A/N: Okay, so I am sooooo sorry this has taken so long! I just sent it off to my betas like a few days ago and my one sent it back with corrections but i haven't got it for some reason, i think the email's messin up or something. i decided i'd post this version now and when i got the fixed version back i'll repost it so it's better. Oh and by the way nobody's noticed the intentional typo yet, it's in ch. 15. i tried to make this one longer for y'all, hope you like it and thanks to Bookworm37 for the idea of Sam and Jay!

Sam flew down the dirt road as fast as she dared in Jack's baby, his truck. She knew she had to get to Jay before too much time passed and the fledgling relationship between father and son would be destroyed forever. She remembered what it was like with her own father and brother, how Mark's resentment had torn their family apart. She didn't want that to happen to Jack.

As she wove her way through the small town, looking for Steph's grandfather's place, she couldn't help but wonder how she'd be received. No one knew what had sent Jay off the way he did, but she was sure it was completely unintentional; a misunderstanding on all parts involved. She didn't know anything about the McGrady's, only that the big man, Darren, hated Jack for some reason, but that had been all Daniel had told her.

She finally found the place just as she was reaching her whit's end and pulled into the driveway. The house wasn't all that large, but definitely owned by one of the richer families in town. She wasn't sure what she was going to say when she knocked on the door and just sat there, composing herself for a moment.

She lowered herself out of the cab, mindful of her knee. It was completely healed, but she was careful, just in case. As she made her way up the front walk, she thought of what she'd say when the door was opened. She had a different scenario for each person she could imagine would be at the house.

Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Sam gently knocked on the door, in case Lilly was sleeping. She didn't want to be responsible for waking the baby up. She waited patiently until a man who looked to be in his mid sixties, with solid silver hair, opened the door about halfway.

"May I help you?" he asked in a heavy Irish accent.

Sam was momentarily startled when the man spoke, but quickly recovered. "I'm looking for Colin O'Neill. His brother told me he'd be here."

"Please, come in. I'll let Stephie know you're here." He opened the door enough for her to squeeze through and directed her to the living room. He disappeared down the hall before returning to sit across from her.

"I'm Corin McGrady," he said, reaching out his hand to shake hers.

"Sam Carter."

"So, what did that idiot say to put his foot in his mouth this time?" he laughed, as he rested his right ankle on his left knee.

"That's actually what I'm here to find out." Sam sighed, running her hands over her face.

"I take it Jack said something and Jay stormed out before anyone could talk to him?" Corin shot her a knowing look, which could only have come from years of experience with Jack O'Neill.

"Something like that."

"This feud… between my son and Jack, it's been too much. It hurt Stephanie and Jay more than Jack not being here."

Sam's eyebrows jumped up hearing the older man talk. "So that's what this is about?" She was beginning to understand what must have happened.

"They didn't say, but I don't doubt it. Darren disowned Steph when she married Jay. I'm sure he thought his father would feel the same way." Corin saw Steph start to enter the room from where he was sitting and got up to leave the girls alone. "Just remind Jack when you see him later that I never blamed him for his mother's actions."

Sam nodded and closed her eyes, not noticing Jack's daughter-in-law standing in the room. She still had yet to figure out what to say to Jay. Nothing really seemed adequate.

Steph cleared her throat, catching Sam's attention. "Sorry." She entered the room and took the chair her grandfather had vacated. Not really knowing where to start, the two women just looked at each other, not a word spoken between them.

"Why did Jay run?"

Steph laughed nervously, obviously knowing this was going to come out at some point. "Do you want the truth or what Jay'll tell you?"

"Both," Sam answered honestly.

"He'll tell you it was to protect his daughter, and me. He's scared, though. Scared that Jack would react the same way my father did." Steph just shook her head at her husband. "It surprised him how much he actually liked Jack once he met him. He thinks Jack was telling him about our fathers so he could tell him why he wasn't going to see us anymore and Jay just thought Lilly might change his mind until he started talking."

"I think Jay misunderstood. Jack's only weakness is children." Sam smiled, Cassie immediately popping into her head. Jack had been like a father, or maybe a favorite uncle, to her since they'd brought her back from Hanka the first year the Stargate Project was in full operation.

"You should probably be talking to Jay, but he disappeared as soon as we got here."

"Right. He probably won't talk to me anyway."

Steph stood up and headed back towards where she'd come from. "I should go and see if I can find him for you."

Sam nodded and watched her walk away. This was going to be harder than she though, now that she had a little insight into the head of one Jay O'Neill. She was still having trouble figuring out what she was going to say to him. She didn't know how he would react to what she wanted to say to him. In the end she just shrugged her shoulders and decided to wing it.

Jay entered the room, rubbing his eyes with one hand and hanging tightly onto his daughter, like a shield separating him from the older woman in the room.

"Hi," Sam said, nervously wringing her hands together.

"He didn't have to send you out here. I have nothing to say to him." Jay stood at the other end of the room, not letting himself get close to Sam.

"I don't think he knows I'm here, unless my father said something. I saw how you guys connected back there, and I don't want to see you throw it away."

"There's nothing there to throw away."

