Chapter 7
The knock at the door brought Mac from her stupor. She quickly began to wipe the tears from her eyes and gain some level of control. Finally she gave up on this and called to her 'guest' with a ragged "Enter."
As she turned to see who was coming to call, her heart skipped a beat when she saw that it was Harm. She had hoped that he would be there for her, because as she had just told her uncle, there were only two people in this world that she completely trusted. Right now Harm was the only one that qualified.
Harm slowly approached her with what could best be described as general caring in his eyes. In a quiet voice Harm said, "Are you okay Sarah"
The use of her name, her real name, was all it took for the dam to burst open again and she fell into Harm's arms and sobbed. As she cried out the last remaining tears she had, Harm held her close and softly stroked her hair. As the sobs racked her body, Harm kept repeating softly in her ear, "I'm here honey, it will be okay..."
After ten minutes of the heart wrenching sobs, Mac finally began to calm down and slowly pulled away from Harm's embrace. She didn't really want to leave the comfort of his warm body, but she thought it best to try and gain some level of professionalism; and in Harm's embrace, that was impossible to do. She slowly turned and made her way across the room trying to get her emotions back under control. Finally, as her breathing returned to normal, she spoke for the first time. "I feel so stupid Harm. Here I am, a Marine, and I am bawling my eyes out. I must look like a great example to all of the soldiers here, huh?"
"Mac, the only people who truly saw you react were those in the conference room and I think they completely understand your reaction to this. You were hit with some very..disturbing..news today and no one will think any less of you because it was overwhelming. If you hadn't reacted the way you did, then people would have thought there was something wrong with you."
"Oh Harm," Mac said, as she turned back to face him. "What have I done? I told him that I would never forgive him and that I don't trust him anymore. I have just destroyed my relationship with one of the two people that mean the most to me in this world."
"Mac, now I know that is not true. Matt..I mean Jacob..okay, quick question, what are we calling him?"
A small giggle escaped Mac as she could tell that Harm was trying to lighten the mood in the room. "Since everyone here calls Jacob, maybe we should to? So as to make it less confusing that is."
"Okay then, what I was going to say is that Jacob knows you are very upset right now and understands that you may say things in the heat of the battle that cannot be taken to heart. You are allowed to be angry here Mac. You are not the one who needs to be apologizing, he is. Just promise me that you will listen to what he has to say when he comes to see you and not continue to push him away. I know you love your uncle and you two will work this out. Okay Marine?"
"Yes Sir," Mac said as she fired off a mock salute. "Harm..thank you. I mean, I am acting like a baby right now and I just want to thank you for being here and for not making fun of me."
"Mac, I would never make fun of you. You can kick my ass."
At this, Mac fell into a hearty laugh. "You got that right Squid and don't you forget it. Hey wait a minute, I thought I told you not to talk unless I said you could? Did you disobey a direct order?"
Harm looked at Mac's face in surprise and then realized she was yanking his chain. 'Well, if she is in the mood to joke, then by all means..' "Well then, Colonel, I guess you are going to have to punish me," Harm said as his eyebrows hitched up and a smile slowly spread across his face.
Mac saw his deliberate tactic of trying to cheer her up and decided this time to play along. "Punish you huh?" she said as she slowly crossed the room towards Harm. "And what kind of punishment do you think you deserve?"
Harm's smile kept growing and he slowly backed against the wall. "I don't know for sure, ma'am, but I think it should be painful."
"Really? And here I though this would do.." As she made the last statement she was standing directly in front of the Commander and her lips slowly descended upon his. She kissed him very gently at first, prodding with her tongue for him to allow access to his mouth. Harm, being the gentleman, was more than happy to open his mouth and allow access. As he did, Mac decided that he hadn't suffered quite enough yet and, without drawing blood but still hard enough to hurt, bit his lower lip.
Harm pulled back quick from the lip lock and gave her a shocked look. "What the hell? You bit my freakin' lip."
"Consider yourself punished Commander." Mac gave him a devilish smile. "So do we need another lesson or is one enough?"
