Reflective Fate I: Division of Fate – Parts 1 to 4

TITLE: Reflective Fate I: Division of Fate

AUTHOR: Jo R.

EMAIL: Joey@Ram32.freeserve.co.uk

CATEGORY: AU (Alternate Universe), S/J UST, S/JR, *fluff*, angst and drama; romance (Kawalsky/Jan, Daniel/Sha’re) hopefully humour and character death.

CONTENT WARNINGS: Character death, Alternate Universe, Sam and Jack.

RATING: PG-15/M for character death and adult themes.

SEASON / SEQUEL: First in the ‘Reflective Fate’ series.

SPOILERS: COTG, Enemy Within, Broca Divide, Emancipation, First Commandment and various other small spoilers for season one through season three.

SUMMARY: Just one of the many paths that could have been chosen.. Continued in ‘Reunion of Fate’.

ARCHIVE: Heliopolis and SJA, Shipperworld. Anywhere else, please ask.

STATUS: Complete. Finally.

DISCLAIMER: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Showtime / Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. This story was written for entertainment purposes only and no money whatsoever has exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the author. Not to be archived without permission. Feedback and constructive criticism most welcome, flames are not.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: I’ve changed some minor things (and some major things) to suit the story. Anyone who would be offended by a mean Sara O’Neill who makes one appearance, skip it. Anyone offended by Sam and Jack romance, read no further. The events of this story will affect the universe we all know and love in a later story. About ¾ of the way through this, I decided I didn’t like it. Let me know if you agree/disagree.

DEDICATION: Tanja, for reading it through and letting me know in no uncertain terms I had to finish it. LM, for reading and beta-ing. And to LM for threatening me so I couldn’t forget about it. The Shipperworld gang, and to everyone on the S/J list and *especially* those who frequent the S/J chat room – and all my online family! Also to the actors, writers and producers and everyone else who makes Stargate SG-1 what it is and who bring the characters alive so we can play with ’em in fics.

~*~

Part One.

~*~

The atmosphere in the briefing room was as relaxed as it could be. The General had yet to join them but they all knew he was only a stone throw away in his office which was adjacent and Colonel Jack O’Neill, the most senior ranking of the officers gathered, was lost in a world of his own. He played idly with the band of solid gold that he wore on his left hand, his brown eyes troubled.

Across the table, Major Charles Kawalsky watched his friend, concern etched on his face as he listened half-heartedly to what his friend and colleague, Major Ferretti, was telling him.

“ Hey, Kawalsky, you still with us?” Ferretti nudged him in the ribs lightly “ You look as far away as Doctor Jackson.”

“ He’s too quiet,” Kawalsky replied in a low voice, not wanting the object of his observations to over-hear. “ Something’s up.”

“ Who? Colonel O’Neill?” Ferretti looked over in the direction of their commanding officer, the man who had led them on their first and last mission through the Stargate and who was about to lead them through once more. “ He’ll be thinking of Charlie.” Ferretti’s voice was also kept low and quiet as the two discreetly watched their friend.

Charlie was Charlie O’Neill, Jack – Colonel O’Neill’s - seven-year-old son. It was a well-known fact that Jack and his son were very close; Charlie was his father’s world. In fact, Jack had taken early retirement a year ago in order to spend time raising his son and laying the ghosts of his past to rest. And Kawalsky, having been a friend of Jack’s for some time now, knew that Charlie was the only reason Jack stayed with his wife, despite their marriage being an unhappy, strained one.

The door swung open and Major General George Hammond entered, immediately prompting the other men in the room to stand and salute.

“ Gentlemen, take your seats.” The General gave them a curt nod and took his place at the head of the conference table as they all took their seats, all but Jack. General Hammond glanced round the room, his eyes falling on an empty chair. “ Where’s Captain Carter?”

“ Just arriving, Sir,” Major Samuels, an assistant to the General and a liaison form the Pentagon, answered almost immediately.

“ Carter?” The name somehow seemed to snap Jack out of his thoughts and he looked at the General enquiringly.

“ I’m assigning Sam Carter to this mission,” General Hammond stated what was already obvious in a tone that dared Jack to argue. Which was exactly what Jack did.

“ I’d prefer to put together my own team, Sir,” Jack responded as politely as he could, reminding himself he was no longer retired, something the uncomfortable dress uniform he wore reminded him of.

The General looked anything but surprised. In fact, to both Kawalsky and Jack, he seemed maybe a little amused? In the blink of an eye, however, his expression changed to one that was commanding and unrelenting. “ Not on this mission, sorry.” To them, he didn’t look very apologetic but neither was in a position to question him on it. “ Carter’s our expert on the Stargate.”

Stifling a defeated sigh, Jack leant over the table to write ‘Carter’ on his notepad. Next to which he scribbled a question mark. “ Where’s he transferring from?”

“ *She* is transferring from the Pentagon.” The voice startled him, not only because of what was said but also because of the unmistakably female pitch. Looking up and straightening, Jack watched as the voice’s owner, a tall and striking blond woman, entered the room and walked over to stand beside the vacant chair next to him. “ I take it you’re Colonel O’Neill.”

Before he could formulate a response, Sam saluted and automatically, he returned it. She gave him a small smile, her blue eyes bright with a child-like enthusiasm Jack rarely saw on anyone other than his son but which he found contagious and more than a little endearing.

“ Captain Samantha Carter reporting, Sir.” She finished her introduction, trying to ignore the warm, fuzzy sensations in the pit of her stomach. So this was Colonel O’Neill, he was almost exactly as she’d expected. A little more handsome in person than in the picture she’d seen but..

“ But of course you go by ‘Sam’,” Kawalsky spoke up, watching the two officers stare evenly at each other, oblivious to the attraction everyone else saw flowing between them like electricity. The air between them was thick with tension, with tension of more than one kind.

At Kawalsky’s comment, Sam chuckled and turned her attention to him, although he noticed Jack’s eyes were still fixated on the young woman. “ You don’t have to worry, Major,” she addressed him. “ I played with dolls when I was a kid.”

“ GI Joe?” Kawalsky asked, taking a liking to her confidence and spark.

“ No,” Sam answered without skipping a beat. “ Major Matt Mason.”

“ Oh.” The retort took him by surprise – especially as he’d never heard the name before and was wondering if she was pulling his leg. He noticed she was looking at him, as if waiting for him to say something more so he turned to Ferretti, who was the only one in the room without a blank expression – the only one except Jack, who was still watching Sam intensely. “ Who?”

“ Major Matt Mason, astronaut doll,” Ferretti grinned, looking to Sam. “ Did you have that cool little backpack that made him fly?”

Sam smiled, ducking her head slightly, knowing her sudden appearance had surprised her new all-male colleagues. General Hammond watched the scene with some amusement, noting mentally that Jack hadn’t spoken for a while, something he gathered was unusual for the usually up-front Colonel. The General’s mood turned sombre when he was reminded of the mission at hand by the small voice of reason within him. “ Let’s get started. Colonel?”

Jack blinked once, shaken from his reverie but not before Kawalsky noticed the guilty flush that crept up his cheeks. “ Thank you.” Jack waited until Sam had taken her seat before continuing. “ Those of you on your first trip through the Stargate, you should be prepared for what to expect.”

