Home
Back at the SGC, Harry, Jack, and Sarah were still in the infirmary, though Harry had protested that he really was fine. Sam was being debriefed by General Hammond with Daniel and Teal'c.
"I still don't understand how you completed the mission in ten days, Major," said the General. "You said yourself that the journey to the planet took seven."
Sam cleared her throat. Really, people needed to understand that stories needed to be told in order. That was they only way that made sense.
"Harry did that sir, he greatly increased the ship's speed, though I still don't know how. As I was saying, Osiris managed to escape not long after we capture her. I think she must have adapted to the sedative. It seems that she had a knife hidden in a small secret compartment in the room.
"She stabbed the Colonel, and then stunned the three of us as we slept. Harry was already awake, and he was able to fight her. I don't know the specifics, but he bested her and was able to eject her from Sarah. I can't be sure, but I believe that Harry again took on the knowledge of the symbiote."
"You aren't sure?" asked the General.
"Well, I never had a chance to ask," said Sam, "but when he first woke up, he grabbed his head and said that Osiris was a lot smarter than Isis. I took that to mean he had absorbed her knowledge, which would likely explain why he remained unconscious for so long without taking any large injuries."
"I see," said the General.
"Anyway, somehow, when Harry heard about the Colonel, he was able to interact with the ship, resulting in an increase in speed, making us travel roughly 180 times faster. Again, sir, I don't know how."
"And the Colonel's injury?"
Sam shook her head. "If I had to guess, sir, I'd say he mimicked a healing device. That's certainly what it looked like."
"When would he have had time to learn to do this?" asked the General.
Daniel spoke up. "I don't think he did, it seems to me like he had the idea right there."
The general seemed exasperated. "There are a lot more 'somehows' and 'unknowns' in this situation than I am comfortable with. Exactly what can't he do? It seems to me that he's done everything he's set out to do with ease."
Sam answered him this time. "I would guess that power is an issue. I expect that there's a limit to how much energy he can channel. Past that, there's the issue that he seems to need to know how to do something, the theory behind it."
"And you want to teach him more?"
"Well, yes."
Teal'c spoke up. "I do believe that he has earned our trust."
"To what end though?" asked the General. "The boy is still nine years old, and it doesn't seem that he'd be able to teach our soldiers to use his abilities."
"Harry may be too young to be an active part of our program," said Sam, "but we can still learn from him, sir, if only to learn more about the nature of our universe. And maybe a soldier couldn't do what he can, but that doesn't mean that we can't try to replicate what he does technologically. Now, he's shown an interest in working with us when he can. I think we should let him."
General Hammond nodded. "The boy's future isn't set yet, but we'll take what you've said into consideration."
!
Hours later, Harry awoke in the infirmary. He may or may not have been taking a nap, depending on whom you asked. He felt much better now, anyway. He sat up and saw Sarah sitting on the bed next to him. She was talking to Daniel, who was standing opposite her.
"Hey," he said.
They looked over at him. "Harry," Daniel said, "how are you?"
"I'm okay." He looked around. "Where's Jack?"
"He's talking to General Hammond right now. They're using a side room."
"Oh." The Colonel had still been barely conscious when Harry had gone to sleep. Harry really wanted to talk to the man.
Sarah turned to him, swinging her legs over the edge of her bed.
"Harry," she said, "I wanted to thank you for everything you've done for me. I can't tell you how it feels- well, I suppose you know exactly how it feels: to be free. I really can't thank you enough."
Harry blushed. "Er, that's okay. I just did what I had to do."
She shook her head. "What you did went beyond anything you had to." There was a silence, she seemed unsure of what else to say. "Oh. You can't have had anything to eat since you first fell unconscious. You must be starving." She got off the bed. "One of the nurses left a tray for you." She picked up a tray, bringing it to him. "Here, it's roast beef, and there's a fruit cup."
"Oh, thanks." Harry wasn't terribly comfortable being catered to, but he supposed that it was part of being in the infirmary. He started eating, and realized that he really was famished.
