October had come, and Jack was still on medical leave, the bruise had slowly cleared up, and if all were well in the next few days, he would be back on active duty. Jack had considered taking a long vacation with Sam, but the last few weeks had been hectic at the SGC, and Jack didn't have to be there to realize Sam had been overly stressed. Unlike most people, Sam would be even more stressed if she just left so, Jack hadn't said anything about the arrangements. He hoped that once everything had calmed down, he would be taking Sam where ever she wanted to go.
Sam had spent a lot of time with Jack but usually ended up going back to her home or staying on base. Sam had come to find out she moved a lot in her sleep and had hit a bruise one too many times.
Jack had hated to see her leave every night, wanting to ask her to stay, but he knew that it would lead to an uncomfortable night's sleep, so he let her go. Jack had been exercising lightly, walking around the neighborhood, lifting smaller weights. He was had caught up on his backlog of hockey and had was excited to watch some live games.
Cassie had been over to the home a few times, mainly in the middle of the week. Jack was so tired of hearing about Elliot's 18th birthday. Jack seriously thought he was just going to get Janet to come to get Cassie because she was fretting over the party plans. When Jack asked why she was planning and not his parents, he got a cryptic answer he wasn't sure he liked. Jack was wondering if this party was more of a weekend at someone's house whose parents had gone away. When Jack questioned Cassie more and more she claimed it was nothing to worry about continued calling Elliot's friends and asking them to bring some things for his party.
The party was this coming Friday, with his birthday actually falling on Saturday. Jack hated the fact that Elliott was 18. He knew the boy was still in high school. 18 seemed so different for him. Jack had just gotten into the academy when he turned 18. He was forced to be an adult before he had too. In college, he felt like he should already in a plane, and by the time she turned 25, he had already been shot and had too many notches in the bedpost to count. Jack had to wonder if Cassie was too nice, too caring, too kind, for this boy to turn around and break her heart.
Cassie was coming over after school again today. It was Wednesday, so he hoped for his sake that this was the last time he would hear her freak out about the details. Jack decided a beer would do him good before Cassie walked through his door, chatting away.
Sam was beyond frustrated. Sam had been told her only priority is to figure out a possible weapon brought from PX-1236. After contacting Thor about a planet they had gone too where they couldn't make out the inscription, the creatures on the planet could easily talk to the SG-3, 7, and questions were asked of who they were, they were basically told that it would be too confusing to comprehend. They gave the group a sphere and said that when they could figure out the information, they would no longer have to worry about any threats to their world or their allies. Even though it would have been a lot easier to give the object to Thor to analyze, it was insisted on by the pentagon that the item stays on Earth. Thor was given detailed descriptions and took a holographic image of it. He said he would try to find the answer hoping it would help them with the replicator problem.
Although the strange alien race could talk to the SG- a group it was telepathically, and although they could understand them then, they had no idea to make out the phrases in the book, and since they had come back through the gate, the gate was unable to dial out back to the planet.
Sam had looked for hours as well as Daniel, Michelle, and all the other scientists who worked there, not make heads or tails of the sphere.
It was beautiful; it looked like a crystal, and it was shimmering in the light. It was soft to the touch but wasn't pliable. She knew eventually that it would just go to Area 51 for more study because no one on base could figure it out, and she would be happy to pass it along at this rate. Sam was very curious, but she was continually thinking about it to the point Jack had called her out multiple times. General Hammond insisted she takes a break from it tomorrow and works on something else, hopefully, to reset and look again and see if she notices something new.
Cassie came to Jack's house and seemed to be in panic mode. Jack was trying to assess what was happening, but Cassie was all over the place. It had to do with Elliott but not his party. Cassie was crying and holding on to Jack for dear life.
"Dad, you have to help." Cassie kept insisting.
Jack's heart melted every time Cassie called him dad. He was so happy, but her tears were soul-crushing, and he wasn't even sure what Cassie was going on about.
