"I don't need a babysitter." Cassie said to Marge as she made her sit down to eat.

"No but she does." Marge said of Grace who was doodling at the table. "Put the artwork away missy." She admonished her great niece.

"So? I still don't see why we are all here anyway."

"Because your mom went with your godparents this time and she'll be gone a couple days. Therefore it's just easier if Grace and I stay here at your mom's. Unless you want to come stay at my duplex with the cat." Sam had given her Shroe when Grace was little because Sam wasn't home enough and he'd been back and forth a few times and even in to visit Sam's friends at work once but he was effectively Marge's cat.

"I think the dog would object." Cassie said with an eye roll.

"Well there you go. Besides, it's only a two bedroom and I'm not sleeping on the couch young lady." Marge grinned though.

"Well. I have a date so I'll see you guys later."

"You will eat first, young lady." Marge said firmly.

"Ugh… fine. You're as bad as my mom, Aunt Marge."

"So I'm told dear." Marge agreed and started putting dinner on the table. Pasta with meat sauce, a batch of steamed broccoli and a small roast.

"I thought they were supposed to have that film crew this week?" Grace asked.

"Probably caught wind of a mission and ditched them. You know how dad is." Cassie replies.

"I'm just glad mom didn't decide this was a good time to have stinky Pete to watch me." Grace grumbled.

"Stinky Pete feet." Cassie said snorting in amusement."

"It's not neat to smell Pete feet." Grace said laughing.

"All right you two. That's enough." Marge admonished them both but by this point both girls were giggling helplessly.

"Honestly, what is with you two? Pete seems perfectly nice and don't you want your mom to be happy Grace?"

"Mom was already happy Auntie Marge. She doesn't need stinky Pete."

Cassie snorted at the name again.

"Grace… I understand your feelings, I really do but it's your mother's decision not yours."

"Well it should be. I have to put up with him too and everything was fine before."

Marge sighed heavily. Grace was eight but sometimes she spoke and thought like an adult. An adult watching her parent's relationship falling apart. "Grace… look doll, we all wanted things to turn out differently but this assignment has been going on for so long and there's no end in sight. They are both necessary and vital members of the team. What are they supposed to do? Shack up and hope no one notices?"

"She could get a temporary re-assignment, they could get married and then they could apply for a join-spouse. I looked it up." Grace says matter-of-factly. "All mom had to do was ask dad if he wanted to be with her. I already know his answer. I don't know why she doesn't." Grace huffed and dug into her meat savagely.

"Dad?" Marge said softly.

Grace looked up and her eyes grew large when she realized what she'd said. "Um…"

"Gracie…"

"Look… I've known for a while Auntie Marge. No one told me. I figured it out on my own." She said defensively.

"Does your mom know you know?"

Grace shook her head.

"Good. Keep it that way."

Grace and Cassie looked at each other than at Marge. "That's what dad said to do too." Cassie told Marge.

Marge looked at Cassie thoughtfully. "Tell me why you don't like him, Grace. The exact reason." Marge knew Grace would have a very specific list not just vague dislike.

"He's fake. And not in a trying to get people to like him way either. He doesn't like you but he pretends to because you're Sam's aunt. I saw him watching dad and I at school when he picked me up one day. He had no reason to be there. He doesn't have kids and if he did they would be in Denver. He treats mom like a thing not a person. He buys her stuff to press buttons."

"Like a guy who's nice to get laid." Cassie supplied.

"Cassandra." Marge admonished her.

"But that's what he's doing. He's not nice because he's a nice person, he's nice to get things. In this case, Aunt Sam. What happens when he has her?"

"What if he talks her into quitting her job and doesn't let her spend time with Uncle Danny or Dad or Uncle T?" Grace points out. "If no one is supposed to know Uncle Jack is my dad, how does he justify getting to see me if Pete tells mom she can't spend time with her coworkers because they are guys?"

"Your mom wouldn't do that sweetie."

"Sure she would if she moved up to Denver. Then what? "

"Grace, what if you're wrong and he's a nice guy who just loves your mom?"

"Doesn't what I want matter at all Auntie Marge? I don't want mom and dad to break up." Grace cried.

Marge got up and sat in the chair next to Grace's and hugged her tightly. "I'm so sorry, baby. I know this is hard. I wish there was something, anything I could do but this is your mom's decision, doll, and we just have to trust her and live with it."

"Well it sucks." Grace said, sniffling.

"It will get better." She told her. "It might seem like it's not going to but it will."

P3X-666 was burned into his memory. What an ironic number really. If he'd known about her interview answers he'd have handled things differently but as far as Jack knew… Sam's feelings for him had changed. He had no idea that it was just that she'd given up on the war ever ending.

Janet had just wanted to stabilize Simon. The kid was going to bleed out otherwise. She was doing her job. She shouldn't have even been there but SG-13 had fallen under fire and Dixon wanted to get his people out. All of them. The last thing he'd remembered from the op was Sam screaming his name when he went down.

She'd come to him, eventually… held each other… shit.

"I see. Yes… yes I'll tell them. Are you all right, doll? No, I know you aren't. I'm so sorry… I know. I'll see you soon." Marge hangs up her cell phone with a heavy heart.

Marge went over to the couch where the girls were eating popcorn and watching some cheesy rom-com. Cassie's date had been a bust and she'd come home early.

"Cass…." Marge swiped away a tear. She understood why Sam couldn't be the one to do this. She really did. "Cassandra…" Marge said softly.

"'Sup. Marge?" Cassie says absently.

Marge comes around the couch and sits down with an unhappy frown. "That was Sam. There was an accident…"

"Are mom and dad okay?" Grace asked.

Marge nods as she sniffles. "Jack… he got hit but he had on body armor. He's going to be okay. I think your mom might have gotten some aggressions out avenging him though… Cass…."

"No."

"I'm sorry, Cass… she was stabilizing someone on another team… Cass… I'm so sorry."

"No! Marge, no! My mom was a doctor not a soldier like dad and Aunt Sam. She can't be… she… she can't." Cassie's face crumpled as she flung herself into Marge's arms and sobbed.

Grace's eyes welled up. "It's not fair!" She cried and Marge put her other arm around her and held both girls close.