.
PART 2: The Gift
.
"Thor!" Jack moaned, "You have to stop beaming me up without warning."
"You were not doing anything important, O'Neill," the impassive grey alien replied evenly.
"I was fishing!" he replied indignantly.
"You were not succeeding. I watched you for several hours. You acquired no fish," the alien replied again.
"That's not the point!" he growled in frustration.
"Then what is the point, O'Neill?"
"First, you can't just beam me up without warning – it's rude, unsettling, and dangerous if the wrong people see. Second, it's not about the fish! Third…," and he glared at the alien's large unblinking eyes, "and third… you don't care what the point is, do you?"
"No."
"Aaaggghhhh!" he ground out.
Silence.
"So, why did you beam me up, Thor old buddy?" and he resigned himself to the Asgard's latest galactic problem.
A few moments of silence ticked away and the alien did not respond.
"Tho-o-r-r?" he tried again.
"Have you calmed down?"
"Yes! Now what did you want?" he almost shouted in frustration.
"You do not appear to have calmed down, O'Neill."
"Thor, either tell me why you abducted me or send me back to my lake!"
And the two stared at each other.
One, detached and assessing.
The other, emotional and trying to not explode.
.
"Follow me, O'Neill," Thor finally stated and then walked out of the room.
"That's it? Just 'Follow Me'?" Jack questioned sarcastically and received no answer.
Having no choice (other than stand there and sulk), Jack followed his alien 'friend', muttering loudly. A few minutes later, they arrived in a room that Jack recognized as the Asgard equivalent of an infirmary. Not that there was much equipment to give it away as such. Mostly the room was empty, as were most rooms and corridors on the alien ship. Jack never could figure out what they did with all the empty space. Dancing? And that conjured and image of Thor that he hadn't considered before.
"You appear calmer now, O'Neill."
"What gave it away?" he returned acerbically.
"The smirk," came back implacably.
Jack was taken aback, "I was -not- smirking," he objected.
"Yes, you were. Doctor Jackson and Teal'c explained that look to me many years ago," Thor explained in his ever even tones.
That silenced him for a moment. "Danny and T explained a smirk to you?"
"They explained -your- smirk to me, O'Neill. They stated that it looks different on other humans and that most other humans do not use it as often."
Jack's eyebrows rose, "They did huh?" was all he managed to send back.
"Yes. I asked Colonel Carter for confirmation of their analysis, but she declined to comment."
And that silenced him.
It always did.
He rarely spoke of her.
Thor watched the changing emotions on O'Neill's face. He had been studying these humans for many years and he was becoming most adept at reading this one's facial expressions. And now the smirk was gone, replaced by a look of sadness, and then this too was removed. In the end, the Tauri's face was almost as impassive as the Asgard's. Almost.
"Thor, why did you bring me here?" Jack dropped the small talk.
"Do you want to have children again, O'Neill?"
"WHAT?!!"
"Do you want to have children again, O'Neill?"
"What kind of question is that?" Jack spit out in amazement.
"I am aware that you once had a child, however, that child died many years ago. Do you plan to have more children?" …with the same, innocent tones.
"I don't know, Thor. Most likely not. There! Are you happy?"
"I am neither happy nor sad, this is your choice O'Neill."
"Aaaaccgghhh! Why do you want to know Thor?" he ground it out.
Silence answered him and the two stared at each other.
And then, the Asgard turned and walked over to a table on the other side of the room. Jack followed him over and Thor gestured to the ovoid pod on the table. With one more exasperated glance at the alien, he leaned over and looked through the transparent lid.
It was a small infant. Probably only a few months old.
A human baby. Not an Asgard baby.
The baby was not moving, but Jack did not think that it was dead. It was a healthy pink color. Jack stepped back and looked at short alien next to him.
"So… what…? Are you… offering me…?," and his voice trailed off.
"Yes."
And Jack's eyebrows rose again. "Is it a clone?"
"No.
"Then where did it come from? You didn't abduct it did you?" he asked.
"The child was not abducted."
Ohhhkkkaaayyy… and Jack let the possibilities run through his mind. "Is it human?"
"Yes."
"Completely? 100% -Tauri- human?" he persisted.
"Yes."
"Then WHAT is it doing here? Why isn't it with its parents?" he demanded.
Silence answered him.
"What? Are its parents dead? Are the Asgard running an adoption placement agency now?"
"No."
