"Are you mad at me, Jack?"
O'Neill looked down at the boy that was standing next to him, surprised at the question.
"Not at all, Shawn, why do you ask?"
Shawn shrugged, but Jack wasn't going to take that as an answer. He knelt down so the two were face t face, his serious brown eyes meeting Shawn's equally serious gaze.
"Why do you ask, Shawn?"
"You're awfully quiet." Shawn said, looking away. "I just thought maybe it was because of me."
Well, it WAS because of him, but not the way that he thought. Jack had woken Shawn and Carter when Thor had told him they were getting close to Earth. He'd wanted to get all their supplies gathered and get ready to get back to the planet. Anxious to get away from the Asgard before he tried talking to Shawn directly about whatever hair-brained idea him and the other little gray aliens may have concocted between them. Jack was certain Shawn would go for whatever it was, and he didn't want that to become an option.
Jack reached out and put his hand on Shawn's cheek, forcing the boy to turn his head and look at him again. When had those brown eyes become so intelligent, Jack wondered. Had they always been like that, and he'd just never noticed?
"Listen to me, Shawn," Jack said softly. "I'm not mad at you. I'm not even a little annoyed with you. You've handled yourself so much better than I ever could have thought. I know this has been pretty... weird... for you, and I want you to know how proud I am of you."
"Proud of me?"
"You could have collapsed in a corner and turned into a pile of jello. Instead, you helped. You stayed out of trouble – more or less – and you even made that thingie to leave for the Goa'uld. You did great, buddy."
Shawn's eyes went from guarded to uncertain, and then to confident in the space of Jack's little talk, and there was a definite gleam of cheerfulness there by the time Jack was finished.
"Thanks, Jack. You did good, too."
"Oh, you have no idea how much I accomplished, Shawn," Jack said, standing up again and resting his hand on the top of the boy's head. "I could have strangled some of those Po'aelins."
"Pa'olie."
"Pe'aoli," Sam corrected, coming up to stand beside the two of them. "What are you guys discussing?"
"Jack was telling me about the people he was tempted to strangle," Shawn said, smiling a welcome.
Sam grinned. "You have no idea, Shawn. There was a guy with chickens, who was bound and determin-"
"We have come out of hyperspace," Thor interrupted, walking into the storage area. "We will be in orbit in moments."
"Thanks, Thor." Sam said.
"Yeah." Jack's appreciation was a little more forced, since he was still simmering over his conversation with the Asgard. No one could hold a grudge better than Jack.
"Thanks, Thor," Shawn agreed, smiling at the Asgard. "I'm sorry if I was a pest."
"You were not."
The little alien turned and walked back towards the bridge, followed by the others. They left their equipment where it was, knowing Thor would beam it down for them. They walked through the doors in time to see the Earth coming into view, then growing larger and finally holding in a single position.
"It was my pleasure to meet you, Shawn," Thor said formally, bowing slightly to the boy. "I am sorry that I interrupted your weekend with O'Neill, but please rest assured it was necessary."
"I know."
Thor went to his chair and reached for the arm, just as Jack thought of something.
"Hey! Don't beam us-"
They were gone in a flash of white light.
~*~
"...into the Gate Room!"
He looked around and saw that they'd all materialized right there, the Gate looming large behind them.
"DAMNIT!"
"Colonel O'Neill!"
The three of them turned and looked up and saw Hammond standing behind the bullet-proof glass of the Command center with a group of very stunned looking men in uniform. Around them, technicians and a few Marines with automatic rifles were looking at them in shock.
Jack looked up at Hammond, then down at Shawn, aware that the last and greatest secret of Cheyenne Mountain had just been revealed to the boy. Thanks, once again, to Thor. Shawn looked around, interested, but when Sam started to speak, the boy interrupted.
"It's okay, Jack," Shawn said. "I know about the Stargate."
"You do?" Sam asked. "How?"
"I found the one on Thor's ship."
"Of course you did..." Jack said, shaking his head. Again, he was getting a headache. Again, thanks to Thor.
