AN: Thanks for the reviews! I'm working as fast as I can!

Chapter Four

I spent a few hours milling around, talking to random people. Of course, people were stereotypically tight-lipped about my dad's job, but they were all too happy to share amusing stories and anecdotes about him. I was amazed to discover they weren't all nearly as bad as I'd always expected, although some of them were notably worse. I began to see another side to my dad, perhaps the one Sam had always seen, that could be quite funny and playful. I even picked up that, although there was some tension from time to time, my dad seemed to hit it off with Jack. I wasn't sure why that seemed important at the time; I only knew that it did.

Nearly all of the people were gone by late afternoon. Starving, I'd actually been reduced to eating a handful of cookies while I watched my children amuse themselves by playing a game that involved climbing all over Teal'c. I would have reprimanded them, but Jack was encouraging them and Sam was giggling and Daniel was rolling his eyes and Teal'c, despite repeated requests that someone remove the children from his person, didn't particularly seem to mind. The only thing that ever distressed him, that in fact distressed all four of them, was when Matt nearly knocked his fedora right off his head. I don't think I've ever seen four people move so fast in my life. I shrugged at Stephanie before she had the chance to ask, assuming there was some scar or something that they didn't want the kids to see.

So it was us and them. And with my traitorous children having switched sides, the 'us' was getting pathetic. Matt stepped away from the game with Teal'c and approached Jack. Jack was scraping the last of his pie from the plate, which had, at some point, had icing slathered liberally over the top.

I watched my son tug on the man's arm. He smiled up at Jack, obviously dazzled by the alarming amount of hardware on the older man's jacket. "Can I see your hat?"

Jack grinned and shook his head, leaning down so Matt could snatch the hat right off his head. Matt put it on proudly, not caring that it covered his eyes and made him stumble into things. Jack watched my son with a wide smile, evidently not caring that his hair was sticking up in a hundred different directions. No one else seemed to notice. Once again, he'd surprised me. For all the uptight, miserable, hard-ass generals I'd ever known, Jack wasn't one of them.

Matt showed Steph and I his hat and we exclaimed over it appropriately. Matt meandered back to Jack, bumping into several pieces of furniture on the way. He smiled at Jack once again. "I want to be like you when I grow up!"

I barely recognized the loud, drunken peal of laughter that followed my son's statement. All eyes in the room slowly turned to Sam, who'd apparently been steadily knocking back the beer since that morning. She was red in the face, laughing hysterically. Daniel, who was sitting right beside her, looked at her and started laughing too.

"All right, kids, that's it." Jack crossed the room and took the beer bottles from his friends. "You're both flagged." He seemed mad to me, and surprisingly, Sam believed the same thing.

She fought back her laughter, leaning back to look at him as he walked away. "I wasn't laughing at you, sir." She stopped as another giggle worked its way loose.

Jack stared down at her from his position behind the couch. "Then just what the hell is so funny?" He actually sounded indignant and I couldn't believe that he actually cared what my sister thought.

"Sir, the idea of Mark's son joining the Air Force… well, really, sir, you'd have to have seen a few of our holidays growing up." She ducked her head and started laughing again.

Jack's eyes darted to me and I studied my shoes. I'd never been a fan of the military and I hadn't hidden it well. And for the first time in my life, I was embarrassed to admit it. He glared at Daniel, who was still snickering. "And what are you laughing at?"

Daniel grinned cheekily at his friend. "The notion that anyone would actually want to be like you, Jack. I mean, sure with a couple of really bad head injuries, maybe, but-" His voice trailed off as he started laughing again, egging on Sam's giggles.

Teal'c raised one eyebrow at the pair sitting beside him. They were hysterical again, leaning on each other and muttering things that, mercifully, no one but them could understand. Then he looked at me. "This is why I do not consume alcoholic beverages."

"Good reason."

"Jack!" Daniel's whine grated on my nerves, but Sam didn't seem to notice. She'd rested her head on his shoulder once again and appeared to be quite comfortable once he put his arm around her.

"What, Daniel?" His voice was muffled as he poked around in Sam's fridge.

"Can I have my beer back?"

