Choosing the Battlefield
Unification Part 3
By Michele
Rating: NC-17
Summary: Jack gets frustrated with the doctors and shows off, Gabriel gets indoctrinated, Malek has presents for Sam, Hammond moves in, and Matty is having a sleep-over.

Note: Gabriel is singing the chorus of a song called Carried Away by Shinedown. BTW.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Jack hissed. They broke for lunch and Jack cornered Paul.

"He was sent at the last minute," Paul said. "I originally asked for him, but I was told he was unavailable. I tried to warn you, sir."

Their guests weren't yet convinced of the outrageous proposal that humans were in the midst of an evolutionary leap. Gabriel himself was pushing hard for more proof.

"I thought you'd like an ace up your sleeve, sir," Paul said.

Jack took a long swallow of water.

"Is he?" Jack asked. "He's giving us more grief than any of the others."

"He's exacting," Paul said. "He believes you, but he needs absolute physical proof before he can take it back to WHO."

Their guests from the World Health Organization, the National Institutes of Health, and the Surgeon General's office were all having a hard time with the information they were receiving. They agreed that there was a sudden surge of infanticide worldwide, but they had been putting it down to shock from the knowledge of aliens present in their lives. Jack's shock had come in the fact that Master Gabriel was actually a doctor with WHO and very high up on the organizational ladder.

"You could have told me who he was," Jack grumbled.

"Actually, no, sir," Paul shook his head. "Unless you had ordered me, or it involved the security of our office, I didn't have permission to reveal his identity. Nick knows who he is, there's a file on him. Nick has lots of private files and on more people than you may realize; you can read them at any time. Including Gabriel's; you just need to ask because he won't offer."

"Who is he?" Sam asked, watching them.

"A friend of Paul's," Jack said. "A very close and very personal friend. Daniel and I met him at that dinner party we went to over the summer. I didn't know what he did for a living and I certainly didn't know he was a doctor."

"Soooo…what's the big deal?" she asked, looking from one to the other.

"He has a highly sensitive personal life," Daniel said. "We really don't have permission to reveal him. Think of it as security clearance."

"Ok," she continued to look at them. "Weird, but ok. Is he a good guy, at least?"

"Yes," all the men said.

The meeting continued. Once in a while, the strange old man would make a correction to something one of the doctors said, but he had yet to be called upon to speak. Gabriel shot Jack a look which he returned without comment.

Jack's side of the table was becoming irritated with the titanium wall they were hitting from the other side of the table. The visitors refuted every single piece of evidence Jack's people came up with. Daniel finally stood so hard and fast that his chair teetered before righting itself as he went to pace the side of the room.

Gabriel held up a hand. "I understand your frustration, I really do," he said. "Think about it this way: it's been almost 20 years since we began educating Africa about HIV and AIDS. The numbers are still increasing despite the education. Men, women, and children are dying from a preventable disease all because they refuse to accept the education and adjust their culture. How do you propose we stop an entire country in the throws of hysteria? We can't even get the Middle East to behave, and they've been at each other's throats since the beginning of time." Enki cocked an eyebrow and gave a silent, reluctant nod. "Give us the magic word, Dr. Jackson, please," Gabriel said.

Daniel looked out the window for a moment and then stormed out of the room. There was silence.

Gabriel sat back, pursing his lips in thought. "I'd like to look at the developmental reports that you have shown us," he said. "I can see something physical in the imaging you have shown us, I don't deny that, exactly what we are seeing remains to be seen. Test scores have certainly taken a dramatic leap across the board, and my own grand-daughters, 5 and 7, are suddenly working on subjects beyond their years. A few of these reports, though, contain instances of what we would term 'the paranormal.' How do we justify someone claiming to see inside a body without equipment, or someone reading the thoughts of others? Those things cannot be proven in a scientific manner; they are a matter of belief, not science. If those are the kinds of things that are happening in these countries, I can understand why the tribes are suddenly afraid of their own children."

"Are you saying you don't believe the reports?" Sam asked him.

"No, Dr. Carter, I'm saying prove it," Gabriel responded.

Jack looked at his note pad which was covered in geometric patterns commonly called scribbles.

"Cassandra?" he turned. "Dr. Thorn is sounding a little parched; would you mind?" He gestured toward a water pitcher at the end of the table. He gave her a nod. The pitcher moved on its own accord down the table, poured neatly into the glass before Gabriel, and settled back onto the table without a drop being spilled.

Their guests were pale in the silence of the room.

"There are no cameras on, doctors," Jack said quietly. "And as Daniel would say, denial is more than a river in Egypt. I need a volunteer." He leaned forward, staring intently at Gabriel. "Dr. Thorn, will you trust me?"

