***
“Hey.”
Jack looked up to see Mason sticking his head in the door.
“Come in,” he said. Mason went into the work room, holding his hat in his hand.
“Sergeant Emmerson’s house went down last night,” Mason said after greeting Sam. “Little girl’s in pretty bad shape.”
Jack shook his head and pulled his wallet out. There were a handful of bills in it and he put them into the hat. He looked up at the others in the room and more wallets were taken out.
“Do they know the cause?” he asked.
“Fire chief is saying a short in a wire,” Mason said. Jack took the hat from him and put it on a table.
“Stand on that,” Jack said, pointing at a platform sitting in the floor. Before Mason knew what hit him, several technicians had surrounded him and were helping him into a flight suit. The addition of a parachute and air tank gave him pause.
“Open the hatch!” Jack called out as Sam gave Mason a quick tour of the control panel. Mason looked up and saw the roof retracting. He shielded his eyes from the glare of the sun.
“Up you go,” Jack told him. The controls were almost identical to the controls in a glider, so it wasn’t too difficult to get them activated. The platform began to slowly rise from the floor and Mason quickly grabbed the small railings on the sides of the panel. Much to his surprise, he didn’t feel any movement.
“Inertia?” he called down.
“Same system as the ships,” Sam said. “It’s built into the control panel’s body. There is also a shield that will come up in about…..”
Click…
“….now.”
Mason gave an experimental poke and found that he was indeed isolated.
“How far up am I going?” he asked, afraid to hear the answer.
“Take it up to the space station,” Jack said. “There’s a glider waiting for you up there to bring you back down. You’re leaving the platform up there. It’s new equipment to help with walkabouts and repairs on the satellites.”
“And you can’t have a ship take this up because…..?” Mason waved a hand, waiting as he looked over the edge at Jack who was getting smaller by the moment.
“Just curious,” Jack said.
“Uh huh.”
“Come on, airman, it’s a new type of ship,” Jack said encouragingly. “Where’s your enthusiasm?”
“It became a little more careful after that Jaffa incident,” Mason told him.
“I’ll watch your hat for you,” Jack promised.
“Is this some sort of revenge, Jack?” Mason called down. “Because I think it’s my turn!”
They watched Mason ascend into the air until they could no longer see him clearly. Jack hopped onto the mikku and tuned into the magic flying carpet. Mason was adjusting his oxygen tank as he came nearer to the outer atmosphere. Just above the Earth, several gliders were also keeping an eye on him.
“I wanted to do it,” Sam complained to Jack.
“You can take up the next one,” Jack said. She looked at him. “Alright, so sue me,” he said. “I don’t want you falling.”
“But it’s ok for your cousin to fall,” she said.
“It’s ok for Mason to fall, yes,” Jack nodded. Sam shook her head at him. “Mom doesn’t need to know about this.”
“Hmm. Maybe I shouldn’t tell you this,” she informed him, leaning back against a table.
“Tell me what?”
“I don’t know,” she contemplated. “You’re a little too cocky; after this…..”
Jack looked quickly toward her stomach.
“No, not that,” she said.
“Bummer. Tell me, woman,” he commanded, getting in close. Her techs carefully ignored them as he nuzzled her neck. Sam smiled and slid her arms around his waist.
“We came up with another Level 9,” she whispered into his ear. Jack lifted his head.
“What?”
“In Scotland,” she said. “A woman this time. From Orkney. She says her family traces their lineage a thousand years back to the Bay of Skaill. I don’t know about that, but… there’s an ancient village there called…. Skara Brae.” She waited, watching him closely. He pulled back and sat down. “Her name is Kaid Ryrie and she has a two year old son. His name is Skae.”
“Oh, my God,” he muttered. His face paled and she handed him a glass of water.
“I was going to ask Daniel to check it out when he comes back from Oregon.”
“Yes,” Jack nodded. “How much does she know?”
“Not much,” Sam shrugged. “She knows that the Ancients made their home in Northern Europe, for the most part, and that some humans still have Ancient DNA. She’s been told that’s why her family has a tradition of doing weird things. We told her that we’re tracking the DNA to see if we can pinpoint the location of the original Ancient home here on Earth. She wants to know if there’s some sort of reward for having this DNA. Apparently their village needs a new roof and heater for the school. She’s the Headteacher; their form of Principal.”
“Get them their roof and heater,” Jack immediately said. “Take it out of my private funds, if you need to.”
He took a long drink of water.
“Does Keir know?”
“Not yet,” Sam said. “He’s going to burst buttons when he finds….”
“Not yet,” Jack said. “I need to think. We might just leave her where she is. If Keir finds out, he’ll out her from sheer pride. I don’t want that. Yet.”
“Does he know about our Johns?” she asked.
“He knows that Jonathan is first batter up with Sheppard as second,” Jack said. “God help us. He’s curious about Jonathan. No one has satisfied that curiosity.” Jack scratched at the top of his head. “We need to bring in this woman. Let me work on the logistics. I don’t know what I want to do with her yet.”
“And if she refuses to play?”
Jack looked at her.
“It’s a possibility,” Sam said. “Not all women are going to fall at your feet just because you gaze at them with those baby browns.”