"Cass, you have to breathe, honey, and tell me what's going on," Jack stated.
Cassie took a few deep breaths, and her tears stopped, but she refused to look into Jack's eyes, something she never had a problem with before.
"I was so stupid, dad," Cassie stated.
"Cass, what's wrong," Jack asked, 100 things flashing through his mind.
"I told Elliott it would be okay, he told me it wouldn't. I should have believed him," Cassie stated.
"Cassie, please just start from the beginning." Jack pressed.
"So, Elliott lives with his mom Larissa and dad Troy. He is the youngest of three. He was their surprise, baby. They moved here five years ago when Troy's job shut down the office in Pittsburgh. Apparently, the office here was a lot more demanding, and Troy couldn't keep up. He was pretty much fired, well I guess they told him he could take early retirement. His dad has been drinking a lot and told Elliott he was "dead weight." He told Elliott that he was 18, and they don't have to care for him anymore. That was about a month ago. I thought his dad was just dramatic, and his mom would talk his dad out of it. Last night his dad threw him a bunch of black trash bags and told him to get packing." Cassie claimed.
Jack sighed.
He looked down at his little girl, who was clearly heartbroken for her boyfriend.
"Does he have any family to go to?" Jack asked.
"His grandparents died when he was little, and his mom has a sister back in Pittsburgh who said he was welcome to stay with her, but they live in a tiny house he wouldn't even have a bed," Cassie explained.
"Friends?" Jack asked.
"He's been asking, but who lets an 18-year-old boy come live with them?" Cassie asked.
"What if he has to go back to Pittsburgh. Mom will never let me visit him." Cassie started crying again.
"Sweetheart, you know that he'd be leaving in a few more months anyway," Jack claimed.
"I know but, that's 7 months I thought I'd have with him." Cassie squealed.
She sobbed again, Jack's shirt soaking wet with her tears. He was so pissed. How could someone just walk away from their kid? He knew his parents did, but at least he had someone to go to. He had grandparents who cared for him and loved him and the sting of his parents not being able to "deal with him." never went away.
"Cass, he'll be 18 he can choose where he wants to go," Jack stated.
"He wants to stay here, he wants to finish school and graduate with his friends," Cassie claimed.
"I'm sure he does," Jack claimed.
"I want him here, dad." Cassie almost shouted.
Jack was trying to soothe her, and she finally was emotionally drained.
"Why don't you go lay down? I'll call your mom. You can stay here tonight. Sam will be here soon," Jack claimed.
Cassie nodded and drag herself up the steps to her room.
Jack scrubbed his face and sighed.
He knew having a teenage daughter would be difficult, but he didn't realize her having a boyfriend would make his life a nightmare. He thought that could only happen when they broke up. Now here he was contemplating if it was a good idea to let Elliott occupy the other spare room of his house for the next 7 months. There were about 1000 cons that instantly came to his head. There was only one pro, Cassie would be happy. He knew she would go on, and there were other options, not good options but options for Elliott to stay in town, including going to a homeless shelter. Jack was lost in thought when Sam came through the door with the pizza.
Sam looked at Jack for all of two seconds before asking, "What's wrong."
When Jack explained the situation to Sam, her face was red; she was upset about the whole situation herself.
"I don't get it," Sam claimed.
"Neither do I." Jack scrubbed his face.
The next morning Jack went and dropped off Cassie, then parked the truck and went inside. He explained the situation to the school secretary, which lead him to the school counselor.
Mrs. Riggs had listened to Jack's pleas for help for the 18-year-old. She sighed as she pulled out the needed paperwork.
"I wish he would have come to me sooner." Mrs. Riggs stated.
She printed out Elliot's record and filled out paperwork.
"If you don't mind me asking, what are you doing?" Jack asked.
"Well, I know to you this sounds like an outlandish thing that a parent would do to their child, but this is by far not the first or last time it will happen. I will help him fill out forms for assistance, for section 8 housing, for SNAP benefits, transitional housing. There is a program where he will still come to school here but will live in an apartment complex for kids, just starting out help him with school, help with college or trade skills, give him a leg up." Mrs. Riggs explained.
