A/N: okay here's the next chap. it's unbeta'd but here you go!
The bright sunlight reflected off the snow, much too bright for the day. Jack stood ramrod straight next to his brother, both in full winter uniform. He didn't show any emotion. He never did under these circumstances anyway, no matter who the person was, but this was different.
The brothers stood behind the female members of their family and the children. Sam was there with him, having left the babies in Cassie's care, along with Mya since she was still so young. They didn't want Neal, Liam and Jake exposed to the cold. A cemetery wasn't exactly the place for their children anyway.
The rest of their family had shown up within hours of his father's passing. Grant had managed to fly in with Kelly and Dean; Rhiana had done the same with their children. Kevin had picked up Mya on the way home from work and immediately drove to Colorado Springs.
Jack was glad everyone had been able to make it, as neither of his parents had any siblings. His mother was obviously hit the hardest of them all, but Tommy sat, curled up in his grandmother's lap. He'd only spoken to Jerod since his grandfather's death and the rest of the family was starting to become concerned.
Jack understood where he was coming from, though. It had taken him long enough to address anyone outside his military superiors for months after Charlie's death and even though it wasn't quite the same thing, the connection Tommy had with his grandfather was strong, and it would take him a while to get past it.
The dirt hitting the casket lid shook Jack off that particular train of thought. It was over, and every military member attending the funeral stood just a little straighter. That was the thing that caught him off guard about the whole situation. Every SG team member was there. They were all close to the O'Neill family – and not just Jack and Sam, either. Seamus had become quite popular with those station under Cheyenne Mountain.
He glanced around him, his actions hidden by his sunglasses, and listened as his father was covered beneath the earth. The stark white snow reflected around those gathered there, in deep contrast to the dirt piled next to the grave.
Before long, the formality of the burial was over and the elder Liam Patrick O'Neill was laid to rest beside his grandson.
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox
"…So Sara and I walked around the side of the cabin just in time to see Dad grab Charlie by the shoulder with one hand and the back of his swim trunks with the other and fling him off the dock and into the water. I just dropped everything I had in my hands. I pushed Dad out of the way and dove off the edge of the dock after him. When I came up for air, he was staring at me, treading water like he'd been doing it his whole life. He just smiled at me and said, 'Look, Dad! I'm swimming!'"
Jack set the beers down on the coffee table and sat beside Sam as laughter filled the room. Sara picked up one of the bottles and handed it to Ken.
"He just let himself sink into the water as Charlie swam towards the dock. Patrick popped up from the water, sputtering and pulled him up. I didn't know what to do. I had eggs splattered all over my shoes and my son, who didn't know how to swim just that morning, had been thrown into the water by his grandfather."
Jack put his arm around his wife and looked around at his friends and family. "Sean and Jenny were sitting on the back deck laughing their fool heads off at me. I pulled up on the dock and grabbed Charlie in one of the biggest bear hugs ever and the next thing we know, Sara's beating the crap outta my dad!"
The small group gathered in Jack and Sam's living room were seeing a side of the man that hadn't come out to play in years. Sam cuddled into her husband's side, Liam nestled gently in her arms.
Everyone had left the wake hours before, leaving only close friends and family to gather together, comforting each other and telling stories about the past. Nobody outside the family knew much about them – beside Daniel and Sam – and were having fun. Mark was really starting to enjoy his sister's new family and was actually getting along with Jack, especially after he saw how good the older man was with the kids.
After the "strangers" had left the youngsters had been allowed out of their suits and dresses and had gotten decked out in their snow gear to play outside. They all knew the kids would stay out there until their lips turned blue and they couldn't feel their extremities anymore. Of course, the fact that it was getting dark out didn't hinder their enjoyment any.
Liam was sound asleep in his mother's arms and she decided it was time to put him down for the night. Jake had been sleeping for most of the day, according to Cassie anyway, and Liam had been up since the crack of dawn. Of course, the nurses at the hospital had said Jake didn't sleep at night and Liam was the perfect baby.
She kissed Jack on the cheek and headed down the hall to their room where the boys were staying for the time being. The babies were so small, now that she'd gotten over the fact that they were both crammed in together for over eight months, and she was amazed they were a part of both her and Jack.
