Secrets
Secrets
by Shroedinger
Summary: Sam reveals a secret to her team, while a Goa'uld threatens to overthrow the System Lords.
Category: Action/Adventure, Hurt/Comfort, Romance
Episode Related: 105 First Commandment, 405 Divide and Conquer
Season: Season 4
Pairing: Jack/Sam
Rating: 13+
Warnings: adult themes
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: 2004-08-02
Copyright (c) 'Shroedinger' 2004
[][][] "From the images transmitted by the MALP, these people appear to be descendants from a sub-Saharan tribe of Africa, most likely from what is today the Democratic Republic of the Congo as evident from--"
"Ah, Daniel," Jack interrupted, before the archeologist could get too wrapped up in anthropological minutia. "Forgive my bluntness, but can you summarize for us why we should care?" From across the briefing room table Sam hid a smile from her CO. Jack O'Neill had no more patience for Daniel's details than for her 'technobabble.'
"Jack," Daniel continued, with a hint of impatience in his voice. "This is a unique opportunity to see the isolated evolution of an African tribal people transplanted thousands of years ago. Most of sub-Saharan culture has been overrun by European Colonization or civil war."
"While I realize you find all of this...fascinating," Jack paused for dramatic effect, "why must *we* go? From what I've seen this is a mission for one of the more scientifically minded teams. I haven't seen evidence of any important minerals, let alone something we can fight the Goa'uld with."
Sam could practically *see* Daniel restrain himself from rolling his eyes at Jack's priorities, as she and Teal'c watched on with amusement (although Teal'c would never show it). "These are the first people of sub-Saharan Africa we've encountered, out of the hundreds of societies we've visited in the past three years. Why haven't we encountered any before now? What made the Goa'uld--"
Daniel was again interrupted, this time by a bashful Lieutenant Simmons, who received a glare of frustration. "I'm sorry to interrupt sir," he addressed General Hammond. "But I have a phone call from off base for Major Carter. I'm told it's an emergency."
At this, Daniel forgave him as all eyes turned to Sam with concern. An emergency? What kind of emergency would require contacting her on base? And for that matter, who off base even knew how to contact her at work?
"Thank you Lieutenant, she can take it in my office." At this, General Hammond nodded to Major Carter. She stood quickly and entered his office, closing the door behind her. Her teammates watched in contemplative silence as she left, a tense and distracted look on her face, although she met no one's eyes.
Moments after her departure, the Colonel broke the silence. "An emergency? *Off* base?" He looked to Daniel. "Do you have any idea what this could be about?"
Daniel opened his mouth to say respond, but the General beat him to it. "I'm sure the Major will inform you if she chooses to, Colonel." As Jack met the General's eye he saw that he was clearly not supposed to pursue this--which only piqued his curiosity. But before he or the General could say anything further, Sam returned looking somewhat paler than usual.
"General, could I speak to you in your office for a moment?"
"Of course." As they left to speak behind a closed door, Sam's three remaining team members exchanged glances, and even Teal'c raised an eyebrow. Keeping his voice low, Daniel asked Jack, "Do you have any idea what's going on?"
Staring at the door with such intensity Daniel wondered if he was trying to see through it, Jack answered "No. What do you think she couldn't discuss in front of us?"
"Maybe something with her brother or his family? She isn't seeing anyone is she?" Daniel mused, and watched Jack try to hide his reaction to the latter question. Surprise and something that looked vaguely like distress, quickly schooled back into an expression of contemplation.
"I don't believe so..." but there was doubt in his answering voice he couldn't hide even from himself. Wouldn't she have said something if she was? Or maybe she wasn't comfortable telling him. Things hadn't been the same between them since the za'tarc fiasco just a couple of weeks before. And he didn't think they ever would be. Luckily Carter and the General reentered then, before he could travel too far down what was turning out to be a dead end road.
Well, the General re-entered. Carter left the office and walked quickly out of the room. The General cleared his throat to gather their attention, and spoke. "This mission is postponed until further notice. Major Carter is going to be taking at least three days of personal leave. If it turns out she needs more than that, we'll discuss temporary assignments for the three of you. Dismissed."
"Excuse me Sir," the Colonel asked hesitantly. "Should we contact Jacob?"
"Not in this case, son," the General answered with what sounded suspiciously like a hint of regret.
With that the three practically bolted after Carter (well, Teal'c was a bit more reserved). The Colonel caught up with her first, as she was leaving the locker room dressed in civvies and muttering to herself. She saw him coming, and looked as if she was dreading this inevitable confrontation. Walking toward the elevator, and swiping her ID, she sighed and turned to him.
"I'm sorry sir, but I'd rather not get into this right now," she told him before he even had the chance to ask a question. At this point Daniel joined them, and asked, "Sam, what's going on? Is there anything we can do?"
She smiled at his concern, but shook her head as she entered the elevator. They followed. "Don't worry guys, I'm sure everything will be fine. There would be a lot of explaining to do, and I'd rather not get into it."
Daniel was less than satisfied with the answer, as was Jack who had yet to get a word in. Daniel opened his mouth to ask another question, but this time Jack was faster. "Is there anything you can share with us, anything we can do?"
Sam sighed, staring into space as she considered what to say. She owed them her honesty, and should probably have told them all before now. But she hadn't, and now was certainly not the time. She was too preoccupied more than a little stressed, and couldn't find the energy to explain everything. "Not right now, but I promise at some point I will tell you everything. I just can't deal with this right now."
Daniel nodded, saying, "As long as you know that we're here for you if you need anything." Sam smiled, and squeezed his shoulder as she thanked him. The three rode to the surface in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. Jack watched Carter carefully, gathering what information he could. She looked impatient to get to the surface, and was biting her lower lip in an unconscious habit he knew signaled anxiety. He had the uneasy feeling that there was something going on with her the General was privy to, but that rest of the team was in the dark about. Something big. It just didn't sit right.
They passed through the final checkpoint, signing out, as Daniel and Jack walked her to her car. Carter of course protested. "You guys can go back to work. Don't worry, I can take care of this."
So as they watched her drive away by herself, Jack left Daniel standing alone and walked to his car. Daniel quickly turned on his heel and followed.
"Jack? What are you doing?" The Colonel had reached the car and was unlocking it and getting in.
"I'm following her. Something isn't adding up here, and I want to know what."
Daniel didn't think this was a good idea, and voiced his opinion (while getting in the passenger seat of course) "This is really none of our business. You know that right?"
"It is our business Daniel," Jack said as they exited the parking lot, and headed to the first checkpoint. "She is our friend and something is obviously going on with her. It is our business to make sure she doesn't need help and is just being too stubborn to ask for it."
"If you say so Jack," Daniel admitted reluctantly. "She is still not going to be happy when she sees us behind her.
[][][] Carter didn't notice them behind her because she was far too wrapped up in her own thoughts. The school hadn't given her much information, and she had a thousand questions of her own. What exactly had happened? Was she going to be okay? How bad were her injuries? She had put on a brave face for the guys so they would leave her to handle this herself, but the truth was she was incredibly worried. Now left alone with her thoughts she imagined the worst, and pressed the gas pedal a little harder. She needed answers.
[][][] "Where is she going?" Daniel said out loud, voicing Jack's thoughts as well. They were nowhere near the part of town where she lived, and seemed to be heading into downtown Colorado Springs. Their unease only increased as they watched her, four cars ahead of them, turn into the Emergency Room parking lot at the Memorial Hospital. They followed, but had a difficult time finding a parking spot so weren't able to catch up to her before she entered the hospital. Once parked they jogged after her, trying not to lose sight of her.
Inside the busy ER waiting room, they saw her speaking to someone at the desk, but couldn't make out the words over the distance. The receptionist nodded and responded, before calling over a nurse. The nurse led her over to a curtained off examination area. They had just about caught up with her at this point, but hesitated at barging in on whoever was being treated behind that curtain. What they heard next stopped them both in their tracks. It sounded like a little girl, tearfully exclaiming, "Mommy!"
But that wasn't the surprise. It was the sound of Sam responding, "I'm here sweetheart."
[][][] Jack and Daniel stood there in shock for a moment, staring at each other in surprise, before Jack motioned for them to step away from the curtain. They claimed two chairs in the waiting room and sat down next to each other.
"What just happened?" Jack asked, with confusion evident in his voice.
"I think...I think...it sounded like Sam has a daughter," Daniel answered, hesitantly. "But that doesn't seem possible, does it? We've known her for years!" Daniel exclaimed in a low voice, trying not to alert Sam to their presence just yet. "How could we not have known? How do hide the fact that you have a daughter? I mean--" he stopped. "*Why* do you hide it?"
Jack didn't answer, staring over at the curtain. Carter had a daughter? When did this happen? *Who* did this happen with? He wasn't sure he wanted to know.
As he watched his musings were broken by movement as the curtain was pulled aside and a stretcher was wheeled out. He couldn't see the child, as she was shielded by a nurse and Carter, who walked beside it. A doctor trailed behind, writing orders on a chart. Carter stopped, allowing the doctor to catch up to her. She had one arm wrapped around her waist, and had her other hand resting against her lips. It was body language that broadcast a sense of insecurity neither Daniel nor Jack had ever seen from her. The doctor spoke some final words to her, placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, and she nodded. Carter then watched as the doctor followed the gurney out of the ER before turning and collapsing into a chair with her head in her hands.
Daniel glanced over at Jack, looking to him for some clue as to how to alert her to their presence. Neither wanted to be the one to do it, but she certainly looked as if she needed some support. Jack shrugged back, uncomfortable in what was obviously an emotionally charged situation. Daniel shook his head and pointed to Jack. This was his idea! So Jack bit the bullet, and walked over to her with Daniel trailing hesitantly behind.
"Carter?" he asked warily.
Her head shot up in surprise, and she quickly wiped what looked suspiciously like tears from her face. "Sir?! What are you doing here?" She spied Daniel behind him. "Daniel. I thought I told you guys to stay out of this?"
Uh oh. Now she sounded angry, which had definitely not been their intention. Jack looked to Daniel, indicating that they were in need of his diplomatic skills. Bracing himself, he stepped forward.
