Destiny's Footsteps

by Anaika Skywalker

There have been some changers at Stargate Command and General Jack O'Neill is bringing someone into SG1 that will keep Colonel Mitchell on his toes. A brilliant young archaeologist named Jackson.

11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: Don't own it, wish I did, I just like to play with SG-1 once and a while. I'll put them back when I'm finished. I promise. (And if I owned it, Stargate SG-1 would run forever.)

Beta Reader(2013): Edited by Jon from stargatetwins dot com (2013) (Typo's are all mine.)

Reviews: Winjan: I'm glad you're still enjoying the story and another galaxy would be a great place to honeymoon. Scottiedog: I hope I haven't spoiled 'The Shroud' for you, I loved it. It has to be the best Daniel episode of seasons 9 and 10 so far. And I just had to incorporate it into my story in some form or another. Sorry for making you wait for this one, but these things happen. Cassandra Jean: Wow, another great review. Thank you, thank you. And to answer some of your question – there are plenty of bad guys out there. As for another wedding – maybe, you just never know.

Author's Note: I'm still without a beta reader, so once again, all mistakes are mine and my computers. Because my internet provider went bust and I was in the middle of shifting house, getting the internet back had to come second, so this chapter took a little longer to get done, but I'm back up and running now. The title of this chapter comes from the song of the same name played in the last episode of Stargate SG-1. It got stuck in my head and I just couldn't get rid of it. So I downloaded it and played it a lot while writing this chapter. And I have to say, I loved 'Unending' and I can't wait for the movies.

DF

Chapter Eleven: Have you seen the Rain?

On P4R-981, Colonel Mitchell bellyached from his jail cell, as his 2IC rolled his eyes at him, chuckling from the next cell, "Are we having fun yet?"

"We are not, Colonel Mitchell," Teal'c said bluntly, and stood, going over to the door to his cell.

SG-1 had gated to 981, and ran smack bang into the middle of a civil war between the planet's two largest ruling parties. They were both trying to take control, now that their 'God' was dead. Kayla had tried her we come in peace speech, but it hadn't worked. They were captured and thrown in jail by the stronger of the two parties. The current dictator had asked for the woman to be brought to him.

Teal'c knew the archaeologist was capable of taking care of herself; however, he preferred to be part of whatever was happening. Teal'c stated in a calm voice, "I believe it is time to leave."

Ryan got to his feet. "Watch for guards, Teal'c," and took a paper clip from his pocket, bending it into place.

Cameron got to his feet and took a look at what his 2IC was doing. "Michaels, you've been watching too many MacGyver DVD's."

"Thank you, sir, but these primitive locks are fifth grader challenged," he jeered and managed to pick the lock on his door. Leaving his cell, he started on Teal'c's, and once the Jaffa was free, he picked the lock on the door to the Colonel's cell. Soon they were all free.

"Big guy, did you see which room they took our gear too?" the Colonel asked.

"Indeed."

"You're on point then."

Teal'c bowed his head a little and took point, heading for the open doorway to the cell complex. He looked around the corner, and quietly knocked the two guards out before they realized what was happening. Teal'c then headed to the storage lockers for inmates, which was deserted. They grabbed their weapons and equipment, and geared up as Ryan grabbed Kayla's kit.

"Okay, let's go get our girl." Cameron ordered as they moved cautiously through the complex, taking out any guards they came across, quickly and quietly.

The three of them barged into the interrogation room, weapons ready; only to find Kayla was in the middle of the room, standing over her interrogator. Her lip was cut, her cheek was bruised and her hair was messed up, but she was standing, and her interrogator wasn't.

She looked back at the entrance, and smiled with relief, "What took you guys so long?"

"Colonel Mitchell refused to ask for directions," Teal'c said deadpan.

"Typical," she grumbled, and slipped her vest on after Ryan handed it to her. She winced as she did it up, managing to hide that fact as she secured the thigh strap for her sidearm and holster.

"What is this, pick on Mitchell day?"

She straightened and took her P-90. "Yes, it's Monday, it's what we do," she retorted. "Can we go now?"

"We can," he agreed, grimacing at the beating she'd taken. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," she remarked, and gave her unconscious interrogator a swift kick in the ribs, "I'm good, he's not!"

They left the room and made their way through the complex, finding no resistance, the building deserted except for the two guards and interrogator. Peering out the barred window of the front entrance, they saw why - Lucian Alliance.

"Who invited these guys?" Cameron grumbled.

"Not me," Kayla snorted.

"Neither did I," Teal'c backed her up.

"Back door?" Ryan suggested.

"Back door," his CO agreed and they doubled back.

They made it to the back of the complex, checking before forcing the door open, leaving quietly. The complex was one of many in the area, the setting sun casting shadows, so they used each building for cover. Getting out of the city, they made a run for the forest, using the trees as cover.

"Okay, the Stargate is in that direction," Cameron pointed slightly to his left.

"That way, sir," Ryan pointed out tactfully, gesturing slightly to his right.

"You're sure?"

"I'm sure, sir."

"Major Michaels is correct, Colonel Mitchell." Teal'c stated.

"Let's move out then," he yielded, seeing the smirk on his archaeologist's lips.

Ryan took the lead at a slow jog, with Kayla behind him, then Mitchell and finally Teal'c guarding the rear, making their way through the forest.

"Why would the Lucian Alliance be here?" Kayla asked rhetorically. Before any theories could be given, they ran out of the forest, and into a field of ripened kassa. "Well, that explains that," she remarked.

"It certainly does," Cameron agreed. "It also means they must have a cargo hauler in orbit, ready to take this lot once it's harvested."

"Then we must destroy this field," Teal'c said without hesitation.

The Colonel agreed. "It looks dry enough. Spread out and set it alight; if we get separated, we meet at the Stargate."

Nodding, they moved out, throwing tiny flares from their packs into the thick plants. Small fires became larger ones, and soon they were running ahead of the flames, out of the field and towards the cover of the forest. Far behind them they heard the shouts of 'fire' from the town. Separated, SG-1 individually ran for the Stargate.

Kayla made it first, breathing hard. She dialed out, her hand hovering over the activation crystal. Glancing back, she watched for her teammates. Seeing Mitchell and Michaels break cover, she pushed down the center crystal, the Stargate opened with a kawoosh, settling into a watery puddle. She quickly sent her IDC through, and then tapped her earmic. "SGC, this is Jackson," she ducked behind the DHD as the first rounds from the Lucian Alliance soldiers whizzed through the air. Teal'c was behind his two team members, returning fire as he ran. "We're under fire, repeat, under fire!" She yelled, firing her P-90, giving her teammates cover.

Mitchell saw Michaels stumble, and grabbed his 2IC by the back of his vest, keeping him on his feet. On reaching Kayla, they both spun around and returned fire, covering Teal'c until he got to them.

"Let's go!" Cameron yelled, now seeing that Michaels had taken a hit to the leg.

"SGC, we're on our way, repeat, we're on our way!" Kayla yelled, having kept her mike open.

"Help Michaels and go!" the Colonel ordered.

She could see the Major favoring his right leg, and the bloodstain that was forming. She slipped her arm around him, and the two of them began hobbling towards the Stargate, not stopping as they went through. Mitchell and Teal'c kept firing until the last minute, walking backwards to the Stargate. Turning, they dove through, landing hard on the ramp.

"Close the iris!" Kayla yelled, still keeping Ryan on his feet.

The iris spun shut and the Stargate closed down.

Teal'c got to his feet, and helped Cameron up. "Are you all right, Colonel Mitchell?"

"Yeah, I think so," he walked down the ramp, joining their teammates at the bottom.

General O'Neill entered the Gate Room, along with a medical team, who went straight to the Major. "Had a bit of fun did we?"

"You could say that, sir," Cameron agreed as his 2IC was wheeled out on a gurney.

Jack gently took Kayla's chin and turned her head to see the bruise on her cheek. "How's the other guy?"

"A lot worse," she said proudly, pulling free. "He won't be fathering any children for a while."

Every man in earshot winced at the comment.

"Infirmary," Jack ordered, sighing, "we'll debrief at 1600." They walked out and he chuckled to himself.

After dropping off their weapons and vests, SG-1 headed to the infirmary. Dr. Brightman and Dr. O'Regan were waiting for them. The two men went with Brightman, and Kayla headed off with O'Regan, rubbing her left wrist a little. The doctor took notice, and ushered the archaeologist to have her wrist x-rayed.

Cameron and Teal'c were sitting on an exam bed each when Kayla returned with Dr. O'Regan, their physicals done. The archaeologist had an ice pack on her wrist, which was swollen and bruised.

"What did you do sunshine?" Cameron asked her, concerned.

"Dr Jackson has a hairline fracture," Doctor O'Regan reported, before the archaeologist could respond. "I've agreed to let her shower before I put her wrist in a cast. If you would assist Dr Jackson, and then make sure she returns so I can put a cast on it, I would appreciate it."

"I don't need a cast," Kayla retorted, she throw the ice pack on the nearby trolley, standing in front of the Colonel. "Doctor Beckett reported that dad used John as a conduit to heal himself, I think you and I can do the same thing," she told Cameron.

He looked skeptical. "I don't know, Indiana."

"Dr Lam wouldn't like this, Dr Jackson," Doctor O'Regan protested. The young Captain was the only doctor in the infirmary who didn't address Kayla by her first name. "I should get her to clear this first."

Kayla sighed. "Carolyn is busy taking a bullet out of Major Michaels' leg, I can do this."

"Look Kayla, maybe the doc is right." Cameron put forth.

With her wrist throbbing in time with her heartbeat, Kayla was in no mood to argue. "Trust me," was all she said, and after a second, he nodded.

"What do I have to do?" he asked her.

She took his hand, and placed it over her injured wrist. "Close your eyes and relax."

He closed his eyes, as did Kayla. Teal'c and Doctor O'Regan watched as her hand started to glow and then Cameron's also started glowing, sending light into her injured wrist. Slowly the swelling decreased, the bruising disappeared and so did the glow. Both opened their eyes, and neither seemed concerned as Kayla held on to Cameron.

Doctor O'Regan took Kayla's other wrist, checking it. "Is there any pain?"

"No, it's fine," the archaeologist answered and moved the wrist to prove the point.

Cameron instinctively reached out and cupped her bruised cheek with his free hand. A soft glow emitted from it to her cheek, and the bruising vanished. He then rubbed his thumb over her cut lip. It healed quickly as the doctor and Teal'c watched, surprised by what he was doing. Before any of them could comment, his hand dropped from her cheek and he lunged forward, passing out. Kayla caught him before he could fall off the bed.

"Mitchell?" She held him until O'Regan could help her lower him down onto the exam bed. They swung his legs up, and then she moved back to let the doctor check him.

Teal'c stood next to her, concerned. "You did not lose consciousness, Kayla Jackson," the Jaffa remarked.

"No, I, um, guess it was because I was using Mitchell as a conduit," she said worriedly.

After a few minutes, Cameron groaned, and then opened his eyes, realizing he was flat on his back. "What happened?"

"You passed out, Colonel," Doctor O'Regan replied, while checking his eyes. "You healed Dr Jackson's cheek and lip, and then lost consciousness."

"Oh," he rubbed his forehead, "I don't remember doing that. I remember helping Jackson heal her wrist, and then it's all a little foggy." He sat up with the doctor's help. Seeing Kayla standing there, her arms wrapped around her middle in a self-protective embrace, he added, "Hey, Indiana, it's okay, I'm fine."

