Glad she finally had gotten a hold of Cassie; Sam relaxed a bit and sat down on the couch. Looking out of the window, all she could see was darkness, which wasn't strange as it had taken her all day to work up the nerve to call the number Daniel had left her. She had said goodbye to Daniel earlier and had watched him go through the 'gate, ready for his next adventure in Atlantis. She couldn't help wonder when she would see him again… Now, she was just exhausted, having left the mountain a little after 2200 hours after a busy first day back, catching up, and she'd only eaten dinner half an hour ago. Stretching, she could feel her tense muscles and it made her yearn for a long bath.

"Cassie, are you all right?"

"Yeah… I'm fine, why wouldn't I be?"

Sam automatically frowned at the receiver, not realizing Cassie couldn't see her. "Well, I tried calling you the last few days and you didn't answer, so I was worried, not having heard anything from you."

"I told you before you left, that I would be with Jack. It's not like he would let anything happen to me, you know."

Hearing the huffing tone, Sam cringed. "Of course not, not on purpose, at least. Still, I was worried."

"Didn't I explain I wouldn't be back there if you came back?"

"You did," she responded, slightly hurt by the casual tone of Cassandra. "I just didn't expect you to not answer my phone calls."

"I have a new number now."

"So I heard, was it too hard for you to tell me?"

"You were on your honeymoon; it would've been foolish to disturb you just to tell you I temporarily have a new number…"

"Voicemail?" Sam asked, growing impatient with Cassie's petulant tone…

"Daniel told me how wonderful that was working for him, so I didn't bother."

Bringing her free hand to her forehead, Sam closed her eyes, embarrassed. "I'm sorry–"

"Please tell me you at least said goodbye to Daniel?"

Sighing, she leaned back and propped her feet under her. "Yes, yes I did, I went back to work today and immediately visited him"

"Good, it would've been too bad if you were to miss his departure too or didn't Daniel tell you about Teal'c?"

If she had been wondering how Cassie had been spending her days the last few weeks, the sarcastic remarks surely gave it away… "He did," Sam sadly stated. "I feel terrible for not being able to say goodbye to him."

"As you should," Cassie simply stated.

"Cassandra!"

Cassie almost jumped, startled by the admonishing tone. She turned around and saw Ilse scowling at her. "What, Ilse?" She asked, holding her hand over the mouthpiece of the receiver.

"I think she got the message already; you're not happy with her behavior… no need to talk her into a depression," Ilse softly explained, while walking over Nathan's crib with a little mattress in her arms.

Feeling slightly guilty, Cassie sighed and put the receiver back to her ear. "Sam?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry, I was a bit harsh," she apologized. Swallowing, she continued. "How was your honeymoon?"

"It was really great."

A mumbled "Good for you" was all she could muster, as she watched Ilse make the bed.

"Cassie, when are you coming back?"

"Um… I don't know yet, Sam, it kind of depends on Jack and–"

"Look, I understand you want to stay with the General doing God knows what in Europe, but college is starting in two weeks and–"

"I know, and I'll be there, I promise," she truthfully replied. "It's just that," she looked around and noticed that Ilse had left the room so she could have some privacy. "Jack's been going through a rough time…"

"Cassie, you don't have to tell me… Daniel, eh… he 'explained' some things to me and if you feel you need to be there with the General, then I understand. I just don't want you to miss out on your new year, because catching up will probably be difficult."

"I won't, we were thinking of going back sometime next week. Look, Sam, you should know that Jack–"

"Don't, just don't," Cassie could hear her exasperated sigh and rolled her eyes, before Sam continued. "I thought I told you guys to just drop it, okay?"

"But Sam, I really think you should know!" she stomped her foot to emphasize her words as she heard some noise coming from the hallway.

Hearing Ilse walk by the door, Cassie turned around. "Cassie, Jack is back!" Ilse sounded excited in the corridor, which made her grin; he must have the twins with him!

Pouring herself a wine, Sam waited for Cassie to respond and overheard Ilse scolding her for being rude to Sam. Great, just what she needed; the General's girlfriend defending her and admonishing Cassie for talking back, she thought, taking a sip of wine. She knew that Cassie had a point, but Ilse was right – not that she would ever admit that to anyone. Already feeling horrible about missing Teal'c's farewell, not to mention Daniel leaving and coming back from her honeymoon with everyone mad at her, she didn't need Cassie to rub it in for her. It just stung that, of all people, it was his girlfriend being so sympathetic all of a sudden, especially after that sly dig about her name earlier. She had thought the voice sounded vaguely familiar and was almost certain it had been Ilse, and Cassie confirmed that suspicion as she exclaimed her name.

