They all piled into Mike's old Plymouth that had seen better days and headed off toward Sean's house. They talked about school activities, Mike's run-in with his chemistry teacher, Mr. Batman (a nickname the teacher had earned because of his fascination with bats) and the hockey game that was scheduled for Friday night. Jack had earned a spot on the team, and his friends took every opportunity to talk about the sport, which Jack enjoyed more than flying Death Gliders. Well, maybe not…
Mrs. G was in the kitchen when they walked in and Mike immediately went to the cookie jar sitting on the counter to see if anything was in it. Mrs. G slapped at his hands, but smiled at him when he stepped back with two great looking chocolate chip cookies in his hand. Jack moved up to her and gave her a hug, which prompted her to tell him that he could have some cookies, as well. She always saw right through him, he thought, as he munched on his share.
"How'd school go today?" she asked, as she put a pot filled with water and peeled potatoes on the stove.
"Okay," Sean's muffled answer came from the refrigerator. He had practically stuck his whole body in it while looking for something. "Aced my math test," he said as he pulled out an open can of soda from somewhere in the back of the fridge.
"What about your chemistry class?" she asked Mike, causing Mike to choke on some crumbs. "That guy just doesn't like me," he groaned. "I swear he went to the same meanness school as Professor Snape."
"Hogwarts?" Sean snickered. "He does dearly love his bats. Now we know what he uses all those batwings for."
"Casting spells on unsuspecting teenagers who cause him untold aggravation in his classes," Jack added wondering if he could sneak another cookie out of the jar.
"After dinner, Jack. I mean it," she admonished him. He looked at her in shock, then gave her a bright smile as he laughed at her expression. She was standing there with one hand on her hip and the other one waving a wooden spoon, glaring at Mike for having been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
"Your mother called a little while ago," she informed the culprit. "She says to tell you that you are eating at her house at least once a week from now on, and tonight happens to be that night. If you go over there full of cookies, she will come and kick my butt, I just know it. No more, I mean it," she threatened.
"My mom would never hurt you, Mrs. G," Mike said with an innocent look that didn't fool her for a minute. Jack couldn't stop grinning at the two and decided to sit back to watch the show.
The show was interrupted by the giggles of females and Jack's mood shifted as he realized whom those giggles belonged to, Deidre and her friends. Panic set in and he gave Mrs. G a look that told her everything.
"Now calm down, Jack. I know Brittany has a thing for you, but just go with the flow. She won't jump your bones, you know."
"I wish I could be so confident," he said as he glanced at the object of their conversation. Brittany walked up to him and wrapped her arms around one of his and he gave Mrs. G a scathing look. Mrs. G just laughed and pulled the girl off and offered her some cookies.
Jack grimaced at his friends, who were standing there with humongous grins on their faces. He flipped them off before he walked out the back door into the yard. They followed him out and Mike grabbed the basketball that was lying next to the garage wall.
"She really likes you, Jack," he said as he bounced the ball around on the driveway.
Jack just glared at him and jumped up to grab the ball in mid air. He dribbled it and made a shot at the basket, only to find that Sean had intercepted it and tossed it in himself.
Jack's mood improved as he played basketball with his friends. He really enjoyed these times when it was just the three of them talking, or getting into trouble, or just hanging out. He didn't feel so alone like he did when he first came to the school. He had missed the camaraderie of his team at the SGC, the talks they had and even the arguments he and Daniel, SG-1's archeologist, participated in. Now he had his new friends and his new family. He had adapted pretty well to the monkey wrench life threw at him and he was proud of how well he had handled everything.
They played until Mr. G came out and informed them that dinner was served and they headed in, while Jack crowed that he had won no matter what the others had to say about the subject. Of course, the other two had a lot to say about it and they good naturedly bantered the subject about until Mrs. G told them to quiet down.
Jack dug in as he heard Mike's car rev up and pull out of the driveway. His friend had tried to weasel his way to the dinner table, but Mrs. G was adamant. She didn't want to be sporting bruises, she teased.
