Heh heh heh...evil, aint I? I know I left you guys at a cliffhanger, but be patient, grasshoppers...I SWEAR that Jack will tell her soon...very soon.Thank you for all of your kind words and just so you know, I was informed by a lovely reviewer that Australia does NOT have Marines, so Nick's brother will be in the Air Force. Just so you know and don't think that I have flipped my lid anymore than usual.
This chapter turned out a lot more serious than I had anticipated, but I think there were things that had to be written. The next chapter should be heavy on snark and romance, so hang in there people!

Jack raised his head and looked down at Sam. Her eyes were wide and she immediately pulled away from him.

"Ja-Jonathan, I think I need to go."

She began to make her way out of the pool but was stopped when an arm clamped around her waist.

"There are no more regs, Carter." he said.

She stopped, and twisted around to look at him.

"No more regs?" she asked faintly.

He smiled.

"General Hammond called a few days ago and told me that the President has suspended all regs-and he put a special emphasis on all- for the SGC."

Sam was alternately happy, and VERY ticked. She didn't know which to express first, so she went with ticked.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner!" She cried, hauling back and punching Jack in the arm.

"I wanted to find the right time!" he yelped, grabbing his injured appendage.

She put her hands on her hips.

"And being in a pool is the right time?" she asked frostily.

He took another step toward her, his eyes glittering with restrained passion.

"I was going to take you out tonight and tell you, but I couldn't help myself anymore and having you in my arms like that...you drive me crazy, Samantha Carter."

She looked at him, wondering what this would mean for them.

"Want to go practice the Rhumba?" he asked.

"I thought you'd never ask." she replied, giving him a vey sultry look before climbing out of the pool.

Nick and Lena were shocked by the transformation in Jack and Sam's Rhumba at the next lesson.

"I've NEVER seen a Rhumba like that before!" he said to Lena.

"That's because we haven't watched the tape of ours lately." she replied, giving him a wink.

During a break, Nick sauntered over to Jack.

"Okay Jonathan, what happened?"

Jack sighed, a goofy smile on his face.

"I kissed her."

"Yes!" Nick whispered.

Lena looked over at him questiongly and he held up 4 fingers. Her face fell and she went over to her purse.

"Time for some new dance shoes!" Nick muttered to himself.

After carefully palming Nick his 40 dollars for the bet they'd made yesterday, Lena approached Sam.

"There's a real difference in your Rhumba...what happened?"

Sam grinned.

"He kissed me in the pool."

Lena looked over at Nick and gave him a mournful look. He merely smiled, and mimicked counting money. Nick got an extra 40 since the kiss had taken place in the pool.

"How did it happen?"

"We tried a Candlestick and I fell on him."

Lena smacked her forehead and Nick did a little victory dance in the corner as Jack was getting a drink. That was an additional 20 right there.

The door to the dance studio opened, and a couple with a small boy walked in. Sam could immediately tell that the man was related to Nick and guessed that this must be his brother Raddeus.

"Nicky!" the man called happily.

"Raddy!" Nick replied, racing over to his brother.

The two men embraced while Lena embraced her sister in law. The man turned to Sam and Jack, who had returned.

"G'day..you guys must be Samantha and Jonathan...Nick's told me all about you." Raddeus said with a sly grin.

"Is that a good thing, or a bad thing?" Jack asked suspiciously.

"Nothing but the best!"

"Yeah, right..." Sam replied.

"Major, you wound me!" Nick cried, clasping his hands over his heart.

Raddeus laughed.

"Sounds like she's got your number already, Nick!"

Nick gave his brother a mock glare.

"Oh go soak your head in the ocean and eat a dingo, Raddy."

"After you, dear brother!"

Lena and Sariah looked at each other and rolled their eyes.

The little boy raced over to Nick.

"Pick me up, Uncle Nick!" he cried joyfully.

Smiling, Nick obliged and set the boy on his shoulders.

"Hold on tight, Nicky." he said as he began to walk around.

"Nicky?" Sam asked.

She'd seen Nick Kosovich smile before but this was a beaming grin that lit his entire face.

"Nicholas Evan Kosovich the Second." he said proudly.

"He was named after you, I take it." Jack said with a grin.

"Yep." the dancer replied proudly.

"A thing that I have since regretted." Raddeus said dryly.

Nick gave him a hurt look and Sariah poked her husband in the side.

"It was your idea, my love." she said pointedly.