Sam’s gaze snapped up to his face, his eyes narrowing slightly as she inwardly groaned. “ I’ve practically memorised your report from the first mission,” she retorted calmly but with an unmistakably cool edge. “ I’d like to think I’ve been preparing for this all my life.”

“ I think what the Colonel is saying is..” Kawalsky cut in, trying to defuse some of the still-present tension in the room. “ Have you ever pulled out of a simulated bombing run in an F-16 at 8-plus G’s?”

“ Yes.” Sam answered instantly, her tone matter-of-factly.

“ Well,” Kawalsky hesitated, taken aback at her reply and the bluntness of it. “ It’s way worse than that,” he recovered quickly.

Ferretti chose this moment to chime in. “ By the time you get to the other side, you’re frozen stiff, like you’ve just been through a blizzard. Naked.”

Again, failing to fall behind as they half expected, Sam responded evenly. “ That’s a result of the compression your molecules undergo during the millisecond required for reconstitution.”

“ Oh, here we go, another scientist. General, please.” Whilst everyone else did a double take at this new side of Sam, Jack got into the game. But even this failed to throw her off track.

“ Theoretical astrophysicist.” She corrected, fighting the urge to give her new CO the sickly sweet smile she usually reserved for the arrogant and sexist officers she came up against in the Air Force.

“ Which means.. ?” Jack stared at her, a blank expression arranging his handsome features.

She was saved from answering but General Hammond himself. “ It means she’s way smarter than you are, Colonel. Especially in matters related to the Stargate.”

At the General’s comment, Kawalsky and Ferretti began to chuckle, obviously amused that he was getting in on the act. Sam bit back a smug smile, feeling a small wave of sympathy wash over her for the Colonel, who threw a glare in the direction of his so-called friends. At his glare, Kawalsky and Ferretti tried to look serious but their eyes still shone with mirth.

“ Colonel,” Sam spoke up, drawing his attention away from his friends and back to her. “ I was studying the Gate technology for two years before Doctor Jackson made it work and before you both went through. I should have gone through then.” A note of bitterness crept into her voice but she did all she could to control it. “ But, sir, you and your *men* might as well accept the fact that I am going through this time.”

Jack noticed the emphasis she put on the word ‘men’ and heard the dangerous edge beneath her words. He was instantly curious, wondering what kind of prejudice she’d come up against but that was another story – hopefully for another time. “ Well, with all due respect, Doctor --”

“ It is appropriate to refer to a person by their rank, not their salutation. Call me ‘Captain,’ not ‘Doctor’.” She cut him off with an insincere smile although he could have sworn he saw a mischievous, challenging glint in the depths of her eyes.

“ Captain Carter’s assignment to this unit is not an option, it’s an order.” General Hammond chimed in, even though he was almost certain neither Jack nor Sam were paying much attention to anyone other than each other.

“ I’m an Air Force officer just like you are, Colonel,” Sam continued, her gaze locked with Jack’s. “ And just because my reproductive organs are on the inside instead of the outside, doesn’t mean I can’t handle whatever you can handle.”

Fighting the urge to either roll his eyes or just stare at her in amazement of her audacity to call him on his apparent sexist behaviour in front of their superior, Jack sat down in his chair, his knees feeling surprisingly weak. “ Oh, this has got nothing to do with you being a woman. I like women. I’ve just got a little problem with scientists.”

“ Colonel, I logged over 100 hours in enemy airspace during the Gulf War. Is that tough enough for you?” She quirked an eyebrow. “ Or are we going to have to arm wrestle?”

If she had been able to look away from him, she would have seen the impressed expressions on the faces of the other officers – Kawalsky and Ferretti in particular. But she missed them because her eyes were locked on Colonel O’Neill. He seemed to be considering her offer of an arm-wrestle and in actual fact, he was considering what her reaction would be if he did take her up on it.

Eventually, after a pause that lasted a lot longer than a few seconds to both Sam and Jack, he shrugged casually. It was enough for her to know the issue had been dropped – for now, anyway.

“ I hate to throw a damper on your enthusiasm..” Major Samuels started talking and the moment was effectively ruined. Kawalsky half-paid attention to what was being said, instead concentrating on the sly looks his friend and the new Captain were sneaking at each other when they thought no one was watching.

He wasn’t sure what it was, but he could see there was something already there between them. Kawalsky knew everyone else saw it and had his suspicions that both Jack and Sam were on some level aware of it. Grinning inwardly, he made a mental pact with himself to do something about it. It had been difficult to watch Jack suffer silently in his unhappy marriage, not knowing how to help him out. But now Kawalsky had an idea, and a plan was starting to form..

*~*

An hour or so later, General Hammond and Major Samuels led the way into the Gateroom. Kawalsky, Jack and Sam followed, suited up in full military gear. Behind them, was the rest of their team, three more soldiers. They all came to a stop just inside the room, all of them turning their attention to the already established wormhole.

“ Try to follow orders this time, Colonel.” General Hammond turned to face them, addressing their CO. Jack gave his CO a mock-innocent look but Sam didn’t notice.

She didn’t even notice there was a conversation taking place, her attention was fixed firmly on the event horizon. She’d read about it, studied the technology and the theory but this was the first time she’d seen it in person. And it was certainly more breathtaking than she had dared to even imagine.

Automatically, without giving it any thought, Sam moved when the rest of the team moved on Jack’s order. She lingered behind at the bottom of the ramp, sensing Jack’s presence beside her, feeling the warmth of his skin even though a few inches of space and the material of their combat shirts came between them. Together, they watched Kawalsky and the others disappear though the event horizon.

Jack gazed at her, feeling an unfamiliar warmth bubble up inside him as he did so. The look of wonder on her face, so innocent, he didn’t think her blue eyes could get any wider. She radiated excitement and nerves, and he couldn’t help but remember the fierce passion she had revealed hints of during their first meeting and hoped he’d get to see that side of her again.

It made him uncomfortable to realise that he was noticing.. things about her as a woman that he, as a married man and as her commanding officer, shouldn’t be noticing. She was an attractive woman, very attractive and very beautiful. Full, soft lips and big, deep blue eyes.. Her eyes, Jack noted, were very expressive and already he felt as though he could drown in them.

<Sara,> he told himself sourly in an attempt to stop his thoughts from taking the direction he knew they were heading in. <Think of Sara.. > Nope, that didn’t help. The image he held in his mind’s eye of his wife faded into one of Samantha Carter, who was – in his mind anyway – smiling sweetly at him, tempting him.. <Charlie, Jack,> the voice at the back of his head shouted. <Think of your son.> A guilty flush stole across his cheeks and he glanced quickly at Sam.

“ Captain?” He bit back a smile at the faraway, wonder-filled expression. The General’s bomb could go off and she wouldn’t notice.

“ Don’t worry, Colonel,” Sam responded softly and slowly. “ I won’t let you down.”

“ Good.” He quickly masked his surprise, that wasn’t what he had been planning to say but it was nice to know. “ I was gonna say “Ladies first”.”

Leaving that to sink in, Jack headed up the ramp, knowing instinctively that she wouldn’t be far behind.

“ You know, you really will like me when you get to know me.” Sam caught up with him and matched his pace, stride for stride.