"Harry," said Daniel, "for my part, I wanted to thank you too, for what you did for Jack and Sarah. I mean, Jack would probably be gone right now, if not for you."
Harry really didn't know what to say to people who kept on thanking him.
"Yeah." He had to admit, it sort of felt good.
At that moment, the door to the side room opened, and out came the General, followed by Jack, saving Harry from having to say anything more.
"Hey, kiddo," said Jack, who still looked a little under the weather, "I hear you saved my keiter back there."
Harry smiled; "I just had the idea…" he trailed off.
"Well, a really good idea, it seems."
"Son," the General addressed him, "on the behalf of the US Air Force, I would like to thank you for all of your efforts in this mission. You have not only saved the life of one of my officers, but you have also enabled the safe return of a US citizen, while simultaneously preventing Osiris from giving valuable information to the System Lords. You have rendered your country a great service."
Really this was getting to be a bit much; Harry could only stare at the General with wide eyes for a moment.
"Thanks," he said, a little weakly.
The man smiled at him. "Have a good day, son. I wish you the best of luck." With that, the man excused himself and left the room.
Harry looked at the other three in the room. "So, no one really needs to do that again, right?"
Jack smiled. "No guarantees."
"Oh."
"Hey," Jack said to Daniel and Sarah, "do you guys think I could talk to Harry here for a minute?"
"Yeah, sure," said Daniel. He and Sarah made their way to the other side of the room.
"So Harry," said Jack, "it's the end of the mission."
"Oh," said Harry, "you don't have to ask if-"
"I'm sure," said Jack, and before Harry could interrupt, he said, "and I was sure before you saved me. Believe me Harry, my life has been saved too many times for me to still be keeping a tally. Now you don't have to say yes; you do have options. I have a dangerous job, and I work odd hours-"
"Yes." Harry had never been more sure of anything.
Jack smiled, "All right."
Harry grinned. "Cool. Er, so how does this work then?"
"Well, it's sort of complicated. First off, the Dursleys have signed you over to the US government; they may have gotten the impression that it would save them from a criminal investigation." The way he said it, it was clear that the impression was intentional, and that the Dursleys would not be escaping a criminal investigation. "Due to your circumstances, the issue of your custody was handed over to the Air Force. The policy in such a case is for a General, in this case General Hammond, to assign your custody, pending the authorization of a trained officer. There's an officer who's going to want to talk to you, and then it's all over."
"That's it?" asked Harry.
"That's it," answered Jack.
"So, when do we… go?" asked Harry.
"Probably tomorrow. Janet's not going to let me out of here for hours yet, and she also has a few specialists who want to look at your arm. Anyway, tonight you have a guest room with your name on it."
"So, tomorrow…"
"Tomorrow we go home."
!
Really, those specialists that Jack had told him about had been very annoying. Harry felt more like an interesting specimen under their gaze than a patient. Only one of them was a medical doctor, the others were experts in biology and technology. They had examined the hand device from every possible angle, and scanned it with various machines (actually, the X-ray of it looked really cool). Harry was plied with questions throughout the ordeal. He was only glad that Janet was there to keep the scientists from being too zealous in their inquiry. In the end, they determined that they could not detect any ill effects from the device, and that they could not recommend trying to remove it for fear of nerve damage.
Harry was escorted to the guest room that he would be sleeping in that night. Harry relished the fact that he was being given a bed for the first time in his life (stealing the bed on Osiris' ship didn't count). He spent an hour watching TV, which was very different from what he had occasionally seen in Britain, before he was taken to get dinner (Mac and Cheese and a Jello cup).
Instead of being taken to his room after dinner, he was told that he was to meet a Captain Mallard, who Harry figured was the one who would be talking to him about living with Jack. He met the woman in a small interview room, where they sat down across from each other.
"Now Harry, do you know why you're here?"
"You're supposed to say whether I can live with Jack or not, so you want to talk to me."