Not wanting to go into detail about her argument with Daniel, she thought about her choice of words… 'Explained', yes, he'd explained to her that Cassie was in Europe with the General… Still, she wanted to make sure Cassie would be back in time for the new academic year as med school was hard enough without having to catch up. It was good to hear that she would be coming back next week, but that didn't mean she had to listen to her stories about the General. Their friendship was long gone; she didn't want to know about his new life with a woman abroad. She'd made it pretty clear at the wedding reception that she didn't want the guys – or Cassie – to talk to her about the General and his life, there was a reason she'd broken up their relationship after all. Not that anyone needed to know the real reason behind her decision, especially not the General himself.

She could hear Ilse mentioning the General's return and by the silence on the line, Sam assumed that Cassie was contemplating what to do; greet him or finish their conversation. Making the decision for her, Sam took a last sip, emptying her glass. "Cassie? I just called to see how you were doing and because I wanted to get your number and hear your voice," she spoke softly.

"That's okay, Sam. Look, Jack just came back with–"

"I understand, you have to go," Sam sighed, sitting back on the couch. "Just call me when you get here or if you just want to talk, okay?"

"Damn, why won't you let me explain, Sam!"

"Like I said before, our friendship is over Cassie. I have a new life now, with Pete. The General understands that, which is why we agreed to leave the other alone. Now, will you give me your number?"

"Fine, if that's the way you want to live your life, don't come complaining to me in the end, Cassie huffed. "Besides, I don't think it's my place to explain everything and with the way you're acting, I can understand Jack for not even bothering."

For a moment, Sam was speechless. They were finally getting along again and then the subject of Jack O'Neill comes in the picture and messes everything up! As Cassie was stating her new number, Sam nodded to no one in particular, making sure to write it down.

"But if I were you, I'd call me here, Ilse says that's cheaper. If I want to contact you, I'll use this number as well, since it's expensive to call abroad with a cell phone and Ilse said I could use her office phone."

Of course she did, thought Sam with clenched jaw. "Okay," was all she said however, reciting the two numbers before saying goodbye. Time to go to bed, she mused, as she walked upstairs to the bedroom that Pete was already occupying.

"Hey," was all Ilse said as she opened the door for Jack, who was holding two maxi cosis, one in each hand. Stepping aside, she opened the door for him and followed him to the living room.

Grinning from ear to ear, Jack put down the babies and turned to her. "Hey," he realized he was still smirking from the way she looked at him; shining eyes and held back smile showing off her dimples.

"What did the neonatologist say?" she asked, leaning down so Maddy could grab her finger in her little fist. They were so much smaller than Milou had ever been…

Jack gently readjusted the hem of the bunting that encased Nathan, his small, frail body making it look oversized. Unlike his twin, the little boy was still sound asleep and it didn't look like he was about to wake up. "Their weight gain was on schedule, their motor reflexes are better than expected and so far there are no signs of cysts in the brain, which is a good thing. Blood work was good, liver and kidney function were well within the norm, and they seemed to be responding properly to stimuli," he summed up, before taking off his black leather jacket.

"Excellent," she replied, carefully picking Maddy up to cuddle her a bit. Ilse was almost afraid that she would break the little girl in two, but knew she was tougher than she looked. Hell, they wouldn't have survived if they weren't tough! She locked gazes with Maddy's blue eyes and her free hand stroked her soft, brown wisps. "She doesn't look anything like Lily, did you realize that?"

Peeking over her shoulder, Jack smiled. "Yes she does, she has her – and your – nose, and I believe Lily had the same cheeks and smile as a baby," he responded, delving into twenty-year-old memories.

"Do I hear reasons to look up some old pictures?" Cassie squeaked, walking into the room with a big smile, after having ended her conversation with Sam.

"God, please no," Jack murmured, not looking forward to see old pictures of himself while visiting his sister.

Gently rocking Maddy, Ilse walked over to Cassie to show the baby to her and she gave her a wicked grin. "I must agree with Cassie, Jack."

"Oh, for crying out loud, you already showed her pictures the other day," he sighed, dragging his hand through his hair.

"She's so tiny," Cassie gasped as she gently stroked Maddy's soft cheek and held her gaze. "She's got big eyes."

"Again, Lily's I'm telling you," Jack said as he moved some of the baby items he had brought from the hospital to the baby room.

"Do you want to hold her?" Ilse asked Cassie, motioning the baby towards her.

Holding up her hands in a defensive gesture, Cassandra backed away. "Oh, no, I don't want to drop her or anything. Besides, I have no experience with children and her condition is already slightly complicated."

"C'mere," Ilse beckoned her with a head gesture. "Don't be silly, in a way she's your cousin or even sister now that Jack has adopted them. You're going to have to pick her up eventually, might as well get it over with."

