Hey ppl, sorry it's been so long since I got a new chapter up but now I'm back at school I haven't got much time to write. Well hope you enjoy.
Jack took Sam to see their new house a few weeks later. Sam often passed down the street that Jack took her down on her way to Janet's. The houses in the street were well spaced out with large front gardens and driveways. The house Jack pulled into had a fenced front garden and gates. It would be perfect for the kids to play in, Sam thought. The house itself was wooden fronted, painted white with many large windows. It had two storeys and then looked as if the roof had been converted. The photos she'd seen of the house did not do it enough justice at all.
The front porch door opened into a hallway and then a large kitchen/ dining room. Coming off of the hall to the left hand side was the lounge, which had large bay windows and an open fire. As they walked around Sam was already making notes as to where all her things would go and what would have to be changed.
On the second floor was the master bedroom, which shared an en-suite with another huge bedroom next door. "I thought we could have theses two" Jack said to Sam as he'd already been in the house a number of times and knew the layout, "and then Joey could have the room opposite so it's not too far if she cries in the night and then one of us can get her." There were 3 bedrooms on the second floor and one bathroom. The rooms Jack had chosen as 'the parents rooms' shared a balcony overlooking the back of the house with a great view of the duck pond of the park that bordered the back garden. Jack was going to put all of his astronomy things onto it so it would be safe from children.
The attic had been converted into two bedrooms and a shared bathroom, "Sean is so not sharing my bathroom," Charlie said upon seeing it. "I mean its bad enough that my rooms closest to his..."
"Well you can play you drums as much as you want and he can make all the noise he wants cos you're so far away from us."
"Fine, but he's still banned from the bathroom." Charlie groaned knowing that he was defeated, "we should get a move on though cuz I mean we've left Daniel and Teal'c alone with Joey and Sean at a park. Sean's mad enough as it is but at a park??? And you just gotta hope they didn't buy him ice cream cuz then who knows what'll happen."
Sam and Jack exchanged looks and then hurriedly agreed that it would be best if they went. As they were all getting into Jack's truck to drive the short journey to the near by park a car pulled out next door and a small red haired women in her early 30s jumped out and waved at them. "Hi there." She said enthusiastically, "you must be Jack, Betty rang and told me all about you when the sale went through, haven't I seen you before?"
"Jack O'Neill, you mighta seen me before I'm a friend of Betty and Richard's I've been over a few times."
"Never forget a face me." The woman said happily.
"Sam walked round to Jack's side of the car and extended her hand, "Hi I'm Sam Carter, I'm sorry I didn't catch your name."
"Oh! Where are my manners! I'm Sue and that's my husband Rob,?" she said pointing to the man who was trying to wrestle a small boy out of the car whilst he held another under his arm. He looked up and smile at them briefly and then went back to what he was doing. "So you decided not to take your married name then?"
"No!" they both protested loudly at the exact same time. "What I mean is we're not married." Sam quickly corrected.
"But you have kids right?"
"How did you know?" Jack asked surprised
"Um hello? Standing right behind you!"
"Sorry Charlie I kinda forgot for a second." Jack said, "Charlie's my son from a previous marriage and then we have a 3 year old and a 11 month old."
"Oh they're about the same age as Calvin and Milo, Calvin's 3 ΒΌ and Milo's 15 months." She said gesturing to the two boys now in Robs arms.
"Speaking of Sean and Joey, we should go Joey probably wants her feed now and I left her stuff in the car." Sam said and Jack nodded.
"Also think of who you left them with and where." They had dropped Daniel and Teal'c off at the park with Joey and Sean. "And just think if they but Seany ice cream." Laughed Charlie.
"Well it's been nice meeting you all."
"You too." Jack said as he ushered Sam and Charlie into the car.
They dropped Charlie off at Janet's house so he could talk to someone his own age. When school started after the summer Charlie and Cassie would be in the same class at school and Charlie wanted to see at least one friendly face when he started.
Jack parked his truck in the car park so they could walk to the play area in the park. Nothing had happened between the two of them since the kiss, as they hadn't really spent any time together choosing instead, to take turns in watching the kids. They walked close together, perhaps closer than they should have, their hands occasionally brushing against each other sending shivers down their spines each time.
As they neared the play area they could see Daniel in the sand box making castles for Joey who took great pleasure in destroying them. "She's defiantly got your destructive nature Jack." Daniel said as they approached.
"Dada, moma!" she cried in delight as Jack picked her up and made a fuss of her before giving her to Sam who did the same.
