Since coming back from Atlantis, her work load seemed to have tripled. Bringing most of the work back with her, with Landry's approval, of course. Last thing they needed was another incident. A few years ago SG had brought back a plant which grew ferociously when coming in contact with light. Any form of light. Shelley had worked with Doctor Lee and found a way to eradicate it. She just didn't want it to happen again.
There were several plants around the room. One was decorational and the flowers on her desk were a gift from Sam. Congratulation on being pregnant bunch of flowers. She and Daniel were still getting used to it and had only just told their friends and family. Kennedy was excited and Mia was pleased as long as it wasn't another little sister. Telling her parents that one was enough! They didn't have the heart to tell her that she was going to have a new baby sister and a baby brother.
Shelley knew straight away that Daniel was thrilled about having a son, and so was she. It would just take some getting used too.
Shelley inhaled the flowers, smiling as she read the card. Even though they made her feel a bit nauseous. That and the smell of coffee. So in the morning Daniel had to wait till he got to the base for his morning caffeine.
Her head looked up as she heard two sets of footsteps coming down the hallway, then two familiar voices. One of which was unmistakably that of Daniel and the other was also familiar.
Standing behind her, in the doorway to her lab was Daniel and her brother.
"Jack," she said, smiling.
Shelley got off her seat, meeting her brother half way across the room. He smiled back at her, holding out his arms and pulling her into a hug. It had been a while since they'd seen each other and not since she had become pregnant again.
"What are you doing here?" she asked, pulling back.
Jack's smile disappeared as he looked at his sister. Shelley knew that something was wrong. Jack hardly ever left Washington these days. The only time they ever spoke was by email or on the telephone. Daniel appeared at her side, reaching out to hold her hand.
"What is it? What's wrong?" she asked, again.
"I'm sorry Shell!" Daniel whispered, squeezing her hand.
A panicked look swept across her face.
"Just tell me, what is it?"
Jack took her hand, leading her towards her chair. Sitting down, Daniel continued to hold her hand. Jack sat on the stool next to her. He didn't know how he was going to say it. He had, over the years broken the worst news to her. And even now still couldn't shake the memory of the look in her eyes.
"I had a phone call this morning from James Thompson. Do you remember him?" he asked
Shelley nodded. The name was familiar. After all, she had spent her teens living next to him and his family.
"Dad had a stroke this morning. The doctors tried, but there was nothing else they could do. I'm sorry Shell,"
Shelley didn't need her brother to finish the sentence, she just knew.
"The funeral is gonna be the day after tomorrow. I'm going back to Minnesota tonight," Jack said. "Things need to be sort out, including the house,"
Shelley sat there quietly. Jack and Daniel looked at each other. Both wondering why she didn't seem more upset.
"I could do with some help!"
Jack tried his best at getting his sister to get the hint. Finally, she nodded.
"I'll go home and pack. I don't think we should take the girls. They won't understand and they only ever met him once," Shelley said.
Her tone of voice seemed distant and unemotional. As though she was rattling off a speech she had prepared in advance.
"Okay," Daniel nodded.
Shelley stood from her stool, passing both her brother and Daniel, heading out of her lab.
"I thought she'd be more upset," Daniel said.
Jack knew his sister better than anyone and knew that she was just hiding her emotions. It was what they did in their family. Having no mother figure in her teens, Shelley had learned to hide what she felt, no matter how painful it was.
"She is, believe me. Just be ready when she does,"
"Of course."
Jack sighed. He wasn't particularly looking forward to going back to that house. The last time he had been there was 6 years ago. When Shelley had been staying with their father in the weeks after Daniel's ascension. And it was probably the last time he had spoken to him too.
"I should go after her,"
Jack nodded. At least he knew he could rely on Daniel to be there to support his sister. He had failed to do so in certain years of their lives. And he would do his best to support her now.
"I'll talk to General Landry and get things sorted out. See if I can pull a few strings,"
Daniel headed down the corridor, searching for his wife, leaving Jack behind in her lab.
The General looked around his sister's office. Seeing all the photographs on her desk. Not being able to find one of their father. Jack blamed himself for how his sister thought about him. On the day he came back for her, Jack promised that he would never forgive him. The same as he had told him the day he had left her at 5 years old, that he would never forgive him. It had been a selfish act on his fathers part. Now he was gone, he still couldn't bring himself to forgive him.
Daniel turned the corner, seeing Shelley standing by the elevator, rubbing her eyes. It was clear that she had been crying.
Daniel blinked several times, seeing someone else join her. Someone he hadn't seen for a long time.
"Are you okay?" a voice asked.
Shelley looked up, seeing a familiar face in front of her.
"Andrew," she whispered.
Standing next to her was Andrew Reynolds. For the last few months he'd taken a temporary assigned to the Pentagon and more importantly to the very same office where her brother Jack was working. In fact they had been working together. He had needed to get away from the SGC. Shelley smiled. Pleased to see her friend.
"I didn't know you were back?"
"I came back with General O'Neill."
Reynolds looked at her, seeing that she had been crying.
"Are you okay?" he asked, again.
She shook her head.
"My father died," she whispered.
He moved forwards, opening his arms. Shelley shook her head again.
