a/n: Thank you everyone for all the wonderful reviews with this story. I hope the ending pleases everyone, I have a lot on my mind, and had to hurry to get this up, so if it isn't superb, or if I left out an answer to something, I apologize. I really tried to tie up all loose ends and finish the story well. I will be back in a few months hopefully. Thank you again everyone for your support and praise.

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Chapter Eleven:

Grace and Jack Jr. arrived at work and set up an appointment for Grace with Dr. Patterson. When they left her office, Jack glanced down the corridor each way, not seeing anyone, he wrapped his arm around Grace and pulled her in for a kiss. "I'll see you in a few hours," he told her when they finally pulled away.

Grace nodded, her face bright in happiness. She turned and sauntered down the hallway, knowing she had never been as happy as she was right now.

She found her mother in the infirmary, and after grabbing a muffin, orange juice, and a cup of coffee, sat down to get to know the woman who gave birth to her.

Sam smiled warmly when Grace sat down. "No Jack," Grace asked, the mischievous smile lighting up her face.

Sam's smile grew. "He just left, went to go bug your boyfriend."

Grace laughed. Okay, her mother won that round.

"So, tell me about your life," Sam started, her eyes intently on her daughter.

Grace shrugged. "Not too much to tell. After you…..died, dad moved us to Denver. He had Renee, his ex-wife, help with me, and they remarried."

Sam nodded, happy that Pete had found his happiness.

"Then they had three daughters of their own, Chelsea, Madison, and Brooklyn. They all three look and act alike. I was the oddball of the family."

"I can imagine," Sam quietly replied.

Grace took a drink of her orange juice. "Really, my life was basically boring before I came to work here. I zipped through school, they had me in a school for the gifted, thanks to you and your memories, of course," Grace said, grinning at her mother, and tapping herself on the head. "I went to college, excelled there, then got a job in Denver before the president asked me to work here."

"So, you had a good life?" Sam asked, desperately wanting to know that she did.

Grace nodded and smiled warmly at her mother. "Basically, yeah," she replied. Her petty fights with her dad were just that, petty fights, and her mother had enough guilt on her plate for being gone 23 years, she didn't need to know about them. "Are you going to let dad know you're alive?" Grace asked.

Sam grimaced and took a sip from her coffee, setting it down, she replied. "I think so. I think he deserves to know. We have a child together, and even if he wasn't remarried, I wouldn't be going back to him, but still, he has a right to know. I suppose I'll have to set something up with Jack and get him to meet me somewhere privately."

Grace nodded. "What about you? Where are you going to live now?"

Sam bit her bottom lip. "We don't know for sure. The president is still working on a few things, but we might move to Jack's cabin. It's secluded, so we're less likely to run into anyone we know. But, I do believe we are going back out to help with finishing the war first."

Grace nodded in understanding. If there was one thing she learned from her mother's memories, it was that she was dedicated to her job.

"Do you have photographs?" Sam asked, looking at Grace. "Of you, growing up, I'd love to see them."

Grace smiled. "Yeah, I do. A bunch. Renee was into scrap booking , so I have about five books she sent with me when I moved out, and she has several more that she kept."

Sam's smile turned to a look of sadness momentarily. "So, Renee, she took good care of you?"

Grace smiled at her mother, recognizing the woman's worry. "Yeah, she was great. I'm closer to her than dad, but she's not my mother, and we both understood that when I was growing up. She was wonderful to me, she scolded me when I needed it, nursed me when I was sick, lectured me about dating and boys, but she never once overstepped her boundaries as a step mom. We both respected each other and we're great friends, but I never felt the connection to her that I've always felt to you."

Sam fought back tears. Her daughter had grown up to be this beautiful, competent, remarkable woman and she had missed it all. It was enough to make anyone cry, and yet, as sad as she felt that she had missed out on so much of Grace's life, she had never felt more proud of anyone than she did of Grace at that very moment.

Sam glanced down at her watch. "Oh, it's almost time for your appointment."

