--- --- Epilogue: Learning To Fly --- ---
The air was heavy with the smell of apples and cinnamon. She had always associated that particular scent with Christmas. Fortunately, they had made it home before Christmas. They had barely been able to make themselves comfortable in the new 'old' home, before their first guest for the welcome home party arrived.
Behind her in the living room, she heard Jack shift to open the door. He was still easily tired but he refused to give in to it. Their journey home had been rather calm. Now, as they had just arrived home this very morning, they'd probably need the strength they'd gathered on their days on the Asgard ship.
The house she was standing in at the moment was a bit of a surprise for her as well. She had asked Daniel and Cassie to find her a place to live. During her divorce, after the house had been sold, she had officially lived at Cassie's. There had been no need to buy a house for herself, anyway, she'd actually lived on base most of the time.
She hadn't expected that they would buy Jack's old house. So, both Jack and Sam had been rather surprised to see their new home. They had never discussed their new living arrangements openly. Somehow, it had been the most natural step. Ever since Jack had woken up, they had hardly spent a single second apart. After all, they had a lot of lost time to make up for.
"JACK!"
The squeak from the door was unmistakably Cassie. There were lower voices. Cassie had brought Teal'c and his family along. Soon enough, the house was filled with laughter and talk. Teal'c's little granddaughter was playing on the ground. It seemed a Play Station wasn't just something for human kids. Or men, by the way.
A second ring on the door heralded the arrival of the rest of their visitors. She went to answer the door and was greeted by a wide-eyed Jeremy and an inanely grinning Daniel. Thor had beamed them down at the SGC this morning, while Jeremy had been on his way home. By the look on his face, she was pretty sure that Daniel hadn't filled him in on what had happened today.
"Sam? I didn't know you were...? Did you... Is he..."
"Come in, guys."
She hugged both as they stepped inside, Jeremy still looking utterly lost and irritated at not having his questions answered. His eyes were fixed on Sam and he didn't even notice Jack's approach from behind.
"Hey, Jeremy."
The boy's face lit up as he spun around and threw himself into Jack's arms. He stumbled backwards a bit, giving in to the force of Jeremy's attack. A smile came to Sam's lips as she watched the reunion. For the first time, since... well, a long time ago… she realized that she was happy. She was well and truly happy.
--- --- --- --- ---
Darkness had fallen outside and silence now filled the house. Rya'c, Kar'yn, and their daughter had long ago retreated to the master bedroom. Jack had been adamant that they should take it despite their loud protest. Daniel had fallen asleep in one of the chairs. He'd had one eggnog too many and now slept safe and sound like a baby. Teal'c and Ishta had taken one of the spare rooms and Jeremy had curled up on the floor in front of the fire, leaving the other spare room to Cassie.
Jack still expected to wake up any time. To find out that it was just one of those dreams he'd had so regularly on Sandrana. But it wasn't. Though he didn't like to admit it, he had to thank Indra for what she did. The whole thing had brought them a lot closer together than they had been before, had solved a lot of issues.
Sam snuggled closer to him. She was awake; he could tell by her breathing rhythm. It was still unbelievable how easily they had settled into their new roles. They hadn't seen each other for eight years and, yet, it seemed like they had never been apart.
"Whatcha thinkin'?"
Her voice was quiet, so as not to startle Daniel and Jeremy. She lifted her head slightly to look at him and he simply smiled back.
"Just thinking about how I got so lucky."
Having said that, he placed a kiss on her forehead and her head fell back to his chest. Her arms drew closer around him and she squeezed him harder. God, he was already addicted and he didn't want to ever come down to reality again.
--- --- The End --- ---
A/N: Thanks to all of you who stayed with me and reviewed. It meant the world to me. Honestly. I hope you liked the way it all ended, but who doesn't love Happy Ends? Once again, thank you all. I love you for making my days brighter by letting me know what you thought.