"You lost consciousness!" Kayla said quietly, the guilt evident in her voice.

"I offered to help." He managed to break from the doctor and get off the bed, standing before his archaeologist. He drew her into his arms. "I'm fine, Kayla, I promise."

She hugged him back, gripping his shirt. "I shouldn't have done that."

"Hey, I'm the one who zoned out," he remarked and then pulled back, turning to the doctor. "Doc, it's been fun, but we need showers. So, we're going to do that, and then return to see how Michaels is."

"Colonel, sir, I really don't think…"

Cameron cut her off, "Captain, we're leaving," he said with a tone of I'm the ranking officer here, and that was it. He followed Kayla and Teal'c out.

Some major changes had taken place within the SGC; namely SG-1, 2, and 3, now all had their own team locker rooms, which meant no more male and female locker rooms for them. They showered in their own adjacent cubicles, and suited up in their own locker rooms. The guys of SG-1 didn't mind sharing with Kayla, they found that now they could keep a better eye on her. Arriving on level 25, SG-1 headed into their locker room.

"Are you sure you are all right, Colonel Mitchell?" Teal'c inquired.

"I'm fine, big guy," Cameron assured him.

"Very well."

Stripping down to underwear, they took what they needed and headed for the showers, taking a cubical each, stripping off the last of their clothing to shower, getting rid of the dirt and grime, and the smell of smoke.

"Hey, Indiana, can I borrow your shampoo?" Cameron asked from his cubicle.

She passed it over. "As long as you don't mind smelling like wild flowers."

"Nope, besides, I use it at home."

"True," she remarked as she blushed. She took a breath, conditioned her hair and then rinsed. She put the conditioner on the top of the wall that divided her cubical from his. She didn't mind the set up. It had been Ryan who had been uncomfortable at first, but he was slowly coming to terms with it. Cameron didn't mind one bit, and Teal'c didn't either. Washing off her shower gel, she turned off the water and grabbed her towel, drying off; making sure her hair was near dry before putting on the clean underwear she'd brought in with her. Taking her gear, she left her cubicle and went back into the locker room. Opening her locker, she shoved her shower bag in and threw the towel into the laundry bag, along with the underwear she'd worn into the shower cubical.

Teal'c came in and went over to his locker, wearing clean boxers. They'd made it mandatory that underwear had to be worn from the shower to the locker and vice versa. He put his gear away and used the laundry bag. The tall Jaffa studied his teammate; Kayla was the shortest in the team, and unlike her military counterparts, she wore lacey underwear or any type of underwear she liked, along as it was tasteful. Mostly he noticed she wore black or dark blue underwear. He had asked the first time he'd seen them, about the fading scars on her back and the backs of her legs. She'd told him they were from the accident that had killed her mother. He hadn't spoken of it since, and neither did the Colonel or the Major. And after her few unwilling uses of the sarcophagus, they weren't that noticeable anymore.

As Mitchell came into the locker room, Teal'c continued getting dressed. Kayla had pulled on a black t-shirt and was wiggling into blue BDU trousers.

Cameron reached around her and put her shampoo and conditioner into her locker. "Thanks."

"No problem," she said as she tucked her shirt into her trousers and then did them up.

He patted her shoulder and went to his own locker to dress, he could see she wasn't ready to talk about what had happened in the infirmary, and he wasn't ready either, but they were going to talk. "Hey, are we having movie night at our place next Friday night?" he inquired keeping the mood comfortable.

"I believe so, Colonel Mitchell." Teal'c answered. The Jaffa was dressed and getting his boots on.

"I promised Ryan I'd make popcorn again," Kayla added as she took a pair of socks from her locker and sat on the bench next to Teal'c. "What are we going to be watching?"

"You know, we still haven't seen 'Starship Troopers'," Cameron noted.

"Major Michaels and I will attempt to rent 'Starship Troopers' then Colonel Mitchell." Teal'c added, "It is our turn to choose."

"Cool."

Kayla finished putting her socks on and pulled her boots on, tucking the legs of her trousers into them; she laced them up and stood. Getting her hairbrush from her locker, she gave her hair a quick brush and then put it back. She put her watch back on and her dog tags, tucking them beneath her shirt. She shut her locker, noting the time. "I'm going to my office; I'll ring the infirmary and see if Ryan is out of surgery."

"We'll see you at the briefing then." Cameron told her.

She nodded and hurried out.

"Kayla Jackson has a lot on her mind," Teal'c noted.

"Yeah, she's probably over-analyzing what happened by now," Cameron declared.

"Are you not concerned by your actions, Colonel Mitchell?"

He sat next to Teal'c. "To be honest, yeah," he paused. "But I think it scared Kayla more. Ever since what happened with Merlin, she's been a little hesitant to try anything that has her using the ATA gene."

"She will need to face this," Teal'c theorized.

"She will," Cameron agreed. "But not here, I'll get her to talk about it at home."

It was common knowledge that Cameron and Kayla were an item; it was also known that she'd stayed with him after returning from the dark side, as it was joked. As was the fact they'd bought a house together. What wasn't common knowledge was the fact that the house was paid off.

Cameron had contributed, but Kayla had used money she'd saved from her monthly trust fund to buy it, and Cameron had therefore insisted the house be in her name. She'd compromised and put him down as part owner. The home was on a private estate, one that was owned by Marshall Enterprises. The house was a two-story and had a museum quality about it, mostly because of Kayla's artifacts, paintings and books; but it worked well with her grand piano, and most of Cameron's items that are more modern. Overall, it was a mixture of the two of them that made it a home.

Many of the SGC personnel had taken the offer of housing within the estate, including Ryan and Teal'c, who were renting a house, as were Cassie Frasier and Jon O'Neill. Colonel Reynolds and his family had recently moved in, and more were joining them. It seemed the Air Force liked the idea of having the SGC personnel living in the same secure area.

The two men finished dressing and left the locker room, both of them heading back to the infirmary, being informed the Major was in recovery, and they could see him later. With that, they left to go write up their reports before the briefing.

DF

Kayla typed up her mission report on the computer, saved it and printed out a copy, putting it into a folder marked Classified.

Dr Andrea Simons knocked on the open office door. "Hey, Kayla, I heard you had some excitement today. How's Major Michaels?"

"He's going to be fine, he's in recovery at the moment," Kayla replied, and then asked. "What's up?"

Andrea was a mother of two in her late thirties, who had been with the Stargate Program for a few years; she'd worked with Daniel Jackson. She lifted the files she was carrying. "The shortlist for new candidates; General O'Neill wanted them approved today."

Kayla rubbed the bridge of her nose, a left-over reaction to wearing glasses. "I forgot about them." She put her report on her desk and walked over to the workbench. "Okay, let's have a look."

Andrea put them down, taking the top three. "These I think are the best of the lot."

Kayla looked through the first two, stopping at the last. "Dr Tyler Stone?"

Her colleague nodded. "His credentials are good; he's done some excellent work in the last few years." She saw the look on her friends face. "You know him."

Kayla nodded, "Him and his husband."

"Husband?" Andrea repeated, getting it. "He's gay?"

"Oh yeah, he and Christian have a daughter, Jenna."

The older woman shrugged. "Well, I don't care who he sleeps with, he's still the right guy for the job. What does his husband do?"

Going over to her desk, Kayla unlocked one of the drawers and removed a file, returned to the workbench and showed Andrea. "He's a criminal psychologist; he's worked with both the Air Force and the Navy JAG departments; he's teaching at the moment."

She looked at the sheets, then asked, "So why not offer him a position too?" She closed the folder and put it with Tyler's. "Look Kayla, I don't care if they're gay. You know why."

Kayla did. Andrea's marriage had ended when her husband realized his wife was having an affair with a woman. Their marriage hadn't ended messily, but it had ended, and now she was happily living with her lover. "I'll take it to General O'Neill."

"Thanks Kayla."

They continued through the files, Kayla agreed with Andrea's choices. She took the candidates folders and Christian Stone's, along with her mission report and headed for Jack's office on 27.

She knocked on the open door. "Do you have a minute?"

"For, you, of course," he gestured her in.

She took a seat, handing him her report first. "Mission report."

He took it. "Summary at the front?"

"Of course, though it would be nice if you read more than just my summary," she mused.

"One day," he promised. "Dr Lam gave me a quick report on Major Michaels. He's going to be fine; she dressed the wound with Ancient healing gel. He'll be back on his feet in a few days."

"That's good."

"She also said Doctor O'Regan gave her a full rundown of what you and Mitchell got up to in the infirmary," he announced. "We will discuss it, Indiana."

She was sure they would. But there were other matters to attend too. "Perhaps later. I have the candidates for our off-world bases you requested," she gave the folders to him, keeping two back.

He pondered that. "What Kayla?"

Kayla opened the first folder. "Dr Tyler Stone - archaeologist and anthropologist, speaks 20 languages, is currently teaching at UCLA." She put it opened on the desk in front of Jack and opened the next one. "Dr. Christian Stone – criminal psychologist and linguist, he speaks around 18 languages." She placed the file with the first.

Jack looked at the two attached photos, then at his archaeologist. "They're not brothers?"

"No, they're married. To each other," she revealed.

He arched an eyebrow and sat back in his chair. "Kayla, these are military bases."

"And so is the SGC, and you have homosexuals working here," she pointed out.

Jack cleared his throat and sat up, a little surprised. "We do?"

"We do," she clarified. "And you know it."

"Well, there've been rumors," he admitted. "They're civilian?" He saw her nod and glanced at the two files again. "So where would you send these two?"

"Atlantis, I think they deserve a chance."

He leaned back in his chair again. "Kayla, I don't have a problem with it, but there might be others who will."

"There are already gay couples at the Alpha, Omega, Delta and Zulu sites." She added, "And at Atlantis."

Jack frowned. "You know this for certain?"

"Yes, Jack." She answered without sounding to patronizing.

He sighed and glanced at the files again. "They have a daughter?"

"Jenna, she's three."

"You know them?"

"Yes, I was at their wedding, and I'm Jenna's godmother. Jenna is Christian's daughter; they used the services of a surrogate mother."

"Straight up, Kayla, in your opinion, do you see them being able to handle Atlantis?"

"I do," she answered truthfully. "Tyler would be in awe, and Christian would have a field day trying to work out the dark side of the Wraith."

"All right," he closed both files. "I'll put it to the President."

Kayla gave him a nod, standing. "Don't brush them off because they're gay, Jack; they're good people and they're good at what they do."

He nodded. "All right."

She gave him a smile and headed into the briefing room. Getting herself a cup of coffee she stood by the window, looking out at the Stargate. Hearing voices, she turned and saw Cameron and Teal'c coming up the stairs.

"Hey, sunshine," Cameron greeted and threw his report on the table. "Coffee good?"

"Always," she remarked.

Teal'c put his report on the large table as the Colonel went to get coffee. "You drink your coffee the way your father does, Kayla Jackson."

"I know," she smirked. "And the Colonel is starting to get a taste for real coffee, not the instant stuff I used to have to put up with."

"Hey," Cameron turned back, cup in hand. "It wasn't that bad."

"Oh, so why does everyone raid the coffee in my office all the time then?"

"Because it is the best coffee on the base," Teal'c admitted. "Is that not true, Colonel Mitchell?"

"Definitely, big guy."

General O'Neill came out of his office. "Alright, kids, let's get this over with," he ordered, and they took their seats. "You're up Colonel."

