Chapter 9 - Happy Families
It was past 2 am according to the antique clock on the mantelshelf when Jacob heard his daughter and her husband approaching the house. Now that was a surprise, the way that phrase had come straight to mind. He listened to the crunch of gravel and the murmur of their voices as they approached the porch. 'She sounds happy.' he realised, almost grudgingly. He stood up from where he had been leaning back on the sofa, the dull red glow of the fire a testament to the fact that he hadn't been quite successful in staying awake during the last three hours. Surprising, really, since the hour up until midnight had been spent in intense internal debate with Selmak, his ever-present alter ego. He suspected that she had engineered his drowsiness after he had got her to promise not to interfere in what he knew was going to be a difficult conversation. He placed two more logs on the fire as they entered, the intense cold almost seeming to radiate from the briefly-open door.
"How is she?" he enquired, determined not to set off on the wrong foot.
"She's resting at last." replied Sam, taking off her scarf and coat, which Jack accepted and carried through to the back room with his own. "The first two were stillborn, but she's got three healthy pups. We covered them with blankets and we'll go back at dawn to check up." She walked over to the front of the sofa and stood with her back to the fire, letting the heat soak back into herself.
"Er, can I get the two of you some coffee?" asked Jacob. "I looked around for something stronger but I couldn't find anything. I can't believe Jack isn't equipped for special occasions."
"Like this, you mean?" said Jack, reappearing with a bottle of vintage cognac. "I have to hide it from Sam, you know." he added, grinning, and she pulled a face at him. He placed the bottle on the table and moments later returned from the kitchen with three crystal glasses that sparkled even in the soft light. He poured a round of generous measures and handed out the glasses. Raising his, he called "Here's to my two Sam's. Health and happiness to you both. And to you... Dad." Jacob grimaced fleetingly at his choice of words but remained calm, raising his glass in reply.
After savouring the smooth but powerful liquor, Jack motioned father and daughter to sit down on the sofa, while he remained standing at the side of the hearth. "Look, if you two want to talk, I can go to bed now..." he started.
"No." said Sam firmly. Glancing at her father, she continued, "You know, don't you, Dad. I can see it in your eyes. Whatever's to be said is for both of us, Jack. We agreed that we'd face the family together, remember?"
"*Face the family together?*" repeated Jacob. "Am I really that much of an ordeal to you, Sam?"
"That depends on your next statement." she replied curtly, but then softened her expression, her shoulders sagging. "Look, can't see that I'm happy? Isn't that enough for you?"
Her words hung in the air, the short silence as cold as the night outside. Jacob looked uncomfortable, but then said the words she was dreading. "No, Sam, I'm afraid it isn't. You're throwing away the rest of your life here. I'm surprised you can't see that."
"Well, you haven't exactly been around long enough to see where I'm coming from, have you?" she replied, a slight edge to her voice.
"How long?..... " Jacob's question lingered.
"Ten days ago." replied Jack. "Local church, local friends."
"Seven years ago." Sam corrected him. "When I knew deep down that being without him was something I could never face."
"But you could have had Mark's friend, who obviously still adores you!" replied Jacob. "You've thrown away a perfectly good, well-matched relationship for what? This hovel in the backwoods? Someone closer to my age than your own?"
Sam was speechless, while Jack's stoic expression looked as though it might fall apart any second. Jacob interpreted the silence as his cue to continue.
"Sam, you're needed back at the SGC! I've known people with battle-fatigue before, and there's folks who can help you get over it! You've so much to contribute."
"Folks or snakes, Jacob?" Jack asked. "Snakes posing as helpers seem to have their own agenda when it comes down to it."
"That's the kind of dumb statement I'd expect from you!" Jacob retorted. "This is Sam, *my* daughter we're talking about!"
"And that's *my* husband you're insulting!" Sam almost shouted at him. "You seem to think I'm still a teenager at times. As if I don't know my own mind. Maybe that's a result of spending so much time away from us all your life." she added, the malicious tone in her voice only too evident.
"Sam," said Jack softly, "don't go there." But his words could not dissipate the electricity building in the air.
