Title: Refugee
Author: Josephine
Rating: PG
Codes: T/OC, H, F, B, others
Category: General, little angst
Summary: A small visitor makes Joanna and Teal'c examine a part of their lives.
A/N: This takes place in Cincoflex's and my Sam/Paul universe.
~~~~~
The smell was the first thing to hit SG-18 as they came through the Gate, the harsh acrid bite of burning wood mixed with the sickly odor of charred flesh. The smoke was next: black, roiling clouds filling the sky, stinging their eyes and filling their lungs.
The team automatically dropped to one knee, scanning the near empty landscape. Silently Joanna motioned to Jenkins and Santos to go right; she and MacTavish swept left. They reached the Resistance camp without encountering anyone alive, though the ground was littered with dead bodies, most of them women.
Joanna stood in the middle of the camp, her face a hard mask as she scanned the extensive damage. Moving among the wreckage, MacTavish was doing a quick survey of what was left. None of the tents were left standing, and from the looks of it, the marauders had been told to destroy everything.
"Colonel." At the sound of her 2IC, Joanna swung around to see Jenkins picking his way toward her, Santos not far behind.
"We didn't find any survivors, ma'am. We did find a few of the attacking Jaffa, they were Baal's." As he came to stand next to her, Jenkins' face was bleak.
Joanna nodded at the information. "Looks like we missed it by a couple hours. Son of a bitch." Sighing, she glanced over at Jenkins. "Get back to the Gate and inform the General what happened. See if he'll send us help cleaning up and cremating the bodies. And have him—" She broke off as Jenkins held up a hand, concentration crossing his face.
"Did you hear that?" Walking slowly, he made his way to where a huddled form was wedged against a cartwheel.
Keeping her distance and making sure she had a clear shot, Joanna nodded to Jenkins who quickly rolled the figure over, popping up to steady his P90.
"Damn," whispered Joanna, dropping to her knees next to the baby as the slight whimpering Jenkins had heard morphed into a full-blown wail. She reached out and closed the mother's eyes, making the sign of the cross over her.
"Isn't that O'dem's wife and kid?" Jenkins asked, looking from the dead woman to the baby who was still screaming, his little face a deep beet red.
"Bel'iea and Sem'et." Handing Jenkins her weapon, Joanna reached out for the baby. "Shush shush shush," she murmured, jogging Sem'et on her shoulder, which did absolutely nothing to calm him down.
"A little help here?" she tossed at Jenkins, who shook his head.
"I was deployed soon after my kid was born, didn't get back 'till she was one," came his excuse.
Joanna turned to the other two members of her team.
"I don't have kids," Santos got out, holding his hands up and away.
"Jenny hasn't popped yet," MacTavish quickly said.
"Fer cryin' out loud… " Joanna glared at them. "Nobody has any nieces, or nephews?" All three men stepped back as one.
"All right, I'll take him back. Mac, you and Santos start gathering the bodies in one location, keeping Baal's Jaffa separate. Jenkins, you come back to the Gate with me and see what help Hammond can send." Wincing as the baby kept screaming, Joanna awkwardly patted his back.
"The things I do for God and Country," she muttered.
~~~~~
"And so that's the situation, General," Joanna said to the MALP camera. Kneeling on the ground she tried to keep hold of her temper as Sem'et continued to wail in her ear. Jenkins, the lout, had been no help at all, staying well out of baby-handing-off range. "Permission to bring the kid in to have the Doc take a look at him."
Hammond's disembodied voice came over the speaker, unperturbed as usual. "Very well, Colonel. Come on back and I'll get a detail ready to join Major Jenkins in cleaning up the camp."
Flashing a tight smile as Sem'et tore off her cap, Joanna was sure she could hear muffled laughter in the background. "Thanks you, sir, on my way now." She rose, grimacing as her knees protested, then walked over to Jenkins who had a firm grip on his P90.
"Get back to the camp and start seeing if anything is salvageable. Hopefully Hammond won't be too long with that detail."
"Yes, ma'am." Jenkins smiled at Sem'et as the baby turned toward his voice, the wails turning to hitching sobs. "See ya, kiddo."
"You should take him back, he seems to like you."
"The General is expecting you, ma'am." Thinking fast, Jenkins moved toward the remains of the camp. "I'm sure he'll want to be briefed by you specifically." He stood there, poised to make a break for it, but held in place by his Air Force training.
Joanna sighed. "Git then. But don't think I'll forget this!" she shouted after his retreating back. Glancing down at the sniffling Sem'et, Joanna started up the steps to the Gate.
"Want to come play at my house?"
