Part 13: Objects at rest
6 months later…
Jack and Sam sat on the porch swing and watched the impromptu football game in front of them.
It was Thanksgiving, a warm one this year, particularly for Minnesota. Dinner had been consumed an hour ago at a table full of family and friends. Many of whom were now running, catching, and doing endzone dance impressions in the front lawn.
Lilly caught a pass and just before she got to the pine tree that served as the south endzone, Lucas caught her and tackled her. Teal'c and Becca, who were playing on Lilly's side, protested. Becca insisted on being awarded 4 points as a penalty because it was a touch game, not a tackle game.
"Four points?" Daniel questioned, "Becca, do you even know the first thing about football?" David chuckled and shook his head.
"Daniel," David said, "all she did was take apart toasters and microwaves as a kid."
"And increase their power output," Cassie added.
As the squabbling and teasing continued on the field, Sam lay her head on Jack's shoulder and watched Lucas offer Lilly a hand to help her up. Sam saw the look exchanged between her daughter and the young man.
"Do you think they know?" Sam asked Jack, with a sigh.
"Know what?"
"That they're in love?"
He questioned, "Who?"
"Lilly and Lucas."
"Ah, Hell."
"What?" she asked. "You can't imagine your little girl all grown up and getting married one day?"
"Not that. It's Daniel's kid."
"So?"
"It's Daniel's kid," he said again, as if it were obvious.
Sam laughed. "Yeah, so then you'd be officially related to Daniel."
"I repeat, Hell."
She smiled. The squabbling on the field ended and Cassie was now playing quarterback for her team.
After a moment, Jack said, "I had a fantasy all those years ago."
Sam suppressed her smile. "Oh, yeah? I never knew."
"You never–" Jack started out surprised, but realized that she was teasing. "You little… I tried so hard to be good."
"You were very well behaved. Then look what happened to you," Sam joked while gazing at the dusk gathering in the trees. Twilight, the magical moment was upon them.
"Tell me your fantasy and if you're good..." she said, playfully letting it trail off and leaving it to his imagination.
But Jack wasn't in a mood for play, because this was all too real. This was like finally arriving at a moment you knew all along you were destined for. It must be, thought Jack, what Lilly felt as she lived every day. Maybe that bond between father and daughter wasn't completely imagined after all.
"Here and now," Jack said with an unusual seriousness in his voice. "The two of us on the porch at my cabin in Minnesota. Our children happy, with an extraordinary future ahead of them. The world, galaxy, and all it's people are at peace finally and you and I can rest. I can be alone with you without guilt of what else we should be doing instead of indulging in… fishing… or other things."
Sam suppressed a giggle. "All is beautiful," she said as she watched the final edge of the sun fade below the horizon.
"All is well. All is safe."
Sam looked out at the hues of blue, red, and violet in the sky and couldn't help but feel the same way Jack did. "We're home."
"And we are blessed," Jack finished.