Chapter 27 – Daddy's Little Girl

Jacob pulled back from Sam and held her by the shoulders, looking deeply into her eyes. "I can't believe you're a little girl again Sammie. I feel like I've gone back in time. You look exactly as you did when you were eight."

"Technically Dad, I'm not eight. I'm still me inside; your grown up daughter."

"Yeah, George explained that to me. And I can tell from talking to you that you're not eight. But Holy Hannah, Sam! This has got to be the strangest thing I've experienced since becoming a Tok'ra!"

Sam laughed shortly, "Tell me about it!"

They shared a smile, then hugged tightly again. They both drew back as a flash of light filled the room. Sam looked over toward Jack, who gave them a grin as he held up the camera. "Kodak moment!"

Both Sam and her father rolled their eyes at Jack, then Jacob stood up, looking over his little girl carefully. "I have lots of questions for you Sammie but first, I'm really curious about one thing; why are you wearing a pink dress? Not that I don't like it of course, I just thought you hated pink. Your mother never could get you to wear it!"

Sam looked over at Jack once again, who tried to look busy fiddling with the camera. "It's a long story dad. Suffice it to say, it wasn't my choice."

Jacob nodded knowingly as he took in the glare she sent Jack's way. "Well, then, how about the arm? How did you break that? And if I'm not mistaken, you lost a tooth! You have a slight lisp like the time you had both front teeth out at the same time."

Sam and Jacob walked over to the couch and sat down. Jack took a seat in a nearby chair while the General went to get everyone a drink. "I've had a few little mishaps since I changed into this body dad," Sam explained. She heard Jack snort from across the room, but chose to ignore him once again. "I went rollerblading with Cassie one day and took a spill. I fractured my wrist. My tooth came loose while we were out to dinner. I made it worse when I bit a guy. Then I ended up just pulling it out after I dropped a screwdriver on my mouth."

"You bit someone?" Jacob asked in shock, latching onto that comment. "When did this happen?"

"When we were at O'Malley's. Honestly Dad, I had no choice. The guy picked me up and squeezed me so tightly, I had to do something!" she insisted.

Jacob turned to Jack. "And where were you, Colonel, during all these accidents? George assured me that you have been watching out for Sam and taking care of her! Is this what you call taking care of her?" His voice rose as he sat forward and glared at the man across the room from him. What he really wanted to do was go over and pick Jack up by his shirt collar.

"Hey, take it easy there Jacob." Jack held up both hands as if he could read Jacob's mind. "I've done my best, but your daughter has a penchant for getting into trouble. I was off world when she broke her wrist. The incident about biting the guy happened when she disappeared on us at O'Malley's."

"What, you can't keep track of one little girl, Colonel?"

"Dad, please stop. None of those things were Jack's fault," Sam insisted. "And I'm not a little girl!"

"And besides that," Jack continued, "Your daughter has an incredible knack for disappearing on me. You don't how many times I thought I was going to have a heart attack when I couldn't find her! And climbing on things...don't even get me started!"

Jacob sat back, his anger dissipating as he thought about the trouble Jack had probably had keeping tabs on his high energy offspring. He chuckled softly as recalled all the times she had worn him ragged. "Did she climb any trees yet? She always did that to me when she was little. When she was mad or upset, she'd climb one of the tallest trees she could manage to find. I'd scour the neighborhood looking for her and nearly went into cardiac arrest when I found her twenty feet off the ground!"

"Dad!" Sam wasn't happy about the turn this conversation was starting to take.

General Hammond reentered the room, carrying a tray with an assortment of beverages. "Your daughter has been continuing to carry on her stellar work at the SGC in spite of her current circumstances Jacob. You should be proud of her; I know I am!" He gave Sam a smile and a wink as he handed her a soft drink. Sam smiled gratefully in return: not only for the soft drink, but for the kind words and for steering the conversation away from her youthful antics.

Just then, the doorbell rang, announcing the arrival of Daniel and Teal'c. After greetings all around, Sam asked the question that had been plaguing her since they arrived. "Why didn't any of you tell me that my dad was going to be here tonight?"

General Hammond fielded that question. "That was my idea Major Carter. I wasn't sure if your father was going to be able to make the trip. I didn't want to disappoint you if he couldn't. You've been through so much lately; I didn't want you to feel let down."