Jack had started in on his second helping of everything when Mr. G brought the conversation around to the school's hockey game that was to be held two days later. Even though his son didn't participate in the sport, the whole family had gone to every one of the games to cheer Jack on. They had taken him on as a family member whether he wanted them to or not, and he was grateful to them for making these years much easier on him.
"You ready for the game?" Mr. G asked as Jack took a bite of the chicken he had snatched.
"Yes, sir," he replied with a grin. "I keep telling them that there's no need to play this game, as we are going to win it anyway. No use putting the opposing team through the agony of defeat."
"Aren't you being a little overconfident?" Deidre asked. "There is the slight, and I do mean slight, possibility that our team will get creamed."
"Not in this lifetime," Kelly, the Garrett's youngest daughter said, grinning at her sister. "Jack's going to dance on their graves."
"Kelly Louise Garrett!" he mother yelped. "What kind of thing is that to say?"
"Sorry mom," Kelly said sheepishly. "I just meant that we are going to win, no matter what."
Mrs. G just glared at her youngest, while Jack decided to change the subject. "I talked with the recruiter earlier today," he said. "I'll be attending the Air Force Academy next fall."
"Oh Jack, are you sure that this is what you want to do?" Mrs. G asked.
"Yes, he is," Mr. G said with a smile at Jack. "His college is going to be paid for. Now if I can just convince the other three…" he said pointedly looking at each of his children in turn.
"But Dad, I want to be a fashion designer," Deidre whined. "They don't teach fashion designing in that place."
"You know, I've been thinking of going there myself," Brittany said, smiling at Jack. "I want to work with computers."
Jack didn't say anything, as he looked toward Kelly. She rolled her eyes then made a face at him and he grinned at her thinking he was going to give her a big hug the first chance he got.
"They offer medical degrees there, don't they Jack?" Mr. G pressed on as he looked at his son. "You could study to be a doctor there, Sean."
"You leave him alone this instant Colin," Mrs. G said. "He'll go to whatever college he wants to. Besides, with his grades, he is going to get all kinds of scholarships."
Mr. G just grinned at Sean. Jack felt affection settle in his stomach as he relaxed in his chair. They were his family, no doubt about that. He missed his other family, his SG-1 teammates, but he wasn't alone and that was what counted. He had been alone so many times in his life and had endured the loneliness, yet he always seemed to find someone to fill in the gaps – Sarah and Charlie, Daniel and Skaa'ra, then Sam and Teal'c. He was glad for them even as he watched his new family argue and tease each other.
Dinner was finally over and he got up to help Sean clear the table. Rules of the household included the men and boys clearing the table while the women and girls stacked the dishwasher and cleaned the kitchen. Jack was actually glad to do something to help as they were feeding him nearly every night.
He left over an hour later to return to his apartment. He grinned as he remembered Kelly's squeal as he snuck up behind her to give her that hug he promised himself he would. She had laughed with him, as he sat down to help her with her history homework.
He walked into his apartment, turning on the light and headed for the kitchen. He grabbed a carton of orange juice from the refrigerator, drinking it straight from the container. Why dirty a glass that he was just going to have to wash, he thought, as he sat down on a chair in his living room.
He turned the TV on, but really didn't focus on it. His mind went back to that conversation he'd overheard earlier that day. Should he follow up on it? Should he report it? According to the kid he'd talked to, they were just planning to raid a party with water guns. But what if it was something more sinister? He tried to remember back to the moment he'd heard the conversation, thinking back on whether he'd had any misgivings at the time. His instincts, honed by over 30 years in the military, would have alerted him if trouble was brewing, wouldn't they?
He mulled over the subject for some time, before finally getting up to go to bed. He had decided that he would talk to someone about it tomorrow. Let them decide if this was something to be followed up on. He got into bed and fell asleep, dreaming about Skaa'ra and a swirling blue portal that had taken him to places most people could only imagine. In this dream, it had taken him to a planet being swallowed up by a black hole….