Grace frowned. Surprised that so much time had passed. Standing up, the two women dumped their trash in the bin and headed to Dr. Patterson's office.

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Because so many people wanted to witness the hypnosis, Dr. Patterson moved them to one of the observation rooms, so those who wanted to watch, could observe from the observation deck above.

After Grace was all settled nice and cozy in the chair, the doctor dimmed the lights and started the soothing talking that put Grace into a light state of unconsciousness.

"Grace, I want you to dig into those memories in your mind that are not your own. Can you reach them?"

"Yes," Grace replied in a monotone voice.

"Good. Now, tell me, what is the last memory you have that is not your own?"

Grace scrunched her face up as if she were trying to pull up the information. "Janet died," she cried. "She died! The colonel was hit. OH MY GOD! He went down! He was hit right in the chest!" Grace screamed.

"Grace! Grace! Go past that. Fast forward, tell me, what happened after that."

Grace's heavy breathing continued for a few seconds longer and Jack Jr. was ready to call the whole thing off from his spot in the observation deck.

"The colonel, he was getting dressed. I felt guilty because my best friend was dead, and I was happy that I hadn't lost the colonel. I felt so guilty! And we hugged, and I cried on his shoulder, and all I wanted was to be in his arms forever, for him to take all the pain and guilt away."

Sam looked over at Jack, and he pulled her closer to him and kissed her on the forehead. "Always," he whispered in her ear so only she could hear. She squeezed his knee gently in response, her own emotions in turmoil as she listened to them retold.

"And do you remember what happened after that?" Dr. Patterson asked.

Grace grimaced again. "Janet's memorial. Teal'c helped me with the speech. It was the hardest thing I ever had to write…."

"Jack," Cassie called out, stepping into the observation room. "I need to talk to you."

"Right now?" Jack Jr. asked.

Cassie nodded apprehensively. "It's important. Please. It will only be a few minutes."

Jack Jr. sighed and stood up. He looked down at Jack and Sam still sitting. "Let me know if anything substantial happens."

Jack and Sam both nodded and Jack left the observation deck with Cassie. Turning their attention back to the room, they discovered the doctor had Grace remembering something else now.

"I went home, Cassie was staying with some friends, I was exhausted. NO! LET ME GO!" she cried out.

"What is it, Grace?" Dr. Patterson asked in concern.

"What are you doing? Why am I tied down?" she continued on, ignoring the doctor as she relived a suppressed memory. "We're friends with the Asgaard, why are you holding me against my will?"

Sam closed her eyes in the observation deck, the suppressed memory reemerging in her own mind. "Oh my God! Loki!" she whispered as the memory broke through and flooded her mind.

Jack Jr. followed Cassie to the next room over that was empty. "What is it, Cassie?" he asked impatiently.

"This," she said, handing him Grace's DNA results.

"Yeah, so, we already saw these yesterday."

"Yes, we did, but no one noticed it only popped up one match for Grace."

Jack shook his head in impatience. "And, so? She's not Jack's, that's a good thing."

"No, she only pulled up ONE match. We have Pete Shanahan's DNA on file from when he was a patient here. His name did not come up."

"That was over 26 years ago, Cass, it's likely the computer had a glitch or something."

"No, Jack, you don't get it. I ran a match on Grace and Sam's DNA, it was a one hundred percent match."

Jack narrowed his eyes at Cassie. "What does that mean?"

"It means that Sam is the ONLY parent to Grace."

Jack let out a long sigh. "Clone?" he asked.

"It's possible. But, the Asgaard don't normally go around impregnating women with their own clones, that I know of, anyways," Cassie replied.

Jack sighed again. "You're sure this time?"

Cassie nodded, a little disappointed that he had to ask. "Yes, I double checked, several times in fact. I even looked at the strands myself. They're identical."

Jack nodded. "Thanks, Cass."

Cassie nodded back. "Want me to go with you?"

"No, I can handle it," he told her and then turned to head back to the observation deck.

