Author's note: Hello everybody, I have included a small family tree
that I feel will be helpful for everyone who is seriously trying to follow
this story.
Any questions, or if I buggered something up. Just let me know.
Ellie Mae
Family Tree
Elisa (65) - Jonathan (70) Air force Ret. -Jonathan 45 (Jack) Air force -James 43 (Jimmy) Architect -Thomas 40 (Tom) Teacher -Michael 35 (Mike) F.B.I. Agent -Elizabeth 30 (Lizzie) Doctor in the Marines
Jack -Megan 26 Air force Jonathan 2years old (Johnny) Lachlan 2 months old (Lachie) Nicholas 2 months old (Nick) -Charles (Dec.) Charlie
Jimmy - Melissa 40 Hairdresser -James Jnr. 18 (JJ) -Jeffrey 16 (Jeff) -Lucy 14
Tom - Caroline 35 Teacher -Anthony 10 -Brad 8
Mike - Katrina 30 Political Speech Writer. -Rory 5
Elizabeth not married.
And on to the story.......
Chapter Eighteen
Jack looked over at his daughter who was fidgeting in the passenger seat beside him.
"Calm down Megan, its not like you have never ever met them before." He said trying to get her attention.
"I know, but it is different this time. They don't even know I exist. What are you going to do walk up to them and say Mum, Dad congratulations it's a girl. She's a bit bigger then you'd expect oh and by the way she is a widow with three sons. I'm sure that will go down well." Megan said sarcastically.
Jack saw a petrol station up ahead and remained quiet until he pulled into the parking lot beside the store.
He turned in his seat so he was facing Megan and put his hand over hers. "Megan they have to know about you, or next time they visit me they will have one hell of a surprise in the spare bedrooms. I rang my parents last night and told them that I was up at the cabin with some friends and that I had a surprise for them. It's not exactly something you can say over the phone. It is only an hour drive to their house and we are only about ten minutes away. Are you sure you can do this? I can leave you at the shops if you would prefer and pick you up afterwards."
"No, I want to do this and the boys deserve to know their great grandparents. I just don't understand why Daniel couldn't come or at least Sam."
"If we want them to believe our cover story they will have to wait to meet Daniel and I asked Sam not to come."
"Why would you do that Dad?"
"Cause I thought it was something that I thought we should do together and plus I don't want to overwhelm the folks. OK. Let's just go over the story one more time. For my sake." He added when she rolled her eyes in his direction. Taking her nod as a yes Jack continued.
"Ok, here we go. We'll try to stick to the facts as much as possible so we don't tangle a huge web of deceit. You tracked me down a few months ago, with one son and another two on the way. Before your mother died she told you about me and roughly where I was. After she died you lived with an Uncle and Aunt of yours until you got joined the Royal Australian Air force (RAAF). During that time you married another person involved in the air force but not of rank." He paused to make sure that she was getting all of this. At her nod to continue he kept going.
"Your first husbands name was Daniel but he died on a mission when you were a few months pregnant with the twins."
Megan continued, "And feeling that I had nothing left to stay in Australia for, I hoofed it onto the first plane with my son to the good old US of A to find my daddy." Megan said the last word in a whiny child like voice gaining a response from her father.
"Smart arise. We also have to tell them why you have that honking ring on your wedding finger."
"Well why don't we tell them that oh let me think. That I'm engaged. To strangely enough a man. It is a coincidence that he has the same name as my first husband. Who by the way is one of your best friends that I met through you. Boy does that sounds like you pimped me out."
"You have been around me way too much. Sarcastic pain in the arise. And no, it does not sound like I pimped you out. Come on are you ready for this?"
"Yes let's go."
Arriving in front of a large wooden house Jack got out and went around to open the door for Megan.
After they had gotten Johnny and twins out of the back of the car they made their way up the path to the house.
Jack realized when he saw his reflection in one of the windows that he would have to tell his parents quickly what the surprise was before they got the wrong idea.
Here he was lugging a baby capsule in each arm, followed by an attractive young woman holding a toddler in her arms. It looked he guessed from the outside that he was suffering from a midlife crisis.
He knocked on the door after he put the capsules on one of the patio chairs. After a few moments the door flew open and his mother engulfed him in a huge hug.
"Jacky, it is so good to see you. I haven't seen enough of you the last few years." His mother exclaimed as she kissed her son on either cheek. Looking behind him she noticed the young woman holding a child looking nervously at her.
"Come in, come in." She said as she motioned the trio forward. Wondering for a moment what her son was doing when he reached over to the patio setting.
Seeing what he was reaching for made her even more suspicious.
Babies. Now she was absolutely confused. What had her son been up to the last few years that she didn't know about?
Once everyone was inside she went into the kitchen to get the pitcher or homemade lemonade that her son liked so much.
She called out the open back door in the kitchen for her husband to come inside.
When she re entered the living room, Jack was sitting on the lounge next to the nervous young woman with the tired toddler in her arms.
The babies were asleep in their capsules beside her son.
Her husband sat down next to her on the opposite lounge after he had greeted his son.
"Mum, dad. I have a surprise for you. This is Megan. Megan this is my parents, Elisa and Jonathan O'Neill."
"Nice to meet you Megan." Elisa replied, receiving a nod from the young woman.
"Here's the surprise. Mum, Dad there is no other way to say this except outright. Megan is my daughter, your granddaughter."
Letting the news sink in Jack moved just a little closer to Megan and took Johnny from her lap.
"How is that possible Jack, how old is she?
"I'm twenty six Mrs. O'Neill. My mother was Sandra Thompson, dad, sorry Jack dated her when he was about eighteen years old. She never told either of us about the other, until I was sixteen. She told me his name, what he did for a living when she knew him and a few other details that she thought would come in handy if I wanted to track him down." Megan spoke up.
Silence filled the air, Megan and Jack in anxious silence and Jack's parents in confused silence.