"Its not like that Sam! We were just worried, and wanted to make sure you would be alright."
Sam's anger deflated, as did she. She looked exhausted. "I'm guessing now you have more questions than answers," she said falteringly.
"Uh, yeah," the Colonel answered honestly.
She nodded. "Call Teal'c," she said with a sigh. "Tell him to come here, and I'll explain everything." This was not a conversation she was looking forward to. She had secrets. Secrets she had kept for a very long time, for some very good reasons. She trusted the guys with her life, but this was different. This was somehow even more important than all of that, and she hoped they would understand.
[][][] The Colonel called Teal'c and had him arrange for a ride over, then called the General and explained the situation. He and Daniel had kind of left the base without warning. The General sounded understanding, but left him with a warning. "Listen to her Jack. She needs your support right now, not your judgment. She had her reasons." Jack couldn't wait to hear her explain all of this. His imagination was taking a stab at it, and he didn't like the results.
[][][] Teal'c arrived a half an hour later, looking unassailable as ever. Sam greeted him, and led her team-mates out of the ER to the pediatric surgical waiting room in an adjacent wing of the hospital. She explained as they walked that a nurse would be bringing her updates periodically.
They sat, watching her expectantly, as she braced herself for the conversation to come.
[][][] "The emergency call I received during this morning's briefing was from a pre-school here in Colorado Springs." She paused. "My daughter's pre-school."
At this Teal'c raised an eyebrow, and responded, "I was not aware you had any children Major Carter."
She shook her head. "Most people aren't."
Having by this time come to terms with the fact that Sam had a daughter, though he still didn't know how, Daniel was curious as to the nature of the phone call and subsequent hospital visit. "What was the phone call about?" he asked with concern.
Sam took a deep breath. "Apparently during recess she took a bad fall from the monkey bars, broke her right arm badly and hit her head. She was unconscious for several minutes, so they suspect she has a concussion. They just went into surgery now to set her arm. It needs a couple of pins to hold it in place." At this point her voice cracked in an uncharacteristic display of emotion, and Daniel took her hand. Jack wanted to, but held himself back. She collected herself and continued. "She will be spending staying in pediatrics under observation at least overnight to monitor the concussion. They don't want to take any chances. She should be fine, but it was still quite a scare."
"I understand," said the Colonel, drawing her attention. He remembered how every bump or bruise was a source of concern when Charlie was little. She met his eyes and smiled sadly at him, responding quietly, "I'm sure you do."
Unheeding of the understanding being shared by the two, Daniel broke the moment with another question. "What's her name?" he asked. Now that they understood that morning's occurrences, he had a few other questions and figured he should start with the most basic information first.
Sam smiled at this. "Paige Elisabeth Carter. Her middle name was my mother's."
"Its beautiful Sam," said Daniel with a smile. Teal'c nodded his agreement and added, "I am certain your mother would be honored."
"Thanks you guys."
"You said she's in preschool," said Jack, and Sam nodded. "That makes her, what, three? Four?"
"She will be four in a couple of months," Sam answered, then lowered her voice and looked away. "She is the reason I couldn't go on the first mission through the Gate. I was about three months along when you two went through."
Delaying the question he really wanted to ask, considering Paige's paternity, Jack asked, "Who knows about her? And why is she a secret? I can't see why you would need to hide her existence."
Sam hesitated. This was where things got complicated. "General Hammond knows, and Janet. The General because I needed his help to keep this quiet, and Janet because my medical records show I've had a child." And how to explain the rest of this..."She is a secret because she is Jonas'." She paused, practically cringing as she waited for their reactions. The Colonel couldn't help himself, and was the first to speak.
"Jonas Hanson? The ex-fianc? The one who"--he glanced around him and lowered his voice--"went off the deep end?"
Sam grimaced at his description, but nodded. "I found out I was pregnant shortly before he proposed. It was the reason I accepted the ring. But I couldn't go through with it. I decided I would rather raise her alone then with him. So I gave the ring back. And I never told him I was pregnant."
Her three teammates sat in silence for a moment, absorbing her news. Jack shuddered at the thought of that lunatic raising a child. He had never been so glad she had returned that ring in his life. And he was beginning to understand her situation a little bit better. He broke from is thoughts as she continued.
"The breakup was horrible. And I knew he hated me for it. So I couldn't let him know about her. I couldn't risk him taking her away from me." She looked uncertain as she took a breath, gauging their reactions. "I know I'm not the best mother in the world. I have a job where I risk my life on a daily basis, work long hours, and definitely can't provide any sort of father figure. But at the end of the day Paige is all I have. I do it for her, to keep her safe. I couldn't live with myself otherwise.
"When we were in D.C., while I worked at the Pentagon it wasn't so hard. She was about six months old when we moved here, for the mission to get you, Daniel." Daniel nodded at this, trying to imagine the eager young Captain he had met with a six month old baby. When he remembered how good she was with Cassie, it wasn't so hard.
"When I found out that Jonas was being posted at Cheyenne too, I knew I couldn't let it become common knowledge that I had a child. He would have made the assumption she was his and taken her, or accused me of cheating on him and demanded a paternity test. Or worse. He was dangerous, as I'm sure you remember, and wanted to hurt me in any way he could." Her teammates all nodded at this. "It was hard enough to avoid him as it was and I couldn't take the risk."
"But he's been dead for almost three years," said Daniel, with a frown. "Why couldn't you tell us once he was gone?"
"It's not so much that I couldn't tell *you,*" said Sam, gesturing to the three of them. "I just have chosen to keep it from becoming common knowledge around base. Jonas had an older brother who is also Air Force, a JAG actually, who teaches at the Academy. He has never forgiven me for giving the ring back, and never saw the changes in his brother that we did. I have nothing against lawyers in general, most are decent people. But Thomas would use his legal knowledge to have me declared an unfit mother and get custody. I've run into him when I've guest lectured at the Academy, and our confrontations have never ended well. I can't risk it.
"If I had a less dangerous job with better hours it wouldn't be such an issue. Or if I was married or," she blushed, "even had a steady boyfriend maybe." Jack couldn't say he was sorry about that last part, although he told himself he should be. "As a single mother whose life is constantly at risk...he would win."
"And us?" Daniel pressed, still not certain why she hadn't trusted them. "I'm sure you trust we would have been similarly discrete."
"Of course!" she responded, shaking her head. "But I still didn't know any of you that well when Jonas died. You guys are family now, but then I was still uncertain. Then suddenly so much time had already passed I had no idea how to bring it up." She laughed, but without much humor. "Sorry guys, I can't make it to the team night because I have a PTA meeting. Did I forget to mention I have a three-year-old?" she parodied. "If it makes you feel any better, neither my brother nor my father know either." This surprised even Teal'c.
"Dad doesn't know?" Jack asked, practically taking the words out of Daniel's open mouth. He had known she and her brother weren't especially close. But now that her father was a Tok'ra, the two seemed to get along well.
"I was going to tell him after we returned from out last," she paused, and glanced around, before finishing with "trip together." She couldn't think of any other way to subtly mention their mission to Netu. "But he wasn't able to stay long enough for me to broach the subject. He was called back almost immediately after our flight landed." And he had been as soon as they landed at the Tok'ra base to return the Tel'tak and rest before gating back to Earth. There had been no father-daughter vacation, to the disappointment of both.
"Before that he had only been able to visit twice since he recovered from the cancer," she pointed out. "And both visits were business related."
"What about when you both went out to visit your brother after we handled that problem with our mutual friend Seth?" Daniel asked, keeping his voice low near the end of the question just in case. But Seth was a common name, right?
"I considered it." She shook her head. "But neither of us had even spoken to Mark in years, and I didn't want to spring that on him when it had been hard enough to get him to go in the first place. It would only have given him an excuse not to go."
"And I'm guessing your brother wouldn't have taken your revelation as much of an olive branch," Jack agreed.
"No," she said chuckling lightly. "That trip was exciting as it was. And I didn't want Dad and Mark to have anything new to fight about. When I tell them, it will be separately."
"How have you managed to care for such a young child while working such long hours?" Teal'c asked. "I remember well the energy Rya'c had at such an age, and this made parenting no easy task even with a partner."
"I had help, and God knows I needed it when she started walking!" she responded, smiling at the memory. "I have a nanny, Helen, who has been taking care of her during the days. She should actually be here soon," she said, glancing around the waiting room. "I gave her a call on my cell while we were waiting for Teal'c," she explained, "so she wouldn't have to hear it from her teachers when she arrived to pick her up from school, and she insisted on coming down. Helen has been like a grandmother to Paige, and very supportive of me."
"What about when we're...on a trip or...stranded?" Jack asked, thinking of their time in Antarctica. "Keeping to a schedule isn't something we do well."
Sam nodded. "Helen understands, and doesn't mind. If we know we're going to be away overnight Janet takes her at night. And in emergencies where Janet can't take her Helen doesn't mind spending the night at my place, or taking her home with her. I don't always work as much as it appears." She glanced at the Colonel. "I didn't actually turn down your last fishing invitation for work. Paige and I took a little mother-daughter road trip."
"You could have brought her." A three-year-old would definitely have kept things from going too far, Jack thought, but wisely chose not to share. Sam just shook her head.
"It certainly isn't easy, but I do the best I can." She had considered leaving SG1 on multiple occasions, but had never been able to go through with it. This incident had the possibility lingering in the back of her mind again.
"So, wow," said Daniel, his above average vocabulary apparently at a loss. "You have a daughter."
"Ya think?" Jack said as he rolled his eyes. Sam laughed and was about to respond when something caught her eye.
"Helen!" she said, rising and walking to meet an older woman who had just entered the waiting room. She looked to be in her mid-fifties with mostly gray hair and a smart outfit of slacks and a sweater. Grandmotherly, but in a modern way. She and Sam embraced, and she took Sam's hands in hers as she pulled away.
"How is she dear?" she asked, not yet having noticed the now standing trio.
"She went in almost an hour ago, and we haven't heard anything yet," Sam said, the worry she had been distracted from during her conversation with her teammates returning. "I was told a nurse would come to give me an update at some point, but I haven't heard anything yet. Hopefully someone will be by soon."