~~~~~
"Well he seems to be in pretty good health," Dr. Smith murmured, flashing her ever-present light into the baby's dark brown eyes. He scrunched up his nose, then sneezed, a small chuff of a sound.
A ghost of a smile crossed Joanna's face, and she gently bounced a naked Sem'et on her lap.
"Yeah, it annoys the hell outta me too," she reassured him as Smith wrote some cryptic medical jargon in a chart. The boy hadn't let go of her since they passed through the event horizon into the gateroom, clinging tenaciously as he looked around, finally silent.
Pretending she didn't hear that, the doctor turned back to the pair and looked thoughtfully at the mark of Baal on Sem'et's forehead. Joanna followed the doctor's eyes to the admittedly graceful design.
"Teal'c told me it's done within minutes of the birth," Joanna said gently. "Apparently it was seeing his son branded and knowing he would grow up a slave that convinced O'dem to join the Resistance. Seems that Baal didn't like losing his First Prime any more than Apophis did. You should have seen the camp. Nothing was left. I'm amazed Bel'iea was able to save him."
"He's adorable," Smith commented, watching Joanna as the other woman grinned down at the now happy baby.
"Yeah, when he's not screaming his head off." Sighing, she looked up. "So what are gonna do with him? I need to get back to the planet."
"Short term I'm sure we can find a few willing hands to look after him." Reaching out, Smith plucked Sem'et from the colonel's arms and into her own. He blinked twice at her, then his face scrunched up again as he began wailing and arching away, trying to get back to Joanna. The doctor bounced him, attempting to calm him down before an anxious Joanna finally had enough and practically grabbed Sem'et from her.
Rocking the baby, Joanna didn't notice as Hammond came up behind them.
"Colonel, Doctor. What's the verdict?"
"As far as I can see he's a healthy infant, approximately 10 months old," Smith informed him.
Nodding, Hammond listened as he watched Sem'et grab onto Joanna's ear, tugging on the lobe. "Nothing planted in him like Cassandra or Ry'ac?"
"No sir, no sign of anything like that."
Gingerly Joanna pried the baby's fingers off her. "Teal'c might know where O'dem's group went, if not we can put out feelers so we can get him his son back."
"Sir," Smith broke in before Joanna could say anything more, "I suggest that Colonel O'Neil be the child's primary caregiver while he's here at the Mountain. He's familiar with her already and it would be less traumatic for him."
Joanna threw a panicked look at the other woman and shook her head minutely as Hammond considered the advice.
"I really should get back to my team, sir…"
"Major Jenkins can handle everything on that end, colonel. Coordinate with Doctor Smith on what you'll need. I'm sorry I can't be of any help, it's been quite a few years since I last had to deal with a baby." Chucking Sem'et lightly under the chin, Hammond nodded to the two women and left the infirmary.
"While I've never had to deal with a baby," Joanna muttered under her breath, turning on her co-worker. "I have no idea what to do with him!"
"He likes you best," answered Smith, shrugging. "I'm sure you'll get lots of advice."
"I hate you," came the good-natured riposte.
~~~~~
Teal'c walked down the corridors of the SGC after coming back from SG1's recent mission, only wanting Joanna, a shower, and his bed, in that order. It was late, he was tired, and for some strange reason everyone seemed to be grinning like a madman at him. Vern Albert had even called him 'Daddy-O'.
Tau'ri. Teal'c was certain he would never understand them.
Entering his room, Teal'c stopped short as he saw, in the middle of his rug, a rounded, diaper clad bottom belonging to an infant, who was determinedly crawling toward the lower shelf of his bookcase.
"No, no sweetie, that's not for you."
Silently Teal'c watched in surprise as Joanna came out of the bathroom, wearing her flannel pajamas. Her hair lay in a familiar loose braid down her back and she was brushing her teeth.
"Look, Aunt Jo got you some wooden spoons to play with, and Sergeant Oliver let you borrow some of her baby's toys. Wasn't that nice of her?" his beloved mumbled around the toothbrush. "Yeah, you don't care," she laughed, setting the brush on the bookcase. Bending over Joanna picked up the child and swung him up in the air, blowing what she had called raspberries on his stomach.
She set the baby on her hip and smiled at him, then looked up at Teal'c, slightly embarrassed. "Teal'c, meet Sem'et. Sem'et, this is Teal'c."
Sem'et glazed at Teal'c with big eyes, then grinned and waved his arms about. Joanna laughed.
"He likes you. Must be the gold symbol."
Teal'c crossed the room, coming to stand next to her. Sem'et reached up, trying to touch Teal'c's forehead.