Lachie picked that exact moment to realize he was hungry and let every one know about it.
Megan reached over her father and picked the crying boy up. Johnny stirred in his grandfather's lap for a few moments before settling again.
"Is there any where I can heat up a bottle for the babies please?" Megan asked of the elderly woman sitting opposite.
Elisa nodded and led the way into the kitchen. On her way, Megan put Lachie back in his capsule and picked them both up to take into the kitchen. She always fed them at the same time, even if it meant waking the other one up.
Jack followed her in with Johnny resting on his hip and carrying the nappy bag. He put the bag down on the bench and got the pre mixed bottles out of the right compartments. Elisa stood at the door for a moment watching how her son was so well suited to this role of grandfather she assumed, not knowing the identities of the children. She left them to it and went back into the living room to have a quick word with her husband.
Seeing that his mother had left them alone for a moment he grabbed Megan's hand before she could pick Lachie up and pulled her into a brief side way's hug.
Megan reached over and gave Johnny a kiss on the forehead and kissed her father on the cheek, before she returned to feeding her sons.
Jack turned on his heel and went back into the living room with Johnny still in his arms. Sitting down in the same spot Jack looked at his parents. He couldn't tell what they were thinking so he came out and asked.
"So?" He prompted them.
"Well, I don't know son. This is a rather big thing. I'm assuming the babies and the toddler you have there are hers." Jonathan Snr. Asked.
"Yes dad. This is Jonathan Daniel O'Neill he is almost two, his birthday is actually the same day as yours, but to stop any confusion he is called Johnny for short. The babies in the kitchen with Megan are Lachlan and Nicholas, they are nine weeks old. Megan found me about a month before they were born."
He paused to gauge their reaction to the fact that he found out so long ago. His mother nodded for him to continue.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, but we had a few drama's when these two were born and a few emergency's at the base. So I kept putting it off. I didn't want to tell you over the phone so I had to wait until I could get some time to come up and visit. Are you guys ok with this?"
Elisa and her husband looked at each other and then over to Jack.
"Jacky it's just a bit of a surprise, that's all. It's not everyday that you find out you have another grandchild and great grandchildren to boot. How did you not know about this?" His mother asked.
"Well when Sandra and I dated she fell pregnant. I knew that much. She told me at the time that she wanted to have an abortion. I didn't want her to do it, I proposed and everything. But she refused the proposal. She had told me that she had gotten rid of the baby the day before she flew home to Australia. I never saw or heard from her again. I had always assumed that she had had an abortion, she never told me other wise. And before either or you ask the Chief Doctor at the base did a DNA scan and it proves that she is mine."
"We would never say anything of the sort Jack." His father stated.
"I'm sorry dad, I just didn't want to leave anyone guessing. I wasn't there for the first part of her life but I intend to live up to my responsibilities and help her with anything she needs from now on. Megan and the boys are living with me at the moment until her and her fiancé' can find a house."
"Fiancé'. When did her husband die?" Jonathan asked.
"He died when she was two months or so pregnant. And before you say anything dad, I just want you to know that her fiancé' is a very close friend of mine and I approve of Megan's decision. He is a very kind and caring man and he is in the process of adopting the boys at the moment." Jack thought that one little white lie wouldn't hurt, after all Daniel didn't have to adopt the kids, biologically they were already his. But they had decided that it would be way too hard to explain to anyone who didn't know Megan's true origin.
"Megan met him when she found me and they have been close friends ever since. He only proposed two nights ago. He works with me, in Colorado." Jack added.
"So when do we get to meet this young man." Elisa asked of her son.
"When you get to know Megan better. Mum she has had a hard life. I don't want something like this to be hard on her. Her mother died when she was sixteen, she lived with her Aunt and Uncle in Australia after that. In the past year her life has been literally turned up side down. Her husband died, when she went into labor with the twins, she had a series of complications. And to top it all off not even a week after the babies were born, some psychotic woman kidnapped them because they thought they could use them as leverage to get me to do some things not exactly in the regulations. Megan spent two weeks in hospital after she found them, she almost bled to death, and she has been told that she may never have anymore children." Jack finished when he saw his mother was about to burst into tears of sympathy.
"Sounds like a script from a soap opera doesn't it." Megan piped up from the doorway to the kitchen burping Lachie after his lunch.
Every body's head snapped in her direction. No body moved except Elisa, who stood up and went immediately to Megan's side.
She took Megan's face in her hands and looked into her eyes.
"You are definitely Jack's daughter. Smart arse's the lot of you." Elisa raised one of her hands to her own face and wiped at her eyes.
"Megan, you call me Nana, all the grandkids do. Now are you going to let me hold my great grandson or not." She said after she composed her self.
Megan who was slightly taken back, thrust Lachie forward for her Nana to hold.
--------
On the way back to the cabin late that afternoon, Megan was excitedly chatty.
"So do you really think they liked me and the boys?" She asked for the eighth time in a row.
"Megan they loved you, why wouldn't they. They think the boys are adorable and my father is so chuffed that not only is Johnny named after him but the fact that their birthday's are the same date."
"Yeah, because I really had much say in that last one. Do you think the General will let you have time off from work for Pop's birthday party?"
"I think I can sweet talk him into it. I've been thinking about cutting back on my work load now anyway." Jack said a little too quickly.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Megan asked suspiciously.
"Well, I've come to a conclusion."
"God, did it hurt?" Megan interrupted him receiving a jab in the arm for her effort.
"Ha ha. You're hilarious. No, smart arise. I came to the conclusion that it was about time to call it quits on active duty. Don't get me wrong I don't want to sit behind a desk. But I have been thinking, that I'm a grandfather now. I also have this amazing daughter who I want to spend all my spare time with getting to know. And I also have a beautiful woman who, get this, actually love's me. She told me last night before we went to bed, that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with me."
