"Why are we wearing hats?" Georgie asked.
"Because it's festive!" Cassie told him and pulled his up just enough that the string made a pop when she let go and the conical hat plopped back on his head.
"Pete never did this stuff." The boy said in a long suffering voice. "He and mom always went to a party and we had a babysitter."
"Why are you calling your dad by his first name?" Cassie asked in curiosity as she idly fished through the bin of Legos on the floor of his bedroom.
"He's not my dad." Georgie's posture stiffened and his hands clenched into fists.
"I know you're mad at him, buddy, but- "
"Cassie, he's NOT my dad." Georgie glared at her and huffed angrily.
"Why do you think that?" She asked him gently.
"Because Jack is my dad. We have the same hair and we think the same way and… and we have the same hair." He said throwing up his arms in exasperation. Unable to further articulate the gut feeling he had that Jack was his real father. His real, real father.
"I used to pretend Uncle Jack was my dad too sometimes. I was so sad after my parents died and Jack loves me so much. It was nice to pretend. It made me feel better."
"I. Am not. PRETENDING." Georgie ground out, furious.
Jack's head popped in. "What's going on?" He asked mildly but his heart sank. He'd heard every bit of it. Sam was going to have to come clean finally.
"Jack tell her!" Georgie demanded. He'd hit the point of shaking with fury and Jack was getting a little concerned. He'd forgotten how he used to get as a kid when he was overloading emotionally and was now witnessing how it must have looked to those around him.
"C'mere." He said softly to the boy and hugged him tightly while Georgie sobbed and clutched his shirt, his hat having slid around to the side of his head like an awkward horn. "It's ok, buddy, just calm down all right." He rubbed the boy's back soothingly like his mom used to him when he got this way over something.
Sam who had heard the outburst but not the contents had come upstairs to investigate the commotion. She walked in on Jack cradling Georgie gently against himself while the boy sobbed and Cassie looking as confused as possible. "What happened? Is Georgie hurt?" She asked Cassie.
Cassie shook her head. "I'm not sure what happened. We were talking and he said something about Pete and I told him I know he's mad at his dad but he shouldn't call him by his first name because it's a little disrespectful and he just kind of… exploded." She didn't really want to tell Sam why or how Georgie had exploded.
Sam, looking a little perplexed crouched next to Jack. "Georgie? What's wrong, sweetie?" she asked him gently.
Georgie turned his huge blue eyes to his mother "Mom." He took a long slow, shuddering breath to center himself and try to regain some of his equilibrium. Jack was truly impressed. He didn't know if Sam had taught him that or if he had some great teachers but he wished he'd had that ability at Georgie's age. "Mom." He said more firmly. "Pete is not my dad."
Sam sucked in a breath and muttered "Oh boy." under her breath knowing full well Jack and Cassie both heard her. She sank down on Georgie's bed. Thank goodness Jake was watching cartoons obliviously in the den. She sighed and looked down at her hands thoughtfully for a while. "Sit down. All of you. Please."
Georgie opted to stand leaning into his mom. Jack sat next to Cassie who looked at him with concern. Jack squeezed her hand where Sam couldn't see it and suddenly Cassie understood. Jack already knew. He'd left it up to Sam to tell him when she was ready.
Sam kissed the top of Georgie's head and looked at Jack, an apology in her eyes. "I really didn't know at first. Everything happened so fast and I was so upset at the time that I just accepted the situation for what it was. I… I wondered of course but he was born when he was supposed to be so it must have happened the last night we were together."
Her arm tightened around Georgie. "By the time I figured it out, I'd been married for three years and had another baby on the way. I didn't know what else to do. I know you deserved to know but I also knew you didn't want to be with me, or thought you didn't because of how we parted. It's no excuse but by then Pete pretty much had me convinced there was no way I'd be able to handle being a single mom and you stayed on at HWS so I assumed you were satisfied with your life without me… without us in it." She sniffled a little.
"So, yes, Jack is your real dad Georgie. But you can't tell anyone outside of this room ever, ok?" she told the boy.
"Why not?" he asked, confused.
Sam sighed and looked helplessly at Jack whose expression was closed off. She internalized it that he did so because he was angry at her. She had no way of knowing that he was trying desperately to hide the pride he felt for her right now for facing one of her biggest poor choices and not apologizing for doing what she thought was right at the time.