"Well, your first choice of a husband, that Hansen fellow, was nothing to be proud of, was he?" Jacob almost shouted. "And now you're with someone whose track record is going to give me nightmares!" He paused for breath and continued in a slightly quieter tone. "Sam, look at me. You've been through a really bad time, something that few people could have got through even as far as you did in combat. Granted, Jack may be helping you face the world again by taking you away from things at a time when you're still down. But this has gone too far! Marriage? What's going to happen here when you start feeling up to facing the challenges again? You'll be losing out on so much, at least in science if not the military. Don't throw away your life on second best!"
"How dare you?" Sam screamed back at him. "You walk in here uninvited... You heard me, *uninvited*... And start to tell me how to run my life. No, that's *our* lives. Well let me tell you, these last four months have been the best I've ever had. You talk like he's been taking advantage of me when I didn't know my own mind. That's crap and you know it! You screwed up your own family and now you're trying to do it to mine!"
Jacob was visibly shocked and stood up, staring at her. In reaction Sam stood up as well, facing him down with an expression of defiance that Jack had never seen before. He realised what was coming next, and quickly put down his glass and rose himself.
"You hurtful, insolent..." shouted Jacob. But he didn't finish the insult, as in quick succession Sam raised her hand to slap his face, but before she could do so, Jack stepped quickly between them and gently but firmly grabbed her arm. She glared at him, her expression of hatred lasting only momentarily until it was replaced by a sudden grimace and a flood of tears. Her head went down onto his shoulder and she started sobbing. Jack's arms were round her and he moved her a couple of paces away from Jacob. Expecting further harsh words from him, he looked round in surprise at the unexpected silence just in time to see Jacob's facial expression change from anger to neutrality, and an unmistakable yellow glow pass through his eyes.
"O'Neill, Samantha." came the deeper voice of Selmak. "On behalf of Jacob, I am so sorry. I promised him not to intervene, but it became necessary."
"OK, just sit down a minute, will you?" said Jack, returning his attention to his wife's wracking sobs. "We're just going through to the back for a while, all right? Come on, Sam. Come with me a moment." She didn't resist as he walked her to the bedroom, still catching her breath.
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Jack stood with Sam by the bed and simply held her, stroking her hair and squeezing her gently from time to time. After a few minutes she pulled her head away from him and looked up, kissing his cheek. He smiled back at her and gently wiped the tracks of her tears with his thumb. She still took an inward gasp from time to time, but the worst had passed.
"Why don't you get washed and ready for bed, while I go spend some quality time with Selmak, and hopefully Jacob as well." he whispered. She nodded her head in agreement. "We've got to be up for Sam 2 in less than four hours, OK?"
The reminder of their dog's predicament seemed to bring Sam back to normal quickly, so Jack left her and went back to the lounge. Jacob/Selmak was sitting still on the sofa, staring into the fire. Jack picked up the cognac bottle and topped up two glasses, offering one to him and then sitting down at the opposite end of the long seat.
"Never thought I'd be grateful to a snake again." said Jack with a sigh. "For what it's worth, thanks."
"Never thought there could be such a troublesome host." replied Selmak. "Thank you too for stepping in. His behaviour is quite unacceptable, even for a concerned father." He lifted the glass and tossed back the rich, fiery liquid in one go.
"Er, is that good for you or him?" asked Jack.
"For him, it is not." replied Selmak. "I intend to give him the worst hangover of his life in the morning. And I will not intervene to drive away the pain. It seems a pity to do this with such a fine vintage, though. Do you have any cheaper spirits here?"
Jack laughed. "Unfortunately not. But look, do you think I should try to talk to Jacob once more tonight before you blow him away? We can't leave things like this."
Sam had been listening to their conversation from the bathroom and reappeared in her pyjamas and dressing gown. "Wow, this is weird." she said, staring at Selmak.