Jack shrugged. “Then I’ll sic Daniel on her. He speaks Gaelic.” He blinked his baby browns at her.
At that moment, Daniel was up to his wrists in soil and having a grand time with it. He was helping his cousin Martin plant shrubbery at a client’s home. Martin had gotten an emergency phone call from a client; the new dog had dug up all the plants Martin had worked hard on. Since Stacey was having a girl’s day with a couple other female cousins and daughters, and Joy was enjoying having a little girl around to take care of, Daniel brushed Martin’s apologies aside and offered to help.
“Are you sure?” Martin asked dubiously.
“Sure,” Daniel nodded. “You’ll have to tell me what to do, I don’t do gardens, but I know dirt.”
Martin smiled and nodded.
“I keep picturing you in labs and offices,” Martin confessed.
“A lot of the time, yes,” Daniel said as he filled a hole with Martin’s manure mixture. He’d had his hands in worse. Baby diapers came to mind. “Sometimes I get a wild hair, though, and split for a dig somewhere out in the middle of nowhere. I took Stacey with me for a week last fall. She loved it.”
“What about your partners?” Martin asked. “Do they dig, too?”
“Sam is helpful, but Jack isn’t allowed on digs,” Daniel said. “We tried it once. The other teams swore I’d be banned if I brought Jack out again. He used rocks with carvings on them to line the fire pit.”
Martin laughed, picturing it. Daniel knew Martin was curious about Jack and Sam and everything that went along with SG-1 and aliens, so Daniel indulged him. There weren’t very many blood cousins; most were in-laws from Joy’s side of the family. At the big dinner on their first night in Oregon, most of the conversation revolved around aliens, partners, and informing Daniel about all the gossip of all the family they could think of. The sociologist in him tried to come out and play but Daniel forced that side into the background. He wanted to know what it was like to be in a family. To be part of the family. So he kept reminding himself that these people had blood-ties with him; they were not subjects to be studied.
Much to his pleasure, there were still a couple of the older generations around and they remembered his father as a child. They showed him pictures of his father as a small child and teenager. Daniel saw a lot of himself in his father’s face. He was given copies of the pictures. He didn’t know what to say and was too choked up to try. His face was kissed by a couple of understanding older ladies, Anna and Hope. Daughters of his grandfather’s sister, Virginia. They were about the age his own mother would have been, had she lived. Daniel was drawn toward Anna and she responded by mothering him and spending time with Stacey. Anna gave Daniel an old ring, telling him that it belonged to her grandmother, Daniel’s great-grandmother. Anna didn’t have children so she asked him to hold it for Stacey.
Since Daniel put the story of his grandfather Nick into his book, Daniel was free to tell them all Nick’s story of the crystal skull and how Nick ended up off-world with an alien race that they still didn’t know much about. Nick had disappeared and the aliens didn’t show up the last time Daniel tried to contact them. He wasn’t sure if Nick was even still alive; there was no trace of him at all, and without a body to show for it, it was possible that Nick had gone on to another dimension or even ascended.
Much of the week was spent relaxing after Daniel assured Martin and Joy that they didn’t need to entertain him. He wanted to be lazy on a normal family event. He didn’t seem to understand that having him for a visit wasn’t normal. They even apologized for their small, modest home. Daniel looked at them and told them about the various huts and yurts he had lived in and having been pretty much homeless whenever he lost apartments. Their home was fine; it had a feeling of warmth and love. He also insisted that Martin and Joy would NOT give up their bed to him; he and Stacey would share the hide-a-bed. That was also fine with Stacey; Jack hogged the bed. He considered a hotel room, but he really wanted to spend as much time among his family as possible.
They went sightseeing around Portland, and even made a day-trip up to Seattle, via the train, where Stacey wanted to go up the Space Needle. Daniel was silently outraged at the price of simply taking the elevator up to the top but he took her up and they had an equally over-priced lunch. The train was as exciting for Stacey as the rest of the trip. She had never been on a real train before, just the public transportation in Chicago. This train took them along the Pacific coast. It was a beautiful ride. She even got to see seals sunbathing on rocks.
It was almost the end of their visit. Jack and Sam would be coming in the next day for a meet-n-greet dinner. Most of the family was fine with Daniel’s choice of living arrangements; Portland was a very open and friendly city when it came to alternative anythings. Everyone was preparing for the visit by making sure they had copies of Walter’s book available for signatures. Daniel deliberately kept that information from Jack and Sam. They had already signed the advanced copy of Daniel’s book that he had sent to Martin. The book would go on public sale in another couple of weeks. Daniel was refusing to go on a book tour, much to his publisher’s irritation. He would do two talk shows. No more. Daniel had been informed that the book was to become part of the curriculum in most universities. He promised to make time for a lecture in Chicago and Egypt. Sam was also working on a book but hers was completely physics and there were very few people who were capable of editing her material. She sent it to Atlantis. Dr. McKay was one of those few. Sam had to promise to include him on the front page. McKay did actually do a lot of the work on the Stargate’s function, so she didn’t gripe too much about it. Sam was a fair person and wouldn’t think of NOT including a full list of people who made contributions to their knowledge of the Stargate.
