Stargate SG1 Fan Fiction ❯ The Secret Life of a Major General ❯ Chapter 45 ( Chapter 45 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Chapter 45

Terrance Room, Hotel Monaco Alexandria, Alexandria, VA
July 4, 2005
Night

The sounds of the city were quiet outside the balcony doors as inside glass clinked against ice as a wine bottle was placed back into the bucket of ice. In a hotel robe and fresh from a shared, relaxing bath, Jack carried the two wineglasses to the bed where Sam, clad in a similar robe, was finishing towelling off her hair.

Tossing the towel onto the ottoman with her overnight bag, Sam accepted the flute with a glowing smile. As she sipped the beverage Jack joined her on the mattress, taking a few swallows of his own wineglass.

When her glass was nearly empty Sam set it onto the nearest side table and snuggled up against her husband’s side. Jack wrapped his arm around her shoulders and held her close as they basked in the aftermath of their lovemaking, bodies humming with energy and yet full of contentment.

By the time Jack finished his glass of wine and set it aside, Sam’s ring hand had settled over his heart as she rested her head against his shoulder. Once his hand was free, Jack picked the hand over his heart up and brought it to his mouth. He lightly brushed his lips over the silver bands—thin engagement and thicker wedding ring now linked together—before lacing their fingers together and placing their linked hands back onto his chest.

The matching silver bands on their hands glimmered softly in the ambient light of the room.

“Thank you,” Sam spoke softly, disturbing the contented silence between them.

“For what?” Jack rumbled lowly.

“For always.” Sam answered sincerely.

“Always,” Jack reassured as he used the arm around her shoulders to give her a comforting squeeze.

Sam smiled quietly at his answer. As the peace and quiet between them returned, her eyes gradually slid closed and she slipped into sleep. Jack felt the change in the body lying against his and after he was confident she would remain asleep if he moved about, he removed their robes then reached down to the foot of the bed and drew the folded back covers over them.

Tucking the covers around them Jack pressed his lips to her forehead and voiced again the promise that had become an unbreakable and solemn vow between them: “Always.”

Then he reached over his head for the light and turning it off joined his wife in sleep.

. . .

Late the next morning Jack pulled into their driveway. He hit the dashboard remote for the garage door and parked the vehicle once the heavy door had risen. The two newlyweds snagged their overnight bags from the seats behind them and exited the garage and climbed the stairs to their front door.

As Jack reached for the doorknob the panel swung open to reveal the eternally cheerful face of Jonas.

“General, Sam,” the Langaran greeted enthusiastically. “Welcome back.”

“Thank you Jonas,” Jack stepped into his house and began removing his footwear. “Have the twins been good?”

“They’ve been excellent,” Cassie’s head popped from the kitchen into the hallway. “I was just making them a cheese and cracker snack to take out to them at the pool.”

“Pool?” Sam kicked off her shoes.

“Wading pool,” Jack explained. “I had stored it in the garage during the Kinsey fiasco and was going to bring it out again soon.”

“Ah,” Sam responded as they began making their way down the hallway.

“Sam,” Jones directed his next remark to her, “Mark phoned earlier to let everyone know that he and his family are safely back in San Diego.”

“Thanks for passing it on Jonas,” Sam replied as she and Jack reached the foot of the staircase.

When both newlyweds hesitated at the staircase to the second floor and looked towards the backyard Jonas sensed what was going on and offered, “Why don’t I take your bags to your room? I know Tyler and Emily want to see you.”

Both parents eagerly turned the bags over to the alien and headed for the backyard.

“Smooth,” Cassie remarked aside to Jonas she passed him with her plate of snacks and drink boxes.

Jonas’s customary smile turned somewhat into a smirk as he acknowledged the Hankian alien’s compliment and then headed up the staircase to the master bedroom with the luggage.

Outside the happy children’s voices turned into shrieks of glee when they caught sight of their parents emerging onto the patio. The two toddlers scrambled from the wading pool and barrelled across the grass, hardly knowing who to greet first when they reached Jack and Sam.

Turning the reunion into a four-way hug full of kisses seemed to solve the dilemma best. As Cassie stepped off the patio and rounded the family she pointed with her chin at the digital camera on the picnic table and then jerked her head at the four.

Teal’c interpreted her mimed order correctly and picking up the camera began to take pictures.

“Thanks Teal’c,” Cassie placed the plate she was carrying onto the picnic table upon reaching it. “Could you also try to get some of just Sam and the twins? I notice that there are a lot of Jack and the twins, but not many of Sam yet.”

The Jaffa took a moment to nod in her direction before returning to his photographing.

Cassie straddled the bench and was soon joined by Daniel and Jacob, who in anticipation of Jack and Sam joining the twins at their watery playground once done chatting, gave up their places in the two lawn chairs set up beside the wading pool.

“I’m going to have to make sure I get some of those pictures myself before I go to Atlantis with the Expedition,” Daniel remarked upon seating himself.

“I would like some as well,” Jonas said as he joined them.

Jacob was thinking the same thing himself, although he would probably need half a dozen. For someone whose culture and previous hosts’ cultures did not have photographs as Earth did, Selmak was overly fond of those four by six pieces of paper—fond especially of showing off by giving the picture away.

But pride in children and grandchildren were pretty much universal so that might have something to do with it. Everyone loved to brag about family.

“Sure,” Cassie said as the camera in question was hers. “I’ll get copies to everyone—along with the wedding pictures, as Laura’s already going to be sending the pictures she took to me.”

“Thank you Cassandra,” Selmak said. “Might you also be able to make a dozen duplicates of the very best ones for Jacob and myself?”

“Sure,” Cassie reassured the Tok’ra with a wicked smile. “If we can’t get them printed off before you go back, I’ll blackmail Uncle Jack or Sam into delivering them.”

The snorts of laughter that remark invoked had the two future potential blackmail victims looking for a moment at the group at the picnic table before their attention returned to the splashing twins. Sam shifted her chair closer to Jack and placed her hand on top of his where it was resting on the armrest.

Jack turned his hand over under hers and laced their fingers together. Both settled into their seats to enjoy the warm and sunny day and the emotional contentment that came from being with their family and closest friends. While SG-1 as it had been was no longer, they were still all friends and were still together in the ways that mattered.

There would be trials ahead for the newlyweds; the first one looming was Sam’s impending return to DET 3 and discovering how to balance the personal and the professional especially considering their old relationship. For now they enjoyed what they had and would face and overcome each ordeal as it presented itself. And even with the promise of future hardship, the faces of the twins and their love for each other promised greater moments of happiness.

Come what may, they would face it as they were meant to—together.