“ Oh, I adore you already, Captain.” The words were out of his mouth before he’d even thought about them but the more he thought about it, the more he actually believed it was true. Thankfully, however, she seemed to either take his words as being sarcastic or missed them completely, preoccupied by having reached the wormhole.

Her breath caught in her throat as anticipation bubbled up inside of her. This was it, this was really it. She was about to step through the Stargate, into a wormhole! “ My God.. look at this. The energy the Gate must release to create a stable wormhole is-is astronomical, to use exactly the right word.” She was talking to herself, for the most part, and Jack couldn’t help but be amused by her enthusiasm and delighted awe. It was all he could do not to laugh out loud when Sam reached out and hesitantly touched it, the surface rippling like water beneath her gentle touch. “ You can actually see the fluctuations in the event horizon.”

As much as he would have loved to spend more time watching the emotions play across her face, he remembered where they were. His team was on the other side, the General was watching them.. So Jack did what he knew was the only thing that would get her through the Gate without surprising the watching General. He gave her a firm but relatively gentle shove, pushing her into the event horizon before following her through, wiping a grin from his face as he did so.

~*~

After the mission, his respect for her had grown but he still couldn’t keep the grin off his face as he explained what had happened to Kawalsky and Doctor Daniel Jackson. Once he’d told them, Jack began to wish he hadn’t. Kawalsky gave Daniel details on what had taken place in the briefing room when they were first ‘introduced’ and Daniel had decided Kawalsky was right about Sam being a good match for Jack – one that would make him happier than his current situation being ‘stuck’ in a miserable marriage.

The SGC had, by this point, been officially opened as one of the military’s classified projects. Jack was given the position of leading SG-1, with Sam as his second-in-command and Daniel Jackson as their civilian advisor. The fourth member of their team was a Jaffa named Teal’c, who had saved their lives on their first mission through the Stargate to reach Daniel. Kawalsky had been given command of SG-2, and it was when a member of his team was revealed to be possessed by a Goa'uld – the race of alien they had come up against – that the two men decided to push the obvious attraction of their colleagues.

Lieutenant Casey was the unfortunate SG-2 member to become infected. It had occurred whilst they were on Chulak, in the middle of a fight with the Goa’uld so no one had noticed until they had got home.

Whilst under the influence, Casey killed a base doctor and took Sam hostage, attacking her when she tried to escape. This was the event that made Kawalsky and Daniel even more determined to get their friends together, in spite of Jack’s marital status.

They had all become fond of Sam, she was a likeable person. Smart, beautiful and down-to-earth, she was quickly accepted and absorbed into the fold despite her gender. Kawalsky respected her as an officer and began to see her as a little sister as well as a good friend. When another of his team mates had been killed during the first Goa’uld attack on them when they were on Abydos, Sam was the one who came up to him and asked if he was okay. Daniel liked her instantly, and she quickly became a good friend, someone he could talk to about his taken wife, Sha're. She was the sister he had always wanted and already, he cared deeply for her.

Despite this, it was Jack who appeared to be the most affected by her being taken. He was the only one who had put some distance between himself and Sam, seeing her as an officer first and a friend later. Yet, he was the one who’d gone after Casey. When the elevator doors opened and Casey, confused with no recollection of what had happened, had told them that Sam was hurt real bad, Jack was the first one to reach her side. Both Kawalsky and Daniel had seen the panic in his eyes as he carefully lifted the unconscious Captain and carried her to the infirmary.

Throughout her being checked over by Doctor Janet Fraiser, Jack refused to leave her side. He didn’t realise he was acting like someone who cared more deeply about her than he let on until his friends had called him on it later. At the time, all that mattered was that she woke up and he could look into her eyes again, to challenge her on something or another.

The change was subtle, but there. It was noticed by everyone who knew Jack and they all knew the reason behind it, even if he himself didn’t. Very few minded, they were all glad to have their friend’s mood improve 100 %. Even Jack’s son knew why his father’s attitude to life had improved, it had something to do with his new team mate, Sam. When Charlie eventually met Sam for himself, he soon became as enchanted as his father, much to his mother’s disdain. Sara was the only one who wasn’t happy about the improvement, because she saw Sam as the threat she was, even if Sam didn’t know it herself yet.

~*~

Charlie’s first meeting with Sam was carefully orchestrated. Kawalsky and Daniel teamed up with Janet and even Teal’c helped out. The reason they used for planing the group outing was that Teal’c needed to start adjusting to his life on Earth if he was going to fit in, which meant he needed to understand more about the Earth culture he’d so far only heard about. They had already convinced General Hammond that Daniel’s idea of them going out on a picnic was a good one but now they were working on Jack and had the additional problem of getting Kawalsky’s suggestion approved – that Charlie O’Neill should join them.

“ Come on, Jack. It’ll be fun,” Daniel coaxed, looking to Kawalsky for some support. “ It’s a great reason for us all to go out.”

“ And Teal’c hasn’t met Charlie yet,” Kawalsky chimed in, silently adding that neither had Sam. “ It’d be an educational experience for Teal’c to witness father-son bonding on Earth, won’t it, Teal’c?”

The Jaffa, usually so stoic and serious, nodded solemnly. “ I concur, Kawalsky. It would be beneficial to my understanding of your culture if we were to partake in a..”

“ Picnic, Teal’c,” Daniel supplied him with the right word. “ It’s called a picnic.”

The three men, four including Jack, were in his office on base. They had converged there after a meeting with Janet provided some useful information – Sam was curious about Jack’s family, having heard so much from everyone else but so little from Jack himself. They had been trying to convince Jack, having already gained the General’s permission to take Teal’c off base for the day. So far, they hadn’t been successful.

“ Taking Teal’c out is one thing,” Jack protested. “ But having Charlie go, too? I don’t know, there’s only so much Charlie can know about my work and there’s only so much that I want him to know.”

Kawalsky bit back a sigh. It was times like this he could curse his friend’s stubbornness. “ He’ll have the time of his life, Jack. Not only will he have his Dad’s attention all day, he’ll have all of us fussing over him.”

“ Plus Dr. Fraiser and Sam,” Daniel interjected, carefully studying Jack for his reaction to that piece of news.

He arched an eyebrow, looking from Kawalsky to Daniel to Teal’c and back again.

“ Carter and Dr. Fraiser? You managed to rope them in on this?”

“ Actually,” Daniel looked to Kawalsky for approval. The other man nodded and the young archaeologist continued, pushing his dark blond hair from his eyes. “ Dr. Fraiser suggested we all get together off duty. She thinks Sam’s been working too hard on some computer-thing. Or something.”

“ And Sam? She agreed to this?” Jack’s use of her first name slipped no one’s attention but his own.

Kawalsky smothered a grin. “ Oh, yeah. She was a little reluctant at first, but we convinced her it was a good idea. We have to work together.. Well, you guys do. I guess I’m just.. tagging along but still.. She’d love to meet Charlie, too.”

“ She would?” Jack looked up, surprised his 2IC knew about Charlie but also something else – worried? – that it meant she probably knew something about Sara.

“ How much does Carter know about Charlie?”

“ The same amount Charlie knows about Sam,” Daniel spoke up. “ Only what Charlie knows about Sam came from you and what Sam knows about Charlie came from everyone but you.”

