AN: Ok, testing week is over dances, and I have 4 days off school. This story is finished; there are three chapters that I will post and all are already typed. Though I may need to add another chapter just to thank everyone!

33: Healing

Sam awoke with a gasp, but quickly calmed herself when she felt two warm bodies next to her.

"You ok?" she looked to see Jack sitting up against the headboard.

"Yeah…what's the time?"

"2:15." Sam groaned, the party was today and she desperately needed to get some sleep.

"Every dream…I'm back days ago and we're still looking for them…you haven't slept at all have you?" leaning over her children, Sam rested her forehead against Jacks. "I know the dreams aren't nice, but you need to sleep. Please try." Lying back down, she tried to get as close to him as possible, hoping her touch could keep the dreams at bay. It'd been a week since Grace and Evelyn's homecoming, and though the nightmares had slowly abated for the children, tonight had been another of those in which they'd ended up sleeping with their parents. It seemed at times that they'd always have nightmares; first it was bringing them from the other reality, then the first attempt, and now this. Jack had barely slept since the ordeal, now acutely aware of every sound in the quiet house, fearing another attempt. He tried though, and linked his hand with Sam's, willing himself to sleep.

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The gravel crunched under the tyres as the car pulled up in the quiet car park.

"Ok, now you can't run or be too loud here, ok?" The children nodded solemnly as they were helped into their coats, and then took a parent's hand and walked to the entrance gates.

"Where are we going daddy?" Evelyn looked up at her father expectedly.

"We're…we're going to visit Charlie."

"Who Charlie?" It was Grace this time, and Sam watched Jack carefully, wondering how he would explain to the four-year-olds about his son. She'd let him do it of course, Charlie was his after all.

"Charlie is your big brother. He died a long time ago, before you were born." Grace scrunched up her face like she always did when she was thinking and looked from her father to her mother before asking,

"Mommy have 'nother baby?" Jack chuckled, while Sam looked distinctly uncomfortable…that was just…weird.

"No. A very long time ago, daddy was married to another mommy called Sarah. Charlie is Sarah's baby. After Charlie died, I met your mommy Sam. Do you understand?"

"Charlie not mommy's baby?"

"No Evelyn." The child nodded and the group continued to walk.

Soon Sam could hear the flowing of water and looked up to see a stream in the distance.

"Not much further, Charlie is just over here." Sam nodded and gripped Jack's hand; she'd be lying if she said she wasn't nervous. The group stopped at a marble headstone, and Sam stepped back as Jack brought Evelyn and Grace to kneel with him

"Hi Charlie, I brought a few people for you to meet. These are your little sisters, Evelyn and Grace."

"Hello Charlie." The girls said quietly. Jack chuckled.

"Evelyn here loves Baseball as much as you do, and Grace is our ballerina. Watch over them Charlie." It was at this moment that Evelyn leant forward, nose touching the stone and said, with all the innocence of a four-year-old.

"Can you see down there Charlie?" Jack laughed right out loud at that; Charlie would've asked the exact same question. Sam's heart clenched as she stood watching the threesome. To be honest, she felt rather out of place. Though Grace and Evelyn had never met Charlie, they were his sisters, but what was she? Did she even belong to the group around the headstone? Not knowing what to do, Sam just stood in her spot and waited.

"Daddy? Can we go look at the water now?"

"Yes, but be careful." His daughters skipped off to the stream.

"Aren't they amazing Charlie? Wait till you meet their mom." He turned and beckoned for Sam to join him, and she hesitantly came forward. He stood up behind her, and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"And this Charlie, is Sam, the woman who stole my heart." Sam blushed and said softly,

"Hey Charlie."

"Sam is absolutely amazing, and I know you're going to like her. I still have no idea what I did to deserve her, but I got my wish, and now she's part of my life." Sam was crimson by now.

"Oh Jack…well your dad certainly knows how to make me blush. I love your dad very much Charlie, I've loved him for a long time. This family I know is a gift, maybe one day I'll be able to thank whoever it was up there. Thankyou Charlie." She reached out to the stone before stopping and looking back at Jack, uncertainty in her eyes. In response he took her hand in his, and traced the letter.

"Stream goes to the cabin. Drop by some time kid." Calling the girls back over to say goodbye, the group left hand-in-hand. As they did, Sam looked back over her shoulder with a silent thankyou Charlie.

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Ok, drumsticks are done, chips are out, outdoor heaters are on- Janet's line of thought was cut off when Daniel's arms slid around her waist.

"Everything ready?"

"Hmmm…"

"Ewwwe! Please, can we not have that in the kitchen? People gotta eat you know!" The pair pulled apart at Cassie's voice, Daniel blushing. "I just put the balloons on the letterbox. When are Sam and Jack getting here?" During the kidnapping, Janet had taken it upon herself to re-organise Grace and Evelyn's party at her house. Both her friends had lectured her when they found out, but she'd set them straight with her 'I'm-the-godmother-don't-mess-with-me' look. Everyone would be arriving at 2:00, and the family had organised various games for the kids. The party finished at 4:00, but SG-1 was staying behind for drinks and dancing, with the juke box that Teal'c had insisted on hiring out, (apparently he'd never tried one before).

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Over at the O'Neill house, two very excited children were getting into their party dresses.

"Evelyn! How can I do your hair, when you won't keep still?!" Her daughter giggled,

"Sorry mama." Sam shook her head; to be honest she was excited about the party. Jack appeared then, with Grace in tow.

"Pyjamas and everything else is packed, we ready to go!" A chorus of 'yes' met his question. "Ok, let's get ready to PARTY!" As Sam put the girls into their car seats, she was sure there was an extra bag in the boot than there should be. Before she could question though,

"SAAAAAM! Come on, we're going to miss the cake!" She laughed and made a deliberate effort to slow her walk down, until her daughters were yelling at her to hurry up.