Daniel wished Sam’s family were a little more accessible. Mark tried to be friendly but he still barely spoke to her. He claimed that they had nothing in common before and with Jacob dead and Sam playing with aliens and alien technology, they had even less in common. Jack muttered about DNA and supporting each other and that Mark would have failed the team-building tests. Jack and Daniel had already promised her that if she had a baby boy they’d name him Jacob. They’d adopt, if it came down to it, but there would be another Jacob Carter. Maggie had taken Sam under her wing and mothered her almost more than she mothered Jack and Michael and the kids.
Spending time with Martin had been relaxing. Daniel was discovering a brother, and Martin seemed to be enjoying his company, too.
“Daniel, can I ask you something?” Martin asked, pausing with a trowel in the dirt.
“I think we’re past that phase,” Daniel said. “Ask away.”
“Your mother was adopted, right?”
Daniel paused, not expecting that one.
“Yes, she was,” he said.
“You weren’t close with her adopted family?” Martin asked.
“No,” Daniel shrugged. “I barely remember any of them. I traveled with my parents on digs, so I tended to make temporary friends wherever we went.”
Martin thought about it and nodded thoughtfully.
“Well, if you’d like, I can try and track down her genetic family,” he offered. “I’ve been doing family research for so many years, that a new challenge would be welcome. If you’d like.”
Daniel mixed the dirt and manure and put a new root in. “Let me think about it,” he finally said. “I don’t know if I want to dredge up something that someone may want left buried. Not everyone’s past needs to be dug up.”
Martin understood and promised to wait.
“I’m sorry….” he began. Daniel waved him off.
“No, don’t worry about it,” he said. “You haven’t done any harm and I appreciate your asking. I’ll probably agree to it, but I want to think it through, first. Believe me, it’s an argument I’ve had with myself for years.”
“It’s hard, isn’t it?” Martin asked.
“What is?”
“Meeting family and wondering how long it will take until they love you. If they’ll love you.”
Daniel paused and looked at his cousin.
“Our family has a history of adopting,” Martin said. “Joy’s adopted, her father is adopted, one of her brothers is adopted, we have several cousins who were adopted. We’re a patch-work family. We know how to open our hearts and love a new-comer. We love you, Daniel; you belong to us so get used to it.”
Daniel had discovered that this side of his family was Mormon and had a tendency to be open in their feelings with each other. They weren’t so strict, though, that they insisted on forcing their views upon Daniel and his daughter, to which he was grateful. The Mormons were also one of the few Christian sects that weren’t arguing about aliens and changing times. They fussed a little over the general and his poly-household, but some of the old-timers were smiling smugly and old Mormon laws were suddenly being re-examined. Daniel did have to put his foot down at being added to the Mormon roster and the family wasn’t sure what to make of Stacey’s interest in Buddhism.
“I don’t know what to say,” he finally managed to say. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” Martin smiled. “I’ll give you a list of birthdays and anniversaries before you leave. Cards are good things. I think we have stock in Hallmark.”
Daniel chuckled and went back to his patch of dirt. “I’ll remember that.”
“Daddy,” he heard Stacey call out when they got back to the house. She presented herself to him, hands on her hips. Daniel recognized the look and knew he’d be promising something.
“Yes, ma’am?”
“I was watching the History Channel and there was a show about Rome and frescos and they wouldn’t show the frescoes from Pompeii. They fuzzed the pictures. I want to see them.”
Daniel guessed which frescoes she was referring to.
“They fuzzed the frescoes because they were extremely sexual and there are kids watching the show,” he told her. Martin lifted both eyebrows as he paused in stomping the dirt off his work boots.
“I know that, they kept putting up a warning,” Stacey said with a huff. “I want to see them.”
“Ok,” Daniel shrugged. “We’ll go to Pompeii and I will show you the frescoes.”
Joy was beside herself. “Daniel, I’m so sorry,” she said, slightly aghast. “I was doing laundry. I never dreamed they’d show something like that in the middle of the day. We have a parental block on other stations, but the History Channel…?”
Daniel waved her off. “Not a problem,” he told her. “We’re very open with all our kids. Believe me, Roman bathhouse frescos are the least of my concerns. She’s allowed to watch those types of shows. She’ll probably be drawing her way through anatomy classes before she’s out of middle school. She has a pretty good eye.” He gave Stacey’s head a stroke of pride and she beamed.
“Daddy, how come the emperors were so mean?” Stacey asked, hanging loosely from his waist as she leaned back to look up at him.
“Because no one was allowed to tell them NO and make them take responsibility,” he told her as he gently shook her by the ears.
“Oh.” She thought about it. “Did their karma get them?”
“Well, I’d say so, since they all died horrible deaths.”
“Oh….. Were any of them Goa’ulds?”
It was time for Daniel to think. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “I don’t remember any of them having Goa’uld qualities. Other than the excesses. But most of the Goa’ulds I knew didn’t go as far as the Roman emperors did. Well, no, it’s possible Baal could have gone to those excesses, as well as…..”
