Right before Grace's tenth birthday, Lieutenant General Jack O'Neill announced that he was stepping down from his duties as the head of the SGC training program and that Ferretti, his long time second in command, would be his replacement. At the same time, Sam was promoted to Major General and announced that she would be appointing another scientist for her position on the SGC training program staff to concentrate solely on her position as the head of the Science Technology department.
No one was surprised by Jack's news; after all, he was getting older, even if he was only a step or two behind the trainees.
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The proudest moment of both Jack and Sam's lives came many years later, on Jake's 20th birthday. Together, they pinned his Lieutenant insignia, one of each of their old pins, on the shoulders of his uniform and threw him his first salute.
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A few years later, they were both enjoying an early morning sunrise, sitting on the back porch when a young Airman came running, delivering the news that General Hammond had passed in his sleep the previous evening.
The sad look on Jack's face as they buried the great man was almost as if he realized that this was the beginning of the end. But there were a few more things that he had to do before that could happen.
The first was standing besides his son, watching him marry the love of his life, a young girl whose maiden name was Ferretti, much to the ribbing of both fathers. But even Jack had to agree, under much prodding and forced discussion with Sam that she was a perfect match for their son. The fact that she was the daughter of one of their closest and oldest friends just made things that much better.
The second was to be there as Jake and his wife announced the upcoming birth of their child. Jack had never thought that he would have a grandchild, let alone live to see one. After that announcement, Jack had walked around with a grin reminiscent of when Sam had been pregnant.
The third was to celebrate his 15th wedding anniversary with his wife. The huge celebration was attended by all, much as their wedding had been. But this time, Sam and Jack spent their time surrounded by their friends and family, ignoring the extra guests.
The fourth involved walking his baby girl down the aisle as she became a member of the Mitchell family. Grace's relationship with the Cam's oldest son had been close from the first days of their lives. The two had grown up as best friends. So when as teenagers, they had started dating, both sets of parents had been worried that a problem might cause the end of a good friendship. Instead, the two children had grown closer to the point that Jack had been calling the boy 'son' for several years before he made his intentions to marry Grace known.
The fifth was to hold his first grandchild in his arms as Sam stood beside him, waiting for her turn at holding Laura Samantha O'Neill. The little girl became the apple of 'Grandpa Jack's eye. She never went to a babysitter or a nursery as Jack reveled in taking care of her. Laura became his constant companion as Jack had the opportunity to have little Laura all to himself. When Sam announced her retirement a few months after Laura's birth Jack jokingly accused her that she was jealous of the amount of time he got to spend with their granddaughter. To which Sam insisted that it was really because the small amount of work that Jack was expected to keep up with, wasn't getting done and the command staff had 'encouraged' her to retire so that she could 'convince' her husband to let her watch the baby and go to work. Jack had just chuckled as held Laura a little closer.
The sixth was laying longtime President Henry Hayes to rest; just a few days after 'Uncle Henry' and 'Uncle Jack' had walked Izzy down the aisle in lieu of Mark Carter who had died a few years prior. Hayes had slowly become part of the family over the years, even as he had headed the democratic government of 'New Earth' up until the day of his death. The honest, hardworking man had wanted to give up the Presidency at the end of first term on the planet, but had been re-elected when every other candidate had withdrawn their candidacy. A firm supporter of the military and a willing friend to their alien allies, Hayes was, in Jack's eyes, the biggest reason that things on 'New Earth' had went so well.
The seventh was the joy he experienced when Grace and her husband told everyone at a special 'family' dinner that they were expecting a child. Sam had turned to her husband and demanded, "You owe me five bucks." Jack had the sense to look slightly embarrassed as his daughter shot him a glare. "What? I figured if I was right, I got five buck and if I was wrong, I got a new grandchild. It was a win-win situation," he declared, which resulted in groans and laughter from all those present.
The eight was being introduced to his first grandson, Jack Cameron Mitchell, or J.C., as Jack insisted on calling him, much to the joy of both sets of grandparents. The announcement of the child's name had been greeted with tears from both of the grandfathers. Cam had made Brigadier General after Jack's retirement, taking over as Ferretti's co-commander in the recruit training program. Jack had made the recommendation himself, and was pleased that the command staff had chosen to follow it. Sam and Jack had been beamed away by Thor in the middle of Sam's promotion to Lieutenant General in order to see their new grandson. Never before had the couple been so happy with the alien for his intrusion.
The ninth was celebrating his 20th anniversary in a party of only the closest family and friends. Of course, that ended up being almost 200 people as Jake, Grace, Izzy, and Cassie joined forces to plan and make the party happen. The date had been set aside several months in advance and the party was the talk of the town. The celebration had lasted from early afternoon until the wee hours of the morning as each of those invited had shared their personal remembrances of Sam and Jack. The group had shared laughter and tears as each person recounted a different memory through careful planning on Cassie's part. It was one of the best days Jack's life as all of those close to him and Sam shared just how much they appreciated, cared for, and loved them. Jack had never shed so many happy tears in his life.
The tenth and final thing Jack did though was whisper the words, "I love you" to his wife one last time before he drifted off to sleep for the very last time.
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Author's note: Well that's it guys, if there's something else that you want, let me know. Otherwise, I think that this is the whole story. Thanks so much to those of you who read, and a special thanks to all of you who reviewed!