"No Colonel, I think one will do just fine."
Mac sighed, "Pity, and here I was planning on biting you somewhere else. Oh well," she said softly as she ran her ran across his chest, "I guess that's your loss." At this she quickly opened the door leaving a stunned Commander Rabb in her wake.
Finally all sense returned to him and he followed her from the room, "Wait Colonel, maybe one more lesson is necessary. Colonel, wait up.."
*********** Meanwhile, in the commissary..
Jacob and Sam had joined the rest of SG-1 and General Hammond at their 'usual' table and ordered up some of that coffee that you could only get here in Earth. No one really wanted to venture into what had happened in the conference room earlier so conversation was kept light. Finally, Jack decided it was time to get down to business.
"So Jacob," Jack stated. "What is with the unscheduled visit? Tok'Ra need our help again?"
"You know Jack, sometimes the Tok'Ra can do things on their own without the help of you guys."
Everyone at the table exchanged a quick look before Jack responded, "Really, since when?"
Jacob rolled his eyes and retorted, "Ha Ha, very funny Jack. Actually, I just came to see my daughter. It has been a while and I missed her and her brother. Is that okay with you?"
O'Neill smiled and said, "Oh, I guess so Jake. And please tell Selmac I was just kidding before. We all like you and Selmac. We would never think you were coming here to send us on another one of your crazy ass missions."
"Thanks Jack, your all heart."
"No problem."
The conversation halted abruptly as the two JAG officers made there way into the room and over to the table. Colonel MacKenzie was the first to speak.
"General Hammond, I would like to apologize for my earlier behavior. I should not have let my emotions get the better of me like that. I just hope this incident does not lower your assessment of me or Commander Rabb in a professional capacity."
General Hammond rose from his chair and smiled softly at the staunch Marine in front of him. "Not at all Colonel. I think, under the circumstances, you handled yourself very well." He leaned in closer and whispered for only her to hear, "Personally, I would have kicked his butt from here to China, so I applaud your restraint."
At this, Mac let out a soft giggle and nodded her silent thanks.
General Hammond turned back to the table and bid his farewell. After his departure, a silence fell upon the table. Finally Harm stepped forward and took charge of the situation. "So Major Carter, I would be interested in hearing some more about Stargate technology and anything else that you could share with me. Is it possible I could receive a personal tour?"
Catching the hint Sam rose from her chair, "Of course Commander Rabb, I would be happy to show you around."
An immediate scowl crossed the face of Colonel O'Neill and he quickly invited himself to join the 'tour.' Both Teal'c and Daniel rose to depart also so as to give Colonel MacKenzie and General Carter some time alone. As everyone was departing, Harm stopped and turned back to Mac with a slight grin on his face. Under his breath he asked, "Would it be okay with the Colonel if I go on this tour and maybe even talk to some people while I am gone?"
Mac met his eyes and smiled at him. "Oh..I guess I will allow it this time. Just don't embarrass me Commander Rabb."
"Yes Ma'am," Harm said as he fired off a mock salute. As he turned to leave Mac grabbed his arm and he turned back to her.
"Harm," she looked deep in his eyes. "Thank you again for earlier. Your presence is very..comforting. I'm glad you're here.
"Anytime Mac, anytime. I will see you later okay?"
As she nodded her head he bid farewell to her and Jacob and left the room. Mac turned back to her uncle and slowly slid into a seat across from him. She looked up slowly and in his eyes she could see the sadness he felt for what he had done to her. She decided it was time to put it all behind them and move on.
"Listen Sarah.." Jacob began before Mac interrupted him.
"No Uncle Ma..I mean Uncle Jacob, let me go first. I just wanted to say that the things I said to you earlier, well, I regret saying some of those things to you. I do love you very much and..well, it doesn't matter what name you go by now or what you went by in the past. What matters is that you are the same person who helped me in Arizona and for that I will always be grateful. Maybe you aren't the exact same person I knew back then, but your essence is still the same. You are still the kind hearted man I knew back then and that will never change. And truth be told, I am kind of warming to this idea of Jacob Carter. I mean, with Matt O'Hara, I had a lonely bachelor for an uncle. Now with Uncle Jacob, I get an immediate, albeit late blooming, family. I really look forward to getting to know Sam and..what is your son's name?"
