A/N: Guess who's back! Yep ME! Hehe :D So those of you who read my other WIP Saving my son (which you might want to check out *wink*) will notice that I updated that just recently. So after a VERY long delay my muse has pushed me into action! This of course is my baby and so I couldn't neglect it! And realising that I have left people on this cliff hanger for too long I though I should put you all out of your misery and update. So here you go, my gift to all you VERY patient people out there! Don't worry this is NOT the end, I have MANY more chapters in mind... Thank u for all your reviews and encouragement and patience...
Previously (so VERY long ago)…
Jack clasped his hands together. "So let's get this show on the road". Jack and Sam went to either side of Hannah but in front of the screen ready for the questions to begin. They were finally going to find out how, why and where their little Hannah came from.
It FINALLY continues…
Hannah, not completely comprehending the enormity of the situation around her, sat obediently and awaited the questions she understood she had to answer. As she began to think about this, the screen, unbeknownst to her, came to life yet again in front of the other occupants of the room.
(On screen)
Hannah was sat on a bench littered with mechanical parts and pieces, it looked like a roughed up version of Sam's lab. It was dark, as if the power had gone out, but a dim red glow signalled that the back up power generator was operating. Hannah was not alone. As in that moment, searching through drawers just behind her, Jacob came into view. He continued to rummage around, picking up small bits and pieces, obviously knowing exactly what he was looking for, before coming across something and with a small 'aha' and in picking up the object, turned back to the quiet Hannah.
He stroked her tear stained face, a small face littered with questions and uncertain fear of what was happening around her.
"Hey princess. How are you feeling? I know you're scared and confused and probably have a billion questions running around in that head of yours…".
Jacob gave a sad, haunting look and trailed off with "Just like her mother…".
Over-hearing the mention of her mother, Hannah's head shot up to her grandpa's worn features, one question quite clear on her face… Jacob couldn't tell her the truth, he couldn't comprehend it himself.
"I need you to stay right here and be very quiet and brave. Can you do that for me?." Hannah nodded slowly.
At this, Jacob gave a proud smile, giving the impression he knew that his little grand-daughterhad inherited bravery from both her parents. As Jacob departed the room, leaving the door slightly ajar, a silence feel upon her surroundings.
(Off screen)
Back in the SGC the occupants viewing the screen fell upon the sight of the little girl all alone on the bench, in the dark room. She looked so much smaller and fragile, despite her best efforts to be brave for her grandpa. Sam in the room watched the lonely little figure on the screen and despite knowing Hannah couldn't see what they could, she reached for the Hannah in the room's hand. At the slight contact, as Sam's hand clasped over Hannah's, the pixelated screen flashed to other images of disarray and disorder.
(On screen)
The SGC was in full alert mode, defcon 5. Emergency lights were flashing, alarms were being raised and the voice over the PA let Stargate command and all its occupants know that it was in total evac. mode and it was NOT a drill. Little Hannah was in the arms of her mother, racing from Sam's lab, which looked like it had been thrown into disarray. Sam was rushing to the evac stairs, Hannah's little arms squeezing her neck tight as Sam whispered words of reassurance into her ear, "it'll be o.k. sweetie, you will be safe. Your daddy and I would never let anything happen to you".
The two were being jostled about by other people in the stair wells, rushing to get to their destination. Sam eventually broke out of the chaos and into the control room where, before monitors of maps and computers, a stoic jack stood. At the sight of Sam and Hannah, a look of relief could be seen momentarily on his face before the gravity of the situation seemed to bring him back to a strange look mingled with determination and defeat. The gate suddenly sprang to life, rotating, behind the iris and a hushed silence fell over the control room. The Sam clutching Hannah tightly and the strong looking Jack O'niell turned towards the Stargate simultaneously. They both knew it was time, it was time for Earth to fight or die trying and as they turned to look intensely at each other, then down at their daughter, they both knew that they had to fight, not only to save Earth but the little piece of both of them they loved so dearly.
