A/N: It's been 76 days since I posted the first chapter, and it feels like a week, and here we are in chapter 40! There are 15 left! I think I tied it up in a neat little bow, but I second guess myself with the ending. I want to thank you guys so much for all the reviews. Here it is chapter 40
Thanksgiving came and went, with Elliott helping cook showing off his skills to Jack's coworkers. Cassie made her flour-less chocolate cake, and Jack declared it the best cake he had ever eaten. Jack didn't want to get overly emotional and didn't ask what everyone was thankful for. He felt that Elliott's scar of missing home was still too fresh, so the group of them talked and got to know one another even better. Now, the looming celebration had been Cassie's 16th birthday. It was the Thursday after thanksgiving. Jack and Sam both weren't sure how Cassie came to be 16 feelings. It had only been a few weeks ago they found her alone. Janet laughed at them and said she could easily tell Cassie was 16 and felt every single day of it.
Cassie had protested the idea of a party; she just wanted to hang out with her friends. Elliott agreed to play driver, and Cassie and 3 off her friends, Cindy Shannon and Jamie, went with her shopping. Cassie agreed to be home by 8 to spend time with her family, and her friends could still enjoy some cake.
Jack, Sam, and Daniel were all invited over and drove to Janet's house together.
Jack eyed Bill in the corner of the room, glaring at him.
"You staring at him won't pop his insides out," Janet claimed.
"So, the kid narced on me?" Jack asked.
Sam laughed.
"No, I did," Sam stated.
"Of course, How was I supposed to know!" Jack asked.
"Don't touch anything," Daniel stated in his best impression of Jack.
"I don't talk like that," Jack claimed.
All three of them glared at him.
"What!" Jack said.
"Okay, so what kind of cake did we get?" Jack asked.
"Reddy's," Janet claimed.
"Mmm," Jack stated and walked over to the box.
"It's not your's Colonel," Janet claimed.
"When it's your birthday, we can get what every cake you want," Sam claimed.
"Are you sure he's not five?' Janet asks.
"There are days I wonder," Sam claims as if Jack isn't in the room, and Daniel laughs.
So before the kids get back, wine?" Janet asked.
Sam nods her head, and they go into the kitchen, pouring glasses.
"How has everything been?" Janet asked.
"It's good, more than good," Sam admits.
Janet laughed. "Good."
"So when is it your turn?" Sam asked.
"Hmm?" Janet asked.
"Well, your daughter is dating, your best friend is dating, when are you dating?" Sam asked.
"I can't, I don't have time," Janet claimed.
"Come on, someone base, doesn't anyone spark your interest?" Sam asked.
Janet can't help dart her eyes to Daniel before saying, "Even if I did, doctor-patient is a no go."
Sam sighed, wondering how to get Janet some free time to meet someone new.
Sam set Jack's wine glass down on the table, and he reached for it.
"So unlike you, I've worked a full schedule all week and had a kid complain about every midterm every second I've been home, and how they must have changed them to ruin her 16th birthday," Janet claimed.
"Where do you think she was the first half the day, Janet, if I heard the word Midterm from either one of them, I was seriously going to lose it," Jack claimed.
"Well, she promised me Elliott and her friends going with her tonight don't have to make up any test tomorrow, so," Janet claimed.
"I told Cassie Elliott could take her out tomorrow for dinner. She can stay at your place if she wants." Janet told Jack.
Daniel felt out of the loop.
"I can't believe she's 16," Jack said suddenly.
"Daniel, she just gripped onto your leg and wouldn't let go," Sam remembered.
"She was scared to death, and I like I've said 100 times you don't have to take care of her alone," Daniel claimed.
"Sorry if you feel left out, Daniel, I know you care about her, and she talks about you all the time. She doesn't see you as much as Jack or Sam, but she cares about you." Janet claimed.
Daniel blushed
"It's good to know."
The four adults talk about various topics but mainly Cassie until she walks through the door at 5 til 8.
"Give us just a second," Cassie tells her friends and practically drags Elliott up the stairs. Janet's about to tell her no, but before Janet or Jack can protest, Cassie claims.
"Don't worry, this is about as much touching as I'm ever doing with him again!"
"Ouch," Sam claimed as Cassie continued to pull Elliott up the steps.
Cassie's friends looked around, unsure of what to say or do.
"Any idea what's going on?" Janet asked the girls.
"Well, as you know, Cassie has some birthday money, and she wanted to go to the mall, so Elliott took us, and we went into that cute little boutique Filtered Air. Cassie fell in love with the cutest skirt, and she tried it on, and Elliott told her he didn't like it." Cindy claimed.
"Didn't like it?" Sam repeated.
"He said it was too short," Jamie claimed.