"No, I'm fine. I've gotta go," she said. "I have things to do,"
Reynolds watched as she stepped into the elevator, alone.
"Its good to see you again," she said, as the doors closed in front of her.
It had been 4 months since he'd seen her last but had thought about her constantly. Still being in love with her. Being away hadn't changed anything.
Two Days LaterMinnesota
Jack looked around the house as it began to fill up with mourners. Some people he hadn't seen since he was a kid, coming to pay respects to his father. It was a surreal moment. Groups of them stood in corners of the room, talking about their friend and colleague. The man that Jack remembered and had wanted to remember. When he'd been growing up, Jack had looked up to him, until his parents divorce. Then everything changed. Never blaming his sister. She had been the innocent one in all the mess that followed. He looked up as the doorbell rang again.
Upstairs in the bedroom, Shelley stood in front of her mirror, trying to hold in her stomach as she zipped up her skirt. But it wasn't having any of it. She hadn't worn the skirt for a few months, long before she found out she was pregnant. Now it was too small or she was getting too big.
Shelley sighed heavily at her inability to get dressed. They were supposed to be leaving for the church in twenty minutes and she still wasn't ready. She looked over her shoulder, seeing Daniel behind her, all handsome in his suit. The same suit he had worn for Katherine Langford's funeral.
"Daniel," she whispered.
He turned around, seeing the battle she was having with her zipper.
"I… I can't get it to…"
"Here, let me try,"
Daniel looked at her, hoping to see some emotion in her eyes. But saw no thing. Seemingly more upset about the fact that she couldn't fit in her skirt.
"Did you phone the girls this morning?" she asked.
Daniel nodded.
"Yes, there fine. I told you they would be.""I know. Since coming back from Atlantis, I wanted to spent more time with them. Especially now. But I've just sent them away again.""It's not your fault. And its only for a couple of days." Daniel said.
He tried again to zip up her skirt, not being able to succeed. Shelley sighed again, pushing away Daniel's hands.
"I'll have to wear something else. I think I've got a pair of pants here somewhere that should fit," she said.
"Okay,"
As she moved away, Daniel managed to grab hold of her hand, pulling her back towards him.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine."
"Are you sure?"
Shelley nodded.
"I should finished getting dressed," she said.
"Okay. I'll wait for you downstairs,"
Daniel left her in the bedroom. Watching her for a moment as she couldn't think of what to do next. Stuck in one position. He'd seen it before, or heard about it from Sam. Shelley had done the same when he had ascended. Not knowing what to do or where to go! Stuck in a none state. It was her way of coping with her loss. It was during that time that Shelley had gone home to visit her father.
He made his way downstairs, feeing a little uneasy as strangers watched him. He didn't know anyone from Shelley's family, apart from Jack and found the whole situation rather strange. There wasn't just people from their father's side, but also a few from Jack's mother's family. Daniel noticed that they had situated themselves on the one side of the room, well away from the O'Neill's. He didn't want Shelley to be exposed to it. She'd already been through enough and being pregnant, he didn't want to take any risk.
Finally he managed to see a couple of friendly faces. Standing in the middle of the room was Sam, wearing her air force dress uniform.
"Daniel. How's Shelley?" she asked, giving Daniel a quick hug.
Daniel didn't know what to say to her.
"She's… quiet."
Sam looked up as she saw Shelley coming down the stairs. Daniel met her half way, taking hold of her hand. He could feel her body shaking. Shelley looked around the room, watching as Jack's other side of the family stared at her. She knew how they felt about her. Even though her mother met their father after his divorce from Jack's mother.
"Don't let go," she whispered.
"I won't," Daniel answered.
After the ceremony, they all made their way back to the house. Everyone mingling, talking to each other, sharing their memories Jonathan O'Neill. All through the funeral, Daniel never let go of Shelley's hand. And half way through, Jack held the other. Just like he had done when she was 5 years old at her mother's funeral.
Shelley sat in the kitchen, needing a break from the conversation's about her father. All the good things that he'd done in his life. But nothing mentioned about the bad things, like abandoning her at the age of 5. Daniel had tried his best to shield her from it, without much success. He had spent the last half an hour, mingling, talking to people he didn't know. Just shaking people's hand, telling them that he was Shelley's husband. Telling them all about how they'd been married for 7 years, with 2 beautiful girls and twins on the way.
Daniel turned around, almost bumping into the woman next to him. She was in her late early to mid 60's but didn't look her age, well dressed with red hair. Not unlike that of his wife's.
"I'm sorry," he said.
"That's okay,"
Daniel reached out his hand to shake the woman's.
"Daniel, Daniel Jackson,"
There was a long pause as he waited for her to say her name.
"Joanna, Joanna Kennedy,"
Daniel looked at her, recognising the name instantly. It was a name he had heard a lot. His eldest daughter was named after her. Named after Shelley's mother.
"You're Joanna Kennedy,"
Daniel heard himself raise his own voice. Her mouth opened, realising the mistake she had just made.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have come here," she said.
Daniel lent over, grabbing hold of her hand.
"You're Shelley's mother, aren't you?"
She shook her head, furiously.
"I'm sorry, you've got the wrong woman!"
The woman practically ran out of the house, faster than anyone he had ever seen.