"Of course. I'm sure everything is going well." Then she noticed the men standing patiently behind Sam. "And who have we here?"
Carter turned, and introduced them. Helen shook hands with each and seemed impressed, saying with amusement, "No wonder you spend so much time in that mountain if you get to work with such handsome young men as these." Daniel tried, but couldn't hide his blush.
Before anything more could be said, a nurse entered and caught Sam's attention. "Dr. Carter?" she asked, and received a nod in confirmation. "The surgery went well and Dr. Miller is just closing. He should be in about thirty minutes to speak with you, and then you can visit her in recovery." Sam accepted the news gratefully, and the nurse left.
"Thank God," she said, releasing a breath she hadn't even known she had been holding. Suddenly weary, she sat down on the nearest couch where she was joined by the other four waiting with her. Helen took the place next to her, and put an arm around her comfortingly.
"The worst is over," she said. "And I'm sure Paige will be back to herself in no time." The guys echoed her sentiments, and Sam tried to take it to heart. But she knew she wouldn't fully relax until her daughter was home safe and sound.
[][][] Only two visitors were allowed at a time in recovery, and it was agreed that Helen would be the first to go in with Sam. The nurse led them in, and Sam finally got to see her little girl. She looked like she was sleeping, and had yet to wake up from the anesthesia. Her right forearm had been bandaged and covered with an air-cast to prevent the child from disturbing the stitches. And the golden hair that usually fell just past her shoulders had been swept back in what looked like a shower cap, which the nurse told Sam she could remove. She gently did, and the motion seemed to disturb the child's slumber. She moaned quietly, and shook her head slightly as if to clear it.
"Paige," Sam called gently, running her fingers soothingly through her daughter's hair. "It's time to wake up baby."
"Mommy?" she asked, her voice groggy. "My tummy hurts."
A nurse overheard, and came over. "That's from the medicine we gave you to put you to sleep, Paige," she said. "You'll feel better soon." To Sam she said, "I'll give her something through the IV that will help with the nausea."
Sam nodded her thanks, and turned back to her daughter, who had just barely opened her blue eyes and was whimpering softly. "Shhh Paige. You'll feel better soon. I know none of this has been any fun, but you've been very brave. I'm so proud of you. And guess who came to visit you?" She turned to Helen, who stepped up and took the little girl's hand.
"Hi sweetheart," she said, and Paige turned to face her. "Don't you worry about a thing. You're going to be feeling right as rain in no time. Ok?" Paige nodded, and drifted off, only asleep this time. She had had an exhausting morning. Helen embraced Sam and told her to keep her updated before departing.
Shortly after she had left, Daniel came in as the first to meet Sam's daughter. Well, see her anyway. The meeting could wait until she was conscious. Sam was sitting in a chair to the left of the bed, her daughter's hand clasped between hers. He came in quietly so as not to disturb Paige, and rested his hand on Sam's shoulder to alert her to his presence. She looked up, trying to hide her nervousness at this meeting. So much had changed in the last few hours and she was still reeling.
Daniel smiled to reassure her. "She looks just like you. How is she?"
"The doctor says she broke both bones in her right forearm. One was a clean break, and could have been set with just a cast. But the other one broke in two places, and the segments were displaced. That's why they had to operate."
Daniel glanced down at little girl's bandaged arm. He had had his fair share of broken bones, but luckily none had required surgery to set. "What happens now?"
"The bones have been set and secured together with permanent pins and screws." She brushed her fingertips lightly over the bandages, thankful that the grisly surgery was over. "This actually means she will be able to be active again sooner than if the bones had just been set with a cast. But she will still be on some strong pain medications that will make her drowsy, and will have to be careful with the stitches at the site. She'll have to wear a sling for the first couple of days to restrict her movements. And she can't get it wet for about a week, which will make bath time...an adventure." She chuckled at this last part, trying to imagine how she was going to restrain her water loving daughter.
Daniel also smiled at the image. "Does she like the water?"
"Yes. I don't know who gets wetter when she takes a bath, her or me."
"I'm sure you have all sorts of stories to share, but there is plenty of time for that later. I'm going to go, so the others can see her." He squeezed her shoulder in a show of support and she thanked him with a small smile and nod.
"Just wait `til she's back on her feet. I'm sure she's going to love you guys."
"Remember that if there's anything you need, we're here for you. Ok?" Daniel said, pausing as he went to pull back the curtain.
"Thanks Daniel."
Teal'c stayed only briefly, in support of Major Carter and curiosity of the appearance of her daughter. He made one comment, and as usual it proved that when he did choose to speak it was because he had something important to say. Teal'c would never be accused of speaking simply to hear the sound of his own voice.
"Although she is young, if your daughter is anything like you Major Carter, she will endure this trial admirably and learn from it in the process."
Sam was floored by the praise. She had always been uncomfortable with compliments, and never knew how to respond. That Teal'c considered her so highly warmed her heart, as did his confidence in her daughter--who he hadn't actually even met. Thank you didn't seem adequate, so she stood and gave him a hug and a chaste peck on the cheek.
"I'm touched Teal'c, thank you. I'm so glad you guys are here today. You've made this day much easier for me."
"I am glad. I will now return to the waiting room. Colonel O'Neill will be in shortly." With that he gave a small bow in goodbye, and departed.
[][][] The Colonel was next. She chided herself for feeling nervous. Things had been uncomfortable between herself and the Colonel since the Za'tarc testing. Neither knew how what had been revealed would or should affect them. It had been easier before because she had thought her feelings were unrequited, and could just shrug it off as a crush. A big crush. But her feelings were not only requited, but he would rather die than lose her! What exactly did that mean? He "cared" about her. Where on the scale from `didn't mind her presence' to `madly in love with' did that fall?
Not that it mattered. She had avoided discussing it with him (and what a fun discussion *that* would have been!) because it was better that she didn't know. In the impossible event that he did feel anything even approaching love for her, they couldn't do anything about it. In fact, since the testing she had mulled over every word, glance, or accidental touch in fear that someone would misconstrue an offhand comment as proof they were breaking regulations. And they weren't! They couldn't.
She almost sighed. And now she was about to be alone with only him and her sleeping daughter, in the midst of what was a very personal situation.
Oh boy...
"Knock, knock" said someone from the other side of the curtain.
"Come in, Sir."
"So this is the one all the fuss is about," he said with a smile. He pulled up another chair and took a seat next to her. After a moment, he said, "You have a beautiful little girl. She looks just like you."
"Thank you, Sir." She tried not to blush. Was he implying *she* was beautiful? God, she really was second guessing everything.
"Mommy?" said a sleepy voice, interrupting her thoughts.
"Hey, sleeping beauty," Sam said. She took Paige's hand in her own, and ran her fingers through the little girl's long blonde locks. "How are you feeling sweetheart? I heard you had an exciting morning."
"Sleepy. I fell and hurt my arm." She pointed to her right arm, and seemed to find the air cast amusing.
"So I heard. What happened?"
"It was Billy's fault. He dared me to climb to the top. Almost made it too." She pouted for a moment, looking more disappointed that she hadn't proved Billy wrong than because she had broken her arm.
The Colonel chuckled at this, reminding Carter of his presence. In her attention to her daughter she had forgotten.
"She's definitely your daughter Carter." He said, with a smirk. "She's got the same competitive streak."
"Paige," Sam said, drawing the little girl's attention back from the man next to her. "I want you to meet a friend of mine. This is Colonel O'Neill. I work with him."
"Hello Paige. You can call me Jack." He smiled and gave a little wave. She looked a little wary, but gave a small `hi' in return. "How old are you?" he asked, trying to draw her out a bit.
"Three!" she said enthusiastically, holding up three fingers with her left hand proudly.
"Three!" he said with mock surprise. "Wow, you're getting quite old there young lady. You going to drive us all home tomorrow?"
"No!" she said with a giggle. He couldn't help but glance at Carter next to him. That was a very familiar giggle. "You're silly," she decided, but she didn't seem to consider it a bad thing.
Sam couldn't help smiling at them as the Colonel teased Paige playfully. This was a side of him she hadn't really seen. He was great with Cassie of course, but she was much older. A lot of guys were intimidated by small children. Her work schedule wasn't the only reason the only potential men in her life were aliens. Well...all the non court-martialable ones anyway.
The Colonel was positively adorable; teasing her about how it was a shame she wasn't going to get a plaster cast. "That would have been useful in showing Billy a thing or two." Even Sam smiled at that. But she couldn't help sobering at the thought that he must have been a great father. Today had scared a couple of years off her life and all Paige had done was broken her arm. The though of losing Paige like he had lost Charlie was unbearable. She gave her daughter's hand a squeeze, more for her own reassurance than Paige's.
[][][]
A short time later Paige was moved into the pediatric ward, her doctors now convinced that she was sufficiently recovered from the anesthesia. Sam was warned that it would be a little while before it was completely out of her system. Combined with the pain medications she was on, Paige was going to be taking a lot of naps in the next couple of days. Sam was silently grateful. Paige might not mind the air-cast, but the sling was not going to go over well. The less active her daughter was inclined to be, the easier this would be for everyone.
Daniel and Teal'c met them as Paige was being moved into her room, but the movement of the gurney had unsurprisingly lulled the little girl back to sleep. It was a semi-private room with two beds, but Paige didn't have a roommate so it was just them. Sam told them they didn't have to stay, but they wanted to anyway. There weren't going to leave her alone to dwell on the `what ifs" quite yet. So they pulled up some chairs, and settled in.
"Has she woken up at all yet since the surgery?" Daniel asked, concerned. She had come out of surgery more than an hour ago, and he wasn't sure if this was normal.
Sam nodded. "She woke up while the Colonel was with us." She shared a smile with him as she thought of her little girl's explanation for the morning's events.
"Apparently she was climbing to the top because Billy dared her to," the Colonel explained, and Daniel unknowingly echoed Jack's earlier words with a smile.
"She's definitely your daughter Sam."
With mock hurt, Sam defended herself. "There is nothing wrong with a little competitiveness. It just got out of hand in this case."
"I am confident that with age she will better learn to choose her battles," said Teal'c. He had seen many young and inexperienced warriors injured or killed because they were overeager to engage in battle.