“There are snakes on some of the frescos,” she pointed out.
“Yes, there are,” he nodded, pleased at her noticing the details. Much of their conversation about Christian and pagan symbolism went past Martin and Joy who decided to let father and daughter explore their brain cells. They weren’t sure it was an appropriate subject for a little girl, but Stacey lit up when she could side-track her father into something mind-expanding.
After dinner, Daniel considered the topic of bathhouse frescoes and the fact that Stacey was beginning to notice boys and wondered if it was a good idea to take her to Pompeii. He put the topic on his list for parental conversations.
“Daniel, what is this rumor about an alien ship in the Alps?” Joy asked. She picked up one of the rags from the shopping market. Daniel glanced at the article and wondered who talked. He’d have to tell Jack.
“We’ve been finding things all over the place, now that we know what to look for,” he told her. “It’s nothing special.”
Jack fumed as he looked at the email.
“Don’t respond, Jack,” Daniel told him. “Ignore it completely. Look what happened over that DiVinci Code book when the Vatican had a hissy. Hundreds of other books with the same topic, and they were ignored. The Vatican takes an interest and the entire world also takes an interest. Just ignore it.”
“Alright,” Jack reluctantly said. He began writing a memo to send out to everyone. “Hey, do you think there’s anything to that DiVinci stuff?”
“I don’t think so, but we can look through the ship’s log, if you’d like to really know,” Daniel said. “I’m thinking that the so-called Royal Blood is actually the Ancient DNA, though. I still think Jesus was an Ancient. He had all the characteristics. Lots of mythological figures had the Ancient characteristics.”
“But in the middle east?” Jack asked, leaning back in his chair.
“Red haired mummies dressed in tartan were found in China,” Daniel pointed out. “There’s always a weird exception to any rule.”
“What do you make of the weird DNA from the ship’s mummies?” Jack asked, bringing up the report the labs had sent him.
“Not sure yet,” Daniel admitted. “Definitely Ancient, but we don’t know what the other part is. Some sort of hybrid, maybe.”
“I sent it out to Thor,” Jack said. “See if there’s anything in his files. They’re the hybrid experts.”
“How’s it going with the family?” Jack asked, bringing the box with Daniel’s face in it back onto the main screen. Daniel smiled.
“It’s going well,” he said. “Most of them are very accepting. No lectures about sin. A couple of the old men tried to corner me but I ended that real fast. They did try to add us to the Mormon roster. That ended fast, too. All in all, it’s been a pleasant week. I’ve been helping Martin with his landscaping and Stacey is learning how to be the little woman of the house. Oh, and she wants to go to Pompeii to see Roman bathhouse frescoes.”
Jack laughed. “I’m glad to know she isn’t being completely corrupted.”
“Do you want us to bring anything tomorrow?” Jack asked. He touched Daniel’s face on the screen, poking Daniel’s nose.
“No, just yourselves,” Daniel said. “I miss you.”
“We miss you, too.”
Jack shut his computer off and went upstairs. He collapsed onto the bed, his face landing between Sam’s breasts.
“Yes?” she questioned, tugging gently on the cowlick that refused to stay down.
“I miss our Danny,” came his muffled voice.
“Our Danny will be home tomorrow night,” she reminded him. She stroked his hair and pressed her mouth to the top of his head.
There was a knock at the door.
“Come in,” they called out. Jack turned onto his side. Katie looked in.
“Bad time?” she asked. The adults shook their heads and she came into the room. “Can we talk about boys?”
“Of course,” they said. Sam patted the mattress space next to her and Katie curled up next to her. It had taken Katie a while to relax but once she understood that Sam wasn’t going to try and take her mother’s place, Sam became more of a big sister. Jack was glad Katie had a female to talk with, and with Maggie, Cassie, and Jerrie, Katie had a sisterhood to lean on.
“Josh Reynolds asked me to go out with him,” she said.
“Josh is a nice young man,” Jack said with an approving nod. “Do you want to go out with him?”
“Yes,” Katie said. She picked at the bedding. “I think I may want to do more with him.”
“Do you like him that much?” Sam asked, giving her hair a stroke.
“Yes. He hasn’t said anything about that. I mean, we haven’t done more than…kiss a little,” Katie confessed, her face reddening. “He…. well…..”
“Turns you on?” Sam teased gently. Katie buried her face in a pillow. Jack reached into the bedside drawer and put several small square wrappers into Katie’s hand.
“Honey, you know we won’t judge you, no matter what you decide,” he told her. “If you feel the time is right, at least be protected. No glove, no love. And remember the M-SAT’s. School starts in a couple of weeks; if your grades suffer when school starts, we will be discussing this again. No dates on a school night.”
Still red-faced, Katie kissed their cheeks and bid them good night.
Sam looked at Jack who groaned and hid his face in the pillow.
“Doesn’t Mattie also have a decision to make?” Sam asked. Jack looked up. “Kalam? You said before school started.”
He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment. “Alright. I’ll go talk to him.”
Jack found Matthew on the computer in the middle of a chat.