"Yes, sir. We gated to P4R-981 as planned. On arriving, we found ourselves in the middle of a civil war between the two ruling factions. Indiana gave her we're peaceful explorer's line, but they didn't go for it. The larger of the factions chucked us in jail, while the little dictator had Kayla taken to him."

"He thought I was going to buckle and tell him everything, and when he realized I wasn't going to cooperate, he let his interrogator have a go." Kayla filled in.

"After things got boring," Cameron continued, "we escaped, found our gear, and arrived in time to see Kayla had beaten the stuffing out of her interrogator. We high-tailed it out of there, and since the Lucian Alliance was out front, we took the back door. We found the kassa field on our way to the Stargate. I made the decision to burn it, and we then made a run for it. Jackson got to the Stargate first, dialed out, and had the gate open when Michaels was hit. I grabbed him, and we made it to the DHD. We covered Teal'c, and then I ordered Jackson to help Michaels, she got him through the gate, Teal'c and I followed."

"The Lucian Alliance did not take well to their kassa field being burned, and retaliated by opening fire as we proceeded to the Stargate." Teal'c reported.

Jack glanced from him to the archaeologist. "And when did you realize you'd fractured your wrist?"

Kayla winced. "As we were heading to the infirmary I noticed my wrist was swollen and it started to hurt."

"And you just had to try and heal it?" He asked her a touch sarcastically. "Just like your dad and Sheppard were able to do."

"It worked."

"Yes it worked, but Mitchell took matters into his own hands, and healed your cheek and lip."

"His intuition took over."

"His intuition caused him to pass out."

"He's fine, Jack," she insisted and gestured to the person in question. "See."

Mitchell smiled and Jack groaned. "All right," he yielded. "As I informed Kayla, Dr. Lam gave me a quick report on Major Michaels. He's going to be fine; he'll be back on his feet in a few days. I'm sure you can all find something to do until then."

"No problem, sir." Cameron assured.

"Good," he took the reports and stood. "Behave; dismissed," he warned as he returned to his office.

They headed for the nearest elevator; Teal'c chose level 21.

Cameron stood next to Kayla, his hand on her back as they both leaned against the wall. When the elevator stopped, an Airman joined them. Cameron felt her flinch a little, adding a gentle caress. "So, Jackson, got plans for the next few days?"

"I want to finish translating the tablet SG-15 brought back," she answered. "Why? Planning on bugging me when you get bored, Mitchell."

"After that comment, just might," he smirked.

The elevator stopped on 21 and they walked out, leaving the amused Airman to continue. Strolling into the Infirmary, they found Dr Lam standing next to the Major's bed.

"Hey doc, how's our boy?" Cameron asked.

"Ryan is going to be fine, Colonel," she answered with a warm smile. "If he's a good boy I'll release him tomorrow. At which time he will go home and rest."

"I will look after Major Michaels, Dr Lam." Teal'c assured.

"Of that I have no doubt, Teal'c," she said lightly.

Ryan rolled his eyes at them. "Thanks so much guys," he said wearily.

"Do you need anything, Ryan?" Kayla asked him.

"No, I'm good," he assured her, finding it hard to keep his eyes open. "Might sleep for a while," he managed to get out before drifting off.

"There you go, he's fine, now out," Carolyn ordered in a stern voice. "And no arguing."

"We will take our leave then," Teal'c said, bowing, and grabbed his two teammates by the arm, escorting them out. He didn't release them until they were out of the infirmary.

Cameron rubbed his arm. "Thanks for the assist big guy," he said a little sarcastically.

"You are welcome, Colonel Mitchell," he said and walked away.

Kayla gave him a smile and walked away, "See you later, Mitchell."

He shook his head and threw his hands up in frustration, and headed for the elevator.

Kayla went to her office and retrieved from the locked cabinet the tablet SG-15 had brought back with them, laying it gently on the workbench. She took a soft brush and cleaned the tablet, removing left-over dirt. She grabbed a notebook and started the translations; it was an old dialect of Ancient. Halfway through, she retrieved one of the books they'd brought back from Glastonbury Tor, and opened it up at a particular page.

Jon O'Neill found her working as he wandered into her office without knocking. Seeing the concentration on her face reminded him of her dad. He sat down at the workbench and waited.

Sensing she wasn't alone, Kayla looked up, seeing him. "Hi Jon," she frowned. "How long have you been there?"

"Not long." He then asked, "Planning on going home tonight?"

"Yeah, why?"

He looked at his watch. "It's after seven, I'm surprised Mitchell hasn't been on the phone wanting to know where you are, let alone why you haven't eaten."

"Cameron is still on base," she said calmly, going back to what she was doing.

"How do you know that?"

Kayla picked up the life-sign detector and flipped it around so he could see the screen. It showed a small dot, and beside it the word Mitchell was displayed. It was one of Sam's enhanced models. "He's in his own base quarters."

Jon chuckled. "Does he know you keep tabs on him with that?"

"No, just like I don't know he has one in his office; a gift from Jack," she retorted. "And I've eaten," she gestured to the tray on the workbench with the empty plate and juice bottle.

He chuckled, either Teal'c or Mitchell had gotten dinner for her. He got up, going around to her. "So what are you working on?"

"The tablet SG-15 brought back," she answered, and chewed on her bottom lip. "It talks about a great library."

"A great library?"

She nodded and then straightened. "I think the tablet is referring to the Library of Alexandria."

"You're kidding?"

"Nope." She opened the reference book she was using. "It's referred to here as well, a library of great knowledge that was welcome to all."

"There's so many stories concerning the Library of Alexandria, they even blame Julius Caesar for destroying it," Jon recalled.

Kayla nodded. "Caesar was pursuing Pompey into Egypt in 48 BC, he was cut off by the Egyptian fleet at Alexandria," she said, going into lecture mode. "Being outnumbered and in enemy territory, he ordered the ships in the harbor to be set on the fire. While the fire destroyed the Egyptian fleet, it also burnt down part of the city - the area where the Library stood."

"If the Library didn't burn to the ground, then what happened to it?"

"I think the Library was more than history records, I think it was a city like Atlantis," she theorized. "I think the Ancients – the Alteran's, realized the city was in danger and they left. The firing of the city's star drive engines could have started the fire, not Caesar, but it would have covered their escape."

"So it's out there, waiting to be discovered again," Jon said a little in awe.

"Yes."

He got up. "We have to take this to dad."

Kayla nodded at his excitement. "Except he's already left and we need a gate address," she added, chewing on her bottom lip.

"It's going to be a long night then," he announced. "Coffee?"

"Please," she agreed, turning her attention back to the stone tablet.

Around 2200, Cameron wandered into the office, Jon and Kayla were still working on the tablet, not even noticing he'd walked in. He cleared his throat. Both looked in his direction. "Jackson. O'Neill."

"Colonel," Kayla responded.

"Do either of you know what time it is?" he asked them, his arms folded against his chest.

Jon looked at his watch, "Crap, Cassie is going to kill me. I promised I'd be home early."

"You'd better get going, Lieutenant," Cameron insisted.

"Yes sir," he said and hurried out, calling back. "Night, Kayla!"

"Night Jon," she called after him.

"Alright Indiana, pack it up, let's go home." Cameron ordered, uncrossing his arms.

"But…"

"Pack it up, Jackson."

She sighed. "All right," she yielded, book marking the old volumes before stacking them up and securing the stone tablet. She closed down the desk computer and the tablet. "All set."

"Let's go," he urged.

She turned off the lights and followed him out, shutting the door. "Did you ring your mom and dad?"

"I did, they arrived this afternoon as planned," Cameron answered as they headed for the elevator, "and had no problem getting onto the Estate or into the house. I also told them to make themselves at home and not to wait up for us; but they will."

Kayla smiled. "Patrick and Maria Sheppard were like that, even after I was no longer their foster child, if I stayed with them, they waited up for me."

"Well, parents are like that,"

"Yeah, I guess they are," she said happily.

They changed into civvies and left the mountain, Cameron driving them home. They'd taken his Mustang to work that morning, leaving hers at home. Pulling up at the Estates entrance, they showed ID to the security guard and then were let in, continuing to their house. The garage door was activated from the car and they drove straight in, the sensor light coming on, parking next to the cherry red Mustang. After the engine was stopped the garage door closed automatically. They got out and headed inside from the garage, the lights turning off once they were inside the house.

Cameron saw the living room light was on. Wendy Mitchell saw them coming in, she stood smiling, going over to them.

"Hi mum," Cameron greeted.

"Hi honey," she said giving him a hug and then Kayla. "You both look tired."

"We are a little," Kayla said a little hesitantly. "It was a long day."

"Well, I won't keep you then," the older woman stated. "Off to bed the both of you, I'll turn off the lights and head off myself. Your father went ages ago."

Cameron smiled at that. "We'll see you in the morning, mum."

"You certainly will, now off with the both of you."

"Yes Ma'am," they both said together and hurried out. Heading up the stairs to the master bedroom, which was located at the end of the hallway.

Cameron shut the door when they were inside the large master bedroom; he'd switched on the overhead lights. "Shower then bed?"

"Sounds a plan," Kayla agreed. Toeing off her shoes, she pushed them with her foot to the end of the bed, leaving them there. Quickly ridding herself of her jeans and blouse, she strolled into the adjoining bathroom in just her underwear.

Chuckling softly, Cameron did the same; leaving his clothes next to hers on the chair, he joined her in the bathroom. She was already in the shower; he stripped and got in too. One of the things that had attracted him to the house was the large bathrooms. The adjoining bathroom had a shower recess and a large bath, a door off the bathroom hid the toilet. There were two sinks, his and hers. The shower had dual showerheads, one at each end.

Tugging Kayla into his arms, Cameron caressed her wet body, she leant against him, relishing in the touch of his hands and his lips. She turned in his arms so she could touch and caress him. They made love in the shower, then washed and got out, drying off before going back into their bedroom to dress for bed. Kayla turned the bed down and turned on the bedside lamp. Cameron turned off the overhead light and joined her in bed, after turning the lamp off, they lay cuddled together in the moonlight that shone through the curtains.

He kissed the top of her head. "What were you working on with Jon?"

"The Library of Alexandria, I think it was in a city like Atlantis," she answered running her fingers over his chest.

"Really?" He stroked her shoulder with his fingers.

"Mmm," she closed her eyes. "I've got to do some more research."

"Do you think you can find it?"

"I think so," she whispered, drifting off.

Cameron chuckled lightly. "Go to sleep, sweetheart," he told her, finding that she already had.

DF

Jack walked into the kitchen and wrapped his arms around his wife, who was standing at the sink. He nuzzled at her neck. "I checked on Drew, he's fast asleep. The front door is locked and the lights are turned off," he tugged at her blouse, pulling it loose from her skirt. "Want to fool around, doc?"

Margo giggled and turned in his arms. "Why General, I'm a married woman."

"So, I'm a married man," he said and then picked her up and sat her on the counter next to the sink. "I won't tell if you won't."

"And you plan on ravaging me on the kitchen counter?"

"For a start," he answered. "Or we could go into the bedroom."

"Well, I was thinking of a shower, first," she told him. "But we could negotiate."

"We could, huh," kissing her neck.

"Okay, bed, and then a shower," she said flustered.

"Thought you'd see it my way," he said and slid her off the counter. He carried her out of the kitchen, and into the bedroom.

Unknown to them, two watched their lovemaking, unseen; two known to Jack, who had both ascended when Anubis had attacked Abydos.

Are you sure about this my son? Kasuf said quietly, even though the couple on the bed could not hear him.

