It was at this point, in the total silence that engulfed the room, that little JJ's brain clicked in. A grin spread across his face and he reached out his hands to Jacob, stating a clear and purposeful "Papa!" across to the older man.

Chapter 27 – A State of Shock

Jacob could do nothing but take the little boy as he leaned forward, calling out a happy greeting of "Papa!" once more. He held the boy in front of him as if he were infected with a terrible plaque. JJ didn't mind that his legs were dangling and he was being held under the armpits in a not too comfortable fashion. He remembered this man and how he used to get on the floor to play with him; that was all that mattered to JJ.

"Uhm, Dad? You might want to hold him a little more securely," Sam suggested quietly. She didn't like the look of shock on her father's face. It was always a precursor to his anger and she was afraid that he would let loose while still holding JJ, and possibly drop the little boy. She moved closer in order to grab JJ should the need arise.

"What?" Jacob looked over at his daughter. He was still in a state of shock but her voice and comment did register in his head and he held the baby a bit closer. Now that he could reach him, JJ began to pat Jacob's cheeks in the way that the others recognized as his special method of greeting. Jack grinned at the way Jacob was now regarding the baby. His look of stunned disbelief was not one that Jack had ever had the pleasure to witness before.

Jacob's gaze swung back to the baby in his arms. He couldn't believe this was his daughter's child…and her CO's! As he looked at the baby's face though, he realized why the face looked so familiar; he definitely had Sam's eyes and had Jack's goofy grin plastered on his face. Shaking his head as if to rid himself of his thoughts, he abruptly passed the baby back to Sam and turned the force of his glare on Jack.

"You had better explain yourself, O'Neill, and fast, before I kick you from here to the Tok'ra home world. And believe me, I could do it!" Jacob growled out.

Jack quickly took JJ from Sam and held him to his chest. "You wouldn't hit a guy holding a baby now, would you Papa?"

"Will you please stop that? You're not making this any easier," Sam hissed at him under her breath.

"You stay out of this young lady. I'll deal with you later!" Jacob forced out between clenched teeth.

At this point, General Hammond felt it was imperative that he step in before things got out of control. Now was the time to fully explain the situation. "Jacob, this isn't what you think. Please sit down and we can explain." Hammond held his arm out indicating that his friend take a seat.

Jacob turned his anger to his old friend. "It isn't what I think? Just what the hell am I supposed to think? I come back to find that my daughter had a child, with him, no less," he pointed an accusatory finger at Jack, "And you don't even seem to have a problem with this!"

"Hey, what's wrong with me?" Jack asked with innocence. "She could do a lot worse, you know. And he is partly named after you…that should count for something." Daniel groaned at Jack's comment and shook his head. Jack's talents really did not lie in the area of diplomacy.

Sam groaned as well, and then winced as she saw the look that came over her father. Things were not going well, not at all.

"Hand that child back to my daughter and step into the hallway with me right now Jack," he fairly growled. His meaning was clear to everyone present.

Sam had had just about enough of the teasing by Jack and the over bearing attitude of her father. Using a tone of voice they rarely heard from her, she said quite loudly, "That is just about enough, from both of you! Dad, sit down and let me explain things to you. Colonel O'Neill, please sit down over there and try to restrain yourself from speaking for just a few minutes." Too stunned to do anything but obey, they both sat down on opposite sides of the table, each giving her a glare, and waited for her to continue. JJ's eyes widened at the tone his mother took, but he didn't make a sound. He was too busy watching his Papa to get overly bothered by the noise level in the room.

Daniel, Teal'c and the General finally were able to take their seats as well; Teal'c making sure he sat close to Jack in case he had to hurry him out of the room and away from the wrath of Jacob Carter.

Sam sighed quite loudly and ran a hand through her hair, trying to calm herself down. She then moved over to her father and sat down across from him, taking his hands in hers as she looked into his eyes. "Dad, JJ is the son of Samantha Carter and Jack O'Neill." She hurried on as she felt his hands start to tighten painfully around her own fingers. "But, not from this reality. Five days ago, Samantha Carter came through the quantum mirror and asked me to look after JJ. Apparently, in their reality, Anubis has attacked the SGC and is trying to get to JJ. He is after JJ because of the knowledge he thinks JJ carries within him."

Jacob glanced over at the baby who was now chewing on Jack's watch, oblivious to the conversation happening around him. "What type of knowledge could he possibly get from a baby?" he asked in complete bafflement.

"Well, since I once possessed a Tok'ra, and Colonel O'Neill possessed the knowledge of the Ancients, Anubis figures that JJ will be very helpful once he gets older."

As Jacob tried to digest this information, his eyes narrowed in on Jack, who looked back as if he hadn't been about to be killed by his 2IC's father just a few minutes ago. "And the reason you couldn't have told me this as soon as I saw the baby was…?"

Jack just shrugged and said with a smirk, "It was more entertaining this way, don't you think?"