When he got there, he wasn't prepared for what he saw. Jack and Sam were both standing up, Sam was crying and talking very fast to Jack, who had a sour look on his face.

Grace was down in the room, fully awake, an astonished look on her face. Jack took one look at her, and fled the deck to join her in the observation room.

"What's going on?" he asked as soon as he reached her.

Grace wrapped her arms around him, needing his presence to help her through what she had just found out through her mother's memories.

"It was Loki," she whispered into his neck. "He created me."

Jack just nodded, already having a pretty good idea of that after talking with Cassie. "Cassie just confirmed that you're a clone," he said softly.

Grace nodded against his chest. "He took her and impregnated her with her own clone. He thought our reproductive capabilities could help them with theirs. He knew it was only a short amount of time before the High Council discovered what he was doing, and he wanted to run as many tests as he could. He cloned you, wanting to know about your Ancient gene, and he created me to look into the possibility of creating clones through human reproduction, in order to continue cloning without weakening their DNA. Mom fought against him, and he told her he needed her conscious so she was aware of who I was and could help him with his experiment, but she resisted, so he had to make her unconscious. The procedure he used to knock her out, was what he used on other experiments. It suppresses your most recent memories. Mom had no idea what he had done to her when she woke up pregnant. A few days later, I'm guessing, Loki was caught and that is why the experiment was never finished."

Jack Jr. looked as pissed as the original. "We'll get to the bottom of this, I swear," he told her, hugging her tightly against him.

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It was a few days later when two Jack O'Neill's entered the prison area on a flourishing Asgaard world. "O'Neill," Thor spoke. "Loki is within the third chamber down. Do you wish my accompaniment?"

"No, that's okay, Thor, we can take it from here," Jack Sr. replied, walking shoulder to shoulder down the corridor with his clone.

The door opened as soon as they were in front of it and the two men entered.

It is hard to read the facial expressions of Asgaards, even when they are surprised or annoyed, but reading Loki was a walk in the park. The short, gray-skinned convict was frightened.

"O'Neill, what do I owe this visit?" the Asgaard asked, keeping his place against the far wall of the very small room.

"Oh, I think you know," Jack Sr. replied, glaring at the small alien.

Jack Jr. was sure he saw the Asgaard shake. "Why did you clone and impregnate Carter?"

"It was an experiment. Major Carter had pledged to help us in our reproductive issues, I was just allowing her that chance."

"By knocking her up with her own clone!" Jack Sr. roared.

Loki blinked. "If it was a success, it could save the Asgaard race from extinction."

Neither Jack knew of an appropriate comeback.

"You still could have told her!" Jack Sr. finally retorted.

"It had been my intention all along. However, Major Carter would not listen to my explanation. I had no choice but to erase her memory of the procedure in order to keep her from informing the high council."

Both Jack's were now openly glaring at the tiny Asgaard.

"I implanted all of Major Carter's memories into the clone so the clone would be aware of the experiment. Because she was being reproduced as an infant, it was imperative that the memories would only surface with triggers."

"Triggers?" both Jack's asked in unison.

"Indeed. As the clone came into contact with people and places that were important to Major Carter, they would trigger those memories to reemerge within the clone. It would only take a matter of time before all of Major Carter's memories surfaced and revealed the experiment. In truth, I was expecting this visit many years ago."

Jack Jr. coughed. "Yeah, well, Carter's been gone for the past 23 years and Grace's supposed dad removed anything that triggered a memory."

"I see," Loki replied, his eyes as large as they could possibly be. "That was not a possibility I foresaw. I assumed the clone would receive her mother's memories before she reached puberty. I was hoping to examine her when she was still a child. This is very disheartening news."

Both Jack's were ready to strangle the convicted alien. "Examine her?" Jack Jr. roared. "She's a person! She has her own thoughts, her own feelings, she's not a god damned experiment!"

Loki blinked.

Jack Sr. sighed. "So, Grace is okay. There is no ticking time bomb about to go off inside her?"