"Dad, I'm so happy for you. I saw how much joy the Sam from my world bought into my other father's life. You deserve some happiness. But what do you want to do about work?"
"I don't want to retire, I enjoy what I do way too much for that. But I do want to get more involved in the training of new recruits and the such. I suppose you could say I want to trade real bullets for blanks. And to top it off, Sam won't be in my direct chain of command, so the regulations don't count."
"Well that is a good thing. Hopefully Daniel and Sam can get time off to come to the party as well. So ill get to meet all the family again. This is so weird, I know all of them, and I know their wives and their kids but I have to pretend I don't when I meet them again. Does that make any sense?"
"I know what you mean Megan. Just be thankful that Johnny is too young to really remember them. Otherwise there would be some explaining to do."
"I wonder if everyone is the same as they were in my world."
---------
Two Months Later.
Jack sat in the driver's seat going over what had happened in the last few weeks. It had been rather chaotic.
He had retired from active duty, and was now head of the training and ongoing development department.
Sam had moved in with him the very next day. By pure coincidence Megan and Daniel had been looking at houses in the area when the one right behind his own had come up for sale.
Four bedroom plus a large study for all of Daniel's knick-knacks.
The day that they had moved in, Teal'c had helped him put a gate in the back fence, originally to make it easier to move all the furniture but it came in handy for people moving as well.
Johnny being the original little toddler terror, made use of it daily, in his search for something to destroy. Thankfully he was in the backseat quietly asleep at the moment.
They were on the way to the airport to pick up Jack's baby sister Lizzie and her boyfriend.
Megan, Daniel, Sam and the boys were already up at the cabin getting ready for the party at his parents place tomorrow.
There wasn't enough room for everyone to stay at Jack's parents place so his sister and one of his brothers were staying at the cabin.
His brother Mike and his family were arriving sometime this afternoon.
Arriving at the airport, Jack jumped out of the truck and opened the back door to a groggy toddler staring back at him, having just woken up.
"Come on Johnny we have to go and meet Lizzie."
Pulling the young boy out of the backseat, Jack headed into the crowded arrival lounge.
Finding the correct gate, Jack found a seat and sat with Johnny watching the planes land and take off out of the window.
Finally the doors opened and Jack stood with the boy resting on his hip so he could see over the crowd milling at the door.
He turned his head for a minute to check that Johnny was alright, just as a pair of arms wrapped around him from behind.
"Hey big brother, I almost didn't recognize you there. Looking all domesticated and all."
Jack hugged his only sister back.
"Lizzie it is so good to see you. I want you to meet my grandson Johnny." Johnny who all of a sudden had become shy cuddled up to his grandfather and hid his face.
"Give him an hour and he will never shut up. Trust me."
"Mum told me about Megan, and you being a granddad. But wow, to see him in the flesh. I can't believe it. I'm too young to be a great Aunt." Lizzie said with mock tears.
"Jack, I want you to meet Peter."
Jack and the man who he now knew as Peter shook hands.
---------
At the cabin Megan puttered around nervously cleaning and folding clothes, anything to keep her hands occupied and her mind off of tomorrow.
She was looking forward to seeing everybody, but she wasn't sure that she could keep up the guise of not knowing anyone.
Family had always been important her, especially after her mother died.
Sam startled her from her thoughts.
"Megan tell me about the people I will be meeting tomorrow and tell me if I should be wary about anyone."
Sitting down on the lounge together the women got into a comfortable position.
"Well let me see. To start with, my grandparents. Jonathan Snr who is a retired Air force General, and Elisa who is an absolutely fantastic cook. Dad is the eldest at 45, then there is James, Jimmy, who is an Architect and lives in Chicago he is 43. Then we have Thomas, Tom, he is a high school teacher in California. Then Michael, Mike is actually an agent with the FBI, he is living in Washington at the moment I think. And last but not least there is Elizabeth, who absolutely hates being called Lizzie and that is why dad calls her it constantly, she is in the Medical Corp of the Marines I believe she is a Major."
Taking a quick breather Megan jumped up and got herself and Sam a drink from the fridge.
Sitting back down Megan continued.
"OK, then we start on the spouses and the kids. Well Jimmy's wife is Melissa she is a hairdresser, and they have three kids, James Jnr, JJ who is 18, Jeff is 16 and Lucy is 14."
"I'm never going to remember any of these names." Sam sighed.
"Nana will make everyone wear name tags so don't worry about it. I know it is sad but she is planning on having a quite a few family members there that no body has seen for a while so everyone will have to suffer the humiliation, she even said Pop was going to wear one. And it is his birthday party."
Both the women burst out laughing at the thought of the birthday boy not knowing anyone at his own party.
"Ok back on track. Tom is next, his wife is Caroline, and she is properly the only one you will have to watch. She can be a bit of a bitch. I don't think she ever liked me. She works with Tom as a teacher. They have two sons, who by the way are spoilt little shits. Anthony who is ten and don't you dare shorten it to Tony cause he will have a hissy fit and sulk. His younger brother Bradley is 8, he isn't as bad at Anthony but not far behind. Mike's wife is really nice, Katrina she works for a Senator or something in Washington, and they're the ones that are coming here this arvo. Their son Rory is five, he is absolutely adorable."
She wasn't worried about meeting Lizzie cause in her own world Megan and her Aunt were close, being only a few years apart in age. At thirty, her Aunt Elizabeth was only four years older then her. She was what you would call a change of life baby for her parents.
She even got along with Mike and his wife Katrina really well, and their son Rory at five was only a few years older then Johnny.
Hearing a car horn in the driveway signaled that Jack had arrived back in one piece. Both the women got up and went out on to the front porch to greet the new arrivals.
Lizzie jumped out of the backseat with a toddler wrapped around her like a quilt, and took in the beautiful view from the side of the cabin.
