Pacific Heights, San Francisco, Earth- 15:42 hours
When he jogged around the corner into the living room, Jack wasn't sure what to expect.
The loud squeal alerted him before the two balls of energy known as his nieces hit him for hugs, "Jack!"
"I'm sorry, Jack, I never meant to…." Christine pleaded. "I was only trying to help."
"It's ok, Chrissy. At least it is out in the open," He hugged her with one arm as he dodged swats by Katelynn.
"How could you go off and get married without us?" Katelyn glared at the man who had been like an older brother her whole life.
"Hey, short stuff," Jack picked Katelynn up and swung her around. "Miss me?"
"You're a jerk, Jack," Katelyn laughed as he sat her down.
"You do know that I owe you a punch in the nose." Smirking, Sam walked up to him to hug him and clap on the back. "I'm saving it until you least expect it." Sam pretended to hit Jack in the jaw.
"I know how she knows about it," Jack pointed at Chrissy, "but how did the two of you find out?" Chrissy stuck her tongue out at him.
"My touring company was on its way home." Katelyn went to sit on one of the formal couches. "Mom called to find out if I had been part of the wedding conspiracy. When I had no idea what she was talking about, she let all the bombshells fall."
"Gracie called me last night, or was it this morning," Sam looked confused. "Anyways, she called me and made a great impression of my mother, by the way."
"What did she tell you, Sam?" Jack asked.
"She told me 'Alice and the Mad Hatter were in trouble."
"Your mom must have been nearby. Otherwise, she wouldn't have used our old code." Christine commented.
"More like she didn't want to spread gossip too much." Sam shrugged, and seeing the confusion on the other's faces, he explained. "We would use it when the parents had dignitaries over. That way, we wouldn't embarrass Mom and Dad. But, unfortunately, I've got some rather nosey flatmates who would love to spread our family secrets all over to be jerks; hence the code."
"Why would they do that?" asked Katelynn.
"There are some people who would love to get something over at the negotiating table with the Admirals. However, showing how Vice Admiral Skyler's brother dishonored Full Admiral Scott's heir and daughter in front of the wrong people could show weakness," Christine explained.
"By letting it be known that you two are married and are producing a legitimate heir to two strong military families, they have an even better bargaining chip at the negotiating table." Sam finished for Christine. "Grace was simply looking out for the family's best interest but not letting your "little secret" get out too soon."
"You realize that is not making me feel any better." Jack sighed and took a seat in one of the chairs.
"If I remember the code, she said that 'Jack and herself were in trouble.'?" Katelyn asked.
Sam nodded, "I just assumed you two had been caught playing tonsil hockey by the parents."
Katelynn hit Sam with one of the decorative pillows, "Sam!"
"What?" He looked at all of them. "We have known they were going to get married someday, and I just thought the family's worst kept secret was finally out."
Jack rolled his eyes, "We get it. All of you knew what was right in front of our noses, but we didn't see. Let's move on, shall we?"
Everyone chuckled, and Sam continued, "She then told me that 'Alice had fallen down the rabbit hole.'"
"Grace had finally admitted that she was in love with Jack, and the parents knew," Christine confirmed.
Sam nodded, "What got me was when she called a 'White Rabbit.'"
"Red alert," Jack wiped his face, "She had a red alert problem, and she needed you."
"Which is why I hauled my sorry butt out of bed and got here as fast as I could." Sam took the seat next to Jack.
"You are a good brother to her, Sam." Jack punched him in the arm.
"A good brother would have broken your nose at first sight of you for getting my sister pregnant," Sam growled. "Nothing like coming down for breakfast finding our sister vomiting in the trash can because the sight of runny eggs turned her stomach due to her morning sickness."
"Why didn't you?" Jack asked.
"When you walked into the house, you got the worst punishment I knew."
"Which was?"
