Family SG1 Style
Family SG1 Style
by Revvie S
Summary: SG1 teams up to help Jack cope with a huge change in his personal life in ways only SG1 can.
Category: Humor
Season: Season 8
Pairing: Team
Rating: GEN
Warnings: none
Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. I have written this story for entertainment purposes only and no money whatsoever has exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the author(s).
Archived on: 2004-12-01
The day was cold and clear, a bright autumn afternoon, and General Jack O'Neill stood silently staring at a new headstone in a quiet cemetery in Minnesota. The funeral had been yesterday for his younger sister, and Jack found himself flooded with regrets. They had never been close and he knew he was to blame. Although in recent years he had visited her and her three children several times, especially since the death of her husband, he had remained withdrawn and distant around her.
Pulling his military coat more closely around him and adjusting his shades, Jack sighed and closed his eyes as he remembered the life of a sister so much younger than him that they had never really known each other. But what little he had known of her made him wish now that they had been closer, for she had been one of the good guys, and had left a family of great kids to prove it.
Kids. Oh, yeah. Jack shook his head and began walking back to his truck, thinking about the change in his circumstances now that Sally's kids were orphaned. Her husband had died a few years ago and Sally's recent life had not been an easy one. In spite of the emotional distance between her and her older brother, she had designated him as the responsible party for her three children in the event of her death, an event that had now sadly become a reality. With one last wistful glance at her grave, Jack climbed in his truck and roared down the interstate towards the house where his three new responsibilities awaited him.
As he drove from the graveside to his sister's house, he speed-dialed Daniel back in the Springs. Nobody knew where he was yet and he felt the need, unusual for him, to talk to someone. Daniel would be able to help, and so would Sam and Teal'C. They were his only family anyway, in Jack's mind. The phone rang.
"Hello?"
"Daniel. It's Jack. I won't be in to work this morning. I'm ah, in Minnesota."
"Why?" Daniel drawled in his characteristic tone.
"A funeral. Look, I need to talk this through," Jack ventured.
"What? What?" Daniel was truly concerned now. He couldn't remember those words ever coming out of O'Neill's mouth before.
"I'm not sure what to do."
"So tell me."
"My sister is dead, Daniel. Killed in a car accident two days ago. Uh, I've just been given custody of my sister's three children."
"Jack, I'm so sorry. Wait-- custody? Of three kids?"
"...yeah..."
"and they're..."
"I'm coming back in a few days and bringing them to live with me."
"Wow. I'm really sorry. What can I do to help, Jack?"
Daniel hurt for his friend as he listened to the events in Jack's life for the past two days. He'd known Jack had a sister, but didn't know that she and Jack were in somewhat regular contact and that her family lived less than an hour from Jack's cabin in Minnesota. But nobody but Daniel knew yet what Jack had just told him. Now Jack was trying to get ready for a huge change in his life and the lives of his nieces and nephew.
"Daniel, can you call Sam and Teal'C and tell them for me? And ask Sam if she can, you know, do something to get my house ready for next week. I'm bringing them home on the 15th if all goes as planned."
"What is the plan?"
"I'm, ahhh, working on it. Will you call Sam and Teal'C for me?" he repeated plaintively.
"Sure, Jack. But I'd like to come up there- sounds like you could use some extra hands. How do I get there?"
"I'll email you the directions."
"Hang in there, Jack."
"Thanks, spacemonkey."
"What??"
"I know this is a lot to take in, but..."
"He had a sister and he never thought to mention it to me? He's got a seventeen year old nephew? A thirteen year old niece and a four year old niece too?"
"Sam, it's nothing personal, I'm sure..."
"Exactly!" Daniel could hear the steam coming out of her ears.
"Well, that's not really important now, is it? He needs us right now."
There was a long moment of heavy silence.
"You're right, Daniel. What can I do?"
"Sam, this refrigerator is almost empty. He needs everything!" exclaimed Cassie. "Except maybe beer. Yeah, he definitely has enough beer. It's all Guinness."
"Cassie! Stop snooping. Just start putting away the cold stuff," ordered Sam.
"Teal'C!"
"In here," came Teal'C's muffled reply from the spare room, where he was absorbed in assembling a do-it-yourself bunkbed.
"I still don't think this room is big enough for two." Sam surveyed the spare room, looking around the house as if a third bedroom would materialize out of thin air.
"What about putting the guest bed in the study and moving the desk out here to the family room?" Cassie had joined her and was beginning to get into the spirit of redecorating.
"That's a good idea- but- do you think we should make a change that big? Although, he did say to see what needs to be done," Sam mused to Cassie.
"And," Cassie continued, "The study has a door on it, and it's private and all- soooo what should we move first?" The two women smiled conspiratorially at each other.
By dusk, the transformation was complete. The fridge was stocked with kid-friendly items, the family room now had a small but efficiently planned office nook, and the erstwhile study now looked like a teenager's room, complete with a makeshift desk in the corner consisting of a few cinder blocks and a tabletop. The doorbell rang just as the Sam fell on the couch, exhausted. Cassie answered the door.
"Pizza's here!"
"Yum! I'm starving!"
"I'll pay," offered Teal'C, who had ordered an extra large pepperoni along with the ladies' order.
Soon the three were full of pizza, dozing off in front of the TV.
"I wonder what the General and Daniel are doing right now," mumbled Sam.
" You're worried about him, aren't you?" asked Cassie softly.
"Yeah. I can't imagine him taking care of kids. I mean, I know he loves kids, I've seen him with plenty of kids off-world and he always gets attached. I know he will love them. But, how is this going to work out with his schedule and all the classified stuff?"
"Perhaps we should fall asleep on it, Samantha Carter," Teal'c advised.
"You mean, sleep on it? Actually, falling asleep right here is fine with me," Sam stated, and she curled up on the couch and closed her eyes.
"Me too," muttered Cassie without opening her eyes in the overstuffed easy chair.
"I will see you in the morning, then," Teal'C smiled as he headed for the door. Sam still couldn't get used to the idea of Teal'C driving.
"Good night, Samantha, Cassandra."