She looked up to the porch and saw two women standing there.
One about her height with short blonde hair, defiantly military Lizzie thought to herself. The other woman must have been Megan.
"God, girl, I hope I look that good after three kids." Lizzie said in way of greeting. "Before you say a word Megan, I'm assuming." Getting a nod Lizzie continued.
"Before you say any thing, lets get this straight. I don't like any of my niece's or nephew's calling me Aunty Lizzie. The fact that you are only four years younger than me makes me want to emphasize the fact that you can refer to me as Elizabeth or if you must Lizzie, but I can't guarantee that I will answer to the last one."
"Deal." Megan said as she walked down the stairs in Lizzie's direction.
"I see you have met my beautiful daughter, Auntie Lizzie." Jack said as he pulled the bags out of the boot of the car, having heard the previous conversation.
Dumping the bags on the ground near the steps, Jack motioned for Sam to come down and join them.
"Lizzie, this is Samantha Carter. Sam this is my baby sister Lizzie and her boyfriend Peter." Jack added as he noticed the man who seemed very quiet taking the bags to the top of the stairs.
"Nice to meet you. Jack has told me nothing about you, I hate to admit. But all I can say is it is about time Jack." Lizzie said as she put the squirming toddler down on the ground.
"About time for what?" Jack asked as he laced his arm around Sam's waist.
"It's about time you got laid." Lizzie said with a huge smile across her face. Sam's mouth dropped open not knowing how to react. Jack followed suit.
"I can't believe you just said that. I might pretend to be a grown up sometimes but I swear if one more person starts talking about my fathers sex life I'm going to have to throw up." Megan got out in between fits of laughter at the sight of her father and Sam.
Walking over to his sister's side, who impressively held her ground, Jack hissed in her direction. "You are so going to cop it tomorrow sister dear. Just remember who is the only one who isn't married with 2.4 kids. The relatives are going to eat you alive." He finished his statement with an evil laugh.
"Hey your not married either." Lizzie stated in her defense.
"Yeah but living in sin is much more acceptable at my age." Jack said as he staunched up the stairs into the cabin.
"You old git." Lizzie threw over her shoulder as she picked up her bag and followed him in.
-------------
Everybody sat outside that night waiting for Jack and Mike to finish cooking the meat on the BBQ.
Mike and Katrina had arrived a few hours before and were joining in to the mini reunion.
Daniel was talking excitedly to Lizzie about their mutual interest in archaeology, his being his job, and hers being a hobby.
Megan, Katrina and Sam were chatting and keeping an eye on Rory and Johnny play nearby.
Peter was remaining rather quiet, but it was understandable, in this family you had to be loud to get a word in edge ways.
After dinner had been served the women went into the house with the kids, while the men had a few beers outside and talked about sports.
Megan and Lizzie went to check up on the twins who were asleep in their port a cot in her's and Daniel's room.
After they had quietly shut the door, Lizzie motioned for Megan to follow her into her room.
"Take a seat Megan." Lizzie said as she patted the bed that she had jumped up onto.
"So how are you going with all of this?" Lizzie asked.
"I'm loving every minute of it." Megan answered honestly.
"So tell me about yourself. I want to know everything. Tell me all about Daniel, he seems so nice and he seems to love those boys of yours as if they were his own."
Megan quietly chuckled in response and then told Lizzie everything she could about herself, that wasn't a matter of national security.
--------
The next morning they all arrived at their destination squished into three cars, Jack, Sam, Lizzie, Peter and Johnny into one.
Megan, Daniel and the twins into another car and Mike, Katrina and Rory in their own car.
Elisa had made them promise that they would arrive early so they could all help set up.
She came running out the door as the first car pulled up and grabbed each of the occupants in a giant bear hug.
Firstly Mike and his family and then she waited as all the others piled out of their rides. And hugged each one as they came through the gate.
Stopping momentarily to be introduced to Daniel, Sam and Peter.
A hectic morning at the O'Neill place followed in preparation for the first guests who were to arrive just after lunch.
Daniel, Peter, Jack and his brothers set up a marquee in the huge back yard and set up tables and chairs as well as setting aside an area for a dance floor and the band that had been hired.
When the catering people rolled up to start the spit roasts off the men all helped them unload their equipment.
"If I didn't know better I would say that they are trying to hurry up and finish all of the work so they can all sit down and have a beer." Elisa said while looking out the kitchen window at the boys hurrying around the yard.
"Mum you do know better, and you know that is exactly what they are planning." Lizzie said from her place at the kitchen table.
Megan and Sam had stuck pretty close together, neither one wanting to face the thousands of questions getting thrown their way alone.
Megan had been introduced to all the familiar people as they had arrived that morning.
Firstly her Uncle's and their families, they had all made her feel so welcome. Each of her Uncle's dotting on Johnny and the twins when they met them.
Her younger cousin Lucy it seems had taken over the responsibility of keeping an eye on Rory and Johnny.
Both Megan and Katrina were happy to hand over the responsibility for the day looking forward to a small break from two adventurous boys.
All the women were sitting around the kitchen catching up on everything and anything, and taking turns nursing the babies.
All up there was Megan, Sam, Lizzie, Elisa and Katrina sitting around the table in the kitchen.
Lucy was outside keeping the boys away from all the commotion of setting up. Melissa and Caroline were up stairs having showers so they could get ready for the party.
The other boys, JJ, Jeff, Anthony and Bradley were wandering in and out of the house trying to find any way possible to avoid the work in the yard.
Three hours later everybody was finally ready except for the twins. Megan and Daniel were in her grandparent's room upstairs trying to get them dressed while they squirmed almost in time to the band downstairs.
"I love you Daniel Jackson." Megan said as they finally finished.
"I love you too Megan, very much." Daniel replied as he gave his fiancée a quick kiss on the lips, before he opened the door to the chaos outside the room.