Skaara nodded, I am sure, good father. It is a chance to give back to O'Neill, it is a second chance for us both.

Then I wish you luck, my son, the ascended Abydonian said, and then was gone.

Closing his eyes, Skaara prepared himself. His invisible form slowly became a small glowing ball, then smaller again, floating over to the couple as they made love, entering Jack's body and then finally Margo's, where it settled in her womb, becoming cells that transformed the way nature intended, with a helping hand.

Margo snuggled into her husband, feeling his heartbeat slowing back to normal. They had discussed a lot during their honeymoon on Atlantis; one had been her wish to have a baby with him. She knew about Charlie, she knew how hard that had been for Jack, but she also knew how much he loved her son and she wanted a son of their own. She felt his hand rubbing gently over her flat stomach; she put her hand over his. "Thinking about what your sexual prowess might have accomplished?"

"Mmm, that's me, super stud," he jeered content.

"Jack," Margo cupped his cheek. "I love you, and if we're meant to have a baby, then it will happen."

He nodded. "I just don't want to disappoint you."

"You don't," she promised. "You never do." She kissed his lips. "Let's have that shower, you can show me some more of your sexual prowess."

"As long as you show me some more of yours."

"It's a deal," she mused.

He kept his end of the deal, in the shower and then back in the bedroom, both falling asleep with smiles on their faces.

DF

Kayla sat at a desk within the Colorado Springs Library of Antiquities. Research books were stacked up around her, her laptop was sitting on two large research books. She had a large book open before her as she jotted notes down on a yellow notepad. Getting out of the mountain and doing research in the Library had been Jack's idea, he'd decided all of SG-1 needed to get away from the mountain for a while, so he'd sent Ryan, crutches and all to a technology conference with Dr. Lee in Washington. Herself to the library and Cameron was giving a lecture at the Air Force Academy. Teal'c was off world visiting his son and daughter-in-law, Rya'c and Kar'yn had announced Teal'c was to be a grandfather. The former First Prime was still in shock.

Kayla heard a throat being cleared and looked up, seeing a man in his early thirties, long wavy brown hair that was pulled back in a ponytail, and soft brown eyes, smiling nervously at her. "Can I help you?"

"Yes. Blair Sandburg," he introduced himself. "You're Dr. Kayla Jackson?" She nodded. "I'm visiting the University of Colorado Springs, and I'm teaching Archaeology and Anthropology this semester. I had a class yesterday and one of my students was Lieutenant Jon O'Neill. He said he interns with you at an Air Force base; he disagreed with my theory on the Library of Alexandria."

Kayla groaned inwardly. "Please, sit down, Dr. Sandburg."

"Call me Blair," he insisted. "I must admit, getting hold of you wasn't easy. I ended up speaking to a rather annoying General."

She chuckled, guessing who that was. "General O'Neill?"

"That was him."

She smiled. "The General is rather protective."

"Yes, well, in desperation I got Jon's cell number from the University and rang him. He told me you were here," Blair revealed. "I hope I'm not disturbing you?"

"It's okay, I could use the break," she reassured. "So what did Jon say?"

Blair filled her in, explaining his theory on the disappearance of the Library of Alexandria, very different from the theory she was working on, but she had an advantage. "So you can see, Dr. Jackson, I was a little taken back by Jon shooting it down."

Kayla sighed; she was going to have a word with Lt. O'Neill. "Look, Blair, Jon has been helping me with my research on the Library of Alexandria. The theories we've been working on and researching haven't been authenticated as of yet," she said defusing the situation. "And, please, it's Kayla."

He nodded, smiling. "Excuse me for asking, Kayla, but what do you do with the Air Force?"

"I'm a civilian consultant," she answered. "The Air Force has funded several of my research projects, and I consult for them on languages and cultural protocols."

"I see, well, obviously you're doing well enough to hire an intern."

"Jon was assigned to me by the Air Force, but he is good at what he does," she praised, glancing at her watch. "I'm sorry Blair; I've really got to get back to work."

"Yes, of course, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to take up so much of your time," he apologized.

"It's quite all right," she assured.

He gave her a smile and pushed back his chair, standing. "It was nice to meet you, Kayla."

"You too, Blair," she said returning his smile. She watched him wander off to another part of the library. Sighing, she went back to work. She was really going to have a word with Jon; he needed to learn to keep his opinions to himself.

She was soon searching the shelves for other books. In the last year, a special donation of books had been made to the library by the family of an avid collector on his death. The books had been authenticated, and were worth quite a bit. They covered a wide range of subjects, and unknown to the library, some contained Ancient writing. She needed to inform Jack of them and their contents, and possibly have them moved to a secure area at the Library of Congress.

She was still at it an hour later when she felt her beeper go off. She unclipped it from her belt and brought up the message, smiling at what she read. She quickly reattached it to the belt in her jeans, saved and closed down her laptop, putting it and her notepad and pen away in her satchel. She then realized just how many books she'd pulled from the shelves.

"Smart, Kayla, real smart," she muttered to herself.

"Can I give you a hand?"

She jumped a little at the voice, finding Blair had come back over to her. "Um, yes, thank you."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," he apologized.

"That's okay," she said, also thinking, at least I didn't have a gun in my hand or a Zat. She picked up a couple of books and headed for the selves.

Blair did the same, putting what he had away; he went back for more, seeing Kayla was doing the same. They made three trips altogether, but finally all the books were back.

Kayla picked up her satchel, hooking it over her shoulder. "Thanks for the help. I get a little carried away."

"You're welcome," he insisted and then asked her. "Would you like to grab a coffee?"

"Um, I can't, sorry," she told him, spotting Cameron, seeing him heading over to her.

"Maybe another time, I'm going to be in town for another month or so," Blair offered.

"I really can't," she apologized.

Cameron had noticed Kayla talking to the geeky looking guy as soon as he walked in. He hurried his pace getting to her, as she seemed to be letting him down. He smiled as he reached her side, leaning in to kiss her cheek. "Hi, honey, sorry I'm late."

"It's okay," she said smiling as she took his hand and introduced the two of them. "Um, Lt. Colonel Cameron Mitchell, Dr. Blair Sandburg, he's teaching at UCS."

Cameron shook the guy's hand. "Nice to meet you, Blair."

"You too, Colonel," Blair said, becoming uncomfortable. "Well, um, thanks for the advice, Kayla."

"No problem," she said. "Enjoy your stay."

"Thanks."

"We've got to get going," Cameron told her.

She nodded. "Bye Blair."

"Bye," he said and when they'd gone, he smacked his forehead with the palm of his hand. "Smart move, Blair," he groaned, talking to himself, "Hitting on the girlfriend of an Air Force officer."

Outside the library, Kayla was laughing. "Honey?"

"Yeah, honey," Cameron, said grinning proudly. "Besides, he deserved it, he was hitting on you."

"He asked me out for coffee, and I refused," she revealed.

"Hitting on you," he repeated.

She giggled. "And my Prince Charming came to my rescue."

"Yes, ma'am," he said in his best southern boy accent, and then laughed with her as they headed for his car. "So did you get your research done?"

"I did and a lot more, I need to give Jack a ring," she answered. "How was your lecture?"

"It was okay, I'm just glad I don't have to do that too often."

"I don't know," she squeezed his hand. "I don't mind you wearing your Class A's."

"Well, I don't mind either, if it's for you," he said in a sexy tone of voice, seeing her blush, grinning. "That's my girl."

Once in the passenger seat of the Mustang, Kayla got out her laptop and her cell phone.

"What's so important you need to contact the General?" Cameron asked her.

"I found Ancient writing in a number of books in the Library, books that were donated to the Library from a deceased collector in England," she explained and called Jack, being put through. She explained what she'd found and then emailed him a list of the books, chuckling at his reply. "Bye Jack," she giggled and hung up.

She also sent an email to Jon, saying she wanted to see him in the morning, then logged off and closed down her laptop, putting it back into her satchel.

"I take it the General took it well." Cameron mused.

"He did," Kayla mused. "I think Margo's going to have to de-stress him tonight."

"Like you de-stress me?" he teased and saw her blush again. "I guess so."

She smacked his leg and they laughed together. "You wait; you're mom promised to tell me all about your high school years."

"She didn't?"

"Oh yes she did," she giggled and saw him frown, laughing harder.

DF

Jack woke Margo up by ravishing her in the twilight of early morning, just as he had done on Atlantis and nearly every morning since their return. He felt he couldn't get enough of making love to her.

When he arrived at the mountain with a smile on his face and a spring in his step, the Airmen just smiled and went about their work. The Sergeant at the checkpoint told him Dr. Jackson wanted to see him as soon as he arrived. He thanked the man, headed for his locker to change into BDUs, and then to his office. Through the star map, he could see not only Kayla, but also his oldest son and Mitchell huddled around the briefing room table with Colonel Reynolds, Major Michaels, and Teal'c; books, a stone tablet, and a computer tablet were spread out. He knew Kayla and Jon had been researching a theory all week, he also knew his son had been given a talking too by said Archaeologist, about what he didn't know. Kayla had said there'd been a problem, but she'd deal with it, and by the shouting that had occurred, he guessed she'd gotten her point across.

Sighing, Jack walked into the briefing room, deciding to get it over and done with.

They all straightened, and he sighed again. "Alright, before we start; Indiana, what time did you get here this morning?"

"Oh five thirty," she admitted. "The Colonel didn't arrive till 0600."

Jack rubbed his temples. He was going to be in for it all right. "What have you got?"

"Jon and I think we've found the Library of Alexandria," Kayla answered with enthusiasm, slipping quickly into her lecture mode. "Only it's not just a Library; it's a city, much like Atlantis. The Library was rumored to have been destroyed around 48 BC by Julius Caesar when he set fire to the city. I think the Alterans knew the city was in danger and that if they didn't leave, the knowledge that had been collected would be destroyed."

He jumped in when she took a breath. "Gate address, Indiana, do you have one?"

She nodded and turned the computer tablet, showing an address. "We have one."

"And you want to take a look?"

"General, Jackson translated the tablet brought back by SG-15," Cameron pitched. "It mentions the Library and Gateways between two galaxies."

"Gateways?"

"It could mean two Stargates," Jon noted, "or a Stargate capable of dialing more than one Galaxy."

"Is that possible?" Reynolds inquired before the General could.

Kayla chewed on her bottom lip, thinking it over. "In theory, you would need at least two extra Stargates." Turning the computer tablet back, she took the stylus pen and opened a blank screen. She drew two circles representing two Stargates. She then drew another circle, this one she wrote Earth on. "If the first Stargate was located on the edge of our Milky Way, it could connect to any other Stargate within our galaxy. The second Stargate could be located on the edge of a distant galaxy, for travel to Stargates within that other galaxy. So these two extra gates serve as a long distance connection, linking 4 Stargate together, allowing you to pass through each as if you were simply walking next door. This is necessary to avoid sudden solar flares or even exploding stars within either galaxy, giving us more stable pathways from point A to point B. I would bet that the Stargate network is doing this call forwarding every time Earth dials Atlantis. Anyway, it looks like they secretly built another city after having returned here then thousand years ago from Atlantis."

"But which galaxy did they move to, Indiana?" Jack wanted to know.

"The Pegasus galaxy," she answered.

"Kayla's right sir," Ryan backed her up. "The Alterans again launched a city, perhaps hoping to retake the Pegasus galaxy from the Wraith, or at least try and recover Atlantis from the ocean floor."

