2.
Mark had lived the first 17 years of his life on AF bases, he knew what a hop was and was a bit worried about the kids, after all his dad always used to come home with a stinking headache when he had caught one. Usually it involved sitting in the back of a cargo plane that was transporting things between bases, but when he had told Sam his doubts she had told him not to worry, and sure enough, when they contacted her and told them they could set off the next day, she gave them a phone number and told them to head to San Diego International, they arrived and parked in the long stay and called the number. A car came to meet them and took them to a small, private looking, strip where a small jet was waiting for them. The driver unloaded their bags and gave them a salute before getting back in his vehicle and driving away, without saying a single word!
Someone came off the plane and helped Mark load the luggage, then guided the kids into the plane as Mark and Julie just stood looking at it.
"Hurry up" the man shouted and Mark took his wife's arm and steadied her as she climbed up the small steps. "Get your seat belts on, won't take long to get there in this baby" he told them as he went forward, into the left hand seat. The man in the right seat didn't look up or back at all, busy looking at a clipboard and flicking switches.
The plane took off smoothly, and after a few minutes the man who had helped with their bags unstrapped himself and came back to show them the facilities. He gave both kids a diet soda, and offered the adults something a bit stronger, but they declined and both said they would have a soda too. He got them what they asked for and brought out a DVD of the Simpsons for the kids to watch, saying it would be just under 2 hours to get to Peterson.
Mark thanked him for his trouble, especially as this was the pilot and not the co-pilot, who was waiting on them, and the tall lean man just waved off his thanks and mumbled that he never minded flying. He went back and sat in his seat and never moved again until looking around and shouting to put their belts back on 90 minutes later.
On the ground he once again helped them with their bags, and waited with them until a large truck pulled up to the plane, he threw the luggage into the bed at the back, lifted both kids into the back seat, and helped Julie in too, warning the kids they needed to buckle up, he gestured to Mark to go sit in the passenger side as the man who had driven up jumped out and headed for the plane.
"I'll call you for the return journey" the pilot shouted as the man who had pulled up jumped on board the craft, he received a sketchy salute from the plane and jumped into the truck. "next stop, Carters" he said and pulled away from the landing strip.
"Not just the pilot then?" Mark asked, curious now
"Friend of the family, you could say" he replied "did anyone remember to pick up my DVD?" he looked around at their blank faces and said "DOH!" causing the kids to giggle, he grinned and suddenly he didn't look much older than Mark himself, even though his hair was almost totally grey.
The guards at the base gate made them slow down, until he rolled his window down and they jumped to attention and saluted him, he waved and accelerated away down the road.
It only took another 20 minutes and they were at Sams small house. She opened the door as soon as the engine died and the kids flew out of their belts and out the door into her arms. The family friend started hauling luggage once again and Mark, feeling guilty tried to make sure he grabbed the heavier bags, but the man seemed to have no difficulty with the weight swinging them in the air as if they were empty.
"Carter, where do you want this lot?" he asked
"Erm, you can put them in the living room Sir, if you wouldn't mind" so whoever this was, he was higher than a Lt. Col, though at his age he should be a full bird, unless he had been really bad, and somehow looking at his grin Mark could imagine that he really could be BAD if he tried.
"You got enough room Carter?" he asked
He had a point, Mark hadn't thought of it, Sam lived alone, the house was plenty big enough for just her, but for a family?
"Mark and Julie are having my room, the kids are going to camp out on the floor in here and I'll have the sofa in my study, plenty of room sir" she said
"For a week? You are going to sleep on that sofa for a full week and expect to be able to move by the end of it?" he picked the bags back up and started taking them outside again
"What you doing Sir?" she asked following him to the door
"Swapping houses" he replied. "there's plenty of room at my place, I'll sleep on base and you lot can have mine for the week"
"I can't ask you to do that sir!" she protested and Mark and Julie backed her up
"You didn't ask" he said telling the kids to get their butts into the truck.
Now Mark had seen some strange things in his time, but this took the biscuit, not ONLY did the man in front of him leave his sister speechless, something he thought he would never see! But the kids obeyed him without Alison arguing! She ALWAYS argued, from what colour socks to put on, to which cereal they didn't like this week, to what time bed time was. Mark theorised that the world would stop spinning if his kids ever did as they were told without an hours discussion so he stood there waiting to spin off into space while 'sir' buckled their belts and then looked at the three adults.
"You lot coming?" he asked and got in the drivers seat. Mark looked at his sister, who shrugged and got her coat and bag and said
"I'll meet you there" and she clambered into an old Volvo.
Less than 10 minutes later he pulled up outside a beautiful house, it was at the end of a quiet road and you could see nothing but trees behind it, the man…sir… damn Mark had not even asked his name and they were kicking him out of his home! He turned and grinned at everyone, "Ok we'll get you all settled and then I'll leave you to Carter, oh erm…" he looked embarrassed "I don't have a lot of food in, I'll have to go stock up" he said
"Don't you dare!" Julie said from the rear seat "We will manage ourselves, it's bad enough that we didn't think to book a hotel, you are not feeding us as well!"
Mark grimaced, she was right, he shouldn't have taken Sams word for it, he knew her house was small, Pete had said so, but the credit cards were already maxed and they were looking at a 20 hour drive each way and he really REALLY wanted somewhere to stay where he could wander around in his bare feet, and not have to have meals at set times if he didn't feel like it.
Sam pulled up at the side of the truck and jumped out to help with the bags, Mark sidled up to her and said out of the corner of his mouth "you know we have no idea what his name is?" she dropped the bag and covered her mouth with her eyes wide open in shock
"Whatya doin' Carter?" their host asked
"Oh sir, how rude of me!" he raised an eyebrow at her "Mark, Julie, kids, this is General O'Neill, my commanding officer, Sir, Mark, Julie, Alison and John"
"Call me Jack" he waved his hand about "I should have introduced myself earlier, I usually have this archaeologist to do that sort of stuff for me" Mark saw a grin pass between his sister and her CO
"I thought you worked with Sam, isn't that what COs usually do?"
"Yeah" he said looking puzzled "I do"
"Then why do you have an archaeologist working in deep space radar? And why does he usually introduce you?"
"Private joke" his sister said quickly… as he had said many a time before, she was a bad liar.
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