Chapter Twenty-Five: Boot Camp

Author's note: Christmas chapter is coming up today hopefully!

The very next day started training for Daniel, Jack took is personally to keep his husband alive in whatever was coming. He couldn't let his spouse be hurt so they spent every waking minute in the backyard sparring, whenever Daniel wasn't teaching or spending snippets of time with the children. Daniel took the training very seriously and though he had previously trained to be ready for any situation through the Stargate but Daniel needed to know more now.

About a week of training had gone by and Adrian showed up at their door, grinning like a loon with his hair shorn short all around his head except on one side were it was down past his ear and there was still that one streak of blue to distinguish his powerful family. "Good day to the both of you, I hear from Jack that Daniel needs to have some spar training," the young man said as Jack let him in. Daniel was sitting on the couch in his sweats and a wife beater. Daniel was sitting forward with his elbows pressed into his knees and folding in on himself. Jack had been watching his husband do this for a short while now, every time he beat Jack in the backyard, a little bit more of the gentle soul who he loves slipped away under the newer, less pleasant fighting version of Daniel appeared. It worried Jack a lot but he didn't know how to stop the process of getting Daniel ready to not just fight but win against a magical nemesis who was in his prime. So they walked back through the house and into the backyard where the children were running around for a while just after breakfast and before they were set to go to their lessons. They knew to stay out of the way of the sparring lessons so Jack watched from the porch as Adrian helped Daniel get into position and immediately moved into the fight. There was no way to stop this fight from happening and Daniel was right, Jack couldn't always be the one to save his husband, Daniel couldn't be weak in the eyes of these people because their children would be put in danger, it didn't make the cost any less steep.

"Hey Jackie," his dad said as he walked up to stand next to his son. Ben held out a mug with a warm beverage, the Vannas coffee substitute since Daniel protected and horded the real stuff from the past like a buried treasure only for special occasions. The Vannas equivalent was just as good for Jack anyway.

"Good morning Pop," he returned with a nod in thanks for the drink.

"I know you're worried about Daniel and I am too but I wanted to talk to you about something."

Jack gestured to the door leading into the kitchen and his father nodded. Jack resettled just inside so he could still hear the children playing, could still hear the sparring but could relax with his dad, splitting his focus. "What's up Pop?"

"So Christmas was right around the corner when I left and I was hoping maybe you might be interested in having some sort of Christmas celebration."

Jack thought about that, they've done a few holidays but Christmas was something that happened for such a specific reason, attached to religion and tradition that neither Daniel nor Jack had ever really cared enough to continue with their children. The children in the Vannas world had a different sort of higher power in the magic they possess and Jack had nothing against that spiritual understanding which Daniel could explain in much better terms. This offer though wasn't about the birth of Christ and being saved in the afterlife, this was about a chance to do something fun and happy with his father, he remembered Christmas as a child and wondered if it was going to be just what the doctor ordered for the kids and especially Daniel who was recently just as tired as Jack was not to long ago.

"I think that's a fantastic idea!" Jack replied grinning.

"Shall we plan it for a couple days from now?" Ben asked.

"Yeah, the night before we can find something for decorations and everything. We could invite Akina and her family, Adrian and Teal'c and Sam's families as well. Won't be able to add many more bodies after that but it might be good for Daniel. I don't want to lose him because of this Pop."

At his last words Ben slipped a comforting hand over Jack's and he locked his eyes on his father, "You are not going to lose him Jackie, you two made it through everything your mother put you through and everything that happened with Henry and you were stronger for it."

Jack nodded, sometimes he forgot about everything they went through in the year before, not to mention to ten before that. The only reason this felt so different was because Daniel was going against a fundamental thing about himself, forcing a change that frightened Jack and it wasn't because he figured Daniel wouldn't need him anymore. He knew that the younger man needed him for so many other things then Jack's ability to protect Daniel and the children, but Jack just had to believe they were get through it like they have everything other thing. He smiled to his father then got up and headed outside. It may have seemed strange and abrupt to anybody other than his father but Jack just wanted to see something good happen, a chance to celebrate something that may not but very important to anyone in this world but to him, his father and possible the other members of SG-1 this might be more fun than anything they'd done in a long time.

He walked through the gate that separated Teal'c and Sam's yard from their own then knocked on the back door, it's the door they all use to go back and forth since the front of their homes weren't technically all that close from the way that the houses were face the path that wound through the Vannas homes. Sam opened the door a minute later, in the midst of telling her children something before she smiled, and it was a tight look. Jack knew that ever since they got back, everything between Teal'c and Sam and Jack and Daniel had been strained because it was technically the O'Neill-Jackson children that were magical and Sam's children had been targeted as well, he figured Sam still held a grudge about all that.

