ACK! My spelling was atrocious in that last chapter. I apologise to Dena whose name I spelled wrong...it came out as Dean instead...oops. I think I missed an r off the end of your as well. Didn't come up on my spell check cause they are actually words and I completely missed them when I read over it.

Jill, I would be honoured...feel free...when it's finished :-S

Dena...happy ending, really *bites lip* I'll see what I can manage.

Horus, sorry for the hanginess :)

Chapter 18

Sam had been staring at the same piece of paper for nearly 15 minutes and she still didn't have a clue what it said. Strange considering she had written it only an hour or so before. She had been so distracted since coming back, thinking about only one thing. Her daughter who would be 82 in a week's time if she had counted correctly. She pondered briefly wether Alex O'Connell was still alive, he would be over 90. She shivered, suddenly very disturbed that someone she had seen barely a week ago aged 10 would now be an old man, possibly even dead.

Her watch gave a little beep and she jerked a little, it had just turned 22:00 and she hadn't eaten all day. The project she was working on had sat uselessly on her desk since her arrival that morning, another hour or so wouldn't harm it while she went to get something to eat.

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She was happily munching away on blue jello and mashed potato with cheese - the ultimate comfort food, when a folder skidded across the table narrowly missing her tray.

"What's this?" She questioned Jack O'Neill as he sat across from her and helped himself to a bit of mash with a fork he had brought himself.

"A folder." He said nonchalantly as though it were the simplest thing in the world. Sam shot him an disbelieving look over the top of her jelly, he squirmed a bit in his seat before taking another bite from her plate. "Listen, you've been a bit..." he left her to insert an appropriate word, not being able to find one himself, "...since we got back."

"Sorry, Sir." Sam apologised sounding somewhere between sullen and angry. She couldn't believe that he would pick on her after what had happened. "I'd have thought you'd be a bit more understanding." She bristled suddenly.

"No," yelped Jack sitting upright catching on to her train of thought. He was shocked that she could even consider him thinking that way. "I...um...I did some research for you." She couldn't believe it...was he blushing?

"Sir?"

"I used some contacts...pulled in a few favours...found out some stuff about the O'Connells." He was definitely blushing now, it had crept over his cheeks, up his ears and was beginning to colour his neck a little too. "There's address'...and stuff...do what you want with it. Just thought...ya know?" His stuttering trailed off into an uncomfortable silence. After another sneaky bite of her potatoes he shuffled out, hands stuffed deep into his pockets. Sam decided to go back to her lab, leaving her dinner behind.

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She traced her finger over the words, not entirely sure they were real. 'Lilian Samantha O'Connell'. She was filled with indecision, her hand hovering inches from the phone. With a frustrated sigh she pulled it off the receiver and punched in few numbers.

"General Hammond. I'd like to request some leave."

OK, so I was a very long time putting this up and it's kinda short, but school has started up again and I have GCSE practice exams for the next 3 weeks. So, be appreciative :-) . I love y'all....puhlease review (if you're still out there)

Coffee Bean

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