Raven's Nest. Douglas, Illinois, Earth

"Incoming call from Janice Christine Skyler." the computer sounded from the sitting room.

Grace carefully walked into the sitting room and picked up her pad. "Computer, accept the call." Grace made herself comfortable on the old love seat. "Hey, Chrissy."

"Hey, Gracie. I am sorry about this weekend. I wanted to be there, but you know how it is with these clinical rotations." Christine said sadly.

"Chrissy, it is alright," Grace assured her. "You were taking care of emergencies; I think I can excuse you from the clean-up to save the lives of children. "

"I still feel bad." Christine sighed.

"Think of it this way; you can help decorate the place instead of pulling out the garbage." Grace tried to get her to smile.

"Today was special for you, and I wanted to be there." Christine blew out an exasperated breath.

"The day that I REALLY needed you, you were there. Or don't you remember a week ago?" Grace smiled big.

"How can I forget my first top-secret mission?" Christine chuckled. "Did you ever show the folks the holos?"

"I brought them out to the cottage this morning. I wanted to see where we wanted to put these pictures." With a couple of taps, Grace pulled up the images, "Mom suggested that we have the one of Jack and me over the mantel in the sitting room for now."

"Similar to how your mom has it in her home office," Christine commented.

"That was the idea." Grace clicked to a picture of the small wedding party. "I was thinking of putting this one on the receiving table in the front hall, then putting our favorite family pictures on the walls."

"Sounds wonderful." Christine sighed.

"Mom and Lynn made me go help Inga when they were tearing out the carpet." Grace made a face. "Be glad you weren't here for that. They had to bring in the hazmat guy to do it."

"It would have been nice to get a sample for microbiology labs; otherwise, no, thank you." Christine laughed. "Grandma Lilly had that put in because she wanted to make sure the floors were soft and warm for her grandbabies. I never liked the color."

"Me either, which is why we tore it out, and we are going with polished hardwood floors, and removable carpets." Grace smiled, then got a little serious. "I did want to ask you something."

"Anything for my new 'sister.'" Christine joked, "What can I do for you?"

"Technically, it is something like 'niece in law,' but let's just stick with you are now officially my little sister." Grace rolled her eyes, "I wanted to ask you if you would do the baby's room in the cottage."

"Me? I would think you would want to do it." Christine looked confused.

"Jack is leaving in a little over a week, and I want to spend my time with him. After he leaves, I am going to be a wreck. Let us be honest." Grace sighed, "Frankly, I don't want to think about it right now. I need my sister, my best friend, there to help me, and in those last two weeks, I want something positive to work on, and I thought you could help get a female touch in this place. Sam oversees the hardscaping outside. Richard has agreed to oversee the carriage house renovations…."

"Carriage house?" Christine interjected.

"You will have to come by and see this place." Grace smirked, "As I said, Richard is doing the carriage house. Dad is working with Sam to get his Frankenstein's lab set up at the workshop. Lynn oversees the landscaping, especially the garden. My mom is working on her house to accommodate the baby and the small suite for Jack and me, among other things. I wanted to put you and Katie in charge of decorating the house. It is livable, but it is not home yet. So I wanted my two new 'sisters' to help me with that."

"You know we will do that anyway." Christine chuckled.

"I also want you to keep Sam on a leash," Grace said seriously. Christine burst out laughing. "What?! You know my brother. I love him to bits, but he can get wild ideas."

"Alright, but on one condition?"

"Which is?" Grace raised an eyebrow.

"I want to get your child a pony," Christine smirked.

"And why do I have a feeling it will be more than just A pony." Grace playfully glared at her friend.

"Because you know me and my love of animals?" Christine tried the cute eyelashes trick from when she was little.

"Ha ha, that might work on Richard and my dad, but I am immune to that." Grace teased.

"Seriously, I would like to get a couple of goats, and I'd like to adopt 2-3 ponies from the horse rescue. I want to train them to saddle, and maybe small carriage." Christine begged, "Sam, I know he would have fun working with them since he has a soft spot for ponies. By the time you get home, the kiddo will be able to start basic riding lessons and tell me you wouldn't like to take the kiddo for carriage rides around the farm."