Loki blinked again and turned his head towards the elder Jack. "The clone should be perfectly normal. I removed the protein marker from her DNA before implanting her in Major Carter's womb. She is a normal human being."

"And, you're never going to mess with any Carter again?" Jack Sr. added.

Loki blinked. "My imprisonment period is for another three hundred years."

"Good!" both Jack's replied.

They both turned and filed out of the cramped quarters.

"Did you receive your answers, O'Neill?" Thor asked.

"Yup, sure did, buddy, thanks."

Thor lowered his head in return. "Is there anything else I may assist you with?"

"Just take us to the ladies," Jack replied.

"Indeed, right this way. They have been most fascinated with our new ship, the MiniO'Neill."

Jack Sr. rolled his eyes. "Oh, you've GOT to be kidding me!" While Jack Jr. grinned in pride.

"Kinda has a nice ring to it, don't you think?" he teased his older counterpart.

"I believe it was you who named your clone with this name, O'Neill," Thor replied.

Jack shook his head in disbelief. "Do you little guys have the capability to forget anything?"

Jack Jr. chuckled as they approached the two Carters.

Jack Sr. wrapped his arm around Sam, pulling her close and kissing her as if he hadn't seen her in a year.

Jack Jr. did the same to Grace.

"So, what did he say?" Grace asked.

"He admitted to doing it. He gave you the memories thinking you would get them at a much younger age and would tell Sam, who would get in contact with the Asgaard."

Grace grinned. "But that didn't happen."

Jack Jr. nuzzled her hair. "No, it didn't, and you are perfectly normal. Do you want to talk to him?"

Grace thought about it for a minute. Originally, she had come to the Asgaard home world to see the alien who had created her, but now, knowing she was going to be okay, she was going to continue her life as Grace, she no longer felt the need to confront him. "No, I'm good. I think I actually want to go home."

"You sure?" Jack Jr. asked.

Grace smiled warmly at the man she loved. "Yes, Jack, take me home."

And he did.

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Five Years Later:

Grace hugged her step mom good-bye. "Thanks for lunch," she told the older woman.

"Anytime. I'm so happy you all stopped by for a short visit before heading up to Minnesota," Renee replied, wiping the tears out of her eyes.

"Well, you know," Jack teased from next to Grace. "Got to visit the in-laws, and all."

Renee smiled at her son-in-law. "And don't you forget that!" she ordered, mockingly glaring at him.

Grace looked across the yard. "Carter! Are you ready to go?" she yelled to her three year old son.

The small boy hugged his three aunts good-bye and then launched himself into Grandpa Pete's arms. "Bye-Bye Grandpa!"

"Good-bye Carter, have fun at the cabin."

"I will."

And then, quieter, so no one else would hear, whispered in his grandson's ear. "Tell Grandma Sam I said, Hi."

"Okay, grandpa. But, I'll have to say it when she's alone cuz last time, Grandpa Jack teased her 'bout it."

Pete laughed. "Yeah, but he just does that to be funny. He knows he has your grandma's heart completely."

"Nuh-uh, I have some of grandma's heart too, she told me!" Carter protested.

Pete grinned. "Yes, you do. And, you have mine too."

Carter grinned and gave his grandpa one more hug before running back to his parents. After kissing his Grandma Rene good-bye, he hopped into his car seat, and Jack buckled him in.

"Dad," Grace said as Pete approached her.

"Grace," he greeted back. "Make sure that husband of yours drives carefully."

Grace giggled. "Are you kidding? He drives like an old lady when Carter's in the car."

"Good, that's what I want to hear," Pete replied, then stepped up and hugged the woman who would forever be his daughter. They had explained everything to him, and he didn't care. So, there wasn't anything of him in her, he basically already sensed that as he raised her, but he didn't care. The fact was, he had raised her, and she would always be his little girl, no matter what.

He had said what he needed to say to Sam, finally letting that part of his heart heal, and it had actually resulted in him having a better relationship with Grace. No longer was he frightened for her, worried for her constantly. He had done everything he could to protect her when she was growing up, and he had made some bad choices, but it had always been done out of love, and Grace understood that.

