Sam was going to the Airport to pick up her brother and his family. If Jack had come too there wouldn't be enough seats for all in the car. He was called in by Reynolds early this morning because an ally showed up who only wanted to talk to him, because Jack was the one who made the initial contact and led the negotiations. Sam only hoped it wouldn't take all day.
"Aunt Sam!!" a little girl came running screaming with joy.
"Lisa!" Sam picked the little girl up and swirled her around.
"Sam, hi!" her sister in law greeted her, "you shouldn't lift so heavily in your condition. This little girl doesn't look like it, but she's gained a lot of weight since you saw her the last time." with that said she pulled her into a warm hug.
"Penny! No, that's all right, she's not that heavy."
"Hey Sis, you're looking good." Mark greeted her with a kiss to her cheek.
"Hey Mark, thanks. You too! And wow, that can't be David! He was little the last time I saw him and now, look at you."
"Hi aunt Sam, yeah well you haven't been visiting for a long time. I'm a teenager now." He told her proud.
"I can see that." Sam smiled at them all, glad they made it. "So, should I drop you off at your hotel first or do you want to come home with me straight away?"
"I think we're coming with you. We can still check in at our hotel later on."
"Great, then let's head home. Jack was called into the base this morning, but it shouldn't take long. He'll pick up Cassandra on his way back so you can meet them both."
"Called in?" Mark asked, astonished. "I thought he was retired."
"Yes he is. Doesn't mean he'll no longer set foot on the base. Our base commander is pretty new in the job, although he was 2IC for quite some time now, leading the facility is a whole different story and Jack promised him to help adjust in his new role. I know what you're probably trying to say, but believe me I'm much more of a workaholic than Jack is. If he really had to decide between duty and family he would pick his family, he had learned this the hard way."
"Ok, ok, I believe you. As long as you're happy Sam, that's all I want."
When they arrived home Sam's vintage Volvo was already parked in the driveway. That means her two favorite people are home. She needed to take Jack's car to pick up her family because hers isn't big enough for five people. Jack knew what a big deal it was for Sam to lend him her baby. He was proud that she trusted him enough with her car, this was a big deal for Samantha Carter. And because he knew this, he would never complain about the comfort and his bad knee in the tiny car.
Cassie came out of the front door to greet everyone.
"Hi, can I help you with anything, Sam?"
"Hi honey, no, we'll leave the luggage in the car because I'll drive them over to their hotel later. Everyone, this is Cassandra Fraiser, our surrogate daughter. Cassie, this is my brother Mark, his wife Penny and the kids Lisa and David!"
"Hello, it's so nice to meet you all. I've heard so much about you."
She shook hands with all of them until she reached Mark, he hugged her tightly. Claiming that if he was an uncle it was his right to embrace his niece.
"Come on in, Jack's in the backyard firing up the grill. Anyone up for hot dogs? We figured something quick and easy would be the best for lunch. And don't worry Sam, I made a salad as well."
The moment they all gathered in the hallway Jack came back in through the back door, a towel in his hands whipping away the ash from his fingers.
"Oh hi, there you are!" He crossed the room to give Sam a kiss and motioned for the rest of the family to join him in the living room.
Well aware that he was checked out by Mark he held out his hand to greet him.
"Hey Mark, I'm Jack. We've briefly met at your dad's funeral, but I can imagine you don't remember."
"Hello Jack, oh I do remember the man supporting my little sister through this time. Thanks for that anyway. This is Penny, my wife. And those two are David and Lisa."
"Hello Penny." He shook her hand. "Hey David, hi Lisa." The kids received a high five.
"Are you going to be our uncle once you marry aunt Sam?" Lisa asked curiously.
"That I'm going to be. And I'll tell you what, Sam is having a baby and that means you're going to be a cousin soon."
Lisa's eyes grew wide and she smiled at Sam, "That true, Sam?"
"Yes, that's true Lisa." Sam smiled and Lisa looked at Sam's belly carefully and saw the little baby bump.
"You want to come outside? It's such a lovely day and the grill is running. I just need to finish setting the table, but you can take a seat already."
"The table is set, Jack!" The voice of Cassie came from the kitchen.
"Perfect, so what do you want to drink?"
He shooed Sam out to keep her family company while he and Cass prepared the drinks.
"I would say that went well, Dad. Nobody tried to kill you so far." Cassie jokes.
"Well thank you kiddo. It's always great to see how much trust you have in me. You're up for a little water gun fight later? We could keep the kids busy so that Sam can have a chat with her brother and sister in law."
"Of course, but maybe she wants you there with her. I could easily take them alone. I'll just yell when I need help."
"Deal."
Lunch was a quiet affair as everyone was hungry and busy with eating. When Sam stood up to clear away the dishes Cassie was up before her and told her to relax.
"That's very kind Cass, but I'm just pregnant no invalid. I can help clear the table." she turned towards the adults, "Coffee?"
"Yes please." came from everyone in unison.
"Jack, can Lisa and I play in your yard for a bit?" David asked, a bit shy.
"Yeah of course you can. In the shed should be a football, a baseball with gloves, hockey sticks and later you can talk Cassie into a water gun fight if you want."
"Thanks! Come on Lisa, let's have a look."
"Wow, that's an impressive collection of sports toys for an Air Force General." Mark tried to start a conversation with his future brother in law.
"Well, some of the things are older, I have them for quite some time now and others I bought when Cassie was younger. She stayed with me a lot when her mother was on duty and I was home."
