On Friday morning, Jack flew to Las Vegas. When he arrived at the airport, he got into a taxi and headed to the hotel. When he reached there, he still had an hour before he could go to his room, so he passed his bag to the man behind the counter and signed couple of papers before walking towards the casinos. Jack cashed in ten dollars and walked around till he came to the dollar slots.
There were other people next to him as he played. When he was down to his last two dollars, he put his hand in his pocket to get them out as well push the button. The women next to him put her dollar in and won the jackpot. Jack congratulated her then put his dollar in and he also won the jackpot.
Jack pulled out his tee shirt to catch all the coins. One of the staff members walked over with a bucket.
"Here, sir."
"Thanks." He let go of his tee shirt and all the coins went into the bucket. Once all the money was in, Jack passed her a twenty dollar tip.
"Here you go, ma'am."
"Thank you, sir" she said smiling.
Jack carried his bucket to where he could cash it in. He had to wait while the woman behind the counter counted up the money.
When done, she said to Jack "Sir, that is $5,827.00. We will need to see your ID and we will complete the tax forms and make the deposit for you."
"Really, wow... OK can you pay a hotel room bill from here or do I need to go to the reception desk to do it?"
"It can be done from here."
"Great, I have a room here under O'Neill."
"What's your room number, sir?"
"I haven't got one yet but I do have a reservation." The women did some typing.
"Jonathan O'Neill?"
"Yes, that's me." Jack showed her his driver's license.
"Alright I can do that now if you like, sir."
"Yes, thanks... oh, can you look up Carter, Mark and Terri with an 'I'? I'll pay for their room as well."
"We don't do that without their consent, sir."
"Mark is my brother-in-law and is on his honeymoon" she smiled.
"A wedding gift? That I can accept. She typed a while longer.
"Yes, I have them and it will show that their room been paid in full."
"Thanks. Can you add a bottle of champagne... make that non-alcohol champagne, Terri can't have any, and add chocolates and strawberries?"
"To their room?"
"Yes."
"Yes, sir." She entered all his requests into the reservations computer.
"Are you paying for them, sir?"
"You betcha." She smiled as she did some more typing.
When done, she said "That would be $3,083.00."
"What room have they got booked?"
"It's a deluxe room that's the cheapest."
"OK can you change their booking to a penthouse suite like mine?"
"Yes, sir." She made some more changes.
"Done. That will be $3783.00."
"Do it."
"Yes, sir."
Since the coins where in groups of one hundred, it didn't take long for the woman to take the money away. She did some more typing and then three sheets where being printed.
"How would you like the remaining money, sir?"
"Chips, please."
"Twenties?"
"Yes thanks." She got Jack his chips and four dollars in cash.
"Here you go, sir, $2040.00 in chips and $4 in change." She passed them to him.
"And here are copies of the receipts for the two rooms and the champagne, chocolates and strawberries you ordered." She signed the bottom of each of them then passed them to Jack.
"Thank you, ma'am."
"You're welcome, Sir. Enjoy your stay here."
"I will" he said grinning, and then he picked up his box with the chips in it and the papers.
He walked away and over to an area where he could put the box down then fold up the papers and put them in his pocket. Then he picked up his box and walked over to a table.
When he got hungry, Jack returned to the counter to cash in his chips. When he did, he walked away with over twenty five thousand dollars. He walked up to the reception desk to get his key and then walked up to his room.
When he got there, his bag there waiting for him. He called Room Service and ordered some lunch. Jack relaxed for the rest of the afternoon until it was time to meet Mark and Terri.
He walked down to the lobby to see Mark and Terri there waiting for him. When they saw him, he grinned at them both.
"Mark."
"Jack." They shook hands.
"Terri, how are you?"
"I'm fine thanks, Jack. Thank you for the surprises that we found in our room."
"You're welcome." She gave him a tight hug.
"Shall we?" Jack said. They walked over to the counter where Mark and Jack cashed in $100 each. When done, they walked over to the tables where they spent the next three hours playing different games before stopping for some dinner at one of the restaurants.
Then an hour and half later, they returned to the casino. For the next three hours, they had fun before calling it quits for the night.