"Argghh! No to which? Are its parents dead?" Jack felt like screaming with frustration.
"The father lives. The mother probably does not."
More silence as the two stared at each other.
"The why isn't the child with the father?"
More silence.
Jack leaned back over and looked at the child more closely. Two arms, two legs, all its fingers and toes. It looked like perfectly healthy.
'The father lives. The mother probably does not.' The words echoed in his mind.
"Thor, who does this child belong to?" he asked quietly.
"The child belongs to you, if you wish to claim it O'Neill. If not, we will take care of it," the alien responded.
"Me. The child belongs to me… So, what…? Are you making a gift of it? Or are you saying that this child is -mine-… right down to its DNA?"
"The child is yours, O'Neill. She is of your DNA."
"Why? Why would you do this?" his mind reeled.
"The explanation is long and complicated, and it involves the agreement of the Asgard council."
"The Asgard Council decided to create a child for me? You've got to be kidding!" and then it hit him. He had to ask, even though he was sure that he knew the answer. "Who was the mother?"
"We used Colonel Carter's DNA," and there it was. Confirmed.
He looked back over at the small infant.
A small child… a blending of his… and -hers-…
Slow minutes passed in silence as he thought it through.
The Asgard continued to wait patiently.
"You didn't ask me… before … you… Did you ask her? Did she know?" he asked quietly while not taking his eyes off of the baby.
"No."
And then Jack turned back to the alien, "Why do you guys do this? You do these things without asking. Beaming me up without asking is nothing compared to… compared to… to… creating a -baby-!"
"We only wished to help, O'Neill. We wished to repay you and Samantha Carter for your help and assistance in the past."
"Oh! Great! Well, that's all just fine and good --- but, Thor, you have to ask before doing things like this," and he paused to take a breath. "A baby… that is sooo such a thing that you have to ask about…," and his voice trailed off again.
"If you do not want to take the child, the Asgard are prepared to raise the child."
Jack just stared at him.
"Why? Why did you do this?" Jack repeated.
"As I stated earlier, we wished to repay you for your help and assistance in the past," the alien restated.
"No. Why did you do -this-?" A baby. Why a baby? And…why me and Sam?" and he used her first name for the first time in almost a year and he looked at the floor and closed his eyes.
"As I stated earlier, the answer is long and complicated. However, part of the choice was made because Colonel Carter asked us to conduct some physical exams for her. These exams and their results are confidential."
Jack stopped for a moment to collect himself before continuing. He took a breath and pushed forward, "What difference does confidentiality make if she'd dead?"
Thor blinked. A definite reaction from the generally impassive, gentle alien.
"Colonel Carter asked us to conduct exams to determine if she was physically able to have children. She was concerned if there would be any effects or dangers from the naquadah and Go'a'uld protein marker in her blood."
"What did you…'determine'?" Jack asked as he felt his stomach clench.
"Unfortunately, our examinations were inconclusive. We were unable to give Colonel Carter any helpful information."
More silence passed between them as Jack let his eyes travel over the sparsely furnished room.
"So… you chose to…?" and he turned back to look at the infant.
"Yes. We chose to create a child for her. We were confident that she would accept the child even if she were able to have her own children naturally."
"So, why did you choose my DNA for the father? Carter dated a Pete Shanahan pretty seriously there for awhile. Carter may have accepted the child, but I don't think old Pete would have if I – or anyone else – was the father."
"I can not answer that, O'Neill."
Jack studied the Asgard again, trying to read something from the impassive face. And failing.
"Carter didn't know… about the child?" he asked again.
"No."
"When were you planning… to tell Carter… or us?"
"We were waiting for one of you to retire… or for the two of you to begin to pursue a personal relationship," the Asgard replied with those same innocent, non-revealing tones.
"What if we didn't… pursue… a personal relationship?" he asked, beginning to feel detached as his mind struggled to deal with the concept of the Asgard creating a baby for him and Carter.
All he got was silence for an answer.
And an unblinking gaze from the large black alien eyes.
Sighing he turned back to the child.
"How come she's not breathing, or crying… or even moving? What have you got her in?" he tried another tack.
"The child is currently in stasis."
Jack nodded and let the silence fall again.
"How long can you keep her in… here?" he asked.
"For many decades, if you wish," came the measured reply.
"Let her out," he stated quickly. His mind made up.
"Now?"
"Yes, Now!"
"Do you not wish to spend some time thinking about this first?"