Men at numerous control panels and phones began yelling things in what seemed like all different directions but were really aimed at the man, who at the sound of chevrons locking, not only went into command mode in order to save the base but a hint of panic could be seen in the corners of his eyes when he glanced at his family in the room with him. The Sam clutching Hannah tightly recognised the worry in her husband's eyes, she took a few steps towards him and stroked his face gently using her thumb to smooth the worry lines on his face which softened just that little at her touch. In that moment the shouts in the control room were put on hold. A husband, a father was saying goodbye to his wife, his daughter, his family, they deserved a moment of peace.
Jack and Sam stared at each other for a fraction of a second in silent conversation, pouring a lifetimes worth of memories in mere seconds. Sam then handed Hannahover to her father, Hannah squealed 'beaw hug!' and giggled. Despite being daunted and scared by the situation, all that was going on around her did not matter when she was enveloped in one of her father's 'bear hugs' where she felt safe. Jack muffled a choked laugh as he hugged her tight and warm, a single tear making it's home in her mass of curls.
Jack gave Sam a slight nod of his head as the last chevron locked and the 'whoosh' of the event horizon sounded, unseen behind the closed iris. Stroking Hannah's face, he handed her over to her mum, kissing Sam on the forehead and whispering a soft 'I'll love you both forever' into her ear. And with that, clutching Hannah tightly in her arms, Sam hurried out of the control room to the sounds of Jack barking orders to the men in the control room, his commands rising over the muffled sounds of hard bodies hitting the iris. Sam new she didn't have long, she understood more than anyone, what this new enemy was capable of and their technological superiority. The iris which had protected them countless times before and which was their first line of defence, would only be able to protect them for a short time and Hannah had to be safe before that happened.
As most of the staff of the mountain had been evacuated, the power to all non essential machinery had been cut-off due to the emergency and diverted to the Stargate's self destruct function. Jack new cutting off the power to the Stargate from their end was not an option. They had encountered this enemy only a few times before but despite this, they knew their technological abilities. They could easily power Stargate's from their end and scramble with any sophisticated technology that Earth possessed but this advancement provided a weakness... Earth's 'primitive' defences baffled them and provided a defence they could not counter
Sam was moving fast up the mountain stairwells to level 10, Hannah holding tight. Sam new in the event of evac's all elevators in the mountain were only in use between levels 1-10, cutting off access to the most sensitive floors of the mountain and it was at level 10 she would be able to reach topside and keep Hannah from harm. So she moved fast, two airmen, who Jack had ordered to escort her just after she had exited the control room, flanking her on either side. As they had reached the steel door labelled level 10, one of the airmen opened the door for her as she scrambled out. Seeing at the end of the hall, the last dregs of admin workers and lab coated scientists being forced out of the mountain by airmen, the scientists being none too happy at leaving their work behind, despite the seriousness of the situation. There assisting in escorting terrified admin. was Jacob, he visibly calmed when he saw Sam jogging towards him, the tiny form of his granddaughter in her arms.
She was just about to reach Jacob when it happened. One of her escort airmen's radio's sprang to life and what Sam heard made her stop dead in her tracks. In amongst, scratchy, shattered radio noise was the voice of an airman "... breach perimeter... destruct... evac... back..." there was a pause and "men down... general.. fight.".
Sam heard these words and the world around her shattered. General... General what... Is the General o.k.? General down? General not going down without a fight? General... Jack...
Sam knew Jack needed her help. She knew that during their silent conversation she had promised him that she was determined to keep their daughter safe from the tragedy that lay ahead and she would keep that promise. But she couldn't let Jack, the love of her life, the father of her child, die alone, when he could be rescued. She had to go back for him.
A small hesitated whisper of "mama..."broke Sam out of her thoughts. Hannah had wondered why her mother had stopped dead in her tracks. With the airman's broken voice replaying what she had just heard in her head, Sam looked down at her baby and ran a hand gently down her soft cheek, gave her a sad smile and looked above her head to Jacob, watching her curiously from near the elevator.
He had heard the radio's admission as well and was staring at Sam with a wary expression, he moved towards her. "Sam, you're not going to...". Sam lay her daughters head against her cheek rocking Hannah gently as she held her closer to her chest and with eyes glazed over with un fallen tears, she looked straight at Jacob "I have to. I have to go back for him". Jacob saw the determination in Sam's eyes and nodded in understanding.
