Seasons of Our Lifes Chapter 3: All About Families, a stargate: sg-1 fanfic

Title: All About Families

Author: Fulinn28

E-mail: fulinn28@yahoo.com

Website: Fic_with_fins

Rating: PG

Archive: SJD yes, Jackfic yes, SGfic yes, SJFic yes, all others please ask.

Pairings: Jack / Sam

Category: Romance, some angst

Season: none this is AU

Content Warnings: A discussion of domestic abuse without details.

Summary: A trip to Denver proves enlightening.

Spoilers: None

Status: This story Complete. Third in a Series.

Sequel / Series: Seasons of my Life Series, follows "A Matter of Hearts & Souls"

Size: 80 k ( per MSWord )

Disclaimer: "All publicly recognizable characters and places are the property of MGM, World Gekko Corp and Double Secret productions. This piece of fan fiction was created for entertainment not monetary purposes and no infringement on copyrights or trademarks was intended. Previously unrecognized characters and places, and this story, are copyrighted to the author. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author."

Authors Notes: All feedback and suggestions welcome and will be answered. My muse has many more stories in store for us. This is a stand-alone story, however I think it'll make more sense if you read the whole series. Thank you to Su Freund, the best beta I could ask for, this story is so much better for her efforts and suggestions. All remaining errors are mine and mine alone.

Seasons of my Life Series

Book 1 - A Reason to Hope

Chapter 3 – All About Families

Long distance relationships are often hard to maintain, what with me living here in Colorado Springs, as the leader of SG-1, the premier first contact team, and Sam being posted to Nellis AFB in Nevada. Nellis is commonly referred to as Area 51, and Sam is doing research and development based on the alien artifacts we bring home. Thankfully one of the few perks of being in the air force is ready access to air transportation. As long as there's space available on a scheduled flight, we can take one of the many "hops" between Peterson AFB and Nellis AFB as often as our leave allows.

Ever since Sam and I had the big "talk" back about a month or so ago life has been oh so sweet! We head out of Colorado Springs on I25 north heading for, what I hope, is a very special weekend for us in Denver. The trip to Denver is not overly long, just about 70 miles or so, which should take us just over an hour to travel.

The silence in the car won't last long. Surprisingly I find it easier to talk when driving somewhere, something Sam picked up on early in our relationship. She knows now, that if she wants to have a talk about something it's easier to get me started when I'm driving. Firstly, I can't readily escape without endangering us both and, secondly, I'm making an effort to not shut her out. In the past, my tendency to shut out the people I love has caused me some major heartache.

"Hey Jack?" Sam says, all innocent blue eyes.

"Yeah honey?" I reply, thinking that the husband training I got all those years ago is still coming in good for something.

"Tell me about your family. I don't know anything at all about your childhood." The hesitation was clear in her voice, as she wonders about my reaction.

Truth is I'm surprised she's waited this long to bring up my family. I try my best to avoid all mention or thought of them, but she deserves to know.

"Well," I stammer out "you already know I grew up in Chicago. I don't have any brothers or sisters."

"Growing up it was just my mom, dad and myself. My mom, Helen, came from a nice middleclass family. She was a very gentle soul, loved kids. She was a pianist, took music lessons as she was growing up. Hey, did I ever tell you? I know how to play classical piano; she and my grandmother taught me." I sigh softly, lost in thought. The fact that I could play classical piano was something I had kinda forgotten. Lost among all the less used talents that I had hidden away. My interest in music was now displayed in my love of Opera and recorded classical music.

"No! You've never mentioned it." Sam said with a smile on her face, "but I'm not surprised, those long fingers of yours, your classical music collection and of course, our Opera tickets for the weekend are kinda giveaways."

I remained silent hoping I'd given her enough information to keep her happy. However, she was never one to accept only a half-truth from me, and she was a master at knowing when I was "feeding" her information.

"And?" she asked me, as she watched the scenery slide by.

"And what? I responded. It was clear to both of us that I was stalling.

"What about your dad?" Sam had turned towards me, knowing that something was going to be revealed, for better or worse.

"My dad, you ask" I paused to collect my thoughts, to decide what I wanted to tell her. In the end I simply told her everything, afraid that any secrets would come back to haunt me, and god knows I have enough of those already. "I don't have a 'dad', not really. I had a father; he was a cold, arrogant drunkard. He hated his life, every single minute of it, and he never hesitated to let his wife and son knew that it was their fault that his life was a miserable screwed up existence."

Silence prevailed in the truck as it ate up the miles to Denver. I glanced to toward the passenger side to gauge Sam's reaction to my 'wonderful' family. She was simply silent.

Slowly, Sam turned towards me and asked the last difficult question. "Did he hurt you and your mother, physically?"

I was silent for a moment, not sure just how much I could tell her. "Yes, he took his frustrations out on us on a pretty regular basis. There were some days my mom couldn't go out until the bruises had faded. Dad, was more careful with me. I had to be able to attend school after all. My bruises came at the end of a belt across my butt. You got used to it after awhile."