"No! Just get her out of there – NOW!" and suddenly it was really bugging him that the child was being held under glass like a cafeteria choice. "Just get her out now – she can't stay like that!"
"O'Neill, are you accepting this child?" The Asgard asked carefully.
"Yes, yes, just get her out of there!" he was soooo beyond frustrated with Thor right now.
"For clarification, O'Neill, I must ask: You are stating that you wish to raise this child?"
And Jack stopped and took a few slow breaths to calm himself down. "Yes, Thor, I will raise the child."
"Do you -want- to raise the child, O'Neill? This is Colonel Carter's child as well, and we feel a responsibility…"
And Jack cut him off. "I -want- the child, OK, Thor! I -want- the child!" and he paused and closed his eyes.
The Asgard nodded his head almost imperceptibly and then waved his hands over some controls on the end of the pod.
The transparent cover dissolved and the child twitched and then sucked in a lungful of air.
"Then you may take your daughter, O'Neill," Thor stated.
"Daughter…?" Jack breathed as he watched her little legs and arms wave around as the child squirmed a little.
And she looked up at him. With the most vivid blue eyes.
Jack inhaled sharply at the sight and he swallowed as he felt his heart rise into his throat. He was going to be seeing -her- every time he looked at his daughter.
"Can I pick her up?"
"Of course, she is yours."
Jack reached in and gently scooped her up, swaddling her in the blanket that she had been laying on. Cradling her tenderly, he just stared at her.
"How old is she?"
"She would be the equivalent of three Tauri months old, O'Neill."
Jack just nodded and thought about what Charlie had needed when he was three months old. He would need to get a crib. And a car seat. And a pram. And… a whole lot of things.
She would make a huge change in his daily lifestyle… and he'd have to change some of his work. Going offworld would have to become rare to non-existent. But he didn't mind. Not at all. He didn't need to be on the front lines any more. He didn't go out much anymore anyway. Not since becoming a General and accepting the CO position at the SGC. And, he especially didn't go offworld much after… after Carter had disappeared.
He gently laid a kiss on his daughter's forehead. "It's just you and me kid," he said it softly and didn't even notice that Thor had silently left the room.
.
====o0o==== End Part 2 ====o0o====
.
PART 2: The Gift
.
"Thor!" Jack moaned, "You have to stop beaming me up without warning."
"You were not doing anything important, O'Neill," the impassive grey alien replied evenly.
"I was fishing!" he replied indignantly.
"You were not succeeding. I watched you for several hours. You acquired no fish," the alien replied again.
"That's not the point!" he growled in frustration.
"Then what is the point, O'Neill?"
"First, you can't just beam me up without warning – it's rude, unsettling, and dangerous if the wrong people see. Second, it's not about the fish! Third…," and he glared at the alien's large unblinking eyes, "and third… you don't care what the point is, do you?"
"No."
"Aaaggghhhh!" he ground out.
Silence.
"So, why did you beam me up, Thor old buddy?" and he resigned himself to the Asgard's latest galactic problem.
A few moments of silence ticked away and the alien did not respond.
"Tho-o-r-r?" he tried again.
"Have you calmed down?"
"Yes! Now what did you want?" he almost shouted in frustration.
"You do not appear to have calmed down, O'Neill."
"Thor, either tell me why you abducted me or send me back to my lake!"
And the two stared at each other.
One, detached and assessing.
The other, emotional and trying to not explode.
.
"Follow me, O'Neill," Thor finally stated and then walked out of the room.
"That's it? Just 'Follow Me'?" Jack questioned sarcastically and received no answer.
Having no choice (other than stand there and sulk), Jack followed his alien 'friend', muttering loudly. A few minutes later, they arrived in a room that Jack recognized as the Asgard equivalent of an infirmary. Not that there was much equipment to give it away as such. Mostly the room was empty, as were most rooms and corridors on the alien ship. Jack never could figure out what they did with all the empty space. Dancing? And that conjured and image of Thor that he hadn't considered before.
"You appear calmer now, O'Neill."
"What gave it away?" he returned acerbically.
"The smirk," came back implacably.
Jack was taken aback, "I was -not- smirking," he objected.
"Yes, you were. Doctor Jackson and Teal'c explained that look to me many years ago," Thor explained in his ever even tones.
That silenced him for a moment. "Danny and T explained a smirk to you?"
"They explained -your- smirk to me, O'Neill. They stated that it looks different on other humans and that most other humans do not use it as often."
