Chapter 4: Drawing Closer

******The Next Day******

When Jack woke the next morning, he felt so good. It was strange. He sat up in bed, unsettled. As his feet hit the floor on the side of the bed, he paused, trying to understand what was different. The pit that he carried with, reminding him of his mistakes, his lost son and wife was absent. The lightness that he'd felt last night was still there.

Smiling, he stood and grabbed his clothes. When he opened the door to his daughter's guest room, he didn't hear any noise. Cordelia must still be asleep, so he went to the bathroom to shower and shave. As he got ready, he thought about his amazing daughter. How was he going to convince her to leave her dangerous life behind? Should he? She was helping people at tremendous cost to herself, and he was proud of her. However, it was clear that her visions were costing too much. Jack had to find a way to help her.

Two hours later, Cordelia led him to the Hyperion hotel where the rest of his team was staying. Although he'd tried to convince her to stay home and rest, she insisted that she would be fine. His superiors would say she came by her stubbornness naturally.

When he saw Daniel, he was in the Brit's office, happy as a pig in mud, surrounded by a bunch of books.

"Good morning, Danny. Did anyone try to kill you last night?" he asked, giving his buddy a fond grin.

Daniel's eyes lit up. "Jack! You won't believe these books that Wesley has!" Daniel gushed.

"I bet there something," Jack said.

"They are. He's got so many demon languages that I didn't even know existed," Daniel said excitedly.

Wesley smiled at the scientist as he had become quite fond of the man in a short time. He was incredibly brilliant. "He is quite gifted," he said.

"I am aware," Jack said dryly.

"Wesley said he had one or tow I could borrow," Daniel said with a happy grin.

"That's generous of him," Jack said. He looked at Wesley. "Do you think I can talk to you and Angel?" I'm very concerned about my daughter's health with these devastating visions."

"Of course," Wesley said. "You do know, though, that what put her in the hospital was a fluke? An enemy tapped in and opened up all the visions at once."

"I get that," Jack said. "But who is to say such a thing won't happen again? Or what about all the normal visions? She told me that she's been getting them more and more intensely. There's been some physical evidence besides the horrible headaches."

"Really? I don't think she's been very upfront about that," Wesley said with a frown. "I'll go get Angel."

After he left, Jack looked at Daniel. "Danny, what do you think? It is possible the Asgards could do something for Cordy?" he asked in a low voice.

Daniel considered it. "Well, they do have advanced technology, especially in the biological area," he said. "It won't hurt to ask."

"I think when we get back to SGC, I'm going to talk to the General about getting permission to share what we do, so we can see if she'd let me help her," Jack said.

"Well, you might want to see if Thor could help," Daniel said.

Cordelia came in and heard Daniel's last remark. "Thor? Who's that?" she asked.

"He's a friend of ours," Jack said easily. "He has access to some advance technology. If he could do something to help your visions be less painful, would you let him try?"

"Well, I don't know this guy," Cordelia said doubtfully.

"How about you think about it? Is it okay if I talk to him about your visions?" Jack asked.

Cordy shrugged. "I don't care as long as no one tries to lock me up for experiments or anything," she said. "I'm not a one-trick pony."

Angel and Wesley joined them. Samantha and Fred along with Gun were right behind them.

"Jack, you wouldn't believe the science Fred has been sharing with me that explains the portal she was sucked into," Samantha said.

"You betcha," Jack said, not wanting to encourage her but not wanting to be rude.

"Samantha is so smart," Fred said with a grin. "I can't believe the math that she knows! It's like I'm back at the university!"

"It's nice to finally find someone that can understand what Fred's writing on those bedroom walls," Gunn said.

"Sam thinks we could probably open a portal using our combined brain powers!" Fred said.

Angel, Cordy, Gunn, and Wesley all said, "No!"

SG-1 was taken aback by their response. "I wouldn't do anything to risk Fred," Sam assured them.

"No, it's just Pylea was not an experience we care to repeat," Wesley said quickly.

"Yes, they do treat humans like cattle," Fred acknowledged.

"But I could be in the sun," Angel said.

"And they did make me queen," Cordelia said with a smug smile.

"My daughter, the princess of a demon dimension," Jack said with a proud smile. "That's totally going into our family Christmas card!"

