Chapter 16
Fraiser Residence, Washington, DC
September 10, 2010
Hearing her doorbell being rung Janet paused in the midst of preparing dinner for herself, Cassie, and Dominic.
"I'll get it Mom," Cassie's voice called from the living room and footsteps were heard approaching the front door. The ringing of the doorbell stopped and Boomer gave his happy greeting woof so Janet assumed the door had been opened but there was no sound of talking coming from her entranceway.
Wiping her hands clean Janet emerged from the kitchen to investigate what was going on. Seeing who was standing on her front porch stunted her into silence just as her daughter was. In the doorway, framed by their two young sons, was Jack and an even more pregnant looking Sam.
Cassie who had had a few more moments to recover than her mother finally broke the silence when she gave a little shriek as she barely kept from throwing herself at Sam. Shortly after closing her arms around Sam, Cassie jerked back with a stunned expression on her face when the baby vigorously made its presence know against her own stomach.
"I can't… I can't believe…" Cassie trailed off helplessly as she looked at Sam's pregnant stomach and the dimples and bumps that appeared as the baby kicked out.
Sam reached out and grasping both of Cassie's hands held them to her stomach. Cassie's bottom lip trembled as she blinked back tears as she looked at her hands and felt the baby inside Sam focus its efforts against her palms.
"I know Cassie, I know," Sam said softly. "I am so sorry." Cassie's reserve broke as she gulped back a sob. Sam released her hold on Cassie's hands and reaching out folded the young woman into a hug again.
Leaving Sam and Cassie to their reunion, which Jack had suspected would be quite difficult for the Hanka woman considering Janet had stressed that it had been Cassie's attempts to get pregnant that had led them to discovering the Aschen sterilisation program, Jack turned an inquiring look at Janet as he gestured to the black haired man that had appeared behind the doctor.
"Sir—Jack," Janet corrected herself as she began introductions, "you may remember Dominic Klerk."
Jack nodded, remembering the name of the young man that Cassie had spoken of at one of her last birthday's before they had encountered the Aschen.
"Dominic," Janet continued, "this is Jack O'Neill and his sons, Josh and Matt."
The measuring look that Dominic had been giving the grey haired man turned to one of awed surprise. Now that Janet had introduced them, Dominic wondered how he could have missed seeing the younger face of the famous Colonel O'Neill in the older man in the doorway. Especially considering his profession as a journalist for The Washington Post.
The two O'Neill boys chorused their hellos while petting Boomer before Matt politely inquired where the bathroom was. Janet gave instructions as she pointed down the hall and the youngest O'Neill gave a quick thank you and scampered past Janet and Dominic and down the hall.
Exchanging a look with his father, Josh followed his brother at a more leisurely pace as he had to use the bathroom as well.
"I don't mean to be rude, but, what are you doing here?" Janet asked with some amazement. She knew that Sam had promised to contact Cassie, but when the contact had not been forthcoming… she certainly had not expected them to turn up on her doorstep!
"We were in the area," Jack answered obligingly as he took a turn petting Boomer when the Shibu Inu butted his head insistently against his leg, "and had to pay you a visit. If it's a bad time, we can come back sometime tomorrow."
"No, no!" Janet protested, worried that if she turned them away they would not see the O'Neills again. "Now's fine."
"Great," Jack responded and turned back to Sam and Cassie as they ended their reunion.
Wiping away the last of her tears for now, Cassie approached Jack and was enveloped in his arms as the man bent to hug her. "I missed you Uncle Jack," Cassie said softly against Jack's shoulder.
"I missed you too Cassie," Jack murmured his reply against the crown of her head. Shortly after Janet introduced Sam and Dominic, Jack ended his hug with Cassie.
"Where're your sons?" Cassie inquired as she expectantly looked about, after reaching out to grab Boomer's collar so her dog would stop pestering their guests, wondering where the two boys had gone.
"Bathroom," Jack answered for both Cassie and Sam's benefit as his wife was looking about for their sons as well.
"Well, no use standing in the hall," Janet declared, "let's move into the living room where there is room."
The five adults and one dog did so—and were joined later by Josh and Matt who kept themselves occupied with their handheld games—and soon their discussion turned to the reason that the O'Neills were in Washington and had paid a visit to the Janet's house. Giving two copies of the Veritas files to the two women, Cassie shared hers with Dominic saying that her husband had as much at stake as anyone else on Earth.
Janet could see that didn't exactly please Jack or Sam—but especially Jack—considering his dislike of the reporting profession but other than looking extremely disapproving Jack did not say no to Dominic reading Veritas.
There had been long stretches of silence in the living room as the three read the file but soon the two women were firing off medical questions about the sterilisation process and anything related. Questions that Sam either answered herself or referred them to the more in-depth reports available in Veritas's appendix.
Dominic had questions of his own which Janet could tell, helped him overcome his awe at being in the presence of the famous Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter—in particular, how they could have kept all this information a secret from Earth.
"You did read about Volia didn't you?" Jack responded, unimpressed by Dominic's threatening demeanour.
Dominic gave a curt nod.
"What could Earth have done that would have resulted in a more favourable outcome?" Jack asked bluntly.
Dominic opened his mouth to respond before snapping it shut.
Janet knew it was because her son-in-law did not know. Neither did she. Volia had essentially been at the same level of technology as them when contact had been made with Aschen. Then Volians's had had Aschen technology but that had not saved them from the Aschen's retaliation to Volians rioting when they had discovered the source of their plague and sterilisation.
"Even if Earth did fight, Earth would still lose through attrition," Jack said softly as he locked eyes with Dominic. "Fighting against the Aschen as long as they have their technology—and we don't understand or can't counter it—is pointless."
"But… but what if it could be countered?" Cassie asked, trying to dispel the tension between her husband and Jack.
Jack turned measuring eyes on Cassie. "Then you have a world of difference and then the fight can begin."
Janet's eyes widened incredulously, understanding as Dominic did not, that Jack had not just said that—but that he meant it. He—Sam—they—had a way of countering the Aschen. Looking at her daughter, she saw that Cassie understood too, and in that moment both women swore in their minds they would do whatever was needed to help.