Nicky demanded to be put down. He walked over to Jack and asked to be picked up. Before anyone could chastise the child, Jack bent down and picked him up, settling the boy on his hip.

"Who are you?" Jack asked solemnly.

"Nicholas Kosovich. Who are you?"

"Nicky..." Sariah began.

"It's okay. I'm Jonathan O'Neill."

The two shook hands and Nicky suddenly leaned forward and hugged him.

"I like you."

Jack held him for a moment, tears springing to his eyes. Sam could feel her own eyes welling up. Jack was good with kids and it was heartbreaking to know that Charlie had been taken away from him so soon.

"I like you too, Nicky."

The dark-haired little boy grinned, and Jack could see why they'd named him after Nick. He had the same winsome smile and twinkle in his eye that his uncle did.

"Do you have kids?" Nicky asked.

Sam's eyes widened.

"I had a son named Charlie, but he had an accident and died." Jack replied, marvelling that he was even answering Nicky's question at all.

Nicky looked sad and wrapped his small arms around Jack's neck, pressing his check against that of the man he'd just met.

"Not fair." he mumbled.

"Nope, not fair." Jack agreed, his voice sounding raspy, even to his own ears.

Nicky kissed him on the cheek, then wiggled impatiently and Jack set him down. He scampered over to his shocked parents and surprised aunt and uncle.

"I'm hungry." he announced.

Everyone laughed and Jack asked Sam if he could take her out for lunch.

Lena gave Nick a triumphant look, and he forked over 10 dollars.

"How about we all go out? I'd like to get to know you guys a bit better." Raddeus suggested.

They were all game, so off they went.

Jack was surprised to hear that Raddeus was in the Air Force, like them.

"Sariah was actually in my unit when I was the C.O!" the elder Kosovitch said.

Sam and Jack shared a look.

"It took a lot of soul searching, but Sariah decided to quit the Air Force. I told her she was crazy because she was probably the best engineer in the entire continent!"

Sariah put a hand on top of his and smiled.

"Yes Raddy darling, but sometimes you have to give up something to get everything."

"Awww..." Nick cooed.

He was glared at by three women and hunkered down in his seat.

"Mushy stuff." Nicky groaned, rolling his eyes like a seasoned pro.

"Mushy stuff is good, Nicky." Jack said.

Nicky gave him a look of horror.

"You like mushy stuff?" he asked.

"Yep, and you will too some day." Jack replied, looking at Sam across the table. She blushed.

"I'm going to re-surf jud-ment on that." the boy said loftily.

The adults laughed and the boy scowled.

"Nobody understands me." he complained.

"Nick, have you been teaching your nephew things on the phone again?" Sariah asked, once she was done chuckling.

He merely smiled and replied, "That's for me to know and you to lie asleep at night and wonder about..."

Lunch passed quickly and Sam was secretly amused by Nicky. The child insisted that Jack share his food and color his book with him; the Colonel looked like he was having the time of his life.

By the end, Nicky was getting very cranky and Sariah explained that it was past his usual naptime.

As they began to walk back to the dance studio, Jack picked Nicky up. The boy laid his head on Jack's shoulder and promptly went to sleep.

"How long has it been since his son died?" Raddeus asked Sam.

"About 8 years." she replied softly.

"That's a crying shame...he's great with kids and our Nicky is extremely picky about whom he likes."

Sam smiled as she watched her big, tough C.O. tenderly holding the snoozing boy in his arms. There were more layers to Jack O'Neill than even ballroom dancing suggested.

Once back at the studio, Jack handed Nicky off to his father and he and Sam went through the swing and Quickstep again before Nick pronounced them done for the day.

"Since we only have two weeks left before the competition, we'd like to meet with you every day if that's possible." Lena said.

"We'll be here." Jack replied.

As they prepared to leave, Nick pulled Jack aside.

"I'm sorry about Nicky..." he began.

Jack smiled.

"Don't be...he's a delightful little boy who takes after his uncle."

Nick beamed and watched them leave.

"So that's probably another reason why he and Samantha aren't together, apart from the regulations." he mused.

Lena looked at him.

"It's more than that, Nick...his wife left him after it happened...their marriage couldn't survive losing their son."

Shaking their heads, the Kosovichs hoped that this competition would give Jack O'Neill another chance at the family he deserved.

Okay people...this is where you hit the lovely lilac colored button and tell me what you think. If you don't, I'll send Jack to dance a Paso Doble on you with his combat boots while I cackle evilly! (There's a lot of stomping in the Paso Doble, so don't make me do it...)