The family (and Sam) settled in for a nice, quiet lunch, talking about anything and everything. It amazed Jack how quickly Sam was being accepted by his siblings and their families, but then he remembered that Tamar and Sam had known each other for twenty years – that explained at least part of it, but there was one thing that was still bugging him.
"Carter? Where were you when Tam and Manny got married?"
Sam looked at him with a raised eyebrow, "I was there, where were you, pray tell?"
Jack looked down, "On assignment in Greenland."
Sam grinned at Jack's embarrassment, "I know. I'm just messing with you."
"Auntie Sam?" Noah asked quietly, "How long have you known Uncle Jack?"
Sam smiled at the young boy sitting next to her, "Nine years."
"Wow, you're old!"
Sam grinned as Tamar berated her son, "It's alright Tam. I'm use to it. And I am old. Although, I'm not as old as your Uncle Jack, am I, Noah?"
The young boy shook his head, "No one but Uncle Gabe is as old as Uncle Jack."
Jack glared at Sam, saying something in Goa'uld to Sam. Her eyes widened in shock at his disregard for national security. "Classified!" she cried in the same language, "Civilians present, you mik'ta!"
"Now that's just not nice," Jack said in English. "And I do believe you're bordering on insubordination, Colonel!"
"Oh, please! You were bordering on insubordination for sevenyears, Jack! And look what it got you – a promotion! Just for that you can't open the envelope tonight – so ha!"
Jack grew silent, "Napoleonic power monger," he whispered under his breath. It was only after he said it that he realized what he had said. Sam just sat there, looking down at her plate. No one but Jack knew what was wrong, and he was acting too dense at the moment to do anything about it.
"I…um...I need to go check on something." Sam got up and left the room. The table was silent, somehow even the children knew that Uncle Jack had just messed up real bad and now was not a time to speak. A few minutes later they heard the front door open and close, then silence again.
Jack got up, "I'll be right back." Tam rose with him, shaking her head when he tried to leave. "I need to fix this, Tam."
"Give her a little time, Jack, she needs to be alone right now," Tam protested.
Jack shook his head, "No she doesn't, Tamar. I used to call our doctor – Janet Fraiser that. She died last year." Tam moved out of the way, realizing that Jack was right. "Thank you, I'll be back in a few."
The General found his 2IC outside on his porch, crying her eyes out without her jacket on. He sighed, unfolded the blanket he had brought out with him and folded it over her trembling shoulders. "Carter…"
She looked up at him, her makeup visibly running down her face in streaks of dark brown. "I just miss her so much. And I feel so terrible because I was so relieved that you were okay when she died," she choked out.
"C'mere," Jack said as he sat down next to her, gathering her quivering form in his arms. "It's going to be alright," he stroked circular patterns on her back, gently comforting her as the tears came out. Tears that she hadn't let fall since the last time this man was comforting her over her best friend's death.
Sam sniffed, looking up into his eyes, "How can you know that?"
Jack gave her a tender look that sent shivers down Sam's back, "Because tonight is the first night of Hanukkah," he kissed away the tears still on her cheeks, "And it's our first Hanukkah together. Nothing can go wrong."
Sam snorted softly, "Sounds like something Daniel would say. You, Jack, have been spending way too much time around your scientists."
Jack looked back at her with mock hurt in his eyes, "Moi? Spend too much time around scientists? It's not exactly like I have a choice, now do I?"
"You could retire."
"Do you want me to?"
Sam looked into his eyes and saw the sincerity of the question, "No. If you retired I'd never be able to see you. And you love what you do – there's no way to deny that. You love saving the planet every other week. And you love being able to get one up on Ba'al every month. Not to mention Kinsey."
Jack blushed, looking down, "Yeah, you're probably right. Hey, it's cold out here, let's go back inside, okay?"
Sam nodded, "Okay."
A/N: You all gonna review, or do I have to withhold chapters until the LAST night of Hanukkah? NEXT YEAR!