Well guys, here's the final chapter. I do so hope you enjoy it.
Danger Zone.
By Lingren.
Previously:-
He stood and bowed low before them in honour of their nuptials, then took Sam's hand and pressed a light kiss on her knuckles , finally turning to symbolically shake Jack's hand in the Jaffa way.
Chapter 29
"Yes!" cried Daniel, punching the air with his fist so unlike himself that the others laughed. "Congratulations you guys!"
Daniel was much more demonstrative than Teal'c in that he hugged Sam tightly until Jack swatted him away, telling him that he'd ruin her dress like that.
"Jealous Jack?"
"Damn right I am! Who wouldn't be with a woman as beautiful as Sam is!"
She blushed shyly, nudging him, and giving him a quick peck on the cheek.
"He's got it bad Teal'c!" Daniel sighed, shaking his head in mock sorrowfulness.
"Indeed!" Teal'c agreed.
Daniel then grinned and turned to give a brotherly hug to Jack too, overcome with remorse for the way he'd nagged Jack all the way there.
"I knew there had to be a proper reason for you giving up SG-1," Daniel commented, not wanting to hold their happiness back from them any longer. It was about time. They deserved this after all they'd done and gone through. He believed it was inevitable and was so happy for them.
"What are we waiting for?"
"There's a few more guests to arrive first. We kinda sprung it on two of them last night too."
The door opened with a few minutes to spare before their appointment, and Janet and Cassie gushed in, dressed in all their finery, to stare at the couple who had stood up to greet them; they both looked superb. General Hammond followed them at a much more sedate pace befitting a General, except for the huge beam of a smile from ear to ear across his face. He had to admit they looked a charming couple.
"Great," Jack grinned at their entry. "the matron of honour and the bridesmaid have arrived."
Janet raced over and took Sam's hand, sniffing back the first tears of joy whilst handing her a small bouquet of white flowers and ferns to complete Sam's outfit. Now she looked like a bride.
"Oh my god Sam, you look absolutely stunning," she cried, wiping away another tear. She turned to Jack, cleared her throat and raised her eyebrows. "You scrub up pretty good Colonel!" she said, making Jack uncomfortable so that he scowled sending Sam into a fit of the giggles.
Sam was overcome too with emotion and kissed and hugged Janet and Cassie back.
Cassie was beside herself; she was so happy that her 'uncle' Jack and 'aunt' Sam were finally going to be married. She hadn't slept at all last night because of excitement and she had fidgeted and asked if they were there yet, for the entire journey, starting from the city limits of Colorado Springs until Janet could have cheerfully throttled her.
The party were now all together, and soon they were called into the office where Jack and Sam were be officially married. Janet and Daniel being witnesses. They exchanged their vows, and Jack was more than willing to kiss the bride when the time came, making them all whoop in delight.
Everyone celebrated afterwards at a special dinner, set in an exclusive restaurant in a private function room. Daniel having a little too much champagne. Either that or the little he'd had, had gone to his head, but whichever way it was, he was rather merry, though not drunk.
Jack gave three envelopes to the General, thanking him again for everything, before they retired to the hotel's bridal suite, leaving the others to finish their meal.
Over breakfast in the morning, they said their goodbyes.
"You're going somewhere? I thought this was our holiday destination? Damnit Jack!" Daniel cried in frustration. "Where are you going? What are we supposed to do now?"
"Well, Sam and I are going on our honeymoon to Hawaii. You and Teal'c are going...well. Just see General Hammond. He has something for you both from us to say thanks for always being there for us, and for watching our sixes. You too Teal'c. I know I can rely on you to keep an eye on our Daniel while we're away."
"Indeed O'Neill. I shall endeavour to keep him away from any trouble."
"Yeah, thanks guys," Sam said, giving each of them a hug and a kiss. "See you in a week's time!"
"Bye Sam, Jack. Have fun!" Janet cried.
"Oh we'll do that all right, won't we Mrs O'Neill!" Jack whispered in his wife's ear, his eyebrows waggling suggestively. He threaded his fingers through hers as they left the hotel bound for the airport, everyone cheering and waving them off.
After the cab had disappeared they all turned to General Hammond.
"Lets' go inside people," Hammond suggested. "I don't know about you all, but I could do with a rest before I set off home again."
They all followed him in and he led them to the diner where he found an empty table for the five of them, and ordered coffee for the adults and one hot chocolate for Cassie, despite her protest that she was old enough to drink coffee now.
General Hammond took the three envelopes from his pocket and smiled.
"Jack and Sam both wanted me to give you these. It was their way of saying thanks, as you heard Jack mention. Dr. Fraiser, this one is for you and Cassie."
He handed it over and Janet stared at it wondering what it could be. She glanced up at the General as he handed one to both Daniel and Teal'c, keeping the final one for himself.