Taking one baby each they joined their free hands and made their way downstairs.
Please read and review. Ellie Mae
Any questions, or if I buggered something up. Just let me know.
Ellie Mae
Family Tree
Elisa (65) - Jonathan (70) Air force Ret. -Jonathan 45 (Jack) Air force -James 43 (Jimmy) Architect -Thomas 40 (Tom) Teacher -Michael 35 (Mike) F.B.I. Agent -Elizabeth 30 (Lizzie) Doctor in the Marines
Jack -Megan 26 Air force Jonathan 2years old (Johnny) Lachlan 2 months old (Lachie) Nicholas 2 months old (Nick) -Charles (Dec.) Charlie
Jimmy - Melissa 40 Hairdresser -James Jnr. 18 (JJ) -Jeffrey 16 (Jeff) -Lucy 14
Tom - Caroline 35 Teacher -Anthony 10 -Brad 8
Mike - Katrina 30 Political Speech Writer. -Rory 5
Elizabeth not married.
And on to the story.......
Chapter Eighteen
Jack looked over at his daughter who was fidgeting in the passenger seat beside him.
"Calm down Megan, its not like you have never ever met them before." He said trying to get her attention.
"I know, but it is different this time. They don't even know I exist. What are you going to do walk up to them and say Mum, Dad congratulations it's a girl. She's a bit bigger then you'd expect oh and by the way she is a widow with three sons. I'm sure that will go down well." Megan said sarcastically.
Jack saw a petrol station up ahead and remained quiet until he pulled into the parking lot beside the store.
He turned in his seat so he was facing Megan and put his hand over hers. "Megan they have to know about you, or next time they visit me they will have one hell of a surprise in the spare bedrooms. I rang my parents last night and told them that I was up at the cabin with some friends and that I had a surprise for them. It's not exactly something you can say over the phone. It is only an hour drive to their house and we are only about ten minutes away. Are you sure you can do this? I can leave you at the shops if you would prefer and pick you up afterwards."
"No, I want to do this and the boys deserve to know their great grandparents. I just don't understand why Daniel couldn't come or at least Sam."
"If we want them to believe our cover story they will have to wait to meet Daniel and I asked Sam not to come."
"Why would you do that Dad?"
"Cause I thought it was something that I thought we should do together and plus I don't want to overwhelm the folks. OK. Let's just go over the story one more time. For my sake." He added when she rolled her eyes in his direction. Taking her nod as a yes Jack continued.
"Ok, here we go. We'll try to stick to the facts as much as possible so we don't tangle a huge web of deceit. You tracked me down a few months ago, with one son and another two on the way. Before your mother died she told you about me and roughly where I was. After she died you lived with an Uncle and Aunt of yours until you got joined the Royal Australian Air force (RAAF). During that time you married another person involved in the air force but not of rank." He paused to make sure that she was getting all of this. At her nod to continue he kept going.
"Your first husbands name was Daniel but he died on a mission when you were a few months pregnant with the twins."
Megan continued, "And feeling that I had nothing left to stay in Australia for, I hoofed it onto the first plane with my son to the good old US of A to find my daddy." Megan said the last word in a whiny child like voice gaining a response from her father.
"Smart arise. We also have to tell them why you have that honking ring on your wedding finger."
"Well why don't we tell them that oh let me think. That I'm engaged. To strangely enough a man. It is a coincidence that he has the same name as my first husband. Who by the way is one of your best friends that I met through you. Boy does that sounds like you pimped me out."
"You have been around me way too much. Sarcastic pain in the arise. And no, it does not sound like I pimped you out. Come on are you ready for this?"
"Yes let's go."
Arriving in front of a large wooden house Jack got out and went around to open the door for Megan.
After they had gotten Johnny and twins out of the back of the car they made their way up the path to the house.
Jack realized when he saw his reflection in one of the windows that he would have to tell his parents quickly what the surprise was before they got the wrong idea.
Here he was lugging a baby capsule in each arm, followed by an attractive young woman holding a toddler in her arms. It looked he guessed from the outside that he was suffering from a midlife crisis.
He knocked on the door after he put the capsules on one of the patio chairs. After a few moments the door flew open and his mother engulfed him in a huge hug.
"Jacky, it is so good to see you. I haven't seen enough of you the last few years." His mother exclaimed as she kissed her son on either cheek. Looking behind him she noticed the young woman holding a child looking nervously at her.
"Come in, come in." She said as she motioned the trio forward. Wondering for a moment what her son was doing when he reached over to the patio setting.
Seeing what he was reaching for made her even more suspicious.
Babies. Now she was absolutely confused. What had her son been up to the last few years that she didn't know about?
Once everyone was inside she went into the kitchen to get the pitcher or homemade lemonade that her son liked so much.
She called out the open back door in the kitchen for her husband to come inside.
When she re entered the living room, Jack was sitting on the lounge next to the nervous young woman with the tired toddler in her arms.
The babies were asleep in their capsules beside her son.
Her husband sat down next to her on the opposite lounge after he had greeted his son.
"Mum, dad. I have a surprise for you. This is Megan. Megan this is my parents, Elisa and Jonathan O'Neill."
"Nice to meet you Megan." Elisa replied, receiving a nod from the young woman.
"Here's the surprise. Mum, Dad there is no other way to say this except outright. Megan is my daughter, your granddaughter."
Letting the news sink in Jack moved just a little closer to Megan and took Johnny from her lap.
"How is that possible Jack, how old is she?
"I'm twenty six Mrs. O'Neill. My mother was Sandra Thompson, dad, sorry Jack dated her when he was about eighteen years old. She never told either of us about the other, until I was sixteen. She told me his name, what he did for a living when she knew him and a few other details that she thought would come in handy if I wanted to track him down." Megan spoke up.
Silence filled the air, Megan and Jack in anxious silence and Jack's parents in confused silence.