"Night, T," murmurred Cassie.
"G'night."
Sam lay in the dark trying to sleep, wondering what tomorrow and the day after tomorrow would bring.
Jack bit back a cry of frustration as he went to Maddie's bedside again for the third time that night. Since Maddie had arrived with her siblings at the General's three weeks ago, Jack's life had been turned upside down by the petite, sweet, wrecking machine known as Madeleine Becker. Her older sister Mindy was still in shock over her mother's death, and spent most of her time when she was not in school reading in the easy chair. Jack had already developed a bond with the sad, shy teenager, knowing from his own experience what it was like to feel cut off from everyone. Mindy had reached out to Jack, too, and he was gratified that they seemed to be growing close. But Maddie- she was in her own world of four year old exuberance and bravado, not even seeming to realize that a great tragedy had befallen her. She leaned out of the top bunk as Jack came into the room, so far that he jumped to catch her before he realized she was totally in control of her body and in no danger of falling despite how it looked.
"Okay, what??" he barked, military-like, right in her face, but with an only partially suppressed smile as she brashly met him eye to eye. The cheeky little girl simply smiled angelically and batted her pretty eyelashes.
"I hafta go to the bafroom, Uncle Jack."
"Oh for crying out -- get down," he grumbled as he lowered her to the floor.
"...and I need anovver drink of water," she cooed.
"What, so you can go to the bathroom in 20 minutes again?" Jack said loudly with his fake 'outraged' look.
Maddie giggled, completely unruffled by his stern demeanor, and danced off to the bathroom. He watched her go, and a pained expression crossed his face. Of the three of them, Maddie looked the most like her Mom had as a child, and the memories of taking care of his own rambunctious little sister came back like it was yesterday. How long had it been since he had thought about those childhood years? Since he had let himself remember, rather than cutting off the good memories for the sake of forgetting the bad?
"Uh Oh!" came a singsong voice from under the bathroom door. Jerked back to the present, Jack walked swiftly to the closed bathroom door.
"WHAT?"
"Ummm, nothin'."
"Right."
When Maddie was finally back in bed, without any additional water in spite of her wheedling, Jack headed out to the family room. Nick sat in front of the TV and didn't look up, so Jack sat in the chair without comment. When the commercial came on, though, Nick shifted and looked over at Jack.
"How you doing?" Jack asked.
"Okay, I guess. I met Cassie at school today, she's nice. She's kinda watching out for me, I think." Nick smiled a little.
"She's a great girl. Someone you want watching your back. Nick, tomorrow I'm leaving on a business trip. I should only be gone for three days, but Janet and Daniel will be checking in on you three, helping Maddie get to bed, and fixing dinner while I'm gone. Think you and Mindy can handle everything for a few days? I'll leave you some other phone numbers too."
"Guess so, we've done it before. What do you do, exactly?"
"It's classified."
"Is it dangerous?"
"Well, sometimes, yes it is."
Nick was silent at that, a look of anxiety crossing his face for just a split second, but not before Jack realized what he was thinking.
"Nick, you and your sisters have had a lot of loss in your life. All I can say is I have already lived through a lot of dangerous situations. Hey, it's a gift. I can't make any promises, no one can. You have learned the truth of that the hard way, I know. But I don't take unnecessary risks, and I'm good at what I do. I'll be back in three days."
"Yeah. Guess I'll go to bed now. Goodnight, Uncle Jack." Nick got up and walked slowly to the door of the study. He turned around.
"Mom told me she didn't know what you did either, but that you were very cool." Nick smiled mischievously and Jack grinned back. Maybe, just maybe, they were going to be okay.
"Sam, it's me."
"Who?" Sam's voice was fogged with sleep.
She looked over at her clock. It read 3:47. A.M.
"Wake up, Carter, it's O'Neill. Maddie is running a high temperature. Should I take her to the emergency room?"
"It's probably not that serious."
"How do you know that?"
"Okay, on my way, sir," Sam sighed.
She hung up a little louder than necessary and pulled on her jeans and sweatshirt that were conveniently on the floor where she had dropped them at midnight, having returned from being over at Jack's home earlier. This was the third time this month O'Neill had called her in a panic over some child related crisis. He never looked rested anymore and he was definitely grumpier, if that was even possible. His new wards were great kids, and no more or less trouble than any family of three, but Sam could see the toll it was taking on Jack. He acted as if there were dire consequences lurking behind every event in their lives. Of course, she didn't know if she would react any differently, not having any kids of her own. Just thinking about the responsibility of three instant children made her sweat. She grabbed her helmet and headed out to her bike. Sam had to ring the doorbell twice before a very disheveled Nick answered the door.
"Hi, Sam, Jack's in Maddie's room cleaning it up."
"Cleaning it up?"
"Yup. She threw up all over the place. I sprayed the floor with Lysol and mopped it, Jack's collecting the dirty laundry-"
"I'm going." Sam sighed. She walked down the hall and poked her head in the room. The scene that met her eyes was pathetic. Maddie was crying softly on her bottom bunk, Mindy was standing as far from the beds as possible looking miserable and grossed out, and Jack, with bags under his eyes and his hair sticking wildly in every direction, was gingerly stuffing sheets and blankets into a laundry basket. Sam squared her shoulders and marched in.
"Give that basket to Mindy. "Mindy, go start this load, would you please? Maddie, let's take your temperature." Sam opened her first aid kit and got to work.
"Thanks for coming, Carter," Jack mumbled.
He sat down tiredly on the tiny desk chair, dwarfing it.
"I think she might have strep throat," mused Sam, with a flashlight stuck in Maddie's mouth.
"Some pain medicine should help her feel better until we can get her to a doctor tomorrow."
"I'll get her some cold water and I've got some sort of liquid kid stuff in the kitchen." Jack left to go to the kitchen.
Sam gently ruffled Maddie's hair and looked sympathetically into her eyes.
"I want my Mom," she sniffed with tears rolling down her hot cheeks. Sam's heart lurched.
"What did your Mom do when you were sick?"
"She rocked me."
