A/N Wow, I honestly can't believe how many of you are following this story. Thank you all so much! This chapter has some scene changes so I'm trying to divide it up with a line. I've tried to insert the line before without success, but hopefully this time it works haha. Either way, I hope y'all enjoy!

Chapter 4: The night before disaster

The 45 minute drive from the airport to Sam's house was filled with her and Mark bickering about this and that. Sam stating her displeasure about the kids not coming and Mark complaining that she didn't even give his friend a chance. All the while Onica stares out the window trying to pretend she's not here.

Though now that she was here, she knows it is only a matter of time before things turn south. Tomorrow they are to spend the day with Sam and him, a person whose name she can't even manage to acknowledge. She cringes at how awkward this is all going to be.

Suddenly a thought came to her and she nearly gasped out loud, but caught herself just in time. She mentally kicks herself for not having thought of this before. She is going to see Him tomorrow and she has no idea how to handle that. Onica has been so focused on how Mark and Sam are going to react that she hasn't given any thought about how He will react. She knows that she and Mark can't just walk into His house and she shouts, "SURPRISE GUESS WHO!' She isn't sure how this was going to go but she knows it needs to be handled carefully. If she can somehow catch him alone and speak to him first that would be ideal, but she doesn't know how she can manage that. She feels her pulse quicken to the point that she actually worried she was having a heart attack. She knew she had to pull herself together, and had to do it now.

If she is being honest, the ideal way for this to go is to just avoid the situation all together, but that isn't going to happen. She figures that she has until the morning to come up with a plan for when she sees Him. With dread and resignation, she'll just have to put on her big girl pants and face this head on, come what may. After all, she brought this on herself. She'd lied to Mark, and when she found out that Sam was working with Him, she still didn't say anything. All these years, she could've spoken up but didn't, and now Sam is dating Him and this whole thing is a mess.

Onica is shaken back to the present upon hearing her name.

"Onica!" Mark says, and from the aggravation in his voice she figures it's not the first time he called her name.

"Yes?" she says and tries to smile.

"I called your name 5 times." He says, confirming her earlier assumption. "We're here, are you going to come inside or stay in the truck all night?" He added, his aggravation dissolving into amusement.

The thought of staying in His truck is not at all amusing to her, however, so she quickly gathers her bag and gets out.

By the time Onica gets out of the truck and Mark grabs the luggage, Sam is already unlocking the front door to her house.

After Mark and Onica step inside Sam says, "Everything you'll need is here, I even washed the sheets"

"Well that was kind of you." Mark says, sounding unimpressed.

Irritated again, Sam says, "Follow me and I'll show you to the bedroom."

Mark sets the carry ons down just inside the bedroom door and looks around. The room is small and sparsely decorated, his sister must not spend much time here he thinks. Probably too busy working he reckons and now….nevermind he doesn't want to go there. They all walk back to the front of the house and Sam holds her right hand out to Mark, "Here's the key to the house, and the key to my car." She says and then adds, "You're free to the car as you need."

"Thanks." is all Mark says as he reaches out and takes the offered items.

"Well, I'm gonna go, I'll see you both tomorrow morning." Sam says as she turns and walks to the door.

Getting irritated again Mark says, "So that's it? We haven't seen you in 4 years and now that we're here, you're just going to drop us off and leave?"

Trying to remain civil Sam says, "I told you, I can't even look at you, so yes, that's it. I'll see you in the morning."

"Fine, see you tomorrow." Mark says with clear annoyance in his voice.

She really wants to scream or bash his head in, but settles for, "Despite everything, I really am glad that you're here Mark." Sam says, and then looks at Onica and adds, "I'm glad you're both here."

Sam then opens the door and walks back to the truck and gets in, Mark watches as she starts the engine and drives away before he closes the door.

Turning to his wife he says, "You've been quiet since we got here."