Cordelia laughed, appreciating her father's sense of humor—a trait her other dad didn't really have.

"So you wanted to speak to us?" Angel prompted.

"Yes, I was wanting to talk to you about Cordelia's visions and the toll they're taking on her physically," Jack said.

"Jack said he has this friend named Thor, who's some science whiz," Cordelia explained. Samantha gave Jack a sharp look, and he shrugged.

"Cordy's visions aren't natural—they're supernatural," Wesley said.

"Yes, but the human body is a natural phenomenal with certain limitations," Samantha said. "Science can often extend what the human body is capable of doing. For example, stroke victims learn to access different parts of the brain when other parts are damaged."

"My first conduit to the Powers was Doyle," Angel shared. "He didn't have the problem Cordy has because he was half-demon."

"Is there a way we can make Cordelia half-demon?" Gunn wondered.

"What?" Jack asked, horrified. "You're not turning my daughter into a demon!"

"That's a bit specist, Dad!" Cordelia scolded with a disapproving frown.

Jack couldn't believe the irony. He was friends with freakin' aliens, and his daughter thought he was prejudice! He glanced at Daniel for help.

"Jack isn't xenophobic," Daniel assured them. "He just doesn't want to see you change yourself in such a drastic way without exhausting all other possibilities."

"Demons are a bit ugly," Fred added.

"That's true," Cordelia agreed. "Doyle's demon face was pretty freaky."

"So it's okay if I try my friend before we do any cross-species experimentation?" Jack asked, looking around at the Angel team.

Cordelia nodded. "Sure, Dad," she said. She glanced at Angel. "Okay, boss?"

"As long as your people don't cause any problems for my people, I don't care," Angel said. "But I will consult the Powers to see if they can help you if it comes to it."

"That's good," Cordelia said. "Back up plan is good."

"As long as you give me a chance to talk to my friend first," Jack said, wanting it to be clear. When everyone nodded, he relaxed. "Great."

"So do you want to go do the tourist thing with me today?" Cordelia offered. "You've not spent much time in Los Angeles before, right?"

"I spent a weekend here before you were born," Jack reminded her.

"I haven't," Daniel admitted. "I did a day at UCLA once, but I never got to do any of the tourist stuff."

"I can take you around," Cordelia suggested.

"I want to stay and do some work with Fred if she doesn't mind," Sam said. She was totally going to get the brilliant woman to work at SGC before she left.

Unsurprised, Jack smirked at her—he knew her too well.

A short time later, Jack, Cordy, Daniel, and Gunn embarked on a walking tour. Then they took the subway to Hollywood Boulevard, where Cordelia dragged her father into a few shops to buy some souvenirs. There was a photo booth at one point, and they did various poses. The four of them crammed in for some shots. Then it was Cordelia with Jack and Daniel—her in the middle. Then it was just she and her dad. They split the pictures, sharing the photos amongst them

"So I'm starved," Gunn said. He'd not been down this way in a few years, and he was really enjoying showing the two around. Jack's alertness kept him from worrying too much about Cordy as she was mostly as oblivious as Daniel. More than once Gunn had to stir Daniel away from a potential threat while Jack smirked in amusement. The man was such a combination of intelligence and innocence and genuine goodness. At times, he reminded Gunn a bit of Fred, but there was no instability in this man. Gunn could tell that he'd seen a lot and knew both loss and joy.

When they went to lunch at a great Cuban café that Gunn recommended, the group broke into two conversations as Gunn and Jack started telling battle stories. Of course, Jack kept his to the non-classified tales while Gunn talked about his time before joining up with Angel. Daniel was fascinated by Cordelia's stories of Sunnydale and kept piling her with questions. It'd been too long since Cordelia had the focused attention of an intelligent man. Gru had adored her, but he wasn't one to ask probing questions. Daniel was a bit of a dweeb like Wesley, but there was something about him that made her feel comfortable with him. Somehow, she knew he was a guy she could trust.

For Jack, the day was perfect. He got lots of pictures with his daughter at various tourists' spots. Then they went to Santa Monica Pier after lunch, taking a nice stroll. Eventually, Jack got her on the Ferris Wheel.

"This has been such a fun day," Cordelia said, holding onto the stuff bear he'd won her before they got on.