"I understand Sir," she answered. Either way, her father was here now and that's all that mattered.

"How long can you stay Dad?" she directed the question to him.

"I'm afraid not long pumpkin." As her face fell, he rushed to explain, "I'm so sorry Sammie, but I've left 4 Tok'ra operatives in a highly volatile situation. If I don't get back to them and retrieve the information we were sent for, things could get very ugly."

Sam looked away and bit her lower lip, trying to keep it from trembling. She wasn't a child after all, who needed her Daddy all the time! Taking a deep breath, she turned back to her dad and saw the regret etched over his features. "It's okay Dad. I understand. I just wish you could come with us back to P5X-771. Maybe you or Selmak could tell us more about the Triplexus and the inscriptions on the ruins."

"I'd give anything to go with you Sam, and make sure that you're OK. You have to believe that. As far as the Triplexus and the inscriptions, I'll have enough time tomorrow to go over what Teal'c and Daniel have translated and see if I can add anything."

"That would be great Dad," Sam gave him a small smile.

For his part, Jack was furious. How could Jacob put aside his own daughter's needs right now for those slimy snakeheads? He was ready to give Jacob a piece of his mind when General Hammond interrupted him. "Jack, why don't you come and help me with the steaks? You are after all, the resident barbeque expert."

Jack looked over to the General, ready to decline the offer. But upon looking at the older man's face, he realized it wasn't a request; it was a thinly veiled order to leave things alone. With a sigh, he got up and followed the General out of the room.

-----------

The five guests of General Hammond enjoyed a dinner of marinated steak, potatoes, salad, and steamed vegetables. The conversation ranged from the serious to the mundane. It didn't take Jacob long to stop treating Sam like a little kid and resume their adult relationship, although he did frown on her suggestion that she have a glass of wine with dinner. As did the rest of the guests at the table. "The first thing I do when I get back to normal is have a glass of wine. Followed closely by a strong cup of coffee," she announced to the group. Everyone laughed, but she was deadly serious! Jack for one was glad to hear her talk about when she changed back; no more of that if crap!

They returned once more to the living room for coffee and dessert. General Hammond had been thoughtful enough to provide both regular and decaf. Jacob sadly declined both: Selmak didn't appreciate the flavor of a good cup of coffee!

Conversation turned to their plans concerning their upcoming return to P5X-771. Daniel explained in detail to Jacob their recent findings and their hope to locate the Hall of Transformation on the planet. Hopefully, that would then lead them to the Guardian of Innocents, if he/she did indeed still exist. Unfortunately, Selmak didn't know anymore about either of these topics than they did; only that she had heard of the Guardian centuries ago, but had been under the impression that it was a myth.

This information disheartened the group for a while, but Jack soon had them laughing again while regaling them with stories of his and Sam's first few days together after she 'regressed' in age.

"I've noticed that you and Sam aren't using military titles when addressing each other Jack. I assume that has something to do with the current situation?" Jacob asked.

Sam and Jack hadn't actually thought of the fact that they weren't calling each other by their titles. It just seemed natural off base to use first names, as they had been doing that for a week. They looked at each other with raised eyebrows, each waiting for the other to explain things. Since the question was directed at him, Jack took over.

"Well Jacob, we didn't want to arouse suspicion when we were out in public. You know, having a kid call me "Sir" or "Colonel" all the time; or me calling her Carter. So we decided on using first names. It helped make our cover stories that much more believable."

"So what was your cover story if you met people you knew? Like your neighbor Mrs. Nelson, Sam. Or that Sabrena woman."

"Initially, I was going to be introduced as his niece. But that changed depending on the circumstances. Sometimes I was the friend of a coworker. The lady in the grocery store thought he was my father." Sam smiled at the memory. Jacob however frowned at that thought. Sam had only one dad and that was him! Sam continued, "But the best time was when the sales clerk at Target thought that I was shopping with my grandpa! You should have seen Jack's face then!" Sam started to laugh and was quickly joined in by the others. Except for Jack, who sent her a mock glare from across the room.

"Oh come on Jack, you have to admit that's pretty funny," Daniel said, seeing the look that passed between them.