Jacob smiled at the resilient Marine across from him. He should have known she would pull through this, especially with the help of that sailor of hers. "His name is Mark. He is married and has two beautiful children."
Mac smiled at this, "You mean I have more cousins?"
Jacob's laughter filled the commissary. "Yes you have more cousins. Although, before you head for San Diego to see them, we are going to need to work out a cover story for it all."
"I understand. I think it would be smart for me to get to know Sam first and then I will move onto Mark and his family."
"That is probably a wise choice," Jacob replied. A few moments drifted by before Jacob finally spoke again. "Look Sarah, I know that you and I have a ways to go before I can restore that trust you had in me. Believe me, I am truly sorry for hurting you and if I could go back and change it, I probably would. I just want you to know that I always loved you kiddo and that I only wanted what was best for you."
Mac sighed and then a smile slowly grew on her face. "I know Uncle Jake. It just hit me kinda hard in the conference room earlier. But now that I have had a chance to get use to the idea and Harm is there to help me if I need it. Of course, I am still pissed and I will be exacting my revenge in some way."
Jacob laughed again and said, "You know, Sammie said the same thing. I don't know how I feel about revenge hanging over my head from the both of you."
"Well get used to it bucko. I am sure if she and I sit down and talk it out, we will think of something sufficient enough to get you back."
"Oh dear Lord," Jacob said as he turned his eyes upwards. "Please protect me from the wrath of my daughter and my niece."
Mac laughed at this and then looked up at her Uncle. "Uncle Jacob, I know this probably sounds kind of childish but..could I have a hug?"
Jacob rose from his chair and opened his arms. "Get in here Sarah bear."
Mac launched herself into his arms and fought hard to keep the tears at bay. She succeeded for the most part as only one or two escaped down her cheek. After a few minutes she pulled back and looked up into the eyes of her uncle with a smile on her face. "It is so good to see you again. There are so many questions I have for you; I just don't know where to start."
"All in good time Sarah, all in good time. I think right now we need to go find that sailor of yours so he doesn't worry. Speaking of your sailor, things seem to be going well between the two of you."
Mac rolled her eyes, "Uncle Jake, give it a rest. Harm and I are just good friends. Best friends."
"Yeah right, I may be old but I ain't stupid. Even Selmac can see the love between you two."
Mac stared at her uncle in confusion. "Who is Selmac and what does he..or she..have to do with anything."
Jacob sighed as he realized he had let the cat out of the bag. "Oh boy, I think we had better sit back down for a minute."
Mac took her seat, as did Jacob, and he began his explanation. "So how much did General Hammond and the others tell you about what they do here?"
"They told us about traveling to other worlds and meeting other alien cultures. It sounds pretty fascinating to me."
Jacob nodded, "Did they tell you about the Tok'Ra?"
"Yes, they said that the Tok'Ra were a species of reptilian like creatures that inhabited the bodies of willing human hosts and lived a truly symbiotic life with said hosts."
"That's right. Well, to make a long story short, I was diagnosed with cancer about ten years ago and was all set to die about eight years ago from that cancer. Sam and General Hammond came to me at that time when I was only a few days from dying and made me an offer that, in the long run and after much consideration, I could not refuse. I joined with one of the Tok'Ra. In exchange for providing a vessel for it to live out its life, I was cured of the cancer and all other health problems I had. I am now a member of the Tok'Ra and liaison to Earth. I guess you could call me the Tok'Ra ambassador to Earth."
Mac stared across the table at her uncle as she tried to swallow what she had been told. Finally her curiosity got the better of her. "So, one of these alien beings is living inside of you?"
"Yes she is"
"She?" Mac's eyes widened in surprise. "It is a female?"