Jack’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “ Just what is that supposed to mean?”

“ It means, Jack,” Kawalsky rolled his eyes. “ That you speak about Sam all the time when you’re with Charlie, even if Sara is there. But here, you rarely talk about anything of your life outside the SGC. Sam’s noticed. It’s like you’re putting up a wall, she’s your friend to some extent but you don’t trust her enough to let her be a proper friend. What she knows about Charlie has come from us. She knows how close you are to him and was curious when you never mentioned him to her.”

“ So she asked?” Jack blinked slowly. “ And you guys told her.. What?”

“ She asked about Charlie, not Sara.” Daniel answered softly, somehow knowing what was on his friend’s mind. “ She knows you’re married but isn’t gonna pry. To be honest, I don’t think she wants to know the details of your marriage.”

There was an uncomfortable silence as Jack tried to deny why he was relieved and why it was so important that Sam didn’t learn more about his marriage from anyone but him. Then, as he looked at his friends, at the hopeful laced with guilt expressions Kawalsky and Daniel wore helped the last piece of the puzzle click into place and he saw the picnic idea for what it was. “ When are you guys gonna give up on the match-making thing? It’s not gonna work.” They remained silent, looking more hopeful than guilty now. Jack threw his hands up in frustration. “ I’m married! And even if I wasn’t, what would Sam see in me anyway?” He shot them a look when they opened their mouths to say something. “ Don’t answer that.”

There was another silence, only this time if was a thoughtful one. Teal’c eventually broke the silence, being the first one to speak. “ Do we have your approval, O’Neill?”

Jack looked at him for one long moment, then sighed in defeat. “ Alright, alright. We’ll do it. This Saturday, Sara’s going to stay with her father for the weekend so Charlie can come.”

The two main conspirators high-fived each other as Teal’c looked on. Kawalsky turned to Jack and grinned triumphantly as Daniel tried to explain the concept of high-fiving to his confused alien friend.

~*~

Part Two.

~*~

The sun shone brightly in Colorado when the weekend came around. The gang – SG-1 plus Janet, Charlie and Kawalsky – had arranged to meet at the park at ten. A late change to their plans occurred on Friday night when it was agreed that Sam could bring her nephew and niece, who had been left rather abruptly with her that afternoon. Janet was going to pick them up in her car as Sam’s was in the garage, Kawalsky was getting a ride with Jack and Charlie whilst Daniel and Teal’c would be arriving in another car.

Excited squeals and shrieks greeted the pretty doctor the moment she knocked on the apartment door: “I’ll get it! I’ll get it!” The door swung open to reveal a grinning young boy of about eight years old and a shy-looking girl of about four. The boy had dark hair and green eyes but the girl resembled Sam, with her bright blue eyes and blond hair that was a mass of bouncing curls.

“ Hi,” the little boy spoke first. “ I’m Luke, who are you?”

Janet smiled and bent at the knees so she was on the same eye-level as him. “ Hi, I’m Janet. It’s nice to meet you.” She turned her attention to the little girl who was appraising her curiously, sucking her thumb nervously. “ Hi there, what’s your name?”

The little girl didn’t answer directly. She just giggled and pottered away into the other room, followed closely by her big brother. Still smiling, Janet straightened and stepped further into the apartment, shutting the door behind her. “ Sam? Are you ready to go?”

“ Almost!” Came the muffled reply as Janet walked into the living room, stopping in surprise at seeing her friend’s usually spotless room in such a state of chaos. She looked around for Sam but the other woman was no where in sight. “ I’ll be out in a minute! Make yourself at home!”

Rolling her eyes, Janet sat down on the only section of Sam’s couch not covered in children’s books, toys and clothes and waited patiently. By this time, Luke had turned his attention back to the television and his little sister was no where to be seen. Janet heard childish giggling come from the only room with the door ajar – Sam’s bedroom – and decided there was no cause for concern.

Several moments later, Sam appeared in an outfit similar to Janet’s own – a casual summer dress with a light-weight shirt over it instead of a cardigan like Janet – with the same girl Janet had met earlier in her arms. “ Sorry. We’re running a little late this morning. Luke decided it would be fun if he hid my alarm clock this morning and then Abby here decided to share her bath-time with me.” Sam looked apologetic – not to mention flustered. “ This is Abigail, by the way. Abby, this is Janet. And that’s Luke, but you’ve probably already met him.”

“ Yeah, but I think he got bored with me,” Janet joked with a smile, her brown eyes sparkling. Looking at her friend holding Abigail, she realised they looked a lot more alike that she had first thought. In fact, they looked more like mother and daughter than aunt and niece – especially with the way Abigail had her small arms wrapped around Sam’s neck. “ It’s nice to meet you, Abigail.”

In response, Abigail giggled and buried her face into the crook of Sam’s neck. “ She’s decided to be shy for the morning,” Sam explained. “ By this afternoon, she’ll be your best friend, I’m sure. Now,” she glanced around her living room and cringed at the mess. “ We should really get going before I decide to stay and tidy up. Come on, Luke. Time to go.”

Without so much as a grumble, Luke turned off the television and stood, picking up a bag of things belonging to him and his sister before walking to the front door. Janet looked impressed, amazed at such a well behaved eight-year-old but Sam just smiled, unfazed by her nephew’s behaviour. In less than five minutes, the four of them were settled in Janet’s car and started the short journey towards the park.

As Janet pulled up in the car park, Sam spotted Kawalsky waiting for them. He grinned and waved when he saw them, Janet’s soft sigh as she saw him not escaping Sam’s attention.

“ Hi,” he walked over to them and waited until they were all out of the car before continuing, noticing the two children with them who hovered by Sam. “ Jack and Charlie went ahead to set up the blankets, we’re still waiting for Daniel to show with Teal’c and the food.” Kawalsky looked down on Luke and the boy stared right back up at him. “ You like playing baseball, kid?”

Luke nodded, glancing up at his Aunt Sam as if asking for her permission to speak. “ I play baseball at home.”

“ Well, I think your Aunt’s friend Jack and his son are practising right now. You wanna go and join ’em?” Kawalsky grinned winningly and held out his hand. Shyly, Luke took it and smiled up at him. “ We might as well go ahead and get comfy. Danny and Teal’c will find us when they get here.”

“ Lead the way,” Janet smiled. Sam nodded and lifted Abigail up into her arms when the young girl tugged persistently on her hand.

“ I’m Luke.” Luke spoke up suddenly as they started walking, grinning up at Kawalsky.

“ It’s nice to meet you, Luke.” Kawalsky grinned back. “ You can call me Kawalsky like everyone else or Uncle Charlie, like Jack’s son.”

“ Kawalsky? Is that your name?” Luke frowned a little as he tried to pronounce it, confused. “ It’s a funny name.”

“ It’s my surname,” Kawalsky explained. “ My first name is Charles but that gets too confusing with Jack’s son being called Charlie.”

Luke nodded, acting as though he understood when it was quite obvious to the adults that he didn’t. Kawalsky flashed Sam and Janet another grin over Luke’s head, his eyes falling on the young girl Sam was still holding. “ Am I allowed to know your name or is it classified?”