A volunteer came in then bringing a tray of food for Paige, which Sam set aside. She would let her daughter rest a little longer before waking her for lunch. The though of food made her own stomach growl though and she glanced at her watch, surprised to find it was already after one. The guys also noted the time, and volunteered to head down to the cafeteria to find something for all of them. After taking her order for a ham sandwich and diet soda, they set off.
Sam took that time to use the phone next to her daughter's bed to call the base and give Janet an update, which she knew would be passed on to the General. Neither had much information when she had left the base in a whirlwind that morning, and she knew both would be worrying.
"Frasier," Janet answered.
"Hi Janet."
"Sam! It's great to hear from you. How is Paige doing?" Memorial hospital was a cutting edge facility, and had an extensive pediatrics department. She was confident that Paige was in good hands, but couldn't help worrying anyway.
"She's going to be fine," Sam said, with an audible sign of relief. It was one thing to say it, but it was another thing entirely to believe it. She almost had herself convinced. "She fell off the monkey bars, hit her head, and broke her right forearm in three places."
"Wow. She certainly did a number on herself. Did they have to set the bones surgically?"
"Yes. We just moved from recovery to her room in Pedi, and they guys are finding lunch for the rest of us. She woke up for a little bit in recovery, but at the moment she's asleep."
"I expect she'll sleeping a lot today. She had quite a busy morning." Janet paused, knowing her next question was going to be treading on sensitive territory. "The General told me the guys were with you. How did they take it?" She knew Sam had been agonizing for some time on how to tell them, and had worried about their reactions.
"Actually," Sam started, "they have been great. I don't know why I was so worried. They understand why I've done what I've done, and have really helped me get through this. I don't know if they would have been more upset if they had discovered her in another situation, but I was far too much on edge already so they let it go." The guys really had made this whole morning a lot less stressful; in the end anyway. When she had first seen them she had been more anxious than the last time she had faced a system lord. But she would probably have driven the nurses crazy if they hadn't been there to distract her during the surgery. "I don't think I ever realized how much I wanted to share this with them. Their acceptance and support is very important to me and I was afraid I wouldn't get it. Now that I have, I feel...liberated almost." She laughed quietly at her description. "I know it sounds like something out of a B movie, but I feel as if my family is finally whole." Almost whole anyway. For the time being she was going to ignore the voice in the back of her mind that sounded annoyingly like her biological clock.
Janet understood completely. "Until now you've been keeping a lot of secrets in your life. It's difficult enough to have to keep your professional life a secret from anyone who isn't involved, including family. To have to keep your family a secret from the people you work with--risk your life with--day in and day out is hard. Now that one of those barriers is down, you are bound to feel relieved." As someone who had been helping her maintain this secret she felt it too.
"Was she awake enough to meet any of the guys?"
"She slept through Daniel and Teal'c in recovery, but woke up while the Colonel was visiting."
"Oh." Janet said noncommittally, as she pondered what to say next. "How did that meeting go?" Hopefully well. He had always been great with Cassie. But a twelve-year-old is very different than a three-year-old. The sound of laughter in Sam's voice when she answered calmed any fears she had.
"He was great, actually. Had her laughing, about five seconds after I introduced the two. They'll get along fine."
"Well," Janet said, with a hint of amusement in her voice, "they are about the same age emotionally."
"Janet!" Sam scolded, but without much sincerity
"You've got to admit though that with the two of them getting along so well, and her no longer a secret from the rest of your team, you have one less reason not to pursue something." Since she had witnessed what was undoubtedly an admission of more than professional feelings, both Sam and the Colonel had ignored and denied everything. The whole incident was now buried deeper than the base was! She didn't want to betray a confidence but she'd had no choice but to fill Daniel in. He'd been very confused as to why suddenly Sam and Jack were treating each other like so...not necessarily coldly, but they certainly weren't acting like friends.
"Janet!" This time her scolding had plenty of sincerity.
"Come on Sam! One of us has to have some sort of a love life, and as I'm probably the only person on base who spends more time at work than you, it's not going to be me!"
"I don't want to talk about this Janet. I hear the guys coming. We'll talk later." And she hung up, despite Janet vehement protests from the other end of the line.
[][][]
The guys entered a moment later, as she was moving back to the side of her daughter's bed.
"I just called Janet to give her an update," she explained while digging her sandwich out of the pile of food.
"That reminds me," the Colonel said, with a slight frown. "How has Janet taken care of Paige with Cassie there?"
"Oh, Cassie knows, Sir," she said, somewhat sheepishly.
"And she didn't tell us!"
"As I'm sure you are all aware, Cassie is very good at keeping secrets, Sir," she said with a pointed look.
"Ah yes, there is that."
"That doesn't mean she likes it though. She'll be thrilled when she finds out you guys know now." It would be fun to have everyone over together at the same time for once. This really was going to be a change for the better. No more secrets; at least among them.
"That reminds me. I hope you guys will be sure not to say anything about her around base."
"Of course Sam," Daniel answered, as all three nodded. Teal'c and the Colonel were silent as they had mouths full of food.
Paige started to stir then. Despite their best efforts, the combination of the smell of food and the sound of rustling plastic as they unwrapped their cutlery had woken her. Sam was instantly at her side, sitting on the edge of her bed and taking her left hand.
"Hey Paige," she said softly to drowsily blinking eyes. "Welcome back sleepy head." Paige smiled at that, but still wasn't awake enough to speak. "You have some visitors," she said, and Paige took in the three men to her right.
"Hello again Paige," the Colonel began. "We though we'd join you for lunch."
"Are you hungry baby?" Sam asked, and Paige nodded. "I'll see what we've got for you." She rose from the bed and retrieved the tray that had been brought by earlier. Setting it down on the small portable table she found she rolled it over to the bed. "I'm going to help you sit up some, okay?" At another nod, she pushed the necessary buttons and the bed rose into a more comfortable situation for entertaining guests. Or eating, as the case may be. She unwrapped the peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and opened the carton of milk. And upon further investigation there was a small pouch of carrot and celery sticks. Paige started with a quarter of the sandwich, while observing her visitors curiously.
"Hello Paige," Daniel started. "I visited you earlier today but you were still asleep. I'm Daniel. I work with your mom, like Jack." He gave a little wave.
Paige waved back, and said with a sleep filled voice, "Hi Daniel."
"I am pleased to make your acquaintance Paige," said Teal'c, and Paige smiled. "I am Teal'c, and also work with your mother."
"Hi Teal'c." She gave another wave, while munching on a carrot stick.
"And you remember me right? I'm Jack."
She nodded and waved. "Hi Jack."
"How are you feeling?" Sam asked, as she sat back in her chair at the side of the bed.
"Sleepy," Paige answered with a mouth full of carrot.
"That's okay. Do you hurt anywhere?"
"My arm," Paige said, pointing to her right forearm with her left hand.
"Does it hurt a lot sweetheart, or only a little bit?" Sam knew from experience the pain medicine couldn't take all the pain away, but it certainly could make a difference.
"Little bit."
"It might feel like that for a little while but you'll be feeling better soon, I promise."
But Paige wasn't concerned about the ache she felt in her right arm. She was now intent on the tube that was taped into her left hand. "What's this?" she asked as she raised her hand, celery stick and all.
"That's an IV," Sam said hesitantly, knowing how Paige felt about needles. "It is a special way for the doctors to put medicine into your body, so your arm doesn't hurt."
"Yeah Paige," said the Colonel in support. "Don't worry about it. I've had lots of IV's in my life, and they don't hurt at all. Just ask Danny here." He gestured to the archeologist next to him. "He's had even more."
"What for?" Paige asked curiously.
"Well, Danny boy here has a habit of getting into trouble."
"I do not," Daniel protested. "We have a habit of going places where trouble is easily found. I just happened to be good at finding it. There's a difference."
"There is not," the Colonel said. He turned to Paige. "There was this one time when I first met Daniel, that he was trying to pet this...horse. And all of a sudden this horse got spooked and took off. Daniel got his foot caught in the harness, and was pulled with him! He was dragged through the sand on his...bum...all the way to the next town over."
"It was the *only* town over Jack, so it wasn't too far," Daniel said, as if that made a difference.
Paige didn't care about the specifics though. She thought those two were riotous, and was giggling so much she spit out some of her milk. At a look from Sam they kept the stories slightly tamer until she had finished eating.
And so the afternoon was passed trading stories of childhood antics and injuries. Daniel had apparently had the same knack for trouble as a child that he displayed as an adult.
They were interrupted occasionally by a nurse coming to take readings, and Paige took a nap or two. Before they knew it dinner was being brought in for Paige, and everyone was looking at their watches. It was almost seven.
"Paige, I'm afraid its time for these guys to go. We've taken up their whole day!" Sam said it with a smile though. "I'll walk them out, and I'll be back soon. Then you and I will have something to eat. After that its bedtime." Paige opened her mouth to protest, at the departure of her guests or the ensuing bedtime Sam didn't know. A yawn interrupted her before she could say a word, making Sam's point for her.
The guys gathered up their jackets and each said goodnight to Paige. She insisted on a hug and kiss from each, and Sam swore it was the most adorable thing she's ever seen. Leaving Paige with a hug and kiss herself, Sam walked them to the entrance of the hospital.
[][][] About an hour and a half later, Jack was sitting in his truck in the hospital's parking lot. He had dropped Daniel and Teal'c off at the base and had intended on heading home to mull over today's events with a beer and a hockey game. The part of his mind that was in charge of the autopilot function that usually brought him home had obviously had different plans.
As long as he was here, he might as well check to make sure that Carter didn't need anything. As a parent himself, he knew she had no intention of heading home for the night.
He walked quietly into Paige's hospital room, mindful that she would probably be asleep by now. What he saw was unexpected though, and he couldn't help but smile. Paige was wide awake and sitting up in bed. She was coloring with the paper and crayons the nurses had provided. To her left, Carter had fallen asleep with her head on her folded arms.
"Shh, Mommy's sleeping," Paige said, holding her index finger to her lips and then pointing to her sleeping mother.
"I see that," Jack whispered conspiratorially. "I thought you were supposed to be sleeping too, little lady."
