Disclaimer: If I owned Stargate, don't you think I'd know a little bit more
about the shows than I do at the moment?
Prodigal Son...er...Daughter.
Chapter Three.
Teal'la was staring at the ceiling, pouting when the door opened. She could hear from the sound of the footsteps who it was.
"Hello, Janet." she said, sitting up and removing her hat, her jacket, and her boots. Doctor Fraiser tried to pretend she wasn't put off by Teal'la knowing her name, as she'd not been introduced as anything but Doctor Fraiser. She pulled out her stethoscope.
"Hello, Teal'la." she replied, amiably.
"Most people just call me Carter. You know, because it's my name?" Teal'la hinted. Janet looked at her.
"That would be too confusing. What would we call Major Carter?" she asked. Teal'la smirked.
There was a long silence and the Teal'la tilted her head.
"You can ask, y'know, I know they're listening."
This startled Janet.
"Don't look so surprised, Doc. Where I come from, they do the same thing, usually when I'm mad, so they can figure out what they did wrong." she chuckled.
"Where *do* you come from?" Janet asked.
"Earth, just not this one."
"There's more than one?"
"Do you doubt it?" asked the teenager, as Janet scribbled something on her clipboard. the older woman conceded the point. "Daniel and Sam can tell you all about it." There was a pause. "Anything else?"
"How do you know us?" Janet seemed to have wanted to ask this all along. Teal'la shook her head.
"I'm not at liberty to say, ask something else."
"Have you been to the SG base before?"
"Cheyenne mountain? Sure I have. I work here. I practically live here. Well, not *here* here, but you get the idea." Teal'la said, her forehead crinkling a little in confusion. Janet paused, then put the clipboard down.
"How did you get out of your room?" she asked. Teal'la grinned.
"Can you keep a secret?" she asked. Janet nodded, and Teal'la leaned forward, conspiratorially. "So can I."
*
Teal'la dug in her stuff and pulled out a small, red, handheld device from her duffel, punching in a series of numbers and watching the small screen. when the load sign appeared, she tucked the device into her belt and walked over to the wall, climbing into the ceiling crawlspace, moving carefully through the somewhat more spacious area. It took a while to connect to other dimensions.
She wandered around for a while, and then stopped when the device beeped. She sat with her back to the side of the space and her weight evenly dispersed, turning on the monitor and pulling the ear-piece from the allotted space on the object. She fixed it to her ear and pushed the green button.
A live feed sprang up to fill the tiny screen, and she smiled at Daniel's unshaven mug.
"Carter?" he asked.
"Hey, dad. Did I wake you up?" she asked. He yawned and stretched.
"Yeah. How are ya?" he asked
"I'm adjusting." she responded. He nodded, satisfied. "You?"
"well, there hasn't been an attack since you've left, but I wouldn't want to jinx it." he joked weakly. She smirked. "We miss you, Carter."
"Yeah, I know," she said, knowing that he was referring to the three other contributors to her DNA. they were dead, but Daniel was unwilling to let them go, and so referred to them as living. "Three more days and I'm back without a hitch. What could go wrong?" she asked, flippantly. He adjusted his glasses.
"Uh...everything, actually." he said. At that moment, the vent next to where she'd been sitting lifted up and Carter's head popped through, bewildered and exasperated.
"Teal'la," she started, and the teenager in question rolled her eyes.
"Carter! This is a private conversation!" she whined, and the major made a hasty retreat. Teal'la shook her head, looking at her father. "Hold on, Daddy, I'll relocate." she said. He nodded patiently, and she took off down the crawlspace a ways. This time, she sat on the vent, because she knew from experience that those things could hold more than she weighed. She fixed her reception and looked back at Daniel. "Okay, sorry about that. Where were we?"
"Talking about what could go wrong." he said, and she snapped.
"Right." se said, remembering her place. Then she eyed the camera. "You worry too much." she said. He snorted.
"Damn right I do." he agreed. "Especially when it comes to you."
"Well there is nothing to worry about, and even if there were, I have the communicator!"
"Carter, the lithium cells in that thing aren't unlimited." he said, sternly. She rolled her eyes.
"Oh gosh, only twenty years of one hour a day calls home." she said, melodramatically. He gave her a 'look', and she groaned, mostly for his benefit. She held up one hand "It is my solemn vow to not reveal any information about my timeline or its occupants, I promise not to go through the Stargate except to come home, and I swear to *try*not to form attachments to this timeline's occupants." she said, letting her hand drop. "Happy?"
"Very." Daniel responded. "Oh, and Happy Waking Day, hon."
