"So, should I be worried?" Jack asked, joining her by the large window overlooking the water.
Clutching her tea, Ilse glanced sideward's with a puzzled expression. "About?"
"You."
"Me?" She asked, surprise sounding through her voice.
Cocking his head, he looked at her. "Yes, you… a picture of a younger version of me half naked on your computer, really? Not to mention that you showed it to Cassandra," he smirked.
Chuckling, she ducked her head. "Not to worry, I'm not an obsessed woman, if that's what you're wondering."
"Too bad," he joked, prodding her side.
Ilse swatted his hand away, careful not to spill her tea and turned to him. "My mother bought this computer scanner? To scan in negatives, to prevent the loss of some old pictures of hers and she asked me to test it for her and show her how to use it. She just handed me a box with negatives, including that one of yours," she grinned.
"Good to know," he said, rocking on his feet. Taking a sip of his coffee he kept staring out of the window. "It's beautiful out here," he broke the silence after a few minutes.
"Yeah, I love this view," she agreed, nodding her head. Turning to him, she saw the moonlight dancing on his face. "Are the kids asleep?"
Nodding an affirmative, Jack turned to bring his cup back to the kitchen. "Yeah, all of them, even Cassie."
"Did you start packing already?" Ilse asked, filling up the dishwasher after padding after him.
"My passport came by mail this afternoon, when you were out grocery shopping. Good thing Hammond had a spare key to my house," Jack smirked, stretching his lean frame. The evening Ilse had called him, he'd been sitting in a bar with Carter and Prometheus had beamed him up and down. He hadn't even thought about his passport, until Ilse mentioned that the babies would need one before being able to go back to the States with him. He'd called Hammond, who was kind enough to send it to him. He could hardly ask Prometheus to beam up him, Cassie, and the kids. Besides, that would mean everyone would know, not giving him the chance to explain the situation to his friends. Especially not now that Daniel was in another galaxy, Teal'c was on Dakara and he and Carter weren't on speaking terms anymore… "I've packed up some of the baby stuff and I'll do mine tomorrow."
"I have to go to the town hall in the morning, to pick up the passports for the children," Ilse responded, turning on the dishwasher. "I'd suggest you'd go, but since you don't even know where the town hall is…"
"Let alone how to get there, right?"
"Indeed," she smiled. "If you want, I could show you, you can use my mountain bike."
"For crying out loud, I'm not going out on a bike with all those crazy people!" Jack exclaimed, raised eyebrows.
Shrugging, she looked at him. "Didn't you tell me you were biking two years ago?"
"That's different," he bashfully admitted. "That was through the corridors of the SGC…"
"Oh, you're right, that's not crazy at all," she teased him.
Rolling his eyes, he sighed. "No, it was different because I was a Colonel and people actually had to get out of the way for me… out there? I'd be run over within minutes."
"Of course not, I use my bike daily and I'm still alive."
"Because you are one of those crazy people."
"I resent that," she huffed undignified.
"Sorry," he smirked, not apologizing at all. "I think I'll go get some sleep."
"Welterusten," Ilse waved over her shoulder, wishing him a good night before turning the corridor to her own bedroom.
"Is Ilse back yet?" Cassie asked, walking into the open kitchen while combing her hair.
Swirling on his feet, Jack looked at her, while rocking Nathan in his arms, feeding him a bottle. "No, she called to tell me she ran into a friend of hers and went out for lunch. So, it's just you and me and the babies."
"Has Maddy had her bottle?" She asked, looking around only to see the little girl in her maxi cosi on the table. This past week and a half, she'd really become attached to her new family members – including Ilse – and she'd found that she really liked babies, especially Maddy. She knew it was wrong to have a favorite, but she couldn't help it; Maddy was so cute with her brown reddish hair and blue eyes… Cassie wondered if she would keep the eye color, since Nathan had brown eyes already, as did Milou from birth.
Shaking his head, Jack gestured towards the filled bottle waiting on the counter. "Go ahead," he smirked, happy that Cassie seemed to enjoy helping out with the children. He wasn't afraid to admit he needed help. Hell, he'd become a father of three infants overnight! He watched as Cassie picked up Maddy in an already routine move, went over to the counter to test the temperature before feeding her the bottle. As if on purpose, Milou started to cry in her crib wanting to get out from her nap. Quickly finishing Nathan's bottle he placed the boy back in his seat before going over to Milou to pick her up. She immediately clung to his shirt and snuggled even closer, he hugged her back and spoke in a soothing tone to her. He was still marveling from the ease with which she had adjusted to her new life. He'd been a father before, but that had been years ago and he felt like he needed a refresh course, yet she had accepted him from the start and hardly protested if he was doing something wrong or too slow. Jack nuzzled her soft, blond, baby hairs while carrying her over to the dresser, ready to change her diaper.