At that moment, the world around them went dark, the back-up power on their level had been cut. Time was running out. Sam felt Jacob's hand grab hers in the dark. The airmen and small group of staff yet to be evacuated spoke to each other in loud voices and felt around the dark. One airmen near the stairs yelled for people to follow the sound of his voice. Sam squeezed Jacob's hand and spoke to him in a rushed voice. "Dad, the power's been cut before the self destruct was able to activate and I have to go back for him. But I made a promise dad, a promise to Jack that I would keep Hannah away from danger and tragedy. It's not safe here anymore dad, and I'm not just talking about this level, this mountain. She's not safe...".
Jacob understood the meaning behind her words and clutching Sam's hand pulled her towards the sounds of the airman's voice. Once reaching the stairwell instead of heading topside like the rest of the staff, they headed down the stairs back to the lower levels of the mountain. Jacob counted the levels as they headed down, still unable to see the numbers on the doors due to the darkness. Once they had reached what Jacob believed to be level 20, they carefully exited, checking the corridors for any signs of movement, unsure as to the situation in the lower parts of the mountain.
Sam, knew the mountain inside out and lead Jacob to the nearest equipment storage room. Once inside Sam placed Hannah down for a moment, putting on a vest and indicating to Jacob to grab a gun and torch. Sam grabbing a torch herself, didn't want to keep a weapon on her if she was going to be clutching Hannah in her arms. With that they moved, carefully back out into the corridor again, Sam determined to get to their destination; Artefact storage. They moved quickly, silence surrounding them, Hannah comprehending the seriousness of the situation remained quiet and still in her mother's clutching embrace
With one corner remaining to their destination, Sam motioned a stop signal to Jacob, both hugged the wall as the sounds of staggering footsteps could be heard echoing the corridor parallel to theirs. Sam could feel Hannah's hands clutch her clothes tightly as they could hear ragged breathing coming closer to their position. Jacob leaned forwards and quickly peered around the corner, weapon at the ready...
As soon as he had glanced, he moved out into the corridor, Sam following him out. There leaning against the corridor wall was Jack. His face whipped up at the sound of movement and fell into a terrified expression when he saw who it was. Sam rushed to him, seeing blood trickle down the side of his face and stain his uniform. Jack was clutching his left arm, his heavy breathing indicating he was sporting a few broken ribs. Jack hugged them close. Hannah was still keeping her face scrunched up against her mother's neck but recognised the sound and smell of her father and exclaimed "papa!" as she felt the warmth of the bodies of her two parents enclosing her on either side of the hug. The selfish part of Jack was grateful he was able to see his family, to hold them. But his noble side wanted them as far from this place as possible. He leaned his face out slightly from the hug to look into Sam's eyes.
Before he could ask, Sam answered, "Jack. It's not safe here anymore... She needs to be somewhere, where she can grow up safe and happy. Where she is away from danger, where she will have us both, to love her. Where she has a family." Sam glanced over at the blast door labelled Artefact storage and Jack understood. He stared deeply in her eyes and they both knew this was the only way they could keep the promise they had made to each other in the control room. Jack loosened his grip on his girls and looked over to Jacob nodding before letting them go and heading into artefact storage, ignoring the screaming pain his injuries were providing. As he disappeared into the room, Sam moved to Jacob and hurriedly explained the plan Jack and Sam had formulated in silent conversation.
Moments later Jack emerged carrying with him a large mirror like artefact, Jacob rushed forward to help the injured Jack, attempting to take the mirror off him but Jack put the mirror down before Jacob could get at it.
Jack gave Jacob a serious look "Jake. The levels below us... it's not looking good...".
Jacob countered "Jack, your injured... I should go with Sam...".
Jack cut him off, "I know what's going on down there. I know how many people, what the situation is. It's dangerous. I would go down there and hook this thing up to the Stargate myself if I could! But you and I both know that Sam is the only person who can rig this thing up properly and fast and we both know no matter how injured I may be, the LAST thing that I would EVER let happen, is for either of my girls to be hurt in anyway and that I would protect them with my last breath. I won't let anything happen to Sam and I need you to keep Hannah safe until we have this thing set up and give you the o.k. to get Hannah down to the gate and..." Jack broke off then. The realisation of never seeing his baby girl again, really sinking in.
