The Life he Left Behind

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Jonathon and Chloe went running into Janet's house. "Cassie, Cassie! Where you?" they both shouted, running from room to room, trying to find their favorite 'cousin'.

"I'm here! I'm here," she happily shouted to them, walking into the living room and taking a seat in the lounge chair.

No sooner did she sit down and she had two toddlers bouncing on her lap. "Guess what, Cassie! I got to pway with Unco T!" Jonathon shouted as he bounced up and down on Cassie's lap.

"Wow! That sounds like fun," Cassie replied in a jubilant voice to the boy.

"Cassie! Cassie! I saw Daddy and kissed him on the cheek," Chloe announced just as excited as her brother.

"What?" Cassie asked in astonishment and then looked up at her mom. Janet's face paled and she looked completely surprised.

"Nu uh!" Jonathon argued. "You didun kiss daddy!"

"I did so! Right, Aunt Janet?" the little girl asked innocently, looking up at Janet.

Cassie and Jonathon also looked at Janet. "Chloe, sweetie, who told you he was your daddy?" Janet asked, still in shock over Chloe's announcement.

"He did," she said.

"He told you he was your dad?" Janet asked, kneeling down to be eye-level with the little girl.

"No. He told me he was Jack O'Neill," Chloe stated innocently, playing with the arm pad on the chair.

"Jack was at the SGC?" Cassie asked her mom.

"Yes. He was talking with Chloe when I came back from taking Jonathon to Teal'c."

Cassie and Janet looked at Chloe, still wondering what to say to the little girl. "How do you know Jack O'Neill is your dad, Chloe?" Cassie finally asked.

"Because…..I heard people say he was," she told them, looking down at her hands as if she would get in trouble for eavesdropping.

Cassie and Janet exchanged looks. Neither of them knowing what to say to the little girl.

"I want to see Daddy!" Jonathon demanded, putting his hands on his hips. Janet and Cassie just continued to stare at nothing, dumbstruck over the current conversation.

"I'd better call Sam," Janet finally said, standing back up and heading out of the room.

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Sam was paged to the SGC as soon as her plane had landed. Still in shock over her phone conversation with Janet earlier, Sam was wondering exactly what she was needed for at the SGC. She had called Janet and told her she would be by as soon as possible to get the kids. Janet, of course, was completely fine with keeping them as late as Sam needed her to.

Sam made her way to the control room once she arrived at the mountain. Even hearing he was in town, Sam was shocked when she saw Jack standing in the control room talking with Siler and Walter.

"Sir!" Sam said, stopping in her tracks when she saw him. He was only wearing a black t-shirt and blue jeans, but he still looked so darn hot! All the feelings she had tried to push aside for two years were making a huge comeback.

"Colonel Carter! " he rolled off his tongue and threw her his sexy grin. "YOU are a sight for sore eyes!" he exclaimed, taking in his beautiful, former 2IC. She was wearing her dress blues, something Jack could never get sick of seeing her in. "How are you?" he asked tenderly, warmth radiating from his dark eyes.

"Good. You?" she asked, slightly tongue-tied.

"Can we talk?" he asked her, sporting a serious face again.

"Um, sure. I-I have to find out what I was called in for, first," she stuttered out.

"Your father is on his way here, ma'am. General Hammond knew your plane was landing and figured you would both get here about the same time," Walter informed her.

"Oh! Well, uh, can you page me when he gets here?" Sam asked Walter, somewhat flustered.

"Yes, ma'am."

Jack gently touched Sam's arm and led her out of the control room. "Where would you like to talk, sir?" she asked him.

"Carter, I'm retired. Drop the sir," he said in a low voice that made Sam's heart skip a beat.

"Yes, sir," she replied out of habit. "My lab good?" she asked.

"Yeah, that's good," he answered, following her to the elevators.

Sam was incredibly nervous the entire walk to her lab. What could he want to talk about? Did someone tell him about the twins? Did someone tell him Chloe was her daughter? Did he figure it out from the picture she drew? Was it entirely something else? A million questions were running through Sam's head.

Sam unlocked the door to her lab and walked inside, closely followed by Jack. "So," she said, once he entered and shut the door behind him.

"Carter…..I owe you an enormous apology."

Sam's eyes became as big as saucers. She was not expecting an apology.

"I treated you so bad…..I took off….I made a big deal about not coming back. I was an asshole, Sam. I'm so sorry."

Sam looked up into his dark, intense eyes. He looked heart-broken waiting for her to forgive him. Her heart was beating like crazy. Why could he always do this to her? She felt like a teenager. She wanted to tell him she forgave him long ago, but she couldn't get any words to come out.

"Carter, I know you have every right to hate me. You don't know how sorry I am for the way I treated you. I just…..I couldn't go on anymore being your commanding officer. I'm sorry."

"You…you quit because of me?" Sam asked, shocked.

"Well, yeah, kind of. It wasn't really you, more like the rul….."

"COL. CARTER TO THE BRIEFING ROOM! COL. CARTER TO THE BRIEFING ROOM!"

"I've got to go. That must be my dad," Sam said in a low, sad voice as she darted out of her lab.

"CARTER, WAIT!" Jack shouted, running after her.

Sam managed to get the elevator doors shut before Jack caught up to her, so she had a few minutes head start. She quickly walked to the briefing room and shut the door. "Dad," she said, approaching her dad and hugging him.

"Hi, Sammie. I finally talked Selmac into a vacation to visit my grandkids. How are they?" he asked, after hugging his daughter and kissing her on the forehead.

"They're good. Uh, dad, you should probably be told that…"

"Carter! Why'd you just run out like that?" yelled Jack O'Neill walking into the briefing room.

"Uh, Jack. Now is probably not a good time," Hammond warned, stepping out of his office.

"What? I was just trying to apologize to Carter," he replied, with an angry look on his face. Then, he turned to Sam. "Carter, you can't just run out when I'm trying to explain myself to you…" He started lecturing but was quickly cut off by one incredibly irate Jacob Carter.

"O'NEILL! YOU LOW-LIFE SON-OF-A-BITCH! YOU HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO RIGHT WHATSOEVER TO EVEN BE TALKING TO MY DAUGHTER! YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT SHE HAS GONE THROUGH! AND NOW, YOU WANT TO GIVE HER YOUR SOB STORY? YOU HAVE GOT ONE HELL OF A LOT OF BALLS! I CAN'T BELIEVE GEORGE EVEN LET YOUR SORRY ASS ON THIS BASE…."

"DAD!" Sam yelled, trying to get him to stop his rampage against Jack.

"SAMMIE, DON'T EVEN GET INTO THIS! WHERE WAS HE WHEN YOU WERE DEFENDING HIS ACTIONS TO EVERYONE ON BASE FOR LEAVING YOU? WHERE WAS HE WHEN GEORGE TOLD HIM YOU NEEDED HIM HERE? WHERE WAS HE WHEN YOU WENT THROUGH CHILDBIRTH? WHERE WAS HE WHEN KINSEY TRIED TO HAVE YOU COURT-MARSHALLED FOR HAVING YOUR COMMANDING OFFICER'S CHILDREN? HE WAS WITH HIS EX-WIFE! NOT GIVING A DAMN WHAT YOU WERE GOING THROUGH! AND HERE YOU ARE, READY TO DEFEND HIM AGAIN!"

"DAD!" Sam screamed louder.

"JACOB!" General Hammond yelled.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT, JACOB?" Jack shouted.

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