She opened the door quietly so as not to wake up Jake, but found his eyes open and staring up at the mobile Teal'c had made especially for the boys. It was a bunch of little X-302's. It would go pretty well with the nursery, once she got the ceiling star map finished. Of course, they could always tell anybody who didn't have the classification that the X-302 was just something a friend came up with.
Liam stayed asleep as she transferred him to the crib and picked up Jake so he wouldn't wake his brother. She was still bent over the twins when someone entered the room behind her. It wasn't Jack. After so many years of working together, she knew the sound of his footsteps, especially since he tried sneaking into her lab so often.
She turned around with the wide awake Jake in her arms to face Sara standing in the doorway. "Oh, Sara. I didn't see you there." She smiled at the other woman and placed Jake on the changing table.
"How are you holding up?" Sara came in and stood near the changing table at Jake's head.
"Better, now that Jack's back and the babies are home. Patrick was a very nice man…"
Sara nodded. "When he and Jack got along, they got along great." She ran her hand along the top of Jake's head as Sam pulled open the sleeper. "I'm sorry."
Sam cocked her head up at the woman she'd become friends with while Jack was away. "What for?"
"It probably sounds like Jack and I are still stuck on each other out there."
Sam grinned. "No. You have Ken and Jack and I have each other. We may be an odd group of people, but there's a deep seeded trust and Ken and I know that the two of you have a connection."
"Thanks." Sara watched as Sam pulled the soaked onsie over the baby's head. It felt like just yesterday they'd brought Abby home from the hospital themselves. "So, how's Neal settling in?"
Sam rolled her eyes. "I don't think he slept for the first two weeks. For the moment – and I know this goes against everything they say parents should do – but we've been letting Nate take care of him for now. He's leaving at the end of the summer and wants to spend as much time with him as he can."
Janet came through the door, dropping onto the bed and watched her friend with Jake. Before she could change his diaper, Sam got his new clothes ready, along with the diaper and wipes. Janet sighed and laid back onto the bed.
"What'd he do this time?" Sam asked without turning around.
"Sarah's coming home after the removal of the… tumor. Daniel's going to go back to her. Cassie's going to be disappointed." Janet rubbed her hands over her face, just on the verge of tears. She watched as Sam awkwardly removed the baby's diaper and wiped him off.
She turned to glance at Janet. "What makes you think that?"
"She loves Daniel, why wouldn't she be-"
Sam grinned and shook her head. "No, why do you think Daniel would go back to Sarah?"
"He won't stop talking about her and how much help she's going to need to get reacquainted with life on… the outside. From the hospital, I mean." Janet shot a look at the other Sara, knowing the woman knew they did some weird stuff, but it was no excuse to let her mouth run away with her.
"Daniel will help her like he would any friend. Even if she tried to put the moves on him, he wouldn't let her. I seriously doubt – INCOMING!" Sam ducked as the yellow stream shot over her head, hitting the edge of the bed Janet was laying on. Sara dropped to her knees laughing and grabbed an urp rag, handing it to Sam to cover the little boy with. That was the thing about having boys.
Janet rushed to make sure Sam's startled exclamation hadn't woken up Liam, of course it looked like the boy could sleep through an earthquake, and finally the humor of the situation hit her.
Jake's wails increased and Sara realized he'd shot himself in the face. As Sam quickly tried to secure his diaper, Sara grabbed a wipe and started to clean off his face. The giggles of the other two women set Sam off, ready to cry at the drop of a hat. Damn, these hormones had to get back to normal soon.
The three women worked together quickly to get Jake dressed and out of the room to keep from waking Liam. Janet and Sara were still giggling as they shut the door to Jack and Sam's room, Sam leaning against it, frustrated that she hadn't known what to do.
"Sam," Sara said still laughing. "Don't worry about it. It's something boys do."
Janet nodded her agreement. "It has to do with the change in temperature, like when a kid goes swimming and pees in the pool. When the cold air hits them, they can't control it and even if they just wet their diaper, they'll do it again. Neal should be over that by now."
Sam sighed in relief, hugging her little boy to her, trying to calm him down before he woke up every child in the household. Abby was asleep on the spare bed in Neal's current bedroom since he usually slept through the night now that Nate was around.