Jack's eyebrows rose, "They did huh?" was all he managed to send back.
"Yes. I asked Colonel Carter for confirmation of their analysis, but she declined to comment."
And that silenced him.
It always did.
He rarely spoke of her.
Thor watched the changing emotions on O'Neill's face. He had been studying these humans for many years and he was becoming most adept at reading this one's facial expressions. And now the smirk was gone, replaced by a look of sadness, and then this too was removed. In the end, the Tauri's face was almost as impassive as the Asgard's. Almost.
"Thor, why did you bring me here?" Jack dropped the small talk.
"Do you want to have children again, O'Neill?"
"WHAT?!!"
"Do you want to have children again, O'Neill?"
"What kind of question is that?" Jack spit out in amazement.
"I am aware that you once had a child, however, that child died many years ago. Do you plan to have more children?" …with the same, innocent tones.
"I don't know, Thor. Most likely not. There! Are you happy?"
"I am neither happy nor sad, this is your choice O'Neill."
"Aaaaccgghhh! Why do you want to know Thor?" he ground it out.
Silence answered him and the two stared at each other.
And then, the Asgard turned and walked over to a table on the other side of the room. Jack followed him over and Thor gestured to the ovoid pod on the table. With one more exasperated glance at the alien, he leaned over and looked through the transparent lid.
It was a small infant. Probably only a few months old.
A human baby. Not an Asgard baby.
The baby was not moving, but Jack did not think that it was dead. It was a healthy pink color. Jack stepped back and looked at short alien next to him.
"So… what…? Are you… offering me…?," and his voice trailed off.
"Yes."
And Jack's eyebrows rose again. "Is it a clone?"
"No.
"Then where did it come from? You didn't abduct it did you?" he asked.
"The child was not abducted."
Ohhhkkkaaayyy… and Jack let the possibilities run through his mind. "Is it human?"
"Yes."
"Completely? 100% -Tauri- human?" he persisted.
"Yes."
"Then WHAT is it doing here? Why isn't it with its parents?" he demanded.
Silence answered him.
"What? Are its parents dead? Are the Asgard running an adoption placement agency now?"
"No."
"Argghh! No to which? Are its parents dead?" Jack felt like screaming with frustration.
"The father lives. The mother probably does not."
More silence as the two stared at each other.
"The why isn't the child with the father?"
More silence.
Jack leaned back over and looked at the child more closely. Two arms, two legs, all its fingers and toes. It looked like perfectly healthy.
'The father lives. The mother probably does not.' The words echoed in his mind.
"Thor, who does this child belong to?" he asked quietly.
"The child belongs to you, if you wish to claim it O'Neill. If not, we will take care of it," the alien responded.
"Me. The child belongs to me… So, what…? Are you making a gift of it? Or are you saying that this child is -mine-… right down to its DNA?"
"The child is yours, O'Neill. She is of your DNA."
"Why? Why would you do this?" his mind reeled.
"The explanation is long and complicated, and it involves the agreement of the Asgard council."
"The Asgard Council decided to create a child for me? You've got to be kidding!" and then it hit him. He had to ask, even though he was sure that he knew the answer. "Who was the mother?"
"We used Colonel Carter's DNA," and there it was. Confirmed.
He looked back over at the small infant.
A small child… a blending of his… and -hers-…
Slow minutes passed in silence as he thought it through.
The Asgard continued to wait patiently.
"You didn't ask me… before … you… Did you ask her? Did she know?" he asked quietly while not taking his eyes off of the baby.
"No."
And then Jack turned back to the alien, "Why do you guys do this? You do these things without asking. Beaming me up without asking is nothing compared to… compared to… to… creating a -baby-!"
"We only wished to help, O'Neill. We wished to repay you and Samantha Carter for your help and assistance in the past."
"Oh! Great! Well, that's all just fine and good --- but, Thor, you have to ask before doing things like this," and he paused to take a breath. "A baby… that is sooo such a thing that you have to ask about…," and his voice trailed off again.
"If you do not want to take the child, the Asgard are prepared to raise the child."
Jack just stared at him.
"Why? Why did you do this?" Jack repeated.
"As I stated earlier, we wished to repay you for your help and assistance in the past," the alien restated.
"No. Why did you do -this-?" A baby. Why a baby? And…why me and Sam?" and he used her first name for the first time in almost a year and he looked at the floor and closed his eyes.