"Samantha, I promise you that I will not rest until Jacob approaches this situation with a calmer disposition." said Selmak. "You should also know that I have observed your attraction to O'Neill, and his to you, for some years now. I chose not to make Jacob aware, believing that he should acknowledge the obvious for himself. Even over the lifetimes of several hosts, I have rarely seen two people whose lives are as complementary as yours. If it means anything to you, you have my congratulations and best wishes for the future."
"Why, thank you." she said. "It does mean a lot. But when will I be able to speak to my father again?"
"In a few hours time, when his former behaviour will be unable to emerge through the pain he will be experiencing." replied Selmak. Looking round at Jack, he said, "Why don't you comfort your wife in bed, Jack? I have some serious drinking to do in the meantime."
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As they lay in each others arms in the warmth of the quilt, Jack murmured, "Sam, you know I wouldn't stand in your way if you did want to go back, don't you? It would never work out between us if you can't do the things you really want to."
"When are you going to get it straight, Jack?" she whispered back. "I'm doing them. Now and always. You're stuck with me, like it or not."
"Like it."
"Good. That's settled then."
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"If you're going to be sick, don't do it in the truck, otherwise you'll be walking. Got it?" said Sam to her father as they bounced down the road away from the cabin. His faint nod of the head and groan was all the acknowledgement she expected. Seizing the opportunity to make a point without opposition, she continued, "We both said some pretty nasty stuff last night, and I'm sorry. I don't want things to go on like this, but I'm telling you straight that I've got Jack for life, and I'm lucky to have even the chance. We'll get together again when you've calmed down a bit, OK?" Another groan was interpreted as acceptance.
They reached the motel and Jacob pointed out the door where their car was parked. "I guess they're at breakfast now." said Sam. "You going to join them?"
"Just for coffee." replied Jacob. "Are you coming in?"
"No, I don't think so." said Sam. "Maybe next time?"
"Yeah. So long then, kiddo. I'm.. I'm glad you're happy, you know. Very glad indeed." They kissed briefly and Sam climbed back into the cab and drove away.
Jacob entered the coffee shop and sat down next to Pete and Mark, wincing as he did so.
"Did she see sense?" asked Mark.
"Yeah, I think so." sighed Jacob. "She married him."
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It was past 2 am according to the antique clock on the mantelshelf when Jacob heard his daughter and her husband approaching the house. Now that was a surprise, the way that phrase had come straight to mind. He listened to the crunch of gravel and the murmur of their voices as they approached the porch. 'She sounds happy.' he realised, almost grudgingly. He stood up from where he had been leaning back on the sofa, the dull red glow of the fire a testament to the fact that he hadn't been quite successful in staying awake during the last three hours. Surprising, really, since the hour up until midnight had been spent in intense internal debate with Selmak, his ever-present alter ego. He suspected that she had engineered his drowsiness after he had got her to promise not to interfere in what he knew was going to be a difficult conversation. He placed two more logs on the fire as they entered, the intense cold almost seeming to radiate from the briefly-open door.
"How is she?" he enquired, determined not to set off on the wrong foot.
"She's resting at last." replied Sam, taking off her scarf and coat, which Jack accepted and carried through to the back room with his own. "The first two were stillborn, but she's got three healthy pups. We covered them with blankets and we'll go back at dawn to check up." She walked over to the front of the sofa and stood with her back to the fire, letting the heat soak back into herself.
"Er, can I get the two of you some coffee?" asked Jacob. "I looked around for something stronger but I couldn't find anything. I can't believe Jack isn't equipped for special occasions."
"Like this, you mean?" said Jack, reappearing with a bottle of vintage cognac. "I have to hide it from Sam, you know." he added, grinning, and she pulled a face at him. He placed the bottle on the table and moments later returned from the kitchen with three crystal glasses that sparkled even in the soft light. He poured a round of generous measures and handed out the glasses. Raising his, he called "Here's to my two Sam's. Health and happiness to you both. And to you... Dad." Jacob grimaced fleetingly at his choice of words but remained calm, raising his glass in reply.
After savouring the smooth but powerful liquor, Jack motioned father and daughter to sit down on the sofa, while he remained standing at the side of the hearth. "Look, if you two want to talk, I can go to bed now..." he started.
