As he woke, Jack's right hand searched the place where he would normally find his wife but found it empty. He lifted his face from the pillow and propped himself up on one arm listening for some clue as to where Sam was. At first he expected to hear her in one of the two bedrooms across the hall that belonged to the twins, but then he realized the faint noise was coming from the kitchen downstairs. Having located his missing wife, Jack realized what she was up to and laid back down burying his face once more in the pillow enjoying the extra minutes in bed. He knew today would be busy. Late last night a radio transmission had come through the 'Gate from the Tok'ra letting them know to expect a visit from Jacob this afternoon. It had only been a few weeks since Jacob's last visit for the twin's second birthday, but Jack wasn't going to complain. They saw little enough of Jacob as it was. As Anubis continued to gain power, Jacob's position within the Tok'ra had risen simply through attrition. 'So much has changed in the last two years,' Jack thought.

Two years ago after they had transferred back to Thor's ship, Jacob had showed them the results of Cassie's shopping trip. Jacob had put her in charge of purchasing the last of the supplies they would need to build their new home. He and Sam had been grateful that someone had been thinking beyond getting the twins back. One look inside the hold of Thor's ship had told them Jacob and Daniel had been thinking a lot about it. The first thing his eyes had landed on was the couch from his own house. Jack had quickly realized that all of his belongings were there not just his furniture. There were piles of boxes neatly stacked in the hold. All clearly marked with labels like 'Jack's kitchen' and 'Sam's books.' The entire contents of the storage unit containing their belongings had simply been transferred to Thor's ship. A smaller pile of boxes contained the personal belongings the others had managed to retrieve from Colorado the night before. These personal belongings had occupied only a small portion of the large storage area, though. There were also boxes and boxes of supplies such as canned food, toilet paper, and medical supplies. Farther back in the ship's enormous hold, they had discovered just how much thought Jacob had put into this venture when Jack recognized something else. It was a log cabin kit like the one he'd used to build his cabin in Minnesota. Except this kit was much much bigger than his small fishing cabin. When asked, Jacob had revealed it was the biggest kit he could find since it was likely there would be at least six adults, a teenager, and two infants living there for some time to come. That wasn't how it turned out though.

Between them Jacob, Thor, Bray'tac and Teal'c had picked a hidden paradise for them. The planet had a working Stargate and was protected by the Asgard,. The indigenous population were at the technological equivalent of the late bronze age and confined to a continent other than the one upon which the Stargate was located. Thor had used his ship's weapons to clear a site for the cabin a few miles from the Stargate and a mile or so from a small lake. Using the Tok'ra tunneling crystals, Jacob had created the foundation for the cabin as well as a veritable warren of storage caverns and tunnels. Because an iris for the Stargate would have been impractical if not impossible to build, Jacob and Sam had rigged an alarm to the Stargate and concealed it in the DHD. The cabin's distance from the Stargate would give them a few minutes warning should unexpected visitors arrive. Thor had remained only long enough to transfer the mountain of supplies and equipment from his hold to the caverns. Though Jacob and Bray'tac had been unable to stay much longer than Thor before returning to their duties with the Tok'ra and the rebel jaffa. The morning after their arrival on this unnamed world, Daniel had hiked to the Stargate and returned a few hours later with volunteers from Abydos to help them assemble the outer shell of the cabin. All of the Earth refugees had been deeply touched by the willingness of the Abydonians to help them when they were still rebuilding from Anubis's attack. Because of Jack's experience in building his cabin in Minnesota and with so many to help, it had only taken them three days to raise the shell of the cabin. It was still fairly rough living compared to their life in Colorado but each of them had endured worse in the past.

When the Abydos volunteers returned home, everyone had accompanied them for a visit feeling strongly that they needed to show their appreciation to the elders of Abydos in person. It was this visit that launched a final impromptu mission for SG-1. Anubis threatened another attack unless the Abydos people gave him the Eye of Ra. It was fairly obvious to anyone who had ever seen Star Wars, let alone the group who had survived Teal'c's obsession with it, that Anubis had no intention of leaving Abydos intact once he had the Eye. As a precaution, Sam, Janet and Cassandra had begun evacuating the Abydonians through the Stargate while Daniel and Skaa'ra had gone once again to the Asgard to beg for protection for Abydos. Teal'c and Jack had decided to attempt a more daring gambit. They made contact with the system lord Yu knowing how strongly he opposed Anubis. They offered him the Eye of Ra in exchange for including Abydos on the protected planets treaty. With Yu's backing the deal had been struck preventing Anubis from gaining the power of the Eye and protecting Abydos as well. As a final tidbit, Yu had revealed to Teal'c the charismatic leader of the jaffa rebels wasn't a jaffa at all but the Goa'uld Imhotep. That revelation took Teal'c away from them. After killing Imhotep in a personal challenge, there had been no one else to take charge of the disheartened rebels. When Teal'c had limped up to the cabin alone, Jack wasn't the only one to realize that Teal'c was leaving, but he was the one who stepped forward to wrap an arm around Teal'c's shoulders and take him aside for a quiet talk to reassure their friend they understood. Teal'c visited as often as he could now, mostly when the burdens of changing the entire jaffa society overwhelmed even his usually unflappable self-confidence.

