Everyone was right... for the most part!
Thank you for reading/reviewing for the last chapter!
Carter spun around, searching for the voice. "Daniel?" she hissed, scanning the area. "Where are you?"
A hand waved from behind some bushes next to Jack's house. Sam raised an eyebrow but hurried over to them. He was crouched behind a bush, looking very sheepish.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
He frowned, obviously not expecting that. "Fine. Why?"
"You are hiding behind a bush, Daniel- Not 'normal' behavior."
He sighed and stood up. "I wanted to ask you a question."
"A question..." she said slowly. "What?"
He cleared his throat. "'ow ol' i' 'lanie?"
"What?"
Daniel turned a bright red. "HowoldisMelanie?" He mumbled.
"How old is Melanie?" The Colonel asked her blue eyes wide with astonishment. She paused then asked, "You want to date Jack's sister?"
"Sam!"
She grinned. "You like her..."
'"She's probably only twenty, isn't she?" he said glumly.
"Twenty-five, and I think her birthday is soon… Easter, I believe."
The archeologist brightened. "Ten years," he mused.
Carter giggled. "This is-"
Jack's door swung open and little Shareese appeared on the doorstep. "AUN' SAM," she shouted, "IT'S TIME TO EAT!"
"AUNT Sam?" Daniel questioned, "Is there something I should know?"
"I'll be there in a minute, Reese," Sam called, "go back inside."
She nodded and pushed on the door until it opened and then disappeared.
"Sam?" Daniel asked, "What's going on between you and Jack?"
"Nothing," she said automatically. "I-"
"You kissed him only ten minutes ago and according to Melanie, you were making out at the tree farm! Now, I-"
"Nothing!"
"Yeah..." he trailed off and raised an eyebrow. "C'mon…"
She blushed. "You should get going."
"Why?" he asked. A second later he felt a tap on his shoulder.
"Daniel Jackson," Teal'c began, "I believe we should depart now. General Hammond is expecting us."
The door opened and Jack stepped out. "Carter, it's-" he stopped. "What's going on?"
Daniel groaned. "We should get going, Jack, Sam, it was-"
"Sam?" a voice interrupted tentatively.
She sighed. "I thought I told you to go away," she said turning around. Pete stood there, looking extremely uneasy but determined.
Teal'c scowled. "I believe I told you-"
"Sam," Pete began. "Just because I made a mistake and married Melanie-"
Pete had made another big mistake. Moments later, three forms were tumbling 'round on the ground. Teal'c stood quietly beside Carter and watched them fight.
"Sir!" Carter shrieked. "Stop it... let him go."
Jack reluctantly released him. Daniel still held on to him.
"Daniel."
The young man released the cop instantly like he was contaminated.
"Pete," she said firmly. "It is over between us. Get it?"
He stared at her; his shoulder sagged. "You really mean that, don't you?"
"Yes."
The cop swallowed hard. "I... I..." He stopped. "I have to go... I have a..." He stopped again.
A chill wind was picking up and Sam shivered through her thin jacket. Jack automatically pulled her to him. Pete stared at him for a moment then turned and walked away.
"He's gone," She said quietly. "For good."
"You okay?" Jack asked, trying to look at her face.
Her blond head gave an affirmative nod. "I'm fine. Really."
"TIM' TO EAT!" Shareese called. "MOMMY SAYS HURRY UP OR DE FOOD WILL BE COLD!"
They all laughed.
Å
After saying their good-bye, Sam and Jack hurried in the house only to be greeted by a smirking crowd.
"What's going on?" Carter whispered.
"I don't know," he answered, looking at his family suspiciously.
Alexander shook his head with disgust. "They have an evil plot to make you two clean the kitchen. "
"Alex!" Miguel hissed. "Secreto!"
The seven-year-old boy frowned. "But what's so secret about it? They'll find out when-"
"What's for dinner?" Dan said loudly.
His wife smiled. "We're having roast."
Jack grinned and patted his stomach. "Sweet."
Å
After a prayer from Joseph, focused primarily about 'Uncle Jack being happy', they dug in. This time Carter was placed between Wylie and Harry. Wylie was a dark haired five-year-old who obviously adored her Dad whom she didn't see very often. A few comments revealed that 'Daddy's work took him all ober the wo'ld' and that she liked magnetic toys. After that she devoted herself to her mashed potatoes with such intensity Carter wondered when the last time she ate was.
"Don't worry about her," Harry said giving her a small smile. "She always eats like that."
Carter was curious. Harry spoke with a very slight accent, not unlike Dan's. While the rest of the children had dark hair, eyes and skin, Harry's hair was a pitch black, pale skin and sparkling green eye.
"Wondering about me?" he asked.
"I..."
"Don't worry 'bout it," he said kindly. "I'm adopted."
Carter tried to cover her look of surprise. Harry smiled.
"Me real mum and Mum- I mean Maya- were great cronies. They met each other at college and my real mum stayed with her during the holidays. Years passed, I was born. Me-my dad died and my mum..." Harry paused, pain in his eyes. "Well, my mum was a no good drunkard now. Maya took me in. Adopted me. She kept me, even after her husband died and she had Miguel…" He trailed off and gave her a small smile. "Sounds a bit crazy, doesn't it?"