Hearing the loud, silent message, Gabriel gave a nod. Jack stood and opened the door. He spoke softly to the SF outside and came back in, shutting the door. He had a pocket knife in his hand.

"May I see your hand?" Jack asked, standing over Gabriel. Gabriel looked from the knife to Jack and then held out his hand. Jack sliced the skin in the palm. The other doctors gasped and jumped to their feet.

"Down!" Jack barked. They sat. "Dr. Thorn, please verify that your skin is indeed open and that the red stuff isn't fake." Slightly shaky, Gabriel examined his hand and then nodded. Jack offered the other doctors the chance to examine the hand. They all confirmed a clean cut, a centimeter deep. Dr. Caplan grabbed a towel and made for Gabriel's hand. Jack snatched the towel away and put his hand directly on top of the bleeding gash. A moment later, he removed his hand. He poured water onto the towel and handed it to Gabriel.

"Go ahead," he said. Gabriel carefully cleaned the blood away and stared at his palm. Not a line remained. His colleagues examined him also and then sat to stare in disbelief at Jack. "There are still no cameras working in here," he reminded them as he cleaned his hand of the sticky blood.

"You are insane, General O'Neill," Dr. Wagner hoarsely informed him.

"Probably," he said. "Now cut the politically correct bullshit and do something." He walked out of the room.

Jack slammed his office door and went to stand at the window, scowling at the peaceful open field covered in a late snow fall. Daniel was sitting on the window sill next to him, quietly contemplating his coffee cup. Jack touched his hair.

The door quietly opened as Sam came in. Gabriel and Paul were behind her. Gabriel went to them and leaned with his back to the wall next to Jack. He took a deep, thoughtful breath.

"Jack, there isn't a day that goes by when I don't spend a small amount of it angry at the way this world has been managed," Gabriel said in a low, assuring voice. "I cannot help someone who doesn't want to be helped. If someone is standing on a ledge with a gun pointed at their own face, I cannot help them without their permission. They have got to WANT it. Look at this another way –you went out to fight bad guys only after the victims asked for help, didn't you? How many lives would have been saved if you had taken it upon yourself to go out and hunt them down before you were asked for help?" Jack looked at him. "It wasn't your place to force your personal morals and ethics upon others, was it? You know as well as I do that help has got to be wanted, not forced. If you force it, that makes you the dictator, doesn't it?"

"Where's the line?" Jack asked.

Gabriel shrugged. "Sometimes we need to stand back, far back, before we can see the line. Once it is visible, then we can work with it. The line isn't visible yet, Jack. If you cannot bear witness, turn away until you can find the strength to help pick up the pieces."

He put a hand on Jack's shoulder. "Jack, I believe you, everything you and your people have presented, I really do; you know that my faith lies deeper than the shallow ground. I will present as best I can to the Director-General, and I will advise that educators be sent into the worst of the affected areas. That's the best we can do. If the countries, or even a single person, asks for help, we will give help. No questions asked. I give you my promise."

Jack saw deer far out at the timber line and watched them.

"How do you deal with all this?"

Gabriel looked at him and cocked an amused eyebrow.

"Never mind," Jack said.

"There's no reason to be afraid
You can't blame yourself
For the world's mistakes
Now it's time to let it go.

Look out, look in, and realize
You always get so carried away
There's times and things
You can never change
Don't get so carried away."

"That's my current mantra to myself," Gabriel said. "When life gets into a temper, the best thing you can do is to say Yes and ride it out, honey. And I get the feeling life is going to get really bumpy."

Jack looked at him. "That was a little too queen even for you, Gabe."

Gabriel chuckled and gave Daniel's cheek a playful pinch.

Jack knew he'd be receiving a phone call sometime before bed. It came 30 minutes after the doctors left HomeSec. Whatever Enki had said to them in private, they went away thinking instead of ridiculing.

"Henry, I don't know what Dr. Wagner was talking about, he seemed a little reluctant to do a dammed thing to help with this situation," Jack told Hayes. "We showed them all the facts we had, that's it. I don't know, Dr. Thorn said he'd help. Hell, Henry, what's more concrete than x-rays and his own granddaughters? Two. What about your grandkids, aren't they doing weird things? Well, then, see? Whatever happened to seeing is believing?"

Sam was slightly frosted on the drive home.

"What is it?" Jack asked, feeling the arctic breeze off to his right.

She was silent. "Ok, I know you guys have your own guy time and guy talks, but I don't think I'm out of line asking for just a little information on Dr. Thorn and how you got to know him."

Jack looked in the mirror at Daniel in the backseat and then at Sam in the passenger seat.

"Honey, are you jealous?" Jack asked, not quite believing it.

"He's tall, dark, and handsome, and, honey, he's gay. And I'm not allowed at dinner parties with him."

