Hi folks. Here is chapter 4. Tried to upload yesterday but it wouldn't work, does anyone know if there are any problems on the site? Anyway, assuming you are reading this I hope you enjoy. Thanks to those who have reviewed and story alerted. It really encourages me. A small scene for you today but more tomorrow.

Chapter 4

July 4 dawned clear and bright in Washington DC. The hotel restaurant was filled with families keen for the day to start. The military and scientific personnel from the SGC had all been asked to march and so there was a wide variety of excited adults, not to mention their partners and offspring.

The O'Neills came down to breakfast and chose a table in the middle of the room. Jack sat down with Dan whilst Sam took the two older kids to get their plates filled from the buffet breakfast bar. Grace was so excited about the day's events that she could hardly decide what to eat. She was just tall enough to see into the cabinet where there was a wide selection of pastries, fruit and cereals, and was standing there, almost jumping with excitement, trying to decide what she wanted. Then a tall waiter in white passed with a plate piled high with a huge cooked breakfast and Sam watched as Grace's eyes followed the man to the far side of the room, her pupils expanding and her tongue licking her lips.

Sam had to giggle. "Sweetie, do you want a cooked breakfast?"

"Huh," Grace replied, her eyes never leaving the man to whom the breakfast had been delivered as he began to eat from the plate heaped with food.

"Tis rude to stare, Gwace," Jake scolded his big sister.

"Mommy, Grace would like sausages, please." The blonde pigtails swished as she looked back to her mom and gave her the famous O'Neill puppy-dog eyes that Grace did so well.

"Okay, Baby, you go and sit with Daddy and he'll order what you want. This is a special occasion, after all." Grace went back to the table and Sam swore she could hear the orders being given out by the smallest commander in the building.

"Right, Jake, what would you like?"

"Mmmm... Cripsies!" he said definitively, pronouncing the cereal wrongly.

"Okay, let's get some food for us… You know that once your daddy hears Grace is having sausages…"

"He wants, too," Jake finished.

"Yup." Sam got some cereal for Jake, and a yoghurt and some fruit for herself and for Dan. On a whim she grabbed a couple of muffins, just as a treat. Dan spotted the muffins when they got back to the table and held his arms up for his mom. Sam sat down and took Dan onto her lap and set a yoghurt down in front of him with a spoon, putting the muffins down out of the reach of not only the three kids but her husband as well, smiling at Jack's crestfallen expression.

Breakfast was a fun time with Grace dealing with sausages and tomato ketchup, which obviously meant that her T-shirt ended up covered in red sauce. Jack wasn't much better and would also need a change of clothes, as would Dan who had yoghurt down his front. Jake and Sam were the only two who'd managed to eat without getting any of their breakfast on their tops.

Just as they were getting ready to leave Teal'c entered the room and moved swiftly to stand in front of Sam. "SamanthaO'Neill, there is a phone message for you. You are to contact the SGC immediately. It is an emergency." Teal'c's monotone voice was enough to increase the tension at the tables around the O'Neills and, although Sam knew it was fake, her adrenalin started pumping as if there were a real crisis.

Sam started to stand up and handed Dan to Jack. As Jack grabbed Dan the yoghurt on Dan's front was then added to the tomato sauce already on his shirt and Jack grimaced as Dan started giggling and running his finger through the mess.

As Sam was rising to her feet she was stopped. "What 'bout the 'prade, Mommy?" Jake's little voice could be heard across the room. He was as desperate as Grace to see it and he wanted Sam to be there.

"It's okay, Honey, you go with Daddy and I'll meet you there." Sam moved around the table, giving them all a hug and a kiss. She then turned and spoke aloud to the others in the room. "Just continue with your breakfast. I'm sure this will just be a problem with the requisitions or something. I'll join you all at the parade."

As she passed Grace, Grace grabbed hold of her hand. "Want you to come, Mommy." Grace had the look on her face that made Sam want to move mountains for her. She was almost at the point of giving in but she was sure they'd like the surprise.

"C'mon kids, let's go and find the Dixon clan and go for a swim like we planned," Jack tried to cajole the kids, mainly because he could see Sam wavering.

Jake, now kneeling on his seat, spoke very solemnly. "Okay, but you's got to promise to come, Mommy."

"Yeah, pinkie promise," Grace piped up, waving both her pinkies in the air.

"I promise," Sam said, moving away from the table. "Pinkie promise." She waved her hand. "See you later," she directed to Jack and blew him a kiss. Jack just nodded in reply. He watched her leave the room and cross the lobby of the hotel. He gathered the kids and followed her path at a more sedate pace.

By this time the lobby was filling up with SGC members decked out in their finery and many nodded to Jack as a form of respect. Some even returned the salutes that Grace was giving them, smiling at how cute she looked. After a few minutes of pretending to be a high ranking officer, Grace got bored. She pulled on Jack's arm. "Let's go, Daddy! Swimming, 'member?"

The rest of the morning was spent with Jack getting wetter than he'd planned - again - and then having the real issue of having to dress three children on his own. Finally, they were all decked out in their finery. Jack had on his dress blues and Grace looked lovely in her sky-blue dress with the air force logo sewn on the sleeve, as she had requested. Jake had been put into a very nice shirt and trouser outfit, although the clip-on tie already looked crooked and was unlikely to survive the afternoon. Jack was very pleased that Dan was content to wear anything and had happily made bubbles with his mouth as Jack had picked out the first Onesies he'd come across and had then put a sweater on top that hadn't really matched. By the time Jack had checked and rechecked the diaper bag for the fourth time it was time to go. On picking up Dan in his seat and putting the diaper bag on his shoulder, Jack was happy to remember that he only had to walk to the front door of the hotel; any further and he was sure his knees would give out and he would be guaranteed to lose one or both of his eldest children.