A/N: Here we go with another update! Just doing my part to addict everyone to Buffy/Stargate xovers (a not so subtle hint to read my other stories)
Thanx to all my reviewers – it really means a lot when you take the time to write a review
Chapter 3 – Family
Buffy sat in the truck looking at the building with unease. She fought the undead nightly, gone to hell, and killed a really fat vampire with cloven feet. The slayer shouldn't be afraid of a building.
But this was high school.
Jack watched his daughter with amusement. She had been willing to start a whole new life in another state; leave her friends and family; and start a new family with an almost complete stranger. But it was starting a new school that has unnerved her the most.
Jack chuckled, which earned him a glare from Buffy. He raised his hands in mock surrender.
Cassie popped her head in Jack's open window.
"Hey Jack. What are you doing here?"
Buffy looked at the teenager with curiosity, sensing there was something different about the girl. She wasn't human, but she wasn't a demon either.
"Cassie, this is my daughter, Buffy. Buffy, this is Cassie Frasier – she's the daughter of a friend of mine."
Cassie looked surprised at the news.
I guess dad hasn't gotten around to telling his friends about his new daughter, Buffy thought with amusement, seeing her dad's flustered state.
"Can you show me around? I don't want to show up on the first day of school with an old man following me around," Buffy said, winking at the other girl who smiled.
"Hey!" Jack protested, and watched as the two girls walked off giggling. "I'm not old!"
He started the truck and drove off smiling.
Now, just how am I going to tell the rest of the team? he thought, thinking up several amusing scenarios.
Cassie heard the truck drive off and began to chuckle. Buffy looked inquiringly at the girl.
"It just occurred to me that Jack gets to tell everyone that he has a daughter; I was just imagining a couple of the ways he could do it." That set both girls off into a new fit of giggles.
Even though Buffy had known her dad for only a few days, the girl had grown fond of the man's sense of humour. She figured that she must have gotten her sense of humour from him. She could imagine the elaborate plan Jack was creating for telling his friends about her.
Buffy knew her dad valued his friendship with his co-workers. Often talking about them, rather than himself. It amused Buffy when she realized that she did the same thing; regaling her dad with tales of Xander, Willow, Faith and Giles. Her smile slipped as she remembered it could be a while before she saw them again.
Cassie noticed the girl's sad expression. She knew from her own experience that suddenly getting a new parent could be a bittersweet experience. The girl was dying from curiosity, but didn't want to push her new friend.
Buffy was also dying to know about the other girl – but didn't think she could build a friendship with the girl by asking, "Hi, what are you?" But, the girl would find out anyway when Jack told her mom, so Buffy answered the unspoken question.
"My mom died a week ago. In her will she said that my biological father should have custody instead of my adoptive dad. Poor Jack, he had no idea – I thought he was going to have a heart attack," Buffy said, chuckling at the memory.
"Gosh, I'm sorry…I lost my parents too. Janet Frasier is my adoptive mom, but I still love her"
Buffy smiled sympathetically at the girl and thought of her fathers – the one who raised her and the one who made her.
"Yeah, I love Jack too."
********************************
"Good morning, campers," Jack said jovially as he entered the meeting where SG1 and General Hammond were already sitting.
"You're in a good mood, Jack. I assume the lawyer's summons wasn't bad news?" Hammond asked.
"Lawyer?" Daniel asked, confused.
"Yeah, got a letter of summons from a lawyer in California. Never thought a lawyer would get me some time off," Jack mused.
"And…" Carter prompted, getting exasperated with Jack's behaviour. Jack looked blankly at her for a moment.
"And? Oh yes, it wasn't anything special, just found out I had a daughter and she's moved in with me. So what's on the agenda for the day?" Jack asked innocuously. The four people at the table looked at Jack in shock as the words sank in. Well, except for Teal'c but his eyebrow had risen slightly in surprise.
"Congratulations, ColonelONeill. How old is the child?"
"Seventeen."
"Jack, are you telling me you're now responsible for the well-being of a teenage girl. Who would give you that kind of responsibility?" Daniel asked.
"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" Jack protested, while the others chuckled. Jack turned serious.
"Her mother and I had a relationship a long time ago; I never knew about Buffy. Joyce died a few days ago and in her will she gave me custody. I guess her ex-husband was an ass. Cassie's already taken Buffy under her wing, but I don't want any of you to mention this unless she does first," Jack said seriously.
With that the meeting continued on interrupted. Afterwards, Hammond invited Jack into his office.
"Jack, are you sure about this? You have a very dangerous job, and you'll have to leave suddenly for unknown lengths of time." Hammond asked, concerned.
"General, she's my daughter and I've already missed out on seventeen years of her life. I know it'll be tough, but I really want to make it work."
Hammond hadn't known Jack as the 'family man'. He had seen signs of it by the way Jack dealt with the children he had met on SG1's missions. It was nice to see Jack with family outside of the SGC.
"When do we get to meet her?"
Jack smiled at his CO's subtle endorsement. The General's opinion mattered to the colonel; Hammond was one of the few superior officer's O'Neill had had that genuinely cared about his people rather than his career.
"I was planning on having a barbeque over the weekend and inviting most of the SGC, so I can show Buffy off"
The general smiled at the fatherly pride emanating from his second-in-command.
Jack's next top was Daniel's office, where he found the three members of his team in discussion. They stopped abruptly when the noticed Jack.
"Whatya talking 'bout?" Jack asked, pretending ignorance.
"Nothing," Daniel replied slowly.
"Ah, here I thought you were talking about my brand new teenager daughter."
The humans fell into an embarrassed silence while Teal'c nodded slightly.
"Well, if you're that interesting in Buffy, I'll be having a barbeque on the weekend to introduce everyone," and with that Jack bounced off, looking for his next victim.
SG1 stared at the empty doorway.
"Anyone else having trouble imagining Jack with someone who would name their child 'Buffy'?" Daniel finally asked. Carter absently nodded, still in shock, and Teal'c calmly commented.
"Indeed."
TBC
Honestly, who would name their child Buffy!
Go forth my minions and review!
