Thanks to those who have read and a special thanks to the one person who has reviewed, its nice when someone takes the time to reveiw. So the group are now in DC. Hope you enjoy.
Chapter 2
The SGC group made quite a sight arriving at the hotel. The two buses pulled up to the front of the luxurious hotel situated right in the centre of Washington, DC. They looked like a typical group of tourists, except for the air force duffel bags that were piling up on the kerb. The parade was taking place the following day and many members of the command were anxious to get to their rooms and to get their uniforms brushed and polished and make sure there were no real surprises waiting in their clothing bags.
Sam and Jack needed to visit the White House as soon as they were settled, so they checked in, grabbed their luggage and the kids, and made their way to their room. They quickly changed into their dress blues and went to find Dave Dixon and his wife, who'd agreed to look after the kids. They left Dave showing Grace and Jake around the massive ornate foyer, whilst little Dan was being cooed over by Dave's wife, Anne, and their oldest child, who at 15 was going through her 'I love babies' phase.
Jack and Sam walked quickly through the foyer out to the waiting car that had come from the White House to pick them up. As they went through the swirling doors and the waiting Sergeant opened the car door for them there was a commotion behind them.
"Daddy!" Grace screamed, rushing out the door and pulling Jake behind her, followed by most of the Dixon family. "We come, too!" she bellowed as she ran past her parents and the Sergeant and jumped into the car, followed by Jake.
"Grace, Mommy and I have to go see the President for an important meeting. This isn't a social visit, so you guys are going to have fun here with the Dixons while we're gone." Jack tried to use logic to begin with.
Grace pouted. "President Henry always let me come. Why can't I meet this one?"
"Grace, this is part of our new jobs. You'll get to meet him tomorrow." Sam tried to reason with her stubborn daughter.
"Ma'am, Sir," the Sergeant quietly got his superior officers' attention. "I was actually to tell you that the children have been invited. The President said so himself. His children would like to meet them. President Hayes talks about them all the time and he wants to see them in action."
"See, Daddy? President Hayes loves me," Grace said smugly as she got herself very comfortable on the seat, her little legs dangling over the edge.
"Grace O'Neill, get out of this car, now!" Jack said sternly. He might allow her to go to the meeting but he would not let her disrespect both him and Sam like that.
At the tone of his father's voice Jake forced Grace to let him go and stepped out of the car. He moved over to Sam and held tightly on to her hand. However, Grace was being obstinate and had now folded her arms and was refusing to move. Jack knew Grace could be very stubborn but, as Sam would attest, he had a degree in stubbornness.
"Grace, if I have to cancel a meeting with the President because of your bad behaviour you will not be allowed to go to the parade tomorrow or do any of the fun things we have planned. Do you understand?" Jack's voice took on a commanding tone and Grace looked up at his face. One look showed her that he wasn't kidding and she sheepishly got out of the car. She stood looking at the ground, awaiting her punishment for disobeying her father.
Jack knelt down to Grace's eye level. "Grace, you and Jake will get to come with us but that was a decision for Mommy and I to make, not you. Now apologise to your mom for being rude."
"Sorry, Mommy," she said, sniffing.
"Good, now apologise to the Sergeant for taking up his time."
"I'm sorry," she said, shuffling her feet on the ground, much like her father would do.
"Right!" Jack clapped his hands. "Let's get in the car. Apparently the President wants to meet the family." He turned and saw Dave's wife still holding Dan.
"You still okay with Dan?" he asked, not desperate to take a baby to the meeting as well.
"Sure, have fun," Anne replied, having heard the whole conversation. She was amazed that Grace was on first-name terms with the previous President.
She and the other Dixons waved as the O'Neills bundled themselves into the car and made the journey from the hotel to the White House. This was the first time Sam had met this President but Jack had had several meetings with him since January to brief him on all things SGC. They were met at the door of the White House by the young President and his family. Grace, fortunately for all, was behaving impeccably. Jake had found a fellow Nintendo DS enthusiast in the President's youngest son and they were soon off to play in the residence under the watchful eye of the Presidential nanny.
Grace joined the adults for the meeting with the President; she always wanted to stay close to Jack after she'd gotten in trouble. She knew her daddy still loved her but just occasionally she needed a little reassurance.
The meeting was, to Jack and Grace, fairly boring, except the point where Sam was officially put in charge of the SGC. Grace burst into applause, embarrassing her parents but amusing the high ranking officers in the room.
As the meeting drew to a close the President came over in front of Grace and her parents. "Well, it's been lovely to meet you all and I'm really looking forward to the parade tomorrow."