Jack looked at Daniel again. "Sam, it was one dinner party, a private party. Paul needed help with something, guy stuff. Extremely personal guy stuff. And Gabriel is a very old friend of his. We hit it off, that's all. He's interesting to talk to. And he's coming to dinner tonight, so talk all you want with him. Baby, Daniel is the only tall, dark, handsome man I'm looking at." He picked up her hand and kissed it.

Sam muttered something.

"What was that?" Jack asked. "Daniel isn't dark, he's light brown," she annunciated.

A muffled laugh came from the back seat. Jack sighed and watched the countryside go by.

"You told me to teach people," he said.

"Teach by example, if not actual instruction. There are lots of ways to teach, although not everyone can be taught," Enki said from next to Daniel. "Some people have a limited growth, for one reason or another. Let them live their lives as they will, not as you will.

Jack glanced in the mirror at him. "You can be cold, sometimes, do you know that?"

Enki pursed his lips. "This is a battlefield, Jack; choose the battle, don't let it choose you."

Jack knew that lesson only too well and it was one he hated. He was only one person, he understood that. How the hell was he supposed to stop entire countries from committing genocide? Jack found himself staring down at the Earth as a whole, seeing only the beautiful blue orb, greens and browns, white clouds; the most beautiful planet he had ever seen, if he wasn't being too biased. A few spots darkened the ozone, damaging the picture, bringing memories of other worlds he had been to, people who destroyed themselves with pollution and weapons. When push came to shove, nature shoved hard.

The children were happy to see Enki and they kept him occupied until dinner. Gabriel came in and met everyone; Olivia regarded the stranger, decided he was ok, and permitted him to hold her.

"So how does a gay man acquire grandchildren?" Jack asked, sipping a beer as he leaned against the kitchen counter. "Adopted?"

"No," Gabriel said with a soft smile, helping Olivia with her peas. She made faces as the strange texture of the little balls 'popped' in her mouth. "An old friend of mine wanted a child, so I 'helped.' She got two for the price of one. Twin sons. Jeff and Parker. They're 29. Parker started his career in fatherhood early, the girls are his with his wife, Leslie. Jeff is gay. With a lesbian mother and a gay father, at least one was bound to be gay."

Jack nodded. "Do they know about…..?" he gestured.

"Yes, they do," Gabriel said. "The boys, you mean? Yes. The girls know grandpa has a boyfriend, that's all. They adore their Uncle Tony."

"Are the boys ok with…everything?"

"For the most part," Gabriel shrugged. "They try and understand, they know they can ask questions. Neither has expressed an interest outside a little playful activity with their partners."

Davy came in, munching on a carrot. He leaned into Jack's side and shyly pushed his head into Jack's waist. Jack gave his cheek a stroke.

"This is my little man," he said affectionately. "He used to be a very sick little man." Jack told Gabriel about Davy's past with allergies. Gabriel nodded thoughtfully as he looked at the boy.

"I've seen a few cases," he commented. "The body's wiring gone wild. But you can eat everything now?" he asked Davy. The boy nodded.

"Daddy fixed me," Davy informed him. Gabriel looked at Jack just as Jack was looking at Davy. He hadn't realized Davy knew.

"I was considering whether or not I should ask," Gabriel said to Jack.

Jack leaned down and pecked Davy's head. "Go," he said, scooting the boy. Davy left the room and went to find Aba.

"I don't know how I'm doing it," Jack quietly admitted. "It's recent, I certainly don't have a history of these kinds of things."

"There must have been an event the precipitated this," Gabriel said, frowning. "I can't believe you woke up one morning and started healing people."

"No, there was an event," Jack said. "It's one of those things still under very tight security. I healed someone of a serious wound once, unconsciously, and it stopped for a couple of years. It started up again this past year. I didn't consciously heal David, it just happened. I honestly have no idea how I'm doing it. Dr. Lam found activity in parts of my brain that…."

Gabriel nodded. "The CT that was lit up like a Christmas tree," he said. "Subject A. That's yours, isn't it?"

"I will never testify to it," Jack warned.

Gabriel held up a hand. "Dungeon rules, Jack," he promised. "I don't suppose you would consider…."

"No, I wouldn't. I don't foresee martyrdom in my future, only grandchildren."

Gabriel heard the conviction and didn't push it. "Why aren't more adults doing these new things? Any ideas?"

"None of my own," Jack said. "Sam feels that not everyone is changing, nor will they. Enki is of the same opinion. Davy has a cognitive problem, and as much as I was able to deal with his physical illness, nothing has happened with his brain."

"Sorry, Jack, but I think you're wrong," Jerrie said from the table she was setting. The men looked at her. "He may not be upping his IQ points, but I think he's developing those other senses just like some of the other kids. I think he's doing that empathy thing that you can do. Remember the discussion about him seeming to read people's heart? He's pure, Jack; he sees the truth."