"Why?" Sam asked "Why did your mom marry him, stay with him?"

I gave a little non-laugh "Why you ask? Very simple really. The one time my mom rebelled against her parents was when she was told NOT to date that O'Neill boy. He was just plain trouble. However, my mom was in 'love' and she soon turned up pregnant. In those days there was really only one thing to do, marry the boy. So she did. From that point on she figured she got what she deserved."

"And you? Did she think you deserved the treatment you were getting?" her angry blue eye's flashed as she looked at me.

"No!!" I yelled, a little louder than I'd meant to "she did the best she could for me. Every summer she'd send me to her parents, to their home in Minnesota, so I'd have some fun, see what life should be like. She and her parents tried to get my father to allow me to live with them full time, but he wouldn't allow it. If he had to suffer, than by god so did I."

"Jack, their home in Minnesota, is that what you call your 'cabin'?" she asked tentatively

"Yeah," I said wistfully "it is, that's where my happiest memories come from, my real childhood. I can't wait to show it to you."

I saw our exit ahead and took the right hand turn, after driving for a couple of miles I saw a small park off to my left. I signaled and turned in.

Sam sat up in confusion, seeing the park filled with kids enjoying the afternoon sun. "Why are we stopping?"

"I just wanted to get out for minute to stretch my legs. Care to take a stroll?" I asked.

"Sure," Sam smiled at the sight of joggers, kids and bike riders "Sounds like a good idea!"

We locked up the truck and picked a walking path at random. I looked down at our joined hands and couldn't help but worry. Anyone who knows me knows I worry just about constantly. Sam's earlier chattiness was gone, she had withdrawn from me. She gazed out at the park taking in the kids at play, swinging on tire swings or digging in the sandbox.

"Hey, lets sit down here" I suggested pointing out a nearby bench. "You look worried about something" I asked her gently.

"Umm" she hesitated in answering me "no, no not really"

We sat in the sunlight side by side, but not together. Something was clearly troubling her and I had a good idea what it was.

"Sam, I know that men who come from homes where there is abuse have a higher risk of becoming abusers themselves. I swear I'd never hurt you Sam. Never. If, if, you need to, call Sara, ask her. We were married for 10 years. Never once did I ever raise my hand to her or Charlie. I swear!" I was almost pleading with her, by this point, for a chance to prove to her I was worthy.

"Oh!! Jack no honey that's not what I was worried over. It never crossed my mind that you would be a threat to me." Sam hurriedly reassured me.

"You're sure?" I asked, still concerned, cause if it wasn't that, then what? She'd been fine all week and only seemed worried after the family chat.

Sam took a huge, deep breath and then… nothing; not a word. So I gave her a few minutes as I looked out over the park full of happy families. I turned back to her to suggest that we head for the truck. We still had to check into the hotel and change for dinner. As I turned to faced her, my heart broke, for a single tear traced its way down her cheek.

"Sam, honey what's wrong?" I asked thoughts of dinner and opera gone in a moment.

"Jack," her shaky voice whispered "I have something to tell you. I should have told you in the beginning, but I so wanted to be with you and I had hoped that it would all turn out to be a false alarm." she paused here to drawn another breath.

"For cryin out loud, Sam tell me! We got through all the crap I was dragging around, surely we can deal with your problem." I looked at my lover in desperation.

"You know how I come back to the SGC on a regular basis? Well some of what I'm doing is going through medical evaluations. The Naqudah in my blood is still being studied, the effects not fully known."

"Yeah, I know all this. Its not a problem that I can see." I said, still not understanding the concern.

"Well one of the side effects of it is that it probably prevents conception. So, Jack, that means there's probably no kids in my future. We've talked about our expectations and you always seem to include kids, and I was so hoping that I'd be the one to share that with you. Now those hopes may be gone. The experts are pretty sure that I can't have kids. I'm so sorry. I knew this was a possibility before I transferred to Nellis and I just couldn't find the way to tell you."

For a moment I was speechless. Yes, I had hopes that maybe I'd get a chance at being a dad again. However, it was the mother of that child that was most important to me. Above all else, I wanted Sam and if that meant no kids then, ultimately, it was not going to be a deal breaker for me.

Quietly, I turned towards her reaching my hand out to caress her cheek "Hey, I'm glad you told me. I wish you'd told me earlier that this was going on. Sam, yes I love children, that's certainly no surprise, but I've loved you longer than any future children I've never met. I guess what I'm saying here is I loved you first and that hasn't changed."

So, we sat in the sunshine on that beautiful afternoon, hand in hand. We'd been successful once again in handling another traumatic event. We were certainly facing our share of personal trauma in this relationship. Sam's head came to rest on my shoulder while my head tilted to rest against her. Now that it was in the open, even though she was still crying gently for what she had lost, we were able to comfort each other.

Finally, she dried her tears and turned to me. A smile once more lit her face. "I was so afraid you'd want to break off with me" Sam's eyes searched mine and, apparently finding the reassurance she was looking for, she stood up pulling me by the hand, to walk back to my truck. At our age I guess we understood that we were unlikely to lead a fairy tale life, but a life spent together was close enough for me.