Sam smirked, "Dealing with my hormonal, sick and sobbing sister." Sam chuckled. "You married that dude. That is enough punishment." Sam proceeded to be battered by pillows. "What?! It's true."
"Come on, Katie, let's help Inga with the last of the food for dinner. And leave the uncivilized men to their antics." Christine encouraged her sister to follow her into the dining room and kitchen.
After a quiet moment, Jack spoke. "Sam, how do you feel about this?"
"I would have preferred you two being married BEFORE you gave me a niece or nephew, but if I am going to have a new brother. I'm glad it's you." Sam stood up wiped something from his eye. "I've got some stuff up in my room you can wear. So the snot-covered look doesn't become you, then we can go find where Skyler and my Dad are hiding." Sam motioned for Jack to follow.
Formal Dining room, Pacific Heights, San Francisco, Earth- 19:04 hours
"Jack, I was talking to Skyler earlier, and I was curious about something," Sam said between mouthfuls.
"What was it?" Jack passed the rolls to Katie.
"Where are you two going to live?"
"On the base, Tweedle dumb," Grace laughed.
"No, I meant, where are you going to live here on Earth. " Sam took a big bite of the roast beef.
"Mom, Dad, Skyler, Lynn are all based out of Star Fleet headquarters." He said between bites.
"My research is based out of Commander Robinson's lab out of JRB Fort Worth," Grace noted. "I'm not sure about Jack's."
"It will depend on my assignment." Jack shrugged. "I know our findings from the Galerstien are being sent back to a research lab here at headquarters, but I am not privity to its location."
"What are you getting at Sam?" Alan asked.
Sam swallowed big, "As much as I love my sister and my new brother-in-law, I don't know if my 'childish sensibilities' Could handle knowing what the two of you get up to down the hall from me." Sam mock shuttered.
"He does have a point, Jack," Richard gestured at Sam. "You need a home base. I know the Station is your post for the next couple of years, but that isn't going to be forever, especially if both your research's pan out."
"We haven't gotten that far yet." Jack sighed. "We are still processing things."
"Would you allow some recommendations from people who have been there before?" Robin asked.
"We don't want the family dictating everything we do, but..." Grace sighed and took a drink of water, "We are drowning, and we could use some help making sense of it all."
"You dictate how you want our help, and we will assist any way we can." Alan gestured around the table and got nods of agreement from everyone. "That's settled. So, Sam, did you have something in mind?"
"Skyler said he could spare the space by the workshop at Ravenswood for me to build my forge this summer. He mentioned that there were two houses on the estate."
"Lilly and Craven built the current house when Lynn and Leaf were still young. They left the old farmhouse still standing." Richard commented between bites of food.
"Is it still there?" Alan asked.
"It hasn't been touched for 15 years or so. It's a bit run down and would need some upgrades, but the structure and such is still good." Lynn noted. "If you follow the farm road toward the back of the property, you can see where the path has overgrown to it."
"Shouldn't we have a place of our own?" Jack asked.
"Who says it is not your own?" Christine interjected. "Growing up, we bounced back and forth between Ravenswood and here. If dad and mom were out, we crashed here at the Scott's. The same for them, at our place."
"But their houses were 1000 miles apart, not down the road," Katelynn commented.
"Mom was always saying how helpful it was when we were little that if mom got overwhelmed, she could contact Grandma Lilly, and she could easily come over and help for a bit, and we could go over to her place," Christine argued back.
"We would be on one end of the property, and the two of you would be on the other end. We already have the hanger and workshop on the property. If you need help, it is just down the road. You don't have to spend the rest of your life there, but it would give you a place that is your own. You won't be at the Scotts house or ours. You will be in your place." Lynn calmly asked the couple.
"You will have a room here when you visit, but that cottage will be your place, Your home." Robin encouraged them.
The couple looked at each other and gave a why not shrug. "It sounds reasonable. And you are sure you don't mind?"
"Hey, it gets you two out of our hair!" Alan laughed. Grace tossed a napkin at her father.