"She's a wonderful girl." Penny said.
"Yes! Yes, she is. She has gone through a lot in her life and despite all the loss she became an impressive woman who is now studying medicine to follow her mother's steps."
At that moment the girls came out with the coffee. Sam took her seat next to Jack and placed her hand on his thighs while he put his arm around her.
Cassie was looking for David and Lisa. "Oh, I see they found my football, I'll go and play with them."
The adults drank their coffee and Mark leaned back to take a look around.
"That's a very beautiful house, Jack. I can see why my sister didn't hesitate to move in here."
"Thanks, I bought it right after my divorce. I've been living here for about 9 years now. And finally I don't have to live here alone anymore." Sam smiled and kissed him.
Seeing his sister sharing affection so openly told Mark that she was really happy. Never before had he seen her this relaxed in a relationship.
"So, you were married before?"
"Mark!" Sam tried to stop him because she knew this wasn't a topic Jack liked to talk about.
"It's ok, Sam. I'm sure your brother has questions. I would wonder if he hadn't. He has a right to get to know the guy who's going to marry his sister." And he turned to Mark and Penny to tell them his story. Even a year ago he would have tried everything to get out of a situation like this, but with Sam by his side it gets easier to talk about his past.
"So, yes I was married once. I met her shortly after highschool, we were happy until our son died. He accidentally shot himself with my weapon. He found it in my wardrobe and although he knew not to touch a gun he did it. That's no excuse and I'll never forgive myself for that. But I can assure you that I will make sure something like this will never happen again. Our child will have the most overprotective Dad in the whole world. After that I went on a suicide mission and came back home alive. I bought the house and retired. A year later I found myself recalled and working on a team with a motivated, eager Captain that was confusing the hell out of me while talking science. I was a goner right then. But for a lot of years I wasn't allowed to express my feelings while being in the same chain of command. We knew about our feelings early on, but duty was important to both of us. And now that it isn't an issue anymore we're finally allowed to be happy together. So, I'm hoping you understand that this isn't a rushed decision from our perspective."
Mark had to swallow at the thought of Jack's son.
"God, Jack. I'm sorry for your loss. That's terrible. But thank you for telling us. In fact, thanks for telling us the whole story. I can't imagine what it's like to be in love for such a long time and not being able to be with the person you love. You both sure deserve to be together at last. If I had known before, I would have never urged Sam to date Pete. Sorry for this. I'm glad you two came to your senses before it would have been too late."
"Me too, Mark!" Jack said with a smirk.
"Uncle Jack!!!! Cassie and David have joined forces to shoot with water at me. Can you come and help me?" Seven years old Lisa shouted through the backyard.
"Of course munchkin, give me that water gun and we'll make them look like drowned rats." He jumped up, kissed Sam quickly on top of her head and ran towards Lisa, grabbing a gun on his way.
"That's not fair Dad!" Cassie whined, "You're taking out bad boys on a daily basis."
"And you two going against one little girl is fair?" He shouted mockingly, "I don't think so."
He motioned Lisa to hide with him behind a bush. David and Cassie were hiding themselves and couldn't see their enemies. Jack creeping up on them he used the element of surprise and came up being them, pouring all the water over their heads. The scream of two and the giggle of one little girl filled the yard. Lisa flew into Jack's arms and they laughed about their two soaking enemies, celebrating their victory.
Penny sat down next to Sam.
"You're a very lucky girl, you know that? Not only that he's incredibly good looking, he has a heart for children and is quite a goofball. I can imagine you have a lot of fun with him."
"Yeah, not sure if it's because he's a goofball or if his brain hasn't aged beyond an eight years old boy." She giggled. "But as funny as he is, he's also very intelligent. He likes people to think that he's not as smart as he really is. And yes, I can't complain about his look. He's very talented with his body, I can tell you he has very talented fingers..."
"Alright!..." Mark interrupted them, "Much more information than I want to have about my brother in law, thank you."
At that moment Jack came up the patio, also soaking wet he got rid of his shirt and leaned over Sam. Trying to get her wet by leaning over her. She laughed and grabbed his wet hair, pulling him closer for a passionate kiss.
"I just go and change into something dry. Penny, do the kids need dry clothes? I like to think the sun is warm enough to dry them."
"Yes, that's ok. I think they're not finished yet either."
Sam leaned back in her chair and placed her hand carefully on her abdomen. Closing her eyes she enjoyed the warmth of the sun on her face.
Her brother was watching her, thinking that he had never seen his sister this happy since their mothers death.
They spend the rest of the day outside, talking, eating and drinking. As the sun went down Cassie volunteered to drive them to their hotel. They agreed to come back tomorrow to help set up the tables and everything that was needed for their wedding party.
Daniel and Teal'c were also there the next day. All together they put up a party tent and set the tables. The girls were responsible for the decoration. Nothing much, but they hung up some lights and put flowers onto the tables. Initially Jack wanted to grill himself because this wasn't planned as a big wedding, but they found a caterer and agreed they could enjoy the day more while not doing everything on their own. The little bakery would deliver the wedding cake in the morning and neither Sam nor Jack could think about the cake without thinking about their cake testing.
The night before the wedding when everything was set up and Cassie already went to her room Sam and Jack climbed up to the deck on the roof, cuddling up together in front of the telescope, snuggled up in warm blankets to watch the stars. Both looking forward to getting married tomorrow.