Janet closed her eyes. She had seen Cassie any pretty short skirts and shorts but nothing she absolutely said no too. She remembered wanting to flirt and feel sexy at her age, even though it was inappropriate. She was pretty lenient her Cassie's clothing choice.
"What is he, her dad?" Jamie asked and rolled her eyes.
Jack looked at the girl.
She put two and two together.
"Sorry, Mr, I'm sorry Cassie just calls you Jack," Jamie claimed and smiled, fluttering her eyes.
"It's Colonel O'Neill," Jack stated.
The girl just nodded and let out another sorry.
"Well, if Elliott was my boyfriend, I wouldn't let him control what I wear either," Cindy stated.
Jack looked at the girl having no clue what to say.
"I'm sure he didn't mean like that," Janet claimed.
"Well, I mean, how else would he mean it? She's her own person." Shannon finally spoke up.
"Girls," Janet stated.
"I think Elliott was just trying to look out for her, you can wear whatever you want, and you shouldn't let your boyfriend or other friends tell you what you can and can't do, but he wasn't doing it to be mean, he just didn't think it was a good idea," Janet claimed.
"Fine, wear it, I don't care!" Elliott yelled and walked out of Cassie's room and slammed the door.
Elliott came down the stairs.
"I'm so sorry I ruined the party, I'll just head back home," Elliott stated.
"Wait," Jack stated.
Everyone held there breath, not knowing what Jack was going to do or say.
"give me your keys," Jack said.
Elliott gave him an odd look but did what he said.
"Follow me," Jack claimed.
Elliott looked at Janet and Sam, who both shrugged their shoulders but didn't look worried for the boy. Jack put his hand on the boy's shoulder and pushed him out the door and got into the driver's seat of Elliott's car.
"You're upset, and she's upset. I don't think this is a breakup fight, is it?" Jack asked as he started the car.
"What is wrong with this thing?" Jack asked.
There's an ongoing list in the glove box, Elliott goes to pull it out.
Jack pushes his hands away. Have Sam look at it. She'll fix it." Jack stated.
"Is there anything she can't do?" Elliott asked.
"I've never seen her bake a cake, and I've never heard speak French, so, there's that," Jack said.
Elliott smiled.
"So what happened," Jack asked as he turned out of the neighborhood, realizing the power steering fluid was out or low and turned hard.
"We were at that stupid boutique in the mall altered water, misty air whatever. They have these cutesy outfits, and I've seen Cassie eye a few things there, but it's expensive, like $80 for jeans expensive. The girls were all trying on outfits having fun, and I was just sitting there waiting. They were having fun, and I know Cassie was having a good time. Then she came out in this outfit, and the girls were telling her she looked hot, and I looked up." Elliott claimed.
"Then?" Jack asked.
The boy just looked at him.
"Alright, I get it," Jack stated.
"It's not that she didn't look good," Elliott claimed.
"She looked too good?" Jack asked.
"Yeah," Elliott whispered.
Jack sighed.
"I don't like that you eye my daughter like that, but I understand it, and I understand that you don't want anyone else to look at her that way," Jack claimed.
Elliott just nodded his head.
Jack smiled.
"Look, I appreciate that, I do, I haven't seen this skirt, but I am already sure I highly disapprove, but you can't tell her not to wear it, that's up to Janet and I, well more up to Janet I don't think I get a say," Jack said honestly.
"Look, kid, it won't be the first or last time, woman and their clothing is a big deal, there are going to be guys looking at her, no matter what," Jack claimed.
"I know that. I just don't like it." Elliot claimed.
"You don't have to, now we're going to go back to Janet's. I'm sure Cassie wants you there even if she's mad at you." Jack claimed.
Elliott nodded, and Jack turned facing Janet's house.
Daniel had never been in this situation before, 4 teenage girls plus Janet and Sam all talking about a skirt, and Daniel was utterly lost. He was trying to blend into the wall the best he could because there was no way he was getting in the middle of this. The girls started to argue, and the voices were rising quickly.
"Who wants cake," Daniel asked over everyone.
The girls turn to him.
"Yeah, Cassie said it was from Reddy's," Cindy claimed.
Cassie refuses candles or being sung to, and Daniel slices the cake evenly, leaving a piece for Jack and Elliott.
"Where's dad?" Cassie asks, just now noticing the man's absence.
"Uh…" Sam started.
Jack walked through the door along with Elliott.
"Happy Birthday, sweetheart," Jack claimed and brought a big bag that was sitting out in the car.
"Open it later," Jack whispered.
Cassie nodded her head and handed him a slice of cake.
Elliott and Cassie don't really talk to each other, but she doesn't shove him away when he comes to hug her.
The girls quickly move on to other topics, and the house just gets loud with all the girls talking.
"Wait, what did Elliott get you?" Shannon asked.
Elliott blushed.