"Georgie, there are very bad people in this world that if they knew for certain that you are my son, they would use that information to hurt your mom." Jack told him in a man to man sort of way.
He smiled with pride when Georgie lifted his chin with O'Neill level defiance. "They better not." Was all the boy said and Jack's heart swelled.
"You can't even tell your little brother, Georgie." Jack admonished him.
"Why not?"
"Because he's little and he'll forget it's a secret." Jack explained.
Georgie looked thoughtful for a moment. "Yah, he has trouble keeping his big yap shut." The boy said and a chortle escaped Sam's mouth before she clamped a hand over it.
"Why don't you go downstairs and watch TV with Jake for a while?" Jack suggested.
"Ok." He said cheerfully. He turned as he reached the end of the bed. "Dad."
Jack gave him a broad grin but put his finger to his lips. "For now, son, just call me Jack, ok? I'll let you know when it's ok to call me dad."
Georgie ran back and hugged Jack fiercely before leaving.
"I'll just.. ah.. go keep an eye on the kids." Cassie said and high tailed herself out of the room. It had been pure luck she was home for the holidays. Luck and probably nosiness when it had gotten back to her that her aunt and uncle seemed to be on their way to mending fences. She had wanted to see for herself.
"Carter…"
"Sir." She said sadly.
"Jesus, Sam. Stop that. I'm not mad at you for what you did."
She looked up at him, unshed tears in her eyes. "I'm mad at me for what I did. I… I kept your son from you for eight years. That's… that's almost as long as Charlie was alive. And I think Pete knew Georgie wasn't his all along. He never loved that boy, not even when he was an angelic little baby."
Jack dragged her into his arms with a mumbled 'c'mere'. "Don't Sam. Please don't torture yourself with this. Yes I would have liked to have been part of my son's life. I love him. But I'd love him even if he wasn't my son Sam. Because he's part of you."
"That's the worst cliché you've ever made." She mumbled against his shirt.
"I know, I know, I sound like one of those rom-com's Cassie likes so much. I'm serious though Sam. I'd have loved him either way. I mean, I should have figured it out with that hair. Oy." He said trying to get her to laugh.
She proffered a watery smile he accepted before kissing her gently on the temple. He wanted so badly to tell her how much he loved her but they had such a fragile balance, especially right now. "Let's go settle our nerves before I do or say something stupid Carter." Jack stood and helped her up off the low bed.
"Speak for yourself. I never say stupid things I don't intend to."
"Liar." He said with a laugh and slung his arm over her shoulders in a friendly manner. "We ok?"
"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" she asked.
"Well, I'm not the one that just had to admit her first kid is her boss's love child so I figured this one was yours."
"Are you being funny?"
"Is it working?" he asked hopefully.
"A little, yah." She said with a jerky kind of nod.
"Success!" He said and walked with her to the stairs. "Ladies first."
"Chivalry? At a time like this?"
"Well, I can't watch your six from in front of you Carter." He said perfectly reasonably as she gave him the side eye. He returned her look with an innocent one.
Later that evening, after banging pots and pans outside and screaming happy New Year with the neighbors, Cassie was passed out on the sofa bed in the den which now doubled as a guest room. She'd drank a bit too much, wallowing in a recent break up still. Jack and Sam were comfortably numb and the kids were leaning on them sleepily.
"We should get them to bed and I should get going." Jack told her. Mostly because she snuggled on his shoulder and he was having weird fantasies about fathering another child with her. Need to nip that nonsense in the bud you dirty old man. You got a kid out of this deal. Count your blessings.
"You had as much to drink as I did and I'm in no shape to drive." She told him sleepily. One hand creeping up his chest to settle on his neck. She patted his cheek affectionately before settling again.
This is what his life should have been, he thought sadly. The kids cuddled against them, her all but in his lap. He was glad he'd handled tonight the way he had. Talking to Daniel about it first had helped. Helped him put her actions into perspective before he jumped to conclusions about her behavior. Ran his mouth and hurt her again instead of doing what he came here to do which was take care of her. Not in an overt way she'd resent but the way he used to before it all went to shit. To stand at her back and cover her blind spots. Just like she always had his.
