Jack's Room:

Daniel had checked on the baby and continued on down the hall. He rapped with his knuckles on Jack's door, opening it cautiously, peering inside the dimly lit room.

"No, Teal'c..that is just an expressio....never mind. Tell him to hurry, ok?...." Jack held the receiver in the crook of his shoulder, pressed to his chin as he threw articles into an open traveling case on his bed. "Oh, yeah, and whatever you do, don't tell anyone about this. Dixon will know what to do. And...Teal'c...thanks." The man hung up the phone, crossing to his closet.

Daniel watched as Jack proceeded to fill the suitcase. "Are we going somewhere?"

"I'm going somewhere." O'Neill corrected.

"Oh?" Daniel waited patiently, and then... "...Where?"

"The less you know, the less you can tell them." Jack reasoned, stuffing his personal things into a smaller carry kit. "You can't be held responsible if you don't know anything."

"Excuse me?" Daniel cocked his head, removing his hands from his pockets, listening harder.

"Listen...that asswipe is right. Hammond hasn't said anything...anything! You follow?" Jack snapped. "Which means, the news he has to relate is crap! Right? Have you heard anything?"

"Jack, the General wouldn't let them take the kid."

"Hammond isn't in charge...not of this decision. I was waiting, hoping..." O'Neill let it go. "So...that means, I have to disappear for a while. Me and the kid."

"Why?" Daniel prompted.

"Because." Jack exasperated. "I don't have any legal rights to him."

"But...Jack. What about SG-1 and your career?" Daniel had to remind the man of priorities.

"Fuck the SGC and fuck my career. I've given my whole life to them and this is the repayment I receive?" Jack halted his packing, throwing the closed case off the bed angrily.

"I want you to have J.J. as much as you do, but..." Daniel was always the voice of reason. "You, of all people, understand about regulations. Right? I mean, I don't want to piss you off, but...there must be some legal means we can explore here."

"I'm not waiting around for them to take the kid, put him in one of those places while we 'explore' the possibilities. I'm outta here...tonight!" O'Neill walked swiftly to the
baby's room, beginning his packing again. "Grab that diaper bag."
"You're not thinking straight, here." Daniel warned, but handed the bag over dutifully.

"No...I'm thinking like those bastards 'think'." Jack looked around for something he could have forgotten. His mind on a thousand different things all at once.

The phone rang. Daniel started for it.

"No...let the machine pick up." Jack commanded.

Daniel sighed, obeying. Jack's voice was heard:

"This is me...
"I assume you are you...
"And that you know what you want...
"So...tell me. Beep

Daniel frowned. Short and to the point, just like Jack himself.

"Sir this is me. I am so sorry..." Carters voice held her sincerity. "I need to speak with you." She waited.

O'Neill looked at the phone, his face impassible.

"Jack." Daniel snapped.

"Please, Sir." Carter asked.

O'Neill lowered his eyes and began packing again.

Daniel fought the urge to pick up the phone. The line went dead. "Oh, well that was real nice."

"I can't....not right now." Jack replied listlessly.

"She didn't do anything."

"I know!" Jack barked, angry with himself. "I know that, damnit!"

Daniel backed off. "Well you are not going alone. I'm coming."

"No!" Jack punctuated.

"Yes!" Daniel did not back off. "Quite frankly, Jack, in your present state, I think I can take you. So, I wouldn't push it this time if I were you."

"Yeah, like that's gonna ever happen. Geek boy!" But, Jack felt better for some obscure reason.
"I'm coming." Daniel stated. "And anyway, how are you gonna stop me."

"I will have Dixon duct tape you to a chair."

"Yeah, Dixon." Daniel remembered Jack's previous phone conversation with Teal'c. "What has he got to do with this."

As if own cue, the man in question was suddenly strolling down the hall. "Door's unlocked O'Neill. Ever thought about a dog?"

"Where's Teal'c?" O'Neill wanted to know.

"Out back." Dixon jerked his head in the needed direction.

"He has the car?" Jack asked.

"Yeah." Dixon nodded. "So...what do ya need?"

"A diversion." Jack motioned for Daniel to pick up the baby.

Dixon... smiled. "Piece of cake."

"You could get busted for helping." Jack reminded. "How many men did you bring?"

"Enough." Dixon answered absently. "Hellooo geek boy."

Daniel sighed heavily. "Hellooo Col." He smiled sweetly back at the impishly grinning man. "Ripped anyone's head off today?"

"Not....yet." Dixon silkily.

Daniel got the reference.

"Got a safe house until tomorrow?" Jack questioned.

Dixon spread his hands lazily. "Got everything you need."

"Are your guys sure about this?" Jack knew the implications were enormous.

"My guys aren't stupid, I got SG-13 out there." Dixon smirked.

The hair on the back of Daniel's neck stood up. "SG-13? Jack...that is those crazy people."

"Not crazy." Dixon disagreed philosophically. "A little.... different....perhaps."
Major William Forbes, leader of the afore mentioned SG-13 swaggered into the room, removing his hat, swiping his brow with the back of his arm. "Hey, O'Neill... doors
unlocked....get a dog."

All eyes turned warily to the new arrival. The man looked back just as warily. "What??"