"Empathy, too?" Gabriel asked. Jack reluctantly nodded.

"I'm sorry, I thought he knew," Jerrie said.

Gabriel clicked his fingers, his eyes lighting up. "The dinner!" he guessed. "When you collapsed. That's when all this burst open!"

"Actually, it was dormant at the time," Jack said. "That incident only turned the switch back on. And I have a wild guess as to what's been growing in you. According to Paul, you have a talent for finding people's demons and helping them out of the darkness. I'll bet you've been doing more and more of that lately."

"Hmmm." Gabriel looked thoughtfully at him. "Maybe," he conceded. "I admit to seeing more shadows than usual. I hadn't thought about it. But like you said, adults mastering skills they already have."

There was a knock at the front door and someone in the livingroom answered it. A moment later, "Dad!" Matthew yelled. "It's for you! Malek and M'Net!"

Jack raised his eyebrows and went into the livingroom. The two were exchanging greetings with Enki.

"Don't yell, Matt, just come get me," Jack said. "Mal, phone not working?" Malek thought about it and decided to put it aside. "M'Net, how's it hangin'?" He knocked paws with the big cat.

The Sua glanced back at his tail. "Close to the floor?"

Children snickered.

"Scram," Jack told them. The children scrammed. "So, boys, what's up?" Jack sat next to Sam. "Hey, no one called me, how did you get here?"

"Al kesh," Malek said. "We were only a few light-years away."

Jack nodded. Malek sat as M'Net took the baby from a very startled Gabriel. Olivia screeched happily and took fistfuls of fur as he nuzzled her cheek with his nose.

"Where's T'Keet?" Daniel asked.

"With her family," M'Net said. "K'Nm, sister to N'Sa, has taken T'Keet. K'Nm is young; she is considering taking me as her consort. T'Keet has expressed a wish to keep us together. It pleases me."

"You don't have a say in it?" Daniel asked. "You are her parent, she can't stay with you?"

M'Net considered it. "Cubs belong to the mother and her family. There is precedent for a consort raising the cub on his own," he admitted. "And I would welcome it, but she needs a whole family, her clan. The destruction of our village was… T'Keet misses a mother and consorts. I miss N'Sa and my brothers, too."

Daniel reached over and squeezed a paw. "I hope K'Nm does choose you," he said. "She will be gaining a wonderful gift."

M'Net flicked his ears. "Thank you."

"M'Net is also the Sua representative to the unification council," Malek said. "They will be requesting protectorate status as soon as the peace treaty is ratified. There was a lot of talk over the choice of him, but it was decided that since he already spoke both Tau'ri and Goa'uld, and his extensive experience with you, that he would be the appropriate choice. He will be reporting directly to the high queen."

"Great!" Jack exclaimed. "How many worlds does that make?" He knew most of the worlds were going to be protectorates; until they were able to adequately protect themselves, they were going to need help. A few had decent ground troops which gave them the pride to sign on as full members. The main council of the unification was Chulak, the Tok'ra, Langara, Kalam, Serrakis, Mulakma, and Taklede. The last two Jack hadn't met, but he was told that they both had air vessels and managed to stay off many attacks from the Goa'uld in their section of the galaxy. The two groups were neighbors who discovered that they needed each other's help, when they weren't fighting with each other. These seven were making the main decisions on the treaty before it was signed.

"Thirty-two," Malek said. "There are six more currently considering the proposal. We are very close to the final negotiations over the treaty; it was written with great skill, so there hasn't been very much to alter. Well done, Daniel, we are all in your debt for such a masterful document."

"You're welcome," Daniel said, slightly embarrassed.

"We would like to know if Col. Carter can,…what is your expression…come out to play?" Malek said. "During the clean-up of remaining Goa'uld, Anubis' storehouse was discovered."

There was a squeak from Jack's side.

"Can it wait?" he said, amused. "Katie's birthday is next week."

"Since Col. Carter is the only one who seems to understand these things, they can wait," Malek said. "What is 'birth day?' Is Katie not already born?"

Daniel explained the celebration.

Malek and M'Net thought about it. "Tau'ri have strange customs," Malek finally said. The Sua agreed.

"We brought tokens," Malek said. He reached into the pouch at his waist and brought out several small devices and handed them to Sam. "These are always useful. We kept a few for ourselves."

Sam was thrilled as she slipped the small healing device over her fingers. She concentrated and a small blue beam sparked from it. "Thank you, Malek," she said with a delighted grin.

"What is it?" Gabriel asked.

"A healing ribbon," she said, making it spark again.

Gabriel leaned forward with interest. "Will it heal anything?"

"I don't know," Sam admitted. "Malek, does it work on diseases or just physical injuries?"

