A/N Merry Christmas!
This chapter was my hardest. Mostly because I kept getting pulled away with family Christmas activities. Then I couldn't get into the same muse, so it kept going a different direction than I had originally wanted. Very frustrating. I apologize for the delay. The last chapter should be posted hopefully later tonight. I really need to go get dinner going before I get all the edits done.
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Sam awoke the next morning alone. Confused she glanced at the clock next to the bed, it was 0830. That was late for her, but she was up in the wee hours with Mark. Jack had gone to bed long before her, so she was not surprised that he was already up. She gingerly got out of bed and went into the bathroom. She grabbed her robe and made her way downstairs. Sam could hear Jack's and the kid's voices coming from the den.
First thing was first though, she needed coffee.
She found the kitchen empty, but there was coffee brewed and an assortment of prepackaged breakfast items. Sam poured herself some coffee and grabbed a cherry honey scone and headed for the den. Jack and the kids were sitting around the coffee table with a chess board. Sam sat down in the closest chair.
The three all looked at her and gave their good mornings and she responded in kind.
Jack was teaching the kids some strategy moves in chess. The kids seemed captivated with his fun way of teaching. Maybe she should take in a few pointers herself. She smiled, he was good at chess. To her knowledge, she doesn't know a single person who has won against him. She herself has only played him a few times. Even with her higher IQ, he wiped the board with her. Everyone has their strengths and strategy was Jack's. If he couldn't do that, he became sarcastic and used humor to work his way out of situations. She chuckled to herself remembering a few of the times she had witnessed him do just that. She wondered what he would do if he ever started losing.
"What seems to be amusing you?" His question brought her out of inner thoughts. His eyes were sparking with mirth, and she realized she must have been staring at him.
"I was just thinking about how I don't think I've ever seen you lose before."
He grinned, "Not for years, I didn't always play chess though. I didn't get into it until those long deployments in the desert."
"You could have fooled me."
David spoke up, "You would have been good in a chess club."
Jack scoffed, "When I was in school, chess was for nerds."
Sam gave him a pointed look.
Realizing he was entering dangerous territory, Jack stammered, "Um…Well…um, that's how I felt back then. I don't now."
"What did you do in high school, Jack?"
Sam wasn't surprised at the question from David. He wasn't too far from entering high school.
With a huge smile Jack answered, "I played hockey."
"You were popular?"
Jack coughed and cleared his throat, "I wouldn't say that," before he added, "Was a bit of a class clown."
Sam choked on the last swallow of coffee. She gave Jack an apologetic smile.
Jack just gave her a smirk and continued with his lessons.
Sam spoke to the room, "I guess Pete left? His room was empty of his stuff when I walked by."
Her answer was three sets of shrugging shoulders.
"Where's Mark and Laura?"
Two sets of shrugging shoulders and one 'They're still asleep.'
She decided that maybe they were done talking for now and she should just eat her scone and finish her coffee.
For another twenty minutes, Sam watched as Jack patiently taught the two children before him. He was patient and engaged with them as they asked questions about this and that. She saw the sparkle in the children's eyes as Jack would make silly jokes that kept the kids engaged while secretly helping them to remember some of the finer points of what he was ultimately trying to teach them. Jack was phenomenal with them, as he had always been with Cassie over the years.
It was hard to believe how this man was able to flip a switch and become what he needed to be at any given time. Had she not lived through some of the events with him over the last eight years, seen firsthand how Jack was able to mold himself into what was needed at that moment, she would not believe it was possible.
Finally, the sounds of Mark and Laura joined the group in the den. Lisa excitedly ran to them while David grunted a "morning". Lisa was telling her parents about what Mr. Jack had been teaching them as their parents poured themselves cups of coffee. After, the children returned to the chess board while Jack and Sam joined Mark and Laura in the kitchen area to discuss the plans for the day.
Within an hour, the household had changed for another day on the slopes. This time Jack and Sam joined the family as they stepped out the front door and crossed the expanse way to the main lodge. Once inside, Sam and Mark went to the front desk to schedule for lift tickets while Jack and Laura joined the kids at a hot chocolate bar. When they all met back up, Jack handed Sam a hot chocolate, which she gladly accepted.
"The lift opens in fifteen minutes," Mark announced to the group, eliciting excitement from the kids and a raised cup from Jack. "We can get the gear at the top and when we are done it gets returned over there," He said for Sam and Jack's benefit.
It didn't take long for them to get to the top of the mountain, and once there everyone was able to check out the gear they needed for the day.
Jack looked a little surprised to see David get a snowboard and asked, "So what cha' got there?"
"Snowboard," David said with glee. "I was getting pretty good with it yesterday," he finished proud of himself.
"Snowboard you say," Jack replied, an idea forming in his mind.
The day seemed to fly by with a culmination of snowball fights and dad joke offs. Following lunch, they went to the slopes once again and continued their fun as if there hadn't been a delay.
Later, the family headed back to the cabin to prepare Christmas Eve dinner and because Jack tweaked his knee.
