THE HERE AND NOW

CHAPTER III

- NOW -

"Janet?"

"Yes Daniel?"

" Jack won't be able to pick April and I was wondering if you wanted to come pick her up with me. Maybe well see Sam."

Lame, yeah he was all shy and dum when it came to asking or flirting but she found it adorable and fun to watch. As she noded she went and straigthened her office, her mind wondering what to say in case they did infact meet Sam at the school. Looking at Daniel she knew he was wondering the same thing and knew that he had come up with the same answear as she had. What do you say to a person you havent seen in five years?

In truth Janet and daniel were hesitant to aproach Sam. Five long years and not so much as a blip from her. She wanted to keep away and now they were in odds ends as how to act with her. Jack was playing the odd man out as if he didnt even care if she were back. To him she was just another person whom he used to know.

School was not fun at all and by the look on young April's face she had gotten to a pretty rough start, but she was holding back tears and was just pouting and clenching her fist. Janet smiled and Daniel groaned. The girl has taken way to many lessons from Jack and was acting strong. Bending down to pick her up Daniel smoothed her hair and she sniffed a couple of times.

" Rough day, kid?"

She nodeed and Janet took her from Daniel who was currently triying to cheer the girl up. From a distance a blond woman smiled and remembered the old days and her friends. They were a bit older now but they were the same guys she had befriended and left behind, her mind told her and she frowned.

" Mom!"

" Hey aron how was your... w-what happened to your eye?"

" A girl punched me."

" A girl punched you?"

" I wasnt doing anything wrong."

She knew her son better than that and by the look on the aproaching teacher's face she was going to get one ear full of and she did. Aron had made friends quick enough. Too bad they were the girl picking kind of kids. Sam frowned and gave the look to her son who just looked down at his shoes.

" But it looks like young Mr. Shanahan bit off more than he could chew."

" So the girl punched him?"

" When he pulled her pig tail the girl defended herself. She was punished and given a time out as was Aron. I expect this wont happen again."

" No. I'm sorry ma'am."

" Good. Now if you'll excuse me, I see Mr. O'Neill over there."

She turned and ture to the woman's words Jack O'Neill was walking towards Daniel and Janet with a huge smile on his face. She smiled and saw April run towards him jumping to his arms. Jack gave Daniel and Janet his usual explain what's wrong look and then paniced when he saw the teacher, Mrs. Nobak head of dicipline, aproach him.

" Thats the girl that hit me mom."

" Were you being mean to her?"

" Yes... I'm sorry its just that the other boys said that."

" We'll talk about this when your father gets home."

Three hours later and they were all sitting on the family room. Much to Sam's suprise and annoyance Pete had reacted badly to the situationand. Was more mad at Aron for getting a black eye from a girl. Sam glared at him and he smiled sligthly embarrased but still pretty much bothered by that fact his son was not the figther type. More of a brain kind than any thing. He knew he had taken on Sam's brain and not his brawn.

" I don't want you to hang out with this other kid, ok Aron?"

" But he's the only friend I got."

" Aron a friend wouldn't get you in trouble. This other boy is not your friend, honey."

The boy seemed to understand and as the discussion rang out so did the door bell. Sam walked towards the front door and opened it. she was taken back by the sight of Jack O'Neill standing there with a little girl beside him and by the looks of it, he was just as stuned as she was. He looked towards his daugther who just raised an eye brow in confusion.

" Ah... I think I have the wrong house."

" Mom who..."

" Its' the right house dad."

" Ah ok… well young lady what did you want to say to them?"

Pete came up behind Sam and saw the man. He was suprised but then looked down at the little girl who was frowning and with Jack's words he knew she had been the one who had punched his kid's lights out.

" I'm sorry I punched you."

" And?"

" Aww Dad!"

" April what did we talk about?"

" Ok, ok, I'm sorry I punched you and here."

She handed a small paistry box to Aron who smiled and nodeed. Sam taped her foot on the floor and Aron knew what his mother wanted him to do now and he was feeling like a jerk for picking on the girl.

" I'm sorry too and I was being dumb."

" Ok then. Ah thanks for coming all the way out here."

Pete's words were un notice by Sam. Jack just shock his head and smiled. Pete had not changed one bit. Too bad though, he tought married life would change him. Aperently he was wrong.

" Think nothing of it."

" It was a suprise to see you colonel."

" General."

Sam smiled and he just smirked and lifted his eye brows. Pete turned to the girl who was hugging Jack's leg. He smiled and turned towards Jack who just raised his shoulders. After a small conversation and a small no thank you I have dinner plans, he declined the invitation for coffee. One of his reasons, he was just to tired and Sam was way too unconfortable. He could still read her like a book and even if she had agreed to coffee he knew she wasn't all that trilled about it.

Sam was no fool and thanked the Gods all the none false ones that Jack had understood and left. This bothered her a lot. Why was it so unconfortable to be around Pete and Jack at the same time? It had been five years and it was still akward and weird and now she had to deal with Pete's questions and looks.

In the O'Neill house Janet smiled and looked at the sight of Daniel, Cassie and April studing and doing home work while Jack was helping her clean the dinner plates. He sprayed her with some water and she frowned.

" What was that for?"

" A little help."

" Sorry it's weird seeing Daniel triying to teach."

" He has potential and besides Cassy is keeping an eye on him."

" So how was tonight?"

" Turns out the kid April punched out was Carter and Pete's kid. It was akward and weird."