"Sam still has another year of school. After that, he will not be here to care for them a lot. Who would look after them?"

"My Mom." Christine smirked, "She and I have already talked about it. With all of us off doing our things, she wanted somebody to take care of."

"I thought taking care of Richard was a full-time job?" Grace laughed.

"Yeah, well, Dad is a handful, but Robin helps with that a bit." Christine laughed. "What do you think?"

"I'll run it past Jack, but I don't think it will be a problem." Grace smiled and yawned.

"Long day?" Christine teased.

"You could say that." Grace chuckled.

"Your doctor prescribes milk, cookies, and a good night's sleep." Christine tried to say with a stern face but ended up laughing. "I get out of class at 1400 tomorrow, I can stop by after that, and we can look things over."

"Sounds fun." Grace smiled. "Get some sleep yourself."

Christine waved and closed the connection.

Sighing, Grace pushed herself to her feet and went to see if Inga had programmed her famous chocolate chip cookies into the replicator.

Jack took a step onto the porch and sat down in a deck chair as the last rays of the evening sun crested over the horizon. Two days ago, this had been an abandoned house, covered in dust and overgrowth outside. Now, just two days later, it was livable again. It was amazing how everyone had come together. Two days ago, 48 members of the SFMC 128th SOC Div. "Razorbacks" descended onto the property and did more work in two days than any of them could have done in two months. The overgrowth gone, the clutter gone, the place was gone over, rooms repainted, and everything returned to like-new condition. Even Inga helped when she had heard what had happened and managed to keep the whole crew well-hydrated and well-fed with the help of Katie and Gracie. Everything had come down to this one moment. And now, with the Marines gone, Inga and the "grownups" all back in their respective settings, it was just him and Grace. All by themselves to button up the final details before he was expected to ship out in a few days. Or so he thought. He was lost in the moment when suddenly he became startled by a voice behind him, an all too familiar voice.

"I sure am glad that's all over," stated Sam.

"Me too," replied Jack, still staring out across the backyard. "It's amazing what happens when you have a problem, and you can kill it with hired help. Your mother has sometimes said that my brother's ways are unconventional and sometimes even unorthodox, but whatever he just did, it got the job done. I can feel comfortable now knowing that this house is in good shape, and I can leave Grace here until she is ready to join me on the Science station."

"Yeah, it is a nice feeling when a plan comes together, and you can call in a favor like that. But, I wonder what kind of 'Bet' the Marines lost to get them to do that?" Sam sat down in one of the old garden chairs.

"Sometimes, it's better NOT to know what goes on behind the scenes and just sit back and appreciate the results of the effort that was made on your behalf," replied Jack.

"Yeah, but can I ask you something?" queried Sam.

"Sure, ask away squirt," replied Jack. He looked over to Sam.

"Was it easier, or harder going through the Academy and then the first part of your career walking in the shadows of a Vice-Admiral in Starfleet?" Sam honestly asked.

"Well, first, we had different fathers and different surnames. This difference helped me fly low under the radar with the Cadets and eventually the Lower Deckers when I graduated and became an Ensign. While it was not something that I ever hid, it also wasn't something that I exactly advertised either. And believe it or not, he and Lynn gave me a wide berth and laid low when I needed them to stay out of the way. However, you better believe that I could go to either one of them when I needed them. It assured ANY accusations of nepotism; I had to be able to forge my path without any expectations of any outside help or interference." Jack sighed.

"I'm just glad that there weren't any 'expectations' for me to follow the 'family path.' I don't know how I would ever be able to live up to the expectations of being 'the Admiral's son' at the Academy. But, on the other hand, I like that I'm able to be a bit freer-spirited and able to do what I want to do without any pressure from above or any prying eyes trying to pressure me into something that I don't want to do." replied Sam.

"Now you're starting to sound like Katie." Jack teased.

"Well, sort of, I mean, her and I both sorts of have this kindred relationship. Unline the rest of the family, Katie and I chose to walk our path. Not to mention, we're both the youngest. So sometimes, I confide in her, and she confides in me. And it's nice that we have each other's experiences that we can draw from."

"So... you two..." Jack teased, but before he could finish, he was cut off.