"Later?" Elliott asked Cassie.
All the girls swoon, and Jack visibly rolls his eyes. Daniel smirks, the adults eat their cake.
The girls don't stay long, and Elliott agrees to take them home a little after 9 pm.
When the girls leave, Cassie opens the gift from Jack.
The big bag was filled with paper and actually contained a smaller wrapped gift. Cassie was utterly confused and tore off the packaging.
"NO WAY!" Cassie screamed.
"Now, I don't want you taking it to school, but you use it whenever you want at home," Jack stated.
Cassie had been holding an iPod in her hand.
"Jack…" Janet stated.
"I know, I know, but I couldn't help myself," Jack claimed.
Janet smiled at the man and hugged him.
"You're a good man," Janet claimed.
"Alright, Cass, let us see it," Jack claimed.
"See what?" Cassie asked, confused.
"The skirt that you Elliott, had a fight over," Jack claimed.
"Really, dad?" Cassie huffed.
Janet smiled.
"I'm kind of a curious," Janet claimed.
Daniel just gave Cass a don't look at me look.
Sam conveniently chose that moment to talk to Daniel about something.
So Cassie went up the stairs, and grabbed the bag, and threw it at her dad.
She had bought some other stuff, a top that Jack didn't mind, a necklace, some socks, and then there was a scrap of fabric, that he assumed was the skirt because nothing else was in there. He honestly thought it was a hair thing at first.
Janet didn't say a word as she saw Jack's mind process the fabric that was the skirt.
"Absolutely not," Jack claimed.
"DAD!" Cassie claimed.
"No, Cass, that's not a skirt at all. It's I don't know what it is, but not a dress.
No one else says a word.
"Janet." Jack sighed.
"It's a little short, its definitely not school dress code," Janet claimed.
"A little short! I could use this as a dish towel!" Jack growled.
"It's not that bad," Janet claimed.
"Then wear it!" Jack stated.
"Excuse me?" Janet asked.
"If you think it's fine for Cassie to wear, you go put it on and act like it isn't an issue?" Jack claimed.
Jack!" Sam warned.
"Alright, I will!" Janet claimed.
Daniel's eyebrows shot up.
"Bad idea, Jack," Daniel claimed.
"$20 bucks says she won't come down with it," Jack claimed.
"I bet you next paycheck she will," Sam stated.
Jack looked at Sam and back at Daniel, and then finally at Cassie.
"You picked to the wrong person, Jack O'Neill," Sam stated.
Janet was lucky the skirt was a stretchy material because she wasn't the same body shape as her 16-year-old daughter.
It was impossibly small, and she knew when she was 16, she had something slightly similar, and her mom would kill her. Jack was right, it was much too short, and Janet's thighs didn't help the matter. She was almost positive, her ass was hanging out, but every time she looked in the mirror, it was covered, barely, but nothing had been hanging out. Janet found an old pair of tight fishnets, pulled them on, and pulled the skirt down for the 100th time. She grabbed a black tank top that draped down low in the front and touched up her make up. She wished she had a bottle of wine stashed up her to give her some confidence, but she didn't. It was just Jack, Sam, Cassie, and Daniel. Although she would prefer Daniel not to be there, she wouldn't back down from a fight, not something so trivial.
So after about 15 minutes, Janet closed her bedroom door. Shook the nerves and walked down the steps in a pair of heels. Sam smiled brightly, making Janet smile as she headed down the steps.
"You're a hot mom!" Cassie claimed.
"Thank you, Cass, not quite sure that's helping you win this argument with your dad," Janet claimed.
"See, it's perfectly fine," Janet claimed, giving Sam a knowing look that everything was not acceptable.
"You look great," Daniel claimed but kept his eyes on hers.
"Thanks." Janet blushed.
"So…?" Cassie claimed.
"I don't like it, can't you just return it and get something else?" Jack begged.
"I really like this one!" Cassie claimed.
"I'll give you an extra $20 if you take it back," Jack stated.
"$25?" Cassie asked.
Jack nodded his head.
"Deal!" Cassie claimed.
"JACK" Both Janet and Sam yelled.
"What I'd do now?" Jack asked.
"Thanks, Dad!" Cassie stated.
"You're not a smart man, you realize she can return this one, and you cough up $25, and she just goes and buys a different color," Sam claimed.
"Please, Cassie, wouldn't do that."
"Yes, she would," Janet claimed.
"Ask us how we know." Sam giggled.
Jack looked over at his little girl and groaned.
Janet whispered to Sam, "Can you cover me? Pretty sure going up the stairs is going to give our guys a view."
"Sure," Sam claimed, and the tow woman headed up the steps cackling.
"Don't mess with mom," Cassie claimed.
"Yeah, I should have known better," Jack admitted.
Daniel looked at him.