He nodded, it was pursuable. "SG-3 will accompany you as backup; you don't know what you're walking into." He saw Kayla grin. "I also want a MALP sent through first; if it's all clear, then you go."

"Thank you, Jack," she said and quickly gathered the books, computer and tablet. Jon and Mitchell gave her a hand, while Teal'c and Reynolds informed them they were going to organize the MALP.

Shaking his head, Jack wandered back into his office and called the control room, informing Walter what was going on. He gave them enough time to get the MALP ready, and to get geared up, before heading down to the control room.

"We're all set, sir," Harriman reported. "SG-1 and 3 are standing by." The last chevron locked into place, and the Stargate activated. "MALP is on the way."

Jack looked through the window to watch the MALP crawl up the ramp and roll through the Stargate. He then looked back at the monitor.

"MALP has arrived," Harriman reported, looking at a dark screen, "switching to infrared." The video feed showed a room of Alteran design and markings. "Breathable atmosphere, temperature around minus 15 degrees centigrade," the Chief read from the transmitted report. "It'll be cold, but it looks good sir."

Jack looked at Walter with raised eyebrows, and Walter suppressed a grin as he responded, "5 degrees Fahrenheit, sir."

"All right, Walter," Jack leant over and keyed on the mike. "SG-1 and 3, snow jackets everyone, you have a go."

Below in the control room, the guards on duty pulled white snow jackets out of the lockers located in the corridors, and handed them out, along with emergency winter equipment. The teams then walked up the ramp, with SG-1 in the lead, and into the watery event horizon.

They stepped out into cold darkness, lit only by the open Stargate. SG-3 stepped out behind them, and the Stargate closed down. Kayla took a step forward, shivering a little. She felt a familiar hum in her mind and smiled. She took another step and lights started coming on, revealing where they were.

"Are you doing that, Doc?" Reynolds inquired, being able to see his own breath.

She nodded. "I think so, it's reacting to the ATA gene," she said and then turned. What she saw was worth putting up with the cold. "Wow."

Cameron turned to take a look, "You were right, now I'm impressed."

"I was right," she agreed. "That looks like the control room at Atlantis." Kayla headed up the stairs, with each step she took, more lights came on, and the city came alive, almost. The rest of the two teams followed her up.

"Why would they abandon this place?" Lt. Ross asked.

Pulling off the dustsheet from a console, Kayla keyed in a few commands and managed to bring up data on a holo-screen, all in Ancient script. She studied it with Ryan, translating for him. "The planet suffered a major shift in rotation that triggered earthquakes, and an instant Ice age, trapping the city. It was then evacuated," she revealed.

"So, we're what, underwater? Again?" Cameron inquired.

"In a manner of speaking," she said cryptically. "We're under water, but we're also under the ice. According to this data, a large black object flew past the planet at incredible speed and mass, exerting a gravitational pull that caused the planet to wobble out of its normal spin. The city was instantly shifted to the northern pole, sending the temperature down to minus 50 C. By the time everyone was collected from the planet surface, and repairs made, it was too late. The city was locked into place, and buried under a hundred feet of snow that had fallen from the sudden freezing of the moist tropical air. The planet is still attempting to gain equilibrium, and has since shifted the city southwards, bringing the temperature up, and melting some of the surface ice."

"That will take a few million years. How are the shields?" Reynolds asked.

Ryan checked, getting Kayla to translate, both frowning. "According to these readings," the Major reported, "they should have lasted in a few hundred years, but with our arrival they're going to fail in a matter of minutes."

"And when that happens?"

"The failsafe should kick in before it becomes too critical, and raise the city," he told them, then straightened. "The problem is, how thick is the ice is above us?"

"So what do we do?" Major Montgomery asked.

Kayla crewed on her bottom lip, and then got an idea, the same time as Cameron did, both of them saying. "Drones!"

"Drones?" Reynolds was skeptical.

Jon got it. "We fire a few dozen drones up and break through the ice, so the city can rise up without being crushed."

Kayla nodded quickly, checking the readings again. "And we're going to have to hurry, as our presence here is accelerating the drain on the ZPM, which is now warming up the entire city," she announced. "Jon, take over here, keeping monitoring the shields and ZPM readings. Mitchell and I'll head to the Chair Room."

He nodded and took over at the console, leaving Colonel Reynolds standing there gaping. "Mitchell, Jackson?" he called after them.

"Sorry, Colonel, no time to argue," Cameron told him as he and Kayla dashed down the stairs again and out of the Gate Room.

As they ran more lights and systems came on within the city, which meant more power was being drawn from the ZPM. They used the stairs instead of the transport chambers. By the time they reached the chair room they could feel a vibration in the floor, which could only mean that the city was starting to prepare to rise out of the water.

Kayla managed to stay on her feet and get to the dais, checking the ZPM that powered the chair; it was still at full strength. She decided to reboot the system by pulling out a panel and then removing-replacing a crystal. Scrambling to her feet, she sat in the chair, smiling as it lit up. She reclined back to where she was almost lying horizontally. She put her hands on the gel like control pads, and closed her eyes.

Cameron hung onto the chair to keep from falling, the vibration increasing as each sub-light engine activated at low power, preparing for full thrust to purge the ballast tanks and initiate an upward movement. "Come on, Sunshine," he urged.

She finally found the controls for the drones in the vast map within her mind, and launched two dozen, sending them into a circle pattern larger than the diameter of the ship. She then sent a dozen more drones upwards in a starburst pattern, ordering them to break up the huge plate of ice directly above the city. In less than a minute the surface of the water was an icy slush, with harmless chucks of ice floating freely.

In the control room, SG-3, Michaels, and Teal'c hung on as the vibration in the floor reached a crescendo. First they both felt and heard explosions, and then a loud rumbling. Next they felt a lurch, and then a sudden upwards motion. The city accelerated upwards and broke free of the icy barrier, settling on the surface of a frozen landscape. A wintry sunlight came shining through the large stained glass windows, sending multiple colors over the Gate Room.

The seven men sighed in relief as Reynolds tapped his earmic. "Mitchell, Jackson, we're on the surface."

"The shield has been lowered, or perhaps failed, sir," Ryan reported.

"Made it in the nick of time, Colonel," Cameron remarked over the radio.

"Certainly did, Colonel," Reynolds agreed.

"We'll head to the ZPM power distribution center, and take a look."

"I'll have Ross, Michaels and Teal'c met you there," Reynolds told him and then looked to the three. "We'll contract the SGC and give them an update."

Teal'c bowed his head slightly and addressed Lt. Ross, "This way, Lieutenant."

The Lieutenant followed him and the Major down the stairs and out of the Gate Room.

"Alright, Junior, dial it up," Reynolds said to Jon.

Jon moved to another control panel and pulled the dustsheet from it, finding a typical Atlantis DHD. He dialed Earth quickly, using the solid state version of the Stargate, not having to wait for rings to rotate, "Go ahead, Colonel. Internal communications are online."

Reynolds arched an eyebrow, but gave it a shot. "SGC, this is Reynolds, do you read."

"Acknowledged, Colonel." Harriman's voice came over the operations communications system. "General O'Neill is in the infirmary."

"What happened, Chief?" he asked, worry showing on his face.

"The General's wife fainted, sir, I don't know anything more at the moment," Harriman reported. "The General did order SG-1 to report back in person in eight hours. No excuses."

"All right, Chief, I'll send them back at the allotted time, one of them most likely kicking and screaming."

"Yes sir," the Chief said with a chuckle, "SGC out." The Stargate closed down.

"Alright people, let's go exploring," Reynolds told them.

"You get to tell Dr. Jackson the news, sir," Jon declared. "Because there is no way I'm going to tell her she has to return in eight hours."

"Coward."

"When it comes to women, sir, better a live coward than a dead martyr, sir," the young Lieutenant smirked.

DF

Dr. Carolyn Lam walked back over to the General, who sat not so patiently beside his wife, who lay unconscious on the bed. She saw him move when Margo stirred, standing next to him.

Margo glanced up at them confused. "What happened?" She asked.

"You fainted," Carolyn reported.

"Scared the hell out of Lieutenant Stephens," Jack remarked.

"So why did I faint?" Margo asked, and saw the doctor smile. "Carolyn?"

"You're pregnant," Carolyn said happily. "Congratulations."

Jack looked pleased with himself. "Damn I'm good."

Margo laughed and sat up. Swinging her legs off the bed, she stood and wrapped her arms around him. "Yes, you are."

He gave a cheerful yell and swung her around as she giggled, settling her back on her feet, he kissed her. Not caring they were standing in the infirmary, or that the nurses on duty and several orderlies had come running.

Carolyn chuckled, "All right, cut it out you two," she ordered lightly. They parted, grinning happily. "I'd like to do a scan to determine how far along you are, using an Alteran device we stole from Atlantis. It can observe a week old fetus, not that there is much to see."

Margo nodded. "Do you want to do that now?"

The doctor nodded as an orderly wheeled in a sonogram machine and set it up. "Hop back up on the bed Margo." She did, lying down. Carolyn took the wand and gel. "You'll have to undo your trousers for me and lift up your shirt a little.

Margo felt Jack take her hand, and she gave him a reassuring smile.

Carolyn squirted gel on the wand and then placed it on Margo abdomen; she moved it around until an image of the fetus was seen clearly on the monitor. "By the growth of the fetus, you're about four weeks along," she revealed.

"But I had my period," Margo added.

"Was it heavy or light?"

"Light, that was a little unusual."

"Well it's not uncommon." Carolyn declared and then moved the wand again, arching an eyebrow. "Well, well."

"Well, what?" Jack wanted to know a little anxious.

"You'd better sit down, Jack." She told him.

"Why?"

"Because," she revealed. "Margo is carrying twins."

"Twins?" he said weakly and sat on the stool beside the bed. "Twins!"

"You're sure?" Margo asked, the shock evident in her voice.

"I'm sure," Carolyn held the wand steady and pointed to the monitor with her other hand. "Here is baby number one and here," she moved the wand a little, "is baby number two, tucked right up behind baby number one." She pressed buttons on the screen and then removed the wand, the monitor going blank. She put the wand away and took some tissues, wiping the gel off Margo's abdomen. "You can get up now."

Margo managed to free her hand from Jack's and sat up, getting off the bed she tucked her shirt in again and did up her trousers. Turning to her husband who sat there stunned. "Jack."

"Two," he whispered.

"Two," she repeated and moved closer, wrapping her arms around him, feeling him gently rub his hand over her stomach. "That's my super stud," she whispered.

Carolyn handed them a sonogram photo. "There you go, dad, first baby photo."

Jack took it. It still hadn't fully sunk in. "Twins."

"Twins, Jack." Margo said, a little bewildered. "Double the trouble."

"Oh boy," he exclaimed.

Carolyn patted him on the arm. "You'll be fine, Jack," she assured, finding it slightly amusing. The usually unshakeable General brought down by the news he was going to be the father of twins. "I'll give you two a moment alone," she told them and ushered the orderly out.

"Jack?" Margo stroked his cheek. "Are you alright?"

"Twins," he repeated. "We're having twins."

She smiled and nodded. "We are," she took the photo from him and placed it carefully on the bed before cupping his face in her hands, kissing him. "Super stud," she mused.

Jack groaned. "God, I'm never going to live that down, am I?"

"Nope," she giggled. "I intent to seek out a repeat performance when we get home this evening, I think Drew will be going to bed early this evening, and so will we."

"We're going to have to tell him," Jack noted. "He's going to be too excited to sleep once he knows he's going to have twin siblings."