"Hey Sam, I was hoping to invite you to a party over at our place, my Pop wants to do a Christmas and it wouldn't be an SG-1 party without you and Teal'c and the kids, what do you say?" he finished with a tight lipped smile.

Sam scooted the door back and invited Jack into the house, "Christmas Jack, really?"

Jack sat down and took the coffee she offered him before she sat down as well, even after multiple pregnancies, the woman had kept herself in really good shape and she was wearing one of her simple colorful skirts and a blouse. Jack spoke after a moment, "I know this has been hard for you and Teal'c. Your children never should have gotten caught up in the drama of my kids but I can't change that. I miss you and Teal'c not to mention the kids. Christmas might not have been important to me since Charlie but now with my dad here and my children and Daniel is getting ready to fight for his right to keep himself out of some pervy soldier's hands, I can't keep doing this with you as well."

Sam smiled but the expression looked more tired than anything, "I understand that the crap is always hitting your fan and yes my children shouldn't have gotten caught up in your children's stuff but there is nothing you can do to undo that so maybe I guess Teal'c and I need to revisit the children coming over because it's my choice before to keep ourselves apart. When is the party?"

Jack smiled and gave her the information that he had. They were going to have to get a message to the royal family and of course Adrian was in the background with Daniel so Jack would just tell him before he left. Adrian was such a good friend to them, it was as if Charlie had lived, this is the kind of man he could have been and because of the age gap between Jack and Adrian, which was what the relationship looked like. Adrian had told Jack and Daniel all about his father, who tried to kill his mother and succeeded but also didn't have any use for Adrian because he would gain the man the throne from his older sister. Jack hadn't know what to say when the young man told him all that but he'd just hugged him and said that Jack and Daniel were there for him and he was always there for the kids.

"So maybe we can do some trading and get gifts for all the kids, I don't know what they might be since we only have a few days but I'm sure we can figure something out."

Sam smiled, "I think we can Jack."

With that Jack stood, Sam following his lead that was still built into their personalities even after ten years out of the military. It was one of the reasons Jack could never see Sam as more than a teammate, he didn't want to be in charge of his spouse and Daniel had proved to him in so many ways and so many times over the years that Jack was not in charge of the scientist and that was before they came to the Vannas world. He opened his arms and Sam moved into them, awkwardly at first then she settled and tightened her arms around his back with a shuddering breath. Jack's hand found its way to the back of Sam's neck and tightened there in comfort while she sobbed into his throat.

"I'm so sorry you got caught up in it and that you were forced to come back here."

Sam chuckled, the sound a little wet as she shoved Jack away from her and wiped away at the moisture, "You think we didn't miss this place too Jack, no one here questioned my relationship with Teal'c, no one poked and prodded my children hoping to find something extra about them. Everyone here loved and respected us and though it was difficult in all sorts of ways, I missed this place. Its where my children were born, its why Teal'c and I found each other, we never would have in the past," she paused to wipe away another errant tear before she continued, "So if I promise to let it go, will you?"

Jack smiled and held out his hand which she shook and Jack left, surprised that he hadn't seen the kids or Teal'c, "Where is everybody?"

Sam smiled in embarrassment, "I wanted to talk to you, was hope to clear the air before Teal'c could punch you. He's been avoiding you mostly because of how I responded."

"So can I have my best friend back?" Jack asked sheepishly.

Sam laughed and nodded, Jack waved and walked back out of the house and through the back yards towards his own. He found Daniel heaving from exhaustion, sitting on the back step and walked over to flop down next to him. Jack took one of Daniel's hands between his and his husband looked over with a tired smile, "What you up to Jack?"

Jack just shrugged, leaned over and kissed Daniel's stubbly chin. He hadn't shaved in a couple days and it just made Jack shiver a little, thinking of how it felt on his skin a couple night before when Daniel was feeling frisky. "I cleared the air with Sam, she was still dealing with the kidnapping but its better now."

Daniel smiled and it was one of those sunshine smiles that made Jack's heart flip flop. "I'm so glad Jack. But seriously, what you up to?"

Jack grinned and walked away with a quick kiss to Daniel's cheek. Adrian was inside, sitting on the couch with Ben and Jack smiled when his dad gave him a little wink to say they were on for Vannas Christmas.