A/N: Sorry about the wait (blame school, I know I do)! Here's the next chapter for your reading pleasure! The final two chapters just need some minor editing before they're ready for posting, so watch for those over the weekend. The final chapter will be up by Sunday night, I promise! And now on with the show… Enjoy!

Descension Back To Normalcy

Sam stood beside Janet in the front hall, watching with mild amusement as Cassandra made the rounds yet again, bouncing back and forth between her three adopted uncles for 'one last hug.' The men indulged her, wrapping her up in tight hugs that, more often than not, lifted her feet clear off the ground. Daniel and Jack both felt guilty about scaring the teenager earlier and were obviously trying to make it up to her. Sam and Janet suspected that Teal'c was picking Cassandra off the ground simply to show off. Regardless of the motivations behind the enthusiastic hugs, the teenager wasn't complaining, basking in their attention and squealing in surprise whenever her feet left the ground.

"Cass, I think they'd like to actually make it out the door sometime before sunrise," Janet finally intervened with a smile. She wasn't sure who looked more disappointed, her daughter or the three men.

"Why don't you and your mom drop by one night this week for a barbeque?" Jack suggested, wrapping Cassandra up in one last hug. For real this time.

"Mom?" Cassandra pleaded hopefully, twisting awkwardly in Jack's arms so she could give Janet her most convincing puppy dog eyes.

"Thursday?" Janet suggested, mentally running through her schedule as well as the mission rotation for the next few days. Unless something had come up since she'd left the base yesterday – she'd be the first to admit that it was entirely possible something of galactic importance had arisen – she had a pretty light week ahead of her.

"Sounds good," Jack agreed, kissing Cassandra on the forehead and breaking off the hug. "Okay, kiddo, we've really got to go now. I'm old and it's way past my bedtime."

With an eye roll, Cassandra released him and stepped back to stand beside her mom, snuggling into Janet's side and wrapping an arm around her waist.

Once he was certain he wouldn't be in trouble for leaving before Cassandra was done hugging him, Teal'c nodded to the two women in the hall and slipped out the door. He, Daniel and Jack had been trying to leave for over five minutes now, and there had been so many false starts to their departure that there was really no need to vocalize his goodbyes yet again.

"Call before you leave in the morning," Jack instructed Sam. He waited for a nod before following Teal'c out the door, calling over his shoulder, "Sweet dreams ladies. If ever you actually get to bed, that is."

"Night," Daniel wished them all, grabbing Sam up in a quick hug. He squeezed her once before letting go and stepping outside, pulling the front door shut behind him. He blinked several times to let his eyes adjust to the sudden darkness before moving across the porch and making his way down to the driveway. He was halfway to the truck when the front door opened again, warm yellow light bleeding out into the dark night. Turning, he spotted Sam on the front porch, silhouetted by the light spilling into the inky blackness of the night.

"Sir!" Sam's voice rang out, halting Jack just as he was swinging himself up into his truck. "Can I have a minute?"

Jack hopped back down to the ground, wincing at the discomfort the action sent through both his knees. Shaking off the lingering twinges, he retraced his steps back up the path leading to the house, slipping past Daniel as the younger man continued on his way to the truck. Jack met Sam halfway and shoved his hands in his pockets, rocking back on his heels and pinning her with an expectant look.

"I wanted to say how sorry I am…"

"I'm serious, Carter," Jack said calmly. "Don't sweat it."

"But…"

"Look," he interrupted, his voice pitched low but carrying easily on the gentle breeze that rustled through the quiet night. "We both said some things that we're not proud of tonight. I'm not taking any of it personally though, and neither should you. Obviously we still have a few issues that we need to work out, and we will, but not tonight."

"Promise?" she murmured hopefully. She knew he had mastered the art of evasion long ago, and the last thing she wanted was to let the only opportunity she might ever get to actually talk to him about their argument slip away.

Jack was taken aback at how young she looked in that moment. Usually, when she was spouting more technobabble than most people could learn in a lifetime, or handling a weapon with the same ease as Teal'c with all his decades of field experience, it was easy to forget how young she still was. But other times – like right now, when she was looking at him through wide, hopeful eyes – he was reminded that she wasn't even 32 yet. With all the incredible things she'd accomplished in her life, it still amazed him when she looked at him like that, as though earning his approval and respect were the most significant things she'd ever set out to accomplish.

"Promise," he reassured, stepping forward and pulling her into a tight hug. He smiled when she leaned into him, her arms going around him and squeezing him tight. He held her for a few moments and rubbed one hand over her back, the gentle friction warming her chilled skin through the thin material of her t-shirt. "You shouldn't be out here without shoes or a jacket," he scolded gently. "Head back inside and…"

"… And lock the door behind me. I know," Sam completed the sentence for him. He didn't need to see her face, he could hear the smile in her voice; her earlier frustration at their overprotective behaviour was gone.

"Go," he instructed, releasing her only to grab her by the shoulders and spin her around to face the house.

"Good night, sir," Sam called over her shoulder, appeasing him as she started up the front path.

"Night," he replied. His eyes followed her up the path and watched until she was safely inside before turning and climbing into his truck. He kept an eye on the house, waiting until he saw the light in the hallway flick off before pulling the door shut.

"Is all well, O'Neill?" Teal'c asked from the passenger seat, studying the man beside him for any sign of deception as they all fastened their seatbelts.

"Everything's fine," Jack assured, slipping the key into the ignition and starting up the engine.

"Are you all right?" Daniel pressed from the back seat, his mind straying back to the acerbic barbs Jack and Sam had traded earlier.

"Fine," Jack repeated, glancing over his shoulder and backing carefully out of the narrow driveway. "Just really, really tired."

The trio lapsed into silence, making the drive back to Jack's house in silence. The drive back took a lot longer than the trip there had, owing to the fact that Jack was actually obeying traffic laws this time around, but none of them minded the extra time it took. They were content to make the trip in the quiet of their shared relief; their fourth member was still safe and sound and they had made plans aimed at keeping her that way.