Glancing at Ilse and the infant in her arms, she cautiously walked towards them. "Are you sure?"

"Of course," she smiled, giving Cassie instructions on how to hold the baby and passed her over to the younger woman's arms.

"How are my favorite ladies doing?" Jack asked, walking back into the living room.

Grinning, Ilse quickly grabbed her photo camera to get a picture of Cassie holding Maddy. "Looks like your 'collection' of favorite women just keeps growing, huh," she joked.

"Don't worry," Jack grinned as he hooked an arm around her waist, "I'll never throw you out."

"Wow, I'm honored," she retorted, sticking her tongue out at him, before taking a few pictures.

"She's moving, did I do something wrong?"

Padding around her, Jack stopped at her side and threw his arm around Cassie's shoulder. "Don't worry about it, she's just tired… look, she's yawning. Bed time, I think."

Tracing the features in the small face with her finger, Cassie smiled at her 'sister.' Tilting her head, she noticed Ilse's approving expression and she chuckled. "Guess you were right; it's not that hard to hold a baby," she softly spoke, as Maddy's eyes started to close. Seeing Jack signaling her to follow him, she took Maddy with her to the baby room.

"You two really finished up here while I was gone," Jack said, glancing around appreciatively. "You want to put her in her crib?"

Nodding, Cassie followed his instructions to the letter, making sure she didn't screw up, just as Ilse walked in holding the maxi cosi with Nathan in it.

"Where's Milou?" Jack asked, as he took Nathan from her and gently put him in his crib without waking the boy.

Putting down the seat, Ilse looked up. "I moved her crib to my room; I don't want her to wake up the twins or, more likely, the other way around. She just settled in her routine, I can't have them screw that up," seeing he was about to object, she stopped him. "No, I want to take care of her. You're moving back to DC next week, then you'll have all the time in the world to get up at night taking care of those three."

Jack grunted something incoherently, while ushering everyone out of the room after securing the baby intercom. "It's almost time for Milou to wake up, isn't it?" He asked, walking over to Ilse's room to see two dark brown eyes looking at him. Jack smiled, picking up the little girl that was now his adopted daughter. "Are you hungry?"

"Wow, you were really handsome, Jack," Cassie giggled, looking through some old photo albums Ilse had found her.

"Please," Jack groaned, "I don't even want to know which album you gave her," he told Ilse, who was on the floor playing with Milou and some of her toys.

Hiding one of Milou's toys in an obvious way, she asked Milou to help her look for it. Hearing Jack's remark, Ilse absentmindedly looked up. "What?"

"That album she's been skimming through."

"Oh, it's one of Lily's it was in the box labeled with Family Stuff, by the looks of it, I'd say it's one from when she was seven or eight."

"You can tell that by the cover?" Jack asked in a disbelieving voice.

Shrugging, she watched as Milou triumphantly showed her the toy and she smiled and praised the girl. "Well, there is the little line that states the date," she smirked.

"Of course there is," Jack sighed, looking back at his laptop.

"Oh, this is one of the ones you showed me earlier," Cassie told Ilse, quickly flashing the picture.

"Whoa, what's that doing there," Jack exclaimed, reaching out to grab the album. "Ilse, why is there a half naked picture of me in here?"

"I have no idea, must have been taken at a pool party," she replied in an oh so innocent voice.

Jack snorted at her answer. "Why am I the only one in it?"

Cassie giggled again, showing him a few more of a younger version of himself surrounded by some teenagers and some young women. "Look, there are more!"

"Give me that!"

"No," Cassie shook her head, keeping the book out of his reach. "It's obvious someone really wanted some pictures of you, Jack."

"I was bored and a fifteen year old bottle of hormones, okay?" Ilse groaned, rolling her eyes.

"You took these?" Seeing her nod an affirmative, Jack continued. "And you decided to put them in the photo album of your innocent little sister?"

"Trust me," Ilse retorted, grinning like the cat that ate the canary. "You don't want to know where the copies ended up, those pictures were quite popular."

Mumbling something incoherently, Jack returned his attention to his laptop and hit some of the keys in a frustrated manner.

"You know, I told you you could use my study," Ilse said, getting up and gently extricating the poor laptop from his violent hands. "It's much safer for everyone involved," she continued in a placating tone.

Rolling his eyes, Jack let out an exasperated sigh. "I know, that damn thing is stuck."

"I'll take a look at it after I'm finished," Cassie mumbled absentminded.

"Yes, because what could be more important than my super secret work? Some old photographs perhaps?"

"I resent that," Cassie responded, looking up at him. "I'm showing an interest in your familial background, you should be happy."

"Whatever," he replied, stretching his legs, before slipping to the floor and scooting over to Milou.