“Can you sign off?” Jack asked him and sat on the bed. Matthew told his friends he’d be back and let himself out of the IM conference. Jack didn’t understand it –most of Matthew’s friends all lived within five minutes via bicycle. Why did they need to be on the internet?
“Did I do something wrong?” Matthew asked, worried.
“No,” Jack shook his head. “I just wanted to ask you something and I’m too tired to wait until you were done. I want to go to bed. We had discussed you possibly going to Kalam before school started. Did you make a decision about that?”
Matthew’s cheeks reddened in the same pattern as his sister’s. “I don’t think I want to, yet,” he said.
Jack fell backward onto the bed. “Oh, thank God,” he breathed. “I don’t think I can deal with three of my five children all interested in sex. Not all at the same time, anyway.”
Matthew thought about it. “Who…Stacey? But she’s only 11.”
“Puberty is awakening, Matt,” Jack told him. “Boys are suddenly interesting things. Don’t tease her.”
“I won’t.”
He checked in on Davy and found the boy asleep. Jack took the plastic light saber and put it aside before shutting the light off and closing the door. Olivia wasn’t quite asleep; she saw Jack poke his head in and grinned at him, offering him her bottle of water. He went to the crib and picked her up.
“Please tell me you’re not interested in boys, yet,” he pleaded softly with her. She stilled for a moment, studying his face before bouncing on his arm. A rather loud sound issued from below and she laughed at him.
“I’m glad you’re so expressive,” he told her. “Please –don’t hold back, tell me what you really think.”
She babbled at him and patted his cheeks with one hand and a bottle. Jack puckered up and she allowed the buzzing kiss.
He went into the kitchen and looked out the window. Fang was chasing a rabbit around the yard. The leash runner was the only thing keeping him from the fuzzy animal. The rabbit seemed to know this and hopped in circles just outside Fang’s reach.
“Jack, everything alright?” he heard Jerrie ask softly.
“Everything is fine,” he said. “Just checking in. How are you? Any midnight conversations we need to have?”
“No, I’m good,” she said with an understanding smile. Some days midnight was the only time he had to talk. “Can I make an observation, though?”
“Sure.”
“Seems to me you get a little restless just before something fairly substantial happens.”
Jack thought about it. “Like what?”
Jerrie came into the kitchen and leaned against the frame as she hugged her bathrobe to herself. “Well, the day before Korea nuked itself, you were wandering around and checking in with people. The day before you were shot in DC, you wandered. I don’t know how restless you were in Reykjavik but from Sam’s commentary, you were a little unfocused the day before she had that problem. This may all be coincidence, but could you keep your guard up tomorrow?”
Jack scratched at his chest and handed the baby to her. “Maybe I should make my wanderings a little more global tonight.”
He hadn’t tried a world-wide sweep since his melt-down after the first time. None of the other ‘walkers’ were nearby to keep watch on him, so he began to head down into Daniel’s den. A mental knock on his head made him stop, turn around, and head back to his bedroom.
“Sam,” he gently touched her shoulder. She snuffled and turned. “Are you awake enough to come down to the den?”
“What? Why? Is something wrong?” she sat up, pushing her hair as she turned the lamp on.
“I don’t think so,” Jack said. “Jerrie just pointed something out and I think it’s worth a walk around the planet. I want you to sit with me and keep an eye on me. Just in case.”
She nodded, stretching as she slid out of bed and followed him into the livingroom and down into Daniel’s private space. The closing of the door seemed to shut out all time and space, giving them the sense of being between the worlds. Jack sat on the floor and tried to find his center. After the third try, he groaned and leaned his head back against the couch.
“Push up a little,” Sam said, tapping him between his shoulder blades. He moved forward a few inches and she slid down behind him, catching him between her legs. “Ok, lean back against me.”
Jack settled against her chest, finding comfort. “Good,” she said. She reached around and smoothed his brow with gentle fingers. His hands rested on her thighs and he felt himself begin to drift.
His first stops were with family members. Everyone was fine. He’d have to talk with his mother, though; she was hiding quite a bit of depression. He realized that his father and Megan had died almost a year before. The town was basically alright, just the usual riff-raff out and about. ….Daniel was fine as was Stacey and everyone else in the Applegate house. He considered teasing Daniel but not with their daughter sleeping next to him.
Jack used a mental image of a world map to navigate his way around the country. He had seen the Earth from space enough times to have a clear image in his head. He mapped it as though on a search mission, stopping to concentrate at key locations. Some of the stops didn’t make sense to him but his mind wanted to stop anyway. Nothing seemed to be happening there, except his brain acting like the puppy sniffing out some invisible object. He made side-notes on possible problems in the Middle East but that was nothing new. He found himself being shaken.
“What?” he asked, his tongue feeling a little thick.
“You really need to learn how to breathe when you do that,” Sam said in his ear. Jack took a deep breath and relaxed further into her. She slid her arms around his waist. “Anything?”
“No, I don’t think so,” he said, giving his head a shake. “The usual crap here and there.”
“Well, maybe try again tomorrow,” she suggested. “There may not be anything happening yet. I think Jerrie has a point –you do get restless just before something happens. You may be unconsciously picking up on someone’s intentions.”