Sam remembered Jennifer's conversation about her family and wondered why she had never mentioned this. "No," she said finally, "Not really."
He smiled. "So, what do you do, Miss Carter?"
"Please, call me Sam."
He gave a mock shudder. "Mum would skin me alive."
She grinned. "I work at NORAD."
"What exactly do you do?"
"Deep Space Radar Telemetry."
"Oh," he said politely. "Interesting."
"Not really."
Å
Jack listened to his 2IC and his nephew grin and laughs and felt a twinge of jealously. How come HE got to sit by her? After all he, Jack, was the host... not Harry. He stabbed his roast moodily.
"OOOooohhhh... Jack... you jealous?"
"Quiet Mel," Jack hissed.
The young woman grinned. "I'll leave you alone if you get me Daniel's number."
"534-" He stopped. "Why?" he asked suspiciously.
"'Cause I want it," she said airily stuffing the rest of her biscuit in her mouth. "Is everyone done?" she called after she swallowed the morsel.
A chorus of assents was heard.
"Then I think we will leave you two to clean up," Melanie said standing up and kissed the top of Jack's head. "Enjoy!"
Å
Clearing off the table only took minutes between the two who worked efficiently and quickly together.
Dishes however...
"Sir!"
"I thought we agreed to call each other by our names?"
"It's kind of hard to do with you calling me 'Carter' every five minutes!"
Jack paused while pouring soap into the hot dishwater. "Right."
Carter pushed his hand away from the water. "That's enough soap," she said with an amused expression.
Bubble galore appeared now. Jack darted a quick glance around then swiftly scooped a handful, threw it at her, then ran to the other side of the kitchen to begin the washing on the tables. She looked around and seized a dishtowel. Jack promptly held up his. "Carter..."
She laughed. It was a rather chilling sound.
What followed next looked a bit like a dance. He retreated, she advanced, he advanced, and she retreated, each wildly swinging their dishtowels. It was bound to happen and yep...
Jack's towel connected with Carter's bum. She slowly turned around. "That's it... you're going down."
"Now Carter..." he said backing away. "Let's not be hasty."
She pushed the chair out of her way. Jack looked around and grabbed another one. "Carter..."
She wrenched the chair away from him. Jack did an about face and dashed for the basement, Sam after him. He pushed open the door and flew down the stairs, being used to them. His 2IC followed more slowly.
"Now Carter..." he tried again, "It was an accident..."
She chased him into the 'bed room'. Jack promptly tripped over a cot then sprang to his feet. "I'm sorry?" he offered.
She stopped suddenly. "I love you, Jack O'Neill."
"I uh... WHAT?"
Carter plopped on the bed, a very becoming shade of red. "I don't know what possessed me to say that!"
"Carter? What are you talking about?"
"I mean, everyone knows it..."
"I thought we agreed to leave it..."
The two continued to talk over each other until Sam finally gave a deep sigh.
"Sam?" He asked uncertainly.
"What if I retired, sir?"
Jack slowly walked over and set next to her. "What if I retired?"
"You…" Sam said quietly. "Retire?"
He gave a short laugh. "Right now, the only thing I'm doing is signing my names on forms that say that we can get the twelve cent more toilet paper."
"But sir-"
"What else do I have to offer, Carter?" Jack began, determined to be brutally honest," Why me anyways? I'm old-"
"Not that old."
"Weird..."
"So am I."
"Obsessed with the Simpson's..."
"So?" She froze as a terrible thought crossed her mind. What if he doesn't have the same feelings for me he did four years ago?
At that, she rose. "I'm sorry, sir," she began formally, "I'll-"
Jack grabbed her wrist. "Carter?" He asked uncertainly. "What's the matter?"
She tried to pull away. "Noth-"
Jack was confused. One minute they were almost on the brink of proposing to each other, and then next she's flying away.
"Carter! Sit... talk."
She glared at him for a moment before sitting. "Yes… sir?" said icily.
"Just... what's the matter?"
"Nothing, sir."
"Can the sir," he ordered.
"I-"
Jack caught a glimpse of uncertainty and pain in her eyes. "Carter," He began slowly, "Carter…"
She wouldn't look at him.
"Sam?" he said. "Sam…"
She did look up at that. "Sir?"
"Jack," He reminded her, "I... I would love nothing better... then to... propose to you right now... but... I promise... one day..."
"MISS CARTER! MISS CARTER! NICOLE GOT INTO YOUR BAGS AND STUFF IS EVERYWHERE!" Little Ariel shrieked from the top of the stairs.
Sam looked into her CO's eyes. Whatever she saw there must have satisfied her. "Okay."
"COME QUICK!"
She hesitated then kissed him. Then, giving him a shy smile, she hurried away. Jack stared after her for a few moments then reached into his pocket and pulled at a cell phone. Ten minutes later, he hung up and gave a deep sigh. "Three days 'til Christmas... I better get shopping..." he mused and he slowly left the room. As soon as he had gone, three figures immerged from one of the playrooms.
"Retiring?"
"The President?"
"Married?"
I admit, this was a slightly weird chapter. I had a raging headache when I wrote this so... blame it on that.
Feel free to guess who the three figures were. Not that it really matters, lol.
I hope you liked it... and... PLEASE review!