"Well, how about we go sit in the rocking chair together?"
"'kay."
Jack found them curled up in the overstuffed rocker a few minutes later. As soon as Maddie had taken some medicine, the two rocked slowly and Sam began singing quietly. With a tender glance at Sam, Jack flopped on the couch and closed his eyes gratefully. He was so tired that Sam's tuneless humming soon lulled him to sleep as well. Maddie's eyes slid shut even faster.
The sun was shining in her eyes and her arm was asleep when Sam abruptly woke up and realized she had spent the remainder of the night with Maddie in the rocker. Carefully, so as not to wake her, she got up and carried Maddie back to her bed and laid her on top of the sheets with her baby blanket draped over her. Then she went to the kitchen and called the doctor on call at the base, making plans to bring her to the SGC within the hour. Even though the kids weren't part of the program, SG1 was such a close team that it seemed natural to include the kids in their routine. Sam then went back to where Jack was sleeping on the couch and shook him awake.
"C'mon, sir, we need to take Maddie to the infirmary."
"Can't move, Carter."
"Yes, you can. I made coffee. That should help."
"Nothing will help." Jack slowly sat up and made his way to the coffeepot, Sam right behind him.
"You know, General, you can't do this alone."
"I've got every thing under control, Carter."
"Let us help, sir. Don't wait until things are in crisis to call. I'll come help with Maddie a couple nights a week. I'm glad to, I like being around kids."
"Coffee's good. And I can handle this."
"With all due respect, no you can't. Not alone."
"Look, Carter," Jack said forcefully, "I've been alone most of my life. I can do alone."
"But you're not alone, sir. You've got these kids to consider now. Besides, Daniel and Teal'C and I don't have kids, and being around yours would be a treat for us! Let us help."
"What do you suggest?" Jack looked at her seriously, beginning to warm up to the idea.
"Team meeting, here, tonight. We'll discuss it. We're basically a family anyway. Let us help."
"SAM!!" Maddie was up calling from her bedroom.
"Time to go, sir."
"Yup."
He stood and stretched and dragged himself up the stairs, soon reappearing with tiny Maddie clinging to his neck and her curly haired head on his shoulder. Sam couldn't help smiling at the cute picture they made standing there hugging each other.
That night Jack, Daniel, Sam, and Teal'C sat around the kitchen table at Jack's house eating pizza and drinking soft drinks. Teal'C had that little grin on his face he always had when he was officially off-duty. Every sip of the soft drink in his large hand elicited his amused grin. This week he was trying Root Beer and thought it very tasty.
Daniel was drinking one of Jack's beers and Jack was watching him furtively for his famous `cheap drunk' reputation to make itself known. He uncapped a second beer and subtly slid it over towards Daniel's almost empty bottle.
"Ahem," admonished Sam, watching his actions and knowing exactly what he was up to.
"Let's get this meeting to order. It seems that SG1, after saving the world eight times over, has an important mission right here on earth, specifically, uh, what is it we're trying to achieve exactly?" Sam faltered.
"C'mon, Carter, this was your idea," Jack retorted.
"Your idea!" Daniel repeated fuzzily.
"I believe Colonel Carter is offering to delegate the responsibilities of your nieces and nephew among the four of us," Teal'C jumped in, "so I volunteer for Mondays."
"What?" Jack frowned.
"Wait a minute, Teal'C, you can't just volunteer for Mondays- can he do that? And what are we volunteering for, anyway?" Daniel turned to O'Neill.
"I don't know. I think we need a schedule."
"So what do you need us for?" Said an unhelpful and sleepy Daniel.
"Uncle Jack, my throat hurts! Sam, can you give me some of that bubble gum med'cin?"
"Here's your chance to pitch in, Carter," Jack pointed out helpfully.
"Gee. Thanks, sir." Sam sighed and disappeared into the back of the house.
"Look, Sam's heart is on the right place, but the three of us are off world half the time. What you need is an au pair." Daniel sounded authoritative.
"Don't those things cost money?" Jack sounded truly grumpy and frustrated with the situation.
"Most things cost money last I checked," Daniel groused back.
Sam came back from the back of the house wiping her hands with a kitchen towel.
"Sir, I have an idea."
"It's about time, Carter."
"My niece lives here in town and is looking for a job right now. Let me talk to her about being your nanny."
"Fine."
"Just like that? Fine? Really?"
"Sure. Look, I figure how bad can she be compared to what's going on now? Besides, I trust you Carters. She's a Carter, right?"
"Well, yes she is, and thank you, sir. Her name is Kelly Carter. I'll set up an appointment so you can interview her--"
"She's hired."
"I believe that it would not be wise to be so hasty, O'Neill," Teal'C cautioned.
"She's a Carter, Teal'C! She'll be fine. I'll call her Carter the second."
"I think she would prefer to be called Kelly," Sam suggested, "and I know you'll like her once you get to know her."
"If she's coming to help me take care of these kids, I adore her already, Colonel."
Kelly Carter knocked for a third time on the front door of General O'Neill's house, adjusting the heavy duffle on her shoulder. She flipped a long lock of blonde hair out of her eyes and pulled off her pink-tinted sun-glasses. "What's with this dude?" She grumbled to herself, snapping her gum loudly. Just then the door flew open, almost hitting her, and a four year old whirlwind burst out to take her free hand and pull her inside.
"Kelly's here everbody!! Kelly's here, Uncle Jack!"
"Awesome!" whispered Nick, giving Kelly the once-over, but Jack overheard and got suspicious. He ran out into the foyer still holding a laundry basket.
"Uh oh," he said to himself, taking in the interested inspection Nick was giving the sassy blonde.
Audibly, he smiled, "Hi, you must be Kelly! Come on in, sit anywhere you can."
Jack motioned to the chairs and sofa with books and jackets and backpacks half blocking all of them. He introduced the three children, as Mindy had now joined them in the den having heard the commotion. When Nick was introduced, Jack could have sworn sparks flew visibly through the room.
'Oh, no,' he thought. "So, how old did you say you were?"
"Didn't say yet. I'm 20."