Jack rubbed the back of his neck.
"Won't that take time?" Jack asked.
"Yes, unfortunately, they are often full, then the next option is a homeless shelter, but once again, he would still go to school here.
"I don't think we have to go that far," Jack explained.
"Well, what do you mean?" Mrs. Riggs asked.
"Well, if he needs a place to stay, I guess he can stay with me for a while just until a spot opens up," Jack stated.
Mrs. Riggs smiled a the man.
"Well, let me call him down to the office and see what he wants to do. Maybe it's best I call you." Mrs. Riggs claimed.
"I won't get upset if he says no, hell, I'd say no," Jack claimed.
"Alright, well, give me a second." Mrs. Riggs stated.
Elliot admitted that what Cassie had told Jack was true, and he had been trying to find alternative living conditions and had saved up a bit of money. He couldn't sign anything until he turned 18. Jack had offered a place to stay until something could be figured out. Elliot wasn't keen on the idea of the placement, and Mrs. Riggs said that she would then proceed explaining how things work.
Elliot looked defeated. Jack looked at him with a sad expression.
Jack put a hand on the boy's shoulder.
"We'll figure it out. " Jack insured.
"I really appreciate your help. You don't have to and if you change your mind." Elliot started.
"No, don't worry about that. Just worry about finishing school." Jack claimed.
Elliot nodded his head.
Jack went home looking around, realizing suddenly he had no such thing as a spare bedroom. He wanted Elliot to call the place his own. If his parents were that hard for money, he may not have a lot he suspected he might have a few CD's, some clothes. He had a job so he may have a few nicer things, Jack wasn't really sure but he assumed it was more than Jack had when he went to the military. He knew how hard it was to feel unwanted. His grandparents loved him dearly, and he knew that, but there was still a pang in his chest that hurt when he thought about his parents.
Jack went through the 2 dressers in the spare bedroom. Jack laughed because he found at least 3 outfits of Daniel's and 3 of Sam's. There were a lot of older clothes of his that he hadn't worn in years, that he decided to bag up and donate. The other dresser was a giant junk drawer of things. Some of it was Charlies, some of it was old letters. A lot of it was possessions of his grandparents he had never put on display. He picked out a few things he remembered fondly and redecorated his home scattering them throughout the house. The closet was surprisingly bare, and just had an old treadmill that he pushed to the back. After that, he dusted and cleaned up, then suddenly thought about the fact Cassie's boyfriend would be living with him, and he wondered what the hell he just agreed to.
Janet was working and was sitting in her office, going over reports when her phone rang.
She was surprised to hear Jack O'Neill on the other line.
"Is everything okay? Your injury was doing well last I looked," Janet claimed.
"Has nothing to do with that, but I may have a new injury after I tell you what I just did," Jack claimed.
"Jack?" Janet questioned.
"Look, it was a spur of the moment thing, and I couldn't leave him out to dry." Jack started.
"Colonel, what's going on?" Janet insisted.
"Has Cassie told you about Elliott's situation?" Jack asked.
"Situation?" Janet asks again.
"Well, apparently his parents kicked him out, he's 18, he can fend for himself kind of deal," Jack stated.
"What did you do?" Janet asked.
"Told him he could stay here while the school counselor helps him figure it out," Jack claimed.
"How long are we talking?" Janet asked.
"I have no clue," Jack admitted.
"I wish someone would have told me first, how is Cass supposed to stay there if he's there?" Janet asked.
"As I said, I never got there far. Maybe it will just be a few days." Jack stated.
Both knew instantly that wasn't true.
"I think she was in denial," Jack stated.
"Well, be that as it may, I do appreciate you telling me even though it was after the fact. We'll talk more later." Janet claimed.
Jack nodded his head as though she could see it and hung up the phone.