For the first time in over a month, Sam walked down a sidewalk under her own power. Her long, lean legs ate up the concrete as she tried out her newly healed thigh.

Look at our girl , Selmak whispered into Jacob's mind as they watched Sam from the porch.

She's something else, Jacob agreed silently, conveying his eternal thanks. His symbiote had become fond of Sam over the past few years. Never having experienced being a parent in her nearly 2000 years, Selmak had immediately formed a familial bond with all of Jacob's family. Sam, however, was secretly her favorite. It was why Selmak had been angry when Jacob had decided not to immediately return with a healing device to fully heal Sam after the Super Soldier attack. Jacob wanted to keep her out of harm's way, knowing her leg would naturally heal in just a couple of weeks. But he'd had no idea that choice would ultimately lead to this.

Her injuries scared me, Jacob, Selmak whispered.

Me too. He could feel how much energy Selmak had expended to heal Sammy. It was close, the scars almost too much for her to fix; however, Selmak wouldn't stop, unwilling to allow her host's daughter to live with the reminder of what that monster had done.

Jacob cast a sideways glance at Jack, who stood beside him on the porch. Pride was evident on the man's face as he watched Sam push herself into a run.

He really does love her, Selmak said a little wistfully. His symbiote was a true romantic at heart. She loved old Bogey and Bacall movies, having made Jacob smuggle several of them and a DVD player on their frequent solo missions.

He'd better, Jacob grumped at her, fighting against Selmak's fuzzy feelings.

Come on, Jacob, Selmak internally rolled her eyes. I know exactly how you feel about Jack. Don't be obtuse on purpose.

This time Jacob huffed a real chuckle. He could pretend all he wanted, but Selmak knew the truth. He already thought of Jack as a son. Sure, there was a time Jacob had frowned upon the growing feelings he suspected Sam was developing for her CO. He knew better than to say anything, though. The last person he tried to warn her away from romantically was Jonas, and all it'd done was pushed her to the brink of marrying the man. He had a sneaking suspicion Jack had pushed Sam away, too. It was the only thing Jacob could think of that would cause Sammy to date a man like Pete Shanahan. Jacob frowned.

"What are you going to do?" He asked Jack.

"I'd retire tomorrow if she'd let me," Jack responded immediately, not taking his eyes off of Sam. His admiration was obvious, as were other thoughts that Jacob would prefer not to know about.

Jacob rolled his eyes, "I know that. I was talking about our mutual problem. I refuse to leave without knowing it's been resolved."

Jack finally looked at Jacob and scowled. "I should have dealt with him the night Sam showed up on my doorstep. If I had–"

"You were too busy taking care of her," Jacob absolved him at once. He didn't want Jack harboring any feelings of guilt that could drive a wedge between the couple. Especially, when Jacob knew he himself had a role in this too. "Besides, Sam would have been livid if you did anything without talking to her first."

"I know," Jack's lips quirked briefly. Sam would have skinned him alive if he'd gone after Shanahan without her. It was the only reason the man was still breathing. "I'm not trusting the police to do their jobs this time," he growled. "I plan to handle this one personally."

"Assuming Sam is on board," Jacob contended. "If she isn't, you promise to let me know, and I'll make sure he never bothers anyone again."

Jack almost shuddered at Jacob's words. He had no doubt the former general could make Shanahan suffer in unimaginable ways. But Jack also knew Sam better than anyone else, even better than her own father.

"She won't let his attacks go unanswered," Jack said, knowing his 2IC would be seeking retribution. Her abilities may have been impaired the past couple of weeks, but one thing Jack knew for sure was Samantha Carter would not be kept down for long. While she would have allowed the authorities to deal with Shanahan if he'd only attacked her, the man had made the mistake of attacking someone she cared about. When it came to protecting the people she loved, Sam was just like Jack. Ruthless.

Jacob nodded once, accepting Jack's assessment. This man was the one person he trusted to protect Sammy's six.

"I think I might go visit Mark for a couple of days," Jacob said as Sam jogged back up to them, stopping at the bottom of the porch steps. She was panting from the exertion, her body brimming with excess adrenaline that always resulted from an intense healing.

"You just got here," Sam said between deep draws of breath. "I thought we could visit."

"We will," Jacob smiled at her. "But I think it might be best for me to clear out of here for a few days," he rubbed the back of his neck nervously. He sure as hell didn't want to be around when his daughter's pent up energy exploded. There were some things a father absolutely did not want to know about. "I won't fully debrief George until I get back."

"But I thought—"

Selmak snickered in Jacob's mind, making him cringe. He really didn't want to spell it out for her. Jacob glanced at Jack, who was suddenly studying the facia on the porch's overhang. Dammit, Jacob begged Selmak for help, but she refused, sitting back to watch her host squirm.

"Sammy," Jacob said in a pained tone, "you're currently still on a medical leave of absence, right?"

"Technically, yah," she shrugged, bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet. "But Uncle George can have me reactivated as soon as he knows I'm healed."

"But at the present moment, you're not a member of SG-1," Jacob stared at her intently. For someone with unparalleled genius, sometimes the obvious wasn't quite so obvious. "And until you're officially cleared for active duty, you'll be temporarily assigned to R even when you are reactivated," he patiently waited for her to connect the dots.

"Oh—Oh!" She exclaimed. Her eyes darted to Jack and she bit her lower lip. The air suddenly seemed ten degrees warmer, a palpable tension descending between her and Jack.

Jacob cleared his throat pointedly. "Yes, well," he stepped backwards toward the house. "You'll forgive me if I don't want to stick around," he took another step backwards. "I'll just go call a cab."

"Take my truck," Jack dug his keys out of his pocket and tossed them to Jacob without looking away from Sam.

"Thanks," Jacob said uncomfortably, catching the keys. He hadn't brought any clothing or personal belongings, having left so quickly, which suddenly seemed like a blessing. He darted down the steps, foregoing his usual practice of giving Sam a quick peck on the cheek.

"Bye, Dad," Sam said, dragging her eyes away from Jack. "See you in a few days?"

"Bye kiddo," he replied with the soft smile reserved only for her.

Jacob crossed to Jack's truck and climbed inside. Shifting into reverse, he turned to watch out the rear window as he backed down Sam's short driveway. As he shifted the car into drive, he glanced back to the house just in time to see Sam run up the stairs.

Smiling in spite of the turmoil rolling through him, he pulled his phone out of his pocket as Jack hastily pulled Sam into her house.

"Hammond," George answered on the first ring.

"I think I have the perfect solution to your little problem," Jacob said, knowing his friend would understand. "It's time we called in a few favors."