Jack, Mark and the kids were going to watch Christmas movies, while Laura and Sam were going to prepare dinner. Sam was trying to get Jack all settled. She lifted his leg onto the table and was trying to put a pack of ice around it.
Jack said with frustration, "Sam, I've got it, you don't need to coddle."
Sympathetically she replied, "I'm just trying to help."
Still with frustration he snapped, "I know, but I've done this a hundred times before on my own."
Resigned, Sam answered back, "Fine, but you don't have to anymore."
In irritation Sam turned away and headed to the kitchen leaving Jack to his own devices. She felt hurt, but deep down she knew that she shouldn't take it personally. It was just who he was. She heard him say 'Sam' as she entered the other room, but ignored him.
Laura looked up at that moment and asked, "Is Jack okay?"
"He'll be fine. He just a bit grumpy. Apparently, he never forgave me for having to reset his leg one time. It must have traumatized him with the way he's acting in there."
Laura started laughing, "Maybe we shouldn't have let him try snowboarding."
"Not sure we could have stopped…"
From the other room, Jack shouted, "Why would you want to surf down a mountain anyways?!"
Both women looked at each other and started laughing.
Raising his voice even louder, the entire cabin heard Jack shout, "Carter, no giggling!"
That just made them laugh harder and Sam could just make out Jack's continued grumbling from the other room.
With that Sam shouted, "Jack, don't be a Grinch!" causing him to grumble even more to the serenade of the kids and Mark laughing.
As they calmed down Sam asked, "What can I do to help?"
"Oh, if you could skin and chop the potatoes while I put the ham in the oven that would be great."
Sam grabbed the potato peeler and began working when Laura asked, "So tell me about this wedding."
Nervously Sam responded with, "Oh, um, it's going to be small. Just a few friends and you guys."
Surprised, Laura asked, "That's it?"
"Yeah, our marriage has to be secret because of our positions." Sam saw that Laura was going to question why, so she spoke the reason quickly, "It could cause people to think we were in a relationship prior and to question my advancements. It's just better this way." She said as she realized she had been peeling quicker with every word.
Thinking it over for a second, Laura continued with, "You have to live apart, that stinks."
"Just until he retires."
"You don't think you will be stationed in the same place again?"
With a sigh, Sam answered, "No, not in our line of work. He's basically Pentagon brass now and I'm a high ranking scientist."
Laura, wanting to change the subject and get to the gossip, she asked, "Honeymoon…?"
Giving Laura a shy glance, Sam replied quietly, "Vegas…"
Surprised again, Laura replies, "Vegas…? Isn't that just a little cliché for Jack?"
Rolling her eyes, Sam continued to peel the potatoes and responds, "My transfer is in Nevada. We will have our wedding in Colorado, head to Vegas for the honeymoon, and then Jack will help me settle before he flies off to D.C."
Laura put the ham into the oven and then grabbed some fresh green beans a colander and a cutting board before moving next to Sam. She looked down at Sam's hand and gives a humming sound before she says, "That is a very beautiful ring."
Sam became flush as she answered, "Yes it is."
Seeing the color in her face, Laura pried a little, "You don't like it?"
"No," Sam replied quickly before taking a breath. "I love this ring, I just feel…" Sam didn't really know what to say, or how to say it so she settled on, "…a little guilty."
"Because it clearly cost a fortune?"
Sam took a moment before she answered, "That isn't it." Taking another breath, Sam set down the potato she was peeling and looked over to Laura, "It's that he has had this ring for four years."
Exacerbated, Laura stammered out, "Four years…he has had that ring for four years?" It took her a moment before she was able to say, "Wow. So you both knew about how each other felt?"
Sam took her potatoes to the sink to start rinsing. "Sort of, we just didn't come out and admit it. Well, not initially."
"Well…?"
"We had a mission go south. We planted some C4 that was on a timer. As we were trying to escape, I became trapped. Jack tried so hard to help me, but he couldn't. He was beginning to become frantic and I pleaded for him to leave. He told me no, and in the next moment I was looking at a man who just had a revelation. A man who wasn't going leave someone he loved behind. Obviously, it ended with both of us escaping." She finished the rinsing and headed back to chop the potatoes.
"When did you know Sam?" Laura asked.
"Six months before he did," Sam replied with a shy smile.
With a sigh, Laura continued to ask, "Then what?"
Upset, Sam answered without taking her eyes from the potato she was cutting, "I said to leave it all in the room. I didn't even discuss it with him. I didn't even ask him what he wanted."
"Why?" Laura asked with shock in her voice.
"I was scared, and every time things got close again, I added a lock to the proverbial room."
"I guess Pete is another reason you feel guilty."
After a moment, Sam sadly added, "Yeah..."
"So not to rehash, but what changed." Laura asked with concern and curiosity.
Sam put down the knife and turned toward Laura, "As the wedding grew closer, Jack was growing more and more distant. At first I thought it was because he was the General and establishing new boundaries. But, his relationship with Teal'c and Daniel were the same. It was me. He stopped eating with us. Our tight family was diminishing. It was my doing."