"Thanks."
"We threw you a party."
"Goody, did the Goa'uld make the guest list again?" she asked, bitterly. Daniel winced, shaking his head.
"No. Not this time." he said, sadly. She looked as if there was a bad taste in her mouth as he continued. "Jonas toasted you. I think he likes you."
"Eew, dad," she said, the smile returning to her face.
"You know, one day, you're going to meet a man who—"
Daniel never got to finish what he was saying, because at that moment, the vent opened downwards, and Teal'la fell through, folding almost in half, only to be caught by Jack. Her mouth opened in a silent 'o' of surprise and then she composed herself as he set her on her feet.
"I thought I told you no games. I grounded you, what are you doing out of your room?" he demanded. She raised an eyebrow at him and then winced as a dangerously calm voice filtered into her ear through the earpiece.
"Grounded...Carter?" Daniel asked, crossing his arms across his chest. She looked at him and nervously licked her lips.
"It's not what you think, Dad." she said, rolling her eyes at Jack. He pointed a warning finger at her. "I was...exploring the ceiling space and I...made a hole in the debriefing room ceiling. chasing ensued..."
"Ugh, Carter," Daniel said, holding his head in his hands.
"Hey, it's not my fault that they make the ceilings out of that polystyrene whatever it is." she snapped, and then she stopped. "Don't yell."
"I'm not yelling. I'm past yelling. You didn't play the game, did you?" he asked. Teal'la glanced at Jack and cleared her throat, scratching her neck. "Carter!!"
"I'm sorry!" she whined. She looked pitiful, and Jack stared at her, stepping forward and reaching for the communicator. She slapped his hand away and pointed at him, not unlike the way that he had. The she shooed him away, stepping away from him. "Nosy and a cheater."
"Out of curiosity, who won?" Daniel asked, face in his hands still.
"Ugh, you did, as usual. Which, by the way, I find very unfair. Anyway, C.C.P.E here wants to talk to you. You up for it?"
"No." was the immediate, firm reply, and she raised an eyebrow.
"Okay, okay. Gosh, no need to bite my head off. Time's up anyway. I'll talk to you...well whenever. Lithium batteries aren't unlimited, y'know." she said, mocking him. He smirked.
"See ya, Carter." he said. She nodded and switched off the device, pulling the earpiece from her ear and sliding it back into its slot. She put the device in her belt and returned to the problem at hand. Jack narrowed his eyes at her.
"C.C.P.E?" he asked. She smirked mischievously.
"Cheater, Cheater, Pumpkin Eater?" she said, a 'well duh' expression on her face. He rolled his eyes.
"Ah." he commented, and she stepped up onto the table that Jack had pulled out to open the vent. He looked at her and grabbed onto her belt to steady her as she reached up and closed the vent, standing on tip-toe to do so. Then she stepped back down and pushed the table back against the wall.
After she had left the room, Jack tilted his head. What just happened? He had felt...worried for her safety? He followed her, shaking his head and hopping back onboard his train of thought.
"Who was that?" he demanded, catching up to her. She looked at him, not stopping.
"Who was who?" she asked, as if confused.
"That guy," elaborated Jack, grasping at straws.
"What guy?"
"The guy you were just talking to." he said, exasperated
"Oh," she said, a look of dawning comprehension coming over her. "that guy." she concluded.
And kept walking.
Jack walked after her, waiting for the rest of it.
"Well?" he asked. she furrowed her seventeen year old eyebrows at him.
"Well, what?" she asked.
"Who was it?" he replied, only slightly annoyed at this point.
"Who was who?" Oh, this was just too easy.
"The guy you were talking to?"
"What about him?" Teal'la asked, feigning innocence.
"What was his name?" he growled.
"Whose name?" She was so good at this.
"The guy's name!" he exploded. She stopped walking, facing him completely.
"What about it?" she asked, watching as he resisted the urge to strangle her. She grinned.
"What was the name of the guy that you were just talking to." he asked, slowly, maintaining control. Her grin did not fade.
"Dad." she revealed at last, watching him struggle with the answer. God, she loved doing that.
And, about ten seconds later, she raced past Hammond, giggling like a maniac as Jack ripped down the hall after her.
"Coming through!" she yelled, leaping over a soldier that had knelt to tie his shoelaces. He watched her go and then flattened against the wall as Jack nearly knocked him down, cursing.
She stopped at the end of a hallway, breathing heavily and watching as Jack raced past the turn, backing up and glaring at her, utmost loathing on his face.
"I thought you said no games?" she yelled, grinning. "Oh shi—"she stuttered, as he tore down the corridor towards her.