"Jack?"
He called back to Cassie, asking what was wrong, as he quickly changed the diaper and picked out a new onesie for Milou. "You like this one?"
"I don't think she's ready to choose her own clothes yet, Jack," Cassie teased from the doorway, having walked over to the room with Maddy still in her arms. "What do you want for lunch?"
"Just a sandwich will do," he mumbled, packing up the dirty, smelly diaper.
"Turkey?"
"Since it's probably my last chance, I'll take one with ham and cheese."
"Pete?" Sam questioned as she felt his hand caressing her abdomen. When he didn't answer, she looked up from the files and glanced over her shoulder, seeing him smile a lazy smile.
"Hey babe," he smiled smugly before pressing a kiss on her shoulder. He pulled up the hem of her nightgown, stroking her thigh with his hand.
"Pete," Sam groaned, batting his hand away. "Not now, I'm busy."
"You know, all work and no play makes Sam a–"
"Pete," she protested, pushing him gently away. "I really have to finish this; McKay is coming over from Atlantis to work on this with me. I have to be prepared, I don't have time for this," she sighed.
"This?" Pete huffed, slightly hurt. "Sam, please…"
"I'm sorry, it's just that I have to do this first," she waved the file in front of him, before focusing back on the small black letters.
Letting out an exasperated sigh, Pete rolled on his back. "Fine, it's just been three days already. We're supposed to be newlyweds, Sam."
"I told you I had a lot of work to do this weekend," she turned to him. "I'm already sleep-deprived, I look like crap and I'm sure I'll get some nice comments about my appearance from McKay. I don't want to give him another reason to call me a 'dumb blonde,' again."
"You're not a dumb blonde," Pete whispered as he watched her return her attention to her paperwork. He heard a few cracks of static, before the crying of his son came through loud and clear. Pete groaned, silencing the intercom and getting up to take a look at his son.
Sam watched him get up and leave and she sighed again. Rubbing her tired eyes, she scribbled a few notes on the paper before stashing them away. By the time Pete came back, she had crawled under the covers with her nightlight turned off.
"All done?" He asked, slipping under the covers as well, scooting over to her.
"Yeah, you?"
He nuzzled her neck, before looking at her. "Tim lost his pacifier, I also checked on Lola and she's fast asleep," he replied, referring to his children that were staying over for the weekend. His hand crept up her leg again and he was surprised as she swatted it away – again. "Is something wrong?"
"No, it's just- I- I don't think I can do it, while they…" Sam started, gesturing towards the wall with her hand.
Frowning, he forced her to look at him. "Are you saying you can't have sex knowing the children are asleep down the hall?"
Smiling sheepishly, Sam nodded shyly. "It's just weird…."
"Okay… look Sam, I'm trying to be understanding here but we can't keep doing this. Or better yet, not doing this. The kids are here every other weekend, are you saying you don't want to have sex every other weekend?"
"I don't know, it's just… what if they wake up while we're in the middle?"
"What if we have children of our own? As soon as the first one is born, we're not having sex anymore? Because that one's for keeps, you know. That won't be every other weekend…"
"Just give me some time to get used to the idea, okay?" Sam huffed, before turning over, deciding it was time to get some sleep. "I really am too tired."
"I'm back," Ilse mentioned as she walked back into her apartment. Looking around while hanging up her coat, she was surprised to see no one was in the living room. Padding through the corridors, she smiled as she overheard Cassie telling a fairytale and coming closer, she saw Jack in the corner of the baby room, packing up the last things. "Hey," she softly greeted, not wanting to interrupt Cassandra while entertaining a sleepy Maddy.
"I'm almost done," Jack whispered, grabbing a few diapers for the diaper bags, before leaning down to pick up Milou.
It was only then that Ilse noticed Milou had been sitting on the floor in front of Cassie, while she had been holding Maddy. Looking over to his crib, she saw Nathan was already sound asleep. On her toes, she walked over and stroked his soft hair, before pressing a kiss on his forehead. He had been sleeping a lot lately, but the doctors had assured them he was as healthy as was possible for him and moving abroad wouldn't put him in any danger. Turning, she saw Jack standing in the doorway, motioning for her to follow him, so she did. One last glance at Cassie and Maddy made her smile and she quickly rounded the corner.