Ilse refilled their drinks and as she came back, she watched Jack playing with Milou on the carpet, while Cassie was observing them. They smiled at each other, enjoying seeing Jack so relaxed and playful with the little girl, forgetting the troubles of the world, or even universes.

Her train of thought made her think and as she placed her glass on the table, Ilse cocked her head to the side. "When are you going back, Jack? I mean, I'm sure George wants to get back to being retired."

Turning his head towards her, he pulled Milou in his lap and leaned back against the couch. "Well, I called him this morning on my way to the hospital and he said he didn't mind working a bit again, since he only has to do a quarter of the work he used to. Especially with me having worked here in Europe the last month, meeting with the IOA members and other politicians," he grimaced at the word and grabbed his glass of water to take a sip. "So, I was thinking of going back early next week, to give Cassie some time to adjust again and eventually move back to her dorm, while I have a free pair of hands to help me," he smirked at Cassandra. "That way, Hammond can finish at the end of the month, while I work at home having more time to spend with the children. Did you know he even offered to babysit once in a while?"

"No, I didn't," Ilse chuckled, trying to think of George Hammond amidst the three young babies. "I take it you told him then?"

Nodding, Jack got up with Milou clinging to his shirt. "Yeah, I already informed him of a family emergency about a month ago and after Lily's funeral I had a video conference with him and the President and I explained the entire situation. They were quite supportive, actually."

Hearing the surprise in his voice, Ilse frowned. "Of course they were, because you're a great dad. If anyone deserves another chance, it's you."

"She's right Jack, you just have to look at you and Milou to know that's true," Cassie confirmed, bobbing her head in the way only teenagers can.

At the same time, Milou started jabbering as if to add her opinion, her chubby hands moving to his collar. He grabbed her hands and pressed a kiss on them, making her look at him with a surprised expression on her cute face. Jack tickled her tummy, eliciting a high giggle from her, making him smile in turn.

"It's about time for me to take her," Ilse mentioned, outstretching her arms to take the girl from him.

Confused, Jack looked at her. "Where?"

"I told you about the visit to the, um… 'consultatiebureau,," Ilse stated. Seeing his blank face, she explained. "A health centre, for babies to be checked out regularly? She's nine months old now and needs her hearing to be tested."

"She's talking about infant welfare centers," Cassie elaborated, nodding at Ilse's explanation.

"There is nothing wrong with her hearing, she hears just fine," Jack protested.

Rolling her eyes, Ilse pulled Milou out of his arms and placed her on the floor to put on her jacket. "It's just a test, Jack, it's not like they're going to experiment on her or something."

"They'd better not," he grunted. "How are you taking her?" He asked, seeing her wrap the girl up as if it were freezing cold.

"On my bike, why?"

"Are you insane, you're not taking an infant on your bike!" Jack exclaimed.

"Jeez, Jack, relax, I was talking about my bicycle, not my motor cycle."

"Still, it's way too dangerous."

"No, it's not. It's actually really good stimulation for them," Ilse replied, carrying on with her prepping. "I have a child seat and she's old enough, besides, this isn't the first time."

"A seat?"

"Yes, Jack, a seat on the handlebar," she rolled her eyes, putting on her own coat.

Swallowing, Jack gave her an askant look. "You're sure it's safe?"

"Perfectly, or else I wouldn't do it. The doctor even recommends it, because kids really like it."

"Fine," he relented, trusting her. "Just be careful," he leaned down to press a kiss on Milou's crown.

"Always," Ilse responded, before saying her goodbyes to Cassie and walking out the door with her bag.

Closing the photo album, Cassie looked at him. "It's going to be hard for you to raise them without her."

Surprised, Jack gave her an appraising look. "So…?"

"I'm just saying," Cassie innocently retorted.

"Of course you are," he sarcastically replied. "Well, I guess it's a good thing she'll be coming to DC in three weeks, huh?"

"Yeah, I think it is," Cassandra mused aloud. "You could use the help and she's really good with them, besides, they're her family too."

"Always will be," Jack agreed nodding. His head snapped up as he heard Nathan cry over the intercom and he moved into action, trying to get him before he woke up his sister. "I'm just glad she's able to do most of her work out of her DC branch," he said, before entering the corridor.

Cassie nodded, picking up the photo albums she had gone through. They – Jack and Ilse – had been right; the twins had many features from their mother, as did Milou. The elaborate albums had given her a peek at a part of Jack's life he always kept hidden and it had amused her to see pictures from him when he was younger. There had even been a few of Sara and some of Charlie – something she hadn't expected. Apart from all that, it gave her a better picture of who Lily was. Sure, they'd met, but the woman had been dying and didn't look her best… no these pictures were worth more than a thousand words.