Abigail giggled and Janet smiled to herself at the soft tone of Kawalsky’s voice he used when addressing the children. It was Luke who answered. “ That’s Abby, my baby sister. She’s shy,” he told Kawalsky with a hint of exasperation, laced with brotherly pride.

Any further conversation was stopped by their arrival at the picnic site. Sam gently set Abigail down and sat next to her, her niece immediately snuggling up against her. Janet took her place next to her friend and the two started a girls-only conversation, leaving it to Kawalsky to introduce Luke to Jack and Charlie.

“ Hey, guys!” Kawalsky called out as he led Luke across the grass to where they were practising catching. “ Sam and Janet are here,” he continued when he was within earshot of Jack. Jack straightened and motioned for his son to join them.

Charlie trotted over to them, his brownish-blond hair falling across his forehead as he did so. He looked at his Uncle Charlie and the newcomer with his father’s eyes, giving them a curious grin that was 100% O’Neill. “ Hi!” He greeted them enthusiastically, turning to Luke. “ I’m Charlie.”

“ I’m Luke,” Luke responded with a shy smile. Jack and Kawalsky remained silent, with Kawalsky watching Jack as Jack looked past him to where the others sat on the blankets.

“ You wanna go play on the swings?” Charlie asked, tilting his head to one side innocently.

“ Yeah!” Luke nodded enthusiastically then paused suddenly, remembering something. “I gotta ask Aunt Sam, though.”

“ Aunt Sam?” Charlie repeated, his eyes bright as he looked knowingly up at his father. “ Your friend Sam, Dad?” Jack nodded in the affirmative, his throat suddenly dry as he wondered why he was all at once overcome with nerves.

Kawalsky watched his friend with interest before addressing the two boys. “ I’m sure it’ll be okay but we’ll go and ask. I told you you’d be meeting a few of your Dad’s friends from work, Charlie. Sam’s one of them.” He flashed Charlie a conspiratorial grin, giving Jack the impression that he was being left out of something. “ Sam’s with Janet, another friend of ours, and Luke’s sister where you set the blankets up.”

They needed no further encouragement. The boys raced off in the direction of the blankets, with Charlie anxious to meet the woman he’d heard so much about, the infamous Sam.

~*~

By the time Jack and Kawalsky reached them, Charlie and Luke were sitting with the women, playing with Abigail, who had decided being shy was no fun.

“ Hi, Sir.” Janet looked up, smiling brightly when she saw the two men approaching. She nudged Sam none-too-gently-nor-subtly in the ribs, earning a slightly embarrassed glare from her friend.

“ Hey, Janet,” Jack grinned a welcome. “ Drop the ‘Sirs’, okay? We’re off-duty. Same goes for you, too, Sam.”

“ Yes, Sir.” Sam quipped with a teasing salute. Jack gave her a mock-glare and sat down, missing the smile that Charlie was struggling to hide. “ Sorry.. Jack.” Abigail crawled over to her and climbed on her lap, giggling at Luke and Charlie as they made faces at her.

“ Janet, Sam, you’ve met Charlie now, I guess,” Kawalsky spoke up, sharing a look with Janet as Sam and Jack continued gazing at each other - and each other only.

“ Charlie, these lovely ladies are Captain Samantha Carter and Doctor Janet Fraiser. Confusingly, Sam’s also a doctor and Janet’s also a Captain – both soon to be Major, no doubt.” Again, Kawalsky and Janet exchanged a look, only this time Janet was blushing. “ And the bundle of giggles Sam is holding is Abigail, Luke’s sister. Abigail, these strange people are Jack and Charlie O’Neill.”

“ Hi,” Abigail giggled, snuggling up against Sam as she did. Sam smiled softly and tightened her arms around her niece.

“ Aunt Sam, can we go play on the swings? Just for a little bit?” Luke gave his Aunt a winning smile – one that reminded her so much of her brother.

Rolling her eyes, Sam smiled and nodded her consent. “ As long as someone keeps an eye on you, I don’t mind.”

Luke pouted. “ I’m eight years old!”

“ That’s my point,” she retorted evenly. “ You’re eight and have your father’s knack of finding trouble no matter how impossible it seems.”

“ Wow,” Kawalsky grinned. “ Could have been talking about Jack and Charlie! Like father, like son .. Oof!” Jack threw the baseball at his friend, hitting him squarely in the stomach. “ Hey!”

The children giggled, Charlie rolling his eyes as he did so and Sam shared an amused look with Janet. The two of them – Sam and Janet – laughed when Jack retaliated to his son’s inherited sarcasm by tickling him. It was a side to their Colonel they weren’t used to, but one that was entirely loveable, particularly from Sam’s point of view.

“ So, swings, anyone?” Kawalsky interrupted the father-son moment with a chuckle. Charlie looked to his father for permission.

“ Go ahead,” Jack gave his son a nod of consent. “ I’ll catch up once my age has done catching up with me.” He grinned winningly at the ladies. “ I know where the term ‘old man’ comes from now.” He was rewarded by a sweet smile from Sam – exactly what he’d been aiming for.

“ I’ll come with you,” Janet volunteered as the boys raced off towards the playground and Kawalsky moved to join them. “ I’m sure Luke didn’t earn his nickname of ‘Mischief’ by being easy to keep an eye on.”

“ Oh, believe me. He earned it,” Sam chuckled. “ He’s worse than Daniel when it comes to bumps and bruises.”

“ Worse than Daniel?” Jack raised an eyebrow in a wryly expression. “ Is that possible?”

Janet bit back a smile at the way her two friends were gazing at each other and decided to put the plan behind the picnic in motion. “ Hey, Abby. You wanna come with us? There’s a slide and a sandbox.. ”

“ Yay!” Abigail wiggled out of Sam’s embrace before turning to give her a thoughtful look. The little girl stood inches away from her Aunt with her hands on her hips in a comical pose. “ Kiss,” she demanded. Sam complied with a smile and Abigail gave her a sloppy kiss. She then allowed Kawalsky to lift her and the three left Sam and Jack alone.

“ Be good!” Sam called after them, her mothering acknowledged by a wave from Janet. She turned in time to see the amused smile playing on her commanding officers lips. “ What?” She narrowed her eyes suspiciously when his smile widened. “ What is it?”

“ Nothing,” Jack chuckled. “ Nothing.. I just never thought it was that easy.”

“ What was?” She looked confused, but as he thought she looked adorable when she was confused, – which was a rare occasion – it only served to increase his amusement of the situation.

His expression turned sly. “ Getting a kiss. From you.” His grin widened again at her blush, it was a rare sight – his second-in-command blushing. “ Never knew it was that easy.”

She smiled sweetly and he noticed the mischievous gleam in the depth of her eyes.

“ It’s that easy for a sweet little girl but not necessarily for an old man.”

He pouted. “ Are you calling me old, Captain?”

“ Of course not, Sir. You said it yourself that you were getting old, I’m just reminding you.” She laughed warmly. “ You should be concerned if your memory’s going, which I think is the case considering you also said we were dropping ranks today, Colonel.”

“ Touché, Cap.. Sam,” he corrected with a smile. They lapsed into a friendly silence, both completely at ease with one another despite the obvious scheming of their friends to get them to this point.

