AN: Sorry it's so short.

Electronic Sheep

Sam sits staring at the ring box. Grace stands across from her arms crossed. "What did dad say?" She finally asks her mom about the ring.

"That he wouldn't be where he is." Sam admitted, not noticing Grace had called Jack dad because she was so preoccupied with the ring.

"That's it?"

"Isn't that enough?" Sam sighed. "He'd be long gone…" she trailed off.

"If it wasn't for me? I doubt it, mom."

Finally what Grace is saying registers. "How did you…?"

"I've known for a while." Grace tells her mother dismissively.

Sam really looks at her daughter for the first time. She's nine now, tall, and slender like herself and her father at the same age… but so much like him in personality. How much of that was genetic how much him being part of her life? "Does he know?"

"That I know? Yup. And he's not around just because of me mom. You think he means that but did you ask him how he feels about you? Wait no… that wouldn't work on dad. Did you ask him if he loves you?"

"Why would that…?"

Grace huffs and rolls her eyes. "Mom… everyone keeps telling me it's your decision, your choice but I have to live with this too if you marry this guy, and… look I don't know what happened between you and dad but…" Grace paused, waiting for her mom to look at her, "Don't marry this guy. He's just a... what did Cassie call him… a rebound guy. Put him off, tell him you haven't decided, say no but you'd still like to date but mom don't marry this guy. Not while you're still in love with dad."

"Why would you think I'm still in love with your father?"

"Uh… because you've been avoiding him. Duh."

"Grace…"

"Mom just… please go talk to him. Find out what he meant. Ask him questions he has to give yes or no answers to so he can't slide past the answers."

Grace's eyes are pleading. She knows she won't get through to her mom about what a creep Pete is... She's been trying that for nearly a year. But playing on her feelings for dad might work where reasoning with her mom had not. She didn't understand how her mom was so smart about everything else but clearly so dumb about guys. Sure Grace had the advantage of a private school that she took whatever classes she wanted but still got to interact with kids her own age who were also on her level. Something her mom hadn't been able to do, but come on, at some point you had to wise up right?

Sam looks at the ring for a long time. Grace wasn't wrong. She did still love Jack. Desperately. But he was still her commanding officer and now… well… unless she left the SGC no matter what she did he was her CO.

But was it right to be with Pete, marry him knowing her feelings for Jack were unresolved? How did Grace get smarter about guys than her? Did she see something Sam herself didn't because she shared her father's ability to pinpoint bullshit? Sam sighed. "All right, for now… I'll tell him I'm not ready to get engaged." She told her daughter.

"And you'll talk to dad?"

"I'll think about it." Sam hedged.

"Please mom. Dad doesn't understand why you don't want to be with him anymore." She looked at her mom sternly. "And you better not tell him I told you that either. He likes to pretend he understands everything about you but clearly he doesn't. He's really hurt mom. I've been trying to tell you that for months now."

"He's acted fine." Sam tried to tell her.

"Has he? Or have you been so busy pretending to yourself that everything is fine that you've been ignoring him?"

Sam frowned. Had he?

The replicator Sam was a problem. She was a big huge honkin' problem as Jack would say except in spite of Jack's assurances Sam knew exactly why she was. She was every dark impulse Sam had. Every cruelty she thought of but did not express. Oh, she had feelings... but she used those feelings to get her way, not to fix what Fifth had done.

What worried Sam the most was what would she do if she managed to get to Earth? There were certain things her doppelganger would easily be able to manipulate. Jack had quipped if only there were two of her… Grace had been right. And Sam was afraid to talk to him still. Afraid her recent actions had affected how he feels about her but how could they not? And there was still Pete to deal with who had told her to keep the ring. Until she decided she was ready. She wished she had the courage to break things off with him. He was so earnest with his feelings though, so sweet about it. But… clearly convinced in the end she was his… even though an ever louder voice in her heart that sounded just a bit too much like Grace kept saying no. That kept reminding her that Pete was just a rebound relationship who she'd latched on to simply because his surface behavior was the opposite of Jack's.

And she worried if the replicator got a hold of Pete… what would she do? Or of Grace for that matter? Did her daughter know her as well as Jack did that she wouldn't be fooled? She knew Jack wouldn't. But Pete… Pete just didn't know her well enough to… oh hell… Pete didn't know her at all. Grace was right. Pete charmed her and noticed surface things like she likes dancing but… he didn't… know her. And… he wasn't trying to either. Sam sighed.