Sam stood up, clearly frustrated. "What about Lilly? He's met her once, and he already loves her deeply. You're throwing away her relationship with her grandfather."

"It's not like she's old enough to remember him," Jay scoffed.

"You think he's not gonna try and contact her when she gets older?" She sighed before plopping down onto the couch. "Sit. I want to tell you something."

Jay glanced at her skeptically, but sat in the farthest chair from her. He cradled his daughter, but this time instead of positioning her like a shield, he held her more like his security blanket, rocking her to make sure she stayed sleeping.

Sam took a deep shuddering breath while she collected her thoughts. She sighed and looked up into the young man's eyes, her own shining with tears.

"When I was a kid, my father was never home. The Air Force always had him away on missions, or when he got high enough in the ranks and commanded the base, he just stayed there until after my brother and I were in bed.

"One afternoon, when I was fifteen, I was baking cookies for my mom. She was coming home from visiting my uncle and my father was supposed to pick her up from the airport, but he was running late and my mother got a cab. They were hit by a drunk driver on the way home. My mother didn't live.

"My brother was like you for a very long time. To Mark, he was no longer my father's son. He painted me with the same brush. My father and I have only recently met my niece and nephew."

She didn't want to actually hold a conversation with Jay, she just wanted to give him something to think about.

"I don't want to see the three of you go through what my family did for so many years. Just give them a chance, both Sean and Jack."

She clapped her hands on her knees, patted him on the shoulder and walked out the door to the truck. She had no clue what he would think, if he'd show up tomorrow at the barbeque, but she gave it her best shot in hopes that he'd change his mind and let Jack in.

On the drive back to the cabin, all she could think about was Jack's reaction to her and his anger, obviously with Jay, but directed at her. Granted, she didn't do a very good job of communicating in the first place, but she was still scared.

Their relationship was still young. Oh, they'd known each other, worked together for a few years now, but they'd only been romantically involved for a matter of weeks really. A month. She knew how he felt about her, and she didn't think they were rushing it, but there were situations they hadn't been in yet that would definitely put a strain on them.

She knew she was in the wrong, for sure, when she'd yelled at him after Jay's departure. She shouldn't have yelled at him the way she did. For all intents and purposes her experiences with Colonel Jack O'Neill told her it would have been he who had been in the wrong. She hadn't counted on his son being just as stubborn as he.

She pulled up just in time to see Teal'c, Daniel, and Cassie bringing food into the house, fresh off the grill. She could only assume everybody else was inside, setting up. She grinned at the sight Daniel and Cassie made walking together. She was so glad to see how accepting Cassie was of Daniel and Janet's relationship. It had been one of the biggest contemplations Janet had talked to her about before agreeing to dinner with Daniel.

Jack greeted Sam when she walked through the front door, grasping her arm lightly and giving her a soft kiss. "I know where you went," he said. His voice was sad as the realization Jay and his family weren't with her finally hit him. "You don't have to fight my battles, Sam."

"Jack," she sighed. "I watched my father and brother hurt each other for years. All I did was talk to him about that." She kissed him back and smiled. "C'mon, I'm starving."

The couple joined their family at the table. Jack had no clue how they managed to find enough chairs to seat all nine people, hell, he didn't even know he owned that many chairs.

Jack sat at the head of the table, Sam on one side, Matt on the other. Sean was directly across from him with Trish on his left. Jacob sat between the women pleased as punch to be spending more time with his daughter. He squeezed her hand gently, showing her his unwavering support. She smiled back at him, proving she was right where she wanted to be.

Cassie grinned back at Sam, loving being scrunched between Daniel and Teal'c. Teal'c was strong, a protector, someone she felt comfortable and safe around, while Daniel was loving and gentle, understanding, and, she could tell, was deeply in love with her mother, Janet.

Jack surveyed the people sitting around his table. This was his family, almost all of it. Even if some of them were only close friends, they would stick by him through thick and thin, and he them, though he would deny such sappy feelings in a heartbeat.

None of the conversation broke out until everybody had a piece of fish on their plate along with a mix of green and wax beans, and home fries. Jack, Daniel, and Sean all dished out plates for Sam, Cassie, and Trish. The three girls and Teal'c all drank sodas, Cassie because she wasn't old enough, Trish because she was pregnant, and Sam because, well, there was always the possibility, right? The rest of the guys drank beers, putting a dent in their dwindling supply.

"So, for Sam's sake, my pond has fish in it, or at least it did. Cassie, on her first cast ever caught the huge bass we are now going to consume. Way to go, Cass." Jack held his beer bottle up in a toast while everybody laughed and took a drink from whatever they had in front of them.

The meal continued while jovial conversation was carried on around the table. For the most part, Jack and Sam sat back and watched the group, their family. Most of the topics had to stay away from work for the only two occupants of the room who didn't know what happened under Cheyenne Mountain, but they never ran out of things to talk about.

Sean put down his fork and swallowed visibly before turning to Sam. "What'd Jay have to say?"

Sam finished what was in her mouth before replying. "Nothing. I didn't give him a chance to say anything. I just wanted him to listen."