Jacob laughed. "Well, not in the sense that you and I would think of a female. The truth is that the symbiotes themselves are genderless. They produce offspring by asexual means. The reason I call Selmac a she is because, prior to me, she had only been in female hosts. Therefore she carries the memories of all of these hosts. The relationship between Selmac and myself is very unique because she has all of my knowledge and memories and I have all of hers, including the remnants of her previous hosts. Therefore, to me, she is a she. Kinda strange huh?"
"I'd say. So how does a tough man like yourself handle having a woman in your head all day?" Sarah said with a smirk.
"Several women mind you, and I must say it has been quite a liberating experience. Selmac keeps me in line though when my male bravado tries to poke through. Speaking of Selmac, would you like to talk to her; she is most interested in talking to you?"
"Talk to her?" Mac exclaimed. "What, like some sort of telepathy?"
"No, nothing like that. I will allow Selmac to take control of my body and she will talk to you through me."
"Oh, okay," Mac nodded nervously. "How will I know it is her I am speaking to and not you?"
Jacob smiled, "Oh trust me, you'll know. Just don't be frightened okay. It is a little alarming to see at first but I assure you it is normal."
As Mac nodded her affirmation Jacob lowered his head and a few seconds passed quietly. Finally he raised his head and spoke in the deep melodic voice of Selmac, "Hello Sarah, it is good to finally meet you. Jacob has spoken of you often and I can see you are the wonderful soldier he always said you were."
Mac jumped at the strange voice but did not turn away or rise from her chair. She tried to speak but could think of nothing to say.
Selmac noticed her wariness and decided to try and put her mind at ease. "It is okay my child; you do not need to be afraid. I know this is all quite disconcerting but I can assure you that Jacob is perfectly safe. He is just allowing me to control his bodies' actions at the moment. I was just so excited to meet the niece that he has such wonderful memories of..I hope you do not consider me as being too forward."
Mac finally spoke, "No not at all. I guess I was just surprised, even with the warning. Please do not take my actions as offensive. It is very nice to meet you also."
"Oh dear, you don't have to be so formal with me, and I can assure you that I am not offended. If what you said was enough to offend me than it is likely I would have beaten the living hell out of Colonel O'Neill years ago."
At this both 'ladies' laughed. "Colonel O'Neill is pretty quick with the snide remarks isn't he?" Mac asked.
"I believe the word you on Earth have for him is..smartass, is this correct?"
"Probably a fair assessment, but then I only just met the Colonel today."
Selmac pondered this thought for a moment and then responded, "Jacob tells me that the term smartass is a dead ringer."
Mac raised her eyebrow in curiosity, "So you can talk to Uncle Jacob right now?"
"Oh yes, in fact we carry on conversations all the time. Jacob has become my closest friend and confidant in the past eight years, and not just because he is my host. He provides me with a level of comfort and contentment that I never really thought would be possible."
Mac smiled at this and replied, "I know the feeling."
"Yes, I noticed how you stared at you partner, Commander Rabb. You two really do make a lovely couple my dear. I can see how deeply you love him and he you in return."
Mac rolled her eyes, "I can see my uncle has been rubbing off on you Selmac. Harm and I are best friends, that is all."
Selmac looked at Mac for a moment with a curious look and then said, "Jacob told me to tell you, and I quote, 'Denial is not just a river in Egypt anymore, is it?' I do not think he believes your argument Sarah."
"Okay, okay, let's drop this conversation about my love life, or lack thereof, please. I think we should find the rest of the group. I believe it is time for Harm and I to get this investigation started. Could I talk to my uncle again Selmac?"
"Of course my dear." Selmac lowered her head and moments later a grinning Jacob Carter was back in control. "Hello Sarah bear, miss me?"
"You are seriously gonna pay for that 'she loves Harm' crap," Mac scoffed at her uncle.
"What, what did I say?"
"Uh huh, let's get out of here before I decide to exact my revenge right here in the commissary. Jello in the face would not be a pretty sight right now."
Jacob held his hands up in mock surrender, "Okay, I give. I will not make any inappropriate remarks regarding you and your sailor from here on out."
As the two left the room, Mac turned to her uncle, "You better not buster."