"It really has," Jack said, feeling a contentment that had escaped him since his son passed. This daughter could never replace the son that he lost, but her words and her presence were definitely filling a void he hadn't realized that he had. "Thanks for spending some time with me."

"I'm happy that you came," Cordelia admitted. She'd been so close to her other dad, and when he'd skipped out with her mom, it'd broken her heart more than she'd ever admitted to anyone. How do you go from being your daddy's princess to forgotten and abandoned so quickly? She didn't want to be hurt or disappointed again by a father, but she couldn't help but be hopeful. Jack seemed so sincere and eager to know her.

"I'm going to leave tomorrow and speak to my friend about helping you. It may take me a few days to track him down as he's a busy guy," Jack said.

"That's cool," Cordelia said. "I'll be okay. The guys will take care of me."

Jack knew that they would be he couldn't help but worry.

His concern never left even after he said goodbye and was flying with his friends the next day.

*****SGC*****

Jack, Daniel, and Sam wasted no time apprising Hammond of what all they'd witnessed while visiting his daughter.

"We have got to get Fred working for us, sir," Samantha said. "The girl's I.Q. might be higher than mine. Her years locked surviving in a hell dimension have taken a toll, but I'm confident that with some time and counseling she will be fine."

"That's an incredible story," Hammond said. "And you believe their claims?"

"Well, she showed me the math, sir," Sam admitted.

"And I met Lorne, who is a demon from that dimension," Daniel added. "He runs a club where people come to him for readings. He's an empath demon."

"Did you sing for him?" Jack asked with a grin. When Daniel looked embarrassed, he laughed. "What did you sing?"

"John Denver," Daniel mumbled.

"What did he tell you?" Jack asked, curious.

"Well," Daniel hesitated.

"It must've been good," Jack said, nudging Sam. "Look at his face."

"Dr. Jackson, did you receive some hint of your future?" General Hammond asked. "Should we be concerned?"

"No, sir—no concern. It's just a bit much," Daniel said. "But he did say that my aura made him cry—it was so beautiful."

"Your aura?" Jack asked. "That's a real thing, too?"

Daniel shrugged. "I don't know everything, Jack. I guess, it's how certain gifted people can get a read on people—learn about their character," he said.

"That'd be a useful gift to have in my field," Hammond observed.

"Is that it?" Jack prodded, sensing there was more.

Looking decidedly uncomfortable, Daniel admitted, "He said my future was glorious and that my path was so fixed that I would never need to worry about straying from it. Dark times would come and challenge me, but I would never falter."

"Wow," Jack said with a low whistle.

"Nothing specific about what would bring these dark times?" Hammond wondered.

Daniel shook his head. "No, Lorne said his gift didn't work like that, but Cordelia's did," he said.

"Imagine if we could have your daughter working with us, Jack," Hammond said.

"She's helping save lives on Earth right now, sir," Jack said. "It means something to her."

"But it's incredibly dangerous," Daniel said. "You wouldn't believe some of things she faced just in high school. As much as her team tries to keep her safe, I don't think they have the resources we have."

"That's true," Jack acknowledged. "But I can't push her into that. We're just getting to know each other."

"What if you told her about what you're doing here?" Daniel suggested. He glanced at the general. "We can get her to sign the right papers and bring her in as a possible asset, right?"

"If that's what Jack wants," Hammond said, looking at his 2IC.

"Of course, I'd love to have her close," Jack said. "She's magnificent. Beautiful, strong, brave, and utterly selfless. And she may be even more tolerant than Danny-boy."

"She called Jack specist," Daniel shared, grinning.

"Her roommate is a freakin' ghost for crying out loud!" Jack said. "I don't think me not wanting my beautiful daughter to become half-demon makes me prejudice!"

Teal'c finally made an appearance. "Forgive me for interrupting. I have just returned," he said.

"Well, old buddy, you got a lot of catching up on," Jack said. He got out his phone and pulled up a picture of Cordelia. "I have a grown daughter."

While Jack started sharing with Teal'c, Hammond leaned over to Carter. "I will contact the Asgards and see what they can do and then talk to my bosses about Cordelia."