She nodded. "That's right. I've worked with the Stargate program before when placing orphaned refugees. Now I only have a few questions for you, are you okay doing this now?"
"Now's good," he said.
"All right. Now first of all, I need to know that you understand what has been proposed. You said that you would be living with Colonel O'Neill. Do you understand that this would be permanent; that he would be adopting you? He would be your parent until you reach the age of eighteen."
Harry nodded. "I want that."
She took note of his answer. "Do you understand your other options?"
"Well, I can't go back to the Dursleys; not that I'd want to. I could go into foster homes, either here or in England. But we can't tell everyone I live with about all this, and I wouldn't want to live with that secret. Maybe I'd get adopted by someone, but who adopts someone they have to sign a confidentiality agreement for? But with Jack, he knows everything about me, and I like him, and I can be a part of, all of this, still. I want to help." He needed to help.
"You've been thinking a lot about this," said Captain Mallard.
"I wasn't at first, I didn't- but the more time I spent with Jack and his friends, the more I started thinking about it. Doctor Jackson was a foster kid, and I talked to him about it." Harry hadn't been able to see a future for himself for a while.
She nodded, still taking note of what he was saying. "Do you understand the nature of the Colonel's work?"
"Um, well he goes through the Stargate. He's trying to make Earth safe from the goa'uld, and everyone else out there."
"Harry, the Colonel's regular schedule, includes a three day, two night, off-world mission, Monday through Wednesday. The next two days are regular work hours, either on or off world, and he has weekends off. As a single man, a schedule like this is not typically conducive to raising a child. Now, arrangements can easily be made to see to it that you are cared for while he is away, but that wouldn't be the same as him being there every day.
Harry shrugged. "He'll still see me Monday morning, and Wednesday evening. That's two days, three mornings and three nights more than I ever had, more than I ever dreamed of. And like you said, when he's not there, I still won't be alone."
"The Colonel also has a very chaotic and dangerous job," said Captain Mallard. "Take this last mission for example: he was gone for ten days; he was supposed to be gone for fourteen. He also nearly died. You would be living with this for eight and a half years."
Harry just shook his head, getting heated. "You don't understand. You've helped kids who'd had parents. They needed a lot to take the place of what they'd had, because they'd had a lot. But I never had someone who cared what grades I got, or took care of me when I was sick, or just talked to me.
"And yeah, he could die. Yeah, he has a dangerous job. But we're all living on borrowed time as long as the goa'uld are out there, and it doesn't change the fact that no one knows what the future's going to be. We could both die in some freak accident right now, or driving away from this base. I'm not going to give this up just because it could be taken away."
She studied him for a moment before she nodded. "Very well. That's all that I wanted to know. I will have to consider this; I should have an answer for you in the morning." She stood.
"Are you really going to think about it?"
"I will. I admit, that I would not normally place a child with a person who has the Colonel's lifestyle. However, your circumstances call for a non-conventional solution. I have much to think about, and you should get some rest. Whatever happens tomorrow, you'll probably be busy."
"Okay."
"Good night, Harry."
"Good night."
!
At five o'clock that morning, Sam was on her way to Harry's room. The ship was due to arrive at Earth, from Oberdad, in half an hour, and Harry needed to direct it to go hide behind the moon for the moment. She was intercepted on her way there though by an airman, who delivered orders for her to go to the briefing room.
Arriving at the room that looked over the gateroom, she saw the unwelcome sight of Colonel Simmons standing next to a slightly disgruntled General Hammond.
"Good morning, sirs," she said, addressing her superiors.
The General nodded, "Major."
"I take it, you wanted to see me?" she asked.
He nodded. "The Colonel here has come with a suggestion made by the NID, and I have been ordered by my superiors to take it into consideration."
"What suggestion?"
The Colonel spoke up. "I came here to have you direct Mr. Potter to land the goa'uld ship at Area 51 for safe keeping."
She furrowed her eyebrows. "You want to steal his ship."
