Following only a few minutes behind Daniel, Jack knew deep down that he should not be following Sam, but it was partly because he could not stand the crowd of people downstairs and partly because he simply felt the need to be with her. They had not discussed how their lives would now need to adapt – she had moved into what was now their bedroom and Cassie had been sleeping in Sam's old room. Although Jack could hear the teenager's nightmares and tears during the night. It was normally Sam that went to her, whilst Jack would then go and watch Daniella. Occasionally, Cassie's cries had awakened Daniella, but usually Jack just wanted to watch her sleeping peacefully. So often, he had turned to Daniella as his only source of something good in the world and Jack hated the fact that she was the only thing that could make him forget about the pain at the moment.
No one had fully moved into their new rooms, Cassie's entire life needed boxing up – along with all of Janet's – and there was certainly no rush. They had brought over the essentials that Cassie needed and Sam had moved the same essentials. Jack was confident that Sam would be fully moved out of her old room long before Cassie fully moved in.
Through all the loss the SGC had endured, the men that had fought alongside Jack at any point in his career, he was not sure he could pinpoint anything as heart-breaking as Janet's death other than his own son's. If he were truthful to himself, the reason that he watched Daniella now was because Janet's death seemed to make him think a great deal more about Charlie. He and Cassie would have been similar ages and it scared Jack to think that he was going to be responsible for a teenager.
Thankfully he had Sam, who in public and when Cassie needed it, put her own feelings aside to be the strong one. Unfortunately, in private it was a different matter as she seemed convinced that she had no idea how to deal with what was happening, she was spending even less time with Daniella and needing a lie down was becoming a greater and greater need. It worried Jack that she had still not opened up about her Osiris issues and now her best friend was dead, but he could not question her over it because she would then raise questions about her forgotten memories, even in her time of mourning.
Hearing muffled sobs from one of the rooms of his house, Jack moved towards the door to Sasha's room and listened at the door. She was probably the most neglected of all the women in his home; Jack could not remember asking her how she was at all since Janet's death. Softly knocking on the door, Jack entered when he heard a muffled sentence. Sasha was sitting on the edge of her bed, facing the door. Her face was a red, puffy, tear stained mess and Jack instantly saw a similarity between her, his own daughter and Sam. Without a thought or regard for his position as her boss, Jack moved to sit next to her and brought her into a hug, allowing her to cry on his shoulder. With one hand on her shoulder, his free hand sat uncomfortably on his own lap as he realised that perhaps he should not be so friendly with his employee.
It was she that broke away from him. "Sorry."
"What for?"
"You don't pay me to cry."
"You're allowed to cry. You knew Janet, too."
Turning to stare out of the window, Sasha shook her head. "You're my… You shouldn't be seeing me like this." Sniffing, Sasha then continued. "I just don't understand."
"What?"
"How life's supposed to continue without her? She was such a huge part of everything here. What happens with her gone? I mean, how do people move on?"
"Time."
"Cassie's a wreck and Daniella… She's not even going to remember her."
"We'll tell her all about Auntie Janet."
"Maybe that isn't good enough!" Sasha snapped, standing up. "I'm sorry," she apologised. "I have to get some air. When things have calmed down, can I get some leave?"
"Of course, I'll discuss it with Sam in a few days." Nodding, Sasha moved past Jack and out of the room leaving Jack alone and wondering how he was supposed to deal with four women in his house. Maybe he would ask Teal'c to move in for a while, just to balance things out.