After a few moments, Sam shifted to lie on her back, supporting her head with her hands as she gazed up at the sky. She smiled to herself as she imagined seeing all sorts of different shapes and objects in the clouds that passed over head. Jack watched her, a look of unmistakable tenderness on his face as he shifted, stretching his legs out so he was more comfortable.

It was another ten minutes before either of them broke the silence. “ Your son looks like you.” She spoke without taking her eyes from the sky.

“ Is that a good thing or should I start apologising to him now?” He responded lazily, his eyes still on her face, memorising every feature.

A small smile graced her lips. “ It’s a good thing,” she assured him. “ He adores you, you know. It’s so obvious in the way he looks at you.” She sounded wistful.

“ Abigail and Luke seem to adore you,” he pointed out. “ Abigail especially, she even looks like I imagine you did at her age.”

“ I guess.” She sighed softly. “ It’s not the same, though. I’m just their Aunt.” Taking him by surprise, she turned on her side, propping herself up on her elbow and facing him, almost catching him staring at her. Jack saw the innocence in her eyes, the curiosity and the longing and wondered what she was thinking. As always with Sam, he wasn’t left wondering for long. “ What’s it like? Being a parent?”

He regarded her carefully before answering. “ Aren’t you finding out this weekend? Looking after your nephew and niece?”

“ Not really.” She gave him a self-depreciating smile. “ Luke and Abby, they’re always so sweet and well behaved when I’m around. They can’t be like that all the time, though, can they? I mean, there has to be times when they’re not a dream to be around?”

“ I don’t know, depends a lot on the kid,” he shrugged. “ Sure, they’ll have their tantrums -- God knows Charlie does. Times when you wonder where your little angel’s gone. But the good times usually out-weigh the bad.” He grinned. “ At least at this age. The teenage years are something I’m not looking forward to.” He gave her a cheeky, sidelong look. “ You getting broody?”

“ Maybe a little.” She blushed prettily. There was a pause as she gathered her thoughts together and sought the courage to ask what was on her mind. “ Sir? Can I ask you something?”

“ It’s Jack, and yes, you can.” He kept his eyes on her face, even though she had averted her gaze to where her fingers were tracing the patterns on the blanket.

She chewed her bottom lip, then took a deep breath and ploughed on. “ Why do you never talk about Charlie to me? I knew you had a son but that and everything else I know came from other people.” She went back to biting her lip nervously. “ It bothered me, kind of hurt, so I asked Kawalsky and Daniel.”

“ I’m sorry, Sam.” Jack’s tone was one of sincere remorse and her eyes met his when he reached out to touch her shoulder. “ I never meant to hurt you. I just.. It’s complicated,” he sighed heavily and there was another pause whilst he collected his thoughts. “ If it means anything to you, I’m really glad you got to meet Charlie today. So is he, he’s heard about you. Quite a lot, actually.”

“ That’s sweet,” she smiled. “ Even though I haven’t had the chance to really get to know Charlie yet. Should be fun, though.”

“ It should,” he agreed smiling, his hand having moved to Sam’s own, stilling her fingers as they entwined with his own. “ There’s so much I want to tell you, things I need you to understand. Things you can only hear from me.”

“ Is your wife one of those things?” Sam asked a little shyly.

“ Yeah.” He looked grim. “ Not a topic I talk about often but one you need to know about. Especially as you’re probably wondering why Kawalsky’s determined to set us up when I’m married.”

“ The thought did cross my mind,” she admitted with a smile. “ I just assumed someone would eventually fill me in.”

“ Hey guys!” The familiar voice made them both smile. Daniel always sounded excited about something. “ Oh.” Daniel stopped so suddenly Teal’c, in a cowboy’s hat to cover the tattoo on his forehead, almost walked up the back of him. Daniel looked between his two team mates who were lounging casually - and closely – on the blankets. “ Are we.. em.. interrupting?”

To his surprise, Sam and Jack looked to each other and laughed, reluctantly pulling their hands away. “ No, Daniel.” Sam shook her head. “ Despite what you and the other cupid-wannabes might think or want to believe, you’re not interrupting anything. We were just talking, weren’t we, Jack?”

“ Ah, good. I’d hate to think that.. Jack? Did you just call him Jack?” Daniel blinked and started at the two of them thoughtfully. Teal’c watched the exchange with no comment and set down the picnic basket he was carrying – one of the two they had brought.

“ Yes, she did,” Jack rolled his eyes. “ We decided to drop the ranks today, Daniel. I’m Jack, Carter’s Sam, Dr. Fraiser is Janet and Kawalsky.. Well, he’s still Kawalsky.”

“ Speaking of Janet and Kawalsky,” Daniel said slowly, making sure he dropped the ranks and titles. “ Where are they?”

“ They’re with the kids at the playground,” Sam answered. “ So I hope you brought plenty of food because Luke and Abby can give anyone an appetite and that’s not counting Charlie.”

“ Luke and Abigail?” Daniel’s brow furrowed.

“ I believe they are Captain Carter’s relations, Daniel-Jackson.” Teal’c supplied in his flat yet serious manner. “ Did you not say they would be joining us?”

Daniel nodded as he remembered and he grinned. “ You’re right, Teal’c, I did.” There was a short pause. “ So.. Should we wait till the kids get bored or should we let them know we’re here?”

“ Let them play a bit longer,” Sam suggested. “ It’ll be easier to get food into Abby if she’s tired.”

Jack nodded his agreement and Daniel and Teal’c sat down. Sam moved so she was sitting up and the four team mates began a conversation about their latest mission.

“ I still can’t believe I was traded for a gun!” Sam was complaining half an hour later when Kawalsky and Janet joined them with the children. “ Talk about a cheap date.”

“ Does wonders for your reputation, I’ll bet!” Daniel teased wickedly. “ But it’s a shame you didn’t get to keep the Shavadai dress.”

Janet chose this moment to join the conversation as she sat down by Sam, the two women exchanging sly looks. “ She did get to keep it, Daniel. I’ve seen it.”

“ You did?” Daniel, Jack and Kawalsky spoke at the same time, staring at Sam with wide eyes. “ Why didn’t you say something?” Daniel demanded with a frown. Jack shot the younger man a look that was half-disapproving and half-warning and he hurriedly continued. “ It’s.. um.. An interesting artifact.. Looked nice.. Not too nice.. I mean, you did look nice but I didn’t notice.. I noticed but not in that way.. In a professional way.. Not that I’m saying Jack did.. or didn’t..”

Unable to hold it back, Sam and Janet started laughing at the flustered archaeologist – and at Jack, who had the grace to look a little embarrassed at being caught out. As this was going on, Charlie exchanged grins with Kawalsky and Luke, having been briefed on the whole ‘match-making/set-up scheme’ and given it his backing. The three children then noticed the silent Teal’c and Abigail decided to investigate.

The little girl crawled over to the big man and climbed clumsily onto his knee. She reached up and traced the gold emblem on his forehead, giving him a pouting look when he failed to do or say anything.

“ Abby..” Sam noticed where her niece was sitting and bit her lip to keep from giggling again as Abigail tried her hardest to make Teal’c smile – doing everything from pushing his lips up with her chubby hands to making faces at him. “ Abby, quit pestering Teal’c.”