"Carter didn't mention how uh, young you-- your age," Jack said cautiously.
"I've had my own apartment for three years, General O'Neill, and I have been working and supporting myself all that time."
He had a sense of deja-vu as she gave him the patented Carter 'is that tough enough for you?' look.
"Okay, good enough for me- I was just asking," he backed off. "Uh, your room is this way, across from the girls' room, and the bathroom is shared between the rooms. Anything you need?"
"Nada, zero, zilch-I'm good," Kelly said breezily as she ably swung her loaded duffel through the doorway of her newly assigned room.
"Yeah, you're good," mumbled Nick, then swerved as Jack swung a gentle fist into his shoulder.
"I think we'll go have a little talk while Kelly gets settled in," Jack said to him quietly, motioning towards the deck. Nick smiled innocently at Jack and followed him outside. This was going to be interesting. Jack shuffled around for a minute while Nick smirked at the deck floor. Suddenly Jack turned to him with a stern countenance.
"Look, Nick, Kelly is going to be working here. This is her job- to manage you guys and, you know, do what needs to be done. You will treat her with respect and I want you to pretend she's-- 70 years old."
"What?" Nick looked outraged.
"OK, 30. In other words, she's out of your league."
"What do you mean, Uncle Jack?"
Nick tried to keep his innocent look alive, but O'Neill wasn't buying it. "I saw the way you looked at her. I wasn't born yesterday. Now I want you to remember our little chat and act accordingly. Understood?"
"Yes sir!" Nick mock saluted, but with more affection than defiance.
"Uncle Jack?"
"Hmmm."
"Was the way I looked at her the same way you look at Colonel Carter?"
"Huh? What are you talking about? I don't look at Colonel Carter in any way other than a good colleague."
"Yeah, whatever. G'night!"
Nick sauntered back inside smiling to himself and went to his room. Jack stood out on the deck a little longer, staring in the direction Nick had just gone, trying to figure out how Nick had noticed something Jack was only faintly aware of himself.
Later that evening, after finally getting Maddie in bed and the other two in their rooms studying, Kelly came into the living room and began picking up the dishes from the coffee table. Jack was dozing in the armchair but he came to as she began bustling about in the kitchen, washing off the dishes and loading them into the dishwasher. He got up and leaned against the wall between the kitchen and the small breakfast room, watching Kelly as she attacked the dirty kitchen with utter seriousness.
"So, Kelly."
"Yes sir? Sam told me to call you sir."
"How 'bout you call me Jack. I get enough sir at work. Tell me about you. What do you like to do?"
"Well, Jack," she replied, saying his name a bit more loudly than necessary, "I'm trying to save enough money to go to college. I really want to study deep space telemetry."
Jack tried not to laugh out loud. "And what do you know about that?"
"Oh, I read everything I can find about data transmission technology. That's what telemetry means. Did you know scientists can actually send and receive intelligible data transmission signals from as far away as-"
"GAHH! I mean, that's uh, interesting." Jack began clicking his pen open and shut and softly kicking the counter. "What made you want to study that?"
Jack was almost afraid to ask her, just in case she started spouting scientific garble again. But Kelly wiped the plate she was holding and put it into the cabinet before answering.
"Aunt Sam. My Dad is Sam's older stepbrother. Grandpa Jacob was married for a few years before he and my Mom got divorced and he married Sam's Mom...my Mom lives in Maine and I don't see much of her. That's where my Dad grew up. And my Dad never went to college. He says if I go it will be when I can pay for it. But Sam is so cool. She is always encouraging me to not settle for second best. I don't want to let her down. She's been there for me every step of the way since I went out on my own three years ago. She thought this job would be a good way to solve your problem and mine at the same time. I get money and a free place, and you have a nanny for when you travel. And I'll do my best, I promise."
"I'm sure you will," Jack smiled gently.
He already had a good feeling about this girl. He was silent while she finished cleaning up, and worked with her to help it go faster. He had not known that Jacob had been married twice or that Sam had a stepbrother. Or a niece, for that matter.
"You seem a lot like Sam," Jack said musingly. Kelly's faced brightened up instantaneously. It was obvious she admired her Aunt Sam a lot.
"The kitchen is closed. I'm going to bed, I still have to finish unpacking my things." Kelly gave Jack an uncertain glance, suddenly afraid she had told him too much too soon. It was obvious he had never heard of her or her branch of the family before.
"Good night, Jack."
"Good night, Kelly. If you need anything, feel free to hunt for it or ask me. I'll be up for a while yet. Got some deep space telemetry homework to do."
He barely controlled the smirk that threatened to grab his lips.
"Cool!" Kelly's eyes shone and then she left for her room.
Jack felt a twinge of guilt for pulling her leg. But it was just so fun.
Daniel slid into a chair next to Jack in the commissary early the next morning.
"Well, you look rested for once, Jack."
"Yeah. I think this nanny thing is going to work out great. Kelly Carter is... well, she's a Carter."
"So, your home is now being run efficiently, your bathrooms are spotless, and your spices are in alphabetical order?"
"What spices?"
"Hello, O'Neill, Dr. Jackson," Teal'C's deep melodic voice rang over their heads as the big man sat down across from them. His tray was overflowing as usual.
"Hey, Teal'C. Jack was just telling me how his domestic issues seem to be resolved." Daniel could talk just like Teal'c when he put his mind to it.
"That is indeed good news. Kelly Carter is acceptable then, O'Neill?"
"She is 'indeed'," Jack teased Teal'c. Teal'c merely raised an eyebrow, too busy eating to respond.
"Where's Carter? We have a mission briefing in 20 minutes," Jack groused.
"Here, sir," Sam's cheerful voice rang out as she came up to the table where the guys sat eating, holding a steaming cup of tea.
"How are things going?"
"If you are referring to my new nanny, things are super. I think she's going to work out just fine."
Jack looked calm for the first time in months. Sam smiled smugly.
"We have a mission to consider, people. Let's go brief, shall we?"