Sam moved forward to place her hand on his chest, calming him. Jacob nodded at his son-in-laws words, this was the way it was going to happen. At that Jack and Sam pulled each other into another tight hug, Hannah shared between them. Hannah finally removed her head from her mother's shoulder and looked up at the faces of both her parents.
She saw the blood stained face of her father. "Papa, u's o.k's?" she said sadly.
Jack noted the sincere concern in his daughters voice and his eyes glazed over with tears at her innocent kindness. Stroking her face he whispered "Yeah, baby. Daddy's fine. He's with his princess, so everything's fine...". Hannah smiled, loving being called a princess.
The young family began unconsciously swaying on the spot, unwilling to let go, of this moment together.
"Mama, papa, why looks sads...?" Hannah asked.
Jack answered, "Well mama and dada have to go away for a little bit. We have to go do something VERY important. And then you're going to go on a little trip".
"Awe yous go wif me?" Hannah looked a little scared.
Sam closed her eyes momentarily in sadness, then answered in a broken voice, "Sweetie, you have to go on this very short trip through the special ring by yourself...". Hannah started crying quietly, both her parents unconsciously held her tighter. Sam continued, trying to reassure their young, brave daughter, "But don't worry, mummy and daddy and grandpa Jacob will be there to send you through and... and... we'll be there... waiting for you, when you come out". Sam let the last words out through slight chokes of sadness in her voice.
Hannah, nodded her little face in understanding. The small family, still swaying held each other tight as the two parents leaned forward and placed their foreheads on their daughter's and closed their eyes .Hannah felt safe and warm in the arms of her parents, the two people who mattered most to her in the world.
Hannah heard her parent's whispered words "You will grow up to be a smart, beautiful lady one day. We will love you always...".With that, the parents relinquished their daughter to her grandpa, knowing she was in safe hands, as Jacob passed his weapon over to Sam.
Jack picked up the mirror-like artefact again, groaning under the weight and after glancing back at little Hannah in her grandpa's arms, the two heartbroken parents turned and walked down the corridor Jack had emerged from, filled with a fiery determination, the little girl they just left behind their motivation. They had to protect her from tragedy. That was their promise to her.
Sam glanced at Jack. She was sure their plan was what was best for Hannah but... "Jack, I know sending her away, will keep her safe from fear and sadness... but what if we send her somewhere, where we aren't a family...". Sam looked worried.
(Off screen)
At this statement Jack and Sam, who had been watching with the other occupants of the room, in total silence, enthralled by the scenes playing out before them, looked over at each other. They knew that if their roles had been reversed they would have been worried about the same thing and even though they were in the exact situation that her true parents had feared, they would want to be assured that the people who she thought were her true parents would look after her and keep the 'family' together, for her sake... and they were going to keep that memory alive for Hannah, no matter how this might complicate their relationship.
(on screen)
Jack stoped walking for a second and sincerely looked into Sam's eyes, "Hey, wherever we exist, whether we know each other or not, whether we are together or not. I know us enough to know, that no matter what, the second we lay eyes on that little girl, we'll know she is ours, we'll know we would do anything to keep her safe, we'll know instantly that we love her". Sam knew what he was saying was true. Any version of themselves could not look at that girl and want to let her go.
Seeing Sam reassured, Jack again picked up the mirror and they headed down the corridor together, ready to carry out the plan, to send their Hannah to a place far away from the danger that lay ahead of them.
A/N: O.k. so we are still in Hannah's mind mode... I wanted to finish this in one chapter but it's turning out to be a LOT longer than I thought! So I'm gonna split it in 2... More reading for you guys I guess! So I hope the LONG wait did not disappoint, hopefully after all these explanation chapters we get to go into some happy family's and jack/sam complicated feelings etc... *smiles* can't wait to start writing those! P.s. see that little button on the bottom left hand corner of your screen... Review! you know u want to... :P