“ M’not,” Abigail protested stubbornly, jutting her chin out. “ He don’t mind.” To prove her point, Abigail snuggled up to Teal’c and looked adoringly up at him. “ I just want ’im to smile.”

“ Abby..” Sam’s voice took on a warning note as her niece continued to terrorise her friend.

“ It is okay, Captain Carter.” Teal’c spoke up suddenly, his voice startling Abigail who looked up at him in surprise. “ I find the behaviour of your niece to be most curious.”

“ Looks like she finds you interesting, too, Teal’c,” Jack grinned. “ And we’re dropping ranks. At the very least, call her Carter.”

“ Very well.” Teal’c nodded slightly.

“ Can we eat now?” Charlie spoke up, staring at the picnic baskets with eager and hungry eyes. “ Please?” Jack’s stomach grumbled as he, too, devoured the baskets with his eyes.

“ Like father, like son,” Janet whispered to Sam, making both women dissolve into giggles. Abigail wanted to know what was so funny so she crawled off Teal’c and made her way over to her Aunt. She climbed onto Sam’s knee, wrapped her arms around Sam’s neck and cuddled into her. “ You hungry, Abby?” The little girl nodded.

Not needing any further encouragement, Daniel passed one of the baskets to Kawalsky and began to unpack the other. In a short time, the food had been unpacked and everyone was digging in. Well, almost everyone – Sam was trying to get her niece to finish eating half of her sandwich whilst at the same time taking small bites of her own lunch – an apple.

“ I thought you were hungry,” Sam murmured with a sigh to Abigail when the little girl refused to eat any more.

“ She wants the cookies,” Luke piped up, reaching for the packet of chocolate chip cookies.

“ Well, you’ll both have to wait for the cookies,” Sam said, taking the packet out of Luke’s grasp and handing them to a grinning Janet. “ Until you’ve eaten at least half of your sandwich. Your father didn’t leave you here so you could live on junk food.” She smiled a little. “ Even if you’re going to have pizza for the second night in a row later.”

“ Pizza? Again?” Daniel echoed with raised eyebrows. “ I thought you were Miss Healthy-eater.”

“ I am, I just can’t cook to save my life,” Sam answered with a casual one-shoulder shrug. “ Which is why I want them eating as much healthy stuff as I can get in them now.” She gave her nephew a pointed look. “ You eat your sandwich or you get salad for dinner. It’s the one thing I can put together.”

“ Well.” Janet gave her an accusing stare. “ That certainly explains the results of your last physical.”

Jack looked up from the bag of potato chips he and his son were busy devouring, concern and curiosity clearly written on his face. “ Is this something we should all know about?”

“ No!” Sam narrowed her eyes and glared at her friend. “ We’re talking about their eating habits, not mine.”

“ They’re the right weight, you’re -- ” Janet was cut off by Sam elbowing her sharply in the ribs. “ Ouch! That was mean!” Abigail giggled and picked up her sandwich, munching away quite happily as she watched the grown-ups argue.

“ You deserved it,” Sam responded coolly.

“ I’m just concerned,” Janet responded soothingly. “ Now wasn’t the best time to bring it up, though.” She looked pleadingly at her friend. “ Forgive me? Please?”

“ Drop the subject and consider yourself forgiven,” Sam gave her a small smile and the moment passed.

The picnic continued but Sam couldn’t shake the feeling everyone was watching her. Inwardly, she cursed Janet for mentioning it – especially in front of her team mates and her nephew and niece, who would no doubt mention something to their father. So what if she’d lost a few pounds? Sam couldn’t remember ever worrying about whether she was too thin or too fat and she wasn’t about to start. As long as she was healthy and able to do her job, the job she loved, then it didn’t bother her.

With a sigh, Sam did her best to ignore them and finished her apple at the same time Abigail and Luke finished their sandwiches. She hid a smile when they both looked at her innocently and then longingly at the cookies. Unable to fight a smile, she reached for the packet and held it out to Luke.

“ Thank you!” He beamed and took a cookie before offering the packet around. Everyone but Sam and Janet took a cookie, even Teal’c decided to try one.

The Jaffa took a cautious bite and chewed hesitantly. An eyebrow raised slightly and he cocked his head to one side, contemplating the biscuit in his hand. Deciding he liked it, Teal’c took another bite and the rest of them shared triumphant smiles.

“ Grandma liked cookies, didn’t she?” Luke’s young, slightly quivering voice cut through the friendly silence and Sam looked to see her nephew’s eyes were filling up as he stared blindly at the cookie.

Biting her lip, Sam reached out and lay a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “ She did, chocolate chip were her favourite.” It was the first time she had ever heard one of her brother’s children mention their grandmother, a wonderful woman who had died when Sam herself was a child.

“ Oh.” Luke nodded and bit into his cookie. He then looked quizzically at her. “ Do you still miss her?”

“ Very much,” Sam forced a weak smile. “ But we can talk about this later, okay? I’ve got lots of pictures you can look at, if you want.”

“ Okay.” Luke brightened at the thought. “ Daddy won’t talk about her.”

“ He misses her a lot.” Sam started to explain but changed her mind before she said anything else. “ Now come here and give me a hug.”

Grinning, Luke bounded into her open arms. Janet, Kawalsky and Daniel looked away but Teal’c watched the display of affection with interest. Jack smiled, his smile growing when Abigail decided to get in on the act. He was watching them – watching Sam – a tender expression on his face, when he felt Charlie tug on his arm.

“ Daddy,” Charlie whispered, his smile reaching his eyes for the first time in a long time. “ I like Sam.”

Grinning, Jack pulled his son into his arms. “ I do, too. A lot.”

As Teal’c observed his two friends and saw what the others were talking about, he understood why they were so determined to set the two up. He also witnessed something the others didn’t, as they were looking away discreetly, continuing a private conversation of their own.

Over the heads of the children in their arms, Jack and Sam’s eyes met. They smiled at each other, their eyes showing all they felt. Feeling slightly uncomfortable at intruding on what was an intimate moment, Teal’c looked away. But not before seeing the raw emotions in their eyes, the longing, the desire, even the love …

It was then he decided that not only would he continue to side with Earth in their battle against the Goa’uld but he would join his other team mate and friends in their private mission. Getting Sam and Jack to acknowledge and act on what was so obvious to everyone else.

*~*

Part Three

*~*

Once the food was eaten, they made a unanimous decision that the afternoon would be spent keeping the children happy. If by doing that they wore the children out so they didn’t put up too much of an argument when it came to bedtime.. Well, that would be a welcome bonus.

Charlie and Luke voted for a game of baseball, a decision backed by Jack and Kawalsky. Daniel was more than a little reluctant but both he and Janet were talked into a game. Sam was determined not to join in, feeling the need to put some distance between herself and her friends so she could sort out her thoughts and Abigail was the perfect excuse. Even though the child would ordinarily have loved to join the game - or try to – she was tired and wanted instead to go back to the playground.

So it was settled. Sam would take Abigail to the playground, the others would play baseball. Teal’c had yet to make up his mind, he was curious about the practise of baseball but at the same time, he felt strangely protective of Captain Carter and didn’t want her to be on her own.