"Alright, let's go."

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Janet was at the door to greet them when they arrived and everyone helped unpack the car.

"Ah ah!" Jack said as Sam reached for that extra bag. "That's for later." He took it from her, leaving her standing bewildered, until Janet called her inside.

"So, how are they?" Janet asked once the women were in the kitchen.

"Better, they're still a little cautious if Jack and I are out of sight, but Grace went to ballet and they had their first day back at preschool yesterday. It was a little upsetting, but we got through the day." In the backyard, Daniel was asking Jack the same questions, while he, Jack and Teal'c set up the tables.

"The weird thing is, I actually think they've forgotten about what went on the other reality."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, for one they've never mentioned the gate, and their nightmares about that particular incident are long gone. Hell, they don't even mention Jaffa anymore!" Daniel mulled it over as he watched the children in question play with Cassie in the garden. Teal'c spoke;

"Perhaps O'Neill, that is a good thing." Jack simply shrugged in return and went back to unfolding the chairs.

"Ok, all your friends will be here soon, but first your Uncle and I have a surprise!" The twins clapped their hands excitedly.

"Janet! Daniel! You've already given them their presents!" Janet stuck her nose up,

"I'm the godmother, it's my job to spoil them. Now you two, close your eyes!" She led the gathering over to the shed, into which she and Daniel disappeared.

"You know about this T?"

"I will, as you put it, be keeping maternal." Jack coughed and Sam tried to suppress her giggle.

"Keeping mum, T, it's 'keeping mum.'" The Jaffa inclined his head in acknowledgement.

"Then I shall be keeping mum, O'Neill." By now Janet and Daniel had re-emerged, and Sam gasped when she saw what each had - a brand new bicycle with training wheels.

"Guys…" Jack was speechless.

"Open your eyes!" The girls' smiles were worth everything the team had gone through over the past months. Grace had a red bike, while Evelyn's was blue and they rode them around and around, until the first guest arrived, with only one small incident of a cut knee.

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"You see why they must stay with the humans?" Orlin chuckled as he watched the youngsters and their friends play musical chairs.

"Yes, I do." Most of the girls' preschool class and some from Grace's ballet class were in attendance. He sought Sam out among the guests and smiled; he was truly glad she had found happiness.

"Look, they sense us." Orlin drew his gaze away from Sam, and saw that Grace and Evelyn had stopped playing and were staring at where he and Oma stood, though they seemed unfocused.

"They don't see us though," he realized and Oma shook her head.

"No, look again." Sure enough the girls were already playing again, and a distant call of pass-the-parcel was heard, the children running towards it. "And now we must leave them. For now there is time." The two glowing balls disappeared into the night.

After the last guest had bid farewell, and the tired party girls were snoozing on a rug on the patio, Jack led Sam inside and to the spare bedroom.

"Well, we just survived the first of our daughters' parties." Sam nodded.

"What are we doing? I really should be helping the others clean up." All Jack said in reply was,

"Close your eyes." Sam did as she was told, and heard a rustling of tissue paper before Jack began undressing her.

"Jack! Not here-" She was cut off by Jack's chuckling.

"As much as I'd love-" he kissed her neck, "-to do that, I've got something else in mind. Trust me." Jack helped Sam out of her jeans and top, until she was standing there, in only her underwear. He then helped her into what felt like a silk skirt, and soon he was zipping up the top. "Ok, open your eyes." Sam did, and gasped when she saw her reflection in the full-length mirror. She was wearing a long silk skirt with a matching strapless top, just like in the photo from the alternate reality.

"Jack…I'm not…"

"Her. I know. She was totally wearing the wrong blue." Indeed, unlike the navy in the photo, this set was an aqua blue that matched her eyes perfectly. "Let's dance."

Back out in the garden, the others were already dancing to the selection on the jukebox. When it was finished, Jack made his own selection and dragged Sam out to dance amongst wolf whistling and clapping.

From a phone booth in Vegas,

Jessie calls at five a.m.

to tell me how she's tired of all of them.

She says,

"Baby, I've been thinking

'bout a trailer by the sea.

We could go to Mexico,

you, the cat, and me,

we'll drink tequila and look for sea shells.

Now doesn't that sound sweet?"

Oh, Jessie, you always do this

every time I get back on my feet.

Jessie, paint your pictures

'bout how it's gonna be.

By now I should know better,

your dreams are never free.

But tell me all about our little trailer by the sea;

Jessie, you can always sell any dream to me.

Oh, Jessie, you can always sell any dream to me.

She asks me how the cat's been,

I say "Moses",

he's just fine,

but he used to think about you all the time.

We finally took your pictures

down of the wall.

Jessie,

how do you always seem to know just when you call?"

She says,

"Get your stuff together,

bring Moses and drive real fast!"

And I listen to her promise,

"I swear to God this time it's gonna last!"

Jessie, paint your pictures

'bout how it's gonna be.

By now I should know better,

your dreams are never free.

But tell me all about our little trailer by the sea;

Jessie, you can always sell any dream to me.

Oh, Jessie, you can always sell any dream to me.

I'll love you in the sunshine,

lay you down in the warm white sand.

And who knows, maybe this time

things'll turn out just the way you planned.

Jessie, paint your pictures

'bout how it's gonna be.

By now I should know better,

your dreams are never free.

But tell me all about our little trailer by the sea;

Jessie, you can always sell any dream to me.

Oh, Jessie, you can always sell any dream to me.

AN: The song is called 'Jessie' and is by Joshua Kadison. It's not to be taken deeply in this chapter, though I suppose it lightly touches on the SJ relationship over the years. I just love the song and think it's beautiful to dance to