The games were on.
Prodigal Son...er...Daughter.
Chapter Three.
Teal'la was staring at the ceiling, pouting when the door opened. She could hear from the sound of the footsteps who it was.
"Hello, Janet." she said, sitting up and removing her hat, her jacket, and her boots. Doctor Fraiser tried to pretend she wasn't put off by Teal'la knowing her name, as she'd not been introduced as anything but Doctor Fraiser. She pulled out her stethoscope.
"Hello, Teal'la." she replied, amiably.
"Most people just call me Carter. You know, because it's my name?" Teal'la hinted. Janet looked at her.
"That would be too confusing. What would we call Major Carter?" she asked. Teal'la smirked.
There was a long silence and the Teal'la tilted her head.
"You can ask, y'know, I know they're listening."
This startled Janet.
"Don't look so surprised, Doc. Where I come from, they do the same thing, usually when I'm mad, so they can figure out what they did wrong." she chuckled.
"Where *do* you come from?" Janet asked.
"Earth, just not this one."
"There's more than one?"
"Do you doubt it?" asked the teenager, as Janet scribbled something on her clipboard. the older woman conceded the point. "Daniel and Sam can tell you all about it." There was a pause. "Anything else?"
"How do you know us?" Janet seemed to have wanted to ask this all along. Teal'la shook her head.
"I'm not at liberty to say, ask something else."
"Have you been to the SG base before?"
"Cheyenne mountain? Sure I have. I work here. I practically live here. Well, not *here* here, but you get the idea." Teal'la said, her forehead crinkling a little in confusion. Janet paused, then put the clipboard down.
"How did you get out of your room?" she asked. Teal'la grinned.
"Can you keep a secret?" she asked. Janet nodded, and Teal'la leaned forward, conspiratorially. "So can I."
*
Teal'la dug in her stuff and pulled out a small, red, handheld device from her duffel, punching in a series of numbers and watching the small screen. when the load sign appeared, she tucked the device into her belt and walked over to the wall, climbing into the ceiling crawlspace, moving carefully through the somewhat more spacious area. It took a while to connect to other dimensions.
She wandered around for a while, and then stopped when the device beeped. She sat with her back to the side of the space and her weight evenly dispersed, turning on the monitor and pulling the ear-piece from the allotted space on the object. She fixed it to her ear and pushed the green button.
A live feed sprang up to fill the tiny screen, and she smiled at Daniel's unshaven mug.
"Carter?" he asked.
"Hey, dad. Did I wake you up?" she asked. He yawned and stretched.
"Yeah. How are ya?" he asked
"I'm adjusting." she responded. He nodded, satisfied. "You?"
"well, there hasn't been an attack since you've left, but I wouldn't want to jinx it." he joked weakly. She smirked. "We miss you, Carter."
"Yeah, I know," she said, knowing that he was referring to the three other contributors to her DNA. they were dead, but Daniel was unwilling to let them go, and so referred to them as living. "Three more days and I'm back without a hitch. What could go wrong?" she asked, flippantly. He adjusted his glasses.
"Uh...everything, actually." he said. At that moment, the vent next to where she'd been sitting lifted up and Carter's head popped through, bewildered and exasperated.
"Teal'la," she started, and the teenager in question rolled her eyes.
"Carter! This is a private conversation!" she whined, and the major made a hasty retreat. Teal'la shook her head, looking at her father. "Hold on, Daddy, I'll relocate." she said. He nodded patiently, and she took off down the crawlspace a ways. This time, she sat on the vent, because she knew from experience that those things could hold more than she weighed. She fixed her reception and looked back at Daniel. "Okay, sorry about that. Where were we?"
"Talking about what could go wrong." he said, and she snapped.
"Right." se said, remembering her place. Then she eyed the camera. "You worry too much." she said. He snorted.
"Damn right I do." he agreed. "Especially when it comes to you."
"Well there is nothing to worry about, and even if there were, I have the communicator!"
"Carter, the lithium cells in that thing aren't unlimited." he said, sternly. She rolled her eyes.
"Oh gosh, only twenty years of one hour a day calls home." she said, melodramatically. He gave her a 'look', and she groaned, mostly for his benefit. She held up one hand "It is my solemn vow to not reveal any information about my timeline or its occupants, I promise not to go through the Stargate except to come home, and I swear to *try*not to form attachments to this timeline's occupants." she said, letting her hand drop. "Happy?"
"Very." Daniel responded. "Oh, and Happy Waking Day, hon."
"Thanks."
"We threw you a party."
