AN: The story is going to start being a bit more about Grace at this point. At least for a couple chapters.
And then there were none.
"Last chance, kiddo. After today everything not going to Nevada is boxed up in my garage until you guys move back in a couple years." Jack told Grace. She'd taken several things she needed to finish her year at school to Aunt Marge's.
"I'm good." She'd left out her American Dolls. Uncle T had somehow found a bald dark skinned doll and had painted his gold First Prime symbol on its head. Not to be out done Jack had a Daniel complete with glasses and floppy hair made too. Grace had a whole SG-1 team now. Lisa had pronounced it the nerdiest thing ever then begged her dad for an Uncle Jack doll too.
"Those going to my house or with you?" Jack asked her gently of the dolls lined up on the couch.
Grace looked at them thoughtfully. They might be gone two years and dad might be gone even longer working in DC. He was trying to decentralize his position or at least get it moved to Peterson where it made more sense for him to be but currently none of the Joint Chiefs seemed to be on board. Not with him able to easily go home to see his family on the weekends. "I think I'll take them with me to Auntie Marge's. I can always have Uncle T take them back to the house and put them in my room there if I get tired of them." Marge had made them a variety of uniforms and even little Class As for her mom and dad dolls. Plus she might not see her dad much for the next few months. She didn't remember a time when she didn't see her dad a couple times a week and she was going to miss him more than she'd admit. She only had the vaguest recollections of the half a year her dad was gone when she was little.
"School will be over before you know it." Jack assures his sighing daughter.
"I know that but then I'll miss Auntie Marge and Uncle Danny and Uncle T instead of you and mom."
Jack chuckled. "Hey. Your granddad said something to me before he passed. We don't expect you to take care of the baby."
Grace looked at him with startled hazel blue eyes. "What? Oh… no I only said that because the idea of mom having a baby with Pete was gross. Plus he totally would have made me do a bunch of the work."
"He really was a yutz."
"You have no idea dad." Grace giggled and she hugged him. "I'm really glad you and mom finally figured it out."
"I am too, kiddo. I love your mom you know."
"Yah… I know."
"She's a little worried the baby might be Pete's." He told her. They were the only ones in Sam's house. Teal'c and Danny had taken Grace's boxes of things to Marge's house where Sam was unpacking Grace's things as they came in the room. They would come back for Grace when they had everything in the house and more or less unpacked.
"Which means I have to put up with stinky Pete showing up now and again." Grace moaned dramatically.
Jack smirked. "Yah. I'll try to run interference for you on the guy but I'm asking you to draw on that legendary O'Neill fortitude in the face of annoying relatives to suck it up."
"He's not my relative, dad."
"Yah… not mine either. Still gonna suck it up."
"When will mom know?"
"If she did the amniocentesis we could do it in about fourteen weeks or so but they aren't always safe so we're going to wait until the baby is born to have it tested."
"Ugh. Can't we just lie?"
"You are your mother's child." Jack said chuckling.
"Well duhh…" Grace rolled her eyes.
Jack grinned. "No, we can't just lie little miss morally ambiguous and you are ten, you shouldn't be this jaded yet. It's unnatural."
"Dad, I have an IQ of one hundred fifty[1]. I'm already unnatural. Besides mom graduated high school at sixteen."
Jack bobs his head in a nod. "I wasn't any slouch in school either." He admits.
"Neerrrddd…" Grace says laughing.
"Where do you get all this brattiness from?" Jack asks her as he puts her in a light headlock and gives her a noogie.
"Ow! Ow! Ow!" Grace squeals laughing and trying unsuccessfully to get away.
Sam walks in on her husband and daughter horsing around. "Did either of you accomplish anything or is this how things have been since Teal'c and Daniel left?"
Grace and Jack both look guilty.
"Uh…."
"We did things."
"Sure you did." Sam tells them laughing. "You ready to go to Auntie Marge's, kiddo?"
"I'll miss this place." Grace admits.
"I will too." Jack said with a fond and sad smile.
They are standing in the tiny living area of Marge's bungalow. "We'll call you before we get on the road and when we hit a hotel, okay?" Sam asks Grace.
"I know. I'll be all right mom."
"Mind your aunt and don't give her any more trouble than your mother has," Jack tells her only to get elbowed by Sam.
"Yes dad." Grace says laughing.
Sam hugs Grace. "I'm gonna miss you so much." She says tightening the hug.
"I'll miss you too."
"Call us if you need anything. If they give you the run around about finding me in DC you just channel your grandpa ok?" Jack says to her as he hugs her tightly next. "I'm gonna miss you." Jack swept Grace off her feet in his hug.
"Dad you're squishing me." Grace chokes out dramatically.
They all chuckle and none of them has a dry eye.
A few minutes later, Grace stands on the little porch watching her dad's truck pull away. She sighs when the truck is out of sight and goes inside.
You all right doll?" Marge asks her.
"Yah." She sighs.
"Want some Ben & Jerry's?"
"Oh yah."
Marge chuckles and opens the freezer. "Chunky Monkey or Blueberry?"
"Both?"
"Absolutely Doll."
"Hey Auntie Marge?"
"Yah?" She said as she handed Grace a carton and opened the other.
"Do we know Jon's girlfriend? She looked really familiar for some reason."
"I never even got her name. She seemed shy but nice."
"Huh." Grace said and dug her spoon into the chocolaty banana deliciousness that was Chunky Monkey.
[1] Grace is unusually high but she's in a special school for children like her and Sam graduated high school at 15? 16?