“Honey, I tuck the kids in all the time,” he said. “I go for a glass of water, and I check in on them. I am frequently up in the middle of the night and nothing happens.”
“Nothing?” she questioned.
“Well…..nothing I’d consider alerting the media about,” he said. “I do get jumped, once in a while, through no fault of my own….”
Sam slid her hands across his stomach and into the silky silver fur. His body may have rejuvenated but for some reason his hair remained gray and on its way to silver. The coloring was a sharp contrast to his tanned skin. Many women, and a few men, tended to follow him with their eyes as he walked through town. “I wouldn’t say you’re entirely blameless,” she told him. She pressed soft kisses along his jaw line. “Since we’re in this position, will you answer me something?”
“Sure,” he said, tilting his head to accommodate her wandering mouth.
“Do you ever feel like playing with me or Daniel in the way Nick and Paul play?”
Jack started to rise.
“Rules,” she reminded him. He leaned back against her and put his hands on her knees.
“No, I don’t,” he said, sliding his large hands around her knees and stroking the backs with his fingers. “I can see where some of it can be turned into a little kinky fun, but not at the intensity that they live it.”
“What would be fun?” she asked. He was silent. “Jack, I know you and I don’t talk in the same way Daniel and I talk, or you and he talk, but I would like to. I’ve heard some of your conversations when you thought I wasn’t within range. We can talk about anything you and Daniel talk about. I’m not that delicate.”
Jack sighed and leaned his head back against her shoulder. “I know you’re not,” he said. “I’ve never been in the habit of speaking to women in the same way I speak with Daniel. Especially with my wife. And with all the stuff we’ve been through off-world, the last thing we need is to bring it home. I know it’s a little old-fashioned of me.”
She gave his middle a squeeze. “I know you have that streak in you and I appreciate it. It took me a while before I could talk that openly with Daniel, and I still feel like I’m doing something naughty. I think his bad influence has done us all a lot of good, though; we’re all more open about our feelings and we’ve dealt with a lot of built-up issues that we didn’t know we had. Or would admit to having. I don’t think we have an issue about this, I would just like you and I to be able to talk more. You always told me to be open and let you know when I needed something. I’m saying the same thing to you. Is there something you’d like to try with me that you might not have considered before?”
The room seemed to close in on them as the air thickened. “You’ve grown, Sam,” he said. “Inside, I mean. I know Inanna’s been pushing a few buttons, and I can see it working. Between her and Daniel, I see a lot of things working.”
Sam lifted his chin and turned his face toward her. “Are you jealous?”
“No,” he said, shaking his head. “I didn’t mean for it to come out like that. I think I might have been a year ago, but we’ve all undergone a lot since then. I just meant that I like this new strength in you. Sure, there’s a few things that I’ve learned that I would have fantasized about before we were together, but I….. I just don’t want to go there. I will always be willing to do whatever you’d like, but I won’t initiate it. I enjoy the tenderness we have. It’s my sanctuary. You are my sanctuary.”
She tilted her head to rest her forehead against his, quiet for a moment.
“Are you really ok when Daniel and I play?”
“Yes,” he said emphatically. “I want you to be happy, baby. I admit that it turns me on to watch. Part of that is also fantasy. But that is Daniel’s aspect, not ours. When Daniel and I play rough, it’s more about guys and pissing contests, not making love. Do you want me to be rough with you?”
“No,” she admitted with a shake of her head. “Sometimes we make love hard, but I wouldn’t call it rough. Not like with Daniel. I like it when Daniel and I toss each other around, but I honestly can’t see me and you doing that. I like the tenderness, too. Daniel is also sanctuary. I think he’s our guardian.”
Jack nodded. “I feel safe with him, too. Hey.” He took his hands away and turned in her arms. “We worked through our anniversary. Would you like to go somewhere?”
Sam touched his lips with the tips of her fingers. “Let’s discuss it with Daniel,” she said. “I think we’ve been away from the kids a little too often, lately, though. Maybe a day trip. A hike or something. We did promise the kids a camping trip before school but we can take a day to ourselves.”
Jack shifted one of her legs over his and threaded their limbs together. “Our contract with Daniel is up for renewal in a couple of months.”
“I believe the next level is a 5-year contract,” she said. Jack smiled and flicked her newly shorn locks. He liked her hair short; it made her eyes look bigger.
“We need to come up with something special,” he said. Sam agreed.
By noon the next day, they were walking off the plane in Portland. They had decided to take the old-fashioned method of transportation. They gave Jerrie a break and kept the baby with them while leaving the upwardly mobile children at home. Olivia wasn’t happy about the motion of the plane; al kesh and 303’s were much more to her liking. With a hint from Jerrie, they cheated and put baby-Benedryl in her bottle. Olivia wasn’t awake for long. The flight attendants recognized Jack and, to her surprise, Sam, and made sure they weren’t bothered.
Stacey ran at Jack and threw herself at him. He caught her and groaned under her weight. Daniel pecked him over her shoulder and took the baby from Sam before pecking her also. With Sam’s arms freed, Stacey leaned over and hugged her neck.
“You look refreshed,” Sam said as they walked to the car. Daniel took her hand, swinging their linked fingers.