It was from Teal'c they learned the fate of Senator Kinsey and the NID. Unsurprisingly, Jacob's duties as representative of the Tok'ra brought him back to Earth first, but not long after Jacob's first visit, Teal'c also returned to negotiate aid for the rebel jaffa. General Hammond had told Teal'c about Kinsey's conviction the moment he'd stepped off the ramp in the embarkation room. On that trip he met personally with President Ryan. The President had asked Teal'c to carry a message back to them. It was safe to come home. To save himself from the electric chair, Kinsey rolled on the rest of the NID. The President was willing to offer his personal guarantee that they would be protected. Jack and Sam had considered the offer, but ultimately decided they weren't ready to return to Earth. Physically, their recovery from their imprisonment on Panersh was complete, but mentally and emotionally they both knew they had a long way to go. They also knew Earth wasn't the place for that healing to happen. They were wise enough to realize that on Earth, their retirement wasn't likely to last long. Something would happen and they would be called to the SGC just as Jack had been when Apophis first came through the 'Gate. And they would go just like they always had before because they felt that call to duty, except now the twins would pay for that devotion. Cassandra did want to return to Earth though. She wanted to resume her education and eventually join the Air Force. Unable to talk her out of it, Daniel and Janet decided to return with her. The President's message had promised them a return to their positions at the SGC. There they would be close enough to watch over Cassie without hovering. As head of the archaeology department, Daniel put himself in charge of the Abydos dig exploring the hidden treasure room where they'd found the Eye of Ra. Daniel also resumed his role on the council of elders on Abydos. This meant he and Janet spent a large portion of their downtime on Abydos instead of Earth. The SGC personnel on Abydos tacitly knew to turn a blind eye when Daniel and Janet disappeared in the evenings.

And so, ironically enough, Harry Maybourne was the last of those who had accompanied them to leave their sanctuary. Knowing they might be cut off from Earth totally, Jacob had included in his shopping list a somewhat large quantity of trade goods such as pots and pans, knives, bolts of cloth that ranged from fine silks to sturdy fleece, and cases of chocolate bars. At first they'd made small trades for fresh vegetables, meat, and cheeses with people on Cimmeria, Edora, and other worlds they knew to be safe. The barter kept Harry from becoming too bored. Sam and Jack took turns accompanying him on these trips partly because of Harry's lack of off-world experience and partly to keep an eye on their resident rogue. Soon enough Harry had convinced them to scale up their trading with the products of their own work. They continued to trade for meats and dairy products, but soon they had begun trading the excess harvest from their own garden instead of the more precious goods from Earth. Jacob had had the log cabin kit delivered to the site of Jack's cabin in Minnesota. So when Thor transported the kit aboard, Jacob also had him bring along Jack's fishing boat. With a quick tour through the cabin, Jacob had located all of Jack's fishing equipment and brought that along as well. So Jack spent at least one day a week fishing down at the lake now. Beside the dock he'd forced Harry to help him build, Jack had also built a large smokehouse he used to preserve the fish he caught. Some they ate, and some they traded. Even the thrill of the bargain began to pale for Harry after a few months, about the time Jacob came for one of his visits. When Jacob left two days later, Harry went with him to offer his more dubious skills to the Tok'ra. Knowing Harry and his schemes, Jack couldn't help but feel just a little bit sorry for both the Tok'ra and the Goa'uld.

With Harry gone, Jack and Sam had developed a routine. On the day Jack spent fishing, the twins stayed with Sam as she worked in the lab they'd set up for her in one of the lower caverns. Some days, Jack took them with him when he went to trade if it was a world he and Sam considered safe enough. There the twins could play with children their own age. Other days he worked in their garden or around the cabin while the twins played nearby. Sometimes, Sam joined them on their trips through the Stargate or working around the cabin, and sometimes she worked in her lab. Jack didn't mind playing Mr. Mom while Sam worked in the lab. In fact, he enjoyed it. He knew during their time on Panersh, she developed many new theories and plans to help keep her sanity and kept them all in her mind just as he had turned his mind to intelligence gathering. They had both known that keeping their minds active was vital to their emotional and mental if not their physical survival. Very little of that information had made it down into their precious notebook. Only the most vital pieces of information had been committed to paper. The rest existed only in their memories. Now Sam worked to put all that to paper, and so did he. In the evenings, it was Sam's turn to care for their children while Jack worked at the computer compiling information from his memory. With each visit to Abydos, Jack sent back more detailed reports of the information they'd gathered on Panersh along with his own analysis. Sometimes, Sam sent along reports of her own. In exchange, there were always parcels of supplies waiting for them. Officially it was a bright young rebel jaffa who sold various bits of technical information and intelligence to the SGC in exchange for supplies. Though how General Hammond explained why the most recent exchange included the new boxed set of 'Simpsons' episodes and Disney's animated 'Robin Hood' on DVD Jack couldn't guess.

