Chapter 50
It seemed like the calm before the storm. The Replicators had woken and pulled back into hiding to regroup. The Fountain of Youth was under Earth control once more. It was unusually quiet on the space front. No reported fighting between System Lords. No reports of any attacks. It was eerily calm.
Daniel felt as if he was waiting for the other shoe to drop. Something was eating him for he knew it was matter of time before Anubis surfaced once more. He sat in lab thinking about what little action had been going on off world and how it seemed too calm, too quiet and too easy.
Teal'c was walking in the hall and spied his friend through the doorway. Daniel had that look of concern and Teal'c wondered if he was okay. He stopped and stepped inside the doorway and looked upon his friend who didn't seem to notice him.
"Are you well, DanielJackson?" the Jaffa asked.
He looked up startled and spied Teal'c. He gave a small smile and a nod, "I'm fine, Teal'c."
He didn't seem fine to Teal'c. He walked closer to the table, "You do not look fine." he informed. "You seem worried."
"I can't explain it," he admitted. "I just have this sinking gut feeling that all hell is about to break lose and there is nothing anyone of us can do to stop it."
He stood rather curious, "Why do you have this…feeling?" he wondered.
"It's too quiet off world," he told him. "Anubis is out there with a fleet of Replicators and they haven't attacked anyone yet. Something is not right. Anubis is planning something big."
"Perhaps Anubis is weaker than we assumed," he suggested knowing that was not the case.
Daniel admitted, "I think he's stronger now than ever before."
Teal'c suggested, "Perhaps Isabelle can have the nanites gather intel on Anubis."
"Maybe," he agreed. He still could not shake the feeling of dread.
Meanwhile
The cadets all gathered for breakfast. Cadet SG-1 sat at a table eating as a team. Thor thoroughly enjoyed tastes buds. He found Earth food was ever so good compared to Asgard nutrition tablets. He sat with a tray full of food: eggs, toast, bacon, sausage, fruit, yogurt and cereal. Breakfast on Earth was more than any Asgard could hope for.
Kyle sat with his bacon, eggs and toast across from Thor. He asked, "Are going to eat all that?"
"Likely no," he admitted. "I simply wish to consume some of it."
"That's a waste of food," the cadet figured. He then noticed Izzy had little on her plate. He asked her, "Is that all you are eating?" He noticed all she had was some applesauce.
She shook her head, "I spilt breakfast with Thor." She looked over at his food as Thor placed some of what he took on Isabelle's plate.
Kyle asked baffled, "You two share breakfast?"
The habit started when Thor had the body of a ten year old boy and found during his first few weeks on Earth he would take far more food than his small body could handle. Izzy, being a child herself would simply start eating of his plate and over time they developed a routine.
Izzy shrugged, "Been doing this for years."
Sophia wished it was she who Thor would share his food with. She was star struck by the legendary alien. She was suspicious about just how close Izzy and Thor were for to her they seemed much closer than friends or even family. She stated rather jealous, "Maybe it's time you were able to get your own food, Iz."
Izzy found the remark odd. She squinted and tapped into Sophia's mind. She could feel her jealously and hurt as she liked Thor but she knew that Thor didn't feel the same for her and seemed to have some kind of undefined relationship with Izzy that was beyond plutonic. She didn't know what to say to Sophia for it was complex emotional issue and thus, she just let the comment go.
She wondered what Kyle was thinking and turned her attention to him. She peered into his mind and found his observation. "Jeepers, these two act like my grandparents." he thought to himself.
She found that thought odd and didn't really herself acting like a grandmother. Izzy tried to ignore the thoughts and went back about her business. She then spied Jack and Sam walk into the commissary for breakfast. They seemed cheerful as they went to the line to get their breakfast. Upon gathering their food they made their way to the cadet team to see how the teens were doing.
"Morning campers," Jack cheered sitting down with his oatmeal. He smiled at Izzy, "How's it going?" he asked her referring to her role as cadet.
She softly replied, "It's going okay."
Sam sat beside him with her waffle. She greeted the team, "Morning Cadets."
"Morning ma'am," Kyle replied, "Morning sir."
Sophia copied the replied, "Morning ma'am, morning sir."
Thor merely stated, "It has been a…good…morning." It wasn't an excellent morning but was not a bad morning so Thor judge the day so far using a common form of grading. Thus, it was simply a good morning. Some Earth traditions baffled him even after eight years of living with humans.
Jack noticed Izzy was still eating off of Thor's plate. He assumed she would outgrow the habit as she got older. Jack didn't think too much of the habit when she was a child and Thor's new body was also that of a child but as time went by their bodies both grew into adulthood. What was once a cute child's habit now seemed suspicious to Jack. Izzy was now sixteen and Thor's body was that of an eighteen year old young man. He cocked his head for he noticed they sat very close together at the table. He wondered if there was more to the relationship or if Izzy simply hung onto Thor after he and Sam both got promotions and left the base.
