2nd to the last chapter folks, hope you all enjoyed the story, it literally ran away with me. author bows Catlimere..you are the best reviewer, thanks for keeping my review addiction going!
Buffy heard voices and opened her eyes in time for her to see the symbiote launch itself at her. She quickly moved her hand and with a speed that couldn't be followed by the naked eye she caught the wriggling hissing symbiote behind it's collar of sharpened gill flaps.
"Eww, yuck. Snake bad." Buffy brought up her other hand and quickly twisted its neck, killing it instantly. She let it drop to the ground and Jay was beside her in a moment, checking her over for injuries.
"Are you ok?" he asked as he prodded the big goose egg and the broken skin on the back of her head where it had connected with the tree.
"Yeah, ow! If you stop poking that I will be." She grabbed his hands and pulled him in for a kiss. His lips eagerly met hers, then he pulled back, "Are you sure you're ok?" his brown eyes worried. She looked over to see Jack toeing the dead symbiote with a careful boot, making a face.
She nodded and Teal'c came over to help her up, "You guys were better than the Cavalry." She smiled and hugged Teal'c, then Daniel and Jack, and finally Sam. "Is Jonah safe?"
There were chuckles at this, "Yeah, the kid is safe, though Thor's buddies didn't know what to do with a crying baby." Jack grinned.
A moan from the ground made Buffy look over at Frank Simmons, "Oh great." Teal'c took Jack's zat and used it 3 times, then handed it back to Jack.
"He will bother us no more."
Sam and Daniel exchanged a look, then a shrug and suddenly they were all back on Thor's ship. Buffy immediately walked to where the scientists were checking out Jonah, smiling to see her son awake and making noises at the Asgard. When he saw Buffy his eyes widened and his feet began to kick, and he made more excited noises.
"Hey Jonah, I'm happy to see you too." She said and picked him up, cradling him to her gratefully. She looked over a Thor, "Thank you for saving Jonah, and for bringing SG-1 and my husband to my rescue."
Thor nodded once, "It was no problem. Our scientists enjoyed studying your child." Heimdahl came up beside Thor, "Jonah is healthy, and is progressing at a rapid pace, outstripping the average child on Earth. We believe that he is to be 'Brygga'."
"The Bridge?" Daniel translated from Norse, puzzled.
Buffy looked between the Asgard warily, "What does that mean?"
Thor looked at Jack, then at Buffy, "Even a race as advanced as ours has the occasional prophecy. It was foretold thousands of years ago that a human was to be born, as a 'Bridge' or ambassador between our races. We of course have dismissed it as legend and hearsay." He looked at Heimdahl, "Why do you believe that the infant is 'Brygga'?"
Heimdahl eyed his Commander seriously, "He meets all of the conditions of the prophecy. If he continues to develop as rapidly as he is, his knowledge of the Ancients will begin to manifest itself when he is old enough to speak."
Jay moved closer to his wife and son, "We need him to be raised on Earth." He said protectively.
Thor looked at Heimdahl for a moment longer, then at Jonah's anxious parents, "It is too early to tell if he is the one prophesied. However if what Heimdahl says is true, then we will be keeping watch on Jonah's development, but we will not interfere." Thor paused, "We would like Jonah to be exposed to the SGC and the languages that Dr. Jackson and Colonel O'Neill know."
Buffy sighed, then looked at her son who was staring at Thor intently. Daniel came to stand beside her, "You can count on us Buffy." He said quietly. Jack cleared his throat, nodding and Sam and Teal'c both agreed.
"Can we go home? I have a lot to think about." She asked.
"Of course." And they were suddenly back at the SGC in the gateroom. General Hammond appeared and took in the sober group.
"Is everyone ok?" He asked. Jack and Teal'c glanced at each other, "We need to do a sweep of the scene, but Simmons is dead, as is the goa'uld." Jack replied.
"Good work people." He walked up to Buffy, and Jonah gurgled at him cheerfully, "Hello Jonah." He looked at Buffy, "Can I hold him?" With a smile Buffy handed him over, then wrapped her arms around Jay.
The General gently jiggled the happy baby and eyed his people, "Something you need to tell me?"