"No." said Sam firmly. Glancing at her father, she continued, "You know, don't you, Dad. I can see it in your eyes. Whatever's to be said is for both of us, Jack. We agreed that we'd face the family together, remember?"
"*Face the family together?*" repeated Jacob. "Am I really that much of an ordeal to you, Sam?"
"That depends on your next statement." she replied curtly, but then softened her expression, her shoulders sagging. "Look, can't see that I'm happy? Isn't that enough for you?"
Her words hung in the air, the short silence as cold as the night outside. Jacob looked uncomfortable, but then said the words she was dreading. "No, Sam, I'm afraid it isn't. You're throwing away the rest of your life here. I'm surprised you can't see that."
"Well, you haven't exactly been around long enough to see where I'm coming from, have you?" she replied, a slight edge to her voice.
"How long?..... " Jacob's question lingered.
"Ten days ago." replied Jack. "Local church, local friends."
"Seven years ago." Sam corrected him. "When I knew deep down that being without him was something I could never face."
"But you could have had Mark's friend, who obviously still adores you!" replied Jacob. "You've thrown away a perfectly good, well-matched relationship for what? This hovel in the backwoods? Someone closer to my age than your own?"
Sam was speechless, while Jack's stoic expression looked as though it might fall apart any second. Jacob interpreted the silence as his cue to continue.
"Sam, you're needed back at the SGC! I've known people with battle-fatigue before, and there's folks who can help you get over it! You've so much to contribute."
"Folks or snakes, Jacob?" Jack asked. "Snakes posing as helpers seem to have their own agenda when it comes down to it."
"That's the kind of dumb statement I'd expect from you!" Jacob retorted. "This is Sam, *my* daughter we're talking about!"
"And that's *my* husband you're insulting!" Sam almost shouted at him. "You seem to think I'm still a teenager at times. As if I don't know my own mind. Maybe that's a result of spending so much time away from us all your life." she added, the malicious tone in her voice only too evident.
"Sam," said Jack softly, "don't go there." But his words could not dissipate the electricity building in the air.
"Well, your first choice of a husband, that Hansen fellow, was nothing to be proud of, was he?" Jacob almost shouted. "And now you're with someone whose track record is going to give me nightmares!" He paused for breath and continued in a slightly quieter tone. "Sam, look at me. You've been through a really bad time, something that few people could have got through even as far as you did in combat. Granted, Jack may be helping you face the world again by taking you away from things at a time when you're still down. But this has gone too far! Marriage? What's going to happen here when you start feeling up to facing the challenges again? You'll be losing out on so much, at least in science if not the military. Don't throw away your life on second best!"
"How dare you?" Sam screamed back at him. "You walk in here uninvited... You heard me, *uninvited*... And start to tell me how to run my life. No, that's *our* lives. Well let me tell you, these last four months have been the best I've ever had. You talk like he's been taking advantage of me when I didn't know my own mind. That's crap and you know it! You screwed up your own family and now you're trying to do it to mine!"
Jacob was visibly shocked and stood up, staring at her. In reaction Sam stood up as well, facing him down with an expression of defiance that Jack had never seen before. He realised what was coming next, and quickly put down his glass and rose himself.
"You hurtful, insolent..." shouted Jacob. But he didn't finish the insult, as in quick succession Sam raised her hand to slap his face, but before she could do so, Jack stepped quickly between them and gently but firmly grabbed her arm. She glared at him, her expression of hatred lasting only momentarily until it was replaced by a sudden grimace and a flood of tears. Her head went down onto his shoulder and she started sobbing. Jack's arms were round her and he moved her a couple of paces away from Jacob. Expecting further harsh words from him, he looked round in surprise at the unexpected silence just in time to see Jacob's facial expression change from anger to neutrality, and an unmistakable yellow glow pass through his eyes.
"O'Neill, Samantha." came the deeper voice of Selmak. "On behalf of Jacob, I am so sorry. I promised him not to intervene, but it became necessary."