He thought about it. "Just physical injuries, I believe," he said. "No, let me clarify; it can heal a physical injury caused by a disease, but not the disease itself. It mends tissue."

"Can anyone use it?" Gabriel asked.

Sam shook her head. "No, only someone with a specific DNA marker," she said. Gabriel was clearly disappointed.

Malek and M'Net stayed long enough for dinner and then took their leave. Daniel put several pieces of fruit into a bag and handed it to M'Net to take home to T'Keet.

Enki had been relatively silent during the evening except for attending to the children. Once in a while, Gabriel would look at him, curious. Sometimes even Jack forgot the old man was present.

After dinner, the adults retired to Daniel's den. Gabriel was amused at the picture of the lion on the front of the door; he got the joke. Olivia was the only non-adult present and she was happy to play on the rug, attempting to scoot herself from one place to another. She hadn't quite gotten the hang of knees but she did belly-scoots just fine.

"I don't know where to start with the big feline," Gabriel said. "So, what's with Malek's voice? Dual vocal cords?"

"Only when the symbiote is talking," Sam said. "We very rarely hear from the host; he has a regular voice."

"And the symbiote?" Gabriel asked. "I thought those things were the bad guys?"

Daniel did his best to explain the different queens and parentage. Gabriel leaned back in the chair, absently watching the baby. Daniel leaned down and took a piece of fuzz away from her; it was on its way to her mouth. She scowled at him.

"Jack, the more open you are with me, the more I can help you," Gabriel finally said. "I understand about secrecy, I know where more skeletons are buried than you would guess. I know that a lot was not said today. Why do I have the feeling that Mr. Enki here is more than a kindly grandpa?"

"Just Enki," the old man said easily. He stared at Gabriel for a moment. "Jack, reach in to him. Not just his surface emotions but deeper; sense the river they are flowing from."

Jack rubbed his face noisily and blew out a puff of air. He stood and went the couple steps to Gabriel's side. "Would you mind?" he asked, holding out a hand. Gabriel gave him a hand. Jack immediately sensed a great curiosity followed by a slight shiver of dread. He saw a cord and followed it. An attraction to him, knowledge that he was unobtainable, amused acceptance, a longing for the healing device, a brief image of a small, emaciated child, lifeless, frustration, anger, a brilliant love, laughter of children.

Jack stepped back.

"Gabriel, it will be considered treason if you disclose this information. Daniel, would you please start?" he quietly asked.

Several hours later, Gabriel was leaning back in his chair, white faced, wide-eyed, and wrung out.

"Dear Lord," he whispered. Jack handed him a glass of something amber and Gabriel downed it in one gulp. "This is more than cops and robbers with space ships," he said. Jack nodded. "You were right to keep this from the public. The data will be disseminated; I think Daniel's summary will do nicely. I think I'd like to change a few things in it, though, just down-play the language a little more. I cannot do anything overt with countries, Jack, you know I can't; it would constitute my invading someone else's property. I will do what I can around it. I have information that also isn't public knowledge; the Director-General is stepping down and I'm taking over. Shortly. I promise you; to the best of my ability, I will do all I can to help. You will have one hundred percent of the World Health Organization at your service." He kept staring from Jack's head to Enki.

After Gabriel left for his hotel, they bedded Enki down for the night in the den and went up to bed.

"Was that the right thing to do?" Daniel quietly asked.

"I hope so," Jack said, striping off his clothes. "When I went inside, I felt nothing except a great need for well-being. There was a vastness inside of him. The only thing I can think of is an unending cargo bay filled with information and he has the only key. We could use a medical director for HomeSec and SGC; I'd ask him on board, if I thought he'd take it, but I think he can be of more use where he's going."

Daniel slid his arms around Jack's waist and held him. Jack paused in his dressing.

"I'm sorry," Daniel said against his shoulder. "I've been selfish, thinking of my needs when you've been thinking of the entire world."

Jack held tight to him. "No, you haven't been selfish," he said. "I blinded myself. My first thought should always be for home. I will help guide the unification; the world will evolve as it will. The information is where it needs to be, let the experts take care of it."

He took Daniel's face and kissed him, sucking gently and licking at his lips. He laid Daniel on the bed and moved over him. When Sam came out of the shower, they pulled her in.

Jack gently entered Daniel and loved him slowly, staring into the blue eyes. No one yelled; they made quiet noises and shivered a bit as they came, breathing into each other's mouth. Jack nuzzled Daniel's neck, taking in the scent of him, licking at the salty skin. They all fell asleep, happily, peacefully entangled.

In the morning, Jack stopped Katie on her way out the door.

"I'll be late," she said.

"I'll take you," he said. "I want to ask you something. Just how much can you read off people?"