"As I stated earlier, the answer is long and complicated. However, part of the choice was made because Colonel Carter asked us to conduct some physical exams for her. These exams and their results are confidential."
Jack stopped for a moment to collect himself before continuing. He took a breath and pushed forward, "What difference does confidentiality make if she'd dead?"
Thor blinked. A definite reaction from the generally impassive, gentle alien.
"Colonel Carter asked us to conduct exams to determine if she was physically able to have children. She was concerned if there would be any effects or dangers from the naquadah and Go'a'uld protein marker in her blood."
"What did you…'determine'?" Jack asked as he felt his stomach clench.
"Unfortunately, our examinations were inconclusive. We were unable to give Colonel Carter any helpful information."
More silence passed between them as Jack let his eyes travel over the sparsely furnished room.
"So… you chose to…?" and he turned back to look at the infant.
"Yes. We chose to create a child for her. We were confident that she would accept the child even if she were able to have her own children naturally."
"So, why did you choose my DNA for the father? Carter dated a Pete Shanahan pretty seriously there for awhile. Carter may have accepted the child, but I don't think old Pete would have if I – or anyone else – was the father."
"I can not answer that, O'Neill."
Jack studied the Asgard again, trying to read something from the impassive face. And failing.
"Carter didn't know… about the child?" he asked again.
"No."
"When were you planning… to tell Carter… or us?"
"We were waiting for one of you to retire… or for the two of you to begin to pursue a personal relationship," the Asgard replied with those same innocent, non-revealing tones.
"What if we didn't… pursue… a personal relationship?" he asked, beginning to feel detached as his mind struggled to deal with the concept of the Asgard creating a baby for him and Carter.
All he got was silence for an answer.
And an unblinking gaze from the large black alien eyes.
Sighing he turned back to the child.
"How come she's not breathing, or crying… or even moving? What have you got her in?" he tried another tack.
"The child is currently in stasis."
Jack nodded and let the silence fall again.
"How long can you keep her in… here?" he asked.
"For many decades, if you wish," came the measured reply.
"Let her out," he stated quickly. His mind made up.
"Now?"
"Yes, Now!"
"Do you not wish to spend some time thinking about this first?"
"No! Just get her out of there – NOW!" and suddenly it was really bugging him that the child was being held under glass like a cafeteria choice. "Just get her out now – she can't stay like that!"
"O'Neill, are you accepting this child?" The Asgard asked carefully.
"Yes, yes, just get her out of there!" he was soooo beyond frustrated with Thor right now.
"For clarification, O'Neill, I must ask: You are stating that you wish to raise this child?"
And Jack stopped and took a few slow breaths to calm himself down. "Yes, Thor, I will raise the child."
"Do you -want- to raise the child, O'Neill? This is Colonel Carter's child as well, and we feel a responsibility…"
And Jack cut him off. "I -want- the child, OK, Thor! I -want- the child!" and he paused and closed his eyes.
The Asgard nodded his head almost imperceptibly and then waved his hands over some controls on the end of the pod.
The transparent cover dissolved and the child twitched and then sucked in a lungful of air.
"Then you may take your daughter, O'Neill," Thor stated.
"Daughter…?" Jack breathed as he watched her little legs and arms wave around as the child squirmed a little.
And she looked up at him. With the most vivid blue eyes.
Jack inhaled sharply at the sight and he swallowed as he felt his heart rise into his throat. He was going to be seeing -her- every time he looked at his daughter.
"Can I pick her up?"
"Of course, she is yours."
Jack reached in and gently scooped her up, swaddling her in the blanket that she had been laying on. Cradling her tenderly, he just stared at her.
"How old is she?"
"She would be the equivalent of three Tauri months old, O'Neill."
Jack just nodded and thought about what Charlie had needed when he was three months old. He would need to get a crib. And a car seat. And a pram. And… a whole lot of things.
She would make a huge change in his daily lifestyle… and he'd have to change some of his work. Going offworld would have to become rare to non-existent. But he didn't mind. Not at all. He didn't need to be on the front lines any more. He didn't go out much anymore anyway. Not since becoming a General and accepting the CO position at the SGC. And, he especially didn't go offworld much after… after Carter had disappeared.
He gently laid a kiss on his daughter's forehead. "It's just you and me kid," he said it softly and didn't even notice that Thor had silently left the room.
.
====o0o==== End Part 2 ====o0o====
.