We headed back to I25 continuing north until we saw exit 210A. By now Sam's curiosity was killing her!

"Hmm, Jack?" she asked as her eyes took in the city of Denver. "You do know where you're going right?"

"Of course!" I reply feigning hurt feelings. I smiled to myself; I had such great plans for this weekend I had booked a ridiculously expensive hotel in the heart of the city.

I pulled up in front of the Brown Palace Hotel, the valet immediately offering to park my truck, while the porter appeared to take our bags. We entered the magnificent lobby, decorated in Victorian style with a soaring nine-story atrium and a stunning stained glass canopy. After checking in we headed up to our deluxe room to freshen up. The room had beautiful views from the windows, with warm afternoon sunlight streaming in. We took our time exploring the large room, deciding to open the complimentary wine later in the evening. After sampling the hotel's stock of private bottled water, which came straight from their private wells, we headed out into the center of Denver for a little shopping.

Arriving at the 16th street mall we made the most of the shops lining the mile-long pedestrian walkway. Eventually we selected a small café to share a coffee while busy watching all the people pass by. The mall itself was beautifully decorated with impatiens, petunias and snapdragons. The afternoon of shopping soon led to an early dinner at the hotel. We chose the Ship Tavern, which contained an impressive collection of famous ship models from the clipper era.

I looked through the menu having a hard time choosing between the Rocky Mountain Trout and the legendary prime rib. Eventually I settled on the Trout with a glass of the Ship Tavern Ale while Sam settled on the sautéed lemon sole with a white wine. Dinner was relaxed and carefree, but before long it was time return to our room to get ready for the evening.

Promptly at 6:45 pm, we left our hotel dressed for an evening of Opera. The Denver Performing Arts Complex was presenting the Barber of Seville in Boettcher Hall. This wonderful opera was sung in Italian which, much to Sam's surprise, I could translate for her.

"Ok, Jack" Sam said with just a touch of irritation "when did you learn Italian?"

"Hmm, I've spoken Italian for quite while now." I replied with just a hint of a smile. "In case I didn't mention it, I speak a number of other languages as well."

"Jack! Why are you hiding your talent? Why is Daniel doing all the translation work?" Sam cried out in frustration.

"Cause it's his job. Also, I don't know the ancient languages, just the more modern ones. You, know the ones I was likely to run into while serving on a Special Ops team." I explained trying to look suitably chastised. After a short intermission we returned to our seats to enjoy the final scene of the Opera.

We grabbed a taxi back to the hotel, stopping off for a drink before heading up to our room.

As we approached our room, I became more and more nervous, the drink Sam and I had had downstairs doing nothing to calm my nerves.

As we entered the room it became evident that the staff had been very busy while we'd been out. The bed had been turned for us, rose petals scattered about the sheets, while a bowl of chocolate covered strawberries awaited us beside the Champaign bottle.

"Wow" Sam said noting the Champaign and chocolates. "Hey, Why don't you go get changed and I'll open up the wine?" I suggested, hoping she'd spend a few minutes in the bathroom, giving me a few minutes to get ready myself.

She eyed me suspiciously, "Jack, just what are you up to? Expensive hotels, Chocolates and Champaign? If I didn't know better I'd say you were either going to break up with me or marry me!"

I stared at her for a moment, causing her to blush and shift nervously as I looked at her with obvious interest, "Go on, you go change into something sexy for me."

Nervously I paced around the room, pausing to look out over the city. Was I prepared for her answer? What if she turned down my marriage proposal? Oh god, what if she didn't?

I got the wine open and two glasses poured just before Sam stepped out of the bath dressed in a long sheer nightgown. I was incredibly nervous and Sam began to laugh "Jack, for heavens sake you look like you're gonna bolt and run!" She giggled at my caught-in-the-headlights look.

"You are so lovely" I breathed out finally. "I love you so much Sam I hope you'll always be a part of my life" I stretched my hand out, taking one of hers in my mine. In my other hand sat a small blue velvet box. I pushed it open with my thumb to display a sparkling solitary diamond engagement ring.

"Please, Sam be my wife. Share all that I have. Forever." Slowly in the silence, my head dipped to study my shoes. Oh, so not what I had planned to say. I'm so bad with speeches and expressing myself, why would she say yes? An affair is one thing; they can be ended with very little effort Marriages are meant to last forever. The moment lasted forever before she reached down and drew my attention upward.

"Yes." Sam breathed out softly, tears sliding down her cheeks. Removing the ring from its small box, and with my own shaking hands, I dropped to one knee to place the ring on her left finger. Gently I kissed her hand, and as she pulled me back to my feet, I realized that I was also crying; So relieved that she'd consented to be my wife.

We turned the TV to an all-classical music station and held each other closely as we swayed in time to the music. Over time, we managed to finish the entire bottle Champaign, and strawberries, before retiring for the night.

After a breakfast served in bed and a leisurely shower we set out for home. We had a busy few days ahead of us as we shared the happy news with our family and friends.