He stood behind the pulpit, aware of the imposing figure he presented in his blue General's uniform, for once glad of the camouflage it afforded. He cleared his throat and looked out across the chapel at those assembled for Jacob Carter's funeral. His gaze drifted to the front of the room, sliding over Mark and Kristen, sitting in the front pew with Mike and Mandy. Daniel and Teal'c were sitting behind the two children, Daniel next to Carter with one of her hands clasped tightly in his own. Cassie, on the other side of Sam, next to the aisle, had her arm around the older woman, head lying on her shoulder, offering comfort in the guise of seeking it.

Carter could not have been more surrounded by love if he had been sitting next to her. Satisfied, Brigadier General Jack O'Neill glanced down at his notes and began to speak:

"Before I begin, I'd like to say how greatly honored I am that Mark and Samantha Carter, Jacob's son and daughter, asked me to deliver his eulogy today."

Of all the pairs of eyes watching him, he could feel the familiar weight of Carter's gaze, holding onto him even from a distance. He allowed himself to look up into those beautiful blue eyes, wide and shining with unshed tears. As their eyes met, Jack sent his encouragement in a smile so brief and slight he knew no one but Carter would understand. The corners of her mouth turned up in the barest hint of a smile; her eyes blinked and one tear slid slowly down her cheek. Jack tore his eyes away from her features and back to his notes. That path led to places he couldn't go – not yet. He continued to read:

"Now, I have had the honor of working with Jacob Carter as closely as anyone has over the last few years and I can tell you that, while we didn't always agree – OK, to be honest, we rarely ever seemed to agree on anything – there are very few officers I've served with whom I've respected and admired as much as I did Jacob Carter. Upon meeting him for the first time, he often appeared harsh and critical but after getting to know him, it became clear that the high standards Jacob held others to were nothing compared to those which he expected of himself. This sometimes made it difficult to get along with him and difficult to get to know him, and I know it made things difficult on his two children and everyone who loved him, but when things got tough, there was no one I'd rather have at my side or watching my back then Jacob. Personally, I will miss his sharp mind and his sharp wit, his refusal to ever shirk a duty or let down a friend but thankfully, in many ways, Jacob's legacy will always be with us. He left us not only a lifetime of personal accomplishments which I do not believe can ever be fully appreciated, but he also left us his children and grandchildren, who, through their lives and accomplishments, carry the best part of him into the future."

Despite his dislike for giving speeches, Jack was a good enough speaker to allow his gaze to wander through his audience as he spoke. However, he had carefully avoided looking back at Carter until the end of his notes. Now, he looked deliberately at her, straight through her eyes into her soul, and knew; the grief she had so long held at bay had broken through her defenses, and she was shattered. Keeping eye contact, trying to send love and support through eyes grown suddenly misty themselves, Jack concluded:

"In the end, Jacob Carter and I agreed on all of the most important things, and I will forever be more in debt to him than I could possibly have imagined. Thank you, Jacob, for your life, and for your example, and I promise that I – that we – will not let you down."

He finished, and stepped down from the pulpit as quickly as he could. When he sat back down in his pew across the aisle from her, he let himself glance her way again. Samantha sat surrounded by friends and family, her head bowed, her eyes closed – but the tears were yet to come.

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Sam managed to make it back to the privacy of Jack's limo before giving in to her grief and falling into his arms, finally allowing herself the freedom to cry. While she clearly remembered Jack's speech, the rest of the day had passed in a blur of faces and condolences. The whole time Sam had ached for this private moment when she could drop the military façade and give free reign to the tears now soaking Jack's shoulder.

She was going to miss her Dad so much. Until his funeral, formally saying 'Goodbye', she hadn't realized how much. He had been gone enough recently that she had managed to keep believing he would walk in the door or through the 'gate with a hug and a problem needing her to help solve. The reality had hit her during Jack's speech and shattered her completely. He was gone, and she would never see his smile, or hear his wry chuckle, or feel his gentle arms around her again… Only a lifetime of practice had kept her moving forward until she could safely collapse here in the safety of Jack's embrace.

Jack let her cry herself out, offering neither empty comfort nor false understanding. He held her close while her breathing returned to normal, offering his strength to sustain her own. Not until she fully relaxed against him did he release her, and then only to reach into his jacket pocket with one hand for a crumpled tissue. She shifted against him to take the offered tissue and used it to pat her eyes dry.

Sam rubbed at the now wet collar of Jack's jacket. "I'm sorry. You're uniform's wet."

Jack pulled her back close against him. "I'm not," he murmured into her hair.

She kissed the crook of his neck before pushing away gently. The car had stopped moving some time ago, and glancing out the window, she realized she was home. Cassie had already left the limo and was standing on the porch talking to Daniel and Teal'c, who had been following the limo in Sam's car. Despite having two pairs of house keys, Cassie's and those with the car keys, they were clearly waiting for her and Jack to join them.

"We need to get going," she decided reluctantly, not really wanting to leave the warmth of Jack's embrace. "Cassie's promised to cook dinner, and we don't want Teal'c to get too hungry."

"Yeah," he agreed, echoing her reluctance. He rapped on the window beside him and his driver, who'd been waiting outside, opened the door for them. Jack stepped out and turned, offering his hand to Sam. She took it and he helped her out and for once, Sam didn't care if the driver noticed Jack fail to release her arm as he walked her to her door.