"Why don't the two of you stay here in Grace's room for tonight." Richard recommended, "Then tomorrow morning, the two of you, Sam, Alan, and I visit the site and see if we could make this happen for you two. If you don't like it, that's fine. We will look for another option for you."
"If you like it, I'll help you with the repair work until I have to go back to school. Then, when school ends, I can come back and do more work on the property. " Sam offered, "I'm sure dad and Skyler will help as they can. Then, between mom and Lynn, they can help Grace get the house set up, and you know the girls will go nuts decorating the place."
"So, what do you think?" Robin asked the couple.
"Depending on the condition of the place, I think it would be a nice situation for us." Jack put his arm around Grace, "It would make me feel better if you had a home near family, but you can escape from these hoards when you need to while I'm away."
"I'm not a wilting flower, Jack," Grace protested
"Gracie, take it from someone with experience. As much as you are an independent, strong-willed woman, it will help your husband's peace of mind to have a place where he knows he can leave you, and should anything wrong happen; you have family and support. " Richard said to Grace, but his eyes drifted to his wife, Robin, and then Alan.
There was a tense moment before Robin cleared her throat, "Jack and Grace, if you will humor those that love you, we would like to do this for you both. The older generation wants to make sure you do not fall into the mistakes we did when we were your age."
Grace had a feeling there was a story there but decided to drop it. "If the roles were reversed, I would feel better if Jack had someone having his back when I am not there; therefore, I say yes. If the residence is acceptable,"
"Whoop hoo, barn raising!" Sam shouted, breaking the tension.
Everyone laughed and went back to their regular family meal. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
"We will see you tomorrow at nine our time?" Richard asked as he stepped to the front door.
"Sounds like a plan." Alan clapped him on the shoulder.
"Just make sure you have coffee available." Sam joked as he hugged Lynn.
"Noted," Lynn ruffled his hair. "I'll see you tomorrow." Lynn headed out and down to the sidewalk.
The girls gave the Scott's and Jack hugs before following their mother down to the sidewalk. "See you tomorrow!"
Richard was left to say his goodbyes. "Ladies, I will meet you at the hanger. I just need a minute with Jack.
"If you aren't there in 15 minutes, we are leaving you behind." Christine teased as they headed down the street.
Once the girls were out of earshot, Jack and Richard stepped out onto the house's front step. "Come in when you are ready, Jack." Alan nodded to Jack and carefully shut the door leaving the two alone.
"That went better than I hoped," Jack sighed.
"No blood was shed, at least." Richard leaned against the stone railing.
"I wanted to ask you something before you left," Jack asked seriously. Richard motioned for him to proceed. "What was that 'take it from one with experience' thing you said to Grace. There seemed to be more to it than just older military husband to a new military wife."
Richard sighed and crossed his arms, "Lynn and I had a situation when we first got married. I let Commander Skyler's career get in the way of Richard Skyler's life." Richard unclenched his arms and let them drop to his sides. "I don't want you to make the same mistakes I did."
"What happened?"
"You were maybe two and a half or three when it happened. Lynn and I were married a few months when we were surprised by Christine's pregnancy. Practically the moment after Lynn told me she was pregnant, and I told her we were moving us to USS Huron."
"I remember the Huron. It was a nice ship." Jack put his hands in his pockets and looked at his brother in concern.
"Lynn didn't take the transfer well. We had to move quickly, and she had to leave behind her friends, research, and shipmates with no time to say goodbye."
Jack whistled, "Not good, Bro."
"Tell me about it," Richard scowled at him. "I could have given her a week or so to finish her projects up and say goodbye to the friends that were like family, but I had to move us that very day."
"The apple doesn't fall far from the tree when it comes to surprise kiddos, huh?" Jack grinned.
"Surprise or not, Christine was a blessing to us. I didn't realize how much of one."
Jack raised his eyebrow.
