AN: You know that part you guys keep bugging me about? Well... here.

Determined experimental value

Later that night Sam and Grace sat in Jack's living room after dinner. He'd ordered them Italian take out. He supposed he could have cooked but he wanted to focus on his family.

Grace was curled up in a corner reading. "Hey kiddo, can we talk to you about something?" Jack said to his daughter.

"Sure dad." She said absently and put her book down with a marker in it. Neither parent approved of tenting a book. She was currently reading something by Piers Anthony that made her giggle every few minutes. The cover had a chimera on it.

Sam and Jack exchanged a look. They had terrible news and they hoped… wonderful news. Which to tell her first? Sam nodded slightly. They would start with dad.

"Grace sweetie… I have some bad news I need to tell you." Sam said sadly.

Grace got up and sat on the coffee table facing her mom. "Don't tell me, you decided to marry the shrub." She says resigned.

"No… that is something we need to talk to you about, but… that's not it. Grace honey… it's about your grandpa. He was sick when he got into town, that's why he came home. To say goodbye."

"He told me to tell you he loves you and he's sorry he couldn't do it in person." Jack told her.

"So…. he's… already gone?"

"I'm so sorry Grace, there wasn't enough time to try to get you into the facility." Sam says to her apologetically.

Grace's eyes well up and she finds herself in both her parents' arms, Jack has joined Sam on the couch to hug her. Grace cries softly. "I miss him." She sniffles.

"We miss him too sweetheart."

After a while Grace sits up and realizes her parents aren't just holding her, they are holding each other as well. She had felt something had shifted between them the last few weeks but had been afraid to hope. Her mom, after all, was still dating Pete. Pete… "Mom… Is Pete going to be at the funeral?"

"I don't think so honey… Pete and I… well… we agreed things weren't working out."

"Did grandpa know? He didn't like Pete at all. Neither did Selmak."

"You knew about Selmak?" Jack asks her, a bit concerned.

"Of course, Dad. Grandpa trusted me. Selmak was pretty cool. I liked talking to her… him? That always confused me about the Tok'ra."

Jack chuckles and ruffles her dark blond curls. "Dad and I talked about that. He knew your mom dumped Pete."

"You told him?" Sam asks Jack, leaning back a little in surprise.

"It came up." He hedged.

"Thank you… I… didn't want to explain after just introducing him that it was already over." Sam admitted.

"Out of curiosity why did you spring them on each other like that?"

"Er… well… I wasn't gonna, but I wanted dad's honest opinion of Pete as himself and not him on his best behavior."

"He acted like a jerk at breakfast dad." Grace supplied.

"He wasn't that bad." Sam hedged.

"Total… jerk." Grace repeated. "Basically said if I don't like it, to move in with you, which… honestly mom, I would have." Grace tells her mother with a frown.

"Well you don't need to worry about it anymore kiddo. He's out of the picture." Jack told her and tugged on a curl.

Grace looks down at her mom's hand in her dad's resting in his lap. She looks up at her parents, her eyes enquiring.

Sam bites her lip and Jack gives her a small abashed smile. "Your mom and I have been talking. We'll need to be quiet about it at first but ah… your mom and I… well…" Jack stalled off and Sam gave him an amused look.

"What your dad is trying to say is if it's all right with you, we'd really like to try being a family again."

Grace's face fell into an O of shock. She swallowed. "Really?"

Jack nods. Sam smiles nervously.

Grace flung herself into their arms and hugged them both as hard as she could.

"Would you mind too much staying with your aunt for a week? Your mom and I would like to spend a few days up at the cabin together after the funeral."

"I thought you said it was going to be a team thing?" Sam asks him.

"Well yah the one day but… ah… Sam I only invited the guys for an overnight. The rest of the time…"

Sam blushes.

"Grooooss…. I'm your kid. Jeeze guys."