'I've been quiet for a lot longer than that, you've just been too busy berating your sister to notice,' she thinks to herself, but doesn't say aloud. Instead she says, "Sam was right, it has been a long day, and tomorrow will be even longer I suspect."

"Yeah, I suppose." Is all Mark can say.


On the drive back to Jack's house, Sam tries, and fails, to not think about her brother and this whole mess with him. The more she thinks about it, the angrier she becomes. When she pulls into Jack's driveway she is ready to explode, how dare Mark judge her. She is so angry that she didn't realize she slammed the truck door closed. Jack must have heard it though, because he opens the front door looking confused as she approaches.

"Here are your keys," she says, roughly pressing them into his chest.

"Ow," Jack says, taking hold of the keys and rubbing his chest. He closes the door and follows her into the kitchen as he mentally runs through the checklist of things she had asked him to do while she was out. Unsure if her bad mood was directed at him or if he was just the unfortunate recipient. Then a thought suddenly dawns on him, she was supposed to be at her house tonight, not his, so he asks carefully, "Are you alright?"

Sam finishes swallowing her gulp of beer and closes her eyes and growls, "I'm fine."

Jack O'Neill, USAF black ops Colonel has been in some dangerous situations in his life. He's been tortured, he's been in prison, he's even been killed, but this, standing before an angry woman who claims to be 'fine,' is the most dangerous situation of all. Past experience has taught Jack that when Sam, or any woman for that matter, says she is fine, she really isn't. The trick is knowing whether or not she wants him to ask about it. If he does ask, she might say she wants to be left alone, which would then cause yet another dilemma, however if he says nothing, she could claim that he's not being sensitive. Whatever he does, he should tread carefully, otherwise, her bad mood would most definitely be aimed at him.

He can't contradict her and say that she doesn't look fine, that would result in a long speech about how he has no right to tell her how she feels. Telling her to calm down would have the opposite effect, and would in fact, result in his death. And he already reasoned that saying nothing at all and changing the subject, is not a good option, as he would likely be sleeping on the couch for a while, in his own house, nonetheless. No, he needs to say something to convey to her that he does care, but not sound pushy, and definitely not tell her how to feel.

After carefully considering his options, and deciding that there really is no good one, he settles for, "Do you want to talk about it?" he asks, deciding to leave it up to her if she wants to continue the conversation or not.

"No," is all he got in response.

They stand in silence for a few moments, the only sound comes when Sam finishes her beer and slams the bottle down on the counter so hard that it shatters.

Jack hears her say something under her breadth that he didn't quite catch as he moves closer to see exactly how big the mess is. He quickly notes that there are a couple bigger pieces on the counter and a few smaller pieces on the floor. He also notices that Sam is holding the palm of her right hand.

"Let me see." He says with gentle concern.

"I'm fine," she says, irritated.

"Sam," he warns, this time not letting her get away with it.

At his tone, she shows him her right hand, there is a good sized gash but it isn't very deep.

"It doesn't look too bad," he says before adding, "I'll go get you a bandaid, then clean this up."

He returns after only a minute and after he puts the bandaid on her hand he says, "Why don't you go sit at the table and I'll clean this up."

She only nods in response.

It doesn't take very long for Jack to put the bigger pieces into the trash, and get the broom and sweep the floor. Sam sits quietly the whole time. When he is finished, he puts the broom away and washes his hands before walking over to her and holding out his hand, indicating she should take it.

She takes his hand with her left and he pulls her into a hug. She melts into him and feels all her tension and anger dissipate.

"I'm sorry," is all she says.

"It's ok, the bottle had it coming." He says, trying to lighten the mood.

His quip has the desired effect because the next thing he knows, she's giggling.

Backing off a little but still holding her hand, Jack asks once more, "Do you want to talk about it?"

Feeling a bit more calm, Sam says, "Mark is a jerk."

"Because he doesn't like that we're together?" He says it like a question but means it more like a statement.

"He thinks I'm ruining my life and destroying my career." Sam says, looking at Jack.