"No." Not finding what he was looking for, he started rummaging around in the cabinets. "Sweet!" I was the only one who looked up and when I saw him grinning like an idiot at a box of Fruit Loops, I realized why no one had bothered to look up.

He found himself a bowl, pawing through my sister's kitchen like he owned the place, and proceeded to dump half the contents of the cereal box in it. He picked out the prize that fell in, dumped on some milk, and made himself comfortable on the couch next to Sam, despite roomier accommodations in multiple places around the room.

He reached over and handed Sam the prize. "Here's your secret decoder ring, Carter."

Sam looked at it and giggled. "Keep it, sir. Maybe you'll be able to understand what I say now."

That time, Steph and I joined Daniel and Sam in laughing at Jack. Jack did not look happy. He glared at Sam and narrowed his eyes. "A little bit of beer and suddenly you're a comedian."

Sam didn't sit up, but appeared sufficiently chastised. Appeared being the operative word. She reached out and took the ring out of his hand. "Maybe it'll work on Daniel's lectures."

Teal'c, who for whatever reason had seemed mentally above the fray, stood up, stepped in front of Jack and bowed. "I would like to be the first to offer my sincere congratulations on your betrothal to Colonel Carter."

Daniel started laughing again. Sam's face was comically red, although out of repressed laughter or embarrassment, I couldn't tell. Jack glared at Teal'c and I realized that was what he did when someone one-upped him, probably because he needed time to think of a comeback.

"T, Carter and I are not engaged." He spoke very slowly as though he was trying to control the urge to scream.

"You have presented Colonel Carter with a ring. Is that not how Pete Shanahan conveyed his intentions?"

Dead silence answered him. Sam had told me of her broken engagement, but until that moment, I hadn't been sure who else knew. Jack had his eyes closed and looked quite calm, but I could see a vein bulging out of his temple. Daniel had instantly sobered up somewhat and was looking sick, although there could have been a hundred causes of that.

Sam stood up after a painfully long moment. "I'm going to lie down."

As soon as her bedroom door closed, Jack stood up and started clearing the dishes and trash left around the room. Daniel remained where he was sitting, still looking sick. Teal'c sat down next to him.

"Have I said something to offend O'Neill and Colonel Carter?"

Daniel winced. "Here's a good rule of thumb, Teal'c, don't mention an ex-boyfriend's name in front of a woman until after she's mentioned it."

Teal'c nodded thoughtfully. He approached Jack, showing no fear when the older man began throwing things more forcefully in the trash bag. "It was not my intention to upset Colonel Carter."

Jack didn't answer. Teal'c walked away, having said all he had to say. And I was left staring at my sister's CO, wondering why he was mad at someone for upsetting Sam.

Stephanie and I eased ourselves out of the room, backing into the den in an attempt to hide out. The kids had found their way into the small room and made themselves at home in front of the TV. Ever the gossip, Stephanie stayed by the door, trying to peek out to see what, if anything, was happening. "Did she tell you who broke it off?"

I settled down on the love seat with the kids, pulling Nicky into my lap. "She didn't say, but by the looks of it, I'd say it was him."

Steph fitted herself next to me, making me smiling at our own reenactment of Sam and her friends on the couch. "Maybe you should call him and tell him he's a jerk."

"I would, but I don't want to encourage him to come back." I took Steph's hand in mine and smiled at her. I was so glad I didn't have that sort of thing to worry about anymore.

"Why not?" She leaned forward to give me a quick kiss. "He should have been here, to pay his respects and to support Sam. If they were going to get married, he shouldn't be able to completely sever himself so quickly."

I grinned at her, thinking of the way Jack had sized me up. "I'm not sure he'd survive if he ever showed up."

"If Sam's this upset, she'd be glad to have him back."

"I'm not talking about Sam."

Steph shrugged. "She and Daniel did look kind of cozy, but they really just seem like friends, Mark."

"I'm talking about Jack."

Steph started to laugh. "He's her boss. And he so much older than her. No way. You're lucky you found me, honey, cause you sure don't know how to read people."

I smiled, letting my wife mock me. I couldn't put my finger on it, but something was definitely going on. "I'm sure you're right."