Lachie picked that exact moment to realize he was hungry and let every one know about it.
Megan reached over her father and picked the crying boy up. Johnny stirred in his grandfather's lap for a few moments before settling again.
"Is there any where I can heat up a bottle for the babies please?" Megan asked of the elderly woman sitting opposite.
Elisa nodded and led the way into the kitchen. On her way, Megan put Lachie back in his capsule and picked them both up to take into the kitchen. She always fed them at the same time, even if it meant waking the other one up.
Jack followed her in with Johnny resting on his hip and carrying the nappy bag. He put the bag down on the bench and got the pre mixed bottles out of the right compartments. Elisa stood at the door for a moment watching how her son was so well suited to this role of grandfather she assumed, not knowing the identities of the children. She left them to it and went back into the living room to have a quick word with her husband.
Seeing that his mother had left them alone for a moment he grabbed Megan's hand before she could pick Lachie up and pulled her into a brief side way's hug.
Megan reached over and gave Johnny a kiss on the forehead and kissed her father on the cheek, before she returned to feeding her sons.
Jack turned on his heel and went back into the living room with Johnny still in his arms. Sitting down in the same spot Jack looked at his parents. He couldn't tell what they were thinking so he came out and asked.
"So?" He prompted them.
"Well, I don't know son. This is a rather big thing. I'm assuming the babies and the toddler you have there are hers." Jonathan Snr. Asked.
"Yes dad. This is Jonathan Daniel O'Neill he is almost two, his birthday is actually the same day as yours, but to stop any confusion he is called Johnny for short. The babies in the kitchen with Megan are Lachlan and Nicholas, they are nine weeks old. Megan found me about a month before they were born."
He paused to gauge their reaction to the fact that he found out so long ago. His mother nodded for him to continue.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, but we had a few drama's when these two were born and a few emergency's at the base. So I kept putting it off. I didn't want to tell you over the phone so I had to wait until I could get some time to come up and visit. Are you guys ok with this?"
Elisa and her husband looked at each other and then over to Jack.
"Jacky it's just a bit of a surprise, that's all. It's not everyday that you find out you have another grandchild and great grandchildren to boot. How did you not know about this?" His mother asked.
"Well when Sandra and I dated she fell pregnant. I knew that much. She told me at the time that she wanted to have an abortion. I didn't want her to do it, I proposed and everything. But she refused the proposal. She had told me that she had gotten rid of the baby the day before she flew home to Australia. I never saw or heard from her again. I had always assumed that she had had an abortion, she never told me other wise. And before either or you ask the Chief Doctor at the base did a DNA scan and it proves that she is mine."
"We would never say anything of the sort Jack." His father stated.
"I'm sorry dad, I just didn't want to leave anyone guessing. I wasn't there for the first part of her life but I intend to live up to my responsibilities and help her with anything she needs from now on. Megan and the boys are living with me at the moment until her and her fiancé' can find a house."
"Fiancé'. When did her husband die?" Jonathan asked.
"He died when she was two months or so pregnant. And before you say anything dad, I just want you to know that her fiancé' is a very close friend of mine and I approve of Megan's decision. He is a very kind and caring man and he is in the process of adopting the boys at the moment." Jack thought that one little white lie wouldn't hurt, after all Daniel didn't have to adopt the kids, biologically they were already his. But they had decided that it would be way too hard to explain to anyone who didn't know Megan's true origin.
"Megan met him when she found me and they have been close friends ever since. He only proposed two nights ago. He works with me, in Colorado." Jack added.
"So when do we get to meet this young man." Elisa asked of her son.
"When you get to know Megan better. Mum she has had a hard life. I don't want something like this to be hard on her. Her mother died when she was sixteen, she lived with her Aunt and Uncle in Australia after that. In the past year her life has been literally turned up side down. Her husband died, when she went into labor with the twins, she had a series of complications. And to top it all off not even a week after the babies were born, some psychotic woman kidnapped them because they thought they could use them as leverage to get me to do some things not exactly in the regulations. Megan spent two weeks in hospital after she found them, she almost bled to death, and she has been told that she may never have anymore children." Jack finished when he saw his mother was about to burst into tears of sympathy.
"Sounds like a script from a soap opera doesn't it." Megan piped up from the doorway to the kitchen burping Lachie after his lunch.
Every body's head snapped in her direction. No body moved except Elisa, who stood up and went immediately to Megan's side.
She took Megan's face in her hands and looked into her eyes.
"You are definitely Jack's daughter. Smart arse's the lot of you." Elisa raised one of her hands to her own face and wiped at her eyes.
"Megan, you call me Nana, all the grandkids do. Now are you going to let me hold my great grandson or not." She said after she composed her self.
Megan who was slightly taken back, thrust Lachie forward for her Nana to hold.
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On the way back to the cabin late that afternoon, Megan was excitedly chatty.
"So do you really think they liked me and the boys?" She asked for the eighth time in a row.
"Megan they loved you, why wouldn't they. They think the boys are adorable and my father is so chuffed that not only is Johnny named after him but the fact that their birthday's are the same date."
"Yeah, because I really had much say in that last one. Do you think the General will let you have time off from work for Pop's birthday party?"
"I think I can sweet talk him into it. I've been thinking about cutting back on my work load now anyway." Jack said a little too quickly.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Megan asked suspiciously.
"Well, I've come to a conclusion."
"God, did it hurt?" Megan interrupted him receiving a jab in the arm for her effort.
"Ha ha. You're hilarious. No, smart arise. I came to the conclusion that it was about time to call it quits on active duty. Don't get me wrong I don't want to sit behind a desk. But I have been thinking, that I'm a grandfather now. I also have this amazing daughter who I want to spend all my spare time with getting to know. And I also have a beautiful woman who, get this, actually love's me. She told me last night before we went to bed, that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with me."