"Not yet Sir." Jay replied and SG-1 understood that Buffy and Jay needed to absorb what they had just learned.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^^
5 years later
Jonah was living up to what the Asgard had predicted, he was incredibly bright and precocious. There were no facilities for 5 year old super genius's so Daniel had announced that he would take over Jonah's teaching, in addition to going on SGC missions. Since Jack was now the head of the SGC it had been no problem to get Jonah on base and his learning grew by leaps and bounds.
Buffy and Jay pulled into the driveway and the front door opened. "Momma, Daddy!"
Jay swung his son up and immediately Jonah began to babble in another language. "Hey big guy, English please." Buffy asked, kissing him on the cheek.
"Ok Momma." He said good naturedly.
Daniel came out and smiled indulgently at his protégé. "How was it?" he asked.
Jay shrugged, "They want me." The Initiative had contacted Jay and asked if he was interested in the top post, his previous experience, and who his spouse was, major reasons in their request.
"Congratulations General Coburn." And both Daniel Buffy laughed at the grimaced that passed over her Jay's face.
"It's not official, and Jack wants me to stay here, but having two General's is gonna make the place too top heavy." Jay carried Jonah into the house, aware that his son was listening to the conversation seriously.
Buffy sat down and sighed, "We need to move the headquarters of the Initiative to Colorado Springs. I can't leave the SGC now, there's too many missions that Daniel is going to be on."
Daniel poured himself some coffee, "Well, I'm sure there's space at Peterson, though you might want somewhere with less traffic."
"Wanna stay here and play chess with Uncle Jack, and see Will, Joycie and Mia." Jonah said. Joyce was his 4 year old cousin, Dawn and Jon's first child, another grandchild for Giles to dote on shamelessly, Mia was Jack and Sam's four year old daughter and Will was Xander and Cassie's 4 year old son. They had all been born about a year after Jonah, General Hammond laughingly called it the 'baby epidemic'.
"Me too kiddo." Jay said, slipping Jonah an oreo. "I'll talk to the Joint Chiefs and see what can be worked out, but Jack said if they won't work with us he'll retire and recommend me to take over the SGC."
Daniel rolled his eyes, "Jack retire?"
2 weeks later
Colonel Davis met Major General Jack O'Neill, General James Coburn and Colonel Sam Carter at Reagan International Airport with a big smile on his face. After he saluted, then had Sam smack him for it, he bundled them into a waiting limo and eyed the three of them speculatively, "So, the Joint Chiefs are interested in hearing your proposals. The people from the Initiative are already here. Where's Dr. Jackson?"
"Teaching the kids some ancient form of Hindi, or something." Jack waved a hand.
Paul laughed, "I loved the picture Jonah drew me of Thor, I about busted a gut."
Jay grinned, "You were the only one I knew who'd appreciate it. Jack has three of them."
With a shrug Jack smiled, "Kid's got talent." He was as proud of Jonah and the girls as he was of his own daughter.
"How's Mia?"
Sam smiled, "Absolutely wonderful. She's taking dance lessons, trying to pull leotards on her is an exercise in frustration."
Jay laughed, "Jonah said it was the funniest thing he'd ever seen. Still giggles when Buffy brings it up."
It occurred to Paul that the all of them, Jack, Sam, Jay, Buffy, Jon, Dawn, Xander, Cassie and Daniel were joint parenting the kids, and it looked like it was working out just fine. Paul pulled out a bottle of Moét and Chandon champagne and then four glasses, "This is for good luck, only a glass a piece, can't appear before the Joint Chiefs smashed."
They all took their glasses and Jack held his up, "Absent friends." There was a murmured 'Absent friends' and they all took a sip. Retired General Hammond had passed away peacefully in his sleep the previous December. Willow had been killed a year earlier by a drunk driver she'd never seen coming. It had been incredibly tough on Giles, Xander and Buffy but their friends had helped them through it, and you could mention her name now without someone tearing up. Daniel and she had broken up a couple of years before but they had stayed friends, and it had hit Daniel hard, the loss of someone else that he'd loved. Now he focused his attention on the kids, smothering them with love and being loved unconditionally in return.