Katie thought about it, looking at the ceiling. "It's like, when I look at someone, sometimes I see a dark spot in them. I can't actually see bones and organs and stuff, I can only see if something is off. Like, last week I looked at Mrs. Lewis, my math teacher, and I saw a dark spot over her jaw and the other day she had to leave school early because she had a dentist appointment."

Jack frowned. "So, you just look at someone and you see it?"

She shook her head. "No, it's more like I look just past them, not directly at them, and if something is wrong, I see a dark spot out of the corner of my eye."

He nodded. He felt a hesitation in her. "What is it?"

The kids were beginning to get used to his non sequiturs.

"I talked with my guidance councilor," she said. "He's going to get me a tutor."

Jack frowned. "A tutor? For what?"

"Pre-med courses; I'm going to take the M-SATs."

Jack looked at her. He put his mug down and lifted her high with a yell. She laughed and he peppered her face with kisses. He pulled back and lifted his head.

"Don't think this is getting you out of a grounding, Miss Thing," he informed her.

"That's Dr. Thing, to you," she said impudently. "And when I graduate as the best doctor in the country, you are going to hire me."

"Ma'am, yes, ma'am!"

Sam drove her to school with excited chatter while Jack informed Olivia that her big sister was getting too big too fast. Olivia offered him her bottle.

Daniel took Enki to school with him as a treat for his class, so Jack relaxed until Jerrie got back and could take over with the baby. Maggie came over and Jack told her Katie's news.

"Her mother and your father would be so proud," she said. Jack agreed. He knelt on the floor and laid his head in her lap. She stroked his hair. "Jacky, I don't know what's going on with you, and I'm not sure I want to know," she said. "I will say this, though; one day at a time, sweetheart."

Even big, bad generals needed their mommy. Jack felt better by the time he got to work. He called Hayes and let him know that Dr. Thorn was completely in; Maynard wasn't happy about it. He then told Paul that they were handing over the evolution reigns to Gabriel while they concentrated on the unification. He also wanted to see Nick's file on Gabriel. In the meantime, Nick had sent Jack information on his ex-nanny. Her identity had collapsed under a much closer scrutiny; the real Fiona existed, and looked a lot like the nanny, but that's where it ended. Someone had done an excellent job at creating an identity; Brynn Sheely, born into a non-descript Irish family, extremely Catholic, and somewhere down the line, became involved with a highly underground group that worked toward making sure nothing distracted the good people from the Second Coming. Jack called a Vatican contact. He was assured that, although they were aware of the group, they had nothing to do with the group and in no way endorsed them. He then contacted an extremely interested Interpol. A deal made, Jack had her quietly turned over to them.

Several more alien representatives called on Jack, each with the assumption that their need was important enough to come calling on him instead of dealing with the main council. He turned them over to Paul and Cassie.

"Can I change my address?" Jack asked the ceiling.

He left the building to go and visit the Academy. They had a new general. Students and staff snapped to attention when Jack walked in. He returned salutes and waved them down.

"As you were, kids," he offered. A helpful cadet escorted him to Hammond's new home.

"Jack!"

"Nice place, George," Jack said, taking his hand and looking around. The office furniture was dark and warm, the walls a rich umber. Hammond was decorating with medals and photographs. A picture of his girls was prominently displayed on his desk, and Jack spotted one of himself and SG-1. The cadet was wide-eyed when he left the generals. Jack held out a small box. Hammond looked at it and chuckled.

"I need candy like I need a hole in the head," Hammond informed him. He took the box anyway. "I cannot believe I'm doing this, Jack, I must be out of my mind."

Jack sighed and updated him on current events. When he was done, Hammond was staring at him.

"What would Jacob have said? Holy buckets?" Hammond asked. Jack chuckled and nodded. "Wow, Jack, you've been a busy boy. Just do me a favor? Don't over-work Abigail; we have a date tomorrow night."

"You're a dog, George."

Jack did a little shopping, picking up things for Matthew's sleep-over, food that would be absolutely bad for growing boys and the videos Matthew had requested. He picked the kids up from school and noted a slightly absent look on Katie's face. When they got home, he directed Matty and Stacy to put groceries away, and took Katie by the hand and led her into his office. He shut the door.

"Who is he?"

"Who?"

"The boy who put that look on your face," he said, waving a finger. She flushed.

"Isn't there some sort of rule about rummaging inside of people?" she asked him.

"Yes, there is," he said. "It isn't my rule, but I agree with it, usually, and I didn't rummage, I guessed and you just confirmed it. Spill."

She stamped a foot and turned to look at his books. "Esteban, ok?" she demanded.

"Ok," Jack shrugged. "Are we meeting him? No, I'll rephrase –when are we meeting him?"

She opened her eyes wide. "Oh, God, please don't zat him," she begged.

"No zatting," Jack promised. "Are you sleeping with him?"

