Hey! I went an extra chapter of the 40 I said they would be… But, if you are here, thank you so much for staying around.

Enjoy!

M.

Chapter 41.

"General?" Amelia's voice came over the line.

"Yup?"

"Someone from social services to see you?" Jack sighed pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Send her in." He growled, certainly one face to face meeting with Miss Kelly was the last thing he needed. He was already grumpy with having dealt with SG-15 losing equipment. How could four people forget to bring back stuff they carried with them before was beyond his understanding. Sure, the explanation was the least of his issues when the equipment left behind was worth more than the cost of using the gate. He could've lived without hearing or giving that explanation to any one else… ever.

Alas, returning to the situation at hand, he was sure the whole thing was behind them since the last time they had faced the dreaded woman. A month and a half passed since their anniversary, and they hadn't heard anything from her or social services, and they thought they had finally put a close into their not existing issue and left them be.

As the window in his door darkened with the figure coming closer, he closed his eyes and inhaled remembering Daniel's warning about the chance his past was dug out. But for Naysa, he didn't care; he was ready. For sure, what he wanted more than everything was to know without a shade of doubt that everything was back to normal and he could relish in the knowledge that both his wife and daughter were waiting for him back home.

"You are not Miss Kelly," was the first thing that left his mouth before he could avoid it. The man who was looking at him was certainly not the woman who had accused him nor the person he expected.

"I'm not. I'm Micheal Grant," Jack frowned.

"Well, Mister Grant what can I do for you?" He asked pretending to be in control.

"General O'Neill, I'm…" he chuckled, "I'm here to apologize on behalf of Social Services." Jack raised an eyebrow surprised. "It had come to our attention that Miss Kelly had a difficult upbringing and that made her especially susceptible to the image that was described the day the complaint against you arrived at our offices."

"Okay, well. I understand why they called you. My family wasn't at their best look… They still aren't," Jack grimaced. "But I wasn't the cause of it. If they asked my wife, she would've explained."

"We know, General. We also know the real facts behind the accident which took your son's life." Jack grimaced not too sure if it was because of how that could look for his cause. Or for the fact that whenever the word accident and son were in the same expression, he got to relive that day all over again, he shook his head trying not to chuckle at his previous pep-talk in which Jack told himself he was ready for it.

"General, we, in social services, understand how deeply something like that can affect one, but we also know that for someone who cared and had gone through that experience, repeating it, is the last thing you want."

"Yes." He added tight-lipped.

"Well, I'm not here to put the proverbial finger on the wound, General. As per procedure, we did call your Doctors. Your friend, Daniel Jackson, also provided us with two incredibly blacked out files containing your wife career up to the point in which she was placed as MIA and yours. And even if we aren't quite sure of what is that you do for a living apart from what your military titles say. I must confess that being friends with the President was an excellent helping touch too," he shrugged. "Anyhow, we have reached the agreement that you are not a concern for the Service. For which your case file will be closed."

"That's why you are here? To let me know our case is closed?" Jack asked not believing the guy. He laughed nervously.

"To tell you the truth, General. We usually just call the people, but I wanted to enter the Pentagon. And get to know a hero like yourself."

"Well, thanks… I guess. Do you need me for something else?" He asked not quite knowing how to get rid of the guy now that things were settled. And feeling lighter than he had in weeks.

"Ah, no. Thank's General. It was nice to meet you."

"No, thank's to you, Mister Grant. Having that pending issue unresolved was starting to get on my nerves. Don't get me wrong; I survived war zone and tortures that you can't begin to imagine. But the sole idea of losing my daughter to the services scared me more than that. So, thank you, son, for checking the lead and fixing this issue for me."

"It was my pleasure. Ah, good bye."

"Bye!"

He didn't wait for the man to fully leave his office before picking up his phone and waiting for Amelia to do the same.

"General? Should I call your wife? Or the President to stop Social Services to getting to your home?" She asked in concern, and he smiled. He knew his secretary cared for him and his family, but knowing the extent of her concern was touching.

"No, well, yes I do need the President and Daniel, but only to thank them. But, Amelia, I don't care who calls, I'm going home."

"Oh, everything is okay then?" She asked with a frown as he hung the comm.

"Yes, Amelia. Everything is fine!" He exclaimed closing his office door. "But I need to tell Sam the good news first… so you will have to pretend you know nothing until I call you later to get those calls going," he finished from the outside door.

"Sure…" he closed the door. "Thing…" Amelia finished shaking her head, and she could see him fishing for his cell phone. He rushed to the station and tapped all his way nervously and completed the distance from his final station to home in a record time.

He parked the car and stood in there looking at their house, his home. He couldn't believe that twenty-seven months ago he dragged himself to the same spot and wanted nothing more to drink everything they had in storage and he remembered sitting in their bathroom with the bathtub filled to the brim just to smell her scented water. He remembered the feeling of the utmost lost, and the despair he felt while telling himself that everything was a dream that she was going to return.