Jack was about to thank the President when Grace piped up, "Oh, me too, me too! I is looking forward to the bands and the floats and seeing all the base people. They is going to look 'mazing. I got new clothes to wear, too. Have you got nice things to wear? Do you have a uniform like Mommy and Daddy?"
"Uh... no... I don't have a uniform... sorry."
"Oh." Grace sighed. "Oh, well, Mister President, I thinks you is just as nice as President Henry, though it was sad he had to leave. Didn't he want to live here no more?" She looked up into the tall man's eyes.
"Grace!" Jack quickly snapped a warning, hoping to stop her asking any more inappropriate questions of the Commander in Chief.
However, the President was happy to respond. "Young lady, I think that is the nicest thing anyone has said about me since I came here. And to answer your question, President... ah... Henry loved being here but you can only live here for eight years so he had to leave."
"You mean he got kicked out of his house?" Grace turned to her father, a worried look on her face. "Daddy, is that why he came to visit us at the cabin, 'cause he had no home no more?" Grace was beginning to get anxious at the fate of her friend and unofficial 'Grampa'.
Sam thought she'd better calm Grace down before she got all worked up and caused a scene, so she crouched down to Grace's level and gently took Grace's hands in hers. "Grace, it's okay. Henry and Lynne live back in Kansas. They have a nice house. You spoke to them there a few weeks ago, remember?"
"Oops, sorry, I 'member now," Grace replied sheepishly, beginning to chew her thumb in a sign of nervousness.
Sam gave Grace a quick peck on the cheek and stood back up, putting a hand around her as Grace snuggled into her mom's side.
Once again some of the people in the room were surprised at the familiarity between the O'Neills and the ex-President. The new President merely felt that he wanted to be let into the close SGC circle as well. He, like his predecessor, had a great admiration for the work done by the SGC and because of this the two men had agreed the command staff should be in the parade. Sure, a cover had to be drawn up for the official brochure, but it would all be worth it.
"Well, I'll see you all tomorrow." The President closed the meeting and the officers and O'Neills began to leave.
"Oh, Sam..." the President called out.
"Yes, Sir?"
"Can I have a word for a moment? Nothing serious, Jack. You take Grace to find Jake and Sam will be with you in a minute."
"Okay. C'mon, Grace, Jake might've found cake!" he said with excitement, causing Sam and the President to laugh.
Sam moved back to stand in front of the President.
The President waited until Jack and Grace were out of earshot before turning to Sam. "General... uh... Sam. Do they know about your part in the parade?" he asked a little uncomfortably, glancing over at Grace as she and Jack left the room, waving back at Grace as she turned and waved goodbye to her new friend.
"I spoke to Jack, Sir, after you called. We don't usually have secrets but we haven't told the kids about this. We thought it would be a nice surprise for them."
"How are you going to get away?"
"That part's easy. We'll organise an emergency phone call. It'll work fine. I'm a little ashamed to say the kids are used to it. Maybe now Jack's based in Colorado they won't have to come to the base so often with me." She sighed; being a General, a mom and 'the foremost expert on the Stargate' took its toll.
"Very good. I'll let you have some family time. Like you, I don't imagine I'll get much of that over the next few years," the President finished wryly. Sam saluted then left to go find her family.
Sam moved through the familiar corridors of the West Wing to get to the Residency. Her ID was checked by the Secret Service at the entrance and she was shown in to where the rest of her family were. In fact, she could hear them long before she saw them. There were sounds of cars – well, the computerised versions of cars - some screams and, as she got closer... yup, there it was, the sound of something breaking. The Secret Service officer who had accompanied her quickly ran to the room in question.
Sam got to the door and surveyed the scene: a Playstation could be clearly seen, three children were visible - two of them hers - and there in the middle with a guilty look on his face was her hero, her husband, the two-star General, who, it appeared, had been playing with such great exuberance that a vase had fallen from the table and was now lying in tiny pieces all over the floor.
Sam glared at him. If this turned out to be a valuable antique loaned from some museum or other to the First Family then he was on his own.
"Never mind, Dearie," a voice came from through the connecting door. "It was just a cheap thing I bought in the local store." The nanny - an older, plump woman - walked in with a dustpan and broom to clean up. Sam had to laugh at the idea of Jack being called "Dearie".
"Sorry," Jack said contritely, looking between the old nanny, his now giggling wife and his two children, who were both shaking their heads in disgrace at the antics of their father. Well, there had to be some glitches this weekend or it really would have been too good to be true.
AN: I do enjoy writing all the antics Grace gets up to, hope you have found them funny too.