"His father is O'dem, Baal's First Prime… ex-first Prime. When we got to their camp this morning it had been burnt to the ground. Sem'et was the only survivor; Hammond put me in charge of him." Joanna laughed again, but this time it was short and mirthless.
"A forty-six year old spinster in charge of a baby. I have no idea what the hell I'm doing."
"He appears to be happy, tau'ret." Taking the baby from Joanna, Teal'c and Sem'et regarded each other solemnly. Finally able to reach the symbol, Sem'et patted it gently.
"Yeah, well, I'm just glad you're here. You can help me keep him entertained. And change his diapers, the little bugger squirted me twice already." Joanna picked up her toothbrush and went back into the bathroom.
Setting the baby down in front of Oliver's donated toys, Teal'c's gaze followed Sem'et as he promptly ignored them and made for the open door at a faster pace than Teal'c would have thought. Three long strides got him there before Sem'et; closing the avenue of escape caused Sem'et's face to crumple and a thin wail filled the room.
"What'd you do him?" Joanna bounded out of the bathroom, drying her face off with a hand towel and hovering ineffectually as Teal'c picked Sem'et up.
"I merely prevented him from leaving the room," came the calm reply, at odds with the vociferous howling from the smaller Jaffa.
Wincing as Sem'et continued to cry, Joanna looked up at Teal'c. "Can't you… do something?" She reached out and patted the baby's back.
"I have no experience with children of this age. I was not present when Ry'ac was born." He continued, overlooking Joanna's muttered 'Not you too'. "Did he not cry when you tended to him earlier?"
"Oliver was here, I just watched," said Joanna, grabbing a squeaky star and trying to distract Sem'et with it and not succeeding very well. A sudden yawn split his face and he buried his head in Teal'c's chest, his fist coming up to rub at an eye.
Joanna and Teal'c glanced at each other. "You'd think he'd just go to sleep if he was tired." Putting her hands on her hips, Joanna made a moue of irritation at the baby.
"Perhaps the unfamiliar surroundings are too stimulating for him." At Teal'c's rumbling tone, Sem'et's wail came down a few notches to a whimper.
"Oh!" Joanna snapped her fingers, remembering. "Oliver said that sometimes when her kids were wound up, her husband would sit with them on his chest and tuck their head under his chin, and sing to them. She said the deeper voice was soothing, or something." She nodded as Teal'c just raised an eyebrow.
"Come on, what can it hurt?" Reaching out, she lifted Sem'et from him, bouncing the baby slightly as he began to fuss again. "Take off your boots and shirt and sit on the bed."
Teal'c paused a moment, then with an almost imperceptible sigh he did as he was told.
"Might as well take off your pants and get comfortable," Joanna threw over her shoulder as she walked toward the bed. Grabbing the pillows with one hand, she arranged them against the headboard on Teal'c's side and turned down the sheet.
Sitting down on the bed, Teal'c propped himself up and took the baby, arranging him on his broad chest, tucking the small fuzzy head under his chin like Joanna had said.
"Now sing," she ordered him as Sem'et kept crying. "Or at least talk to him in Goa'uld," she added, "Maybe the familiar words will help."
Frowning up at his avidly watching beloved, Teal'c began a rendition of 'The Three Little Pigs' in Goa'uld, but changing the pigs to the Tok'ra, Tau'ri, and Jaffa, and the wolf into Apophis, extending the rather tame blowing down of the houses into stirring, epic battles. Amazingly enough, Sem'et's wails tapered off, and with a shuddering, indrawn sigh, he fell asleep.
Teal'c looked up at Joanna as she gave him a delighted smile, covering the both of them with the quilt. Leaning forward, she dropped a lingering kiss on his head.
"Good job, sweetie." Joanna trailed a finger over Sem'et's chubby cheek, and Teal'c could see the yearning in her eyes even as her mouth twisted wryly at her all too clear thoughts.
"You should have seen Rose with him," she said softly. "She was like a kid in a candy store. Couldn't stop playing with the little bugger. She so wanted to take him home. I bet Jack is getting an earful right now. Course, if I know him, he wants one as bad as she does."
Joanna blinked hard, and Teal'c watched with a heavy heart as she turned away to switch the lights off one by one, leaving only the soft glow from a far floor lamp. He moved gently, trying not to disturb Sem'et as he stretched out along the bed. Lifting the blankets on her side, Joanna crawled under them and slid next to Teal'c.
"How soon do you think we can find O'dem?" Her words to him were a bare whisper in the still room, a counterpoint to the wheezy sound of Sem'et breathing.
"A few days, at least. Bray'tac will return to their camp before O'dem and his men are due to arrive, and explain what has transpired."
