AN: sorry for not updating sooner. My beta reader been busy pack and moving. When she get some time she work on this story. so enjoy
Ch 41
They reached Sydney and Jack flew to Kate address bringing up the screen again. They saw Kate and Mike bathing Emma. Jack and Sam could hear what was being said.
"Mike! Look at your jeans?" He looked down then back to Emma
"Emma! Look at what you did! You splashed water onto my jeans!" He laughed, and Emma waved her arms around splashing more water onto Mike who was holding her. Kate laughed.
"You will need to change before we go anywhere, Mike! It looks like you wet yourself"
"Very funny, Kate." He turned to a grinning Emma.
"Your mother's laughing at me and so are you...AHHH, Emma are you trying to tell me I need a shower?"
"I think she is, Mike."
"Very funny" Mike picked Emma up and placed her on a towel before drying her while Kate took care of the water left in the baby bath.
"Here we go, you are all nice and dry," Mike picked Emma up and passed her to Kate
"I'll get her dress while you go and have a shower," Kate kissed him and walked away with Emma.
"Now we know where Mike is," Sam grinned at Jack. She opened the file Jack brought with them. "Oh, according to this, they got married in February this year."
"And when we delivered the letters?
"Last year, I'll do some more checking on it," Jack squinted at her. "next year."
"Agreed. Who's next?"
"Chris Blake, he's in Melbourne."
On the way to Melbourne, Sam gave Jack the address, and he stopped them close to the house. Inside they saw five people, two adults, and three children. Jack managed to get a closer look at Chris; he was in the kitchen with Sally cooking breakfast while the boys just walked into the kitchen.
Chris smiled when he saw all three boys with their hair standing on end.
"They are definitively your sons, Chris," Sally said making him laugh as he tried to flatten his morning spike hair
"Very funny, Sally. What about your hair? It looks like a birds nest in the mornings?"
"Funny. Ha, ha," she slapped his backside as she walked past him.
"They look happy," Jack said
"Yes, they do. Whatever happened in 2011 must have been bad that it affected Mike, Kate, Jessica, Andy, Chris, Dylan, Nikki, and Josh."
"Yeah, the question is why them? Why are they so important?"
"Hopefully the last letter will give us that answer Jack."
"Yeah, who's next?" Sam looked down at the list
"Jessica Bird."
They arrived at her house and could see where she was and what she was doing, she was eating breakfast while her family was still in bed. They watched her clean up her breakfast mess before walking out to the garage.
Opening the garage door, she pushed a homemade trolley out then closed the shed door before turning around and pushing the trolley down the driveway and down the street.
They noticed she was carrying a lawn mower, petrol can and garden tools on the trolley. They followed her until she stopped inside of a house.
"Morning Jessica," an elderly man welcomed her.
"Morning Mr. Wilson"
"You are starting early today."
"Yes, sir. I might as well before it gets too hot."
"Don't get dehydrated."
"I'm covered Mr. Wilson," she smiled picking a bag and opened to show him a bottle of water.
"How's your family? Are they still being a pain the ass about your grandfather's money?"
"Yes, they going to court about it next year."
"Well good luck for that"
"Thanks, sir." He turned around and walked inside just as Jessica started the lawnmower up.
"I wonder what that was all about," Jack muttered
"Sounds like Jessica's family not happy about a will."
"Sounds like she received more money than the rest of the family?"
"Could be Jack, let's go home."
"Ok," he turned the ship around and flew back to Colorado. "So, what did you get me for Christmas?" Sam laughed
"You will have to wait until tomorrow."
"Sam," he whined sounding like a five-year-old. When they returned to the SGC, Jacob was there to greet them.
"Dad!" Sam said as she stepped forth to give him a hug
"Hiya kiddo, how are you?"
"I'm good, thanks, dad."
"That's good...Jack," they both hugged
"Dad is good to see you. When did you arrive?"
"Twenty minutes ago. How are the kids?"
"Oy! Where should I start?" Jack said, and Sam elbowed him in the ribs.
"Ow Sam it's true, they all starting to talk in technobabble!" Jack added in dismay, Jacob laughed
"That bad, huh?"
"You have no idea."
"Well, I'll meet you next to your truck Jack."
"Ok, Dad." They went their separate ways. "I'm in trouble," Jack said looking at Sam for the corner of his eyes.
"Yes, you are."
"How am I going to get back in your good books, Sam?"
"I'll think of something," Jack groaned knowing what she got in mind.
Ten minutes later they met up with Jacob and got into Jack truck driving into town while talking. As Mark and his family had been in their home for three days, they were covered and could go finishing their Christmas shopping before heading home.
The next day Daniel and Teal'c spent the day with Jack and his family while Cam traveled to spend his ten days of leave with his family. On the second week of January, Jack, Sam and five other air force personnel flew to Washington for a promotion and awards ceremony which was held at the air force hall.
In the Air Force hall, they walked into the room and mingled with the other Air Force members, until General Ryan walked out and started the ceremony with a speech. He called name after name until he stopped almost at the end of the list.
"Lieutenant Colonel Carter," Sam walked up the steps and stood at attention, and they exchanged salutations.
"Lieutenant Colonel Carter, for the work you have done on project Prometheus I hereby present to you the Air and Space Campaign Medal for the hours of work you spent on the project. Well done," He pinned the medal in place before turning to receive a box.
"Lieutenant Colonel Carter, I have the pleasure of promoting you to Colonel, congratulations Colonel Carter. General O'Neill do you want to do the honors?" He asked and Jack grin as he stepped forth and grabbed her new rank insignia's and changed them for the new. Then, they exchanged salutes and returned to their previous places.
"General O'Neill," General Ryan called before he could get down to the stage.
"Yes, sir?" He said turning around and General Ryan raised a box he had just retrieved from his aid hands.
"General O'Neill, after an extended conversation with the President about you and the work you and the teams under your command have done during the last seven years, he and the board allowed me the pleasure and honor to promote you, Major General O'Neill to Lieutenant General. Congratulations."
"Sweet!" He said loud enough for Sam to hear since she was stopped just at the bottom of the stairs. She turned around with a grin on her face as Jack walked to General Ryan and he changed his insignia's. They exchanged a salute as Ryan finished placing them.
"Keep up the good work, General," Ryan pointed.
"Yes, sir." He then walked to stand next to Sam, and she tried not to squint at the smug grin he was wearing but couldn't.
"What?" she whispered.
"Oh, you know what this means, Sam," he whispered back.
"You tell me," she sighed. And his grin widened
"I outrank George and Dad," he wriggled his eyebrows as she turned to him and gave her a look he knew all too well. He grinned brightly and then they both went back to stare and listen to General Ryan. When the ceremony was over, General Ryan walked down the steps to talk to them.
"General, Colonel."
"Sir," they both said at the same time
"I've read your reports on what's been happening and what you both did at the disclosure meeting last year, it was a job truly well done."
"Thank you, sir," Jack said
"Keep it up, both of you," he smiled and walked towards a group of officers. Jack turned to Sam, "Shall we head back?"
"Sure," they walked to where the others were and congratulated them on their promotions before they left to a room where Jack got the Asgard stone out and pushed the button. Seconds later, they were in the gate room of the SGC.
"Let's go and update our IDs, and then we get all the rest of the day to enjoy."
"Thank you, sir," they all said as they walked out of the gate room leaving Jack and Sam there.
"I'll meet you top side in twenty minutes?"
"Sure, I'll send a message to dad," Sam said
"Sweet, remind him of the rank," he grinned like a kid before walking away.