Jack was beginning to appreciate his job as General in light of the new developments in his home life. While SG1 went on missions for days at a time, he was for the first time in his life able to keep fairly regular hours without traveling. It was still hard to watch Sam, Daniel and Teal'C step through the Gate without him, and he still worried about them until they stepped back through onto the SGC ramp, but as he grew closer and closer to the kids, the pull of away missions waned. Sometimes he was still surprised to come home after a long day and find his house pulsing with activity instead of the quiet dark place it had been for so many years. Kelly, with her up-front efficiency and unflagging energy, had provided Jack with just enough extra help that he was able to successfully juggle and enjoy both his job and his household.
Jack O'Neill was up to his elbows in soapy water when the phone rang. He reached for it without a thought until he saw his soap-covered hand about to slime the phone, thought better of it and began looking around for a towel. Seeing one on the floor under the table, he dropped down to all fours and awkwardly retrieved it so he could mop himself off. In the meantime, Mindy had answered the phone and was now holding it out to him as he fumbled around.
"It's General Hammond," she whispered importantly.
"Thanks, Min. Hello, General, I didn't know you were in town," Jack answered, slightly breathless when he finally took the phone. Mindy hung around trying to listen, but Jack waved her off with a smile and a pretend swat.
"Colonel O'Neill, I need to speak with you. Can you come by my house sometime tonight?"
"Sure, sir, how's about 1930?"
"See you then, and Colonel, just you."
"Bye, sir," Jack responded, feeling a wave of uneasiness wash over him. He really didn't want another black-ops assignment, but he suspected it would have to be something covert for Hammond to have returned from Washington and to want to see him in person.
At General Hammond's house, it didn't take long for George to get to the point.
"I'm sorry about this, Jack, but you're the best man for the job."
"Let me see if I understand this- you want me to extract a Tok'ra operative from a G'ouald-controlled planet, with a battalion of Tok'Ra and rebel Jaffa posing as my loyal army, by convincing the Jaffa battalion guarding him that I am a G'ouald? And the way we're going to convince them I'm a G'ouald is to fake an incident on our next mission which will convince everyone but you that I have been taken as a host."
"That's right, Jack. I will assume temporary command of the SGC in your absence. Go home and think about it. This situation isn't going to change anytime soon, although the sooner we can get this Tok'ra out of enemy hands the less risk he is to the rest of the Tok'ra. The Tok'ra were very insistent on this, I spoke to Jacob myself. This Tokra's very important to them, although they didn't say why."
"And---do they ever say why?" Jack was looking extremely annoyed by now.
"Jack, It sounds like it must be really important to the security of Earth and the Tok'ra both or they wouldn't have asked us, specifically you, to get involved."
"What about my kids? What am I going to tell them? They've been through a lot this year and they don't need to be upset again."
"I'll work out something we can tell them that will keep them from undue worry until you get back."
"And if I don't? Never mind, General, I know you can jump off that bridge when you come to it. Okay. Where is a secure line I can reach you when I decide what I'm going to do?"
They both intuitively knew he was going to do it; he would have reacted much differently if he had already decided against the mission. General Hammond handed him a slip of paper with a number on it which Jack zipped into an inside pocket of his jacket. Jack slipped out onto the dark driveway and into his truck quickly. As he drove home again, he was about as troubled as he'd ever been.
The mission had gone smoothly for SG1. The last few days had consisted of unhurried collecting of mineral samples, exploration of a very rich group of G'ouald ruins, and wonderful weather. The evenings around the campfire had been relaxing and enjoyable for a team that had been through a lot of difficult assignments in the last few months, not to mention the huge upheaval in Jack's personal life. The four were packing up and preparing to go home when Carter heard interference coming through her long range scanner. She listened intently and then signaled to Jack.
"Sir, I think we've got hostiles coming into this planet's orbit, suggest we leave immediately."
"Roger that, Carter. You all get everything packed onto FRED. I'm going up to the top of the ridge to see if I can find out who they are. Give me your scanner, Carter."
"Sir, I could come with you."
This was an unusual request coming from O'Neill; she was a bit confused.
"I need you to make sure all these samples get stowed properly. Your scientist friends back at the SGC were very insistent about that. Stop looking at me like that, Carter. I listen in briefings. When it's important, anyhow. I'll be back in a few minutes."
He ran off towards the rise hoping that Jacob was behind it. Timing was everything to pull this stunt off.
As the team got FRED loaded and the Gate dialed, A glider swooped out of nowhere and activated their ring transportation just beyond the ridge where Jack had disappeared moments before. Sam was filled with a wave of alarm and she signaled to Teal'C and Daniel to back her up as she ran for the ridge, weapons ready. The sight that greeted their eyes as they topped the ridge was an alarming scene. Jack was being dragged between what looked to be two Jaffa towards a man with an arrogant air that could only be a G'ouald. Sam signaled all of SG1 to drop onto their stomachs along the ridge as she desperately pondered what action to take.
The ring transporter activated once again, spitting out a female who strutted disdainfully over to the G'ouald's side and three more Jaffa. One of the Jaffa dropped to his knees next to the female, who signaled for O'Neill to be brought to her. From her vantage point, Sam could see that Jack was barely conscious and was being dragged the few yards to the queen's side. When the haughty female reached into the symbiote pouch of the submitting Jaffa, Sam realized what was happening, as did Daniel and Teal'C. The three rose and charged down the hill, weapons ready, to try and rescue Jack from certain infestation by the mature symbiote that had been drawn out of the Jaffa's pouch.
Jack looked directly at his team in the split second before rings descended over him and the group around him, and he and his captors disappeared. The glider was gone a few moments later, leaving the distraught team trying to come to grips with the tragic turn of events. Sam couldn't believe she'd let him go over that ridge alone and wished with all her heart she had followed her gut instincts.
Sam unwittingly helped the credibility of Jack's abduction by calling General Hammond immediately upon arriving back at the base. He had casually let her know the day before he was in town, so he now hurried over to the SGC, having supposedly secured the assignment of temporary command after Sam's call.