"Just make it clear that we don't want to cause them any trouble," Samantha said. "We need a mind like Winifred Burkle's here. She's wasted on the demon-squad, sir. Imagine having someone not only every bit as capable of me but open to possibilities my education might not see."

"But she has no advance degrees," Hammond pointed out.

"Sir, I'm telling you it won't be a problem. She was nearly through her graduate program. We can get her evaluated and brought up to speed in no time," Samantha said. "You know I never have enough time to do all the science projects that need my attention here due to my commitment to SG-1."

Hammond did like the idea of having someone as smart as Carter on hand.

"She's a real sweetheart," Jack added, having been half-listening as he showed Teal'c his pictures.

"Fine," Hammond said. "I will add her to the list of talking-points when I make my calls." He rose, dismissing them.

"I am most happy for you, Colonel O'Neill," Teal'c said, smiling at his friend. "I look forward to meeting her."

Jack grinned, excited at the thought of his daughter being near. Of course, she might never agree to it, but it was nice to think about.

*****Los Angeles*****

Cordelia felt a bit lonely after taking her dad and his friends to the airport, so she drove back to the Hyperion to hang out with the guys and Fred.

It looked like Angel was pacing while Fred looked guilty sitting in between Gunn and Wesley.

"What's going on?" she asked.

Angel looked relieved to see her. "What's going on is your dad's trying to steal Fred away from us!" Angel said.

Cordelia couldn't help but grin at his dramatics. Normally so stoic, it was unusual to see Angel worked up unless someone's life was in danger. "Stealing her from us? Seriously?" Cordelia asked. "She's not a toy car, Angel. She's a grown woman, and she's not our prisoner."

"It seems that Dr. Carter wants to have Fred go to Colorado Springs and work as a consultant for the Air Force," Wesley explained. "She said she'd help her get her degree and everything."

"I don't want to leave you guys. You're so great to me," Fred said quickly.

"But that sounds like an amazing thing, Fred," Cordelia said. "You and Sam had a great time writing on your bedrooms walls yesterday, right?"

Fred pushed up her glasses. "Well, yea. We had to go into the room next door 'cause we ran out of wall space," Fred said, casting a guilty glance at Angel.

"Angel, how about you and me go into your office and discuss this?" she asked.

Angel nodded and followed her into his office. "We can't let Fred leave," Angel said. "She's not ready."

"Angel, we all like Fred a lot, and I love having another girl around even if she is a bit of a freak like Willow," Cordelia said. "But this sounds incredible for her. You can't hold her back. You have to encourage this."

"We don't know those people," he said stubbornly. "It's the government. You heard what happen to Buffy when the military got involved in the supernatural."

"Willow herself checked them out, Angel," Cordelia said. "Besides, that's my dad you're trying to distrust. A guy with a stellar military reputation. A guy who has been nowhere near Sunnydale. He knew nothing about the supernatural until he met us."

Angel sat down in his chair, resigned to lose another argument with Cordelia. Did he ever win any these days?

She sat down, too. "I spent a lot of time with Jack when he was here, Angel. He's so great. Didn't you sense that?" she asked.

"I didn't really get to spend much time with him, but he seemed okay," Angel admitted. "He handled our reality quite well, which is impressive in itself."

"Do you think his friend can help me?" Cordelia asked.

"I'm going to get you help, Cordy," he assured her. "I promise." He hated to have her suffer—it wasn't right. She never asked for this.

"I'm okay," Cordelia said. "But it'd be kind of nice to be able to help people without having to suffer so much."

Angel winced at the stab of guilt he felt. "I know. You didn't ask for any of this," he said.

"Hey, I don't regret a day, Angel—you know that," Cordelia said. She couldn't imagine her life now without the guys. Helping save people, making a real difference in the world gave her a sense of purpose that acting never could. It was time she faced that—acting was not in her future. Saving people for monsters and keeping her guys on their toes was what she did.

Now she had a father who wanted to know her and help her. Life was pretty great, and she would make sure that Fred had a great life, too.

*****Chapter End*****

This story has gone on longer than intended. I considered drawing it into a full-fledged story, but it's not as popular as my other Stargate story that I'm neglecting. I will probably wrap it up in one or two chapters. I hope you're still reading and enjoying it. Review and let me know. Thanks!