Resting her cheek on Teal'c's shoulder, Joanna looked at Seme't, from his curly black hair, over his pug nose and down to the determined chin under a cupid's bow mouth. Said chin gave a little wobble as the baby gave another shuddering sigh and rubbed his head against Teal'c's jaw.
"What will happen to him?"
"Until he remarries, O'dem will likely have a family he knows in the Resistance raise the baby while he is away." Teal'c paused. "We cannot keep him, Tau'ret."
Joanna flinched at the understanding in his voice. "I know that. I just… want to make sure he'll be okay. That's all." She rolled over, curling up away from Teal'c and Sem'et. "Besides, what would I do with a baby?"
~~~~~
Rose popped her head into Joanna's room, catching sight of the older woman and Sem'et playing on the floor.
"How are you two doing?" she asked, coming further into the room and crouching down by the pair.
Looking up, Joanna shrugged half-heartedly. "After four days inside this mountain I'm going stir crazy. And Jack, the bastard, in volunteering for that mission, took with him the only person who can get this rug rat to sleep. In my worse moments I'm convinced Teal'c put him up to going." Joanna sighed, scrubbing at her face with her palm.
"Honetly, it reminds me when I was in that Iraqi POW camp. You'd just get to sleep when they'd come by and bang on the cage, waking you up again. The guy next to me started seeing spiders after awhile."
Frowning, Rose scrutinized her a little closer, noticing the slightly glazed look in Joanna's dark brown eyes and the purple smudges under them. "You're not hallucinating anything, are you?"
"No, I'm not," Joanna weakly chuckled; she decided now was not the time to tease about the stuffed animals coming to life. "Although I think I'll recommend adding taking care of a baby to the Special Ops stamina training regimen."
Rose smiled back. "Just remember there's help around if you need it, especially to get some sleep."
"Will do. Hey, Rose," Joanna called out as the doctor turned to go. "Any word yet on if Bra'tac got ahold of O'dem?"
"Nope, sorry."
"Yeah, well… thanks." Flashing Rose a wan grin, she let herself get pulled back to Sem'et and his blocks.
~~~~~
From the corner of her eye Joanna could see Teal'c and Sem'et roll around on the rug in their room as she tried to complete some long overdue paperwork. It had been a week since she had brought the baby back to the Mountain and her inbox kept growing every day. Finally admitting the report was a lost cause, she tossed her pen down on the small desk and turned to watch the two boys.
Sem'et was flat on his back, his face gently covered by Teal'c's large hand, his hands and feet wrapped around the thick wrist. Baby giggles mixed with deep mock growls as Teal'c rocked Sem'et from side to side. Loosening his hold, the large Jaffa let the small one bring his hand down and stuff a knuckle in his mouth.
Joanna winced in sympathy as Sem'et bit down, masticating the joint. "Doesn't that hurt?" she asked Teal'c.
"Not to speak of." He lifted his hand, Sem'et still attached, setting the baby on his feet. A wide grin was his reward, and Sem'et toddled forward to throw himself at Teal'c.
"He will become a strong warrior," pronounced Teal'c with more than a touch of pride as Sem'et jammed his finger back in his little mouth. "Just as Ry'ac is. I had not realized how much of his youth I had missed until now."
Getting up from her chair, Joanna came to sit next to Teal'c, resting against him as Sem'et continued to play with his hand.
"I was leading the battle against one of Ra's major outposts when Ry'ac was born," her love continued, half to her and half to himself. "We returned to the Ha'tak victorious, where Bray'tac informed me Drey'auc had given birth to a boy-child. Yet it was not until many passes of the Sage's Eye that I was able to return to Chulak and see him for myself. Ry'ac was walking by then, and was frightened of me."
Teal'c gazed down at Sem'et who had curled up into Joanna's lap and was playing with the end of her braid. A giant yawn split the baby's face, and the couple watched as his eyes slowly slid shut, his breathing becoming deep and gentle.
"To my eternal remorse I was away much of his life. It is no wonder then he came to hate me for what I had done, and correctly laid the blame for his mother's death at my feet."
"She made her own choices, just like you did," Joanna said into the weighted silence, looking down at the baby sleeping in her lap. "It's obvious Ry'ac has forgiven you, if in fact he ever really blamed you."
Rising, Joanna placed Sem'et in the bed they had jury-rigged for him. "Don't sell yourself short, T. You're an excellent father to Ry'ac, and have every right to be proud of the way he turned out. You done good."
She stepped up to him, as he got to his feet, slipping her hands around his waist and tilting her head up to look at him. "You've made a lot of sacrifices to free the Jaffa. Now come to bed and let me thank you for them."