It was very late by the time Sam was finished with briefing General Hammond on the situation. She went straight to Jack's home, where Kelly was folding wash in front of a late night show. She had decided to spend the night there to help Kelly with the school rush in the morning and also to let her know what had happened. General Hammond had suggested that they not tell the children that there was an emergency or that Colonel O'Neill was in danger. She and Hammond had come up with the story that Jack was detained on his mission due to some complications and would return home in a week or two. Sam was immensely relieved that she would not have to tell the children the devastating truth just yet, but decided to give Kelly a more accurate picture to prepare her for what might happen. Sam and Kelly talked for over an hour when Sam suddenly yawned uncontrollably and fought to keep her head upright.
"Sack out in my room, Aunt Sam, you look zonked," Kelly suggested.
"It's okay, the couch is pretty comfortable," Sam returned as she kicked off her shoes and curled up into the overstuffed sofa.
"And how do you know that?" Kelly teased.
"I think it's time for YOU to go to sleep too, before your mind overloads," Sam retorted. "G'night, Kelly. I'm glad we're here together tonight." Sam looked overwhelmed.
"Night, Sam, get some rest."
After Kelly's door closed and the house was finally dark, Sam tried to fall asleep but could not. After a while, she got up and padded slowly down the hall in her sock covered feet, irresistably drawn to Jack's room. It was dark but she could see outlines around the room from the moonlight coming through the windowpanes. As she stood silently surrounded by his things, the horror of the day caught up to her emotions and tears slid despairingly down her cheeks. It helped a little to curl up on his bed and hug his blanket to her face, all the while wondering if she would ever see him again.
Jack was surrounded by Tok'ra and rebel Jaffa on the glider as they landed on the docking platform of the mother ship. From this point on, the resistance had explained to him, they would be with real G'ouald and their Jaffa. This group of rebels had been carefully playing out their roles for months now, preparing the way for the eventual rescue effort. Jack was trying to commit to memory all the details they were firing at him about his insertion on the enemy ship as a new G'ouald. Interacting with the G'ouald in command of this vessel wasn't something Jack was looking forward to, but he was ready to give this mission his all so he could get this prisoner and return home. He was told he and his team, after coming on board supposedly for a diplomatic meeting, would overthrow the current commander and establish O'Neill as the new, power-hungry 'god' so he could gain control of the ship and search out the whereabouts of the operative. They would be acting their parts as convincingly as possible until they were able to mount a successful extraction.
SG1 and SG6 were on a joint mission to PH117, a dusty wasteland of a world where previous teams had found evidence of G'ouald activity, cataloging artifacts at an impressive site near the Gate. Sam was ready to go home, lately finding it hard to concentrate on anything. She meandered over to Daniel, curious to see what was so enthralling that he'd been oblivious to her not so subtle sighs and fidgeting. He looked the part of the stereotypical archeologist, up to his elbows in dust with smears on his cheeks and chin, as he painstakingly uncovered a flat, smallish stone slab. Two huge pyramid platforms towered behind him, giving him the appearance of being at a dig in Egypt.
"Daniel, how much longer?"
Sam cringed inwardly as she spoke, hearing Jack's voice and very inflection in the comment she had just barked out. Daniel must have noticed too, evidenced by the strange look he gave Sam before answering.
"Uh, can you give me another hour or two, Sam? There's a word or two on this tablet I can't quite get. Would you call Teal'C over here?"
Sam was intrigued for the first time since arriving on PH117 and came closer to peer over Daniel's shoulder. He was holding two pieces of a broken stone tablet that fit together jaggedly and she could see his notebook filled up with Daniel's distinctive script as he had tried to decipher the glyphs.
Sam read out loud, "The gods shall reign no more when the.....overtakes .....and...." she wrinkled her brow and depressed the com button in her jacket pocket.
"Teal'C? Daniel needs your help. I'm coming to switch off with you on perimeter." Daniel smiled to himself, knowing he'd just been given the extra time he wanted.
Maddie had a pout so long Kelly teased her that her lips were brushing the ground.
"C'mon, Maddie, you love preschool! The other kids are going to be sad if you're not there to play with them." Kelly gave her an imploring face.
"They hate me!" Maddie declared melodramatically.
"They love you, baby! Now. Let me tie your shoes and brush your hair. We don't want to be late!"
Acting much more authoritative than she felt, Kelly grabbed her left shoe and began tying the laces. Maddie acquiesced, but continued to mope and mutter under her breath. Kelly rolled her eyes when she thought she heard, "they do too hate me," several times.
Soon they were pulling up to the cheerful brick school that housed Maddie's preschool class. Maddie clung to her booster seat with all her strength as Kelly came around the side to get her out.
"C'mon, Maddie, don't be like this! Uncle Jack will be disappointed in you," Kelly said earnestly, pulling her ace out of her sleeve.
"OOKKKAAYYY. Just don't tell on me!!"
Maddie reluctantly allowed Kelly to get her out of the car and they walked into the school, Kelly dragging the moody child by the hand. As they went down the hall, Kelly stopped Maddie with a hand on her shoulder and bent down to her eye level.
"It's just like you're going somewhere important, like Uncle Jack. He didn't want to go, but he knew he had to, so he did the right thing. Now this is the right thing that you need to do."
Kelly held her breath waiting for Maddie's answer. Maddie immediately straightened her back and a proud twinkle stole into her eyes.
"Ok, just like Uncle Jack. Bye, Kelly. See you later."
She marched with a military gait into the classroom.
Jack and company had run into a bit of a snag. They had succeeded in killing the G'ouald and Jack was now in charge, but they had learned from the Jaffa on board that their current destination was a planet where they had left the Tok'Ra operative imprisoned with a small garrison of warriors. The dead G'ouald had been particularly interested in this planet and it appeared that he thought the Tok'Ra operative had information about something of value hidden there. Jack was supremely frustrated to learn that the prisoner was not even aboard the mother ship after all they had gone through to place themselves in position to rescue him. So the ship was now entering orbit around the planet in question as their quest for the missing Tok'Ra grew more convoluted.