"Goody, did the Goa'uld make the guest list again?" she asked, bitterly. Daniel winced, shaking his head.
"No. Not this time." he said, sadly. She looked as if there was a bad taste in her mouth as he continued. "Jonas toasted you. I think he likes you."
"Eew, dad," she said, the smile returning to her face.
"You know, one day, you're going to meet a man who—"
Daniel never got to finish what he was saying, because at that moment, the vent opened downwards, and Teal'la fell through, folding almost in half, only to be caught by Jack. Her mouth opened in a silent 'o' of surprise and then she composed herself as he set her on her feet.
"I thought I told you no games. I grounded you, what are you doing out of your room?" he demanded. She raised an eyebrow at him and then winced as a dangerously calm voice filtered into her ear through the earpiece.
"Grounded...Carter?" Daniel asked, crossing his arms across his chest. She looked at him and nervously licked her lips.
"It's not what you think, Dad." she said, rolling her eyes at Jack. He pointed a warning finger at her. "I was...exploring the ceiling space and I...made a hole in the debriefing room ceiling. chasing ensued..."
"Ugh, Carter," Daniel said, holding his head in his hands.
"Hey, it's not my fault that they make the ceilings out of that polystyrene whatever it is." she snapped, and then she stopped. "Don't yell."
"I'm not yelling. I'm past yelling. You didn't play the game, did you?" he asked. Teal'la glanced at Jack and cleared her throat, scratching her neck. "Carter!!"
"I'm sorry!" she whined. She looked pitiful, and Jack stared at her, stepping forward and reaching for the communicator. She slapped his hand away and pointed at him, not unlike the way that he had. The she shooed him away, stepping away from him. "Nosy and a cheater."
"Out of curiosity, who won?" Daniel asked, face in his hands still.
"Ugh, you did, as usual. Which, by the way, I find very unfair. Anyway, C.C.P.E here wants to talk to you. You up for it?"
"No." was the immediate, firm reply, and she raised an eyebrow.
"Okay, okay. Gosh, no need to bite my head off. Time's up anyway. I'll talk to you...well whenever. Lithium batteries aren't unlimited, y'know." she said, mocking him. He smirked.
"See ya, Carter." he said. She nodded and switched off the device, pulling the earpiece from her ear and sliding it back into its slot. She put the device in her belt and returned to the problem at hand. Jack narrowed his eyes at her.
"C.C.P.E?" he asked. She smirked mischievously.
"Cheater, Cheater, Pumpkin Eater?" she said, a 'well duh' expression on her face. He rolled his eyes.
"Ah." he commented, and she stepped up onto the table that Jack had pulled out to open the vent. He looked at her and grabbed onto her belt to steady her as she reached up and closed the vent, standing on tip-toe to do so. Then she stepped back down and pushed the table back against the wall.
After she had left the room, Jack tilted his head. What just happened? He had felt...worried for her safety? He followed her, shaking his head and hopping back onboard his train of thought.
"Who was that?" he demanded, catching up to her. She looked at him, not stopping.
"Who was who?" she asked, as if confused.
"That guy," elaborated Jack, grasping at straws.
"What guy?"
"The guy you were just talking to." he said, exasperated
"Oh," she said, a look of dawning comprehension coming over her. "that guy." she concluded.
And kept walking.
Jack walked after her, waiting for the rest of it.
"Well?" he asked. she furrowed her seventeen year old eyebrows at him.
"Well, what?" she asked.
"Who was it?" he replied, only slightly annoyed at this point.
"Who was who?" Oh, this was just too easy.
"The guy you were talking to?"
"What about him?" Teal'la asked, feigning innocence.
"What was his name?" he growled.
"Whose name?" She was so good at this.
"The guy's name!" he exploded. She stopped walking, facing him completely.
"What about it?" she asked, watching as he resisted the urge to strangle her. She grinned.
"What was the name of the guy that you were just talking to." he asked, slowly, maintaining control. Her grin did not fade.
"Dad." she revealed at last, watching him struggle with the answer. God, she loved doing that.
And, about ten seconds later, she raced past Hammond, giggling like a maniac as Jack ripped down the hall after her.
"Coming through!" she yelled, leaping over a soldier that had knelt to tie his shoelaces. He watched her go and then flattened against the wall as Jack nearly knocked him down, cursing.
She stopped at the end of a hallway, breathing heavily and watching as Jack raced past the turn, backing up and glaring at her, utmost loathing on his face.
"I thought you said no games?" she yelled, grinning. "Oh shi—"she stuttered, as he tore down the corridor towards her.
The games were on.