"Well, I just hope you're too excited to sleep," she said in a soft sexy voice.

Jack shivered in anticipation, not cold, "Maybe we can go home early tonight."

"Maybe," she agreed and then whispered in his ear, "Is there a camera in your base quarters?"

He jumped to his feet. "There is, but I have a feeling it's going to go on the blink," he said determinedly. Snatching the photo up, he took her hand and guided her out of the ward.

Carolyn chuckled as they passed her, Margo looked a little flushed, and Carolyn had a feeling Margo was going to be more than a little flushed, and very soon.

DF

Cameron followed his archaeologist down the corridor of the Ancient City. "Your dad would flip over this place."

Kayla nodded. "We should contact Atlantis, even McKay would get a kick out of this."

"True." The door ahead of them slid opened. "Okay, I guess we're going that way."

She chewed on the inside of her cheek. "I think we're being led somewhere."

"Where?"

She shrugged. "I don't know," and walked through the open door.

Cameron followed her, walking down yet another corridor. "You know, my parents think you're good for me."

Kayla smiled. "Well, my parents like you too; though my grandfather however thinks you're too old for me."

"Really?" He was a little surprised. "Well I suppose that does explain why Jacob was frowning at me during your dad's wedding." He relaxed his grip a little on his P-90. "My dad was a little concerned, he even questioned me about my intentions, but after I told him I love you, he was okay with it."

"What about your mum?" she queried curious.

"Well, after your first visit, I think she put it all together before we did," he admitted. "She just told me not to hurt you."

"Did she tell you that when you were dating your ex-wife?"

He hadn't expected that question. "Actually no," he answered. "Kathryn and I were high school sweethearts; we got married after I graduated from the Academy. Mum thought we rushed into it; actually she thought Kathryn was pregnant and that was why we'd gotten married. I guess we did rush into marriage, neither of us handled it very well."

"Well, you're not the only one in that department," Kayla told him. "John jumped head first too, and instead of swimming, he sank."

"Really, Sheppard was married?" He asked stunned.

She nodded her head slowly. "Nancy couldn't take not knowing where he was, the fact he couldn't talk about his work." She paused, and then added. "Me."

"You?"

She nodded again. "She thought John was having an affair with me, she knew I had been his foster sister and that we were very close. He told me things he never told her. So she just assumed he was in love with me."

"It became messy?"

"Very."

"Well that explains his reluctance to jump into matrimony again." Cameron declared.

"True, but Elizabeth is good for him, he'll see that eventually," Kayla assured him, and then playfully bumped his shoulder. "What about you?"

"Me," he bumped her back, teasing to hid what he was feeling. "I have my eye on this multiple PhD geek, who is damn sexy. Was thinking of asking her?"

Kayla stopped sharply, realizing he'd stopped walking, she turned facing him. He'd been thinking of proposing. "Marriage?"

Cameron nodded, remaining calm and confident on the outside, but inside he was a mess. "Was thinking about it."

Swallowing hard, she stopped closer. "You want to get married?"

"Yes."

"To me?"

He licked his lips. "I was planning something romantic, you know dinner, candlelight, the whole thing, but I guess it doesn't matter where doesn't it?" he saw her shake her head, still in shock. He got down on one knee and took her hand. "Marry me, Kayla?"

She nodded as he got to his feet. "Yes," she stumbled out, grinning, "yes."

Leaving his P-90 hanging from his vest clip, he cupped her face in his hands and kissed her, parting her lips, deepening it, her tongue doing a tantalizing dance with his. He knew he shouldn't have been doing it, but the opportunity had been one he couldn't let go. He maneuvered her up against the wall without breaking the kiss, neither taking any notice of the P-90's that were digging into them, or the door that slid open ahead of them. Only the need to breathe brought them apart. It was then Kayla took notice of the open door.

"Cam," she gestured to it.

He looked. "I guess it's time to get back to work."

"I guess so," she agreed. "Later?"

"Most definitely," he responded and let her go, feeling a little warm. Damn she could kiss.

Kayla, her cheeks flushed, moved away from him and headed for the open door. Cameron followed her and they walked through together, the lights coming on, making them both stop quickly. "Wow!"

"Oh yeah, most definitely wow," he exclaimed.

They'd stepped into a huge room with a high glass ceiling. Down corridors off the massive expanse, for as far as they could see, there were books and parchments, scrolls and stone tablets, statues large and small; busts and artifacts of all shapes and sizes. They had found the lost Library of Alexandria.

Cameron tapped his radio earmic. "Reynolds, this is Mitchell. We found it."

"The Library?"

"Yes, sir."

"You found the Library?" Jon's voice came over the radio earmic.

"Yes, Jon," Kayla answered him grinning. "We did."

"Where are you?"

"Good question, Lieutenant." Reynolds half joked. "Care to share your location with the rest of the class, ma'am?"

Cameron laughed, and since Kayla had zoned out, he gave the Colonel directions, being informed they were to stay there. "Got it Colonel, Mitchell out."

Kayla walked over to one of the many shelves of books. She dug out a pair of rubber gloves from her vest and carefully removed a book. Opening it, she found the writing in Ancient. "Cam."

"What?" he hurried to her side.

"This is a record, dating back years before Caesar," she revealed, carefully opening the book further to the front, "It has a record of the occupation of Egypt by Ra, to his leaving, and the burying of the Stargate."

He looked from the book in her hands to the many others. "So this is really is the lost Library of Alexandria."

She nodded, looking up. "It is."

"Nice," he exclaimed.

Reynolds and Jon arrived a few minutes later, the SG-3's archaeologist hurried over to his colleague, leaving his team leader to talk to SG-1's team leader.

"This is amazing!"

Cameron nodded. "We should contact Atlantis, Daniel should be involved in this, a lot of the books are written in Ancient."

Reynolds nodded. "McKay will want to check things out too. I'll dial Earth and give them an update."

"Well, I'll look after our archaeologists," Cameron volunteered.

"And I'll tackle the General and Dr. Weir," SG-3's Colonel declared.

"Good luck."

"Thanks so much," Reynolds grumbled and walked out. There was no way SG-1 was going to be heading back now. In operations, he found Major Michaels and Lt. Backer. "Gentlemen."

"Sir," the Lieutenant acknowledged him. "Major Montgomery and Lt. Ross have checked in, they're continuing to search their sector of the city. Teal'c also checked in, he's going to meet up with the Major and Ross."

"Thank you Lieutenant," the Colonel responded and then addressed SG-1's Major. "Michaels, you said we could hook up with two gates at once?"

Ryan nodded. He had already verified that the 3 depleted ZPM's had been replaced by fully powered modules, with a few to spare in the primary power distribution room. "Yes sir. First we dial Atlantis, then they call us back. All I have to do, at least according to Kayla and her flash-memories from the ARK, is hit these three buttons, then dial Earth."

"Do it."

He sat down at the console next to Backer; each had a dialing computer in front of them. "Lieutenant, dial, Earth and send your IDC, I'll dial Atlantis and send my IDC."

"Yes sir," Backer acknowledged. He dialed Atlantis, gave them his IDC and told them to call back, with no explanation. He then followed Kayla's instructions and dialed Earth, activating the visual feeds.

"You're good to go, sir," he told Reynolds, gesturing to the screen to their left.

"SGC, this is Reynolds," he said and then acknowledged Atlantis, who was right of the split screen. "Atlantis, this is Reynolds."

General O'Neill was the first to answer; he looked a little confused. "Reynolds, what's going on?"

Dr. Weir was also curious. "A good question, General. Colonel, if you would?"

"To bring you up to speed, Sir, Ma'am," Reynolds said, addressing both. "SG-1 and my team found a city, much like Atlantis, and Kayla has used her mind-meld with that ARK to set up a 5 Stargate connection, using very little power.

"Colonel, did she find it?" Jack interrupted, caring little for technical details.

"Yes, sir, Dr. Jackson found the Library of Alexandria."

Daniel Jackson appeared next to Elizabeth Weir, and nearly screeched, "Kayla found the Library of Alexandria? Are you kidding me!"

The Colonel smiled, "She did indeed, Daniel, her and Mitchell. He's there at the moment, keeping an eye on her and Junior, and all the priceless artifacts."

Daniel turned, "Elizabeth…"

She cut him off, grinning, "You want to take a look?"

"Do bears…?"

She cut him off, smiling as she replied, "Get your gear and go!" Looking back at the screen, "General, if you have no objections to a joint exploration of the city?"

"None at all, Doctor," he sighed, and then spoke to his 2IC. "I take it this is going to take a few days?"

"Yes sir."

"All right, I'll call Mitchell's parents and tell them the kids have been called away," he said with trepidation. "I'll also send through supplies."

"We could use some more winter clothing, sir," the Colonel announced. "The city is supplying heat, but the outside temperature is below freezing at high noon, and parts of the city don't have power at the moment."

Jack agreed. "Where exactly is this city, Colonel?"

After giving Jack a rundown of recent events, Dr Weir exclaimed, "Amazing! I'll have my people ready to come through within the next hour."

"Ma'am, you'll need to transmit an IDC. The Stargate also has an Atlantis-type shield, and we don't want the Wraith crashing our party," Ryan pointed out. "You'll have to do the same, General. And we'll need guards 24/7."

Both replied at once, "Understood." Elizabeth turned as her name was called, then after a moment turned back, "We've received your transmission, Major. One hour then, Atlantis out."

"Received transmission, General," he heard Walter say.

Jack nodded, and then addressed the screen, "SG-2 will be through in two hours, with supplies, Colonel."

"Thank you, sir."

"Check in every eight hours, Colonel, SGC out."

Communications with Earth concluded and the Stargate closed down.

Reynolds tapped his earmic, "Scotty?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Head back to the main complex, we've got SGC and Atlantis company coming," he ordered. "Living quarters have become priority for the moment."

"Yes sir."

"Teal'c?"

"Yes, Colonel Reynolds?"

"We're going to need an armory, preferably near the Gate Room."

"I will endeavor to find a location suitable, Colonel Reynolds."

"Thank you, Teal'c, Reynolds out." He crossed his arms against his chest. "Gentlemen, we've got guest coming."

DF

An hour later, to the second, the Atlantis personnel arrived, bringing everything that was needed, including warm clothing. Colonel Reynolds greeted them, "Colonel Sheppard, doctors, welcome."

"Nice place here," John Sheppard jeered, looking around.

"We like it," Reynolds said with a smirk. "We've an armory set up, as well as quarters," he added, getting serious. "Kayla and Jon are in the Library with Colonel Mitchell. Major Michaels is in the power distribution room, trying to determine why parts of the city are not functioning properly. According to SG-1, this place has a similar layout to Atlantis, so you shouldn't have any problems, and we have your assigned quarters."

John turned to his team. "All right, let's get everyone settled before we act like we're taking over."

"Yes, well, it's obvious Major Michaels needs my help," Rodney said without hesitation, "So, can we get moving?"

"I'm sure Major Michaels is waiting with anticipation for your arrival Rodney," his team leader remarked with sarcasm.

"Oh very funny."

"I thoughts so," he smirked as, Daniel, Ronon and Teyla chuckled to themselves.

They quickly sorted out quarters, and those bringing weapons left rifles at the armory, along with their vests, keeping only their side arms. McKay took his team of engineers and headed for the power room, while others headed up to the control room. Daniel and John headed to the Library, along with the other assistant archaeologists. Ronon and Teyla stayed in the Gate Room as first shift guards, and to help Teal'c with supplies when they arrived an hour later.

