A/N: sorry it took so long, but they might be a little short coming as it's summer and i have a lot to do. tons of grad's were this week so i've been off doin stuff for that. Thanks to my wonderful beta for all the help!

Jack stayed backed from the young man in front of him letting him have room to himself. He knew loss. He'd been devastated when he lost Charlie. That pain still tore at his heart sometimes, but he hoped he'd never know what it was like to lose his entire family.

Nathan had lost all of his family, he only had his little brother left and they still didn't know where Neal was. He would have to talk to Sam about it, but he wanted Nate to be able to come back and finish his schooling, maybe continue on. He had found out in the car that Nate had already been accepted into West Point, but his acceptance was now in jeopardy. He'd have to see if there were any strings they could pull to make sure he got back in.

"Colonel, I'm ready to go now," Nate said standing and heading back to where Jack was waiting for him. The wind was really starting to whip around the two, causing Jack to shiver slightly. The snow was deep, coming up to their ankles, but Nate didn't seem to notice it. Of course not, he's got that snake to help him.

"We just have to make one quick stop."

The two military men in BDU's made their way across the cemetery to another grave. This time Nate hung back while Jack approached his son. He didn't know exactly whose grave it was they were stopped at but he knew it was important for the Colonel to visit him.

He didn't listen in on anything Jack said, but when he was done, he could see the sadness in his eyes.

"Okay," Jack said, putting his hand on Nate's shoulder. "We have to hurry and get back home. Sam's waiting for us."

They got in Jack's truck and headed back to Jack's, both thinking about what they had lost.

Jack was the first to break the silence, his curiosity finally getting the better of him.

"So what are the snakeheads up to this time?"

"The System Lords have gathered together and are planning to systematically take out the minor Goa'uld. Once they amass, the Jaffa will take out their enemies before heading to not only the Tok'ra, but the Tau'ri as well. They are hoping the Asgard will be too busy fighting the Replicators to help you."

"Uh, right." Jack shook his head, realizing this was probably their biggest chance to take out the Goa'uld. They'd been trying to find the perfect opportunity to finish off the slimy snakeheads and they may have given them their own downfall.

"They're supposed to meet in four days," Nate concluded, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"Are you sure you want to keep the snake?" Jack glanced over at Nate sitting next to him. He was just a kid for cryin' out loud! He didn't need to see the horrors of battle, though he was sure he already had.

"Levi and I have become quite… close." Nate smirked. "He's sort of been like my best friend. He helped me out when my family was killed."

Jack just nodded, quite certain he never wanted to know what it was like to be a host. The closest he'd come was Hathor sticking that damn Goa'uld in his head, but they'd frozen him quick enough to prevent it taking over.

"Is there any way you can help me stay on Earth when we're done? I really don't want to go back and Levi is willing to help me. I don't want him to leave but he's offered if that's what's required for me to stay." Nate was preoccupied with thoughts of his little brother and where he could possibly be, but he could still follow the conversation.

They pulled into Jack's driveway and he put the truck in park. "Well, here we are. Sorry it's a little crowded."

The two got out of the truck and headed for the front door. Judging by the number of cars outside the house, there shouldn't be too many people inside, but one could never know.

When he opened the door he was immediately bowled over by an animated teen. "Jack!"

He hugged her back with a grin on his face. "Hey Cass."

Sam waddled into the entry way, a worried look on her face. "Jack where have you been? Dad said we had a visitor at the base."

"Major Carter, Levi and I sincerely apologize for what we put you through. We tried to find you before we had to leave, but you had disappeared. Never once was I in a position to reveal myself to SG-1." The look on his face made Sam's heart melt in sympathy. The young man had lost his entire family and was concerned about her. When he fully took in her condition he smiled. "Congratulations."

"Thank you. We wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you." She leaned forward and awkwardly gave him a hug.

"Hey now, don't go stealing my woman," Jack joked putting his arm around his future wife.

Nate laughed. "Don't worry sir, she's all yours…" Nate trailed off as he finally caught sight of the girl who'd hugged Jack.