Katie flushed. "No," she said. "We haven't even been on an official date, yet."

"Ok," he said again. "Honey, I can't control your body, it's yours and you're a big girl. Seventeen next week. All I can say is to ask you to rethink any decision to sleep with anyone until you are a little older. Put your future first. You want to be a doctor? You'll never get near it, if you don't set priorities. Boys are not a priority, no matter what your hormones are telling you. I can't stop you, though, so if you do decide to sleep with him, make sure you're up to date with your pills and make sure he wears a condom. No party hat, no party. And if you're going to spend the night with him, don't lie to me; just tell me you're spending the night with him. Promise?"

"I promise," she nodded.

He kissed her forehead. "Good girl. And if he hurts you, I will zat his ass."

Matthew was clearly excited in the morning, waiting for his friends to show up for their sleep-over. Two boys were military, the other three were not. He was not happy about having to include his little brother but Jack insisted; Davy loved his big brother and wanted to be part of his circle. Two of the boys lived nearby, so they were over before cartoons ended. Jack greeted parents at the door and sent the boys upstairs. Jerry Bosco showed up with Vinnie and Corporal Standard's son, Dylan. The corporal was a single parent and on duty, so Bosco offered to drive Dylan over. Jack patted heads and sent the boys up with the others. Jack unconsciously clasped forearms with Bosco instead of taking his hand. They went into the kitchen and sat at the bar stools, pouring mugs of coffee.

"How's the new team working?" Jack asked.

Bosco gave a nod. "It's coming together," he said. "I think Zane will be alright with a little more field training, and Lukas seems to be as eggy as Daniel. A little more attitude, though."

Jack understood; Harold Lukas tended to rub Jack the wrong way whenever he was over consulting with Daniel about something.

"Has Reynolds settled on a 2IC, yet?" Jack asked.

"Not sure," Jerry admitted. "His latest, Capt. Brogan, seems to be doing alright; the colonel hasn't said anything different to me. Molina is a quiet guy, keeps to himself, but he's proving to be a decent guard and he can be counted on."

SG-1 had lost three people in the Baal battle, and SG-3 had lost two. Nyan had been beside himself when Reynolds came home alone, and after the funerals they had gone out and gotten drunk together in a bonding moment. To Jack's surprise, the seemingly delicate Nyan had taken well to team duties, although he was still a little slow with weapons. Reynolds had insisted on leaving Nyan home, instead of bringing him out to the battle, a choice even Daniel had been grateful of.

"Jack, who's this person Daniel's been bringing in to the base?" Bosco asked.

"Which one?"

Jerry was a little flustered. "I am 99 percent sure this person used to be a man," he said. "Ronnie Johnson."

Jack nodded, slightly amused. "Ah, yes, Ronnie," he mused. "Daniel's current pet student. Interesting, isn't she?"

"She?" Bosco stressed. Jack gave a warning shake of his head.

"Don't, or you will get an earful from our Dr. Jackson on the subject of respect and self-determination." He dug at his own ears with a finger and Bosco chuckled in understanding. "According to Daniel, she's a heaven sent gift and we should be thankful to have her. Besides, Olivia likes her."

Jerry went to the swing hanging from the door and took the baby out. She gave a pleased gurgle and patted his face.

"Yeah, I've been learning all about self-determination," Jerry sighed. "I promised Vinnie I'd go with him to parent days at the Rainbow Center. Connie and I split turns; I go one week, she goes another. It's twice a month. Jack, I had no idea kids today had so many issues to deal with," he said. "They are actually more aware of their own bodies and their own emotions than I certainly was at that age."

"Kids are scary today," Jack agreed.

"There are over thirty kids at that center," Bosco said. "I didn't think there were that many gay adults in this town, much less kids, and a couple of them are already talking about gender reassignment. What the…heck is going on?" Olivia was making a mess on his lap with a banana.

"Shoot if I know," Jack responded. "I've discovered that going with the flow eases my headaches, though."

Bosco nodded sympathetically.

"Vinnie has a boyfriend," he said. He winced. "I can't believe I said that. Anyway. I had to convince him not to bring his boyfriend to the sleep-over tonight. I thought it might make the other boys uncomfortable. I'm feeling like I need to monitor them as though they were boy-girl, instead of boy-boy."

Jack snorted. "I gave Matthew the low-down on sex and responsibility, gave him a box of condoms, and told him I trusted him to make the right decisions. I figured, if he was going to do anything, nothing I could say, no amount of locks on his door, was going to keep a 14 year old, almost 15, from doing it. So far, so good. As far as I'm aware."

"We have teenagers in the house, Jack."

Jack lifted his coffee mug and clinked it with Bosco's.

The fifth boy came in a while later, brought by his mother. Jack didn't know this boy, but he must be the missing Tommy.