The Library took Daniel and his team of archaeologists by surprise, not having been told it was almost the size of the entire city, with massive corridors running down the length of each pier. Daniel suspected that the city had been built as a library, one that could fly. Kayla spoke briefly to the junior staff about what she had found so far, and then let them lose; it was like sending kids into a candy store. Not that Daniel was any better; he was soon caught up in his daughter's enthusiasm, following her further into the library, which was one of the few parts of the city that was at a comfortable temperature.

John took a seat next to Cameron. "You realize we're not going to get any sense out of them for days?"

"Yeah, I'm just here to make sure Indiana and Junior eat," his counterpart said casually. "You know what archaeologists are like when they get going."

"Oh yeah, especially archaeologists named Jackson," the Atlantis team leader declared.

"Very true," Cameron agreed. Lt. Ross had taken their vests and P-90's to the armory, leaving them with only their side-arms. Their radio earmics were now linked to the cities internal communications system. He approached the next subject carefully, rubbing his hands down the legs of his trousers. "Indiana said you'd been married."

"Yep, member of the First Husband's club," John jeered. "Started good, ended messy."

"Know all about that," the SG-1 Colonel stated. "Though I get on better with my ex now than before."

"You're lucky. Mine thought I was sleeping with Kayla," John snorted. "I consider her my sister, we might not be blood, but she's still my sister."

"And no guy is good enough?"

Shrugging, John smiled a little. "I wouldn't say that, you're good enough."

"So, I have your approval?" Cameron asked him hopefully.

"You do, you just have to ask Daniel," the Atlantis Colonel told him. "That is if you're talking marriage."

"I asked her, she said yes."

"Then you'd better go talk to Daniel," John advised.

Cameron nodded slowly, hesitating. "I didn't feel this nervous last time," he admitted.

"That's because there's a difference between loving someone and being in love with someone," John explained. "And you're in love with Kayla."

"It's that obvious?"

"It's that obvious," John said bluntly and then grinned.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome. Now go talk to her father."

Cameron nodded again. "Right," he stood and walked over to where the two Jackson's were working. "So, find the meaning of life yet?"

"88," Kayla retorted without looking up from the book she was studying.

He laughed. "No more Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy for you, Jackson," he said and she looked up smiling, that smile that made him feel like he was the centre of her universe. The one that had him lost in her eyes.

Daniel cleared his throat, getting their attention. "Was there a reason why you came over, or are you just bored?"

Shuffling nervously, Cameron moved from foot to foot. "Actually, there was a reason," he confessed. "I want to ask permission to marry your daughter."

Daniel was a little surprised. "Marry?" He saw the younger man nod. "You're sure about this?"

"Yes, sir."

"Well," Daniel put his book down and pulled off his gloves. "Let's go for a walk, Colonel."

"Yes, sir."

"Dad," Kayla protested.

"We'll be fine, kiddo," he assured her, and left the library with Mitchell.

She sighed. Leaving the book she'd been looking at, she walked through the library, heading towards the back. So far, none of their team had managed to get back there. Being alone with her thoughts, it didn't bother her; she preferred to work alone at times. The scrolls she found were stored in protective casing, written in hieroglyphs, Greek, Babylonian, and other cursive writing. The books were mostly written in Ancient, some in Greek and other languages.

Taking her PDA out she made notes, sitting with books in front of her, becoming so engrossed in what she was doing that she didn't see or hear Cameron arrive sometime later.

He sat next to her. "Jackson," he got no response. "Jackson… Kayla."

She looked up, frowning, "How long have you been there?"

"A few minutes," he answered. "What are you doing back here?"

"It's quiet," she admitted. "How did the talk go?"

"It went well, your dad likes me, remember," he said lightly with a smile. "And he gave us his blessing."

"I had no doubts," she smirked.

"Sure you didn't," he teased her.

"Okay, maybe a little," she noted and then pointed her styles pen at him. "You did too; I saw the look on your face when he said to take a walk with him."

Cameron shrugged. "Facing Goa'uld, Jaffa, Sodan and Wraith are easy compared to facing your dad. The man was trained by the General."

"And Jack is as big a teddy bear as dad is," Kayla noted.

"Right, one that carries a pistol and a P-90," Cameron remarked. "The man is as deadly as he is smart; Ronon and Teyla have been working out with him."

"You worry too much." She got up, going back over to the scroll casings. A beeping got her attention. She put her PDA away, pulling off the gloves she was wearing. She pulled out the LS detector from her vest, and could see that it was registering the junior archaeologist's, Jon, her father and John, as well as the two of them. The alert told her it was also registering another life sign.

Cameron came over to her. "What have you got?"

"Life sign," she whispered and tapped her earmic. "John?"

"What's up Kayla?"

"Do you have an LS detector on you or dad?"

"Hang on, it's in the pack," there was a pause then, "we're reading an extra life sign!"

"So are we," she replied, and reached for her sidearm the same time as Mitchell did. "We're towards the back of the Library, um, partway down what should be pier 4."

"We're on our way, stay there, Kayla. Mitchell."

She glanced at the LS detector again. "It's not moving," she told Cameron, keeping her voice down.

"Could it be watching us?" Cameron asked her, looking at the device.

"I don't know," she said glancing around, seeing no one around them.

Daniel and John came running towards them, they also had their weapons drawn, and the archaeologist had his LS detector out. "Lieutenant O'Neill is rounding the archaeologist's up and keeping them near the center until we give the all clear," the Colonel revealed.

"Let's move out, then," Cameron ordered.

With weapons ready, he and Kayla went first, keeping the LS detector close to her pistol but not in the way of her sight; Daniel and John just behind and either side of them as they moved further into the library, and running into a wall.

"It's behind this wall." Kayla pointed out quietly.

"Secret door?" Daniel put to her.

She nodded and they looked around. John moved to the closest bookshelf and looked at it for a moment, then reached out and moved the largest of the books. Part of the wall slid open. They all looked at him with an expression that said some warning please! He shrugged and they headed inside, finding themselves in a lab. The lights came on as they entered. They lowered their weapons, putting them back in their holsters.

"Stasis chamber," Daniel said, referring to the chamber in front of them. It was smaller than the ones they'd seen before, and it was horizontal. "I've never seen one like this."

"Me neither," John added. "All the ones we've found are larger and vertical."

Kayla put the LS detector away and walked over to the chamber that sat on the bench. "It's small enough for a child or a baby," she noted and reached out to touch it.

Cameron grabbed her hand, and the both of them ended up hitting a force field that quickly deactivated. "Indiana…"

A holographic image of two people activated before them, and it looked exactly like Kayla and Cameron, a little older, and wearing clothing of the Ancients. The holographic Kayla had long hair that was loose down her back. "Hello Cameron, Kayla. If you're watching this recording, then everything has gone as planned," the holographic Colonel reported. "Before you is a stasis chamber, a little more advanced than the ones found on Atlantis, as we had help from the Asgard when designing it. And yes, we're you, well, you in a way," he declared. "We're genetic clones, we're known as Mitch and Danyelle."

"Genetic Clones?" Cameron whispered and saw Kayla shrug perplexed.

"We were created by Ba'al, who wanted us as hosts for himself and his Queen. Once we learned of his plan, and that we were clones, we escaped, and by accident ended up in an alternate universe," Danyelle continued. "We were found by the people of Auratora, the city you're now in. They saved our lives, as the method of our arrival was not pleasant and rather painful, and it took a while for both of us to recover."

"We also discovered that there was no way back," Mitch told them. "Believe me, we tried, for two years with the help of the Scientists of Auratora, but they couldn't reproduce the anomaly that brought us to them. So we went on with our lives. The good news is that the timeline of the alternate universe is shifted, but the events are almost identical, so we knew that you would be coming to this Library, an event that has already happened in our own universe."

Danyelle smiled. "We married, and for a long time thought we wouldn't be blessed with a child," sadness replaced her happiness. "When we'd finally given up hope, I fell pregnant."

Her husband put his arm around her. "It was then we discovered what Ba'al had done to us. He'd genetically altered us both, so that if by any chance we escaped, we wouldn't live. The Alterans had given us extra time when they saved our lives, but they couldn't stop the cellular degradation, we were dying," he revealed. "Our time was running out. Our baby, however, was unaffected, and the doctors didn't understand. We contacted the Asgard, who, after studying both Danyelle and I, concluded that the baby's Ancient DNA was what was saving her. She would be born unaffected and perfect."

"With our time running out, the Asgard helped us design this chamber so that one day you would both find our daughter," Danyelle said. She smiled sadly, her hand rested on her swollen stomach. "In two days time our daughter will be born, and two hours after her birth she will be placed in the stasis chamber before you."

"Danyelle and I have talked with the doctors, and have come to the conclusion that the painful death that awaits us isn't what we want. So we're going to ascend," Mitch told them. "The Alterans have been instructing us both in the process, and Danyelle is certain we can both do it. I believe her. What we ask of you is to look after our daughter."

"The chamber will open as soon as you both touch it, it's designed that only the two of you can open it," Danyelle said, tears in her eyes. "Please take care of our daughter, give her the life we couldn't."

The holographic projection flickered and then deactivated. Kayla squeezed Cameron's hand. She saw the look in his eyes, seeing the same longing she'd felt since Aeron and Ari had been found. Together they touched the chamber.

Daniel stepped forward. "Guys, we should have waited." He tapped his earmic. "Carson, this is Daniel."

Doctor Beckett had come through with them from Atlantis, "Yes Daniel."

"Do you have an infirmary set up?"

"Aye, is someone hurt?"

"No, but we're going to have a patient for you in a moment," Daniel revealed, and quickly filled the doctor in. "Standby, Carson."

"We'll be ready."

The chamber opened with a hiss, and then there was a piercing cry. Kayla quickly reached in and gently lifted the swaddled newborn out, cradling the little baby in her arms. The child settled down, snuggling against her.

"Let's get going." John urged them, ushering them quickly out of the lab; he tapped his earmic. "O'Neill, this is Sheppard, make a hole, we're coming your way."

"Acknowledged, Colonel."

Picking up the pace, Kayla held the baby securely against her, Daniel and Cameron keeping up with her, John leading the way. They rushed through the library and past the archaeological team, yelled "All clear, back to work!", and then they ran out of the library. The Atlantis team leader used the stairs instead of the transport chambers, getting them to the infirmary.

"Over here lass," Carson urged, and patted the exam bed. "Sit up here with the bonny baby."

Kayla managed to get up on the bed, keeping the baby in her arms. "Is she alright, Carson?"

Unwrapping the baby a little from the blanket, he checked her heartbeat, and then her temperature, smiling as the newborn yawned. He then used an Ancient medical scanner, getting positive readings. "She's a healthy bonny lass, luv," he reported, and then added. "She has your eyes, Kayla," he said and then glanced at Mitchell. "And you're nose, Colonel."

John chuckled and slapped Daniel playfully on the back. "Looks like you've just become a grandfather, pops."

Daniel frowned, "Thanks so much, Sheppard."

"You're welcome."

Cameron sat up on the bed next to Kayla. He offered his finger to the newborn, who grabbed it. "Are you sure she's alright, Carson?"

"Aye, lad, she's a healthy bonny baby, about two hours old, no flakey skin, coloration or any other signs of prolonged stasis use," he reported. "I'd like to have a look at the stasis chamber she was in. It has to be more advanced than anything we've come across."

