Author's note: Yay! I'll be buying my new desktop today, which doesn't exactly guarantee that chapters will come faster, but it will make things easier for me, which means I should be able to do more than I've been able to with just my laptop. Until then, though, thanks for the reviews and here we go with the next chapter.

OOOOOOOOO

"If anyone had told me 8 years ago that you'd be driving a minivan filled with kids, I'd have called him crazy…"

Ian glanced over at River for just a moment before turning his attention back to the road he was driving on. There wasn't a lot of traffic – there rarely was – but you never knew when some douche bag driver might cut you off because he's late for something he probably doesn't need to be doing in the first place.

"I'd have called him a lot worse than that," he agreed. He looked in the mirror at the passengers in the seats behind them and winked when Carter caught his eye, eliciting a smile from the boy. Ian echoed that smile and shook his head. "Besides, a minivan isn't so bad…"

At least it didn't fly.

River shrugged. They didn't get a lot of chances to come to Earth, really, and he was enjoying the bustle of Colorado Springs. It wasn't insanely busy, but it was a lot more active than the city of Atlantis. Scientists were all well and good, but River liked being around regular people, too. A lot more than Ian did, for sure.

"It's not a convertible…"

"I get the convertible," Michael said, proving that he and Carter were both listening to the conversation. "Daddy said so."

"He said we get it," Carter protested.

Both of them loved to ride in the convertible, which they knew had once belonged to Carter's namesake Sam before she'd given it to their dad. Ian didn't get many chances to drive it – even when he was back on Earth – but he kept it at Shawn's under a car cover when they weren't using it, and Shawn made sure to keep it in good running condition.

"I said you'd probably get it," Ian corrected them. "And only if you proved to be responsible drivers."

The twins both grew silent, and River grinned, because he knew the silence wasn't because they were chastised at the correction. He knew both of them were going back to the conversation they'd had about the car – however long ago that had been – looking for the exact words that had been used. Ian was better at using his memory than the boys were, but it didn't take long before Carter turned his attention back to the conversation at hand, proving he was finished confirming what he'd been told.

"We're going to be responsible drivers," he assured his father. Carter started to agree, but the van turned into a driveway just then, interrupting him.

"We're here," Ian told them, unnecessarily, as he came to a stop beside Shawn's black pickup. The driveway was filled with cars – including the aforementioned convertible under its cover – but there was a space that had obviously been left for them.

The boys waited until Ian had turned the car off – a rule he enforced firmly enough that they knew he was serious about it – and then unbuckled their seatbelts and opened the van door closest to the house. Even as they were doing that, a big black lab rushed to the gate of the white picket fence, barking excitedly and waving her tail as she watched the boys. A moment later the door to the house opened and another black lab rushed out, followed by a small pack of puppies; three black, and three yellow.

River looked over the hood of the van at the gaggle of puppies.

"Jasmine had puppies again?"

She didn't look like she was nursing.

Ian had looked over as well, more interested in the fact that Cassandra Brooks was the one who'd opened the door in the first place. He glanced at the dogs and shook his head.

"The other black one is Recess. Andrew's dog."

River frowned.

"How do you know that? They look exactly the same."

Ian shut the car door and then turned to the other door to pull Alexander out of his car seat while River was doing the same on the other side for Jessica.

"All that time in the sun has made you blind," he told the Californian. "Jasmine is bigger and has longer ears."

"Whatever."

River picked Jessica up, but had barely turned when Shawn was at his side, grinning hugely at the newcomers.

"Let me have her, River," he said, reaching for the baby.

Hayden handed her over, and picked up both of the diaper bags.

"Don't drop her."

"I'd never drop her," Shawn protested, and then pretended to do just that, swooping low with Jessica in his arms. "Oops!"

The baby giggled, not at all afraid of the motion. She was being raised by a motion junkie, after all, and there wasn't a direction she hadn't been in at one point or another.

River hugged Gina, kissing her soundly, and then did the same with the toddler who had emerged from the dog pile at the fence.

