Janet leaned back into Jack, his hands still resting on her stomach. They
sat in silence for a few more minutes until Jack spoke,
"So where's Cass?" He asked.
"Out with friends." She replied,
"She's been here for a few days." He said, surprised.
"I know, she seems to be able to make friends really quickly, I guess you have to when you're from another planet." Janet smiled.
"Yeah, I guess." Another silence fell over them, until Jack broke it again. "I was gonna ask you you know." He said suddenly after a few minutes,
"Ask me what?" Janet frowned.
"To marry me." He paused, "Fifteen years ago, I had the ring and everything, I was gonna take you out to dinner when I got back, do the whole romantic down on one knee thing." He continued, his voice neutral, Janet was silent for a minute, unsure what to say.
"I had no idea." She finally replied.
"That was the point. It was supposed to be a surprise. I had it all arranged with your mom."
"She never told me."
"I asked her not to."
"Why didn't you say anything?"
"Oh yeah, I can see that going well. 'Janet hi, how's it going, not seen you for nine years but guess what I was planning before you left me.." His voice betrayed more bitterness than he intended, Janet was slightly taken-a- back for a minute,
"I'm sorry."
"It doesn't matter." He replied, his tone dismissive.
"It does or you wouldn't have mentioned it." Janet pushed the issue, glad that she wasn't facing him. He didn't say anything, "If you could change it, would you?" She stopped, but continued realising her question wasn't clear, "I mean, if you could make it so the last fifteen years you were married to me, would you?" She asked, not sure if she wanted to know the answer.
"I don't know." He sighed, "You?"
"I don't know either, everything would be so different..we'd probably have never even heard of the 'Stargate'. " She replied, Jack snorted,
"I'm starting to think that wouldn't be such a bad thing."
"What do you mean?" Janet asked, concerned by the turn the conversation had taken.
"I'm sick of seeing good men die through that damn thing." He said bitterly.
"Is this because of Daniel?" She asked, shifting so they were face to face.
"No. Maybe. I don't know." He was pensive for a minute, "I just..seeing what happened to Daniel, and I've been thinking about what you said. I missed most of Charlie's childhood because I was away on damn missions, I don't want the same thing to happen again." He said sadly, "And I definitely don't want that little one growing up without a daddy...and I don't want to leave you to do this by yourself." His eye contact with her was unwavering, and she found it a bit unnerving, she looked down.
"They need you."
"What about you?"
"I can't be that selfish."
"What?" He frowned, and she looked again, this time it was her who held the eye contact,
"How many times have you saved this entire planet?" She asked sincerely, he shrugged,
"Apparently Teal'c keeps count." He tried to lighten the mood,
"The point is, none of us would be here if it wasn't for you, I can't keep you away from what you do."
"What about the baby?"
"IF and I stress the if, something were to happen, I'd never let this baby forget about its father."
"I thought you were too scared to love me?"
"It's about time I got over it, besides, I think things have gone a little far now.." She said, stroking her bump. He smiled,
"Yeah, I guess." They heard a door slam.
"Hey mom, I'm ho-" Cassie stopped when she saw Jack. "Mom?" She gave Janet a questioning look.
"It's ok honey, can you wait in your room for a minute, I'll come talk to you in a sec." Janet smiled reassuringly, but Cassie still hesitated,
"Ok." She went off in the direction of her room.
"Does she know? About us I mean." Jack asked when he heard the door close.
"No." Janet replied, "But she's a smart kid, she knows baby don't just appear. I think she'll have figured it out."
"Right."
"I should go talk to her..." She said, heaving herself off the couch. He didn't say anything as she left the room. Janet knocked the door to Cassie's room, "Sweetie, can I come in?"
"Yeah." Came the muffled reply, Janet went in, sitting down next to Cass on her bed. "So the baby's Jacks?" She asked bluntly.
"Yeah." Janet sighed, not sure how to take the tone in which Cassie asked the question. "Are you ok with that?"