"Up. Up. Uncle Jack has to pee." He told them and groaned as he got up. "Who ordered this being old shit?" He groused as he walked to the hall bathroom.
Sam smirked then stretched and yawned. "Ok boys, time for bed." She told them to a choir of groans. She led them upstairs and got a pillow and blanket out of the hall closet for Jack so he could crash on the couch.
"What's that for, mom?"
"Uncle Jack had too much to drink like Cassie did so he's going to sleep on the couch tonight." She told Georgie.
"Can we sleep in your bed tonight?" He asked.
She looked down and realized what a rough day he'd had. "Sure kiddo."
"Can Jack sleep in bed with us?" His question was utterly innocent but Sam blushed anyway.
"Yah! There's lots of room, mama! Please?!" Jake begged.
"We'll sleep in the middle." Georgie offered with calculated wisdom.
Sam sighed.
"Kids, Sam, I'm gonna go." Jack yelled up the stairs.
"Dammit." She stumbled down the stairs and into his arms.
"Woah. Hello." He said warmly and pulled her in to nuzzle her hair. A smile on his face. "Fancy meeting you here Carter." His voice had become an affectionate purr that still did funny things to her insides.
"Ok now I know you've had too much to drink." His hands were inching up and brushing the underside of her breasts and she wasn't wearing a bra under her loose sweatshirt. "Come on up to bed, Jack." She told him softly.
He gave her a smoldering look. He was just drunk enough not to realize it was a trick. "M'k," he said with a sloppy smile and kicked his shoes back off and pulling off his coat to walk up the stairs dragging his sweatshirt off as he went up the stairs. Sam watched his movements and swallowed. It was a good thing the kids would be in bed with them. Sam didn't think she had the will power to hold back if he made a pass at her.
She arrived at her bedroom door to discover the boys giggling and snuggling against a shirtless Jack wearing just his boxers. He'd fortunately only gotten that far by the time the boys rushed the room. Sam grinned at them.
"Hop in Carter, I hear there's a party in your bed."
She grinned at him and slid under the blankets. "Good night boys, go to sleep." She told them.
"This isn't what I thought you had in mind, Carter." He muttered but there was a laugh in his voice.
"Surprise." She said and reached out and affectionately stroked his hair across the pillows.
"Hm, ok, that's not so bad." He said sleepily. "Love you guys." He mumbled as he drifted off to sleep.
Some time around five am Georgie woke and sat up. He looked at his parents and smiled. His mom's hand was still nestled against his dad's hair. His dad's leg had inched over and was pressed up against his mom's knee. He felt safe, loved. The way his friends felt with their parents.
"Jake." He whispered and shook his brother awake.
"Go 'way Georgie." His brother muttered.
"Don't you need to pee?" It was a dirty trick but it always worked.
"Why you do that, Georgie? I didn't have to pee before that." Jake sat up and crawled over Jack's leg, complaining the whole way. Georgie followed him and carefully closed the door behind him, grinning a little.
An hour later Jack blinked awake. He was nose-to-nose with Sam and it took a supreme effort not to kiss her awake. He opted instead to stroke the soft skin of her lower back where her sweatshirt had inched up.
She let out a soft hum and arched against him. Whoa. Ok he could work with this. A hand slid up his stomach to twine into his chest hair in a familiar way and blue eyes met his. "Good morning." He said softly.
Sam blinked, looked at his lips then back up at his eyes. "Jack? Um… where are the kids?"
"If I was going to guess, watching cartoons." He said. "I think we've been hoodwinked."
"Horns-waggled." She agreed.
"We should probably talk to him about that."
"Won't do any good. Once he gets an idea in his head that's pretty much how things are."
"I don't know anyone like that." Jack said innocently.
"Yes neither you nor my father have ever in your lives acted that way." She said dryly.
"You gotta admit Carter, this is a pretty nice way to wake up." He tucked a wisp of hair behind her ear. "I've missed it." He admitted.
She looked at him, saw the naked emotion in his eyes. She closed her eyes. She couldn't let him hope. Not for that. She didn't know he'd seen the love reflected in her eyes before she'd panicked.
Ok, I can work with this. It's not that she doesn't. She's afraid. My fault. I'll just… act casual.
Sam patted his shoulder affectionately without answering and got up and went to use the bathroom.
Well, it wasn't a 'no', he decided.