Izzy tried to block any thoughts but found she could pick up on Sam's thoughts easier than most for they had a similar brainwave pattern. She thought heard Sam speak when in fact she thought to herself: "I can't want to tell Iz about the baby."
Izzy gasped and looked at her wide-eyed, "You're pregnant!"
Sam rolled her head back and let out a sigh for Izzy read her thoughts yet again. She wasn't pregnant yet. She was planning on becoming pregnant after her wedding.
Jack looked at Sam, "What?" He thought they were planning a family for the future and not right away.
"Not here," she didn't want to bring up her future plans in front the cadets.
The cadets then all assumed Sam was pregnant.
Izzy asked, "Why didn't you tell me before?"
"I will explain," she tried to get her to not go into that topic.
Jack was beginning to wonder what was going on. Sam spoke about having a baby after the wedding and didn't say she was pregnant now. He sat wondering if she misled him for Izzy was a good lie detector.
Short Time Later
The rumor mill was activated in short time with Sam's unannounced and unconfirmed pregnancy. The word spread like wildfire throughout out the SGC. Most assumed Jack was the father but more rumors were sparked as those familiar with the Gate and past aliens wondered if perhaps it was an alien love child.
Sam figured she better clear the air and fast. She had SG-1, Jack, Janet and Hammond all gather for an off the record meeting in her lab with Izzy and Thor. She closed the door and when all eye fell on her she announced, "I am not pregnant!"
Izzy rebutted, "But I heard you say that you couldn't wait to tell me about the baby." She stood more confused for she heard the thought loud and clear.
"I thought that!" she clarified. "Jack and I are planning on having a baby after we get married and I wanted to tell you about our plans. I'm not pregnant now!"
"Whew," Jack let out a sigh of relief. He wasn't ready for another child just yet.
Izzy stood feeling embarrassed and excused, "That sounded like you were pregnant to me."
Sam reminded her, "Just because you can read minds doesn't mean you have to tell everyone what you read."
"I'm sorry," she stated. "I thought you said it! I thought I heard you say it. Usually, I can tell when it's telepathic verses hearing it."
Thor explained, "Isabelle's brainwave pattern and Colonel Carters are very close. For Isabelle it doesn't take much effort to read Colonel Carter's thoughts and mistake those thoughts for verbal speech."
Izzy pleaded to Sam, "I'm sorry! I thought you announced it. I didn't mean to start a rumor like that."
"I know you didn't," she replied forgiving and gave the teen a hug.
Janet smirked "It's a good thing you cleared this rumor up, Sam. I was about to take you off SG-1 for maternity reasons."
Daniel kidded, "I'm actually rather bummed out by this, Sam. I heard you were having an alien hybrid love child and I was wondering which alien love child you were having." He knew the rumor was nonsense but found it humorous.
Jack stood relieved it was simply a misunderstanding. He didn't make any accusations and doubted that Sam would lie to him but was worried never the less. He smirked, "When the time comes let me tell everyone!"
George Hammond volunteered, "Let me make the official announcement when the time comes." Rumors have been flying about Sam having an alien love child for years and over time he just tuned the rumors out.
Jack suggested, "You announce if it's a boy or girl."
Amused Colonel Mitchell asked, "Can I pick out names?"
Janet rebutted, "I get to pick out names."
Sam stood beside herself. She expected a different reaction. Instead, they started planning her future baby announcement and names. She found herself feeling rather humbled.
Izzy miffed, "I want to pick out names."
Thor simply observed the reactions.
Daniel assured, "I think it's safe to say that when you are ready Sam, we will all be here for you."
Jack asked, "What about me? It would be my kid too!"
Daniel smirked, "Only if you end up implanted with some alien hybrid love child that you have to give birth, Jack."
Janet grinned at him, "If you became the world's first pregnant man then we would be there for ya."
Thor informed, "Such a feat as an impregnated male could only be accomplished using the nanites."
"I was a joke, Thor." Janet assured him. "No one expects Jack to actually carry a baby." She glanced down at the belly he seemed to be forming. She gave a pat on the belly, "You got your own bundle of joy to worry about."
He sucked it in, "Funny" he miffed.
Daniel spoke, "Least that rumor is all cleared up. Now, Izzy…Can you use the nanites to see what Anubis is doing? It's been very quiet."
"I'll try," she agreed. "He's found a way to block the nanites." She closed her eyes and found nothing. "Still blocking." she reported.
Sam stated worried, "If Anubis can block the nanites that's a bad sign. We're blind to what he is doing."
Izzy replied, "He's been blocking since he returned. I've tried and I keep getting nothing."
Janet added, "Intel on Anubis has dried up. He's got us deaf and blind."
"That's not good," Daniel figured.