"Follow the noise," he said, pointing up the stairs. The boy gave a shy glance at his mother and then took the stairs politely, one at a time. Jack took the bedding and pillow from the mother and dropped it onto the couch.

"Don't worry, he'll be fine," he assured the nervous woman, Ms. Cummings.

"Thank you, general," she said. "I have to work tonight; Tommy has the phone number, if I'm needed." She worked at a local 24-hour department store. Jack knew they barely paid minimum wage and over-time was outrageous.

After she left, Jack looked at the boy's bedding, a few blankets and a flat pillow. The other boys had brought sleeping bags. When the boys came down due to abject starvation, they were obviously emaciated, Jack took a good look at Tommy; clothes were worn to the threads, sneakers had holes in them, the soles were bare. He did a little rummaging and found that the boy was also thread-bare in the inside, although very loved by his hard-working mother. There was a longing inside for acceptance, something to feel proud about, a sense of shame over an attraction to…Matthew. Uh oh, Jack thought to himself.

"Boys!" Jack called. They took their faces out of the refrigerator. "Let's talk." There were groans. "None-a that," he scowled fiercely. Those who knew him snickered. "I'm the general here, remember?"

"You're not going to talk about sex, are you?" Matthew moaned.

"Why, do I need to?" Jack asked.

"No!" the boys all shouted.

"Ok, then," he said. "I just want to get a little acquainted with everyone."

They got their snacks and sat on the living room floor. Jack sat in the command chair.

"Alright," he started. "We can skip Matty because I know him only too well, I changed his diapers." The boys shoved at Matthew, completely red, and laughed. "Let's see, I know Vinnie, an SG-3 brat, don't deny it, son, I've known you since you were seven years old. A whiny 7, I might add." The boys howled as Vinnie also turned red. "You've turned into a nice young man, son. Dylan, I don't know you but I've met your father; he's a good man, proud to have him on our team. You look like him. Frankie and Carlos, you both live in the neighborhood, total terrors from the day I moved in nine years ago." They proudly admitted it. "Let's see if I remember correctly; Frankie, your dad is a plumber and your mom is a teacher, right? Good. And Carlos, with seven brothers and sisters, God bless your mother, you are lost in the crowd, right? No, that can't be, not with that red hair." As incongruous as it was, Carlos Gutierrez had bright red hair thanks to his maternal grandfather. The hair and freckles always managed to startle new teachers who were expecting a child of Hispanic descent to be dark. "Tommy is new to me," Jack said. "Let's see, Tommy, I believe your mother said her name is Trisha. How old are you?"

"14, sir," came the quiet response. Jack nodded.

"And what classes do you share with Matt?"

"Home room and social studies," Tommy said. Jack was getting a sense of hero-worship and awe from him.

"And what does your mother do?"

"She's a retail person and sometimes she does accounting, but there isn't too much of that needed except during tax season."

Jack understood. "Good!" he declared. "Now. I have a question for everyone. Has anyone noticed and been talking about any changes that are happening?" he asked. "Like really weird things happening?"

"Other than you and my dad blowing up aliens?" Vinnie asked.

"I have a zat, boy, and I know how to use it," Jack warned.

The boys laughed, although the civilians didn't know what a zat was.

"I think he's asking about geek's revenge," Matthew said to his friends. They all expressed their understanding. "Yeah, almost all the kids in school are passing tests with A's, even people who never got A's in their entire lives. It's wigging the teachers out." The boys agreed with him.

"Geek's revenge?" Jack questioned.

"You know, brain stuff," Matty said.

"Yeah, I get it, I just haven't heard you use it before."

"It's a kid thing."

"Oh. Ok. Anything else weird?" he asked.

"A few kids are doing those weirder things," Matty reported. "Really wigged out Mr. Mulroney when a girl handed in a homework assignment before he gave it. She had all the answers right, too."

A few girls kept bursting into tears because other people were thinking bad thoughts or feeling bad, a boy kept laughing at the jokes a prankster had yet to play, another boy swears he sees ghosts and then helps them to 'move along.' Jack would have to ask Daniel about that one. Over all, though, it was mostly a jump into the cognitive area that the kids were doing. Jack was a little relieved; he wasn't ready to deal with Jedi wars. He released the boys.

"Sir?" Frankie stopped. "Is it…ok…what's happening?"

Jack looked at him. "What do you think is happening?" he asked.

Frankie frowned as he thought. "I think….we're changing. Somehow. I get laughed at when I say that, but I think it's true."

Jack gave a nod. "You are changing, son, and it's ok," he assured the boy. "It's normal, it's natural, you don't need to be afraid. All that's happening is that your brain is understanding more than it used to. This is a good thing."

Gabriel had called to tell him that the first of the public notices would be going out the following week. It was none too soon, as far as Jack was concerned.