Chapter 2: Have a Holly, Jolly Break In

Set early in Season 1, Christmastime.

Uncle Jack was gone again. He was gone often. To their relief, the twins had found that living with their estranged uncle wasn't much different that not living with him, except that there had been beer in the house until he had realized they were drinking it.

It was Christmas Eve. In the absence of any real familial plans, Dan had dragged Dany to a tree farm and sent an email to Mr. Adams, who had obliged by overnighting a particular box from among their parents' things. Presumably, the lawyer still felt sorry for the twins. The house had been decorated with a week to spare.

Uncle Jack had come home, raised his eyebrows, and asked if there were cookies.

Now it was early midnight. Dan was passed out on the couch, his softly-snoring form sporadically lit by a stop-motion animation Christmas special. Dany was restless, trying to figure out if Uncle Jack had actually removed the beer from the premises, or if he had only hidden it somewhere.

Then she remembered the liquor cabinet.

It was locked. Of course it was. And the desk drawer where she knew Uncle Jack kept the key was locked as well. Dany frowned at the keyhole. Despite all appearances, her uncle learned fast.

Well, so did she. The wood splintered under the crowbar, and Dany wondered just what she was in for when it was discovered. Then again, it was a desk. Uncle Jack might not go near it for months.

Sliding the door open fully, Dany reached for the set of keys that lay atop the mess of paperwork, then froze.

Atop the mess was a file, one marked "TOP SECRET" in large, red letters.

SG-1

Dany never made it to the liquor cabinet. She turned off the TV, covered Dan with a blanket, and a single lamp on in the dining room.

The papers in front of her were a report by a Major Kawalsky. There were a lot of names in it she didn't recognize, and a lot of physics she didn't understand. (Neither, it seemed, did Major Kawalsky.) But Dany got the gist. She read it three times, each time more convinced it was a joke, before remembering that her father had said most of Uncle Jack's work was classified, which explained a lot of absences before she had understood what absence was.

Before Uncle Jack had disappeared from their lives for good.

She looked at the date on the file. It wasn't much older than a year. So Uncle Jack hadn't spent all of the past ten years fighting aliens. If that was really what he was doing. Dany was pretty sure even her dad would have found that hard to swallow.

Uncle Jack returned around 3am, Dany supposed in some attempt to observe the holiday. She heard his keys hit the table by the door, his steps towards the unexpected light. He paused under the archway leading into the dining room, her eyes taking in her expression and the scattered paperwork.

"Oh, I wish I'd kept that beer…"

Dany wanted to say something scathing, but all that came out was, "Is this for real?"

Uncle Jack sighed. "I can't talk like this. Follow me."

Fifteen minutes later, they were in the backyard wrapped in surplus coats and hoodies that read "United States Air Force," a bonfire roaring in front of them. As he sat down, Uncle Jack passed Dany a mug.

"Scotch?" she asked hopefully.

"Coffee." He took a sip from his own mug, which Dany was pretty sure was at least partly something else. She was less sure that coffee was such a good idea when she was already wound up, but she drank it anyway.

"If you weren't family, I could have you shot for reading that file," Uncle Jack began.

So it was true.

"Dany…I'm not really good at this sort of thing. Luckily for you and your brother, you won't need me in a couple of months. Not that you really need me now, but legally…"

"So that's it then." Dany glared at him. "You're putting up with us until you don't have to feel responsible anymore. And then you can go back to-" She waved her hand vaguely at the sky.

"Hey! I don't remember you saying anything about being thrilled to be here. In fact, you've made it pretty clear you'd rather be anywhere but. I thought you wanted-"

"Wanted? Wanted?" Dany started to sputter something else and failed. She wanted to throw something at him. Instead she turned to glower at the fire.

"I'm sorry, Dany." It was only moments later, but it felt like hours. "I'm sorry about your parents. I'm sorry about Charlie. I'm sorry about all of it." They were only a few words, four short sentences, but they seemed to take an eternity for him to say.

She closed her eyes, feeling the rebellion inside of her fizzle out. She was suddenly very tired. Setting aside her coffee cup, she drew her knees up to her chest and buried her face in her arms. She was freezing, save her shins, which felt like they had a bad sunburn.

"You were gone a long time," she mumbled, surprised and annoyed to find her voice was that of an eight-year old who missed playing catch with her uncle.

"I know. Dany, if you read that file, you know that I…"

"I know." And she did know, because Charlie's death had been impossible for all of them, and because she had disappeared during her parents' wake. If it weren't for Dan…She looked up.

"What happened to Aunt Sara?" she asked, grasping at a question with a solid answer.

Uncle Jack sighed. "I saw her not long ago. Just before your parents died, in fact. We…we talked things out. But ultimately we decided it was better for both of us to go our separate ways."

Dany nodded. The fire crackled in front of them, holding steady. It was an easy place to rest her eyes.

"I also saw your dad."

She turned to her uncle in surprise.

"About six months ago. We went fishing."

She remembered the weekend. A solitary fishing trip, her father had said. "He didn't tell us."

"No, he wasn't sure he should. Though I imagine eventually…" Uncle Jack looked down at his hands. "He told me you and your brother are smart. Really smart. Now I know you didn't get that from our side of the family."

Dany half smiled. "If Mom hadn't wanted to be a mom so bad."

"She was a good mom."

"Yeah."

"He said Dan is a lot like her."

"And he said I'm a lot like you."

"Yes." Uncle Jack looked at her in surprise, and she pillowed her head on her arms as she returned his gaze.

"He said that a lot."

"Oh. Well, assuming he was right – and he usually was about that sort of thing – you might want to reconsider Princeton."

Now it was her turn to be surprised. "You want me to join the Air Force?"

"It's not about what I want. I just think…What helped me in the end was having something to do, something…bigger than myself. It might help you too."

She didn't answer, unsure whether or not she was ready to wrap her mind around what it was Uncle Jack did. As hard as this conversation had been, she imagined that would be even harder.

"And, Dany? It doesn't get much bigger than what I do."

There was a snap, behind them this time, and they both turned to find Dan standing there, blinking blearily in the firelight.

"Wa's goin' on?"