The next day they went to another casino in the morning, a third one in the afternoon and back to Bellagio for a few hours that night.
The next morning after an early breakfast, the three of them returned to the casino area where they played for three hours. They returned to their rooms to collect their bags, then left.
Jack's flight departed ten minutes before Mark and Terri's. When Jack arrived home he was greeted by Sam and the kids.
"How did it go Jack?" Sam asked after she hugged him and gave him a kiss.
"Good. Mark and Terri walked away with over two million, after taxes. Mark's going to put three hundred thousand in both his and Terri's retirement accounts."
"Really, that's great."
"Yep... we even talked about what happened at the wedding."
"What did they say?"
"Before they left for their honey moon, Tom gave them an envelope... it was the bill for the wedding and he gave them two months to pay for it."
"How much was it?"
"One point two million dollars." Sam shook her head.
"At least they have the money to pay for it."
"Yeah." He smiled.
"Jack, what you are smiling about?"
"I asked Terri when would be the next time Tom has one of his shindigs. She said Independence Day. He has one every year where he invite all his friends, their families and his family around for barbeque and fireworks display every year. So I suggested to them, how about giving him the money and the bill to him in front of everyone. Terri grinned and told me that it was a great idea. I also suggested that she do it but with Security on hand. I said to her," You're family. I think there are some things you want to get from your room." They got the message"
"Jack O'Neill, you sure can be full of surprises."
"I have to keep you on your toes!" Then he gave her a kiss.
"I also walked away with over two million myself."
"Jack!"
"What? I've put the kids' university money away so when they do go, it's already paid."
"What if they want to join the Air Force?"
"They can after university like you did, Sam." Sam thought about it and realized Jack was right.
"Yeah, you're right." Then she gave him a kiss.
"Go and spend some time with the kids."
"What about you, Sam?"
"I'll give you your welcome home after the kids are in bed." She turned and walked into the kitchen.
Jack look at the back of Sam then to the kids. "Alright, what have you kids been up to while I was gone?" They started telling Jack as they walked into the living room and sat down.
Later that night after kids were in bed sleeping, Jack joined Sam in their own bed. He gave her a passionate kiss and they made love three times before falling asleep in each other's arms.
The night of the Fourth of July, Jack and Sam invited a few friends and family to join them for the holiday. They went to the parade, in town, then back to Jack and Sam's place for a barbeque and the fireworks display, which could be seen from their backyard.
When they got home from the parade, Sam and Jack took care of the drinks and snacks before their guests arrived. When everyone had joined them, the party was in full swing. Everyone was enjoying themselves. Sam was in the kitchen when the doorbell rang, so she went to answer it.
When she opened the door, "Mark, Terri, this is a surprise, come on in." They walked in carrying their bags.
They put them down next to a table and gave Sam a hug. "Come on out back."
"Thanks, we hope you don't mind."
"Mark, you're family, come on."
"Sam?" Jack called out then he walked into the foyer.
"Mark, Terri, this is a surprise, welcome."
"Thanks, Jack" Terri said.
"We have some news for you both."
"News?" Sam asked.
"Yes, well two items... first of all we did what Jack suggested about giving the money to Tom." Jack and Sam looked at each other and grinned, then turned to Mark.
"What happened" Jack asked.
"Well, security let us through when they recognized me. So when we walked out the back of the house a lot of the people greeted us and since there was a DJ playing we walked over to the DJ just as a song finished" Terri said.
"I used the microphone to get everyone's attention. I introduced myself and asked if Tom was there. He was. He walked over to the platform where we were. We could tell he wasn't happy with us."
"I bet" Jack said.
"He asked us what we were doing there. I said to pay the wedding bill. He said, 'my office.' So we followed him."
"I asked the DJ how far the mike could go since it was cordless; he told me two hundred feet. I said, 'No music, trust me.' Then I ran to catch up with Terri and Tom."
"We walked into his office where we …well, talked" Terri said.
"I said to him, "You almost ruined our wedding day by trying to black mail your own granddaughter."
"He said, 'She's just like her mother getting pregnant before getting married. Your mother was a whore and so are you.'"
