I do not own anything. If you recognize it, it is not mine.

Thank you for your reviews.

Greetings to Mauryn, hope you keep reading and enjoy the story.

My internet was down, so I couldn't upload anything for some time. Jeez, Wi-Fi is something you really take for granted until you lose it… Will post this as soon as I can.

Take care, hope you're well.

"Laura…" He let out a long, deep sigh.

He felt his heart beating wildly in his chest. He never even considered having another child. After what had happened to Charlie and the agony of his dear Sara leaving, it hadn't crossed his mind something like that would be in cards for him. But here he was, his adult daughter sitting only inches away from him, looking very disappointed by his reaction. Damn it to hell, he didn't mean to scare her away.

But what was he supposed to do? Take care of her, when all she had done was taking care of him and his team? She might have his genes, but what did they really have in common? She was young and smart and who knows what else she was capable of. And more importantly, what did he have to offer her? He was just some old damaged soldier that now probably had just a few sad retirement years in his future.

He was never good at the talking supportive role because he never got the chance to practice. He wasn't there for most of Charlie's first years due to some Black Ops missions that went fubar and left him missing and captured. His chest tightened at the thought of his infant son alone with Sara, who admitted to fear being solely responsible for a little vulnerable human. She was nervous throughout the whole pregnancy, but it worsened towards the end. Even though he knew she would make a phenomenal mother, she needed his support and he wasn't there for her. And that wasn't the last time he failed her.

His breathing hitched thinking about this. He still woke up in cold sweat, gasping for air each time his brain replayed the moment of that gunshot.

He heard Laura clear her throat, shifting uncomfortably behind the table.

"General?" She said, visibly hesitant. "I know this is not the ideal way to find out, but can you please say something?"

"Sorry, I… It's a lot. It's nothing against you, I just…Woooow." He prolonged the last word, his voice not as steady as he would like it to be.

"I know it's unexpected and nothing needs to change right now. The priority is helping Sam recover and get this ship to Earth."

"Agreed. Thank you." He took another sip of his coffee, trying to force his brain to work. "Ehm… Whose, you know what, was used with mine, well, you know, to…" Oh, well done, O'Neill, he said to himself, embarrassed due to his limited vocabulary at full display.

"I don't know. If I had any suspicions, I could compare DNA samples, but there wasn't anything in the system."

The color of Laura's hair suggested it had to be a redhead. While he didn't know the specifics of the science at play here, no one in his family had that kind of hair. So somewhere there was a woman who didn't know he had a child with her? Was that even possible? Some of the Asgards were keen on kidnapping humans as test subjects. He learned that the hard way. But it seemed improbable there wasn't any record about Laura's mother in the system. If he learned one thing about the Asgards, and he probably hadn't, they were the organized type. His head hurt.

"And how come you know I'm your father then?"

"I can show you the evidence." Laura offered, feeling on edge.

"No, no, that's not what I meant. I just… Why did the Asgard tell you only about one of your parents?"

"I found out by accident when I peeked over Balder's shoulder when he was doing some research. I was just a child at the time. Afterwards he told me about you." Laura couldn't even remember clearly what happened then. It was, indeed, a long time ago and so much has happened since.

"What did he tell you about me?"

Laura was still unsure about her interpretations of nonverbal cues, but there seemed to be a lot of anxiety packed in that question. It was the first time she got any indication he wasn't all nonchalant about the situation. If she had to put a finger on what had been her biggest fear it would probably be indifference more than rejection. And while there wasn't really either, there wasn't much joy.

She could have understand that. It must have brought up some painful memories for him. The anniversary of Charlie's death wasn't so long ago and she still occasionally caught him staring at the photograph of his son. He mainly did that when he thought no one was looking and other times he lightly caressed the pocket in which he kept the photograph with a sad look on his face.

"He said that you were far away, helping to protect people from some bad guys." They exchanged a smile. She could only hope her answer soothe him a little. "I mean that's what he said when I was young." She added, realizing it also sounded a bit weird.

"And when you grew up?"

"Practically the same, only in more sophisticated terms." She chuckled, drinking the rest of her tea. Her stomach was still upset, but she hoped it was just the nerves. She hadn't gotten much rest last night. "I pushed really hard, but he never shared more. I got more information only after he, Balder that is, passed away." She looked very intently at the empty cup in front of her.

"I am sorry."

"It was not unexpected or anything, but… He was like, well, family to me." Feeling her eyes becoming increasingly moist, she started blinking very rapidly. This was not the right time to cry about that.

"You okay?"

"Yeah."

"If you say so." He narrowed his eyes, studying her for a moment before he spoke again. "But now, you should eat something." He grabbed the plate that now had only one doughnut on it and pushed it towards her.

"I am fine, thank you." She waived it off with a tired smile.

"I insist." His intentions were good, but the strict tone of his voice precluded any objections. Seeing her wary reaction, he continued in a gentler tone. "I mean, come on, it's a doughnut!"

"Is this the kind of talk I can expect from you now that you know?"

He raised his eyebrow, Teal'c-style, but then he caught a glimpse of her smirk and relaxed. After drinking the rest of his cup in one big gulp, he got up.

"I need to get to the infirmary now."

"Alright, I'll see you there."

"Sure." With that he left.

When he disappeared from her view, Laura let out a long sigh.