See Chapter 1 for notes and disclaimer
Chapter 3
Sam loved being on Atlantis. She loved the excitement, she loved the discoveries. She even loved the new uniform. She did not, however, love being millions of light years away from her family. It was hard knowing that the gate could take her home in the blink of an eye but that she couldn't just step through at the end of the day. And on the cays when this really got to her, there was only one thing that cheered her up.
"Ma'am, there's an incoming transmission for you." She swore she'd never tell Walter, but she wanted to kiss Chuck every time he said those words.
When her callers' faces filled the screen, everyone turned back to their work to afford her as much privacy as possible. So despite being in the middle of Atlantis' control centre, in the middle of her shift, Sam couldn't hold back her giant grin when she saw Jack and Cassie looking back at her.
Now that Sam was on Atlantis, Cassie was spending her summer vacation from college with Jack in Washington. It was an arrangement they had both seemed pleased with, and one that Sam had thought would work well. When they both opened their mouths at the same time, however, Sam knew this was about to proved in error yet again. The pair, more alike than any father and daughter, talked right over the top of each other, their sentences merging in a way that would have given Daniel grammatical nightmares.
"It's not fair, Sam – she won't even – I'm going to go live – BRUSSEL SPROUTS! – not a kid anymore – please come home – I'm going insane – I miss you – No, I miss her more!"
By this stage all pretence of privacy was gone as everyone watched the three-star general whine and tattle on the young lady next to him. Sam simply pinched the bridge of her nose, fending off a burgeoning headache – how could they have this effect on her from an entirely different galaxy?
Recognising that the pair were still prattling on, giving her staff an unwanted insight into their commander's domestic life, she cut them off with a look. It was quite impressive, actually, watching the one-and-only Jack O'Neill falter mid-bluster when faced with a pair of intently shining blue eyes.
"Not this again! I swear, you two are going to be the death of me." Now painfully aware of her surroundings, Sam gave up any hope of carrying this off professionally and settled for quick precision.
Deciding to start with the easier, more reasonably of the two, she fixed her gaze on Cassie and made quick work of deciphering her complaints. "Okay, Cass, first of all, we both know you're not a kid anymore, but hon, while you're living under Jack's roof you're just going to have to suck it up and get over it: his house, his rules. And no, you can't go stay with Daniel; a pile of books will fall on your head and we'll never see you again. Besides, your dog makes him sneeze."
Turning to Jack, her gaze became more pointed when she noticed the smug look he wore. Clearly he figured she was on his side with the hole 'his house' argument. "As for you, mister, Cassie's right: she's not a little kid. Loosen the reigns a little, doesn't need a nine o'clock curfew, and quit scaring Jason when he comes to pick her up. And for crying out loud Jack, you're a grown man, if she cooks brussel sprouts for diner just eat them, they're good for you."
Having been thoroughly chastised, the pair exchanged sheepish looks. "Now, was that all?"
"No," Cassie said.
Sam sighed. There was no way her staff would ever look at her the same way after this. "What? What else happened?"
Jack glanced at Cassie before turning a heartfelt smile back at the camera. "We still miss you."
She felt her shoulders fall as his words reached her. Home was just so, so far away.