"I guess." She sighed, "I mean it's not like there's much I can do about it." She said, keeping her eyes to the floor.
"Sweetie, this baby doesn't change how I feel about you ok, you're my daughter, nothing will ever change that, ok?" Cassie nodded,
"Ok." There was a silence, "Does this mean we're moving back to Colorado?" She asked excitedly,
"Maybe...probably, after the baby's born." Janet smiled, as Cassie's face nearly split with the grin on it.
"That's great." She hugged her mom, "How soon after?"
"Slow down Cass, maybe a couple of weeks."
"Oh." She said dejectedly, "Well, that's ok, I mean, what's another couple of weeks?" She tried to come across cheerfully. Janet smiled at her daughters' diplomacy,
"You can go back early if you want. It's just, I have everything arranged for the baby coming here, and I can't fly, and I really don't want to drive back when I'm this pregnant."
"Mom, it's ok, I get it. I want to stay here with you." She stopped her mother's babbling, Janet smiled,
"You're really something you know that?"
"I've been told..." She laughed. Janet hugged her.
"I love you."
"I love you too mom." She hugged back for a second, "Now get off before you start getting all hormonal and crying again."
"Hey!" She said standing, "You can be just as hormonal as me young lady." Janet said as she left the room, she got a surprise when she saw Jack standing near the door.
"I...umm...I got bored, sorry." He stammered together an apology,
"It's ok." She said going back through to the living room.
"I heard what you were saying to Cassie about going back to Colorado."
"And.."
"Are you sure you want to wait?" He asked, "I mean, wouldn't it be easier to go back now?"
"Probably, but I really, really don't much fancy the drive back to Colorado with this." She said pointing to her bump.
"Not even with some company?" He asked, she looked at him questioningly,
"I thought you flew down?"
"Nothing to stop me driving back."
"You would do that?"
"Sure why not? I mean, I know your back's probably sore, and you'll probably have some bladder issues, but it's gotta be easier than with a baby right?" He joked,
"Yeah, you're probably right." She smiled,
"So that's it settled then, we go back."
"Yeah." Janet agreed, smiling weakly.
"So where's Cass?" He asked.
"Out with friends." She replied,
"She's been here for a few days." He said, surprised.
"I know, she seems to be able to make friends really quickly, I guess you have to when you're from another planet." Janet smiled.
"Yeah, I guess." Another silence fell over them, until Jack broke it again. "I was gonna ask you you know." He said suddenly after a few minutes,
"Ask me what?" Janet frowned.
"To marry me." He paused, "Fifteen years ago, I had the ring and everything, I was gonna take you out to dinner when I got back, do the whole romantic down on one knee thing." He continued, his voice neutral, Janet was silent for a minute, unsure what to say.
"I had no idea." She finally replied.
"That was the point. It was supposed to be a surprise. I had it all arranged with your mom."
"She never told me."
"I asked her not to."
"Why didn't you say anything?"
"Oh yeah, I can see that going well. 'Janet hi, how's it going, not seen you for nine years but guess what I was planning before you left me.." His voice betrayed more bitterness than he intended, Janet was slightly taken-a- back for a minute,
"I'm sorry."
"It doesn't matter." He replied, his tone dismissive.
"It does or you wouldn't have mentioned it." Janet pushed the issue, glad that she wasn't facing him. He didn't say anything, "If you could change it, would you?" She stopped, but continued realising her question wasn't clear, "I mean, if you could make it so the last fifteen years you were married to me, would you?" She asked, not sure if she wanted to know the answer.
"I don't know." He sighed, "You?"
"I don't know either, everything would be so different..we'd probably have never even heard of the 'Stargate'. " She replied, Jack snorted,
"I'm starting to think that wouldn't be such a bad thing."
"What do you mean?" Janet asked, concerned by the turn the conversation had taken.
"I'm sick of seeing good men die through that damn thing." He said bitterly.
"Is this because of Daniel?" She asked, shifting so they were face to face.