General Hammond hastily interrupted, "I'm sure what Colonel O'Neill meant to say, Jacob, is that we felt you had to see JJ in order to fully grasp the severity of this situation. Not only is he in danger in his reality, he has been greatly sought after in ours as well."

Jacob sat back and frowned. "What do you mean? I'm assuming this has been kept very quiet. How would anyone outside of the SGC know of his existence?"

Sam took over the conversation, giving her father the condensed version of events. "The NID had a few informants planted within the SGC, dad. There were several attempts to take JJ before we were able to apprehend the culprits. They wanted to perform tests on him. It seems they had the same idea as Anubis: namely, that JJ might hold the key to defeating any number of enemies sometime in the future." She shivered as she recalled how close they had been to losing the little boy on more than one occasion.

Jacob didn't miss her reaction. He leaned over and this time he took her hands. "Were you hurt Sammie?" He brushed her hair aside and saw the stitches, raising his eyebrows in question.

"I'm fine, Dad. Just a bump on the head," she assured him.

For the first time since Jacob had arrived, Jack's tone became serious. "They weren't just after JJ. They would have gladly taken Carter as well. Your daughter has been instrumental in keeping JJ safe." He glanced over at Sam before continuing. "Apparently, the NID still has some rogue groups in operation. We were told they would be cleaned up, but you know how good they are about keeping their word."

Jacob looked around the table, his glance finally coming to rest on the little boy in Jack's arms. His eyes softened for the first time since his arrival on base. "Hand him over here Jack. Let me take a look at the little guy who's been the cause of all this trouble. He must get that from your side of the family, by the way."

Everyone chuckled, excluding Jack, who handed the baby across the table to Jacob. "Oh, I don't know. Your daughter gets in plenty of trouble on her own," he stated, sitting back and smiling at Sam's look of embarrassment.

Jacob sat JJ on the table in front of him and looked him over carefully. There was definitely a family resemblance there. He smiled when JJ called him "Papa" once more. After a few moments, he looked over at the General. "So, what now? I assume you'll be sending him back at some point. His real parents must be missing this little guy something awful."

Sam and Jack exchanged a look at that comment; they were both thinking how much they would miss JJ when he went back. Watching them, Daniel drew Jacob's attention to himself as he explained the plan. "Samantha, the other one, will try and make contact with us in two more days, at which time she'll let us know whether it is safe for JJ to return."

"And if it isn't?" Jacob persisted.

"We keep him, indefinitely," Jack stated decisively.

Jacob's gaze swung between Jack and his daughter. His eyes narrowed; although they didn't give any outward signs, he felt that something was different between them. Maybe he would have to have a private conversation with Sam before he left.

JJ chose that moment to lean toward Sam with outstretched arms and say, "Mama." Jacob was more than a little surprised to see the way her eyes lit up at the word, and how she hugged the little boy to her, giving him a soft kiss on the top of his head. He had never seen her act that tender toward any child, even her nieces. He glanced over at Jack and noticed the way his eyes softened as he looked at Sam with JJ. Yep, he'd definitely need to find the time to have a little chat with her.

General Hammond interrupted his thoughts. "So, Jacob, now you can see why I can't let Sam go with you. She's needed here at the moment. She and the rest of SG-1 are in charge of ensuring JJ's safety. Can I offer you another scientist instead?"

Jacob sighed, "I'd really like Sam, George, but I understand why you can't spare her right now. Let me talk to Sam about the details and see if she can suggest someone who would be qualified to help us."

"Good enough," Hammond stated, rising to his feet and causing everyone else to do so. He, for one, was glad that this little conversation was drawing to a close. "Will you be staying long, Jacob?"

Ruefully, Jacob shook his head. "I'm afraid not George. The Tok'ra need me back, hopefully with some help. We really need to figure out the new energy device we discovered on one of the planets where we have operatives. I need to get back as soon as possible."

"Well then, we'll leave you and your daughter to some time alone. I'm sure the rest of her team can watch JJ while you talk things over."

Jack came over and reached for JJ, frowning slightly at the sound of protest the little boy offered when he was taken away from Sam. "He must be getting tired, Sir," Sam stated. "He tends to prefer me when he gets that way," she offered, slightly apologetic.

"I know, I know. Mommy can sing you to sleep a lot better than I can, right little man?" Jack asked the baby as he nestled him in his arms. He looked over at Jacob who was giving him a rather strange look. "No hard feelings, Jacob?" he asked with a quirk of his eyebrows.

Jacob narrowed his own eyes before answering, "No hard feelings, Jack. But I could have taken you, you know that right?"

Jack laughed as he made his way to the door, trailing Teal'c and Daniel. "Of that, I have no doubt, Sir!" He stopped at the door and turned back, a glint sparkling in his eye. "Oh Sam, I'll meet you back in our suite when you're done with dad. We can discuss our evening plans then." And with a grin, he turned and left the room.

Jacob's voice could be heard all the way down to the gate room. "Our suite? Did he just say our suite? Samantha, you still have some explaining to do!"