The knock at the door brought Mac from her stupor. She quickly began to wipe the tears from her eyes and gain some level of control. Finally she gave up on this and called to her 'guest' with a ragged "Enter."
As she turned to see who was coming to call, her heart skipped a beat when she saw that it was Harm. She had hoped that he would be there for her, because as she had just told her uncle, there were only two people in this world that she completely trusted. Right now Harm was the only one that qualified.
Harm slowly approached her with what could best be described as general caring in his eyes. In a quiet voice Harm said, "Are you okay Sarah"
The use of her name, her real name, was all it took for the dam to burst open again and she fell into Harm's arms and sobbed. As she cried out the last remaining tears she had, Harm held her close and softly stroked her hair. As the sobs racked her body, Harm kept repeating softly in her ear, "I'm here honey, it will be okay..."
After ten minutes of the heart wrenching sobs, Mac finally began to calm down and slowly pulled away from Harm's embrace. She didn't really want to leave the comfort of his warm body, but she thought it best to try and gain some level of professionalism; and in Harm's embrace, that was impossible to do. She slowly turned and made her way across the room trying to get her emotions back under control. Finally, as her breathing returned to normal, she spoke for the first time. "I feel so stupid Harm. Here I am, a Marine, and I am bawling my eyes out. I must look like a great example to all of the soldiers here, huh?"
"Mac, the only people who truly saw you react were those in the conference room and I think they completely understand your reaction to this. You were hit with some very..disturbing..news today and no one will think any less of you because it was overwhelming. If you hadn't reacted the way you did, then people would have thought there was something wrong with you."
"Oh Harm," Mac said, as she turned back to face him. "What have I done? I told him that I would never forgive him and that I don't trust him anymore. I have just destroyed my relationship with one of the two people that mean the most to me in this world."
"Mac, now I know that is not true. Matt..I mean Jacob..okay, quick question, what are we calling him?"
A small giggle escaped Mac as she could tell that Harm was trying to lighten the mood in the room. "Since everyone here calls Jacob, maybe we should to? So as to make it less confusing that is."
"Okay then, what I was going to say is that Jacob knows you are very upset right now and understands that you may say things in the heat of the battle that cannot be taken to heart. You are allowed to be angry here Mac. You are not the one who needs to be apologizing, he is. Just promise me that you will listen to what he has to say when he comes to see you and not continue to push him away. I know you love your uncle and you two will work this out. Okay Marine?"
"Yes Sir," Mac said as she fired off a mock salute. "Harm..thank you. I mean, I am acting like a baby right now and I just want to thank you for being here and for not making fun of me."
"Mac, I would never make fun of you. You can kick my ass."
At this, Mac fell into a hearty laugh. "You got that right Squid and don't you forget it. Hey wait a minute, I thought I told you not to talk unless I said you could? Did you disobey a direct order?"
Harm looked at Mac's face in surprise and then realized she was yanking his chain. 'Well, if she is in the mood to joke, then by all means..' "Well then, Colonel, I guess you are going to have to punish me," Harm said as his eyebrows hitched up and a smile slowly spread across his face.
Mac saw his deliberate tactic of trying to cheer her up and decided this time to play along. "Punish you huh?" she said as she slowly crossed the room towards Harm. "And what kind of punishment do you think you deserve?"
Harm's smile kept growing and he slowly backed against the wall. "I don't know for sure, ma'am, but I think it should be painful."
"Really? And here I though this would do.." As she made the last statement she was standing directly in front of the Commander and her lips slowly descended upon his. She kissed him very gently at first, prodding with her tongue for him to allow access to his mouth. Harm, being the gentleman, was more than happy to open his mouth and allow access. As he did, Mac decided that he hadn't suffered quite enough yet and, without drawing blood but still hard enough to hurt, bit his lower lip.
Harm pulled back quick from the lip lock and gave her a shocked look. "What the hell? You bit my freakin' lip."
"Consider yourself punished Commander." Mac gave him a devilish smile. "So do we need another lesson or is one enough?"