"I'm not sleepy," Paige insisted, but was betrayed by another yawn.
"Sure you're not." Jack walked around to the bed and approached his sleeping 2IC. After the stress of everything that had happened at work lately, today had probably exhausted her. Not just her daughter's injury but having to explain a huge part of her life to three of her best friends while fearing their reactions. He tucked a stray lock of hair back behind her ear, allowing himself the luxury only because he knew she was sleeping deeply. "Let me put your mom to bed, then we'll worry about you." He pulled the curtain back that separated the two hospital beds and carefully lifted Carter from her seat. She mumbled something in her sleep but didn't wake. He placed her gently on the empty bed, leaving the curtain pulled so she could see Paige when she woke. She stretched out a bit and then settled back into slumber.
Jack took her recently vacated seat next to Paige and started gathering up Crayons. Paige was less than pleased at this turn of events. But he distracted her with one of Charlie's favorite bedtime stories as he slipped her drawing away from her and helped her under the covers. A story his son had made him read so many times he practically had it memorized verbatim. Before he had finished the tale she was asleep. Not long after that, so was he.
[][][] Jack woke shortly after six as the nurse was coming in to take some final readings before the day nurse came on duty.
"You look like you've had an uncomfortable night," she whispered to him as he stretched, before turning back to the IV to make adjustments. "You can join your wife on the other bed if you're still tired," she threw over her shoulder. "We've got plenty of beds and won't be needing that one."
He paused in shock, and muttered, "I'm awake," while glancing over at Sam's still sleeping form. Wife? The nurse had said a quick goodbye and left before he had pulled himself together enough to correct her. He left in search of a bathroom and a cup of coffee, figuring that Sam might sleep for a while still.
[][][] Sam woke not long after his departure, and was momentarily confused by her surroundings. Where was she? She sat up and ran her fingers through her hair in an attempt to tame it, and saw her daughter sitting up in bed. Paige had never been one to sleep in, and her napping the previous day hadn't helped.
"Morning Mommy," she said, with a bit of a yawn. Sam echoed the sentiment, and the yawn, but was still confused as to how she had ended up in that bed. The last thing she remembered was tucking Paige in. She glanced at the chair by Paige's bedside and was surprised to see what looked like the Colonel's leather jacket. Huh? She distinctly remembered walking all three of her teammates out of the hospital.
Her thoughts were interrupted when Paige's breakfast arrived. She settled her in with her cereal, then rose from the chair she had retaken.
"I'll be right back Paige, I'm just going to go find the bathroom." Sam headed for the door and almost ran right into her CO as he entered.
"Whoa!" he said, juggling the coffees he had in his hands. "I didn't expect you to be up so early." He handed her one of the coffees, which she accepted gratefully. Then he pulled up a chair next to Paige's bed and sat down.
"Paige woke me up." She decided the bathroom could wait a moment and sat back down. "What are you doing here?"
He glanced about for a moment, not meeting her eyes. "After I dropped the boys off at the base I stopped back here to make sure there wasn't anything you needed. I found you asleep, and Paige wide awake and creating an artistic masterpiece. That chair is not a comfortable place to sleep, I can tell you now from experience, so I moved you to the empty bed." That sounded innocent enough, right?
Now Sam blushed. She had fallen asleep before Paige had, and he had *carried* her? "Wait. You slept here?"
"Not intentionally." He hadn't actually left either, but that was beside the point. "But since I'm here anyway at least I can help you two get checked out."
"Thanks." She couldn't help but be touched by his thoughtfulness. "I actually need to do some grocery shopping on the way home. I though we were going to be away for at least a day or two so I have no adult food in the fridge. I'm not as big a fan of peanut butter and jelly as Paige is."
"Why don't I take Paige home then and hang out a bit while you pick something up?" There was nothing wrong with helping out a friend. He remembered what grocery shopping was like when Charlie was three.
Sam's first instinct was to say no. But she couldn't help remembering the last time Paige was in the grocery store. It wasn't as bad as when she had been younger, and used to throw things from the cart. Instead she wanted to walk beside the cart like a "big girl" and pick out food herself. Unfortunately the types of foods she thought were healthy and the foods Paige thought were tasty differed greatly. Paige was bound to still be a little off balance from her injury and the pain meds. The last thing she needed was an all out melt-down in the middle of the grocery store. "Are you sure?" she asked hesitantly.
"We'll have fun, won't we Paige?" He turned to the little girl who was nodding fiercely.
"I'll go home with Jack," she said with a mouth full of cheerios.
[][][]
"We're home," Jack said with enthusiasm as he pulled up in front of Carter's house. Paige had chattered away happily all the way home. She had even been very patient as he had put her car seat in his truck and then fastened her into the seat's five point restraint. Had it been that complicated when Charlie was little? They sure didn't make these things like they used to.
He lifted Paige out of her seat and picked her up so she wouldn't have to navigate the front steps one-handed. He was fumbling with his keychain looking for the one Carter had given him that went to her house when the door opened.
"Jack? What are you doing here?" Jacob Carter asked in surprise.
"Umm..." Out of all the situations he had been trained for, he had no idea how to handle this one. Did fight or flight even apply? "Just visiting Carter with my...niece." That was plausible, wasn't it?
"She's not home, as I'm sure you know or you wouldn't have been letting yourself in." Jacob continued to stare at Jack suspiciously, and didn't move aside to let them in.
"I just spoke to her on her cell and she said she was getting some groceries and that we should let ourselves in. I have keys to the houses of all my team members." He hoped he didn't sound too defensive as he squeezed past Jacob. He did have keys to their homes. Granted he had never actually been further inside Carter's house than her front hall let alone actually used the key. They tended to gather at his house because it was the closest to base and the largest, and Daniel just had an apartment. For that matter Carter had had an apartment up until a little while ago when her father had gone off-world and had given her his house. Jacob still looked wary as Jack let Paige down and she wandered off into the house, probably to her bedroom. "Don't go far," he called after her, trying to keep up appearances.
"What happened to her arm?" Jacob asked as he walked into the kitchen and grabbed his juice from his late breakfast. He was definitely suspicious of Jack's being here. Anise had explained briefly what had happened during the Tok'ra/Earth treaty signing, and Selmak had helped him fill in the blanks. Admitting that they "cared" was one thing. They weren't acting on it though, were they?
"Paige had a mishap on the playground and broke it yesterday. She's doing fine now though." Sam would have to give details later.
"I didn't know you had any siblings?" Jacob still wasn't buying it. Something was off.
"I don't actually." Think Jack! Think! "She's the daughter of a close friend, and I've sort of become an Uncle to her." Where was Sam anyway?
Just then he heard the door open and heard Sam call for Paige. She came into the kitchen and set down the groceries, and turned around just in time to scoop up the little girl who had come into the kitchen yelling, "Mommy!"
As Sam turned to Jack she gasped, seeing her father in the kitchen as well. "Dad! What are you doing here?"
"I came through the gate last night and had an airman drive me here. The Tok'ra are gathering for a summit of sorts and it will be a few days until the last arrive, so I though I'd come visit. Hammond was already at home and the airman in charge said that you were taking a few days personal leave." He was starting to raise his voice. "Then I get here and you're not home all night. I'm having breakfast when Jack and a little girl show up. A little girl--I might add--that calls you `mom'? Why is Jack's niece calling you `mom'?" She tried to interrupt but he was on a roll. "I thought there might have been something between you two when I first saw you two together in D.C. And Anise confirmed it a couple of weeks ago. But what are you doing!?"
"Stop!" Sam yelled, putting her hand up. She turned to the Colonel. "Sir, do you mind taking Paige to her room for a couple of minutes?" He nodded, and took the now confused and slightly upset girl into his arms. As they left down the hall Sam turned to her father. "I know I have a lot of explaining to do, but I need you listen to what I have to say before you go jumping to conclusions. The *wrong* conclusions I might add." She got herself a glass of water and tried to calm her heart. Finding her father standing in her kitchen with the Colonel had been quite a shock, and her father had started yelling before she could recover. Taking a deep breath, she turned to face her father. He was staring into space and she assumed he was having a conversation with Selmak. Hopefully Selmak was calming him down.
"Dad, the Colonel and I aren't in any relationship other than that of CO and 2IC." He looked like he was going to interrupt so she held up her hand. "Paige is my daughter, and he didn't even know I had a daughter until twenty-four hours ago." That certainly got a reaction.
"You have a daughter?" How was this possible? "Adopted, like that little girl Cassandra you told me about?" Although she certainly looked a lot like Sam.
She sighed. This was going to be difficult. "No. She's mine. Paige Elisabeth Carter is going to be four in a little over three months."
Now he just looked hurt. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"Up until recently the two of us were far from close. We practically never spoke at all!" She led him over to the couch so they could sit. "She's Jonas Hanson's, my ex-fianc." The look of recognition in her father's eyes wasn't a happy one. "My *dead* ex-fianc," she amended.
"He was the one who--" he started only to be interrupted.
"Yes. He's the one you hated." There was no reason to let her father get into specifics. Jacob had met few of her boyfriends, which was intentional. He had unfortunately met Jonas, which had been unavoidable once the two were engaged, and she had never heard the end of it. "The last thing I needed was to hear from you about how you had been right, I wrong. Or worse, you would have made him take responsibility as the father." She practically cringed at the thought. Jonas would not have taken news of her pregnancy well from her father. "I didn't want him to have anything to do with raising her, so I never told him."
"But--" he interrupted again, only to have her cut him off.
"You can ask questions when I'm done. Let me explain everything first." Then she proceeded to repeat everything she had explained to the guys just the day before. At least she would have plenty of practice when the time came to tell her brother. When she finally finished, she paused in anticipation of her father's questions. He, however, remained silent.
Jacob was trying his best to stay angry with Selmak demanding he just forgive her and go meet his new granddaughter. He probably hadn't made the best of first impressions in the little girl's eyes. It was the guilt at that which pushed him over the edge. With a sign of defeat, he said, "It's going to take some getting used to, but I'll be okay." She couldn't help but smile in relief. "So can I meet this little girl? Paige, you said her name was?"
"Paige Elisabeth."
He smiled at that, his first real smile since Jack had arrived. "Your mother would love that."