She had made the decision to continue to accept Pete as her dad. She even kept the name Shanahan until she married Jack and officially became an O'Neill. And the rest of the O'Neill's, Jack Jr., Jack Sr., and her mom, were ecstatic when she informed them shortly thereafter that she would soon be bringing another O'Neill into the family.

She had a sonogram at the SGC and Sam and Jack had insisted on being present during it. The war was finally, officially over, and Jack and Sam had spent a lot of time helping to rebuild off-world, but made sure they were there to see their grandchild for the first time, even if it was just on a screen.

When Cassie told them it was a boy, both Jack's simultaneously exclaimed, "Name him Carter!"

Sam had vehemently complained, but in the end, the name grew on Grace, and a few months later, Carter Jacob O'Neill joined the O'Neill family.

Grace pulled back from her dad. "Love you, dad," she whispered, smiling at her father.

"I love you too, kiddo," he told her, opening up the passenger door for her. "O'Neill, take care of my daughter and grandson."

"For the rest of my life, Pete," he replied sincerely. They had decided it was best to let Pete continue to believe that Jack was Jack's son and not a clone like Grace.

Pete nodded and slapped the top of the car just as Jack started up the engine and pulled away from the curb.

"That was a nice visit," he told Grace as soon as they were a little ways down the road.

"Yeah," Grace replied. "It was. I can't believe Chelsea's getting married. I can't wait for her wedding…"

The next morning they pulled their car up behind an old truck in the drive way of the cabin. Carter, the smart little three year old that he was, unhooked his car seat and hopped out of the car. He ran around the cabin to the back where he knew he would find his Grandpa Jack.

"Grandpa, Grandma! We're here!" he yelled.

Jack turned on the dock just in time to catch the three year old. "Carter! My man! How's it going?"

"Great!" Carter cheered. "We get to spend the whole week with you!"

"I know it," Jack replied enthusiastically. "Your grandma went shopping and bought all your favorite snacks."

"Yay!" Carter cheered again.

"My thoughts exactly," Jack replied. "I'm in the mood for cake."

"Me too!" Carter squealed.

Sam walked out, wiping her hands on her shirt. "Cake's on the table," she replied, snatching up her grandson for a kiss. "I've missed you!" she told him, hugging him tightly.

"I missed you too, grandma!" he told her, giving her a kiss. "Grandpa Pete said, hi."

Jack glared at his grandson. "Didn't we already talk about this midget messenger service?"

Carter laughed. "Can we go have cake now?"

Sam opened the door and the two O'Neill's rushed in.

That night, Sam found Jack sitting next to Carter, staring at the young boy asleep in his bed. She walked in and wrapped an arm around his shoulder. "What are you thinking?" she whispered.

Jack wrapped his arms around his wife's waist and pulled her closer to him. He shrugged. "Just thinking about how much he looks like Charlie."

"He does, very much so," she softly replied, looking at her grandson with open admiration. "It's a pretty good theory that our child will too."

"What child?" Jack said absently.

Sam moved one of his arms so his hand was over her abdomen. "The one in here," she told him, keeping eye contact with the man she had loved for so long.

Jack looked at her in disbelief. "You're, you're, are you sure?" he stuttered out.

Sam grinned. "Yeah, I wanted to tell you before now, but….I was nervous."

Jack stood up and pulled Sam to him. "I love you," he cried into her shoulder.

Sam cried with him. They had never expected to have a child of their own. They had convinced themselves that they were content watching their clones raise Carter, but the truth was, they both craved a chance to be parents again. They had both been cheated out of the opportunity to watch their children grow, and they both still mourned that loss.

"Damn," Jack said a moment later when they had separated.

"What?" Sam asked, worry appearing on her face.

"They already got the name Carter."

Sam shook her head and let out a small laugh. "Good, because I never would have given in like Grace."

They walked out of their grandson's room, hand-in-hand. "Oh come on, you know it's a great name."

The End.