"I was oblivious to how lonely Lynn was on the ship. I was working long hours in my first command. Her pregnancy with Christine was not an easy one, and she had to go through it without any family support." Richard groaned at the memory.
Jack noted how many things that happened recently were becoming more apparent.
"She had given up some high-profile positions to stay with you and me. I was so interested in growing my career that I didn't notice how much Lynn was doing for me. She was raising you for me while I did my thing, utterly oblivious to her pain. "
"What happened?" Jack asked, worried.
"She left me," Richard said unashamedly.
"She what? Why don't I remember that?"
"Do you remember when you visited Grandma Lilly on Earth before Chrissy was born?"
Jack nodded.
"One morning after I did something idiotic, she grabbed you, some clothing, and caught a shuttle back to Earth. I didn't notice until the next day."
"Forgive me for saying this, brother, but you were an ass."
"That I was." Richard sighed in regret, "She went into early labor with Chrissy three days later. When she needed me, I wasn't there." Richard began pacing on the steps, "You asked me if I knew what it was like to get a dressing down by Robin? I got the mother of them." Richard exhaled, "I was already numb to everything that happened that day. After getting off the com with Lilly and Craven, I called Robin to see if she could help pull strings to get me to Lynn. Oh, the lashing I got from her…." Richard groaned and rubbed his head, "At the time, all I knew was that Chrissy was born eight weeks early, and my wife was near death. I deserved every word she said to me because she was right. I had lost sight of what was truly important to me. If I teach you anything, it never loses sight of what matters in your life. If you do, you will lose far more than you will think."
"Which is why you prefer assignments close to the Earth in more of teacher and supervisor roles."
"I could have been fast-tracked into a full admiral position or one of the defensive development research programs, but you and your nieces had to come first. Now that you are all off doing your own thing, I can take longer assignments, but I am always in contact with Lynn, no matter what it is. She has been my wife for 20 plus years, and I honestly don't know what I'd do without her."
"Hey Dad, your damsels are in distress. Mom is at the helm of the shuttle." Katie came over to the comlink.
"Speaking of which," Richard was startled out of his memories, "I will see you tomorrow morning at Ravenswood."
Jack hugged his brother.
Richard waved as he jogged down the sidewalk, "Hold on, the flyboy is on his way…."
Jack spent a couple of moments contemplating what he had just heard, then headed back inside the house. He found Grace and her parents in the kitchen. He went up and hugged his wife snuggly.
"You ok Starboy?" Grace teased him a little.
"Yeah," he kissed the top of her head, "I just appreciate my brother more than I did before."
"He told you," Robin confirmed.
"What did he say?" Grace asked and looked up at her husband.
Jack looked into her eyes and wiped some stray strands of hair out of her eyes, "He told me how lucky I was, and I shouldn't take things in life for granted." He gently kissed her.
"That's all?" Alan asked from the other side of the bar.
Jack looked over at his in-laws. "He also said I should listen to the four of you. You have gone through a lot, and the wisdom you have gained could help Grace and me through this mess."
"Maybe I did teach Skyler a thing or three." Robin laughed.
"Jack, I thought we could go up to Grace's room and get you set up in there while the ladies discuss pickles and ice cream," Alan said conspiratorially.
"Eww… pickles and ice cream," Grace grimaced, "Although salty French fries and a chocolate shake sound good." She smirked.
The men rolled their eyes as the ladies laughed.
"Sam is in my lab doing some sort of project for school or some such. Unfortunately, he got a bee in his bonnet, and he had to run with the idea." Alan led them up the gallery stairs and to the third-floor childhood bedroom of Grace. As Alan was about to open the door, he stopped, "I wanted to talk to you alone and tell you how happy I am for the two of you. I couldn't be happier with who my daughter chose to marry and have a child with." Alan pushed the door open, "Just next time, no surprises, alright."
"We will do our best, sir." Jack smiled.