Sam couldn't help getting a little teary eyed at that, knowing that she finally had her father's approval. She stood and led her father down the hall to Paige's room.
[][][]
Neither could help but laugh when they entered. The Colonel was sitting on the floor near the end of Paige's bed holding a scantily clad Barbie doll and wearing a golden princess crown that looked too small for his head. Paige was dressed as a ballerina (as best she could be with the sling) and surrounded by odds and ends from her costume trunk. She appeared to be instructing Jack in what the doll was supposed to wear to the ball. He looked up innocently, if warily, at their entrance.
"Paige?" Sam said, and the little girl came running over and took her mother's hand. "I want you to meet someone." She turned to her father, who had made his way into the room behind her. "This is your grandfather, Jacob." Paige just stared up at him somewhat suspiciously.
"Hello Paige," Jacob said, crouching down. "I'm sorry if I scared you earlier."
"Grandpa Jacob? In the book?" she asked, but addressed the question to her mother.
"Yes," she answered, stooping down as well. "Like in your picture book." At her father's confused look she explained. "She made a picture book earlier this year of her family in pre-school. As her immediate family is a short list, we included photos of you and Mom, and Mark and his family." She turned to Paige, who was now regarding her grandfather much more warmly. "Why don't you show it to him?" Paige paused only momentarily, then took her grandfather's hand and led him down the hall. Sam leaned against the door frame and watched them go, relieved that Paige had taken to him so quickly. She could already hear Paige explaining the book--in great detail.
Meanwhile, the Colonel had divested himself of the crown and doll, and was trying to figure out how to alert her to his presence. He had considered sneaking out while Paige and Jacob were meeting, but the Carters had been thoroughly blocking the doorway. He had briefly considered using the window, but had decided there was no way to do it surreptitiously.
"Carter?" She jumped at the sound of her name, and spun.
"Sir!" She flushed guiltily at having forgotten he was there, then smiled. "I like the tiara sir."
He froze. He'd forgotten about that. Crossing his arms over his chest he feigned self-assuredness. "Didn't you know I'm royalty?"
Sam couldn't help but laugh, then sobered. "Thank you for occupying her. That was a conversation she didn't need to be present for."
"Not a problem. She's a good kid." They walked down the hall towards the door, and he grabbed his coat. "I'm sure you have a lot of catching up to do, so I'll see you later." He paused at the door and called goodbye to Paige, who came running for the requisite hug, and then left.
[][][]
Jacob spent the day getting to know his granddaughter and catching up with Sam. She notices him drifting occasionally, and called him on it after they had put Paige to bed. "What have you been thinking about?"
He took a place at the kitchen table while she put on some coffee, and took his time before answering. "You and Paige, mostly. Your brother and his family too. I've missed a lot these past few years."
She joined him and took one of his hands in hers. "Maybe. But you're here now."
[][][]
Jacob rose from his bed in the guest room and made his way into the hall without turning the lights on. He quietly got himself a glass of water in the kitchen, and then sat down on the couch in the living room.
`You are questioning the wisdom of this next mission, Jacob?' Selmak had kept her thoughts to herself for long enough, and wanted him to discuss this.
`No.' He sighed out loud, and looked out the front window at the night stars. `I know we need to go. I just worry about whether we will return from this one, and how much I would miss on Earth if things go badly.'
`You have spent your entire life risking yourself for the sake of others. How is this different?'
`Hindsight is making me feel my mortality.' Jacob couldn't help a smile at that. With Selmak's help, he could outlive everyone currently alive on that planet. Including his newest grandchild.
`Would you rather send someone else? Could you?' Selmak knew the answer to this, but wanted to make sure he knew it too.
`No.' He might want to send someone else, but he wouldn't. In this case he couldn't. `You are the only remaining Tok'ra with any experience fighting Olokun. And I've lived my life. This is borrowed time, which I am going to put to use as best I can. Sometimes though, I wish I had done things differently.'
`Differently? You would not have joined the Tok'ra?'
`No. I would probably still have joined the Tok'ra. I wish I had done things differently, better, with Sam and Mark.'
`I believe there is a human saying you introduced me to, involving wishes and horses--`
`True. But while you have memories of many children and many lives from your previous hosts, I only get to do this once.'
`Then we will have to make sure you have no more regrets.'
Jacob rose and deposited his glass in the kitchen, and then made his way quietly down the hall to his daughter's room. Paige had left the door open after waking with a nightmare and going to her mother. In the dim light of the crescent moon coming through her open curtains he could see Sam and Paige curled up together in slumber. Watching them sleep in peace, he felt the weight of his regrets lighten. As a father, he had been far from perfect. But in the end, he couldn't love his family more.
[][][]
The sound of the phone normally took at least two rings to rouse Sam in the middle of the night. Not tonight. She pounced on it before the first ring was through. Paige was still having nightmares--a phase Janet assured her would not last forever--and she had just finally gotten her back to sleep at half past two.
"Carter," she said with more than a little defeat in her voice. This had better be important or she was hanging up.
"The General needs you to come in immediately ma'am. Some associates of your father are here."
The Tok'ra. But it didn't sound as if her father was with them. He had stayed two days on Earth before leaving almost a week ago, so she would have been surprised to see him again so soon. But at the same time, her father was the Tok'ra liaison to Earth, so she wondered why someone else had been sent. "I'll be right there."
"And ma'am? The General said he will have a visitor pass waiting for Paige to speed things up. You are to take her to the infirmary." The curiosity in the airman's voice was apparent.
"Thank you." She hung up the phone and threw on a pair of BDU's without even turning on the light. After lacing up her boots she grabbed a small Minnie Mouse backpack off the floor and threw some stuff in it for Paige. A couple of picture books, a doll, and a favorite blanket. Hopefully whatever the Tok'ra needed wouldn't require her to leave world, but she packed Paige a set of clothes and her toothbrush just in case she needed to stay with Janet.
Paige was less than responsive as Sam lifted her out of bed and packed her into the car in her pj's. She slept the whole way to the base, but protested with a small cry at the disturbance as Sam lifted her out of her car seat once there.
"Shh," Sam said, trying to soothe her back to sleep while she gathered her things. It was an uncharacteristically warm night in mid May, and Sam was thankful Paige hadn't even needed a coat and they were able to move quickly. The airman at the final checkpoint handed the visitor pass to her while she signed in, and then stared with unmasked curiosity at Paige. She could tell the curiosity was killing him, and he had just decided to ask her who her visitor was when Carter cut him off.
"Don't ask, don't tell, airman," she said with a look in her eyes that he knew meant business. He closed his mouth and nodded respectfully.
She thankfully encountered no one else as she made her way to the infirmary. There were no patients currently in the infirmary so whoever was on call was most likely sleeping. The only one around was a young nurse, a lieutenant who had had the misfortune to get the night shift. She didn't look surprised at seeing Major Carter enter with a little girl asleep in her arms, and didn't ask any prying questions, so Sam guessed the General had already spoken to her. Paige was easily settled on one of the empty beds. Sam tucked her in, left the backpack on the end of the bed, and gave Paige a kiss on the forehead before leaving. The lieutenant promised to contact her if Paige woke.
[][][]
Sam entered the briefing room to find the General and two Tok'ra waiting with Teal'c, Daniel, and the Colonel. She sat and helped herself to a much needed cup of coffee. She of course knew Anise, but didn't recognize the newcomer.
"As soon as Doctor Frasier joins us, which should be momentarily, we will begin," the General said. He looked tense, and the need for Janet at this impromptu briefing added to the general air of tension in the room. Before she could even begin to speculate though, Janet entered
"Good morning," Janet said with a bit of irony, taking the last seat at the end of the table and setting a file in front of her.
"I'm sure you are all familiar with Anise," the General began in introduction. "Accompanying her this morning is Sinon, also of the Tok'ra."
"Sinon..." Daniel said, waving a finger in the air. "The Greek man who convinced the Trojans to admit the wooden horse into their city."
"I am he," the man spoke, with the usual discord of the Tok'ra. "Today however, I am here because of a much less successful mission.
"Over the past two months, our operatives have been receiving reports of an illness plaguing Jaffa both young and old. This is entirely unheard of, as the symbiotes that sustain them act as an outstanding immune system. From what we've seen the human slaves have remained unaffected."
"In my experience with Teal'c," Janet interjected, "the only thing I have seen that his symbiote has any real difficult healing is gross bodily harm."
"Indeed." Teal'c frowned, slightly. "Older Jaffa often find it more difficult to maintain their health, but few show sign of illness while still young enough to carry a Prim'ta. Disease is an unknown to the young."
"We have yet to discover the exact nature of the illness," Anise said. "The Tok'ra recently came together to pool our knowledge and decide on some course of action."
"My father mentioned something about a summit last week, but he didn't give me details." Sam was suddenly thinking her father should have been a bit more forthcoming. "What was decided?"
"It was decided to send an operative undercover as a minor Goa'uld to enter trade negotiations with one of the Goa'uld whose Jaffa are infected," Sinon explained. "Information has been limited up until this point. The inability of a Goa'uld to fight an illness plaguing his people is a sign of great weakness to both his Jaffa and other Goa'uld. Therefore the presence of infection is concealed.
"The little information we had before this implicated the System Lord Olokun in the development of this illness. It is theorized that he may be attempting to overthrow the rest of the Council by demonstrating their weakness in front of their own people."
"That's incredible," Daniel said with fascination.
"Incredible?" the Colonel asked skeptically.
"Well, certainly not incredible in a good way," Daniel amended. "This is definitely bad. It is incredible however in that it is an entirely new tactic among the Goa'uld. The Goa'uld fight each other for dominance with brute force and posturing. And even then, the ships and technology they use are stolen. They don't *develop* anything. Modify what they've found, maybe."
"Then how have they been able to create something as complex as a virus, bacteria, or whatever this is, without killing themselves?" Sam added. "Has your operative discovered anything of that nature?" At that question, even Anise looked tense.
"Unfortunately," she began, "we lost contact with that operative twenty-six hours ago."
Cold seeped into Sam's bones as she realized why Hammond was so tense. "It's my father, isn't it." It was more of a statement then a question, and Anise nodded an affirmative.