Sam and Jack were shocked.
"Then what happened?" Jack asked.
"I said to him that Terri isn't a whore. She's my wife and I love her and she only slept with one guy, which was me. Now here is the money for the wedding bill you wanted us to pay, since Terri chose love and me over your money and black mail. You wanted to wash your hands of your granddaughter and great grandchildren, then so be it." Mark said.
"Wow! What did he say to that?"
"He wanted to know how we got that much money to pay for the wedding. I said to him that we have family who do love and care about us and they helped us get the money. They know that Terri got pregnant before we got married and they don't care. All they want is for us to be happy."
"He still wanted to know where we got the money. I told him it didn't matter. I tried hand him the bill and the money. And then I said, "Oh another thing, Granddad, I'm carrying triplets."
"Triplets?" Jack and Sam said at the same time.
"Yeah. That's just what Tom said" added Mark.
Terri began to speak again, "Then he said that the kids are 'bastards just like their mother and grandmother.'
"I slapped him across his face. Then he went to hit me but Mark stopped him. He said to Granddad, 'You raise your fist to Terri. What sort of man are you?' He said, 'I'm four star general and you're just a small lieutenant who would get nowhere being in the Air Force. You're useless, both of you and your families. You all are just bunch of wimps." Terri said
Mark picked up the story then, "I said, 'so you're saying that anyone who is less than a four star general is a wimp... useless Air Force officer?'"
"He said 'yes.'" Terri said
"I said to him 'well I'm pleased my sister, Major Samantha Carter, and retired General Jack O'Neill aren't here right now.' He said 'why is that? I would tell them that they are wimps.' I said, 'so you're saying that highly decorated, well known black ops legend, Jack O'Neill, who served three Vietnam tours, was held in and broke out of two prisons, rescued over fifty lives, received the Medal of Honor and other top medals over the past twenty five years is a wimp. And my sister, who at the age of twenty four is a major in the Air Force, a highly decorated officer who is well known at the Academy and the Pentagon, who risked her own life during the Persian Gulf War, who has won a large number of medals and became the first women in history to receive the Medal of Honor and the Air Force Cross for taking down four enemy MIGs by herself while protecting four helicopters full of rescued civilians and rescue teams... are you saying that she's a wimp? Because if you are saying that, then you're not an Air Force officer at all."
"Wow." Sam said.
"What did he say after that?" Jack asked
"He snorted, and then said, 'you're just making that up'. I said 'you've still got contacts in the Air Force, ask them and they would tell you the same thing I told you'. Then I turned to Terri, 'come on we might as well catch that flight to Washington, I'm looking forward in trying one of Jack's barbeque beef steaks.' Then I tossed the envelope with the money and the wedding bill on his desk. We walked out of the office and back outside, where I turned the mike off and passed it back to the DJ. I asked if it worked." Mark said
"He said 'every one heard. So your sister made Air Force history? That must be one brave woman.'
"I said, 'she sure is, and my brother in law, Jack, is a hero, too'.
"He said 'well good on them, they've done this country proud.'
"I said, 'we know.'"
"We turned to see every one looking at us. I said, 'now you know that Tom has shown his true colors, Happy Independence Day, every one.'
"Then we walked around to the side of the house where General Bauer stepped up to us. I acknowledged him and we saluted.
"He said, 'Lieutenant, Terri. You know, Lieutenant, what you said to Tom took guts, I'm impressed.'"
"General Bauer said that?" Sam was aghast.
"Yeah. He said, 'you are just like your sister, gutsy.'
"I said, 'it runs in the family, Sir.' He wished us good luck then he turned and walked away."
"Now I'm impressed" Sam said.
"When Granddad walked back out to the party, everyone was looking at him he just carried on like nothing happened. The DJ must have recorded what happened and he played it. Granddad was shocked then he looked around at every one. They shook their heads and started leaving the party. We left as well and came here."
"Do you know how many stayed?"
"We don't know, but I think after today he won't have many friends left," Mark said.
Author's Notes: Feed back, yes please
DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognisable characters, settings, etc, are the property of their respective owners. Any original characters and plots are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended. ... [ read more ]