The man scoffed. "I'd hardly call it stealing."
"If we didn't have him land his ship first, that's exactly what the Stargate Ethics Code would call it. We officially met him off-world, classifying him as an off-world agent. He acquired his ship through warfare against the goa'uld, so we recognize it as his property. The only way you can legally take it is if you get him to land it on US territory. Civilians are not allowed to keep weaponized war machines in the US, so you would have an excuse to confiscate it. You want me to trick an ally of this program, in order to acquire his technology."
"I hardly need to remind you of this program's primary objective. That ship may provide an important missing link between our technology, and modern goa'uld technology. It is worth upsetting a little boy to acquire this ship."
"On the contrary sir, you have it backwards. That ship uses technology based on the same things that we have been unable to replicate, it isn't the missing link you hope it is. Harry, on the other hand, is. He has an intimate understanding of every system of that ship, and the only barrier between that understanding and us is his need to learn our scientific jargon. And let's not forget that we have an opportunity to examine his never before seen abilities. We need his cooperation, and we're not going to get it if we trick him and steal from him."
"He's just a boy, Major," said Colonel Simmons, "and he'll do what we tell him to."
"He is just a boy, who we can't compel to do anything," letting a little more of her annoyance at her superior officer show than was strictly allowable. "And like the nine year old that he is, he cares about fairness and niceness. Now he wants to help us already, we'll only hurt our cause if we alienate him."
General Hammond nodded. "Very well, Major, thank you for you input. Colonel, I have considered your proposal, and I have to side with Major Carter on this issue. Harry Potter will of course be forbidden from using his ship in Earth space, and if he does so, he will face consequences. However, it is not in our interest to take it from him at this time."
"I believe you're making a mistake General," said Colonel Simmons.
"And I'm sure that will go in your report to your superiors," said General Hammond. "Now, you must be in a hurry to get back, so I won't keep you any longer. Good day, Colonel."
The man looked upset, but he just nodded to them. "General. Major." The man left.
"Thank you, sir," said Sam. "I would have hated to follow orders like that."
The General nodded. "You had a convincing argument, Major. On the other hand, I'm still not comfortable with a boy having control over a weaponized space ship."
"We'd have a hard time getting it away from him," said Sam. "He has complete control over it, even when he's not in it. Besides, he hasn't shown himself to be the kind to use it. At the worst sir, I'd only worry about him trying to run away."
"That would be bad enough," said the General. "From all perspectives."
"Anyway, sir, I don't think we have anything to worry about," said Sam.
"Very well," said General Hammond. "Now, the boy we've been discussing needs to be awoken soon. We don't want any stargazers to happen to see what we don't want them to see."
"Of course, sir. I'll go do that now."
She made her way down to Harry's room, glad that she didn't work for the NID.
!
The second time Harry awoke that morning it was ten in the morning. He reflected that he had been a tad grumpy when Sam had woken him earlier. It seemed that he slept better on Earth, rather than on his spaceship.
He got out of bed and dressed, before leaving and asking the SF outside his door to escort him to the mess hall. He found Jack there, stooped over a bowl of Fruit Loops. Harry quickly got himself some food before joining the man at his table.
"Hey, Jack."
"Hey, kid, how'd you sleep?
"Well, actually. Except for when Sam woke me up, I mean."
"You're lucky then, it's usually a pain going between planets. It's worse than jetlag."
"So, um. Do you know when Captain Mallard is going to tell us her decision?"
"I got word she wanted to see us at eleven. You nervous?"
Harry nodded. "She doesn't like you."
Jack snorted.
"I mean," Harry said, a little flustered, "she doesn't think I should live with you."
"Yeah, well, I'm not exactly ideal," said Jack. "But then, you're not in an ideal situation."
Harry shook his head. "But you're perfect," he said. Jack gave him a look. "Really. I don't need a lot, I can handle having a baby-sitter a couple of times a week. Not that I particularly need one."
"I hope you're right," said Jack.
