. "I think I have some idea, but why don't you show me?"
"Yes, ma'am."
Fin
I hope you enjoyed it. Once again, thanks to all who took the time to read and review. I'm working on a few more SG-1 stories (Jack and Sam ship of course!), that I'm hoping to have ready to start posting soon.