“It’s been a good week,” he said. “I’ve been gardening.”
Both partners looked at him. “How’s your supply of tissues?” Sam asked.
“I don’t have any,” he said. “I don’t know how, either all those experimental medicines that Janet dosed me with or something Jack did unconsciously, but not one sneeze.”
Sam looked at Jack. “Davy?” she asked.
Jack shrugged, equally confused. “If it’s me, I don’t know about it,” he said. “Allergies don’t fall under the category of wounds. You know, I think I’d be looking more toward that old man; he’s sneaky. I think he’s able to do a hell of a lot more than he’s letting on.”
“Mommy, Joy taught me how to make bread,” Stacey informed Sam.
“She did? Are you going to make bread for us at home?” Sam asked.
“Maybe,” Stacey said, swinging her legs from around Jack’s back. “Can you help me?”
Both men barked a laugh. Sam stuck her tongue out at them.
“Sam, you can cook up God knows what in the labs but you can’t figure out yeast,” Daniel commented. “I don’t get it.”
“I went to their church,” Stacey told her parents. “I didn’t understand it. They made all the girls sit in different seats away from the boys. And they said an alien started their church.”
Daniel smiled and began a discussion on the Mormon church while they drove to Martin and Joy’s house.
“Are they cool about this?” Jack asked as they rounded a corner.
“For the most part,” Daniel said. “We obviously can’t sleep over together.”
“We have a hotel booked a few blocks away,” Jack said. “We fly out at 9am.”
Daniel glanced in the rearview mirror for a moment. “They like you and Sam, Jack,” he said. “Here in their world, they’re caught between their upbringing and modern times. They’re good people and they’re trying. A lot of the issue isn’t really us; it’s the rest of the family, the neighbors, and their church. Martin has a lot of different clients, so he sees a lot more of the world than his neighbors. And with all the family archiving he does, he knows a lot more about different cultures than most of his neighbors.”
“What about all the polygamy in their past?” Sam asked. “I would have thought it would make them sympathetic.”
“Some are,” Daniel admitted. “Secretly, for the most part. There are small groups within the Mormons, outcast churches and communities who are not only sympathetic but also practicing. Kinda like the difference between Orthodox Jews and secular Jews. Lots of distance between them. If there are any practicing polygamists around here, they are deeply hidden. No one has tried the secret hand-shake with me.”
Jack looked at him.
“There is no secret hand-shake,” Daniel said as he shook his head, chuckling.
Daniel glanced at the house coming up. “We can talk about it later, but a summary –polygamy has a bad rap because a great many of the men involved use the women in not so nice ways. They are forced into near slave roles. And not the fun kinda slave. That scandal down our neck of the woods and in Arizona was a prime example why it was outlawed. I’ve met families who were very careful and loving with each other, I’ve met a lot who were not.”
“I feel like I’m meeting the in-laws,” Jack muttered.
“You liked dad,” Sam reminded him.
“He wasn’t my in-law when we met. Actually, he was kinda scary.”
Sam laughed and tapped him on the arm. “You are so full of it. Take your daughter.” She lifted Olivia from the baby seat and thrust her in Jack’s direction.
Jack noticed a woman leaving the house, leaning in to Joy and patting her on the arm. She waved in their direction and continued to her house down the street.
“Did we chase your friend off?” Jack asked as he came up to the door. Joy held out her arms and took Olivia from him.
“Not at all,” she assured him. “How are you, Jack? I’m glad you could make it. We were afraid you’d be taken away at the last minute by aliens or something. Hi, Sam.” Sam accepted her cheek-press. “How was your flight?”
Martin came out and greeted them, insisting on helping with Olivia’s bag.
“I’m sorry the boys aren’t here,” Martin said, leading them into the livingroom. “They left for camp this morning. It’s something our church does every summer.”
“Not a problem,” Jack said as he looked around. The livingroom was perfect, not a thing out of place. It certainly didn’t look as though two teenage boys lived in the house. He found himself fighting an urge to toss a pillow on the floor and watch TV while Olivia and Fang walked over him.
“Why are they nervous?” Jack whispered to Daniel as Joy took Sam and Olivia on a tour.
“Don’t know,” Daniel shrugged. “You’re the big, bad Monster-Killer?”
Unseen by Martin, Daniel’s butt was pinched.
Relatives soon started to arrive with food and the party had begun. Jack reminded himself to be laid-back and use non-threatening references with everyone. He knew most people expected him to be the stereo-typed military General and a few relatives who were ex-military treated him as the General. Until Jack opened discussions on baby poop, puppy stains, and darned weeds growing up through the shrubbery faster than the kids were growing. He did have to fend off a few offers to visit their church and of course several of the men were deacons, and he had to put his foot down when they tried to convince him to allow them off-world to convert the aliens and lost humans. Jack considered calling in a 303 and having his brother beamed over.
Sam was in pain in the kitchen with the women. Daniel had warned Joy that Sam was useless in a kitchen but the women didn’t seem to understand the concept.
“Who is that?” Jack quietly asked Daniel. The woman from down the street had slid in, disappeared into the kitchen, and slid back out.