~~~~~
"Unscheduled off world activation! We have an incoming wormhole!"
Joanna tensed as Walter's voice echoed through SGC, glancing over at Teal'c before turning back to make sure Sem'et didn't choke as he stuffed Cheerios into his mouth for his bed time snack. For the past three days she had been on edge, waiting for Bra'tac to return with O'dem. She could feel Teal'c's eyes on her, and Joanna forced herself to relax.
"Colonel O'Neil, Teal'c, report to the Gate room."
The seconds ticked by after Hammond's summons came over the intercom, slowly Joanna stood up, hefting Sem'et to a hip and sweeping up a handful of Cheerios for him to continue eating. Flashing Teal'c a smile as he waited by the door with a diaper bag full of the toys and clothing Sem'et had acquired during his stay, she passed by his reassuring presence and made her way down the corridors.
Joanna saw O'dem before he caught sight of her and Sem'et; Bray'tac and Hammond flanked the tall, olive complexioned warrior who was obviously holding his impatience in check. His short, curly hair was duplicated exactly in Sem'et; apart form his Jaffa armor he looked like a modern day Greek.
At the commotion in the doorway O'dem turned. "My son!" He rushed over, lifting the happy baby from Joanna and holding him close. O'dem started to say something in Goa'uld, but stopped, flashing Teal'c a wry smile.
"I was about to give thanks to Baal for saving my son's life," he said, shaking his head. "Old habit die hard. Instead I should be thanking you, Colonel O'Neil. I am eternally in your debt."
Shrugging, Joanna watched the interplay between Sem'et and his father. "Bel'eia was the one who saved him. We found him under her."
"My beloved wife." O'dem closed his eyes briefly. "It was my decision to leave the false gods that killed her. But as she said the day we left, 'From now on, we die free'." I hope that Sem'et will understand when he is grown."
"He will," Joanna assured him.
"Hammond of Texas," Od'em formally addressed the general. "I must take my leave of you. I thank you all for keeping my son safe."
"It was our pleasure." Motioning to Walter to start dialing the gate, Hammond stepped back as Teal'c handed Od'em the bag and said his goodbyes. Joanna touched Seme't on the cheek, the baby grinning and hiding his face against his father's neck.
For a brief second they were outlined by the shimmering event horizon, then with an anticlimactic whoosh the Gate closed down.
"Well," Joanna said brightly, "I have a ton of paperwork waiting for me, not to mention planning the mission to P3J-4900." She took a backward step toward the door. "So if you'll excuse me?"
Interpreting Hammond's nod correctly, Joanna strolled out of the Gate room toward her office.
Teal'c followed her with his eyes, then turned back to see the general looking at him with concern.
"She going to be okay?"
A slight frown settled over Teal'c's face. "In time." With an incline of his head, Teal'c made his leave and went after Joanna.
~~~~~
He found her at her desk, in the cramped space they had carved out for her when she arrived. Standing in the doorway a moment, Teal'c watched Joanna work her way through one of the multitude of forms the Air Force required.
"Beloved." Teal'c came into the room and closed the door behind him; a slight tightening of her fingers on the pen was the only indication Joanna had heard him.
"Kinda busy, T, whadda ya need?" Her tone was brisk, bordering on curt, and Joanna kept her eyes firmly fixed on her work.
Crouching down beside her, Teal'c closed his large hand over hers, stilling the pen.
"I really need to get this done, Teal'c."
He said nothing, merely waited as she blinked hard and breathed deep.
"Dammit," she muttered, as the tears finally fell. "Why? Why couldn't he have given me something? Anything? A memory of someone!" It took Teal'c a moment before he realized Joanna was talking about Loki, and his arms closed around her.
"You have Ry'ac, Jack had Charlie, Rose can still have kids which, since they're getting married, you know damn well are going to be Jack's… I used to look at pictures of Feretti's kids and wonder what was wrong with me, why no one stuck around very long. I even tried to adopt but they flat out said no way."
She looked over at him, her brown eyes dark with pain. "And then you came along, real flesh and blood, and it cuts even deeper. Yeah, I know I'm old, I know my insides are screwed up, I know my job puts paid to any chance I had of having a normal family, but I still want one. I still want the little brats. I want your kids."
"You do not know what the future holds, tau'ret. There may be possibilities you-- we have not considered." Cupping her face in his hands, Teal'c wiped the tear tracks off her cheeks. "It has been a long ten days. Leave this until tomorrow. Let me now comfort you."
"Yeah, all right. I could use a hot soak in the tub now that I have a few minutes to myself," Joanna chuckled weakly. Getting up with Teal'c, she leaned against him, letting him lead her back to their room.
Fin