A/N: Here's the next one, unbeta'd.

Jacob was already back at the house by the time Nate and Jack walked through the front door. Eleanor and Sam were working diligently in the kitchen trying to get supper ready. They enlisted the help of Tommy to set the table while the men talked over a few before dinner beers. Of course, nobody but Nate noticed Jacob roll his eyes, most likely at the lecture he was getting from Selmac just for drinking the stuff.

Jack immediately walked over to his wife and wrapped his arms around her from behind, laying his hands across her stomach. The boys kicked readily at the touch and the couple smiled softly. Jack lay a gentle kiss to the nape of her neck and Sam turned in his arms, ready to give him a proper welcome home. The kiss they shared was soft and sweet, but not too deep, there were little eyes around.

"Ugh, gag me with a spoon." Speaking of little eyes.

Jack and Sam laughed slightly as they leaned their foreheads together, Jack's arms still wrapped tightly around her.

"Dinner's almost ready," Eleanor spoke lowly so as not to interrupt her son's welcome home. She'd been told he was leaving the next day and wanted to give the couple time together.

Jack nodded in reply, but didn't let go of Sam.

"Hey, where'd Nate go?" she asked, peering over Jack's shoulder.

"I'm not sure. It's been a long day."

"No doubt he wanted to get away from you." Sam cocked her eyebrow at him and pulled back, folding her arms across her chest.

Okay, so maybe he had been a little harsh on the poor kid, but they were okay now, right?

"Maybe you should go check on him. Mom'll call when dinner's ready." Jack ushered his wife out of the kitchen to find their wayward charge.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxxoxoxo

Nate was sitting on his temporary bed, staring at a photo of his parents on their wedding day. The O'Neills had been kind enough to set up one of the spare bedrooms for him to use while he was there, which probably wasn't going to be too long. This summer, and then he was going to West Point, he hoped.

He really liked Jack's house, although he could do without another involuntary trip to the basement. It was a lot bigger inside than looked from the outside. Between the main floor and the basement were three bedrooms and an office. He was pretty sure the room across the hall from theirs would be the boys' room. At the moment, Jack's parents were staying there, but they'd be moving in with Seamus as soon as he found a house.

He drew his attention back to the photo in his hands and traced his mother's beautiful face with his finger, a single tear dropping to the glass. He missed them so much. He knew his sister would have looked so much like her if she'd had the chance to grow up. He'd never get the chance to beat off her boyfriends, or take Nolan fishing, or to a baseball game. At least he still had Neal. And the twins. He'd treat them like they were his brothers, too.

A knock on his door drew him out of his thoughts and he quickly scrubbed at his eyes, desperately trying to hide the evidence he'd been crying. He set the framed photo on the bedside table as Sam opened the door and stuck her head in.

"Do you mind if I come in?"

"Um, no, not at all." Nate shifted on his bed so he was sitting up more and made room for Sam to sit as well.

She sat down by his feet and rested her hand on his bent knee.

"You had us all worried last night," she said softly.

"Yeah," he sighed. "I'm sorry about that, really. I just… I don't know, everything just feels like it's spinning out of control."

Sam nodded and brought her hand up to the side of his head, running her fingers through his hair. "I know how you feel. It'll get better. It may never be okay, but it'll get better."

"I just miss them so much." Nate let his guard down around Sam. She may not be his mother, but she was the closest thing he had now. He knew he could trust her.

"My mother was killed in a car accident when I was a teenager. It took me a long time, but I can think about her now, even though I still miss her. Jack lost his son a few years ago, and I know that still hurts him deeply." She wasn't certain she should have told him about that, but the young man was bound to ask who the boy was in the pictures in the living room.

"I didn't know that." It made him feel a little better, knowing he could talk to her like this. "Jack told me how worried you got, and I didn't mean to scare you like that."

"I know, and I'm sorry Jack was so hard on you. He's very protective of those he loves."

Nate nodded his understanding.

"Guys! Dinner's ready!" Jack shouted from the top of the stairs.

Nate started to get up off the bed, but stopped and gave Sam a gentle hug in thanks and helped her stand up. They headed up to the kitchen arm in arm.

Everybody was already seated at the expandable table when they got up there, taking their helpings from the multiple bowls and platters being passed around. Nate smiled at the family setting, feeling safe for the first time since the death of his family. He felt accepted here and smiled back down at Tommy when the little boy grinned up at him.

Dinner was all out cacophony, as Jack remembered it being when they were little. It was usually an hour long affair, his parents never discouraging conversation – just as long as they didn't have food in their mouths. Dinner was a time to fill each other in on their day and he'd used it the same with Sara and Charlie back then, too.

Sam noticed he was a little on the quiet side, even though he still engaged in the conversation when necessary. She would have to find out what was on his mind later when they were in bed. She had a pretty good idea.