"You should consider it a compliment O'Neill," added Teal'c. "Are not the elderly revered for their great wisdom in this land, as it is on my home world?" For one who was always so serious, Teal'c had something very close to a smirk on his face.

"Ha ha. Okay, enough with the Pick on the Colonel night."

"Actually, much as I'd love to continue picking on the Colonel, I think it's time we headed out," Jacob announced. "I'll have to leave late in the morning and would like to spend some time looking at what you've got on base regarding this little problem." He looked at Sam, who was frowning at him. "Sorry Sammie, I wasn't referring to you when I mentioned the word little," he said with a smile.

Sam didn't quite believe her father but let it drop. She did not feel up to matching wits with anyone at the moment. The day had begun to catch up on her.

"You going back to base Jacob, or do you want to stay at my place?" Jack asked.

"Sam's been staying with you right?" he asked.

"Yeah. We figured it would be safer; didn't want to get Children's Services involved you know!" he added with a smile.

"I suppose not! Thanks Jack, I think I will come with you. I'd like to spend a little more time with Sam. I can take the couch."

"You can have the spare room Dad. I can sleep on the couch. I don't need much space!" Sam said.

"No Sammie. I don't need much sleep, you do. In fact, you're looking awfully tired." He got up and pulled Sam to her feet, resisting the urge to pick her up in his arms. Everyone followed suit, thanked the General for dinner, and said their goodbyes.

Sam gave General Hammond a hug before she followed the others out the door, something she rarely was able to do. "Thank you for bringing my father here General. It has been so wonderful to see him again."

"You're very welcome Sam," he replied quietly. "I'm glad I could do something to help you through this!" They pulled away just as Jack snapped another picture. He grinned and tucked the camera in his pocket before either one of them could get it from him.

-------

They hadn't been driving more than five minutes before Sam fell asleep in the back seat. It had been her first full day back at work since the 'incident' and had been a rather eventful one at that. As an adult, she didn't require a whole lot of sleep, but as a child, she needed at least 9 good hours a night. Sometimes more!

Jacob turned around to look at her sleeping form. "God, Jack. No matter how much I look at her, I just can't believe she's my brilliant, mature daughter. She looks so tiny and vulnerable right now. I just want to hold her in my arms and keep her safe."

"I know what you mean, Jacob. I've had to fight against those feelings all week. She may look like a child, but I assure you, she is more than capable of taking care of herself. Well, except for in back alleys," he said with a grin.

Jacob chuckled, then said in a serious tone of voice, "Look Jack, I want to thank you for taking care of Sam the way you have. I know I was kind of tough on you before, but I do appreciate all you've done for her."

"It's no problem Jacob," Jack answered, waving him off with one hand. "She's my 2IC. It's my job to watch out for her."

"Yeah, well, you've kind of gone above and beyond the call of duty here." He looked back at his daughter and sighed. "God, I'd give anything to stay with her myself and see her through this."

Jack gave him a side-long glance. "Couldn't you if you wanted to Jacob? I mean really, why do you always have to rush back to the Tok'ra? No offense Selmak."

"You know all about duty Jack. Sometimes it has to come before family. You weren't always able to be there for Charlie were you?"

"No," he answered quietly. "But I'd move heaven and Earth to be with him if he were in this kind of situation!" he stated vehemently.

"If the entire Tok'ra system didn't hinge on this mission, I would drop it in a minute Jack. I just can't do that. I'd gladly give my own life to be here for Sam but I can't ask an entire race to give theirs," he said sadly.

Jack didn't say anymore. Jacob looked dejected and didn't need Jack to upset him further. Instead, he offered what reassurance he could. "I promise Jake, I won't let anything happen to her on that planet. You have my word on it."

"Thanks Jack. I know I can count on you." He clapped Jack on the shoulder and they rode the rest of the way in silence.

When they reached Jack's house, Jacob slid his seat forward and unbuckled Sam. Then he gently lifted her out of the truck, and cradled her small form to his body. Jack walked ahead of them and opened the door. He held it open as they passed through, then showed Jacob the way to Sam's room. As Jacob entered the room, Jack brushed a hand across Sam's hair and whispered a quiet "Good night little Sam." He left Jacob to say his good nights to Sam and tuck her in; knowing that the older man would appreciate some time alone with his daughter; even if she was fast asleep!