“Neighbor,” Daniel said. “Uh, Carla, I think her name is. Friend of Joy’s. They share kitchens around here. An egg here, a stick of butter there. Jack, what are you doing?”
Daniel looked around carefully, making sure no one was noticing that Jack wasn’t completely attentive. Jack refocused, glancing at the door and then across the room at Martin.
“Is there something I should know?” Jack asked. Daniel shook his head, confused.
“Not that I’m aware of,” he said. “Why?”
“Danny, the apple don’t fall far from the tree,” Jack commented and took a sip of his coffee. Martin seemed to avoid being alone with Jack during the afternoon and dinner.
After most of the relatives bid their fairwells for the evening, Jack caught Martin by the elbow.
“Let’s take a walk,” he quietly suggested.
“Jack, we have guests,” Martin reminded him.
“And anyone who knows me will tell you how rude I can be. Your guests are family; I’m sure they don’t expect formalities. The night air is refreshing.”
Martin thrust his hands into his pockets as they walked by a few houses. He was still avoiding looking at Jack.
“I’m a very good guesser, Martin,” Jack said. “Is there something you want to get off your chest or should I demonstrate how rude I can get?”
“Please,” Martin whispered. “You don’t understand.”
“I don’t understand?” Jack poked himself in the chest with his thumb. “Martin, in case you haven’t heard, I not only have a wife, I also have a husband. I can also read people’s emotions and I’m getting good enough that I can almost hear the words behind them. Call it an alien thing. Should I tell you what I discovered today about you?”
The blood left Martin’s face and he sat hard on a bus bench.
“Why haven’t you told Daniel?” Jack asked. He stood looked at the man. “Do you honestly think he’d condemn you?”
“No,” Martin shook his head. He looked around making sure no one was near. “That isn’t the problem. Jack, my entire family would be run out of town if it became known. You live in a different world. Dear Lord, you could easily leave this world, if you wanted to. I like Daniel, I’d ….. Jack, if I thought for one minute that there wouldn’t be a time when he wouldn’t accidentally say “Oh, sure, even my cousin has a couple of wives”…… I can’t risk it. Please, dear God, don’t tell him. Don’t tell anyone.”
Jack sat on the bench beside him. “Martin, you read his book, right? Do you really think he spilled his guts about everything we’ve seen and done? There’s more locked away in his head than he will ever be able to tell. I was special ops; how much do you think is still in my head? Tell him. He deserves to know. I will keep my mouth shut, so will Sam. There is no one on the face of this planet who knows how to feign ignorance as well as the three of us.”
Martin tried to laugh and leaned forward, holding his hands between his knees. “Daniel says you feign ignorance better than anyone he’s ever seen. I think that anyone who has the job you do needs to be smarter than the average bear. I need to talk with Joy about this. With Carla and ….Millicent, too.”
“Ok,” Jack nodded. “That’s fair. Any other kids?”
The man stood, tucking his hands under his arms, giving a rueful nod. “We have eight, all together.”
Jack clapped him on the shoulder. “Good man. Come on, let’s get back before the women send out a search party.”
He knew Daniel was curious but he promised Martin time, so he didn’t say anything. He did find a dark corner and spent time kissing his Daniel. That seemed to distract Daniel for a while. Maybe not. Daniel considered him as he licked Jack’s taste from his lips.
“What are you up to?” Daniel asked.
“About 7?” Jack said. Daniel rolled his eyes.
“Years or inches?” Daniel asked. “Jack….”
Jack moved away and tucked his shirt back into place. “I can get another inch and more diameter, don’t worry; I’m not completely hard, yet. Danny, just let this play out. And trust me.”
Daniel took a quick peck on his mouth. “I do trust you. I also missed you this week.”
“We missed you, too,” Jack said. “Especially last night when we had sex on the floor of your den.”
Daniel groaned and dragged his feet. “Kill me, why don’t you?”
Jack slung an arm around Daniel’s neck and pulled him close, whispering tidbits of the replay in his head. Daniel swatted at him.
In the morning, Jack and Sam walked into the house to find a couple of neighbors sitting at the breakfast table, nervously waiting with Joy. Olivia smiled and allowed Joy to take her.
“Where’s Stacey and Daniel?” Sam asked.
“Stacey’s playing out back with my girls,” one of the women said.
“Daniel’s taking a shower,” Joy told her. “The water just went off, so he should be out soon.”
Sam could tell something was going on and knew if she waited long enough, she’d find out what it was. Joy introduced her friends, Carla and Millicent, and got Jack and Sam coffee and sweetbreads. There was a pan of something baking in the oven for breakfast.
“Hi,” Daniel said, coming into the kitchen. He stopped himself from kissing his partners, remembering that there were strangers in the room and he didn’t want to make trouble for his cousins. Sam took a napkin and wiped a little moisture from his neck.
Martin came in and paled as he saw the full kitchen. He took a deep breath and stood behind Joy.
“Ok, let’s get this over with,” he murmured to himself. Carla reached out and squeezed his hand. Daniel’s eyebrow went up.
“Daniel, I haven’t been completely honest with you,” Martin began.