"Um Daniel...aren't we missing some people?"
"They're on the slide." He said pointing to the large slide at the opposite end of the park, Jack gave him a puzzled look and then walked over to it. Sure enough he could see Sean in mind slide and waiting for his go at the top was ...Teal'c! As Sean ran round to climb up the ladder again he stopped Jack. "Hey daddy" Before running off up the ladder again.
"O'Neill." Teal'c said by way of greeting after he'd had his go.
"Hey T. care to explain?"
"I was unsure to why Sean O'Neill felt compelled to continuously climb a ladder and slide down a piece of metal so I decided to investigate for myself. I have concluded that it is a most enjoyable experience." He said smiling.
Jack gave him a strange look and shook his head, "O...k. Well anyway, I wanna surprise Sam but I need you help."
"I am at your service O'Neill, what do you have in mind?"
"I wanna redecorate a few rooms in the new house before we move in but that leaves me with only this weekend to do it so I'll need help. Janet's can keep her busy so can you covertly gather the troops for this weekend?"
"Indeed I can O'Neill."
That weekend Jack, Teal'c, Daniel, Charlie and Cassie gathered at the house for a weekend of decorating. Charlie and Cassie had gotten along really well since they had first met. Charlie had known Cassie in his reality since she had come through to live on Earth, she was like his sister but this Cassie was totally different to his one. This Cassie had been brought up by Janet alone not by Janet and Daniel as was in his reality and more recently baby Anna.
This Cassie hadn't done all the crazy things that he and Cassie had done over the years. They hadn't grown up together, gone to school together; this Cassie didn't even go to the same school as he'd gone to in his reality. Charlie often thought about the people in other reality and how they were getting on at the Alpha site.
Charlie had a lot of fun going with his dad to get the furniture for their rooms and extra bits and pieces. Jack wasn't the father he had know all his life but sometimes he would forget what had happened if just for a minute or two and it was as if nothing had happened and he was out with his dad. Jack'd say something or do something that would have Charlie in hysterics sometimes deliberately and other times by accidentally.
It took them all two days to finish the 5 bedrooms and fit together all the furniture and place it in the rooms. Charlie and Cassie spent most of the second day in the front drive, Charlie wowing Cassie with his skateboard tricks from the board he'd got from the shopping trip. When they did help it ended up in a paint fight.
Charlie's room was painted blue and silver, the walls plastered with posters of skaters and snowboarders. He had a silver double sleeper bunk bed with workstation underneath, against the opposite wall was a sofa bed and in another a brand new 5 piece drum kit, PS2 and TV.
Sean's room was pale blue with stencilled stars on the walls and glow in the dark stars stuck onto the ceiling. He had a cabin bed, toy box and a set of chest of drawers with lots of floor space for him to play with all of his toys.
They had painted Joey's room a sunny yellow and stencilled ABCs and 123s on the walls. Her room had much the same layout as Sean's but instead of a bed there was a cot that could later be turned into a small child's bed when she was older, changing mat and rocking chair. They'd painted Jacks room exactly the same as it was in his old house. Jack didn't really know what to do in Sam's room so in the end they painted it a pale yellow so she could do what she wanted to it when they'd moved in.
Finally they moved all of Jack's stuff into the new house as everything was ready and there'd only be Sam's stuff to move in to the day. Then finally they collapsed in front of Jack's wide screen TV. "So Cass where are you supposed to be this weekend whilst Sean invades your room?" Jack asked from his position sprawled across the sofa.
"I'm on a camping expedition for the weekend with some people from school and their parents. Did I tell you I think mom's got a new boyfriend?"
Jack raised his head so her could look at Cassie and raised his eyebrows. Daniel's eyes darted to Cassie from his position on the seat next to her. Charlie just gave her a grin having heard this story before and Teal looked up from his Kelno'reem and stared imploringly, "Continue." He said
"Well I don't know for sure coz he comes over when I'm supposed to be asleep but I hear her let someone in most nights and then they talk downstairs and then she lets him out at about 4 or 5 in the morning."
"So you haven't seen him?" Daniel asked sceptically.
"Nope anytime I go to make my move I get intercepted by mom, I swear she has the hearing of a bat or something."
"Well keep us posted." Jack said, they all talked for a little while longer before succumbing to sleep.
So there's another chapter done, hope you liked it. Thanks for all your positive reviews, I look forward to getting some more whether they be good or bad. So who do you think Janet's mystery man is, I know who it is but i'd like to know what you think. Next chapter they move in.