"Are you in trouble, Jack?" Andrew asked him the moment Jack and Daniel returned to his bed. The boy was sitting up, and looked fine, now. He had his color back – for the most part – and with Janet Fraiser checking his legs out and reassuring him as she did so, he wasn't even nervous. Especially with Teal'c standing close at hand.
"Why do you ask?" Jack asked, coming over and sitting next to him on the bed.
"Because of all the things I know...?"
"Nah. I'm not in trouble."
"Am I?"
"Heck no." Jack sighed. "We just have to figure out what to do about it."
"What do you mean?"
"Well... it's supposed to be a secret, Andrew. There's a lot of secrets out there, you know?"
The boy nodded.
"Yeah, well, this is pretty much the most important, and biggest secret there is."
"But everyone knows what the Asguards look like," Andrew told him. "They're all over TV."
"Everyone thinks they know what the Asgard look like," Daniel corrected him. "Or at least, they think they know what aliens look like. But thinking you know and knowing you know are two different things, Andrew."
"Huh?"
Jack stared, too.
"It's not the same thing." Daniel said. "Just trust me."
"Okay."
"The point is," Jack said, "We're sitting in the middle of the biggest secret on the planet."
"And you don't want me to tell anyone?"
"Exactly. You can't tell anyone, Andrew. Not your mom. Not your dad. None of your friends. No one."
"Is the Stargate real?"
Jack hesitated, and then nodded. What the hell?
"Yeah. It's real."
"What's a knocks?"
"Hold on, Andrew," O'Neill said, holding his hand up. "First, we need to talk about Thor and the Asgard."
"I won't tell anyone, Jack." Andrew said. "Not even Sam."
"Major Carter is aware of the Stargate, Andrew." Teal'c said, speaking for the first time. "As is Shawn Adams."
Jack glanced over at Teal'c, wondering why he'd chosen to divulge that little tidbit of information. They hadn't discussed what they wanted Andrew to know, after all. But he didn't say anything. He trusted Teal'c with his life. He certainly trusted him with the Stargate secrets.
"Shawn knows?"
"Oh yeah." Jack said. "He found out about Thor the exact same way you did."
"How?" Not the avalanche thing, obviously.
"Thor beamed me right up out of the elevator while I was talking to Shawn."
"He didn't!"
"Oh, he did."
"Shawn Adams was left alone in the elevator." Teal'c confirmed.
Andrew shuddered despite himself, wondering how Shawn had handled that! He'd been freaked out when Jack had vanished, and he'd been standing with Teal'c. He probably would have crapped his pants if he'd been alone. Of course, he'd never say that aloud.
"What did he do?"
"He waited for the door to open, and went screaming down the halls looking for Sam." Daniel told him, smiling.
"And then Thor beamed him up as well. And the secret was out." Jack finished.
"He knows, then?"
"Yup."
"And he hasn't told anyone?"
"Nope. Not even you, and you two are friends."
"We even talk on email and IM s."
"That's how it has to be with you and your other friends, Andrew." Jack said, seriously. "You can't tell anyone what you know, and what you might learn here. It'd be a disaster."
"Like this?" Andrew asked, understanding why everyone was so tense, and Jack had been so furious earlier. Although it wasn't something he wanted to see again.
Jack nodded. "Exactly."
"Who else knows about it?"
"Mostly Military people. Air Force. Marines. The President. Some Congressmen."
"And two kids."
"Three kids." Jack corrected. "Doctor Fraiser's daughter knows about it, too." He pointed at the Doctor, who was standing off to the side, watching what was going on, but staying out of the conversation.
"They're not going to give me any mind erasing drug or anything, are they?" Andrew asked.
"Of course not." Jack said. "Even if there was such a thing, we'd never let them use it on you."
"Which is the purpose of having this conversation, Andrew." Teal'c said. "We must ascertain that you will keep the secret."
"And decide how much more of the secret to let you in on." Jack added.
It was Teal'c's turn to glance at O'Neill, wondering if the Colonel meant what it sounded like he meant. Jack caught the look and shrugged, showing him they were half-serious.
"There's more?"
"A lot more." Daniel held up the journal. "Of course, you already know about a lot of that, but not in any detail."
"I guess that journal's going to have to get burned, huh?"
Jack looked at it, and nodded.
"Probably. Or kept someplace safe. Not at your house."
"I have it on my computer, too." Andrew told them.
"That'll have to be fixed, too, then." Daniel said.
Jack's cell phone rang, just then, and he answered it. The people in the room with him could only hear one side of the conversation, but it was obviously Carter. Both because of the conversation, and because of the way Jack's eyes lit up, and his expression softened. And he probably didn't even realize it was happening.
"Hello?"
"Hey."
"Oh, yeah, we got him." Jack glanced at Andrew, winking. "Did you get Shawn okay?"
"Good."
"We're at the base."
"Yup."
"Oh, no. We have a big problem."
"Pretty much exactly what happened when Shawn was in the elevator with me."
"I'm serious."
"I am."
"Well... I can't tell you that, Sam, or I'd have to kill you."
Jack smiled, both to keep Andrew from thinking he might be serious, and because of Carter's response.
"We're coming, but it's going to be a while. Why don't you bring him here? We're still sorting things out, and I don't know how much longer it's going to be."
"Yeah. Me too."
He turned off the phone.
"Sam's bringing Shawn here." He told them all unnecessarily. He looked at Andrew, then at Teal'c. And he decided. He was good at deciding things quickly, after all. "While we're waiting, let me tell you what Shawn's doing with the Asgard, Andrew, and then we'll talk and see what you think about it."