Hammond sat back, mightily pleased with his efforts; he'd seen Jack and Sam finally tie the knot, and knew without a doubt that they would be happy. Jack was no longer in any danger, and he would prove to be a great asset to the training programme, splitting his time between the SGC, the Academy, and a training camp off-world; the main point being that he would no longer be on the front line, therefore off the firing line. Sam would be the one to watch from now on, until, that is, they heard the pitter-patter of tiny feet in the O'Neill household. And he didn't mean a dog either, though he knew Jack would more than likely want to get one now.
Janet ripped open her envelope and gasped in shock. There were two tickets to Orlando for a visit to Disneyworld. Cassie shrieked with delight. Janet had always been too tied up to take her there, but now with a week off too, they could go; everything had been arranged. They would fly there the next day after spending the night in Sam and Jack's suite at the hotel. Sam had let herself into Janet's house and packed their bags without them knowing, persuading General Hammond to put them in the trunk of his car when they drove up to Las Vegas for the ceremony.
Daniel wondered what the hell would be in his and Teal'c's envelope. He looked over the top of his glasses at his companion and shrugged, tearing open the envelope with enthusiasm only for his jaw to hit the floor in shock. Without a word he handed the contents over to Teal'c to read. Janet and Cassie were agog with curiosity and demanded to know what they had received.
Daniel gulped and smiled widely.
"We are off to Egypt," he replied stunned beyond mere shock. Jack had promised him that he was going to Luxor and he had kept his word. "When we arrived here I was mad at him because I was disappointed we hadn't gone to the real Luxor in Egypt. Now we are." He blinked back the burn of tears forming and swallowed hard, knowing how damn lucky he was to have friends as dear and as generous as Jack and Sam.
Janet recovered quickly and asked the General what was in his envelope.
He sighed, wondering what on earth those two could possibly have given him. After seeing the others getting their hearts desire as a way of saying thank you for being a friend, he didn't know what to expect.
He peeled back the flap and pulled the contents out, reading the slip of paper only to break out in a contemplative smile. In reality he'd already seen and done everything he'd wanted. All he had now was his grandchildren and he was happy enough with that, but the happy couple had invited him to be godfather and an honorary grandfather status to their children when they came along, including him in their family which he more than welcomed, considering his lonely existence. Especially since by the time he actually got round to retiring, both Tessa and Kayla would be teenagers, becoming more independent from him as all kids do. This would then give him something else to look forward to. His smile deepened as he perused the slip of paper, then placed it back into its envelope and tucked it into his inside jacket pocket for safe keeping.
"What did they get you, uncle George?" Cassie asked, curious as ever.
"Ah, now that would be telling young lady. Suffice it to say they've given me more than I could possibly ask for." He replied enigmatically, puzzling the girl. He knew without a doubt that he had been blessed with being a part of this family.
Although Janet was almost bursting to know what Sam and Jack could have given him, she knew it couldn't be anything material, there being set regulations about not giving gifts to superior officers because it could be misconstrued as a bribe, but obviously the General was more than satisfied with whatever it was he'd received.
"Well, folks," Hammond sighed, looking at his watch. "I have a long drive home, so I'll bid you all farewell. Enjoy your vacations everyone, and I'll see you all next week."
He stood and left them to contemplate which of the casinos to visit and what entertainment they could get in to see later that evening.
OoOoOoOoO
Jack and Sam held hands as they looked out of the tiny porthole of a window at the scenery below, wondering what their friends had made of their gifts. Sam looked down at their joined hands, fingering the gold band on her finger; a dreamy smile on her lips.
Jack watched with amusement.
"Happy?"
"Hmmm!" she sighed, resting her head on his shoulder and snuggling as close as she could with the arm rest in the way. "Very!"
Jack leaned over and kissed the top of her head, never imagining that he could be this happy again after losing Charlie. How he had waited for this day to arrive. It had been a long time coming, but at last they were together. Their love stretched beyond the physical boundaries into the realms of eternity, so there was nothing on this world or the next that could ever keep them apart.
The End.
I would like to thank everyone for all the reviews I have received under the pen name of Lingren. However, I feel it is time for a change and to use my alter ego pen name which I will now reveal so that anyone out there who wishes to carry on reading my stories may do so.
I have written several stories under the name of LetitiaRichards. I have to give up on one of these names as I'm finding that writing and posting two stories simultaneously is time consuming and it's getting harder for me to concentrate, (must be my age! LOL) hence the slow updates of late, coupled, unfortunately, with my recent ill health.
I would like to thank everyone out there for all the support and encouragement you have given me over the years. I've come a long way since my very first fic back in 2000; over which time I have written some 97 stories. I am busy writing my 98th, not forgetting LetitiaRichards' current composition of course.
It's an incredible buzz to know that my humble efforts are enjoyed by any number of you out there, and any review sent to me is taken to heart and used to encourage me to improve and develop my writing skills.
For fear of repeating myself... Thank You! I love you guys!