~*~
"So the mission went well?" Hammond asked.
Jack nodded. They were all seated around the briefing table, Shawn sitting between Sam and O'Neill. Daniel was there, as well, having come through the Gate only a few short minutes before Thor had beamed the other three in. Hammond was there, of course, as was another uniformed officer – this one an Army General, and a man in civilian clothing that everyone deferred to. Including Jack.
"Yeah, we got the Po'eali onto the ships with minimal fuss. Had to hurry the last of them, since the Goa'uld decided to show up."
"Really?" Daniel was still staring at Shawn, as he had been since he'd seen the boy with Carter and O'Neill in the Gate room. "And... um... what happened?"
"Actually, we'll debrief later," Hammond said, standing up. "I just wanted to make sure that the Asgard were done with you."
"Oh, they're done, Sir," Jack said. "They'll relocate the Pa'elio to a planet that they'll be safe on."
"Good." Hammond looked at Jack, knowing from the way he was sitting, and how tense he was that there was more that Jack wanted to say, but it was also obvious that Jack had no intention of saying it in front of their audience.
"Shawn? Will you come with me for a minute?"
Shawn backed his chair out and stood up. He wasn't afraid of Hammond, so he wasn't nervous. He didn't even look at Jack or Sam to see if they were coming with him. Hammond walked into the next room, followed by Shawn, the civilian, and after a briefest hesitation, Jack. O'Neill wasn't sure if the General wanted him there or not, but he was Shawn's guardian – at least for the weekend – so he had to be there.
"Shawn?" Hammond looked down at the boy, and gestured to the civilian. "Do you know who this is?"
Shawn looked at the man, thinking that he probably should if the General thought he should, but he shook his head. "No, Sir."
"I'm the President of the United States." The man said, kindly, reaching his hand out to shake hands with the boy.
"Wow! Really?" He looked over at Jack, to make sure it really was. Jack wouldn't let anyone lie to him, after all.
Jack nodded. "That he is."
"Son, we need to have a talk about all the things you've seen this weekend. Okay?"
~*~
O'Neill looked down at the boy that was standing next to him, surprised at the question.
"Not at all, Shawn, why do you ask?"
Shawn shrugged, but Jack wasn't going to take that as an answer. He knelt down so the two were face t face, his serious brown eyes meeting Shawn's equally serious gaze.
"Why do you ask, Shawn?"
"You're awfully quiet." Shawn said, looking away. "I just thought maybe it was because of me."
Well, it WAS because of him, but not the way that he thought. Jack had woken Shawn and Carter when Thor had told him they were getting close to Earth. He'd wanted to get all their supplies gathered and get ready to get back to the planet. Anxious to get away from the Asgard before he tried talking to Shawn directly about whatever hair-brained idea him and the other little gray aliens may have concocted between them. Jack was certain Shawn would go for whatever it was, and he didn't want that to become an option.
Jack reached out and put his hand on Shawn's cheek, forcing the boy to turn his head and look at him again. When had those brown eyes become so intelligent, Jack wondered. Had they always been like that, and he'd just never noticed?
"Listen to me, Shawn," Jack said softly. "I'm not mad at you. I'm not even a little annoyed with you. You've handled yourself so much better than I ever could have thought. I know this has been pretty... weird... for you, and I want you to know how proud I am of you."
"Proud of me?"
"You could have collapsed in a corner and turned into a pile of jello. Instead, you helped. You stayed out of trouble – more or less – and you even made that thingie to leave for the Goa'uld. You did great, buddy."
Shawn's eyes went from guarded to uncertain, and then to confident in the space of Jack's little talk, and there was a definite gleam of cheerfulness there by the time Jack was finished.
"Thanks, Jack. You did good, too."
"Oh, you have no idea how much I accomplished, Shawn," Jack said, standing up again and resting his hand on the top of the boy's head. "I could have strangled some of those Po'aelins."
"Pa'olie."
"Pe'aoli," Sam corrected, coming up to stand beside the two of them. "What are you guys discussing?"