"Okay."
"Why do you ask?" Jack asked, coming over and sitting next to him on the bed.
"Because of all the things I know...?"
"Nah. I'm not in trouble."
"Am I?"
"Heck no." Jack sighed. "We just have to figure out what to do about it."
"What do you mean?"
"Well... it's supposed to be a secret, Andrew. There's a lot of secrets out there, you know?"
The boy nodded.
"Yeah, well, this is pretty much the most important, and biggest secret there is."
"But everyone knows what the Asguards look like," Andrew told him. "They're all over TV."
"Everyone thinks they know what the Asgard look like," Daniel corrected him. "Or at least, they think they know what aliens look like. But thinking you know and knowing you know are two different things, Andrew."
"Huh?"
Jack stared, too.
"It's not the same thing." Daniel said. "Just trust me."
"Okay."
"The point is," Jack said, "We're sitting in the middle of the biggest secret on the planet."
"And you don't want me to tell anyone?"
"Exactly. You can't tell anyone, Andrew. Not your mom. Not your dad. None of your friends. No one."
"Is the Stargate real?"
Jack hesitated, and then nodded. What the hell?
"Yeah. It's real."
"What's a knocks?"
"Hold on, Andrew," O'Neill said, holding his hand up. "First, we need to talk about Thor and the Asgard."
"I won't tell anyone, Jack." Andrew said. "Not even Sam."
"Major Carter is aware of the Stargate, Andrew." Teal'c said, speaking for the first time. "As is Shawn Adams."
Jack glanced over at Teal'c, wondering why he'd chosen to divulge that little tidbit of information. They hadn't discussed what they wanted Andrew to know, after all. But he didn't say anything. He trusted Teal'c with his life. He certainly trusted him with the Stargate secrets.
"Shawn knows?"
"Oh yeah." Jack said. "He found out about Thor the exact same way you did."
"How?" Not the avalanche thing, obviously.
"Thor beamed me right up out of the elevator while I was talking to Shawn."
"He didn't!"
"Oh, he did."
"Shawn Adams was left alone in the elevator." Teal'c confirmed.
Andrew shuddered despite himself, wondering how Shawn had handled that! He'd been freaked out when Jack had vanished, and he'd been standing with Teal'c. He probably would have crapped his pants if he'd been alone. Of course, he'd never say that aloud.
"What did he do?"
"He waited for the door to open, and went screaming down the halls looking for Sam." Daniel told him, smiling.
"And then Thor beamed him up as well. And the secret was out." Jack finished.
"He knows, then?"
"Yup."
"And he hasn't told anyone?"
"Nope. Not even you, and you two are friends."
"We even talk on email and IM s."
"That's how it has to be with you and your other friends, Andrew." Jack said, seriously. "You can't tell anyone what you know, and what you might learn here. It'd be a disaster."
"Like this?" Andrew asked, understanding why everyone was so tense, and Jack had been so furious earlier. Although it wasn't something he wanted to see again.
Jack nodded. "Exactly."
"Who else knows about it?"
"Mostly Military people. Air Force. Marines. The President. Some Congressmen."
"And two kids."
"Three kids." Jack corrected. "Doctor Fraiser's daughter knows about it, too." He pointed at the Doctor, who was standing off to the side, watching what was going on, but staying out of the conversation.
"They're not going to give me any mind erasing drug or anything, are they?" Andrew asked.
"Of course not." Jack said. "Even if there was such a thing, we'd never let them use it on you."
"Which is the purpose of having this conversation, Andrew." Teal'c said. "We must ascertain that you will keep the secret."
"And decide how much more of the secret to let you in on." Jack added.
It was Teal'c's turn to glance at O'Neill, wondering if the Colonel meant what it sounded like he meant. Jack caught the look and shrugged, showing him they were half-serious.
"There's more?"
"A lot more." Daniel held up the journal. "Of course, you already know about a lot of that, but not in any detail."
"I guess that journal's going to have to get burned, huh?"
Jack looked at it, and nodded.
"Probably. Or kept someplace safe. Not at your house."
"I have it on my computer, too." Andrew told them.
"That'll have to be fixed, too, then." Daniel said.
Jack's cell phone rang, just then, and he answered it. The people in the room with him could only hear one side of the conversation, but it was obviously Carter. Both because of the conversation, and because of the way Jack's eyes lit up, and his expression softened. And he probably didn't even realize it was happening.
"Hello?"
"Hey."
"Oh, yeah, we got him." Jack glanced at Andrew, winking. "Did you get Shawn okay?"
"Good."
"We're at the base."
"Yup."
"Oh, no. We have a big problem."
"Pretty much exactly what happened when Shawn was in the elevator with me."
"I'm serious."
"I am."
"Well... I can't tell you that, Sam, or I'd have to kill you."
Jack smiled, both to keep Andrew from thinking he might be serious, and because of Carter's response.
"We're coming, but it's going to be a while. Why don't you bring him here? We're still sorting things out, and I don't know how much longer it's going to be."
"Yeah. Me too."
He turned off the phone.
"Sam's bringing Shawn here." He told them all unnecessarily. He looked at Andrew, then at Teal'c. And he decided. He was good at deciding things quickly, after all. "While we're waiting, let me tell you what Shawn's doing with the Asgard, Andrew, and then we'll talk and see what you think about it."
"Okay."