“ We’ll be fine, Teal’c,” Sam reassured him sincerely. “ You stay and learn how the game goes.”

“ As you wish, Samantha Carter.” Teal’c bowed slightly and she smiled at the use of her first name. It was an improvement on ‘Captain’ but she wondered how long it was going to last.

Still smiling, Sam led Abigail away from the others towards the playground. She forced the thoughts of her mother, her health and everything else out of her mind, concentrating instead on Abigail. They played in the sandbox, on the slide and on the swings before Abigail befriended some children her own age and didn’t need Sam for company. Sam left them playing with dolls in the sandbox, keeping a watchful eye on her nice from the bench not too far away. Her thoughts wandered and the time passed, her mind occupied greatly by a certain Colonel and his son.

~*~

On the other side of the park, the baseball game was certainly amusing. Jack was on a team with Charlie and Luke – and there was no question that they were winning. This was partly because they were all pretty good players but partly because the other team wasn’t concentrating on playing. Kawalsky was showing Janet the correct batting form and Daniel was fighting his allergies – as usual.

After an hour or so, the game was aborted. Kawalsky was teaching Janet how to bat, Daniel was explaining to Teal’c how the game should have gone and the boys were practising their throwing and catching with Jack.

It was another hour before Jack voiced what was on his mind. “ I wonder what Sam and Abby are getting up to. Thought they’d be back by now.”

“ We could go find them!” Charlie suggested enthusiastically.

Luke nodded his agreement. “ We could go play on the swings and the see-saw!”

“ Works for me.” Jack grinned and headed over to where the others were, missing the triumphant high-fives exchanged behind his back. “ Hey, Kawalsky, Danny. Charlie and Luke want to go to the playground so I’m gonna take them over there.”

Kawalsky, his mind on Janet and their batting lesson merely nodded in acknowledgement. Daniel gave Teal’c a knowing grin, to which the Jaffa responded with a slight smile, the corners of his mouth twitching upwards.

“ Say ‘hi’ to Sam for us!” Janet called out after Jack as he followed the boys in the direction of the playground. Jack turned slightly to glare at her before resuming his walking and Janet shared a smile with Kawalsky. Everything seemed to be going to plan.

~*~

From her place on the bench, Sam watched as her nephew approached, with Charlie slightly behind him. She tried – and failed – to fight a smile when she spotted Jack trailing after them.

“ Hi, Aunt Sam!” Luke called out as soon as he got within earshot. He waved enthusiastically and Sam waved back, smiling fondly.

Abigail looked up at the interruption but quickly got pulled back into playing dolls. Charlie and Luke found the climbing frames and started their own game - something to do with being pirates on a ship in the middle of a battle. Jack joined Sam on the bench, greeting her with a grin.

“ Hey,” Sam smiled back at him. “ How did the baseball game go?”

Jack rolled his eyes. “ It didn’t. Daniel was struck by his allergies and Kawalsky was demonstrating how to bat. Funny how Janet was his only pupil, though. Daniel could have used some pointers.” He flashed her another grin. “ But it’s safe to say we won. Luke and Charlie make a great team, they could both be star players some day.”

“ You really think so?” Sam gave him a sidelong glance. When he nodded, she sighed. “ Maybe you should talk to his father and tell him that.”

“ Hasn’t he seen Luke play?” He frowned slightly.

“ Not recently,” she sighed heavily again. “ Long story, it’s why the kids are with me this weekend. Mark – my brother – is trying to make his marriage work. Between that and his job, there’s no time for Luke or Abby.” She shook her head and forced a smile. “ But that’s their problem. As long as what’s best for the kids is what happens, I’m gonna stay out of it.”

“ You really love them, huh?” Jack smiled warmly.

“ As though they were my own,” Sam nodded, a genuine, soft smile lighting up her face. “ As much as you love Charlie, I imagine.”

“ Yep.” He nodded his agreement. There was a moment of silence as he thought about what he was going to say next. “ So if the best thing for the children was for your brother and his wife to get divorced.. You’d understand? And you could see that it was what was best for the kids?”

“ Absolutely,” she agreed without giving it second thoughts. “ If ending their marriage improves the living conditions of the kids, it’ll be for the best. The children should always be the main priority of their parents, shouldn’t they?”

“ I agree completely.” He gave her a winning grin, wondering how he had come to have the opportunity to meet her. “ And I don’t mean to seem nosy, if that’s what you’re thinking. I was just thinking of my own situation, that’s all.”

“ So you either have a brother considering divorce or we’re talking about you.” Sam smiled encouragingly, her concerned eyes belaying the neutral expression.

He gave her a reassuring smile of his own. “ We’re talking about me, yes. Don’t look so worried, or surprised. I told you there were things I wanted to explain..” There was a pause as he studied her hesitant expression. “ You wanna go for a walk? We can talk properly then. Charlie and Luke will keep an eye on Abby,” he coaxed, giving her a pleading ‘puppy-dog-eyes’ look. “ What do ya say?”

The protest she had formed died on her lips when he turned to her with that look – the pleading eyes and smile. Sighing to herself, she rolled her eyes. “ Fine. You win. But we can’t go too far, you have no idea how much trouble they can get into.”

“ Don’t be so sure.” Jack stood and held out a hand. He grinned when she took it and helped her to her feet. Even though she was standing beside him, he kept hold of her hand. “ Charlie had been known to get into some.. tricky situations.” They walked over to the climbing frame and he called up to his son. “ Hey, Charlie! Sam and I are going for a walk. You two keep an eye on Abby, okay? We’ll just be round by the lake if you need us and everyone else is where we left them.”

“ ’Kay, Dad!” Charlie shouted down from the top of the climbing frame, quickly becoming engrossed in playing ‘pirates’ once more.

Sam and Jack walked the short distance to the lake, still hand-in-hand. The air between them was relaxed but it still hummed with the ever-present and mutual attraction that existed between them. Trying to ignore it, Sam took a deep breath and spoke.

“ What kind of things has Charlie got up to?” She titled her head to one side.

“ You really want to know?” He looked vaguely surprised.

“ Yes, I do.” She laughed a little at his raised eyebrows. “ Why is it so surprising? I’m curious, Charlie’s a sweet kid but at the moment, I know next to nothing about him.” Her smile widened and her eyes sparkled mischievously. “ You’re not gonna have a heart attack, are you, Jack? You look like I’ve grown two heads.”

Shaking himself mentally, Jack grinned at her. “ Sorry, I’m just not used to anyone being as interested in Charlie as I am. Usually I get told to stop talking about him, not asked to.”

“ Well then, now’s your chance to talk to an avid audience,” she responded, giving his hand a light squeeze. “ Please? The serious stuff can wait, can’t it?”

He grinned and looked pleased with her response. He then tightened his hold on her hand as they continued walking. “ Okay, you asked for it.. There was this one time, Charlie was four and we were at my cousins wedding..”

Five stories later and Sam was laughing so hard she had tears in her eyes and running down her cheeks. She wiped them away and took a deep breath, only to start giggling again. “ I can’t believe it! He looks too innocent, you can’t be talking about the same kid.”

“ Oh, believe me, I am,” Jack reassured her. “ He may look as thought butter wouldn’t melt but he’s just good at hiding the fact he’s as big of a trouble-maker as..”