Sean nodded. He hadn't a clue what Sam would have had to say to his brother, but it probably made a world of difference. He barely knew the woman and, but her soft demeanor portrayed an air of calm, and the soldier in her let everyone else know she was in control.

The rest of the meal was spent joking and telling stories, the ones they were allowed to reveal anyway. Dessert was simple Neapolitan ice cream and once they were done, most everybody retreated to either the back deck or the living room.

Sam and Jack stayed in the kitchen washing the dishes, hoping to catch up on what was left of the day.

"Listen," Jack started, not sure how he was supposed to say what he was feeling. "The way I acted earlier was way out of line, especially with you."

"It's okay." Sam shrugged, smiling, and continued drying the plates.

"No, it's not." He gently took the plate out of her hand and pulled her into his embrace.

"We were both in the wrong. I shouldn't have assumed it was your fault." She kissed him softly on the lips and looked him straight in the eye. "If we're going to make this work, we have to communicate better."

She laughed seeing the uneasy look in his eyes and hugged him tight. Turning back to the dishes the two finished them in companionable silence, and joined their family in the living room.

Two hours later Sean looked down at his shoulder where his wife had fallen asleep while they sat on the couch, conversing with Jack, Sam, Daniel and Teal'c. Cassie had fallen asleep the hour before on Daniel's lap.

"I should probably be getting her back home," he said rubbing Trish's shoulders. He kissed her on the forehead and looked over at Daniel. "And you should probably put her to bed."

Daniel nodded up at the young man and smiled. "Teal'c could you…"

"Indeed." Teal'c stood and picked up Cassie out of Daniel's lap.

"We'll be over tomorrow, Dad. Goodnight." Sean helped Trish up and to the door so he could get her to the car.

"Could you give your grandfather a ride back to the other cabin? He walked over with me earlier," Jack said from his position on the couch next to Sam.

"Sure."

Jack stood up and gave Sam's shoulders a quick rub before heading out the back door to Jacob and Matt. He came back in with the two of them following him in.

"Jacob's gonna go back with you guys." He walked forward and gave Sean a pat on the arm. "See you tomorrow."

The group closed the door after them, leaving Sam and Jack alone in the living room. Sam looked up at him, her eyes pensive with the look she always got when in deep thought.

"Sam?"

She grinned when he cocked his side to the head like a confused puppy, just like Rico usually did.

"How… I mean, when… I…" She sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "Jack, when do you, um, want another child?"

He smiled down at her sweetly. "I told you, Sam. I don't want children unless you're ready and willing. I want you to be comfortable with the idea before we even broach the subject."

"What if I told you I'm comfortable with it now?"

"Are you sure? I mean it's a big step, huge."

Sam ran her hand through the hair on the side of his head and cupped his neck. "Jack, I wouldn't have brought it up if I wasn't sure."

"So, any qualms about starting right away?" he smirked back at her.

"No. Of course, there's the possibility that we've already started."

Jack's eyebrows shot up to his hairline. "Are you?" His voice hitched with the hopeful tone he couldn't hold back.

"I don't think so. At least I'm pretty sure Selmak would have said something to me, but we haven't done anything to prevent it."

She giggled as he swept her up into his arms and carried her into the bedroom. She may not have her position on SG-1 anymore, but they were still her family, and it gave her this chance with Jack, the man she was well and truly in love with.

A half hour later, as they lay together in each other's arms, Sam was thinking about the get together the next day.

"Jack, I think we should tell everyone tomorrow," she said, laying her head on his chest.

He stroked her hair and planted a kiss on the top of her head. "I think it's our business that we're trying for kids."

"Not that, you Ding Dong," she laughed. "I mean about our engagement."

"I know, I was just… joking, yeah that's it." He squeezed her tighter, pulling her into his chest. He couldn't believe he could love anybody as much as he loved Sam, at least not after Karol, and Sara and Charlie.

"We'll have to wait for my dad to get here," he added.

"I thought he would be heading over with your mother, or Sean and Trish?"

"He's, uh, taking my mom to the airport first thing in the morning. We probably won't be seeing her again." He sighed and ran his free hand through his hair.

Sam suddenly leaned up on her elbow and stared into his eyes. "What happened."

"Now that everything's out in the open, she's free of us. And I think my father's sick of being lonely. My mother was forced to marry Dad, because she was pregnant with me and Kayli. Kayli, uh, died when we were only a few days old, and uh, that was the only time my parents ever had, well, you know. My dad was the only source of love in our household."

She hugged him tight, knowing he would have used that to make sure he was the best father ever to Charlie and any children they had in the future.

"I love you, so much Jack. Our kids, and yours, will know our love, for them and each other."

"God, woman, you're wonderful!" Jack flipped her over and kissed her deeply. "We should get some sleep before tomorrow."

They laid together, curled in each other's arms, ready for whatever tomorrow was going to throw at them, but for now, they were going to enjoy what was left of their night, together.

A/N: So, what'd ya think? I hope you liked it. One more ch. before they get back into the thick of things at the SGC. i hope to get them out sooner than this one! please review! i love hearing it, even if you yell at me for something!