"So, what do you think she'll say?" asked Harry.
The man sighed. "I don't know, Harry. She's a smart woman, she might think of an option we haven't thought of."
"Oh," said Harry, looking down at his breakfast.
"Hey, chin up. Whatever she decides, it'll be what's best for you," said Jack.
Harry was pushing the food around his plate. "I suppose," he said, unconvincingly.
They ate in silence for a few minutes, before Harry had a thought.
"Hey," he said.
"Yeah?" asked Jack.
"I'm supposed to go to school, right?" asked Harry.
"That's the idea," said Jack.
"So what are we going to say about this?" He held up his right arm, the jeweled hand device standing out plainly.
"I don't know, we'll make something up, I guess."
"Like what?"
"Maybe... we'll say that your former guardians were archeologists, and that's an artifact you were playing with that became fused with your arm during some accidental fire. Fortunately, an experimental skin graft saved your arm, but the artifact can't be removed for fear of nerve damage."
Harry snickered. "That doesn't even make any sense."
"So we'll make something else up. Your parents were anthropologists studying a remote South American tribe, who… Okay, that makes even less sense. How about this, we need to work a cult in somehow."
"A cult?"
"Yeah, cults are in now. A good story should involve a cult. Lets see, you've got a distinctive scar on your forehead, so we can say that the Son's of Thor abducted you, thinking you were a child of prophecy. That ornament was surgically attached to the bones in your arm."
"You're just trying to make me laugh."
"Kid, I'm not trying anything. You, mister, are definitely laughing."
Harry did his best to stop giggling, and look seriously up at Jack, but he couldn't quite pull it off.
"Oh," said Jack. "Your guardians were chemists, and there was an accident with a bottle of acid."
"Where does the large golden bracelet come in?" asked Harry.
"Well obviously, you have strange personal tastes in apparel," said Jack.
"No. I was raised by cat-burglars," said Harry, "and this is an artifact that I helped steal from a museum."
"How'd it get stuck on your arm then?" asked Jack.
"They're cat-burglar chemists," said Harry, very seriously.
"All right then. We'll settle on cat-burglar chemists. You'll be the coolest kid in your class."
"It still doesn't make any sense," said Harry.
"Yeah, there are bound to be a few smart people at your school," said Jack.
"I could just wear a glove and long sleeves," said Harry.
"Every day of school?" asked Jack.
"I have horrible burns from an accidental fire, an Amazonian ritual, cult shenanigans, or acid," Harry spitballed.
"I vote for the Sons of Thor," said Jack.
"The god of lightning it is then," said Harry.
"I've met him actually," said Jack.
Harry gave him a look.
"Really. He's a little grey guy, doesn't wear any clothes. Saved my life a couple times. We returned the favor of course, but hey, who's counting?"
"You mean Thor the Asgard?"
"You've heard of them?"
"Yeah, the goa'uld knew the Asgard existed when Isis and Osiris were captured, but they'd never even seen what they looked like. Now wait, little, naked, and grey, like 'I was abducted from my bed,' Greys?"
"Yeah, we really need to ask them about that sometime," Jack deadpanned.
Harry snorted.
"Talking about the Asgard," said Jack, "you really need to see the way they beam people up. There's no messing around with rings, they just pluck you up from wherever you're standing, even if you're a mile under ground."
Harry's eyes lit up. "I do need to see that. Really, without line of sight, or existing terminals, I'm limited to where I can transport to, especially in this mountain."
Jack scoffed. "You poor boy, only able to transport with line of sight."
"Sorry," said Harry guiltily, looking down at his eggs. 'Stupid,' he thought, 'I must sound like a brat, going on like that.'
"Harry, I was joking."
He looked up, realizing that the man didn't look put off.
"Really, it's okay, no need to look so glum. You're allowed to want to more than you have. Heck, when my parents got me my first car, I just wished it was a Mustang."
"Really?" He never wanted to come off as ungrateful.