"What do you think?" Jack asks her seriously.

"I think," she pauses for a moment, then continues, "I'm happy, happier than I've ever been." She says looking into his eyes, hoping that he can see the truth of what she just said.

Jack gives her a small smile and pulls her closer, his arms around her, holding her tightly.

As she stands there in his arms, Sam can feel the stress fading away. She's never felt so safe and secure as she does with him.

"They didn't bring the kids," Sam says as she rests her head on his shoulder.

"Oh, really? Why not?" Jack asks, stepping back and looking at her.

"Because," she stops, unsure of how to say this so that Jack won't think it's his fault. She closes her eyes and tries again, "Because, they thought it would be best," she finishes, looking away.

"Because of us, or because of me?" Jack asks

"Because of Mark's attitude about it." She says irritatedly.

"What does your sister-in-law have to say? Onica, you said her name is right?" Jack asks.

"Onica hasn't said much about anything. She's actually been much quieter than normal. I'm not sure what to make of it, but something feels off." Sam says, shrugging.

"You think something's going on? Like between her and Mark?" Jack asks.

"That's what I thought at first, but I didn't really get that impression. I'm not sure what it is, but something is definitely up." She says, matter of factly.

"You could try and ask her about it." He said thoughtfully. Then an idea occurs to him, "Hey, why don't they just stay here if it's just them? The only reason they were staying in your house is because we thought the kids were coming."

Sam smiles and says, "I suggested that, but they insisted on staying at my house, well, actually, Onica, was the one who insisted."

"Well, maybe she's just nervous about how this weekend will go, after all, she's been having to deal with all of this too." He chuckles a little and adds, "Maybe she just wants to get this over with like you do."

"Maybe, I just hope the weekend ends better than it began." She says as she closes her eyes and leans her head back against Jack's shoulder.

Now that Sam is calmer, Jack ventures to ask, "So, is Mark's issues with us the reason why you're here, and not at your house?"

Stepping back and looking up at him, Sam explains, "It's not just his attitude about us, it's his attitude toward me. Ever since I joined the Air Force, he basically stopped talking to me unless it was to tell me that he thought I was making another poor decision, in his opinion."

"Sam, he's your brother, he's going to have opinions." Jack starts, before Sam interrupts him.

"I know, and it's not even that I mind his opinions. It's that, he thinks his opinion is always right, and if I don't go with it, then I'm making a huge mistake." Sam says, shaking her head, then adds, "He just makes me so mad, ya know?"

"I know," Jack says looking at her, then says, "But sometimes, you have to be the bigger person."

"I know, I just wish Mark would be more reasonable." Sam complains.

"Just give him time." Jack soothes.

"How much time?" Sam asks, then adds, "He's already had time, how much more could he possibly need?"

"I don't know," Jack says, then looks into Sam's eyes, "but what I do know, is that you're not going to get anywhere with him if you're here." He says gesturing around his house.

"Are you saying you want me to leave?" Sam asks, starting to feel angry again.

"No, I'm not saying that at all." Jack says, shaking his head, then finishes, " You're welcome here anytime, you know that. But if you want to get through to your brother, then you need to be where he is Sam."

Looking defeated, Sam says quietly, "I know."

"The choice is yours Sam, I'll support whatever you decide." Jack says, as he kisses her gently.

Sam returns the kiss and sighs, "You're right, I should go back."

She takes Jack's hand in hers and pulls him along with her as she walks over to the door and says, "I guess I'll need your keys again."

He hands her the keys immediately and says, "Everything will be fine."

"Yes, it will be, as long as you're there." Sam says, pulling him closer and kissing him soundly on the lips.

Once they both come up for air, Jack says, "I'll see you in the morning, I love you."

Smiling at him, Sam says, "I love you too."

Jack stands in the door jam as Sam walks back to his truck, gets in, and backs out of his driveway. Man he loves that woman, he thinks to himself. Then he shuts the door and decides to call it an early night.