"No. Maybe. I don't know." He was pensive for a minute, "I just..seeing what happened to Daniel, and I've been thinking about what you said. I missed most of Charlie's childhood because I was away on damn missions, I don't want the same thing to happen again." He said sadly, "And I definitely don't want that little one growing up without a daddy...and I don't want to leave you to do this by yourself." His eye contact with her was unwavering, and she found it a bit unnerving, she looked down.
"They need you."
"What about you?"
"I can't be that selfish."
"What?" He frowned, and she looked again, this time it was her who held the eye contact,
"How many times have you saved this entire planet?" She asked sincerely, he shrugged,
"Apparently Teal'c keeps count." He tried to lighten the mood,
"The point is, none of us would be here if it wasn't for you, I can't keep you away from what you do."
"What about the baby?"
"IF and I stress the if, something were to happen, I'd never let this baby forget about its father."
"I thought you were too scared to love me?"
"It's about time I got over it, besides, I think things have gone a little far now.." She said, stroking her bump. He smiled,
"Yeah, I guess." They heard a door slam.
"Hey mom, I'm ho-" Cassie stopped when she saw Jack. "Mom?" She gave Janet a questioning look.
"It's ok honey, can you wait in your room for a minute, I'll come talk to you in a sec." Janet smiled reassuringly, but Cassie still hesitated,
"Ok." She went off in the direction of her room.
"Does she know? About us I mean." Jack asked when he heard the door close.
"No." Janet replied, "But she's a smart kid, she knows baby don't just appear. I think she'll have figured it out."
"Right."
"I should go talk to her..." She said, heaving herself off the couch. He didn't say anything as she left the room. Janet knocked the door to Cassie's room, "Sweetie, can I come in?"
"Yeah." Came the muffled reply, Janet went in, sitting down next to Cass on her bed. "So the baby's Jacks?" She asked bluntly.
"Yeah." Janet sighed, not sure how to take the tone in which Cassie asked the question. "Are you ok with that?"
"I guess." She sighed, "I mean it's not like there's much I can do about it." She said, keeping her eyes to the floor.
"Sweetie, this baby doesn't change how I feel about you ok, you're my daughter, nothing will ever change that, ok?" Cassie nodded,
"Ok." There was a silence, "Does this mean we're moving back to Colorado?" She asked excitedly,
"Maybe...probably, after the baby's born." Janet smiled, as Cassie's face nearly split with the grin on it.
"That's great." She hugged her mom, "How soon after?"
"Slow down Cass, maybe a couple of weeks."
"Oh." She said dejectedly, "Well, that's ok, I mean, what's another couple of weeks?" She tried to come across cheerfully. Janet smiled at her daughters' diplomacy,
"You can go back early if you want. It's just, I have everything arranged for the baby coming here, and I can't fly, and I really don't want to drive back when I'm this pregnant."
"Mom, it's ok, I get it. I want to stay here with you." She stopped her mother's babbling, Janet smiled,
"You're really something you know that?"
"I've been told..." She laughed. Janet hugged her.
"I love you."
"I love you too mom." She hugged back for a second, "Now get off before you start getting all hormonal and crying again."
"Hey!" She said standing, "You can be just as hormonal as me young lady." Janet said as she left the room, she got a surprise when she saw Jack standing near the door.
"I...umm...I got bored, sorry." He stammered together an apology,
"It's ok." She said going back through to the living room.
"I heard what you were saying to Cassie about going back to Colorado."
"And.."
"Are you sure you want to wait?" He asked, "I mean, wouldn't it be easier to go back now?"
"Probably, but I really, really don't much fancy the drive back to Colorado with this." She said pointing to her bump.
"Not even with some company?" He asked, she looked at him questioningly,
"I thought you flew down?"
"Nothing to stop me driving back."
"You would do that?"
"Sure why not? I mean, I know your back's probably sore, and you'll probably have some bladder issues, but it's gotta be easier than with a baby right?" He joked,
"Yeah, you're probably right." She smiled,
"So that's it settled then, we go back."
"Yeah." Janet agreed, smiling weakly.