"Yeah. And before we talk about anything else, Harry, I want you to remember that you are allowed to act like a kid, no matter where you end up. You're not expected to be perfect, or a little grown up. This is the generally accepted time when you get to screw-up."
"I'm allowed to mess-up?"
"Well," he hedged, "you're expected to. Actions have consequences, and all that Jazz, but it's not like it's the end of the world if you say the wrong thing, or break a rule."
Harry was silent for a minute. "I don't think I can be a kid," he finally said, quietly.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, I know that other kids are supposed to- that kids get to mess up, and not get in too much trouble. I don't mean I think everyone will treat me different. It's just, I don't feel like a kid anymore. How can I be a kid when I've- when Isis has done all those things with me, and I know a hundred different ways to kill a guy with my bare hands. Maybe, I'm not really what you wanted." He finished miserably.
Jack reached across the table and put a hand on his shoulder. "Harry, I know that everything's different for you right now, and I get why you don't really feel like you're a kid anymore. There are very few children that you'll meet who've been through anything remotely like what you've been through. But I've seen you be just a kid, and even though it's not always, it's still a part of you."
"I just don't know how to be normal anymore," Harry complained.
"Harry, I haven't dealt with normal in, well, ever," said Jack. "I go to other worlds on a regular basis, for crying out loud. You don't have to be anything but yourself."
Harry gave a small smile.
"Well," said Jack, "I think we're both done. Come on, I've got a PlayStation in my quarters. What's say we go shoot at something before we go see the Captain?"
"Okay."
!
Thirty minutes later, Harry had killed various insectoid aliens, and he and Jack were now sitting across from the Captain. Jack seemed impassive, while Harry was drumming his fingers on the metal of his hand device. The Captain cleared her voice.
"Well, you both know why we're here. Yesterday and this morning, I looked into various options that you might have, Harry. However, they all have their detractions, and you already have your mind set. On the other hand though, there are numerous detractions to a situation in which the Colonel is your sole guardian. This is why I have decided to have a three-month trial period, in which you would live with the Colonel. After the three months, we'll have a better idea of whether or not this will be a workable plan, and move from there.
"Is this situation amenable to the both of you?"
"I guess, if it's the best we got," said Jack.
Harry nodded. Really, it was better than he had hoped.
"Very well then, Colonel, if you will sign these forms, you will be granted probationary guardianship of the minor Harry Potter."
Harry also had to sign a couple of forms. The first was a non-disclosure agreement. Apparently, all cooperation from the Air Force was contingent on his signing it. The other form basically signified that he understood that he really wasn't allowed to do anything with the ship. He signed both of them.
Harry didn't know why Jack couldn't just sign in one place for all of the papers, but it ended up taking five minutes for the man to put his signature on all of the forms. Harry felt a sense of contentment sink into him when the man placed the last signature on the last page. Jack turned to him.
"How about we get out of here?" he asked.
"Okay." Harry turned to the Captain. "Thank you."
"You're welcome," said Captain Mallard. "Now, I don't believe that either of you have seen sunlight in at least ten days, so go get some fresh air. Colorado is lovely this time of year."
They said their goodbyes and left.
"So where's the rest of your team?" asked Harry.
"They're all off-base, taking the day off," Jack replied.
"Oh. So, you all live off base, right?" asked Harry.
"Well, yeah. Except Teal'c, I mean. But yeah, we," he motioned between himself and Harry, "definitely live off base. I have a room here, and you'll probably get one too, but we'll be living a good ten minutes away from base."
"Oh, good," said Harry, a little relieved.
"So wait, you would have been willing to live underground here?" asked Jack.
Harry shrugged. "It's better than living on a ship," he said.
"We definitely need to get you out of here." They stepped into an elevator, and Jack pushed the button for the ground floor. "Oh, I nearly forgot," he said, and pulled a long black glove out of his pocket. "This is for you, for your arm."
"Oh yeah," said Harry. "I almost forgot about that." He accepted the glove and put it over the hand device on his arm. For the time being, at least, he would be covering his arm whenever he went into public.
