The Intergalactic Social Event of the Decade

Part 8

From where he sat on his roof, Jack could hear Cassie pull into the drive and go inside the house. A while later he heard her on the ladder. He looked up to see her pull herself over the edge. She had changed out of her party dress and put on her pajamas. She silently sat down beside him and he took the Guinness she offered. He popped the cap and took a long swig. "So," he said breaking the silence. "Am I gonna have to kick Jonas's ass?"

"Why?" she questioned innocently taking a sip of her own Bud Light.

"Cass, I saw you two snuggling on the swing."

"We were not snuggling."

Jack cocked an eyebrow in disbelief but decided on a different tactic. "Do you know how much older he is than you?"

"No. Do you?"

That gave him pause. "No, actually, I don't. BUT that's not the point. However old he is, he's too old for you."

Cassie rolled her eyes. "Okay. Whatever you say, Jack."

"I'm serious, Cassie. He's not known as the alien Don Juan of the SGC for nothing. He went through every nurse in the infirmary when he was on SG-1."

"Oh, C'mon, Jack. Chill with the over protective thing. We were just talking."

"About what?"

"Stuff. We actually have a lot in common."

Jack snorted. "Like what?"

"Not being from Earth and Nirrti screwing with our DNA."

Jack grunted but didn't say anything more. They sat in silence for a while just sipping their beer and watching the night sky. Then Cassie's eyes lit on a red and white box sitting on the railing. She picked it up. "What's this?"

Jack's as flicked to it nonchalantly as he took a sip of his beer. "A pack of Marlborough Reds."

"Jack." She gave him a disapproving look that she no doubt learned from her mother.

"What?" But his trademarked dumb/innocent look didn't work and she continued to glare. Then he made an unexpectedly sudden move and the box was magically in his hand.

"Hey!" she protested. "That's not fair!"

"You were concentrating too hard on glaring," he mumbled around the cigarette he was lighting. He took a drag and then sighed in nicotine bliss.

"Can I have one?"

"No," Jack barked out a laugh. "Doc would haunt my ass, then."

"Yes, she would," Cassie smiled briefly at the thought. "So, why'd you start?

"Dunno. Just felt like I needed one."

"Just one?" she asked eying the half empty box.

"One pack," he shrugged. "I used to smoke, y'know?"

She shook her head that she didn't.

"I started when I was sixteen. I quit the day I got back from Abydos. The first time. That was real red letter day." He smiled bitterly at the memory. "I went home ready to start over and make things work. But I didn't have a home. I had divorce papers waiting on me. Kind of ironic in a way. She'd been after me from our first date to quit smoking and then I do, but she doesn't want me anymore. Not that I could blame her. I wouldn't want me if I was her either."

"Don't say that, Jack," Cassie reached over and squeezed his hand.

"I wasn't a very good husband, Cassie. No man in special ops, much less black ops, can be. No matter how much he wants to. You'd think that would be the second worst day of my life, wouldn't you? The day my wife left me. But it wasn't. I didn't even really care."

"You didn't care?" she asked in disbelief.

"I won't deny that I loved Sara. I did, but it was a young misguided love. We should have never gotten married, but I thought I could do it all. Save the world and be the husband she deserved. I was so damned cocky back then. We didn't really know each other. There was so much I couldn't tell her, didn't want her to know. She was a little afraid of me anyway. If she actually knew some of the stuff that I'd done… She thought after Charlie was born that I'd get out of it and I wanted to, but I couldn't. I got cocky again. Thought the world would fall apart with out me fighting for it. God, I loved Charlie so much and his death was my penance."

"Jack, you don't really believe that, do you?"

Jack's only response was to light another cigarette.

"I want to hate Pete, but I can't," Cassie told him quietly.

"It's not his fault."

"He tries so hard to be understanding."

"I hope he continues to, for Carter's sake. I always knew spouses of field officers had it tough, but always being one myself I never how bad until I got shoved behind that fucking desk. I don't know what has to be worse: knowing what's going on out there or not knowing."

She watched him for a moment then said, "I saw the necklace."

"Yeah?"

"It was beautiful."

"Yeah."

"Jonas translated the inscription for her."

Jack didn't respond.

"Don't you want to know what she said?"

"She's not here, is she? I think that says everything," he smashed out his cigarette, his face oddly expressionless.

"I think I hate her."

"Cass, don't hate her. She deserves to be happy."

"You deserve to be happy, Jack."

Jack reached over and pulled him into his arms. "I am, Cassie. I've got you here with me."

Cassie held onto him tightly and buried her face in his chest. She wanted to cry for his pain. "I love you, Jack. You're the best man I've ever known. I hope I find someone half as good as you to spend my life with."

"You should probably aim higher than that."

Cassie pulled away and suddenly smiled. "I think I should look Mini-Jack up. He's still in the Springs, right?"

"Oh, don't you dare. I expressly forbid you to have anything to do with Mini-me."

"Oh, c'mon, Jack. Don't you think he would be interested in me?"

"That's what I'd be afraid of," he said suddenly choking on the urge to laugh. "It would take incest to a whole new very, very disturbing level. I think I'd rather have Jonas as a son-in-law."

"Oh, I don't want to marry Jonas," she replied her eyes glittering mischievously. "I just want to have fun with him."

"You are not going to have fun with Jonas or any other man. In fact, after the wedding tomorrow I packing off to a convent. You are going to be a nun until I find someone suitable for you and it's highly unlikely I will, so it's Sister Cassandra from now on."

Cassie laughed, "Yeah, sure, you betcha." She leaned over and kissed his cheek. "I'm gonna go to bed. Goodnight, 'Dad'."

"'Night, 'sweetheart'."

---

TBC