"Did you get the passports?" Jack asked, shifting Milou in his arms until she was more comfortable.
Nodding, she grabbed her purse and pulled them out before handing them over. "Here they are, one for each. We were lucky that we could have them issued with priority…"
"Yeah," he agreed, holding them in his hands. Looking around, he noticed his briefcase near the couch and walked over, throwing the documents on the coffee table. "How was lunch?"
"It was good," she hesitantly started. "Well, it was kind of sad, actually," she continued after getting his attention. "Emma was asking about Lily and eventually that was all we talked about and in a way it was comforting, but it was also quite emotionally."
"I'm sorry," he sympathized. "C'mere," he stretched out his free arm while the other tightened around Milou, securing her.
Shyly, Ilse stepped in his arm, hugging him and Milou. The little girl immediately grabbed a lock of her long hair with her clammy hands and it made her smile, despite the fact she actually had a strong grip. Her own arms tried to encircle Jack and Milou, but despite the small body, she actually took in a lot of space, so Ilse just held one arm around Jack and the other around Milou. As always, Jack's hugs had a soothing, calming effect on her and it made her feel safe.
Hearing the small sigh, he tightened his grip around Ilse and Jack softly pressed a kiss on her crown. "It's okay, you're allowed to be upset, you know."
Relinquishing her hold on him, she leaned back, a sad smile gracing her features. "I know, it's just so strange. One day she was living her life and the next… the kids make me smile, they keep me busy, you and Cassie keep me busy. I feel like I have hardly mourned the loss of my sister, which in turn makes me feel like a horrible person."
"You're not a horrible person. Hell, you helped her through her disease, you flew halfway around the world to keep me updated instead of just calling, and eventually you're here, helping me raise her beautiful children. You agreed to become their legal guardian in case something happens to me, that's not something a horrible person would do."
Ilse gave Milou a peck on the cheek, before turning away. "I guess you're right, everything just happened so fast in the end. The babies were born, Lily died, she had already arranged the funeral and her last will and all of a sudden we were taking care of her kids."
"Yeah," he agreed, softly rocking Milou, more to relax himself than for her benefit, but the girl didn't seem to mind. Changing the subject, he nodded towards Cassie's suitcase near the door. "We're almost done packing, just a few last minute baby things. Mine and Cassie's things are all packed up already."
"Good, what about Lily's things?" Ilse gently inquired; referring to the things she had left him or the children.
Sitting down, Jack shrugged. "I'm not sure; I'd like most of them in Washington, Colorado or the cabin, just to keep them close. Besides, they're still at her house, right? She suggested I'd sell it, but I'm not sure. What's the market like these days?"
"Sell it?" Ilse exclaimed, stunned.
"Yes?" He cautiously asked, somehow feeling as he was walking on thin ice.
"You can't sell her house!"
"Look, Ilse, I know it's–"
Shaking her head and holding up her hands, she interrupted him. "No, it's not like that. She loved that place, I love that place, I can't believe she told you to sell it."
Readjusting the hemline of Milou's little dress, Jack fidgeted. "Perhaps she didn't want me to feel obligated to keep it?"
"Well, she sure as hell left you more than enough money to keep it," Ilse huffed. Realizing what that sounded like, she hastily corrected herself. "Not that I'm saying you shouldn't get the money, you should. You all of a sudden have three kids to look after, luckily, you were already aware of this before buying your new house… it's just that her house is surrounded by forests and pastures, it's where Mom's family comes from. Where I was born, where I grew up the first few years of my life and where Mom still lives. It is only an hour or an hour and a half from here. It would be the perfect place for a vacation," she tried, finding it really hard to have to part with the house Lily had made her home.
"Fine, I'll keep it for now," Jack said, as if he was talking about the wrong brand of liquid soap, instead of an expensive house. As Milou was yawning, he nodded to her. "She's getting quite sleepy, maybe I should let her get some rest before we leave."
"Sure thing, her crib is still in my room," Ilse agreed. They had agreed that she would keep the essentials in this apartment for the times Jack and the kids would come visiting, while he would take all the stuff back to Washington. Ilse knew he already had bought some things after Lily's condition had worsened, and when their little sister asked him to face the outcome of her battle against the disease, he had succumbed to her encouragements to prepare himself for the worse.
Jack got up to put the girl to bed and when he came back, Cassie and Ilse were talking animatedly about something. A small smile was gracing his features; he had never expected to be part of a real family anymore after Charlie died, then Cassie came along and he became her substitute-father and now, even though he had lost his little sister he had gained three small children who depended on him to care for them.