"Selmak is the only among us who has any experience with Olokun. It has been more than two centuries since he last made so bold a move. There has been no evidence of non-Jaffa infection, so it is most likely your father has been captured, not infected."
"But you're not sure, right?" Sam couldn't help the anger in her voice.
"No, we are not certain," Anise confirmed. "That is why we are here. The human slaves among the Jaffa appear immune. Our numbers are too few to risk another Tok'ra if it is dangerous to us. We believe we know where he is, but cannot attempt a rescue ourselves. SG-1, aside from Teal'c, should be immune, and therefore able to extract your father much more safely."
"Do you even know where to begin looking for him?" the Colonel asked, hoping they were going to be useful as more than just the bearers of bad news.
"His last message was relayed from a mothership of the Goa'uld Olorun."
"I thought it was Olokun?" Jack interrupted.
"Olorun is the greatest enemy of Olokun," Sinon explained. "The two have always competed for a place among the System Lords. While Olokun is a system lord at present, Olorun is not. His armies are still rebuilding since their last battle. It was determined that because of the animosity between them, if Olokun was behind this Olorun would be the worst hit."
"So you expect us to be able to rescue him from a Goa'uld mothership?" Jack asked skeptically.
"The mothership was lightly manned because of illness plaguing the Jaffa," Anise explained. "The mothership is orbit around a planet with a stargate, but the ownership of the planet is in dispute and the gate is therefore very heavily guarded. We have a Tel'tak with cloaking technology that should allow you to approach the mothership without detection.
"We have been monitoring transmissions from the ship to maintain contact with Selmak, and there have been no ring transports or glider launches in the time he has been out of contact. It is likely he is still aboard."
"Colonel," the General said, drawing everyone's attention back to his end of the table. "I want you to take SG-1, minus Teal'c, and Doctor Frasier to that mothership." Sam felt a small relief at that. One of these days her father was going to get into trouble and she wasn't going to be able to help him. "Do your best to find and help Jacob. But even more importantly is--take some samples and discover as much as you can about this sickness. The last thing we need is for Olokun to conquer all of the System Lords without even firing a shot. You'll leave as soon as possible. Dismissed."
[][][]
Sam was fine through waking up Paige, and explaining that she and Cassie were going to be spending the next couple of days with Helen. Fine through helping hurriedly but thoroughly pack two duffels full of medical test paraphernalia. Fine through gating to Vorash, powering up the Tel'tak, and plotting a course. Then suddenly she had a twelve hour journey ahead of her and absolutely nothing to do. She had rather quickly run out of distractions. Janet was now hovering around her, and Sam could tell she was itching to confront Sam about her handling of this situation. Sam was fine, and didn't want to discuss it. Just a tad desperate, she sought out Daniel.
He was in the cargo bay with the Colonel and Teal'c. Teal'c was using the time to rest in a light state of Kelnoreem. The Colonel was playing with a blue yo-yo while lounging in boredom on some storage crates. Daniel was absorbed in his reading. Sitting against the left wall he was surrounded by books, most likely researching the mythological background of their newest foes. If she knew Daniel, and she did, he would be more than willing to distract her with a barrage of information.
"What can you tell us about these Goa'uld?" she asked with more enthusiasm than she actually felt, then took a seat on a nearby crate. Sensing the importance of the information Daniel was about to share, the others shifted their attention to Daniel.
"Olokun and Olorun are based in the cosmogony of the Yoruba people of Africa, specifically of Benin, Togo and Northwestern Nigeria." At their blank looks he further explained. "The Yoruba are a group of about fifteen million linked mainly by language, but also religion and geography. Olokun and Olorun are brothers. Olorun, also referred to as Olodumare--`Almighty'--is the god of the sky, and therefore ruler of everything the sky covers. Olokun is the god of the sea.
The two brothers have a history of competition. At one point, Olokun challenged Olorun's supremacy as the sky god. The story goes that the people would choose who was supreme based on who was best dressed."
"You have got to be kidding me!" the Colonel explained, although not entirely surprised by the vanity of the Goa'uld.
"Nope," Daniel said, glancing through the book in his hands. "Neither chose to get their hands dirty in actual battle unless absolutely necessary. In fact, Olorun didn't even participate in the contest himself. He sent a messenger--supposedly a chameleon--to represent himself. The chameleon matched whatever Olokun wore, and Olokun eventually conceded the superiority of his brother."
"But isn't Olokun the one with more power right now?" Janet asked, not certain she knew who was who yet.
"Yes," Daniel confirmed. "Olokun is a system lord at present. Despite this, he still holds a bit of a grudge. According to the intel Sinon and Anise gave us, Olorun was the first Goa'uld whose Jaffa were targeted by the `virus'--for lack of a better term--but not the only. Almost all of the system lords have been affected.
The Colonel broke in here. "If he succeeds in devastating their Jaffa population, he has removed most of their power base. If he allows most to get sick and some to die, and then spreads a cure, he succeeds in becoming even more powerful. What better way to gain loyalty than to prove the weakness of their own `god', and then prove his own strength? This `Koon' guy could suddenly possess the allegiance of the council's entire power base, all by himself. And as much as I wouldn't miss the rest of the system lords, I don't want any one Goa'uld to have that much power."
"It's a risky situation for us," Sam mused, "but could benefit us incredibly if we can find a cure. The inability of the system lords to cure their own Jaffa must already be creating doubt in the face of their supposed omniscience. If we were to present a cure, it could sway those who are uncertain where their loyalty lies."
"These may be convinced to rebel against their `gods,'" Teal'c appended, and she nodded.
"If everyone is certain that Olokun is behind this, why haven't the other system lords taken action against him?" Janet asked.
"The System Lords are a council of the most powerful and well matched of the Goa'uld," Teal'c explained as the most knowledgeable of Goa'uld politics. "It exists solely because these Goa'uld do not want to risk devastating their resources in battle against each other. It is an often unspoken but important compromise they would not risk disrupting unless faced with no other choice."
"If they hesitated," the Colonel conjectured, "their forces could have been incapacitated or at least thrown into barely controlled chaos before they could decide to act."
"If that's the case, then we're on our own," Sam said, betraying her current pessimism.
"So as usual, no pressure," the Colonel quipped ironically. No one smiled.
[][][]
Four hours later Teal'c was at the helm--just in case, as the ship was on autopilot at this point--and everyone else was sleeping in the cargo hold. Attempting to sleep anyway. Sam had watched Daniel and Janet drop off almost immediately, and the Colonel following soon after. She had yet to join them, and was getting ready to give up. Rolling over again with a quiet sigh in a feeble attempt to get comfortable on the cold, rigid floor she found herself looking straight into an open pair of brown eyes.
"Sir!" she gasped in surprise. "I didn't mean to wake you." She was apologetic for disturbing his sleep, but more embarrassed at being caught out.
"Trouble sleeping?" he asked with concern. Despite her best efforts the strain of her worry for her father had been visible all evening, and he had paid close attention to her actions.
She nodded, suddenly fighting tears. "I just keep remembering him in that cell on Netu," she confessed. "I thought I'd lost him. It seems like just yesterday we got him back from there, and here he is--in trouble again. Paige is just getting to know him, and I don't want to have to explain to her that her grandfather is gone."
He knew the truth behind that statement. She didn't want to have to explain to *herself* that Jacob was gone. "Jacob just has the same knack for trouble that you do," he said with a comforting smile. "And he's made it this far, so it seems he has the same streak of impossible luck. We'll find him."
She returned a teary smile. "I hope so."
"Should the worst happen though," he said, knowing it was a distinct possibility, "we're all here for you. I'm here for you."
A tear escaped from her eye at this, and began to run into her hair. She reached up to wipe it away but he caught her hand in his, and used his other to wipe it away himself. For just a moment she saw desire flash through his eyes. Desire to hold her, and help her through this. He settled for holding her hand, and they both finally drifted into a peaceful sleep.
[][][]
Sam was the first to wake, and a glance at her watch told her they should be arriving within the next two hours. As her sleep fuzzed brain cleared a bit, she gained more perspective on her surroundings. Her left hand was still clasped tightly in the Colonel's right, both resting on the cold floor between them. One of them had moved closer to the other in sleep--she couldn't be certain who--and they were now close enough for their foreheads to almost touch.
She observed him in his sleep, taking note of the changes it wrought. He wasn't completely at peace, and she could see the tension in his forehead as he frowned in his sleep. But it smoothed some of the laugh-lines around his eyes, and made him look younger--somewhat more carefree. Carefully, so as not to wake him, she reached out with her right hand to touch him. She lightly traced the scar on his left eyebrow with her fingertips, down the side of his face to his chin. Only one tiny scar marred his face, but she knew from brief glances in the locker room that his body held dozens more. None of them were so small as this. With an ironic smile, she considered that very characteristic of him. He hid his pain, and only shared glimpses with her.
But he allowed her to share hers, sometimes. Not in late night heart-to-hearts or anything, but he read her well. She could see his support and confidence in her in his eyes, even as she tried her best to suppress her worry over her father. He shared it freely. Anything else though, and he was a mystery.
In a moment of weakness she leaned forward a pressed a feather-light kiss to his forehead. Pulling back she whispered `thank you,' so quietly she could barely hear it herself. She had needed a hand to hold. But now she extricated her hand from his as gently as possible. It was time to get to work.
[][][]
Jack had woken not long after Sam, stirred by the intensity of her gaze upon him. He felt her fingertips trace his face as is own heart quickened at her actions. The light kiss on his forehead startled him, but he didn't let it show. If he moved, this would be one more thing they would have to leave in the room. They had reached an unspoken agreement before falling asleep--a peace treaty of sorts--and he didn't want to upset it. So he continued to feign sleep until a minute or two after she left before sitting up to get his bearings.
[][][]
Sam found Teal'c at the helm. It had been decided after the initial briefing that Teal'c would have to be brought along, despite the risk of infection. He was the only one who would pilot the Tel'tak other than Sam--who had protested respectfully (if vehemently) at even the notion of spending the mission waiting on the cargo ship--and he could do it with greater precision if they ran into trouble. The plan was that the Colonel, Carter, Daniel and Janet would ring over to the Ha'tak. Teal'c would have to briefly lower the ship's cloak while the transport took place, but would immediately raise it once the transport was complete. Then he would quickly move the ship to another position in the general vicinity of the Ha'tak, and await contact from the rest of the team.