Sam sits in the truck for a few minutes when she arrives back at her house. She's sure Mark will have something to say about her coming back. She's not sure why she lets Mark get to her so much, why can't he just be happy for her?

She finally gets out of the truck and walks to the front door. After taking a breath, she turns the door knob only to find the door locked. She already feels humiliated coming back after she stormed out, now she has to knock on her own door, but she swallows her pride and knocks anyways.

After a moment the door opens and Mark is standing on the other side, he says, "I thought you were staying at Jack's?"

She knew it, she's not even in the house yet and he's already all over it. "Just move aside and let me in." Sam says pushing Mark out of her way.

Mark shuts the door and follows Sam into the living room. Sam plops down in the big chair and Mark sits beside his wife on the love seat, both of them look at Sam.

"So, did the two of you have a fight and that's why you're back?" Mark asks, sounding smug.

"Actually," Sam starts before being interrupted by a phone ringing.

Looking at his phone, Mark says, "Hang on Sam, I need to get this."

Mark stands and leaves the room as he answers the phone. Sam looks over at Onica and says, "Why does he have to be this way?"

"He's your brother," Onica replies, trying not to look or sound too uncomfortable.

Sam gets up and sits next to Onica on the small couch and says, "I know, and I appreciate that he's concerned for my welfare, but he doesn't need to be," Sam says, stressing the last part.

"I'll admit that Mark is being a little extreme," Onica pauses, then finishes, "but he really does want what's best for you, we both do."

With a loud sigh, Sam takes Onica's hand and says, "Thank you, I appreciate that, really, but I already have what's best for me. I have great friends, I love my job, and I'm in the best relationship I've ever been in." Taking her hand back, Sam continues, "Jack is amazing, I've never felt like this about anyone. He doesn't try and change me or control me, he accepts me for who I am. I can't wait for you to meet him, you're going to love him Onica."

Closing her eyes and trying to hold back tears, Onica says, "Sam, there's something I need to tell you, I…"

"Well," Mark busts in, cutting off whatever Onica was about to say, "you'll be happy to know," he pauses for dramatic effect, "I got the promotion!" Mark exclaims.

Standing up and smiling big, Onica hugs her husband and says, "That's great sweety, I'm so proud of you."

"Thank you, thank you," Mark says, kissing his wife in celebration.

Sam stands and asks curiously, "What promotion?"

Looking all smug and proud, Mark announces, "I'm the new VP of Longwood Industries."

"Wow, Mark, that's great. Congratulations!" Sam says moving in to hug her brother.

Sam remembers when Mark first got his job at Longwood Industries. He was just an intern working there to get college credit. He made such an impression on the boss that he hired him as a helper to the sales team when his internship ended. Mark worked hard and in a year's time, he was a full on salesman. They sold a wide range of items, from computer equipment to cleaning supplies. Mark graduated college with a bachelor's degree in business management, and now here he was the new Vice President of the whole company. He really had worked his way up the ladder, Sam was proud of him.

"Thank you, you know, as the new VP I have the authority to hire a new technical analyst," he says, raising his eyebrows at Sam.

Looking surprised, Sam asks, "Are you offering me a job?"

"It would be really nice working with you, Sam. Plus, I know how good you are with computers and stuff, you'd love it." Mark says, then adds, "You'd get a good salary, a flexible schedule, and great benefits."

"Mark," Sam says, raising her hand and shaking her head, "Look, I appreciate it, really, but, I love my job and I'm not leaving it."

"Is it because of him?" Mark asks, rolling his eyes.

"No, Jack would support any decision I make, it's because I don't want to leave my job now. I mean, my entire life is here," Sam says waving her arms around the room.

"At least think about it," Mark says looking in her eyes pleadingly, "Please."

"I don't need to think about it Mark, thank you for the offer, but my answer is no." Sam says with finality.