On the surface, there was a giant heavy blast door that Harry thought to be quite impressive. There were a lot of cars parked inside of the mountain, and Jack led him to a large black truck that would have been hard for him to scramble into six months ago.m
They left the base, going through two checkpoints, and Harry found that he had indeed missed the sun. Colorado was most unlike Surrey though; it was winter now, and there was a little snow on the trees, which seemed to be everywhere. The mountain complex was somewhat removed from the rest of society, so they drove through the country for a little while.
"So, where are we going?" asked Harry, who was enjoying riding up front for the first time in his life.
"Well, I figured we should get some shopping done," said Jack.
"What for?" asked Harry.
"Well clothes for one. Isis left you with a rather limited wardrobe. I mean, maybe you like extravagant hooded robes, but a little variety would be nice."
"He did go though some trouble making them fit me," said Harry.
"I'd wondered about that," said Jack.
"So how am I going to pay for everything?" asked Harry.
"What?" asked Jack.
"All the clothes and stuff. I don't really have any money," Harry explained.
"Yeah. We're just going to nix this idea of you paying for anything. That's my job now," said Jack.
"But all that's going to cost a lot," Harry objected.
"Exactly the reason why the Air Force Colonel with few fixed expenses is going to pay for it," said Jack.
Harry wasn't easy with the concept of Jack paying for everything, but he had to admit that he had no way of paying for anything himself. They went to a mall, and their first stop was indeed the children's department of one of the department stores. For most of his life, Harry had made do with only a few mismatched outfits, but Jack was insistent on his having lots of everything, from socks, to shirts, to winter jumpers, which the man insisted on calling sweaters. The only thing that Harry refused was pajamas; he'd never had them before, and he didn't feel a particular need for them now. Somehow, they seemed too extravagant.
Everything they bought fit, along with the pair of shoes he wound up getting. Jack promised that they'd visit a toy store the next day, which was just weird.
They had lunch in the food court, and Jack suggested they go see a movie. They wound up seeing Titan AE. Jack speculated later, that maybe it hadn't been a good idea to see a movie in which aliens destroy the Earth, though Harry had mostly just pointed out scientific inaccuracies throughout the movie.
After the movie, Jack declared that it was time to go home. It was with a slight sense of trepidation that the two drove out once again into the country. Jack kept his home removed from much of society, as he liked it. As they approached the house, Harry saw four cars in front. He looked at Jack questioningly.
"I might have invited a few people over for a welcome party."
"A welcome party?"
"Yeah. Welcome to my home. It's yours too now."
Harry blushed. "Thanks. So, who's in there?"
"Sam, Daniel, Teal'c, Doctor Frasier, maybe her daughter Cassandra, and General Hammond. Sarah all ready had to leave though."
'That's more than a few,' Harry thought. They got out and walked to the front door. "So they all know that the Captain said yes?"
"I sent them a text while we were checking out of the base. Come on, lets' go see everyone."
The walked through the door, and indeed, everyone was there; including a girl Harry supposed was Cassandra. The group came forward, saying congratulations and the like. Though uncomfortable under the attention, Harry had to smile at the well wishes.
"So Harry," said Jack, "I'm afraid I have a bit of a surprise for you."
"You mean aside from a surprise party?"
Jack shook his head. "If this had been a surprise party, there would have been hiding, and the waving of arms. No, this is cooler than a party."
"Come on, Harry, we'll show you," said Sam.
She led him down a hallway and through a door. Harry stared in amazement at what was inside. It was a bedroom, everything was new, and clearly for him.
"You've gotta love Ikea," said Jack.
"But how?"
"They did it," Jack gestured to the rest of SG-1, "I'd asked them for the favor last night. How do you like it?"
Harry walked into the room, looking around. He sat down on the bed, feeling the springy mattress. He swallowed. "Thank you." His eyes fell on the bookshelf. "You already got me books?"