"OK, just sit down a minute, will you?" said Jack, returning his attention to his wife's wracking sobs. "We're just going through to the back for a while, all right? Come on, Sam. Come with me a moment." She didn't resist as he walked her to the bedroom, still catching her breath.
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Jack stood with Sam by the bed and simply held her, stroking her hair and squeezing her gently from time to time. After a few minutes she pulled her head away from him and looked up, kissing his cheek. He smiled back at her and gently wiped the tracks of her tears with his thumb. She still took an inward gasp from time to time, but the worst had passed.
"Why don't you get washed and ready for bed, while I go spend some quality time with Selmak, and hopefully Jacob as well." he whispered. She nodded her head in agreement. "We've got to be up for Sam 2 in less than four hours, OK?"
The reminder of their dog's predicament seemed to bring Sam back to normal quickly, so Jack left her and went back to the lounge. Jacob/Selmak was sitting still on the sofa, staring into the fire. Jack picked up the cognac bottle and topped up two glasses, offering one to him and then sitting down at the opposite end of the long seat.
"Never thought I'd be grateful to a snake again." said Jack with a sigh. "For what it's worth, thanks."
"Never thought there could be such a troublesome host." replied Selmak. "Thank you too for stepping in. His behaviour is quite unacceptable, even for a concerned father." He lifted the glass and tossed back the rich, fiery liquid in one go.
"Er, is that good for you or him?" asked Jack.
"For him, it is not." replied Selmak. "I intend to give him the worst hangover of his life in the morning. And I will not intervene to drive away the pain. It seems a pity to do this with such a fine vintage, though. Do you have any cheaper spirits here?"
Jack laughed. "Unfortunately not. But look, do you think I should try to talk to Jacob once more tonight before you blow him away? We can't leave things like this."
Sam had been listening to their conversation from the bathroom and reappeared in her pyjamas and dressing gown. "Wow, this is weird." she said, staring at Selmak.
"Samantha, I promise you that I will not rest until Jacob approaches this situation with a calmer disposition." said Selmak. "You should also know that I have observed your attraction to O'Neill, and his to you, for some years now. I chose not to make Jacob aware, believing that he should acknowledge the obvious for himself. Even over the lifetimes of several hosts, I have rarely seen two people whose lives are as complementary as yours. If it means anything to you, you have my congratulations and best wishes for the future."
"Why, thank you." she said. "It does mean a lot. But when will I be able to speak to my father again?"
"In a few hours time, when his former behaviour will be unable to emerge through the pain he will be experiencing." replied Selmak. Looking round at Jack, he said, "Why don't you comfort your wife in bed, Jack? I have some serious drinking to do in the meantime."
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As they lay in each others arms in the warmth of the quilt, Jack murmured, "Sam, you know I wouldn't stand in your way if you did want to go back, don't you? It would never work out between us if you can't do the things you really want to."
"When are you going to get it straight, Jack?" she whispered back. "I'm doing them. Now and always. You're stuck with me, like it or not."
"Like it."
"Good. That's settled then."
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"If you're going to be sick, don't do it in the truck, otherwise you'll be walking. Got it?" said Sam to her father as they bounced down the road away from the cabin. His faint nod of the head and groan was all the acknowledgement she expected. Seizing the opportunity to make a point without opposition, she continued, "We both said some pretty nasty stuff last night, and I'm sorry. I don't want things to go on like this, but I'm telling you straight that I've got Jack for life, and I'm lucky to have even the chance. We'll get together again when you've calmed down a bit, OK?" Another groan was interpreted as acceptance.
They reached the motel and Jacob pointed out the door where their car was parked. "I guess they're at breakfast now." said Sam. "You going to join them?"
"Just for coffee." replied Jacob. "Are you coming in?"
"No, I don't think so." said Sam. "Maybe next time?"
"Yeah. So long then, kiddo. I'm.. I'm glad you're happy, you know. Very glad indeed." They kissed briefly and Sam climbed back into the cab and drove away.
Jacob entered the coffee shop and sat down next to Pete and Mark, wincing as he did so.
"Did she see sense?" asked Mark.
"Yeah, I think so." sighed Jacob. "She married him."
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