In the last couple weeks, Jack had gotten the feeling that Sam had something on her mind, and he was afraid he knew what it was. Two weeks ago when everyone had gathered for the twins' birthday, Janet and Daniel had announced that Cassandra would have a little brother or sister by Christmas. Over the next few days, Sam had been quiet working longer hours in the lab. He could hear Sam coming down the hall now. He could tell she was trying to be quiet, but quiet while trying to herd two toddlers was a relative matter. Jack played along though pretending to be asleep. He was glad the smile on his face was hidden by the pillow.

"Ready?" Sam whispered loudly. It was obvious to Jack she knew he was already awake. He hadn't gotten that soft that he would sleep through as much noise as she was making. Jack heard giggles from the side of the bed. "One, two, three" she whispered.

"Happy Father's Day!" Sam yelled along with the twins.

Jack rolled over and opened his eyes to see his wife standing beside the bed with the twins. Sam held a breakfast tray in her hands, and between them the children held a brightly wrapped package. "Wow, guys!" Jack said. "You really surprised me." He reached down and took the package from the twins before they lost hold and dropped it. Relieved of their burden, the two children scrambled onto the bed beside him. Both children had inherited their parents' natural athletic ability and a healthy dose of curiosity. Keeping up with them kept both Sam and Jack on their toes at times.

"Give Daddy your present," Sam suggested.

Immediately Jack was forced to fend off the present eagerly thrust at his face by his offspring. In self-defense, Jack grabbed it. "Thanks guys," he said after unwrapping the package to reveal the picture of the twins framed by a mat on which four little handprints had been stamped. "So what did your mommy get me?" he whispered conspiratorially to J.D. and Gina loud enough for Sam to hear.

"Mommy got you Grandpa Jake to come visit," Sam told him.

"Sam, I love your dad, but come on!" Jack protested.

Sam handed him the breakfast tray and leaned down to whisper in his ear. "Grandpa Jake's taking the kids to visit Uncle Daniel and Aunt Janet on Abydos this afternoon. He's keeping them overnight."

"I like that present," Jack purred lifting his hand to caress her cheek.

Sam let him pull her closer for a lingering kiss while the twins watched and giggled. When the kiss ended, Sam straightened and with a chuckle said, "Eat your breakfast, Jack, while I get the kids dressed."

As Jack stepped out of the shower almost an hour later, he heard the squeals of delight from J.D. and Gina signaling that Jacob had arrived. Coming out of the master bathroom freshly shaved a few minutes later, he found Sam waiting for him sitting on their bed. "Dad's watching the kids," she said. "Can we talk for a minute?"

He nodded as he settled onto the bed beside her. "You want to go back to Earth," Jack guessed.

"What? No," Sam denied. "Why would you think that?"

"You've been quiet lately," he told her. "Since Janet and Daniel made their announcement. I figured maybe you'd started thinking about going back to Earth so we could be there for them. The twins would have a playmate." There had been many nights over the last two years, sitting up after the twins were put to bed when they talked about the future and whether they'd made the right decision for the twins in taking them off-world. Sam and Jack enjoyed this quiet life they'd made here, but what if J.D. and Gina wanted a different life? An entire world of possibilities was rapidly closing for the twins. A two or even three year old could be expected to rapidly forget about this life, and even if they spoke of it, it would be taken as nothing more than the active imaginations of young children. If they wanted to return to Earth, the decision would have to be made soon.

"I don't want to take the twins back to Earth," Sam assured him. "They have playmates on Abydos, the Land of the Light, Cimmeria and lots of other places. Janet's announcement did get me thinking though, or counting rather."

"Counting?" Jack asked.

"I would like more contact with Earth though, " Sam continued as if she hadn't heard the question though she answered it anyway next with both her words and actions. "This time around," she said taking his hand in hers and moving it to her lower abdomen, "I want pre-natal vitamins and check-ups. I want to be able to indulge my cravings even if you do have to go all the way to Earth to get me dill pickles and Ben and Jerry's at two in the morning," Sam continued as Jack laughed. He wrapped his free arm around her pulling her into a tight hug and the hand she'd placed on her stomach lightly caressed her. "And most of all when the time comes, I want to be in a hospital with doctors and nurses and most important of all, an epidural," she explained.

Pulling back slightly Jack demanded, "Are you sure?"

Sam pulled the little white plastic stick from where she had tucked it in the rumpled sheets on the bed. Holding it up clearly revealed the plus sign. "We're having a baby," she confirmed. "I asked Janet to send me the kit when they were here. Dad brought it today." She beamed a mega-watt smile at him. "Happy Father's Day, Jack."