Jack had heard the commotion from the living room and came rushing down the hall. "Everybody okay down here?" he asked, wrapping his arms around his wife and son.
Sara was quick to reassure him. "Jake shot himself."
He stared at Sam quizzically before it dawned on him just what his ex-wife was saying and he smiled in remembrance. "Don't worry. When Charlie was only a couple weeks old, he fell asleep on me, but his diaper leaked through his onsie and sleeper. I had to change him without waking him up. I got his diaper off and wiped him down when I realized I hadn't gotten his new diaper out yet. I bent over and the next thing I know there's a stream shooting over my head, across the hall, hitting the back wall and running down the stairs. He shifted and shot himself in the face, shocking himself awake."
Sam giggled and Jack gently took their son out of her arms to give his shot at trying to calm the boy. She had let him take Jake for a reason and didn't let the smile drop off her face.
The group made their way back out to the living room and Sam let each person try to calm Jake before taking mercy on the poor souls and taking him to the kitchen. "Dinner time," she whispered to Jack.
Ken and Sara stood together.
"Well, we should probably get Abby home and into her own bed," Sara said as Ken headed down the hall to gather his daughter. Sara pulled their coats out of the closet as Jack walked her towards the door. Ken came back, Abby bundled in his arms and worked her into her coat with precision that impressed Jack.
He leaned over and gave his ex-wife a friendly hug. "Thanks for coming, guys."
He closed the door after them just in time to hear the back door open and the kids rush into the warm house. "AGH! Stay right where you are!"
The men in the room knew exactly what Jack had in mind and all stood. Sea, Jack, and Mark all walked over to the door and grabbed a kid, keeping them from dripping on the rug, while Jacob grabbed Stacy and Dean, the two youngest.
Eleanor grabbed a bunch of towels and blankets from the hall closet and started wrapping the children in the warm cloth as each was stripped of their wet clothes. They were all sent out to the living room where Jack had started a fire earlier that day and huddled together to keep warm. Karen had seen the kids starting to wind down and she and Jenny had started some hot chocolate on the stove.
Sam had kept a small blanket over herself and Jake and was finished feeding him by the time the men had come traipsing into the room with the kids. She joined her family in the tiny living room.
Sean, Grant, Kevin, Rhiana, Nate and Cassie were downstairs playing pool on Sam's table they'd moved in from storage. They'd decided it was better to stay out of the way than try to cram themselves all into the tiny room upstairs.
At the end of the night, Jack's family split between their house and Sea's, nobody really wanting to put anybody out. Jack and Sam had moved the crib with Liam in it into Neal's room. Both boys were sleeping through the night, but Jake seemed to be their night owl and they didn't want him waking anybody up.
The couple lay in their bed, Jake nestled between them. Jack couldn't believe it. They'd lost team members, sheerly on the basis that they'd only had so many sarcophagi and it took time to heal the soldiers. A few had been gone for just too long and didn't make it, but he'd been the first to get to one and they'd had the advantage of Levi. And now here he was, with his wife and son in his bed, his other sons just across the hall.
This was their first night home, and so far things were going as best as could be expected. Sam and Liam had been released two days earlier, but she wouldn't leave until Jake came home with them. As soon as he could get parents and child alone, Jacob was going to allow Selmak to attempt to fix the murmur, and they couldn't wait to see how it went.
Of course, they weren't overly worried about it if it didn't work, not now anyway. Sam had gotten used to it and seeing Sea healthy at their age alleviated some of her fears.
Jack and Sam drifted off to sleep that night with smiles on their faces, both thoroughly exhausted from the events of the day, but ecstatic that they could finally start their journey together as a family.
A/N: So what'd you think? i never went to my friend's burial way back when so i don't really know much about that part of the funeral which is why it's such a short section.
okay, Jack's story about Charlie as a baby actually happened to me when i was trying to change one of my little brothers. he was only a few weeks old and he'd fallen asleep in the swing. i took him up to change him before his nap and he shot himself in the face, scaring the snot outta him.
this was just sort of a filler chapter, this story is winding down so if there is anything you'd like to see in it let me know and i'll see if it fits in this story or the next one. i'd reallylike to hear what you guys think, i only got 4 reviews last chapter and i thought it was a particualarly touching chapter, at least for me. anyway, thanks for reading!