"Jack was telling me about the people he was tempted to strangle," Shawn said, smiling a welcome.
Sam grinned. "You have no idea, Shawn. There was a guy with chickens, who was bound and determin-"
"We have come out of hyperspace," Thor interrupted, walking into the storage area. "We will be in orbit in moments."
"Thanks, Thor." Sam said.
"Yeah." Jack's appreciation was a little more forced, since he was still simmering over his conversation with the Asgard. No one could hold a grudge better than Jack.
"Thanks, Thor," Shawn agreed, smiling at the Asgard. "I'm sorry if I was a pest."
"You were not."
The little alien turned and walked back towards the bridge, followed by the others. They left their equipment where it was, knowing Thor would beam it down for them. They walked through the doors in time to see the Earth coming into view, then growing larger and finally holding in a single position.
"It was my pleasure to meet you, Shawn," Thor said formally, bowing slightly to the boy. "I am sorry that I interrupted your weekend with O'Neill, but please rest assured it was necessary."
"I know."
Thor went to his chair and reached for the arm, just as Jack thought of something.
"Hey! Don't beam us-"
They were gone in a flash of white light.
~*~
"...into the Gate Room!"
He looked around and saw that they'd all materialized right there, the Gate looming large behind them.
"DAMNIT!"
"Colonel O'Neill!"
The three of them turned and looked up and saw Hammond standing behind the bullet-proof glass of the Command center with a group of very stunned looking men in uniform. Around them, technicians and a few Marines with automatic rifles were looking at them in shock.
Jack looked up at Hammond, then down at Shawn, aware that the last and greatest secret of Cheyenne Mountain had just been revealed to the boy. Thanks, once again, to Thor. Shawn looked around, interested, but when Sam started to speak, the boy interrupted.
"It's okay, Jack," Shawn said. "I know about the Stargate."
"You do?" Sam asked. "How?"
"I found the one on Thor's ship."
"Of course you did..." Jack said, shaking his head. Again, he was getting a headache. Again, thanks to Thor.
~*~
"So the mission went well?" Hammond asked.
Jack nodded. They were all seated around the briefing table, Shawn sitting between Sam and O'Neill. Daniel was there, as well, having come through the Gate only a few short minutes before Thor had beamed the other three in. Hammond was there, of course, as was another uniformed officer – this one an Army General, and a man in civilian clothing that everyone deferred to. Including Jack.
"Yeah, we got the Po'eali onto the ships with minimal fuss. Had to hurry the last of them, since the Goa'uld decided to show up."
"Really?" Daniel was still staring at Shawn, as he had been since he'd seen the boy with Carter and O'Neill in the Gate room. "And... um... what happened?"
"Actually, we'll debrief later," Hammond said, standing up. "I just wanted to make sure that the Asgard were done with you."
"Oh, they're done, Sir," Jack said. "They'll relocate the Pa'elio to a planet that they'll be safe on."
"Good." Hammond looked at Jack, knowing from the way he was sitting, and how tense he was that there was more that Jack wanted to say, but it was also obvious that Jack had no intention of saying it in front of their audience.
"Shawn? Will you come with me for a minute?"
Shawn backed his chair out and stood up. He wasn't afraid of Hammond, so he wasn't nervous. He didn't even look at Jack or Sam to see if they were coming with him. Hammond walked into the next room, followed by Shawn, the civilian, and after a briefest hesitation, Jack. O'Neill wasn't sure if the General wanted him there or not, but he was Shawn's guardian – at least for the weekend – so he had to be there.
"Shawn?" Hammond looked down at the boy, and gestured to the civilian. "Do you know who this is?"
Shawn looked at the man, thinking that he probably should if the General thought he should, but he shook his head. "No, Sir."
"I'm the President of the United States." The man said, kindly, reaching his hand out to shake hands with the boy.
"Wow! Really?" He looked over at Jack, to make sure it really was. Jack wouldn't let anyone lie to him, after all.
Jack nodded. "That he is."
"Son, we need to have a talk about all the things you've seen this weekend. Okay?"
~*~