"Dad, I'm so happy for you. I saw how much joy the Sam from my world bought into my other father's life. You deserve some happiness. But what do you want to do about work?"
"I don't want to retire, I enjoy what I do way too much for that. But I do want to get more involved in the training of new recruits and the such. I suppose you could say I want to trade real bullets for blanks. And to top it off, Sam won't be in my direct chain of command, so the regulations don't count."
"Well that is a good thing. Hopefully Daniel and Sam can get time off to come to the party as well. So ill get to meet all the family again. This is so weird, I know all of them, and I know their wives and their kids but I have to pretend I don't when I meet them again. Does that make any sense?"
"I know what you mean Megan. Just be thankful that Johnny is too young to really remember them. Otherwise there would be some explaining to do."
"I wonder if everyone is the same as they were in my world."
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Two Months Later.
Jack sat in the driver's seat going over what had happened in the last few weeks. It had been rather chaotic.
He had retired from active duty, and was now head of the training and ongoing development department.
Sam had moved in with him the very next day. By pure coincidence Megan and Daniel had been looking at houses in the area when the one right behind his own had come up for sale.
Four bedroom plus a large study for all of Daniel's knick-knacks.
The day that they had moved in, Teal'c had helped him put a gate in the back fence, originally to make it easier to move all the furniture but it came in handy for people moving as well.
Johnny being the original little toddler terror, made use of it daily, in his search for something to destroy. Thankfully he was in the backseat quietly asleep at the moment.
They were on the way to the airport to pick up Jack's baby sister Lizzie and her boyfriend.
Megan, Daniel, Sam and the boys were already up at the cabin getting ready for the party at his parents place tomorrow.
There wasn't enough room for everyone to stay at Jack's parents place so his sister and one of his brothers were staying at the cabin.
His brother Mike and his family were arriving sometime this afternoon.
Arriving at the airport, Jack jumped out of the truck and opened the back door to a groggy toddler staring back at him, having just woken up.
"Come on Johnny we have to go and meet Lizzie."
Pulling the young boy out of the backseat, Jack headed into the crowded arrival lounge.
Finding the correct gate, Jack found a seat and sat with Johnny watching the planes land and take off out of the window.
Finally the doors opened and Jack stood with the boy resting on his hip so he could see over the crowd milling at the door.
He turned his head for a minute to check that Johnny was alright, just as a pair of arms wrapped around him from behind.
"Hey big brother, I almost didn't recognize you there. Looking all domesticated and all."
Jack hugged his only sister back.
"Lizzie it is so good to see you. I want you to meet my grandson Johnny." Johnny who all of a sudden had become shy cuddled up to his grandfather and hid his face.
"Give him an hour and he will never shut up. Trust me."
"Mum told me about Megan, and you being a granddad. But wow, to see him in the flesh. I can't believe it. I'm too young to be a great Aunt." Lizzie said with mock tears.
"Jack, I want you to meet Peter."
Jack and the man who he now knew as Peter shook hands.
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At the cabin Megan puttered around nervously cleaning and folding clothes, anything to keep her hands occupied and her mind off of tomorrow.
She was looking forward to seeing everybody, but she wasn't sure that she could keep up the guise of not knowing anyone.
Family had always been important her, especially after her mother died.
Sam startled her from her thoughts.
"Megan tell me about the people I will be meeting tomorrow and tell me if I should be wary about anyone."
Sitting down on the lounge together the women got into a comfortable position.
"Well let me see. To start with, my grandparents. Jonathan Snr who is a retired Air force General, and Elisa who is an absolutely fantastic cook. Dad is the eldest at 45, then there is James, Jimmy, who is an Architect and lives in Chicago he is 43. Then we have Thomas, Tom, he is a high school teacher in California. Then Michael, Mike is actually an agent with the FBI, he is living in Washington at the moment I think. And last but not least there is Elizabeth, who absolutely hates being called Lizzie and that is why dad calls her it constantly, she is in the Medical Corp of the Marines I believe she is a Major."
Taking a quick breather Megan jumped up and got herself and Sam a drink from the fridge.
Sitting back down Megan continued.
"OK, then we start on the spouses and the kids. Well Jimmy's wife is Melissa she is a hairdresser, and they have three kids, James Jnr, JJ who is 18, Jeff is 16 and Lucy is 14."
"I'm never going to remember any of these names." Sam sighed.
"Nana will make everyone wear name tags so don't worry about it. I know it is sad but she is planning on having a quite a few family members there that no body has seen for a while so everyone will have to suffer the humiliation, she even said Pop was going to wear one. And it is his birthday party."
Both the women burst out laughing at the thought of the birthday boy not knowing anyone at his own party.
"Ok back on track. Tom is next, his wife is Caroline, and she is properly the only one you will have to watch. She can be a bit of a bitch. I don't think she ever liked me. She works with Tom as a teacher. They have two sons, who by the way are spoilt little shits. Anthony who is ten and don't you dare shorten it to Tony cause he will have a hissy fit and sulk. His younger brother Bradley is 8, he isn't as bad at Anthony but not far behind. Mike's wife is really nice, Katrina she works for a Senator or something in Washington, and they're the ones that are coming here this arvo. Their son Rory is five, he is absolutely adorable."
She wasn't worried about meeting Lizzie cause in her own world Megan and her Aunt were close, being only a few years apart in age. At thirty, her Aunt Elizabeth was only four years older then her. She was what you would call a change of life baby for her parents.
She even got along with Mike and his wife Katrina really well, and their son Rory at five was only a few years older then Johnny.
Hearing a car horn in the driveway signaled that Jack had arrived back in one piece. Both the women got up and went out on to the front porch to greet the new arrivals.
Lizzie jumped out of the backseat with a toddler wrapped around her like a quilt, and took in the beautiful view from the side of the cabin.
She looked up to the porch and saw two women standing there.