"No Colonel, I think one will do just fine."
Mac sighed, "Pity, and here I was planning on biting you somewhere else. Oh well," she said softly as she ran her ran across his chest, "I guess that's your loss." At this she quickly opened the door leaving a stunned Commander Rabb in her wake.
Finally all sense returned to him and he followed her from the room, "Wait Colonel, maybe one more lesson is necessary. Colonel, wait up.."
*********** Meanwhile, in the commissary..
Jacob and Sam had joined the rest of SG-1 and General Hammond at their 'usual' table and ordered up some of that coffee that you could only get here in Earth. No one really wanted to venture into what had happened in the conference room earlier so conversation was kept light. Finally, Jack decided it was time to get down to business.
"So Jacob," Jack stated. "What is with the unscheduled visit? Tok'Ra need our help again?"
"You know Jack, sometimes the Tok'Ra can do things on their own without the help of you guys."
Everyone at the table exchanged a quick look before Jack responded, "Really, since when?"
Jacob rolled his eyes and retorted, "Ha Ha, very funny Jack. Actually, I just came to see my daughter. It has been a while and I missed her and her brother. Is that okay with you?"
O'Neill smiled and said, "Oh, I guess so Jake. And please tell Selmac I was just kidding before. We all like you and Selmac. We would never think you were coming here to send us on another one of your crazy ass missions."
"Thanks Jack, your all heart."
"No problem."
The conversation halted abruptly as the two JAG officers made there way into the room and over to the table. Colonel MacKenzie was the first to speak.
"General Hammond, I would like to apologize for my earlier behavior. I should not have let my emotions get the better of me like that. I just hope this incident does not lower your assessment of me or Commander Rabb in a professional capacity."
General Hammond rose from his chair and smiled softly at the staunch Marine in front of him. "Not at all Colonel. I think, under the circumstances, you handled yourself very well." He leaned in closer and whispered for only her to hear, "Personally, I would have kicked his butt from here to China, so I applaud your restraint."
At this, Mac let out a soft giggle and nodded her silent thanks.
General Hammond turned back to the table and bid his farewell. After his departure, a silence fell upon the table. Finally Harm stepped forward and took charge of the situation. "So Major Carter, I would be interested in hearing some more about Stargate technology and anything else that you could share with me. Is it possible I could receive a personal tour?"
Catching the hint Sam rose from her chair, "Of course Commander Rabb, I would be happy to show you around."
An immediate scowl crossed the face of Colonel O'Neill and he quickly invited himself to join the 'tour.' Both Teal'c and Daniel rose to depart also so as to give Colonel MacKenzie and General Carter some time alone. As everyone was departing, Harm stopped and turned back to Mac with a slight grin on his face. Under his breath he asked, "Would it be okay with the Colonel if I go on this tour and maybe even talk to some people while I am gone?"
Mac met his eyes and smiled at him. "Oh..I guess I will allow it this time. Just don't embarrass me Commander Rabb."
"Yes Ma'am," Harm said as he fired off a mock salute. As he turned to leave Mac grabbed his arm and he turned back to her.
"Harm," she looked deep in his eyes. "Thank you again for earlier. Your presence is very..comforting. I'm glad you're here.
"Anytime Mac, anytime. I will see you later okay?"
As she nodded her head he bid farewell to her and Jacob and left the room. Mac turned back to her uncle and slowly slid into a seat across from him. She looked up slowly and in his eyes she could see the sadness he felt for what he had done to her. She decided it was time to put it all behind them and move on.
"Listen Sarah.." Jacob began before Mac interrupted him.
"No Uncle Ma..I mean Uncle Jacob, let me go first. I just wanted to say that the things I said to you earlier, well, I regret saying some of those things to you. I do love you very much and..well, it doesn't matter what name you go by now or what you went by in the past. What matters is that you are the same person who helped me in Arizona and for that I will always be grateful. Maybe you aren't the exact same person I knew back then, but your essence is still the same. You are still the kind hearted man I knew back then and that will never change. And truth be told, I am kind of warming to this idea of Jacob Carter. I mean, with Matt O'Hara, I had a lonely bachelor for an uncle. Now with Uncle Jacob, I get an immediate, albeit late blooming, family. I really look forward to getting to know Sam and..what is your son's name?"