Any supplies Teal'c would need were moved to the front of the ship, and the cargo bay/ring transport area would be sealed off in case his returning team members brought the contagion back with them. Environmental suits were too cumbersome and limiting to wear into a possibly hostile situation, so only light masks, gloves, and clear goggles would be worn on board. The suits had been packed though and would be worn through the gate back to the SGC to prevent infection of the base until they could be properly decontaminated in the infirmary and isolation labs. It wasn't a process Sam was looking forward to, if only because it meant she was fighting an enemy she couldn't see.
Teal'c's inquired as to how she had rested, breaking her from her thoughts as she realized she hadn't said a word since taking the seat next to him.
"Fine," she answered as nonchalantly as possible. He gave a slight nod, which she hoped meant he had bought it.
Before either could say anything more, the Colonel walked in and handed her an MRE.
"Good morning Sir," she said with a hint of irony. According to Earth time it was actually late evening, but their day was just beginning.
"If you say so," he said with a bit of a groan as he stretched. "We need to do something about that floor if we're going to be spending future missions in a Tel'tak. I've slept on softer rocks."
She smiled, more at his attempt to start the day on a light note than his actual humor. Any fears she had for her father at this moment were being stuffed deep inside a box inside her, and locked away. Hopefully it would stay there, and she could hide it behind the soldier in her.
The Colonel offered another MRE to Teal'c, but he declined, saying he had eaten while they slept. Carter and the Colonel avoided each other's eyes at that, knowing what Teal'c must have seen as he had retrieved his breakfast from the cargo bay. But both knew Teal'c would be discrete and not acknowledge it.
Daniel and Janet entered a moment later, most likely woken by the Colonel. Each carried an MRE of their own, and settled against the descent pods at the far wall for breakfast. Sam joined them, giving her seat to the Colonel. There was little conversation at this point. Their objectives had been discussed at length already. And with the limited intel on exactly what they were going to find, the mission was going to be mostly improvisation. So each was lost in thought as they munched on a breakfast of lukewarm spaghetti, meatloaf, or macaroni and cheese. A breakfast of champions.
[][][]
Breakfast ended all too quickly as they got closer and closer to the Ha'tak. Trash was put away, restroom breaks taken, and then it was time to gear up. While the rest snapped on vests, masks and gloves, Teal'c moved food, water and other supplies for himself to the front of the ship. A short farewell was said, and `good luck's' were exchanged before he sealed his friend in the cargo bay. He shunted the ventilation system so that the cargo bay was independent of the rest of the ship, and radioed to the Colonel.
"The Ha'tak will be in range in two minutes, O'Neill."
"Acknowledged. Transport us over when I give the signal." They gathered together on the ring transport. Each donned their goggles, readied their firearm of choice, and waited. Janet was positioned in the center, with the others surrounding her protectively. She was the only one wearing a backpack, which carried test tubes and other sampling equipment. Any analysis would wait until they were back on the Tel'tak or had a better idea of how many Jaffa were awaiting them on the Ha'tak.
"We are within range," Teal'c radioed as the timer on Sam's watch hit zero. It was time to go.
"Ring us over, Teal'c," the Colonel said, before turning the rest of the team. "Look alive, kids," he warned. "This just might be exciting," he finished before the rings engulfed them.
[][][]
The ring room on the Ha'tak was suspiciously empty. "We made it safe and sound," the Colonel said to Teal'c, using a modified communication device the Tok'ra had assured them the Goa'uld would not be able to detect. He prayed they were right, or the welcoming committee could be arriving momentarily.
"Let's minimize radio contact," the Colonel continued before Teal'c could respond. "We'll be in touch if we find anything remarkable."
"Acknowledged," Teal'c responded. "I shall endeavor to remain within range."
"Copy that." The Colonel had finished checking out the room, and they were now gathered at the door. The Colonel and Carter on one side, Daniel and Janet on the other, all with guns locked and loaded. Sam hit the control, and the door sprung open to reveal an empty hallway. On the Colonel signal they leap-frogged their way down the hallway until they found a reasonably technical looking room. They needed to find a computer terminal to get their bearings.
Still maintaining relative silence, the others guarded Sam as she and Daniel examined the terminal. Sam knew a lot about Goa'uld technology, but her language skills were somewhat lacking. Occasionally she would point to a word on the screen, and Daniel would whisper its meaning to her. Finding what she needed, she shut the terminal down and turned to the Colonel.
"I've located the holding cells, which is where my father most likely is if he ran into trouble, and have a good idea of our current position relative to the rest of the ship."
"Do we have any idea what kind of resistance we're going to find as we make our way there?"
"No, Sir," she answered with tension in her voice. "The ships biosensors are offline. I can't get an idea of how many are onboard, or where."
"Why would they be offline? Are there signs of battle?"
"No, Sir. Some parts of the ship are inactive, and power had been diverted to other systems, but none of the critical systems that would have been targeted in battle have been harmed." She hesitated. "There are several possibilities, Sir. They could have engaged in battle and have used power from secondary systems and currently unused portions of the ship to aid in repairs. Or, this could be a way of isolating the Jaffa themselves from information regarding the contagion and how far it has spread. Or..." she met his eyes.
"Or," he finished for her, "they know we're coming, have guessed where we're going, and don't want us to know we're about to be ambushed."
"Yes, Sir." Glances were exchanged at the four absorbed this knowledge and considered their knowledge.
"Well," O'Neill said casually. "We have no way of determining which of those possibilities is fact, and we came too far to turn around and go home just because we don't know what we're facing. Let's make our way to the holding cells as quietly and carefully as we can. Start with zats so we can leave a clean trail, just in case." He turned to Sam. "Lead the way, Major."
[][][]
The first portion of their journey, down two levels and a third of the way across the ship, passed without incident. The halls were empty, which they had been told to expect because the Ha'tak was lightly manned, but it was still very disconcerting. So far this had been too easy, and they were all waiting for the other shoe to drop.
The ambush, when it came, was overwhelming. Six Jaffa came from behind, firing with both zats and staff weapons. The team rounded a corner searching for cover, returning fire as best they could. Four to six were far from unbeatable odds for SG-1, even with Janet in place of Teal'c. Her firearms training was current, as she occasionally did treat patients in combat situations, and what she lacked in experience she made up with spirit.
It was the additional eight Jaffa that SG-1 practically ran into that took them down. If the Jaffa had wanted to kill them, they would have. Fortunately, they had orders to capture the intruders alive, if somewhat harmed. As they dodged the Jaffa in front of them, the Jaffa behind them caught up. Janet took a staff blast to the lower leg which took her down instantly, and a single shot from a zat took Daniel down nearly on top of her as he bent to help her up. Carter and O'Neill knew when they were beat, and grudgingly lowered their weapons at staff-point.
[][][]
They were led quickly disarmed, stripped of their protective equipment and vests, and led silently to a holding cell. The Colonel, couldn't help remarking at the irony of that.
"Why thank you for showing us the way," he said sarcastically, turning to the Jaffa behind him as they marched. "We couldn't have found it without you!"
The Jaffa did not respond, and continued to march them through the corridors. A Jaffa from the group in front of them carried the still unconscious Daniel, and Sam had her arm around the Doc, supporting her as best she could. She could tell Janet as in a lot of pain though, and wished they Jaffa had left them so much as a med kit.
Upon reaching the cell, the Jaffa pushed them in harshly and deposited Daniel in an indelicate heap on the floor. Sam eased Janet to the floor with her back against the wall, then faced the Jaffa who remained in the doorway.
"Take this time to rest," he said with a sneer. "Our lord Olorun will call for you soon, and you will need your strength." He left them on that optimistic note.
The Colonel turned to Sam, and raised his hands in defeat. "How come no one informed us a Goa'uld would be on board this ship?"
"Obviously the Tok'ra report was incomplete," she agreed, scanning the cell for a way out. It was somewhat more dimly lit than usual, in accordance with the shunting of power throughout the ship. Before the Colonel could continue with his rant--as valid as it might have been--her eyes fell on a form in the corner and she gasped.
"Dad!" she said, half under her breath, as she ran to his side. There were no obvious signs of injury, but she checked his unconscious form over for broken bones. She heard Daniel moaning as he came round with a bit of a headache from hitting the floor, but paid him no attention. There were no broken bones, and her father didn't respond to any particularly painful areas, but he did seem to be slowly coming around. He shifted his head back and forth without a sound, and blinked a bit.
Smoothing her hand over his forehead, which to her concern she found to be much warmer than was normal, she spoke to him. "Dad," she whispered. "I need you to wake up for me."
Her voice seemed to add the necessary encouragement he needed, because he finally seemed to gain his bearings. "Sam?" he said shaking his head. "You shouldn't be here," he protested, his voice rising.
"We're here to get you out Dad," she said, trying to keep him calm.
Too weak to sit up, but much more alert now, Jacob explained further. "You'll get sick, Sam, you can't be here."
"But the Tok'ra said it didn't affect humans?" The confusion in her voice was evident, and she prayed he didn't know what he was saying. It had to be the fever talking.
"No, no," he shook his head, and caught the eye of the Colonel who was now standing behind her crouched form. "You have to get her out of here Jack," he said. "She'll get sick."
"Why just her, Jacob," Jack asked, voicing the question both Daniel and Janet, who were now listening intently, shared.
"It's not a virus that's making them sick," Jacob explained, his eyes somewhat unfocused but his words strong. "Olokun intercepted a Tollan ship, and modified the medical technology he found on board."
"How?" Sam asked, petitioning him to explain further.
"He's using modified nanites. They use the naquadah in the Jaffa and his symbiote to maintain themselves, and work slowly to shut down the internal organs. Most humans are immune because they don't have any naquadah in their blood. But you're different, Sam, because of Jolinar. If you're in here, you're already infected."
[][][] To Be Continued... A/N: I add a thousand words or so every couple of days, so keep an eye out. And please review! Feedback is the air with which i breathe!
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