Laura put her hand on Sam's and said, "Sam, you have a right to be happy."
"But that's just it. His growing distant made me realize that I wasn't really as happy as I should have been."
Looking into her eyes Laura asked softly, "How did you know for sure? Mark thought it was Jacob that changed your mind."
Still pained by the memory, Sam refocused on cutting the potatoes as she spoke, "Well, he did say something before he died, but I had already decided I had to break things off with Pete. I went to Jacks house because I had to talk to him about how I felt. To finally get it out. To see if there was still something there." Taking a pause, a deep steadying breath before she continued, "Before I could tell him, his girlfriend that I didn't know anything about came out. I knew in that moment. The pain and hurt I felt, not to mention embarrassed, was enough to prove that Pete wasn't the one. I never had been so grateful for being interrupted by a phone call in my life. Except the phone call was that Dad had collapsed. It all just came to a head at once."
"What did Dad say?"
"He told me not to let rules stand in the way and I could still have everything I wanted. But at the time I didn't think it was possible because Jack had moved on."
"Well something must have happened."
Sam smirked, "Apparently, the girlfriend saw something between us in those few minutes. Then she told him to get his act together."
Laura spoke from her heart as she stated, "Sam, Mark and I have seen the same thing. We no longer question your decision with Pete. It's very obvious what you and Jack have. There is this connection between the two of you. I can't even describe it. So my advice to you is to grab on to him with both hands and move forward."
Channeling Jack, Sam said with a smirk, "As Jack says, no dwelling?"
"If he says that, then don't. Don't feel guilty anymore. Just dwell in all that love that he is willing to give you. And let me tell you, that man loves you with every fiber of his being."
Sam smiled, "I know. I love him that much too."
"I can tell. Don't tell Mark that I said this, but it is a bonus for you that he is hot!"
Sam blushed.
Laura got up close and quietly asked, "So tell me what's he like in bed."
Did she really just ask that? Sam could feel her face burning, so she knew her face was red. But she decided to pull a Jack and be humorous to deflect.
"Well he likes to snuggle. I thought I wouldn't like a man who snuggles, but with him, I kinda enjoy it."
Laura laughed, "I could have figured that out. He seems to be a very tactile person, but Sam you know full well what I'm talking about."
"Well…we…haven't…"
The look on Laura's face was priceless.
"We wanted to take our time, especially coming out of other relationships." She wasn't going to share some of the other issues.
"But now…?"
"I don't know. I'm ready, but he seems to be holding back."
"Sam, from what I have seen and heard. He's gotten used to putting the ball in your court," taking a moment to move closer, Laura leaned in and gave her a hug as she quietly said in her ear, "Sam, take the initiative. Let all that love you have for him drive your passion. I'm telling you, that man in there is not going to stop you."
Sam stopped cold. She shifted and just stared at her completely in total shock. Sam kept things like this private. But as she thought about it, Janet would be telling her something similar.
Seeing the discomfort on the older woman, Laura backed off and said, "Sam I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."
"No, it's okay, but I rather not talk about it anymore."
Laura had a look of understanding.
The women finished making dinner, the remainder of the conversations filled with small talk and the kids.
After everyone finished their meal, the group enjoyed a couple of games with more antics and laughter before retiring for the night.
Sam came out of the bathroom as Jack was about to put his on pajamas. "Jack, let me take a look at your knee."
"Not a snow ball's chance in hell."
Sam gave him a glare.
"Sam, it's fine. It barely hurt coming up the stairs. By the morning, it will be even better."
Moving toward him, Sam lightly placed her hand on his outer thigh and said in a soft voice, "Jack, I just want to look at it."
Feeling silly that Sam was playing the 'nurse' card, Jack relented and sat on the side of the bed. "Okay. Fine."
Sam knelt down to take a look. After gently probing the edges of his knee, Sam stated, "Well it's not swollen, so that's a good sign."
Jack, enjoying the closeness replied, "See, I told you."
Sam stood up, positioning herself between his legs and wrapped her arms loosely around his shoulders. "I just wanted to look. Did it hurt?"
With a smile he replied, "I guess not."
"Jack, even though you're being a royal pain tonight, I still love you." She bent over and gave him a kiss.
He wrapped his arms around her waist and gave a squeeze.
Still hugging him, Sam said, "Jack, thank you!"
Puzzled, Jack asked, "For what?"
"I guess for being you. The way you have been with my family. They adore you."
Smiling, Jack replied, "I adore them too." After a breath he added, "Well the kids, I just like Mark and Laura."
She pulled back and lightly swatted him before giving him a heated kiss.
Taking a breath, Sam stated, "I guess we should get some sleep. The kids will be wanting to open gifts in the morning."
Jack didn't even bother with his pants before turning his body and getting under the sheets. Sam climbed in and snuggled into him, enjoying his warmth and presence. She smiled to herself as she thought, 'maybe she was the one who liked to snuggle.'