"Ewww...gross! Talk about kissing your sister. NO! Absolutely not!" Sam made gagging noises and cut off Jack from saying any more.

"I kiss your sister all the time." teased Jack.

"I know. It's always been obvious ..." sighed Sam.

"I'm a bit glad that it is now out in the open. We don't have to hide that part of ourselves or worry about slipping up." Jack looked out across the garden, smiling at its possibilities. "Were we that obvious before?" asked Jack curiously.

"You have no idea. And as for shipping up goes, I don't know how to say this, but your cover was blown a long time ago," replied Sam teasingly. "But I'm glad it's you. I truly am."

"Me too." Jack smiled and laughed.

"I was always the youngest of the gang. But you never treated me like I was. You always treated me as an equal and didn't use my age against me. I respect that. I appreciated that more than you will ever know. And some of my favorite memories were things like going camping or hiking or just hanging out with you. I always wondered what it would be like to have an older brother. But in hindsight, it seems as if I had one all along." Sam said sincerely.

"Okay, Squirt. You're making me well up here." Jack wipes the corner of his eye and tries to hide how much Sam's words mean to him.

"Not as bad as you will if you ever hurt my sister..." Sam playfully glared.

"I won't. But I am glad that Grace has a chivalrous brother and respects her wants, needs, and wishes. It makes what I have to do that much easier until we can be with each other again." Jack saluted.

"It's not easy being Prince Valiant, but I bet I can make a damn nice suit of armor when I get the new metalworking shop set up. I will be the talk of the land!" Sam laughed and beamed., "You do realize you are giving me ideas."

"Well, if 'Prince Valiant' can keep an eye on the 'Dame of Grace' while I'm away, I would be in your debt," replied Jack. "Run the designs past me before you do anything too creative. I am sure you can do great things, but our hides will be worthless if you mess up all that decorating work the girls did.

"Trust me; I do not want to face their wrath or have them sick my mother on me. I'll run things past them so that I won't screw it up. As for looking after the 'Dame of Grace,' it would be an honor, sir! Speaking of debts..." Sam smiled

"What is it?" asked Jack. He knew he was in for it.

"About my offer to tend house for you and Grace while you two are away..." he steeped his fingers.

"Listen, Squirt. I'm WAY too early in my career to go up against an Admiral, a Vice Admiral, and two Captains...BUT, if you plead your case and state it well, I'll put in a good word for you. It's only all I can do." said Jack.

"I'd appreciate it," said Sam, who blushed slightly.

"And on that note, we should probably go inside and get some rest. You can crash in the guest room tonight if you don't feel like going home." Jack stood and stretched.

"A hot shower and comfy bed would be nice. Let us go inside," said Sam. Jack reached out and pulled Sam to his feet. The two of them slid open the screen door and entered the dining room to see Grace sitting in her flannel pajamas on a bar stool in dunking chocolate chip cookies into a glass of milk. Sam ran up and snatched a few cookies off the plate. Then darted up the stairs. Grace glared up the stairs at him.

"As much as he annoys me, I can't help but love the little guy..." Grace grumbled but smiled.

"He tries his best. He is proud of you and looks up to you..." replied Jack.

"Oh, but not as much as he looks up to you!" she stuck her finger in his chest.

"I know that too..." he leaned over and kissed her.

"And if you ever betray that trust or that admiration, not only will you have to deal with my mother, but she will have to wait her turn until I get done with you." Grace continued to poke him, and despite her playful tone, he knew she was serious.

"…and that will never happen..." Jack bent down and touched his forehead to hers.

"Good. Now I am tired. Despite what some people think." Grace looked to where Sam had just been. "Organizing where everything needed to go in this house was a lot of work. So shall we go upstairs now?"

"I've been waiting to hear you ask me that all day." Jack cheekily grinned.

"Hold your horses, there, Star boy. We have a house guest." Grace glared.

"Oh, I wouldn't worry. Sam's at the other end of the hall." Jack twirled one of her curls on his finger, "Besides, I may have asked for some noise-canceling insulation in that room, just in case." Jack chuckled. "Come on, the bed is calling." Jack took Grace's hand and led her up the stairs.