Daniel smirked. "Sam insisted on starting your education in the sciences."
Everyone looked at her. She shrugged. "I just thought you might like some reading material, I got you some of the basics from the local community college."
Harry walked over to the books, and saw that they were all large texts.
"Advanced Astrophysics?"
She cleared her throat, "Basics for you. There's also a scientific dictionary, for all of the unfamiliar words."
Jack spoke up, "so you're not going to be the fun aunt?"
"Oh, there's also this book here," she picked one off the shelf, "200 of the Coolest, Nerdiest, Things to Do With Your Home Appliances. I figured it could be an introduction to Earth's technology."
"Thanks Sam," said Harry, flipping through the book. Various things were already piquing his interest.
"Oh no," said Jack, "this is just your revenge for having that guy build a Stargate in your basement."
Harry looked up from the book, intrigued. "Hm?"
"It's a long story," said Sam, looking a little embarrassed.
"And an interesting one," added Jack.
"Anyway," said Harry, "thanks for everything, all of you." He'd been overwhelmed by the clothes shopping earlier, now he was taking everything in stride.
"It was our pleasure," Teal'c spoke up, "and it was the least we could do for the aid that you have given us."
Harry smiled. The group spent a few more minutes looking around the still spartan room (Harry had yet to make that distinction). They moved back into the living room, for chips, drinks, and music. The General left soon after, citing a need to get home. The adults all wound up talking together, which left Harry to socialize with the older Cassandra.
"So, you're from another…" said Harry.
"World? Yeah. And you used to be a…" said Cassandra
"Yeah."
"I can feel it, like with Sam."
Harry looked at her inquisitively. "How? They never mentioned you having been a host before."
"Oh, I wasn't. Long story short, I have naquedah in my blood."
Harry nodded. "I thought I'd felt something. That could come in handy, I guess."
She shrugged. "I suppose, hopefully not though. I just want everything to be normal. I mean, as normal as things can get." She checked her watch, and Harry realized that she had been checking it repeatedly.
"Do you need to be somewhere?" Harry asked.
She scowled. "I wanted to see my boyfriend tonight, but we might be here past my curfew."
"Oh, I'm sorry," said Harry awkwardly.
She waved a hand at him. "It's not your fault."
"So, does he know about you?" asked Harry.
She shook her head. "They told me that unless the program becomes public, I can't tell anyone, even if I get married."
"It's an excuse to just be normal," said Harry.
"Guilt free." She smiled. "You're right, I stopped caring about it a long time ago. It's nice to blend in."
"I wish I could."
"It's not that hard really. You just watch what everyone else is doing."
"I don't think it'll be that easy for me."
"Why not?"
Harry held up his hand; he had taken off the glove. "I'm not really sure what we'll do about this, it's stuck on."
"They can't get it off?" she asked in interest.
He shrugged. "I don't even want them to. But still, it complicates things."
"Crazy. Well, good luck with that."
!
By the time the night was over three pizzas had been consumed, a game of Pictionary had been played, and the words "Harry, don't levitate beverages," had passed through Jack's lips. Hours later, everyone had left, and it was time for bed. They'd brushed their teeth, and a boxer clad Harry was already in bed.
Jack stood over him. "So what do you think about the room?"
"I like it," Harry said contentedly.
The man shook his head, "I mean what do you want to do with it?"
Harry furrowed his eyebrows. "What's there to do?"
"You know: posters, paint, toys. Sam insists that you'll need a computer of your own."
"I don't need all that." Harry had thought that all of the spending was over. After years of having the bare minimum provided for him, the day's shopping spree had left him feeling almost giddy, and self-conscious at the same time. It was overwhelming. "What if this doesn't work out? You'd have spent all of that money for-"
"It wouldn't be for nothing."
Harry only smiled at him, and then yawned.
"Goodnight, Harry."
"G'night, Jack."
Jack turned out the light and walked out the door. Harry rolled over, content. The dream that he had nearly given up on had come true; he had found a home.