Now, twenty-seven months later, he was getting home. To his family, to Sam and Naysa and he just couldn't bring himself to move, suddenly a bit of fear entered his mind, what if this was nothing but a dream? Something his mind was providing him while he was sitting still in their bathroom smelling her scent.

He rushed to the door and with trembling hands he fought with the key, managing only to drop it to the floor and when he was reaching down to grab it, keeping himself stable by placing a hand on the door… The door opened, and he fell on his knees. And he saw four shoeless feet painted with a bright pink enamel. Ten tiny toes moved closer to him, and soon two little arms enveloped his neck. And soft slobbery lips kissed his cheek.

Sam dropped to her knees when she noticed the status in which Jack was, she didn't know what had happened to bring him to that condition, but Sam was sure as hell she was going to do everything in her hands to get him back to his regular self.

His eyes found hers and his now cold hand touched her skin, and she shivered. She saw his other hand move on Naysa's back, and recognition started to sweep into his expression.

"Sam? Naysa?" He asked in a whisper and Sam caressed his hair.

"Yes, Jack. We are here, and everything is going to be alright." She told him softly, and soon he was hiding his face in the crook of her neck, inhaling deeply. Sam giggled as his nose tickled the soft spot of her neck. A strong cold wind blew through the door and leaves from the nearby tree entered the house, Naysa walked to grab them, and Sam pushed herself out of Jack.

"Come, let's go inside. I'll make all of us a hot cocoa."

"Hot cocoa?"

"Yup, the Doctor called earlier with the results, we are not allergic to cocoa or skim milk and truth to be told I'm dying to have one. I can't believe the Doctor didn't think about an allergic screening of foods before…" she said helping him to get up.

"Yeah, if it wasn't for Cassie and her bread…."

"See, these few extra pounds are all Cassie's fault," she said patting her lower belly, "When I'm looking like a whale due to too much bread then, you know who to blame." He laughed at her and grabbed Naysa placing her in her high chair. "So, is safe to ask what happened?" She bit her lower lip while stirring her pot of hot chocolate.

"I.. umm, well, I freaked out."

"No kidding, Sherlock," she winked and he knew she was trying to keep what could be a tough conversation as light as making cocoa in the kitchen with family could be.

"I was thinking how different coming home today was from … you know, way back…"

"When I went missing?" He nodded, she grimaced.

"You are still here, aren't you? And we are here too, so at the end, it wasn't that bad, right?"

"Well, yes, I was going through that, when … " he sighed. "Remember those days after five when I used to hop by your house just to check you were alive?"

"Yeah, when I used to crash on your couch to keep it real for me…" she acknowledged

"Well, that same fear swept in…"

"You thought you dreamt this."

"Yeah…"

"So, have you woken up?" She smiled.

"I believe so." The phone rung interrupting them, "It must be Amelia, I asked her to get me Hayes and Daniel, but I guess I took too long." He said grabbing the phone, "O'Neill Residence."

"Why did you wanted them?" She asked him frowning.

"Yup, I'm Jack O'Neill…" He said to the phone, then he covered the mic, "Well, A Social Services guy visited me. It turns out I'm free, Naysa's staying with me… With us." Sam's eyes widened, and a huge grin sprayed her face before contorting into a worried one when Jack's eyes widened in shock, and he dropped the phone to the floor. "Shit!" He exclaimed before, grabbing it.

"What's wrong?" Sam asked worried, that kind of reaction only happened when something out of the ordinary happened. "Who's hurt? Do I have something?"

"I …" he puffed, "Well, you have something, Sam…" he added thoughtfully, and he could see her eyes filling once again with tears. And then he broke up in the most beautiful smile she had seen in a long while, "You are pregnant!"

"I'm what?"

"Pregnant, we are going to have a baby!"

"How? I mean, I know how but… I'm" she waved towards her frame which still was many pounds away from her average… "And we… you … "

"Are you trying to imply it isn't mine?" He joked

"Are you serious, Jack?" She asked confused.

"Yup, the Doc said she retook the test four times because she couldn't believe it either. And she then giggled and told me that apparently, I'm not as old as I look. I'm still not sure if that was or wasn't a compliment…" She threw herself into Jack's arms, and he rolled her in the air, Naysa laughed in the back.

"Jack! Put me down! I need to finish the chocolate!" Sam giggled. Happily, Jack placed her slowly on the floor and pecked her lips. "At least now I know why I was craving this," she hummed as she poured the liquid into three cups, completely unable to stop grinning.

They sat enjoying their beverages holding hands and smiling like teenagers, while their daughter mumbled to them about things they didn't quite understand. And that was possibly the best moment of their lives, so far.

"You know, I won't be able to blame Cassie on this…" she added after a while, patting her lower belly softly, his laugh was so wholeheartedly pure that soon they were all laughing together as if there was no care in the world.

The End.