At that exact moment in time the so called covert operation was blown to hell with a very female yet annoyed voice breaking the delicacy of the moment.

"And there is no use in telling me there are no donuts, I can smell them on your breath, you ungrateful, selfish, little pric...." Major Calli Hertz unintentionally ran into her commanding officer's shoulder. "Col,... Colletti won't share the donuts! He says he doesn't have any, but I know he does! Make him give me a chocolate glazed. I want a chocolate glazed donut!"

"Did you take out the NID guys?" Forbes demanded.

"Is that the ones in the gray car?" She asked.

"Yes Hertz, the gray car." He sarcasted.

"Yes but what about the donuts?" The large gray eyes, glanced around those gathered. "Hey, Col... is that the baby?"

"No." Jack shot back. "It's a decoy." He knew this woman. He knew how she 'thought.'

The girl blinked. "Oh....you got any mustard? I missed dinner."

"Never mind about dinner." Forbes stated. "Get into position."

"I'm hungry." She whined.

"I'll feed you later. Follow my orders." Forbes made a shooing motion with his hand.

"O'Malleys?" She brightened.

"Fine, sure, whatever....go away."

"Can I fly the plane tomorrow?" Calli Hertz thought that since the man was in such a good mood she would try her luck. "For the test flight?"

"No....I have seen you drive. GO!"

"MacAroy is being mean to me too." She pouted.
"If you want mean, stick around...." He pointed sharply to the door.

The girl sought out O'Neill. "Col, did you know your door is unlocked, anybody can just walk in. Have you thought about locking your door." She asked innocently.

All eyes turned to O'Neill. But none were brave enough to voice the obvious.

Forbes grabbed Calli's shoulders, forcefully turning her to the door, and then shoved her roughly through the opening. She went with but one glacial stare in the man's direction.

Forbes turned back as if nothing out of the norm had happened. "They have your phones bugged too, by the way."

Daniel Jackson was incensed. "What?!? Who? Who has the phones...."

"Them. Geek boy." Dixon shook his head woefully. "You gotta get out of that dusty den o' artifacts more often. There is a whole other world out here. CIA, NID, FBI...any combination of initials you like, all out there in their nice, shiny, rented cars. Get your head out of your ass kid. The baby is an alien. Ain't no ordinary "custody" battle here, and Jack is an Air Force Officer. You do the math."

"So we got everything we need?" Jack wanted confirmation.

"Hey, Marines are always prepared." Dixon bragged.

"That would be the Boy Scouts." Daniel advised readily.

Dixon strolled back down the hall. "Ain't no boy scout kid, trust me." He called over his shoulder.

"Didn't think you were." Daniel confirmed.

Forbes chuckled and followed his large friend out the front door. Jack flipped the lights out, and Daniel loaded himself down with baby paraphernalia. They made their way to the back of the house when they heard a car pull into the driveway. Jack went to the foyer with the baby in his arms, glancing out the window.

"Shit. What the hell is he doing here?!" Jack fumed, recognizing the occupant.

Pete made his way up the front of O'Neills walk...but...he did not get far.

"Well, hello.....Officer." Dixon stepped out of the shadows along with his two companions. His two large companions... William Forbes and Mac MacAroy.

"....What's going on here?" Pete demanded.
"Just visiting a sick friend, but, as you can see.." He motioned to the darkened house. "He's not receiving any more visitors."

"I have to talk to him. I ...well, I need to rectify something." Sam Carter had not spoken to him since he pissed O'Neill off.

"Have to wait until tomorrow, I guess." Dixon shrugged his stocky shoulders.

"Look...I can get a few big guys over here and we can play macho Cops and Army guys for a few hours or...you can just step aside and let me have a few minutes of Jack O'Neill's precious time."

Dixon checked with Forbes and MacAroy, his expression overly serious then he...grinned. "We'll take door number one, Monty, and 'cop guy'", his expression altered smugly. "We are Marines....not Grunts."

Their attention was caught by the opening of the garage door. O'Neill's truck backed out with a loud screech of the tires and peeled off down the street. Jack would have shit his BDU's had he known, Calli Hertz was at the wheel. In her mouth she had her chocolate glazed donut. She was a happy camper, not only was she driving a Col's cool truck, she had her food... she had the entire box of 'food' beside her and later on she might even get to go to O'Malley's. Life was good. And the truck was fast.....way fast. She headed north, because it was the only direction she was fairly certain of and continued at a high rate of speed. With luck, she could make it to the mall before closing time. She wanted that pair of shoes on sale at the Foot Locker. This was a good day..

Pete ran to his car, jumping behind the wheel. He backed out but, before he could pursue the truck...a gigantic hummer pulled in front of his car and turned its motor off.

Anthony Colletti, the last member of SG-13, casually leaned out of the open window."...Hey, aren't you the that 'cop guy'....want a donut?"

"Get the hell out of the way!" Pete yelled his frustration. "What the hell is going on? I just want to talk to the guy."

"So....you're not the 'cop guy'?" Colletti seemed hurt.

Dixon smiled for the other mans wit. He shared the moment with William Forbes and Mac MacAroy.

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Author Notes: I'll try to post more tomorrow. Still getting everything worked out. The formatting sucks - so I'm trying to fix it.... I'm not holding my breath on it working though... hahahaha