"Look how big she's getting," he said, picking Dottie up and blowing a raspberry on her cheek that made her giggle as well.

The newcomers made their way through the dogs and the greetings and a very short time later found themselves inside being offered coffee and other refreshments and waved to chairs. The boys and Dottie went back outside to play in the yard under the guard of Jasmine and the other dogs, and Ian shook his head at the reminder of just how domesticated they'd all become. Shawn and himself were both married with kids, River wasn't married but was totally devoted to Jessica, now, and didn't even flirt as often as he used to – saving those flirting words for his daughter and those females closest to him. The ones that were usually married and not going to seek his attention. Andrew was the only one without wife or kids, but even he had grown up. It wasn't a scene he'd ever have expected to find himself in, but Ian found that it was very comfortable. If not for the fact that what they did was so dangerous most of the time, he'd have called his life settled – maybe even tame.

"Guess who tripped over his dog and broke his arm…?" Shawn said.

Ian frowned.

"Who?"

"Jack – or as the Secret Service like to call him – POTUS."

"You're kidding me," River said.

"Nope. It happened this morning. He tripped over Murray and tried to catch himself but landed wrong and broke his arm."

"It's not serious," Gina told them, smiling. She had taken Jessica from Shawn and was cuddling her with the confidence that only came with having plenty of practice. "He'll be in a cast for a few weeks."

"What about Chelani?" Ian asked. "He shouldn't be in a cast at all. It-"

"Jack tripped in front of a group of diplomats," Shawn interrupted. "Everyone heard the bone break. If Chelani fixes it they're going to wonder how he healed from a broken bone so quickly, so they have to let it go the regular route."

"At least there won't be any complications," Andrew added. "Not with Chelani watching the healing process."

"When are they coming in?" Ian asked.

"Later this afternoon," Cassie told him. "Mom is planning on meeting them at the base. Your mom is coming with them. Your dad will be in tomorrow."

"That's a lot of VIPs for one lowly Colonel's birthday…" River said.

"That's Lowly Colonel Sir, Major Hayden" Shawn told him with a scowl.

"Yes, Sir, Lowly Colonel Sir," River told him, shooting off a salute that ended with an extended finger.

"That's better."

"You guys are pathetic," Ian told them, shaking his head in amusement. Jasmine chose that moment to come over and put her head in his lap, and he rubbed her face and ears more than willingly. "Poor Jasmine, forced to put up with Shawn all the time…"

"You put up with River," Andrew pointed out.

"I can always send him on some mission to get him out of my hair, though," Ian said, still loving up the black lab. "If Jasmine had any sense at all, she'd pack her bags and beg me to take her to Atlantis."

"Because there's so much grass there…" Shawn said, sarcastically.

"One of the reasons we don't have a dog," Cassie said, putting Alex down on a blanket on the floor so the baby could crawl around and check out the new surroundings he found himself in. Jasmine immediately pulled away from Ian's hands and went to sniff the baby, who grabbed a handful of jet black fur and giggled when Jasmine whuffled his face. "Despite constant pressure from the twins."

"And a few scientists," River added.

"You should have some dogs on Atlantis," Shawn told him. "It'd be good for security. And morale."

"There's nothing wrong with the morale on Atlantis," Ian said. "And stepping in dog crap in the hallway isn't something I'd be looking forward to."

"We thought about it," Cassie told them. "But it wouldn't be fair to the dogs. There really isn't any place for them to run – except at the mainland, and that's a fair ways to go to give them exercise."

Andrew shrugged.

"We could probably figure something out…"

"We'll see," Ian said.

Which made Andrew smile. And that made Ian scowl.

"What?"

"You sound just like my dad when he doesn't want to really do something but he wants to change the subject…"

Cassie smiled, but Ian just rolled his eyes.

"Do me a favor, will you? Don't bring that subject up with the boys in earshot. I don't want them harping on me about it until I have a chance to think about it a bit more – and discuss it with some people."

"Sure."