"The Asgard helped design it," Kayla said softly. What had happened still hadn't sunk in. "They couldn't help her parents, but they did what they could to ensure the baby survived until we arrived."

Colonel Reynolds ran in with Michaels, Teal'c, Ronon and Teyla behind him. "What's going on?"

"Shush, Colonel," the doctor hushed him.

They moved closer, seeing the newborn in Kayla's arms, still hanging onto Colonel Mitchell's finger.

"Would someone like to explain what's going on?" Reynolds asked again, this time more softly.

They filled them in, giving a detailed report, keeping their voices down so as not to disturb the infant.

"So, she is your daughter?" Teyla clarified.

A shiver ran up Kayla's spine, and she looked at the Athosian. "I guess she is," she said, as it finally started to set in. "Her parents were our genetic twins in a way."

"She will need a name, Kayla Jackson," Teal'c pointed out, accepting it fully.

"Danyelle," Cameron said without hesitation, seeing the woman he loved smile, "After her mother, Danyelle Jackson."

"Danyelle Mia Jackson-Mitchell," Kayla corrected, and he agreed, understanding.

"Why Mia?" her father asked.

"Mia is a derivative of Michelle, which is the feminine of Michael, and Mitchell is a form of Michael," she explained, "So Mia, for her father."

Reynolds rubbed his temples. "I'd better contact the SGC. Doc, what is the newest member of our expedition going to need?"

"Maybe we should head back to Earth?" Kayla stated, concerned for the wellbeing of the newborn, she spoke to Cameron more than the rest of them, searching his face for answers.

"Are you sure," he asked her. "You've put so much into finding the library."

"Danyelle is more important."

Carson found the scene touching, the two had suddenly fallen into parenthood, but it was obvious they were going to land on their feet. "It may be best luv if we kept the bonny baby here for the time being," he advised. "She's been through enough; I don't think a trip through the Gate would be advisable at the moment. Remember your first reaction?"

Kayla swallowed hard, she hadn't thought of that. "Okay."

Carson smiled and addressed the Colonel. "I'll make you a list, Colonel Reynolds."

Ronon smiled, his arms crossed against his chest. "She is a cute little thing."

"Takes after her mother," Ryan smirked.

"Jack is going to freak out," Daniel stated calmly. "Well, he will up until he sees her, then he'll change his mind."

Cameron found the infant was sucking on his finger. "I think she's hungry," he revealed, fascinated with the toddler.

"I'll head back to Atlantis, we have infant formula from when Aeron was first born," his soon to be father in law said. Daniel kissed his daughter on the forehead. "You're doing fine, kiddo," he whispered, then a little louder. "I won't be long." She nodded as he left the infirmary.

Reynolds followed him out, having the list of required items with him.

John got Carson alone for a moment, keeping his voice down. "Can you do a DNA test?"

"To confirm she is the daughter of their genetic twins?" Carson asked him rhetorically, and the Colonel nodded. "Aye, I need to do a full physical, just to make certain, so I'll do it at the same time."

"Thanks, doc."

"You're worried?" the doctor asked, knowing the expression the Colonel was giving him.

"I've got good cause to be, doc, with all that we have seen since we began using the Stargates," John told him. "Look at them. They've become attached to Danyelle already."

Carson did look, and the Colonel was right. "Then I hope, Colonel, that little baby is who we think she is."

"Me too, doc," he agreed. "Me too."

DF

Jack sat back in his chair and sighed, the call from Reynolds had brought a whole set of new problems to deal with. The President had been informed, as had Homeworld Security. They'd sent through everything on the list Doctor Beckett had asked for and a few extra things. The DNA test had proven positive, the baby was definitely the daughter of Colonel Cameron Mitchell and Dr. Kayla Jackson, there was no doubt. Ba'al had made the genetic twins perfect; there would have been no telling the difference between them and the real Mitchell and Kayla. Well, except, the genetic clones had died and ascended, leaving Mitchell and Kayla to raise their daughter.

The President had agreed, the baby needed to remain with her mother, her mother being Kayla. The documentation was being arranged, and since Kayla had barely spent any recent time in the public eye, a false pregnancy story could be told. The biggest problem had been Mitchell's parents, as they'd spent the last week with the two, and knew Kayla hadn't been pregnant. The President had agreed to give them clearance, an Airman had been sent to bring them both to the base.

Margo knocked on her husband's door and walked into the office. "They're on their way, Jack."

He nodded and stood, moving from behind his desk to her. "You know, she's just as bad as her father," he remarked. "Daniel invented trouble-making as an art form, and now his daughter is following in his footsteps."

His wife smiled, "And Cameron reminds you of yourself."

"A little, god help him," he declared as they walked into the briefing room. Carolyn Lam was waiting; she had a copy of all the medical data recorded by Beckett. "Hey doc."

"Jack," she greeted. "How are you doing?"

"Me? I'm just now getting used to the fact that I'm becoming a father, and suddenly two members of my flagship team become instant parents," he retorted a little sarcastically. "I'm doing great."

Carolyn ignored the sarcasm. "Well, think how Daniel feels, he's becoming a grandfather," she said with a smile.

He laughed. "I never thought about it that way. Thanks doc."

"You're welcome."

They heard tapping, and Frank and Wendy Mitchell came into the briefing escorted by an Airman; Frank Mitchell using walking aids.

Jack dismissed the Airman, and then held his hand out to the former Air Force officer. "General Jack O'Neill, Mr. Mitchell, welcome to Stargate Command," he shook the man's hand and then his wife's, "Mrs. Mitchell. Please sit, and with us are Doctors Margo O'Hara and Carolyn Lam."

They both said hello, a little hesitant and worried, not knowing what was going on.

Jack had ordered the blast door closed, so they couldn't see the Stargate, not yet anyway, he wanted to break things to them slowly. "Sir, Ma'am, as you can probably guess, your son's work doesn't have anything to do with Deep Space Telemetry," he began. "Neither does Kayla's."

"What do they do, General?" Wendy Mitchell asked.

He pushed two folders towards them; both had a pen tucked inside. "If you'll both sign those, I can tell you."

"What are we signing, General?" Frank Mitchell inquired.

"A non-disclosure agreement, what I'm about to show and discuss with you is classified Ultra-Top-Secret by the United States Government," he answered, and once they'd looked over the forms and signed them, he took them back and explained. "As I said, you're within Stargate Command; your son commands the flagship team, SG-1. Major Michaels and Kayla are a part of a team along with Teal'c, a Jaffa. They travel to other words by means of a device we call a Stargate, it was discovered in 1928, in Giza, Egypt."

Margo saw the expressions on both Frank and Wendy Mitchell's faces, the stunned looks of disbelief. She knew how they were feeling; she'd been in their place. "I realize this is all hard to believe, but it's true," she assured them. "SG-1 and the other teams within this facility use the Stargate to travel to other planets; instantaneous transportation by means of a sub-space wormhole."

"We've been running this facility for ten years. Myself, Kayla's father, her stepmother, and Teal'c, are the original members of SG-1," Jack added. "At this moment, Samantha, Kayla's stepmother, is in another galaxy, serving as part of an expedition that is living in an ancient city called Atlantis. Kayla and Colonel Mitchell are in a city similar to Atlantis called Auratora, which contains the Library of Alexandria. Kayla discovered its whereabouts, and I sent SG-1 and 3 to check it out. They contacted Atlantis, and personnel from there joined them."

"So the story about them having to fly to a remote part of Egypt over the weekend, was just a cover story," Frank stated and saw the General nod, he understood the man's position in all of this. "General, why are we being told this now, has something happened to Cameron and Kayla?"

"Well, sort of something good we think," Jack replied, a bit uncomfortable. He looked to Carolyn. "Doc, maybe you can handle this."

"Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell, your son and Kayla were alerted to the presence of a stasis chamber while exploring the Library. They discovered a message from what we call their genetic twins, who had arrived in our universe from an alternate reality almost a thousand years ago," Carolyn explained. "The message given to Colonel Mitchell and Kayla was a bit shocking. There was a baby in the chamber, and that baby is their genetic twin's newborn daughter. Now, according to all our tests, there would have been no way of telling the difference between the genetic twins of that universe, and the Cameron and Kayla of our universe. The genetic twins died two days after their baby was born, and the baby was put into the stasis chamber," she paused, letting the information sink in. "Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell, we have officially recognized the baby as your son's and Kayla's daughter. Our DNA test has proven positive." She opened the file and removed the print copy of the photo that had been transmitted of the newborn, "This is Danyelle Mia Jackson-Mitchell, your granddaughter."

Wendy took it with a shaky hand, tears in her eyes as she looked at the photo, smiling. "She looks a little like Cam, when he was a baby."

"Has her mother's eyes," Frank said proudly. "And her father's nose."

Carolyn smiled, "Doctor Beckett said the same thing; he's the doctor who examined Danyelle when she was first found," she revealed before they could ask.

"General, when are they bringing our granddaughter home?" Wendy wanted to know.

"Doctor Beckett doesn't want her going through the Stargate just yet, so they're remaining at Auratora for the moment," Jack answered. "However the President has given permission for both you and your husband to go through the Stargate to Auratora." He got up and opened the blast doors. "That is the Stargate." Both left their seats and walked over to the window, standing with the General. "Kayla's father is credited with teaching us how to activate the Stargate, and letting us travel to different planets. We've defended this planet quite a few times from different enemies we've encountered."

Frank looked away from the Stargate. "Cam's accident wasn't from a mishap during the testing of an aircraft, was it?"

"No, Mr. Mitchell it wasn't," Jack admitted. "He was shot down during a battle with alien enemy forces over Antarctica, while flying what we call the F-302. It was because of your son that the original SG-1 team is still around today."

"And Thanksgiving, last year, the first time we meet Kayla; her injuries weren't caused by a tunnel collapsing during a dig were they?" Wendy asked.

"No, the injuries were from her captivity by an alien Goa'uld System Lord called Ba'al, who tortured her for information," Jack revealed.

Margo joined them. "I realized this is a lot for you both to take in, believe me, I understand, I felt the same way when Jack offered me a job here," she said sincerely, and then explained. "I'm a Psychologist and trauma counselor. I've helped both Cameron and Kayla through the aftermath of what's happened to them, and trust me when I say; their nightmares would give Stephen King a run for his money. The main thing that has kept them sane through all of it has been the fact that they've dealt with trauma before, and they have each other, and their team."

Wendy hugged herself, staring out at the Stargate. "And they're on another planet right now with our granddaughter?"

"Yes."

The klaxon alarm sounded on a low volume, as an off-world team was expected, and Walter's voice announced an incoming wormhole. Jack picked up the phone and called the control room after the Stargate activated behind the iris. He hung up after giving the order for the iris to be opened. Carolyn had joined them by then, also having just hung up the phone, "It's SG-6 coming back, no casualties."

Margo nodded and smiled. "It's nice to see, Jack."

"Yes it is, doc," he had to agree.

Wendy and Frank watched the iris open, and four men walk out of the watery puddle and down the ramp, the Stargate closing down behind them as they left the Gate Room.

"Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell, if you'll come with me, you need to have a physical before we send you both through the Stargate, it won't take long," Carolyn announced. Both nodded and went with her, still in a mild state of shock.

Margo rubbed her husband's arm. "I'll go and see if I can answer any more question they have," she told him.

"Thanks." She gave him a smile and walked out. Jack turned back to look out at the Stargate, shoving his hands in his trouser pockets. SG-1 never did anything by halves, and this SG-1 was no different from the original.

DF

To Be Continued...