One about her height with short blonde hair, defiantly military Lizzie thought to herself. The other woman must have been Megan.
"God, girl, I hope I look that good after three kids." Lizzie said in way of greeting. "Before you say a word Megan, I'm assuming." Getting a nod Lizzie continued.
"Before you say any thing, lets get this straight. I don't like any of my niece's or nephew's calling me Aunty Lizzie. The fact that you are only four years younger than me makes me want to emphasize the fact that you can refer to me as Elizabeth or if you must Lizzie, but I can't guarantee that I will answer to the last one."
"Deal." Megan said as she walked down the stairs in Lizzie's direction.
"I see you have met my beautiful daughter, Auntie Lizzie." Jack said as he pulled the bags out of the boot of the car, having heard the previous conversation.
Dumping the bags on the ground near the steps, Jack motioned for Sam to come down and join them.
"Lizzie, this is Samantha Carter. Sam this is my baby sister Lizzie and her boyfriend Peter." Jack added as he noticed the man who seemed very quiet taking the bags to the top of the stairs.
"Nice to meet you. Jack has told me nothing about you, I hate to admit. But all I can say is it is about time Jack." Lizzie said as she put the squirming toddler down on the ground.
"About time for what?" Jack asked as he laced his arm around Sam's waist.
"It's about time you got laid." Lizzie said with a huge smile across her face. Sam's mouth dropped open not knowing how to react. Jack followed suit.
"I can't believe you just said that. I might pretend to be a grown up sometimes but I swear if one more person starts talking about my fathers sex life I'm going to have to throw up." Megan got out in between fits of laughter at the sight of her father and Sam.
Walking over to his sister's side, who impressively held her ground, Jack hissed in her direction. "You are so going to cop it tomorrow sister dear. Just remember who is the only one who isn't married with 2.4 kids. The relatives are going to eat you alive." He finished his statement with an evil laugh.
"Hey your not married either." Lizzie stated in her defense.
"Yeah but living in sin is much more acceptable at my age." Jack said as he staunched up the stairs into the cabin.
"You old git." Lizzie threw over her shoulder as she picked up her bag and followed him in.
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Everybody sat outside that night waiting for Jack and Mike to finish cooking the meat on the BBQ.
Mike and Katrina had arrived a few hours before and were joining in to the mini reunion.
Daniel was talking excitedly to Lizzie about their mutual interest in archaeology, his being his job, and hers being a hobby.
Megan, Katrina and Sam were chatting and keeping an eye on Rory and Johnny play nearby.
Peter was remaining rather quiet, but it was understandable, in this family you had to be loud to get a word in edge ways.
After dinner had been served the women went into the house with the kids, while the men had a few beers outside and talked about sports.
Megan and Lizzie went to check up on the twins who were asleep in their port a cot in her's and Daniel's room.
After they had quietly shut the door, Lizzie motioned for Megan to follow her into her room.
"Take a seat Megan." Lizzie said as she patted the bed that she had jumped up onto.
"So how are you going with all of this?" Lizzie asked.
"I'm loving every minute of it." Megan answered honestly.
"So tell me about yourself. I want to know everything. Tell me all about Daniel, he seems so nice and he seems to love those boys of yours as if they were his own."
Megan quietly chuckled in response and then told Lizzie everything she could about herself, that wasn't a matter of national security.
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The next morning they all arrived at their destination squished into three cars, Jack, Sam, Lizzie, Peter and Johnny into one.
Megan, Daniel and the twins into another car and Mike, Katrina and Rory in their own car.
Elisa had made them promise that they would arrive early so they could all help set up.
She came running out the door as the first car pulled up and grabbed each of the occupants in a giant bear hug.
Firstly Mike and his family and then she waited as all the others piled out of their rides. And hugged each one as they came through the gate.
Stopping momentarily to be introduced to Daniel, Sam and Peter.
A hectic morning at the O'Neill place followed in preparation for the first guests who were to arrive just after lunch.
Daniel, Peter, Jack and his brothers set up a marquee in the huge back yard and set up tables and chairs as well as setting aside an area for a dance floor and the band that had been hired.
When the catering people rolled up to start the spit roasts off the men all helped them unload their equipment.
"If I didn't know better I would say that they are trying to hurry up and finish all of the work so they can all sit down and have a beer." Elisa said while looking out the kitchen window at the boys hurrying around the yard.
"Mum you do know better, and you know that is exactly what they are planning." Lizzie said from her place at the kitchen table.
Megan and Sam had stuck pretty close together, neither one wanting to face the thousands of questions getting thrown their way alone.
Megan had been introduced to all the familiar people as they had arrived that morning.
Firstly her Uncle's and their families, they had all made her feel so welcome. Each of her Uncle's dotting on Johnny and the twins when they met them.
Her younger cousin Lucy it seems had taken over the responsibility of keeping an eye on Rory and Johnny.
Both Megan and Katrina were happy to hand over the responsibility for the day looking forward to a small break from two adventurous boys.
All the women were sitting around the kitchen catching up on everything and anything, and taking turns nursing the babies.
All up there was Megan, Sam, Lizzie, Elisa and Katrina sitting around the table in the kitchen.
Lucy was outside keeping the boys away from all the commotion of setting up. Melissa and Caroline were up stairs having showers so they could get ready for the party.
The other boys, JJ, Jeff, Anthony and Bradley were wandering in and out of the house trying to find any way possible to avoid the work in the yard.
Three hours later everybody was finally ready except for the twins. Megan and Daniel were in her grandparent's room upstairs trying to get them dressed while they squirmed almost in time to the band downstairs.
"I love you Daniel Jackson." Megan said as they finally finished.
"I love you too Megan, very much." Daniel replied as he gave his fiancée a quick kiss on the lips, before he opened the door to the chaos outside the room.
Taking one baby each they joined their free hands and made their way downstairs.
Please read and review. Ellie Mae
