"Hey girls?" Jack said opening the door, beer in hand. "What brings you by?"
"Existential angst." Grace tells him and gives him a kiss on his cheek.
"Ah… what?"
Both girls swept past Jack and went into his sunken living room.
"Can I get either of you anything?" Jack asked them. Still confused.
Grace flopped dramatically in her father's lounge chair and stared flipping TV stations.
"I... uh… guess I wasn't watching that." Jack says of his hockey game.
"They were losing anyway." Grace says absently until she finds there's nothing on she wants to watch and puts the hockey game back on.
"So…" Jack says.
"Can I move in with you for a while?" Grace finally says piteously. Cassie looks at Jack and shrugs.
"What brought this on kiddo?" Jack asks her gently, crouching by the chair.
"Dad I really don't like this guy." Grace says miserably and throws herself into his arms. Crying.
Jack looks up at Cassie. 'Dad?' he mouths. Cassie shrugs.
Jack sat on the floor and cuddled Grace in his arms. "Hey, I know this is a big adjustment for you sweetheart, but it will be all right. Your mom wouldn't date anyone that would hurt you I promise."
Cassie sat on the edge of the couch. "I don't think it's just that dad. She said there was something off about him. I don't think it's about Grace. I think there's something wrong with the guy too."
"Look, guys, what is it you two are expecting here? That everything will just go back to the way things were? It doesn't work like that. I… Hell… I thought eventually Sam and I would be together too but girls, I love you both no matter what. I'm not going anywhere. I promise." Jack told them.
"I don't want to go home to that guy being there, dad. He stalked mom. I think he might have been at the school too."
"Grace…"
"Dad, I'm serious! You know how I notice stuff other people don't."
"Dad?"
Grace gives Jack a flat look very much like her father's.
Jack frowns.
Grace crosses her arms over her chest in a very Jacob Carter sort of way. "I know you're my dad. I've known for a while now."
"Did someone…"
"No. I figured it out on my own."
"She's really good at mystery novels too dad." Cassie pointed out.
Jack scrubbed his hand into his hair. "You guys can stay the night but Grace sweetie, you have to go home in the morning. I'll call your mom and let her know you're here so she doesn't worry."
"Call Auntie Marge. Mom is on a date. She doesn't care where I am tonight."
"All right. It might be best if you don't say anything to your mom about knowing I'm your dad right now."
"Why?"
"Because if you're right about this guy, I don't want him knowing anything else important. I won't make you guys any promises but… I'll keep my eyes open. If looks like he's hurting her or manipulating her, I'll step in. All right?"
"Can't you just tell her you love her and beg her to come back to you?"
"I wish it worked that way kiddo." Jack said sadly and ruffled her hair. "Also, how on earth did you figure out I'm your dad?"
Grace giggled. "I look just like Charlie, dad. We even have the same eyes. And I have your grandma's hair."
Jack blinked. "That's all you needed to figure it out?"
Grace gave her father an exasperated look. Cassie laughed. "Dad, she does look exactly like you. It's kind of obvious."
Jack shook his head. "Does your mom know?" He demanded of Cassie.
"Nope."
"Anyone?"
"Not a soul. Scout's honor."
The next morning he makes them waffles and bacon. He's better about keeping fruit in the house for Grace specifically so they have strawberries and whipped cream on their waffles.
Jack watches the girls giggle together and sadly wishes Sam were here and this was just a happy Saturday morning with his family.
"So listen you two, Rundell and I have to go out of town for a few days. Some documentary crap the AF wants us to play along with. We have to set up the details with the producers before we can let them into the SGC."
Grace frowns.
"I know." Jack says holding up his hand. "I still think the guy is probably harmless. I didn't get a vibe off him that he's violent."
Grace and Cassie exchange a look. There were more ways to hurt a woman than hitting her. Even eight year old Grace knew that.
"Stop it both of you." He admonishes them. "Sam is fine. Let's all try to be happy for your mom." He says pointedly to his daughter.
Grace just rolls her eyes.
"Right. I forgot who I was talking to." And the thing was, Grace had inherited his bullshit detector. And she was there and he wasn't. So possibly she was picking up on something Jack was missing because he just wanted this to run its course so things would go back to normal. She clearly still had feelings for him by their conversation about her dating Pete so he just didn't get it. If she still loved him why was she even dating this guy?
Was it to force his hand finally? But if so why? Things were fine before. Sure waiting stunk but they were happy. Weren't they? He'd been happy. Hadn't Sam?
If he knew about her hallucinations he'd have been able to explain to her that being in love wasn't being delirious with emotion all the time. It was that soft contented feeling of knowing you are loved and loving that person back. She had love already. All she had to do was talk to him about it. When he said he wasn't going anywhere he'd meant that. How could he when she was his heart?
But Sam had never told him what happened to her personally on that ship, only that she'd been awake for days because she was afraid if she slept she'd die due to her head injury. He figured it had made her loopy enough to draw some really unhappy conclusions about their situation. When she got home, Jack had been ready to say screw it and retire for her. Now he supposed it didn't matter if she didn't want to be with him long term anyway.
The girls left shortly after breakfast and Jack closed the door with a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. Sam was serious about this guy. Serious enough not to notice their daughter's feelings. But if something made her realize she didn't want to be with him… there wasn't anything he could do other than be there for his daughter and hope eventually she adjusted to the situation.
"I'm starting to see why you were so crabby for a couple years." Grace said in the car.
"I was not crabby."
Grace gives Cassie a long look.
"Stop that. It's creepy."
"Stop what?"
"Stop acting exactly like dad when he knows stuff."
"But I do know stuff."
"You're eight. It's creepy."
"You're seventeen, you should know by now that doesn't mean diddly squat. The Kaufman assessment test says I'm emotionally older than you are."
"Great, my little cousin is a grown up stuck in a kid's body." Cassie stuck her tongue out.
"You think it's weird for you. Try being me."