Nate and Tommy cleaned up – being the youngest in the house they automatically got KP, while the adults reconvened to the living room for coffee. Though Jack and Nate would be going to bed early that night, they weren't quite ready just yet. Jack wanted to spend as much time with his family as possible before they headed out the next day.

Jack sat on the couch, his mother on one side and Sam on the other. He wouldn't want any other arrangement, the two greatest women in his life right there beside him. The tight skin of Sam's stomach pressed into his side and he couldn't help the grin that crept onto his face. He couldn't believe that when he got back Sam would be that much closer to giving birth.

Of course, the fact that she could have the twins before they returned bothered him immensely. If this had been any normal, run of the mill mission he'd be okay with it, sort of. But it wasn't. They would be gone almost a month. He was almost guaranteed to be a father by the time they got home.

He couldn't stand the thought of her going through all that without him. He shook his head, his mood suddenly becoming melancholy.

Sam picked up on her husband's mood immediately and snuggled into his side, hoping to give him comfort.

Eleanor caught the couple and decided it was time they headed off to bed so Jack could get the rest he needed.

"Jonathon, Honey, why don't you guys head to bed, Nathan too. Your brother will make sure everything's locked up for you," she said, patting his knee comfortingly.

Jack nodded, knowing she was right. It was his mother talking after all, and his mother was always right.

He leaned over, letting go of Sam and pulled his mother into a tight hug. "Thank you, Mom, for coming out here. I know it's a long way from Minnesota, and I'm glad you guys are staying in town. I'm sorry I have to leave, but it's important."

Eleanor hugged him back just as tightly. "I know, Son. Don't worry, Sam's in good hands."

Jack smiled as he let go and got up, approaching his father carefully. As he stared down at the aging man, he realized, for the first time, just how old he really looked, and knew he and his brother had caused so much of the wrinkles and white hair. He felt deep and true regret for the lost years.

He bent down, kneeling beside his father, and hugged him just as fiercely, something he hadn't done since he was about twelve years old. "I'm so sorry, Dad," he cried. The tears didn't make it past his eyelids.

"Jack… I… I should have tried harder not to push you away. It's my damn Irish pride." Patrick wrapped his arms around his son just as tightly.

Jack leaned back, resting his forearm on his father's knee. "When I get back, Dad, we'll work on this more."

Sam was proud of her husband, that he was able to let go and open up to his father, and proud of Patrick that he could finally let Jack into his life.

Jack said his goodbyes to Sea and Tommy, and helped Sam off the couch, leading her back to their room.

They got ready for bed in silence, both feeling a little trepidation about the next day's events. As they lay in bed, Jack spooned up behind Sam, his arms wrapped around her and the boys, they both thought about how to say goodbye to each other. Jack would be leaving at 0430 and didn't want to wake Sam as he left.

"So, what'd Nate have to say?" Jack asked, not really dragging anything else to the front of his mind. He was always crap at the emotional stuff, at least he had been in the past and when it came to Sam, it seemed he was having a harder time with it than ever before.

"He just apologized for what happened last night. I told him about my mom, and I think he was finally able to grieve over his family." Sam pushed herself back against him to cuddle into his embrace.

"Cassie helped him."

Sam rolled over, it was better for her to be on her left side anyway, and rested her head on his shoulder.

"I'm going to miss you," she whispered.

Jack squeezed his right arm around her, rubbing her stomach affectionately, and kissed her forehead.

"I'm gonna be thinking about you and the boys everyday while I'm gone. I've only really seen about a month of your pregnancy, and I don't want to miss the boys' grand entrance." Jack moved his hand up her arm and to her face, brushing her hair gently out of her eyes. He noticed the tears streaming down her face and wiped them away with his thumb.

He kissed her softly, pouring all his emotions through his lips. Sam accepted willingly, no doubt that she would, and for the first time wished she wasn't pregnant. She knew they would have gone further, but now it was just too dangerous. It was their own brand of goodbye, a way they could share their love with each other before Jack had to go save the universe.

They fell asleep holding each other, their dreams filled with each other and their children, neither wanting to let go when morning came, but both knew this mission was essential and they would both feel better knowing it was a safer place to bring the boys into the world.

A/N: Sorry it's taking so long to get to the mission and what-not, i'm trying to corral GrUmPyBeAr so she can help me with it. it's probably getting boring reading it about now and i'm starting to struggle with it. i don't know how soon the next few chaps are going to get out, i'm having EXTREME future mother-in-law problems, which have now included me not going with the family to Easter at another future in-law's. i just haven't been in the mood lately and i've been sick. this week's been a living HELL! and i unfortunately became dehydrated the other day between the sickness and crying constantly. sorry this chaps so odd. i dunno, it seems weird to me. sorry again!