She smiled sweetly and blushed under his scrutiny. "Hi, I'm Cassie."

"Nate."

Janet walked in at that moment, noticing the looks the teenagers were giving each other. "Okay you two. Sorry, Colonel, we're taking your fiancée for the night. You'll see her tomorrow." The Doc grabbed her coat and threw Cassie's to her. Sam took Jack's huge winter coat from the closet. It was the only one that fit her. She hadn't gotten one for herself yet.

Jack pulled her into his arms and gave her a kiss. He leaned in, resting his forehead against hers. "I love you."

"I love you, too." She gave him another quick peck before the three disappeared out the door.

"So, Jack, who's your little friend?" He heard the familiar female voice coming from the living room.

"Karen?" He walked in and gave her a hug. "I thought you weren't coming in until later."

"It is later, brother dear. It's after three." She smiled as she hugged him back.

"Sorry, lost track of time. I had to go talk to Charlie after we left the base." He headed to the kitchen to grab drinks for his visitors. "Grant and the kids here?" he shouted to her.

"No, they're back getting everything settled at the hotel. They said they'd be over later. Mom and Dad are with them." She settled into the couch waiting for her brother to come back in the room. "Sea and Tommy went to the park with Jerod and Stacy to go sledding. I think they took some kids from the hotel."

Jack walked back into the living room with drinks, nodded for Nate to sit down and smiled at his sister. "Bridget and Nick. Sam's niece and nephew." He sat next to Karen and handed her a diet soda. That was something he always remembered. When it came to food and drink, Karen and Sam were two peas in a pod.

"Karen, this is a friend of ours, Nathan Tanner. Nate, this is my sister Karen." Jack pointed his beer bottle between the two of them, casually introducing them to each other. He tossed Nate a soda from where he sat, grinning as Nate's Tok'ra enhanced reflexes allowed him to catch the can without looking.

"Impressive." Karen smiled at the young man, obviously embarrassing him. "So, how'd a kid like you become associated with the likes of him?" she asked, jerking her thumb in Jack's direction.

"Sam," Nate said vaguely, shrugging off the question. "Unfortunately, I'm the reason they've had such a hard time of things lately."

"Nate," Jack said shooting him a warning glance. It wasn't for him to keep from talking, it was more to tell him they didn't blame him for their predicament.

"Jack, if you don't mind I'm going to go outside for a moment." Nate stood heading for the door leading to the back porch.

"Wait," Jack shouted to him as he left the room quickly. When he returned he held a heavy sweatshirt in his hands. Throwing it to Nate he said, "Here, take this, it's freezing out."

Nate caught the item and threw it on as he headed out the door, not saying another word. He needed time to think things over and he really couldn't do that with so many people around.

"What's wrong with him?" Karen asked her older brother. She'd seen the sadness flit across Nate's face and couldn't understand how such a young kid could know such pain.

Jack took in a deep breath and explained. "He was home from Military School last summer and his parents took him and two of his siblings out to dinner. While they were out, they were attacked. He saw them murdered, all of them. He ended up killing the bastard who did it. Sam had been jogging by and saw him kill the guy, but she missed the rest and thought he'd killed his family as well. She took off before he could explain, and came here. She disappeared later, thinking someone would be after her. Nate feels awful about it all. Not only did he lose his family, but he had a baby brother who we now have to track down somehow."

"That's awful! The poor kid." Karen covered her mouth with her hand in shock. She couldn't believe something so terrible could happen to him.

"Yeah, we're going to try to find the baby. He needs to be protected. The guy that killed their family was really after Nate." Jack sighed, remembering that they couldn't do any of that until they came back safely from their next mission.

A/N: Okay wedding's coming up soon, i hope, it might take a while, i'm taking it mostly word for word, w/ names changed of course, from my best friend's wedding so i have to type that up. it may take a little while, thanks for being patient and i hope you haven't lost interest! please review, it really helps my motivation.