Jacob smiled at the resilient Marine across from him. He should have known she would pull through this, especially with the help of that sailor of hers. "His name is Mark. He is married and has two beautiful children."
Mac smiled at this, "You mean I have more cousins?"
Jacob's laughter filled the commissary. "Yes you have more cousins. Although, before you head for San Diego to see them, we are going to need to work out a cover story for it all."
"I understand. I think it would be smart for me to get to know Sam first and then I will move onto Mark and his family."
"That is probably a wise choice," Jacob replied. A few moments drifted by before Jacob finally spoke again. "Look Sarah, I know that you and I have a ways to go before I can restore that trust you had in me. Believe me, I am truly sorry for hurting you and if I could go back and change it, I probably would. I just want you to know that I always loved you kiddo and that I only wanted what was best for you."
Mac sighed and then a smile slowly grew on her face. "I know Uncle Jake. It just hit me kinda hard in the conference room earlier. But now that I have had a chance to get use to the idea and Harm is there to help me if I need it. Of course, I am still pissed and I will be exacting my revenge in some way."
Jacob laughed again and said, "You know, Sammie said the same thing. I don't know how I feel about revenge hanging over my head from the both of you."
"Well get used to it bucko. I am sure if she and I sit down and talk it out, we will think of something sufficient enough to get you back."
"Oh dear Lord," Jacob said as he turned his eyes upwards. "Please protect me from the wrath of my daughter and my niece."
Mac laughed at this and then looked up at her Uncle. "Uncle Jacob, I know this probably sounds kind of childish but..could I have a hug?"
Jacob rose from his chair and opened his arms. "Get in here Sarah bear."
Mac launched herself into his arms and fought hard to keep the tears at bay. She succeeded for the most part as only one or two escaped down her cheek. After a few minutes she pulled back and looked up into the eyes of her uncle with a smile on her face. "It is so good to see you again. There are so many questions I have for you; I just don't know where to start."
"All in good time Sarah, all in good time. I think right now we need to go find that sailor of yours so he doesn't worry. Speaking of your sailor, things seem to be going well between the two of you."
Mac rolled her eyes, "Uncle Jake, give it a rest. Harm and I are just good friends. Best friends."
"Yeah right, I may be old but I ain't stupid. Even Selmac can see the love between you two."
Mac stared at her uncle in confusion. "Who is Selmac and what does he..or she..have to do with anything."
Jacob sighed as he realized he had let the cat out of the bag. "Oh boy, I think we had better sit back down for a minute."
Mac took her seat, as did Jacob, and he began his explanation. "So how much did General Hammond and the others tell you about what they do here?"
"They told us about traveling to other worlds and meeting other alien cultures. It sounds pretty fascinating to me."
Jacob nodded, "Did they tell you about the Tok'Ra?"
"Yes, they said that the Tok'Ra were a species of reptilian like creatures that inhabited the bodies of willing human hosts and lived a truly symbiotic life with said hosts."
"That's right. Well, to make a long story short, I was diagnosed with cancer about ten years ago and was all set to die about eight years ago from that cancer. Sam and General Hammond came to me at that time when I was only a few days from dying and made me an offer that, in the long run and after much consideration, I could not refuse. I joined with one of the Tok'Ra. In exchange for providing a vessel for it to live out its life, I was cured of the cancer and all other health problems I had. I am now a member of the Tok'Ra and liaison to Earth. I guess you could call me the Tok'Ra ambassador to Earth."
Mac stared across the table at her uncle as she tried to swallow what she had been told. Finally her curiosity got the better of her. "So, one of these alien beings is living inside of you?"
"Yes she is"
"She?" Mac's eyes widened in surprise. "It is a female?"