The situation did lend credibility to Jack's takeover, however unplanned it may be. He was now a G'ouald after the same mysterious device or weapon in order to increase his power. He was not completely play-acting; Jack was hopeful that whatever they found would aid them in their fight against the G'ouald.
"It says, 'The gods shall reign no more when the creeping death overtakes them where they stand and the slaves shall be freed. The key to tomorrow lies by the throne of the past."
Teal'C's eyes flashed with excitement as he and Daniel finished the translation.
"The key to tomorrow- the creeping death, the agent of destruction?"
"Throne of the past," Teal'C muttered. "Daniel Jackson, perhaps we should explore these pyramids."
Grabbing the two halves of the tablet and stuffing them in his backpack, Daniel stood up slowly as he adjusted to the increased weight. Within minutes they had found Sam and were on their way to the closest of the two pyramids. The entrance was partially blocked by fallen stone but they wormed their way through and clicked on their lights as they made their way down the center passageway.
"Colonel Carter. These bootprints are recent, no more than a few weeks old, Teal'C exclaimed, halting their progress.
Sam paused for a minute, instantly alert.
"Let's see where they lead. Stay sharp, guys. Teal'C, you're on point and I'll bring up our six."
The huge ship made the final approach to the landing area as Jack watched from the bridge with both loyal and rebel Jaffa. Two huge pyramids came into view and the large ship expertly manuevered onto the docking platform of the larger one. Now that they were close to finally achieving their goal of extracting the Tok'Ra who was undoubtedly imprisoned below, Jack had unilaterally decided to extend the mission and see if there was anything to this G'ouald's quest. He and his team got prepared in case they met resistance down below from the garrison who would not be expecting Jack as the reigning G'ouald. The rings went deep under the pyramid directly to a chamber where six Jaffa stood waiting for their lord's arrival. They looked alarmed at the sight of the unknown G'ouald and Jaffa and readied their weapons, but the original Jaffa from the ship, who were already convinced to follow O'Neill, ordered them to stand down. Confused, they lowered their weapons. Jack began to wonder if maybe he was supposed to address them at this point, but before he could say anything one of his rebel Jaffa spoke for him.
"My Lord wishes to interrogate the prisoner. Bring him before us." The leader of the Jaffa garrison bowed and left the room, barking at his subordinates to follow.
Sam called a halt to their stealthy advance as she sensed the presence of a G'ouald near by. Teal'C, also sensing it, came and pointed silently down a passageway Sam was partially blocking, and as they proceeded the three found a cell at the end of a short hall. There stood a man, a host as Sam could easily sense, behind bars and looking to be in bad shape. He stood as they approached.
"Who are you?" Sam spoke first.
"I am Xandu. Please help me."
"Why are you imprisoned here? Where are your captors?"
"Behind you, Taur'i," came a snarling voice as the three were simultaneously zatted. Their world went black.
As she came to, Sam slowly became aware of a very familiar voice speaking with unfamiliar venom. As it dawned on her who it was, a chill ran up her spine and she fought against the ropes that bound her. She opened her eyes, dreading the sight she knew she would see. Jack stood before them, apparently in a rage that spies had been able to walk right into the pyramid and then directly to such a valuable prisoner. The Jaffa, both those posing and those in a genuine fright as their lord raved, were bowed before him in submission. She had found Jack against all odds, but feared he was more lost to her than ever. Noticing that she had regained consciousness, Jack sauntered over to her, evil dripping from his features.
"You will pay for your insolence, Taur'i," he jeered right in her face.
Then, almost imperceptibly, inches from her eyes, he winked. Sam's startled look appeared to be appropriate fear to those around her, as Jack pulled back and gloated over Teal'C (the traitor) and Daniel, both also awake. The Tok'Ra Xandu sat a bit apart, guarded by the six penitant guards who had been on the planet.
"Prepare the prisoners for interrogation! I wish to question them myself," Jack thundered as he sat on the throne in the middle of the room.
His Jaffa rushed off to put the four into irons in separate holding rooms. As all left except Jack and a few of his operatives, Jack slumped into the throne, running a hand across his forehead.
"Oy. Can this day get any worse?" He muttered under his breath.
Sam was thinking so hard her brain hurt as she sat flexing her wrists, sore from the chains around them. Had she seen what she thought she'd seen? Or was it just wishful thinking on her part? She'd seen Jack get snaked a week ago, or at least that's what she assumed had happened. What was going on? The door opened, distracting her from her inner turmoil, and Jack entered with two hefty Jaffa. They reverently removed his robe and Jack stepped further into the room, turning to face them imperiously.
"Leave us!"
He commanded in his best G'ouald impersonation, enjoying the sound the Tok'Ra voice synthesizer made. They bowed and complied, and Jack shut the door as they left. For a moment he stood turned towards the door, and Sam couldn't see his face. The truth was, Jack was at a loss as to what to do now. The last thing he had expected on this mission was to run into SG1, and now if he let them go or appeared lenient with them, it could blow his cover. He turned to see Sam watching him with a mixture of defiance and fear.
"You okay, Sam?"
His G'ouald voice did little to convince her he wasn't a snakehead.
"Oh, wait. Hey, remind me to turn this back on when I leave," Jack asked as he reached inside his gold armor and switched off the voice synthesizer.
"Jack!" Sam exploded, forgetting ranks for the moment in her relief. "You're not a G'ouald!"
Jack smiled impishly. "Actually, I thought I made a pretty good G'ouald, Carter," he responded smugly before he changed gears.
"I don't know how we happened to run into each other, but this complicates things, Carter. I'm here on a mission, a secret mission, and you're not supposed to know!"
Carter looked unimpressed.
"What's your objective sir?"
"That Tok'Ra that was imprisoned with you. Apparently he needs rescuing."
"Sir, are you aware that this pyramid is a few minutes walk from a Stargate?"
"Well, seeing you guys here is a clue, but no, I didn't know that until I saw you here. We were going to try to take a few gliders off the ship after disabling the weapons or something."
Sam waited for him to go on, but he said nothing.
"So, wouldn't it be easier if we just... all walk back through the Gate?"
The look on her face was just to this side of insubordination.