" I bet. I wonder if Pete was angry his son was punched out by a girl. You know how parents are."

Jack smirked and Janet punched him on the arm while he chukled he wasn't happy that April had punched out another kid, but when he heard the reason he was proud of her. After all, she was an O'Neill now and O'Neill was no push over.

" You were proud of her weren't you?"

" Yes I was. I know I shouldn't, but I felt proud."

" I know what you mean. When cassy punched a guy out I felt a sence of pride and well it wasn't a good thing but I was glad she could defend herself."

Janet smiled and both of them laughed. This was weird, but in a good kind of way. Whoever tought that the two of them would some day be talking about their daugthers to one another and be washing dishes together. Things had changed between them, things had changed for all of them over the last couple of years.

When the morning came SG-1 was ready to start the day. As usual in their gatherings, they did an old fashion bbq courtesy of O'Neill .

"Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaadddddddddd!"

" What?"

" Can I have a soda?"

" No!"

His friends cringed at the yelling and Jack just smiled. Bad habits that's what April had been getting from Jack.

" Yelling Jack?"

" What? Is easier right?"

" I do not think so O'Neill."

Teal'c shock his head and the others laughed. Cassy was inside the house with April who just smiled up at her while she tried to adjust her hearing and grimaced when she saw the girl was ready to scream again.

" No, no, why dont we just wait until I get my hearing back ok?"

" Ah, you're no fun."

One thing they wished that April would take less of Jack O'Neill was his sence of humor and sarcastic wit. They already had a mini Jack runing around, they didn't need a female version of him to add to the collection. Getting their stuff ready they headed out towards the bbq area and began to set the whole place up.

This was what Jack O'Neill enjoyed the most out of his gatherings. Good friends and a lot of food with beer and to relax. Ah if only the SGC gathering wasn't a month away he would have fun, real fun messing around with walter and siler getting chloe to blush and fledger jelaouse. Ah good times only 30 more days to go.

" Ok so what it'll be people, chiken or steak?"

" There's chiken?"

" Janet's idea."

" April isn't ready to eat a half pound steak Jack."

" Yes I am."

" Young lady didn't I treat you for a tummy ache last week for that same reason?"

April pouted and crossed her arms. She had tried her hand at eating, but it was to much. The group laughed at the young O'Neill and Teal'c patted her on the back making the little girl smile up at him. A few minutes later Jack knew there was something on the other's mind and knew what that something was. Jack O'Neill was no fool.

He knew Sam's reapearance has stirred the pot as it were and now Janet and Daniel were the ones who were struggling with what this meant. It was a shame really, he knew that if it weren't for the blonde girl that had come back they would be enjoying themselves and he nedeed to talk about it or else they were going to be struggling with it for a while.

" Ok so what's on your minds?"

" Huh?"

" Oh come on, I know that Sam is on every one's minds!"

" Well you have to admit it's kind of weird and well akward… I dont know."

" I do not understand why this is such a problem for your Daniel Jackson."

" It's not Teal'c. Is just… well, she was one of our best friends and when she left…"

" That is my point Daniel Jackson. She chose to leave and not include us in her life. It is clear that her intentions were to exclude us of her life."

Janet frowned and Jack raised and eye brow. True that was how it had felt but no one had said it out loud and he suspected that Janet's frown was not so much directed at Teal'c but at her old friend's actions. Daniel was considering it while April just chewed happily and looked at the adults. Cassi was the one who stood up and slamed her fist down on the table.

" As far as I'm concerned, if she didn't want any thing to do with us then I don't want any thing to do with her."

Before they could say or respond to her words and actions she was off stroming into Jack's house. Jack looked at Janet who shook her head and took a deep breath. April looked at her dad who smiled at her.

" Why is Cassi so mad?"

" Is a teenager thing kid."

" Ah."

The others glared at Jack who smiled and chukled while Janet tried to hold back her smile and Daniel just shock his head. Jack knew how to incert humor into any situation no matter how tense or uncofortable it was. He went inside for a beer and to talk to Cassy who was currently sitting on his couch watching tv as if nothing had happened.

" You ok?"

" No."

" Oh? How come?"

" It's just ...just because she is back dosen't... she left us and now is it wrong for me to hate her?"

" Well Cass, I know she hurt you but you can't hate her because she wanted a life of her own."

" You didn't leave us."

" That was diferent."

" No it isn't. I've seen you Jack."

He frowned and shock his head. True he had ended relationships because they didn't quite understand how he can be so devoted to his job or his friends, but it wasn't the same. He just wished he could explain that to Cassie.

" Remember when I called you?"

" Huh?"

" After prom was over and the boy who had taken me had dumped me because I didn't put out... I was so alone and I just called you and you droped everything and came."

" Hey."

" She dumped you because you cared about some brat more than you cared about her."

" How did…"

" I was outside when she left... after that I just left."

" Cass I'm sorry you had to hear that."

" I'm not."

" Huh?"

" You never left me and she did Jack. She left me."

Jack closed his eyes and huged her. Cassie saw Sam as a second mother next to Janet and when Sam had left them, Cassy was the one who had been hurt the most and Jack couldnt even beging to understand how betrayed the girl felt. Taking a deep breath he wished for the first time in a while that Sam hadn't come back to Colorado Springs.

Janet watched from the outside and closed her eyes. She had felt betrayed also. When she had found out she was mad, angry and had decided to never want to see Sam ever again after what she had done. She didnt know if she could ever truly see her the same way again.