Jacob laughed. "Well, not in the sense that you and I would think of a female. The truth is that the symbiotes themselves are genderless. They produce offspring by asexual means. The reason I call Selmac a she is because, prior to me, she had only been in female hosts. Therefore she carries the memories of all of these hosts. The relationship between Selmac and myself is very unique because she has all of my knowledge and memories and I have all of hers, including the remnants of her previous hosts. Therefore, to me, she is a she. Kinda strange huh?"
"I'd say. So how does a tough man like yourself handle having a woman in your head all day?" Sarah said with a smirk.
"Several women mind you, and I must say it has been quite a liberating experience. Selmac keeps me in line though when my male bravado tries to poke through. Speaking of Selmac, would you like to talk to her; she is most interested in talking to you?"
"Talk to her?" Mac exclaimed. "What, like some sort of telepathy?"
"No, nothing like that. I will allow Selmac to take control of my body and she will talk to you through me."
"Oh, okay," Mac nodded nervously. "How will I know it is her I am speaking to and not you?"
Jacob smiled, "Oh trust me, you'll know. Just don't be frightened okay. It is a little alarming to see at first but I assure you it is normal."
As Mac nodded her affirmation Jacob lowered his head and a few seconds passed quietly. Finally he raised his head and spoke in the deep melodic voice of Selmac, "Hello Sarah, it is good to finally meet you. Jacob has spoken of you often and I can see you are the wonderful soldier he always said you were."
Mac jumped at the strange voice but did not turn away or rise from her chair. She tried to speak but could think of nothing to say.
Selmac noticed her wariness and decided to try and put her mind at ease. "It is okay my child; you do not need to be afraid. I know this is all quite disconcerting but I can assure you that Jacob is perfectly safe. He is just allowing me to control his bodies' actions at the moment. I was just so excited to meet the niece that he has such wonderful memories of..I hope you do not consider me as being too forward."
Mac finally spoke, "No not at all. I guess I was just surprised, even with the warning. Please do not take my actions as offensive. It is very nice to meet you also."
"Oh dear, you don't have to be so formal with me, and I can assure you that I am not offended. If what you said was enough to offend me than it is likely I would have beaten the living hell out of Colonel O'Neill years ago."
At this both 'ladies' laughed. "Colonel O'Neill is pretty quick with the snide remarks isn't he?" Mac asked.
"I believe the word you on Earth have for him is..smartass, is this correct?"
"Probably a fair assessment, but then I only just met the Colonel today."
Selmac pondered this thought for a moment and then responded, "Jacob tells me that the term smartass is a dead ringer."
Mac raised her eyebrow in curiosity, "So you can talk to Uncle Jacob right now?"
"Oh yes, in fact we carry on conversations all the time. Jacob has become my closest friend and confidant in the past eight years, and not just because he is my host. He provides me with a level of comfort and contentment that I never really thought would be possible."
Mac smiled at this and replied, "I know the feeling."
"Yes, I noticed how you stared at you partner, Commander Rabb. You two really do make a lovely couple my dear. I can see how deeply you love him and he you in return."
Mac rolled her eyes, "I can see my uncle has been rubbing off on you Selmac. Harm and I are best friends, that is all."
Selmac looked at Mac for a moment with a curious look and then said, "Jacob told me to tell you, and I quote, 'Denial is not just a river in Egypt anymore, is it?' I do not think he believes your argument Sarah."
"Okay, okay, let's drop this conversation about my love life, or lack thereof, please. I think we should find the rest of the group. I believe it is time for Harm and I to get this investigation started. Could I talk to my uncle again Selmac?"
"Of course my dear." Selmac lowered her head and moments later a grinning Jacob Carter was back in control. "Hello Sarah bear, miss me?"
"You are seriously gonna pay for that 'she loves Harm' crap," Mac scoffed at her uncle.
"What, what did I say?"
"Uh huh, let's get out of here before I decide to exact my revenge right here in the commissary. Jello in the face would not be a pretty sight right now."
Jacob held his hands up in mock surrender, "Okay, I give. I will not make any inappropriate remarks regarding you and your sailor from here on out."
As the two left the room, Mac turned to her uncle, "You better not buster."