"Seriously, I wonder some days why Sam keeps you around." Daniel joked.
Elliott walked back in the door, having a feeling he missed something.
"What's going on?" Elliott asked.
"Nothing." the 3 of them say at the same time.
"How about another slice of cake!" Jack questioned, Cassie agreed, and they all ate another slice.
It was Friday, and Cassie nor Elliott had to go to school; Cassie was thankful the 3 day weekend. 16 didn't feel any different than 15. She thought maybe when she had turned 16, it would be different, but the world didn't stop spinning, and she didn't feel any closer to being an adult. Elliott and Cassie were at Jack's house, it wasn't dark, but after all this time, Elliott had never tried the telescope. Cassie was teaching him how to use it properly without actually looking through it.
"I think it's really cool you know so much about the stars," Elliott claimed.
"Kinda Dad and Aunt Sam's favorite hobby." Cassie pointed out.
"Yeah, they seem to come up here a lot. I thought it was just to have some time alone," Elliott admitted.
"I'm sure some of that plays a role, but know they really know a lot about the galaxy, more than we ever will," Cassie claimed.
Elliott looked at her oddly, no sure what to say.
"This is a perfect spot to kiss," Cassie claimed and kissed Elliott's lips. He sighed in content, letting Cassie kiss his lips, and soon he is on the ground lying there, on a blanket that they had brought up to sit on.
Elliott's hands under her shirt, and she was touching him as well. Soft groans and moans fill the air as sparks fly around the room.
Cassie and Elliott lay next to each other, Elliott wraps his arms around Cassie.
"I really thought things would be different," Cassie claimed.
Elliot turned over and looked at her.
"I mean 16 I thought, it would be different, where I came from, where Sam and Jack found me, I would be considered an adult, I would have been deciding on who to marry, and kids wouldn't be far around the corner. Don't get me wrong, I want to be in school, and I don't want to get married now, but when I was little, I guess this was never what I thought would happen."
Elliott looked at her.
"Tell me about them, your parents," Elliott asked.
"Well, mom was beautiful with brown hair and green eyes, dad had almost black hair; he was tall, and my mom was really short. They were farmers. They were in the fields a lot of the time, and I would help where I could, watering the plants, counting how many vegetables we had picked for the day. Dad always told me that one day I could do great things. I guess this is more than his expectations." Cassie claimed.
It wasn't that Cassie didn't remember her parents, she did very clearly, but she tried to keep the thoughts in the back of her mind because she missed them so much. The more she thought about her time at home, well, what was once her home, she started to cry for all the loss. It was rare that her thoughts evoked such emotion, but it was the first time she realized that her birth parents would never meet Elliott, would never know the way she was loved and taken care of by so many here on Earth. Her parents were excited that people of Earth were on their planet, helping and experimenting. Cassie had met several people from Earth, and they were very friendly and took more of an effort to answer her questions than the villagers did.
As tears came down her face, she struggled to breathe, and she sat up, Elliott holding her tight.
She was trying to hold in the noises, but she couldn't, and she wailed out as if someone physically injured her.
Just then, Jack had come through the door, Sam had stayed behind finishing up a report. The sobs he heard were piercing, and his heart wrenched.
"Cassie?" Jack screamed.
Elliott looked at her.
"We're up here," Elliott yelled.
Jack realized where they were and bounded up to the loft.
"Jesus, what's wrong, are you hurt?" Jack asked.
Elliott looked at him, his eyes were guilty.
"I asked about her biological parents, I'm sorry it was a bad idea," Elliott claimed.
Cassie was still gripping on to Elliott, he was rubbing circles on her back, and Cassie flopped over into Jack's arms.
"I'm okay," Cassie claimed in very shaky, unsteady breaths.
"I know it hurts," Jack claimed.
"They'll never meet Elliott, they never met you or mom, I just wish they were here," Cassie claimed.
"I know, sweetheart, I know." Jack soothed, stroking her hair.
Her tears stopped, and she was able to breathe again.
"I'm sorry I scared you," Cassie claimed.
"It's okay, sweetie, the pain never goes away, and there are times you're gonna hurt because they're gone," Jack stated.
Cassie nodded her head.
She looked at Elliott's shirt covered in her tears, and most likely, her snot.
"I'm usually okay talking about them, and I'm glad you asked, I just got a little overwhelmed," Cassie admitted.
"It's fine," Elliott claimed and held her tight once more.
Jack looked at his daughter, knowing that her biological parents did a hell of a job raising her. It hurt his heart that they were no longer around, but if they were, none of this would be possible, so he said a quick prayer, something he didn't do much of, and went down the steps following the kids to the living room where Cassie quickly snuggled up next to Elliott. They weren't being secretive but talked in a hushed tone, that made Jack realize that Elliott really did love his little girl.
