A/N: Well, here it is. I know that I usually tie in the title to the end of the story, but I didn't really do that this time. I hope you guys don't mind. It'll probably tie in with the epilogue.

Jack walked into the nursery where his wife was rocking their daughter to sleep. Even though Maggie was nearly three years old she never outgrew the joy derived from being rocked to sleep by either of her parents. Sam silently told Jack to remain silent as Maggie at last succumbed to the pull of sleep. Soon the little girl was tucked in her bed and both of her parents were walking down the hall to check on their son.

Charlie was still awake, but lying still in bed when his parents walked in. "Hey, Dad," he whispered partly through fatigue and partly because of the hour of night it was.

"Hey, kid," Jack said, kneeling down beside his son's bed. "How was your day?"

"Okay, I guess. Mitch Stevens brought a baseball signed by Mickey Mantle for Show and Tell. It was really sweet," Charlie said, grinning slightly at his parents.

"Sweet," Jack said, smirking, "Goodnight."

"Night, Dad. Goodnight, Mom," Charlie said, his eyes closing as he fell into a deep sleep at last.

Jack looked up at his wife and saw her motion with her head to their bedroom down the hall. He nodded once before tucking Charlie into bed and following her.

"What's wrong, honey?" Jack asked as he sat beside Sam on their bed.

"I'm getting a mark on my record for insubordination," Sam's eyes fixed themselves onto her wedding ring as she kept on trying to calm her emotions.

"What? Why?" Jack was enraged at the thought of someone putting a mark on Sam's record. And insubordination? That just wasn't like Sam.

"I kinda told General West off when he removed me from the project I've been working on with Catherine for the past two years."

Jack raised one of his eyebrows silently. That could be a problem. "Did he give you a reason for his dismissal?"

Sam's teary eyes met her husband's, "The baby."

"That asshole," Jack said venomously.

Sam's smirk was small and barely visible, "That's what I called him. I kinda exploded when he told me that you're taking over the project – especially after you told me you turned in your resignation."

He closed his eyes, already feeling his headache coming on, "My resignation was denied at the last minute. Apparently Catherine's Dr. Jackson figured out what the glyphs are. Thanks to your computer system … they established a lock on something, Sam."

Her eyes grew wide, "Why wasn't I told? Are you even supposed to be telling me now?"

He shook his head, "No, I'm not supposed to be telling you this. You weren't told because West considers you a liability. Don't ask me why, I don't know, but that's why you weren't told. The only reason I know is because they want me to lead the recon team scheduled to go through in two weeks."

"Are you going?" her voice was small, hesitant. She wasn't sure she wanted an answer: if he said yes there was the possibility of never seeing him again … but if he said no, then she knew that he wasn't doing what he wanted to be doing. She knew how much the thrill of the fight meant to him. The field was an important part of his life, she didn't know how he would live without it.

Jack's confused eyes locked with Sam's beautiful blue ones, "I don't know."

"Do you want to go?"

"Yes. They think that the Stargate locked onto another one on the other side of the galaxy. Sam, this is bigger than just seeing the stars – it's going out into them." Sam could see the thrill and yearning in his eyes: he wanted to go so badly.

She took a shaky breath, trying to get rid of the lump in her throat. After a few silent moments of contemplation her tear filled eyes met his, "I once told you that I would never hold you back from what you want out of your career, Jack. I meant what I said."

He lovingly kissed the tears from her face, his lips moving downward in a silent thanks to the gift she had just given him with her words. He knew how much it cost her to say it – and to mean it, and he appreciated it all the more because of it.

That night he showed her just how much he loved her for her kindness.

Charlie looked at his father crestfallen. He was going on another mission. The only good thing about this one was that Daddy and Mommy had told him that it was Daddy's last mission and he was going to be spending a lot more time at home with Mommy, Charlie, Maggie and the new baby. All Daddy had to do was come home.

"Go fight the bad guys, Daddy," Charlie said, giving his father a hug.

"I will, Charlie. I'll be home before you know it." Jack hugged his son fiercely, having already said goodbye to his wife properly the night before, the husband and father was now saying goodbye to his two children.

"I love you, Daddy."

"I love you, too, Charlie. Take care of Maggie and your mom for me, okay?"

"I will," Charlie said, letting go of his father and feeling all of his nine years and an imaginary twenty added on.

Next was Maggie. "Bye-bye, Daddy. Come home safe." She wasn't much of a talker, but those particular phrases had been rather common in her vocabulary since she learned how to talk. "Love you."

"I love you, too, Maggie. Be a good girl while Daddy's gone, okay?"

She nodded, feeling saddened by her father's immanent departure. She gave him one last fierce hug before turning back to her mother and finding comfort in her arms.

Sam just smiled at Jack briefly, "Have fun, honey. Kick their butts."

Jack smirked back at her, trying to hide the pain he felt at leaving his family, "If they have butts."

With that he turned away to the waiting transport that would take him to a mountain in Colorado Springs called Cheyenne that would forever change his life.

Fin

A/N: FINALLY! This is my second longest story (Jack's Family being the longest at 45 chapters and 44,999 words exactly - including a/n's) and I'm very happy to say one that I had a rather fun time writing.

Anyone in the mood for a cheese parfait with whipped cream and pickels? Anyone? Me either, but I think Sam is. Would you settle for an epilogue?