"Good idea, as usual, Carter. Hey, I'll get back to you when I gather everybody up. And remember to act like I'm hurting you if I hit you or zap you or whatever."
"Got it. And sir, I'm glad you're not a G'ouald. You had me worried."
"Be back soon, Sam." This last sentence was spoken through the reactivated G'ouald voice box.
"Yes, my Lord," Sam muttered.
Jack grinned wickedly.
Teal'C was his next visit, where Jack learned about the translation Daniel and Teal'C had figured out. "Sounds like we need to check it out, Teal'C. I was just sitting on a throne, do you think that's the throne from the stone tablet?"
"Possibly."
"Okay, I'm going to drag you back up to the throne room now, so act like you're in pain. Stop smiling."
"I will do as you request, O'Neill."
Within the hour, O'Neill had succeeded in passing the word through the rebels to send the Jaffa loyal to the G'ouald up to the throne room in fours or fives, where they were caught by surprise by SG1, zatted, gagged and tied up. O'Neill was otherwise occupied searching around the throne for anything that might be unusual. Daniel was soon helping him, as no more Jaffa needed to be neutralized.
"We've gotta go, Daniel," Jack cautioned as he continued to look. "The Jaffa upstairs are going to come looking for us soon."
"Aha!" Daniel said triumphantly, dragging an ornate gold box of oblong shape from a under a slab behind the throne. "This has to be it."
"Good work. Everyone to the Stargate, now," O'Neill ordered to those present and through the com.
This bizarre mission couldn't end soon enough for him.
The briefing was finally over but it was in the running for one of the longest, most complicated mission briefings of Jack's career, rivalled only by the one after they had traveled back in time to 1969. That briefing had ended in a Carter-led discussion of what-ifs that still gave him a headache.
The Tok'Ra, rather than being grateful for the SGC's response to their request and the ultimate success of the mission, had bickered over who should rightfully claim the mysterious gold box that was currently in a very safe place in Daniel's lab. Jack was still miffed about the whole plan in general, maintaining very insistently that the G'ouald charade thing was unneccessay and had put him, his team, and the others at too great a risk. He would have just blown the door off the pyramid and shot his way in, as he so delicately put it.For that matter, he argued, why involve the SGC at all? The Tok'Ra could have retrieved their guy without all the spy versus spy stuff. Of course, that led the Tok'Ra to suggest that if the Taur'i weren't willing to work side by side with the Tok'Ra, then they should just give them that little gold box. Sam had words on this subject as did Daniel. General Hammond finally put an end to it all and agreed to allow the Tok'Ra to help the SGC determine the artifact's value as long as all research was conducted at the SGC. Research was to begin right away. If Daniel had anything to say about it, that meant tonight.
It didn't take the delegates long to leave, and soon Sam was waiting for Jack to finish up with Hammond. She had missed him and had worried about him, and for once she was going to tell him so.
"Carter, you free for dinner? Not a restaurant- how about we pick up something and eat it with Kelly and the kids?" Jack had finally left the briefing room and was walking towards the elevators with Sam.
"Sure. I guess you're looking forward to getting home, sir?"
The doors to the elevator opened and they stepped in, punching the button for the surface.
"Very much. It's been a long week and a half."
Sam saw an opening and took a deep breath.
"It was a long week and a half for me too, sir. I missed you and I didn't know what to do when I saw you taken captive."
"I'm sorry, about that, Sam. Now that it's all over I can't imagine why it was necessary to keep you all in the dark. It's what the Tok'Ra insisted on." His face was dark as he mentioned the Tok'Ra.
"Thinking that you might not come back was the hardest part."
Sam looked at her feet until Jack reached out and brushed her arm with his fingertips, his eyes searching for forgiveness.
"Are you wearing a bracelet, sir?"
Sam was trying to see a colorful band that was peeking out just a fraction under O'Neill's jacket sleeve. He shrugged and pulled the sleeve up, revealing a braided length of three differently colored strips of leather with the occasional bead, tied around his wrist.
"Kelly taught Maddie how to make these. I have a nice assortment."
Sam smiled in surprise at the Colonel. He looked at her sheepishly for a minute, then fished around at his neckline. "She made me this, too," he admitted, pulling out a similarly braided pendant with a garrishly painted glob of clay hanging from the middle. Sam was on the verge of a giggle.
"Nice, sir. Does that, ah, hurt? That's quite a lump of jewelry." She cleared her throat to keep from laughing.
"As long as you asked," Jack leaned down and pulled up the cuff of his pants to reveal a lovely matching anklet.
"I didn't wear them whilst I was G'oualded, Carter, if that's what you're wondering. I just slipped this ensemble on in the locker room. Maddie will be inspecting me as soon as I step in the door."
"I see."
The doors opened and they walked towards their cars.
"See you in a few minutes, Colonel."
"Meet you at my house," he agreed, tucking his pendant back inside his collar.
The reunion at Jack's was full of exuberance. Maddie bounced around Jack like she had springs on her feet, and he felt like the center of the universe as he answered questions and listened to all of their news.
He wasn't surprised to find Cassie there too, but his eyes narrowed as he watched Nick and Cassie whispering and giggling together in the back of the room. He made a mental note to himself to monitor that situation.
Sam called for delivery and sat down to catch up with Kelly. Sitting together on the sofa, their two blonde heads bobbing up and down as they talked animatedly, the two looked more alike than ever.
Jack answered the door when the doorbell rang, but it wasn't the delivery boy. It was Teal'C and Daniel.
"Teal'C, buddy! Great to see you, but what are you doing here?" asked a puzzled Jack.
Teal'C straightened to his full height and came to attention.
"I volunteered for Mondays. It is Monday."
Daniel was behind him, smirking.
"And Daniel?"
"I don't know. Just missed you, Jack. Got anything to eat?"
Jack recognised this feeling coursing through him as he stepped aside and allowed his friends to enter. It was a sense of belonging, a feeling of rightness and comfortability, like slipping on a favorite sweatshirt or falling asleep in front of the hockey game.
This was family, SG1 style.
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