Chapter Four

Daniel, Teal'c, and Sam, all that was left of SG-1, sat in the briefing room, dreading the announcement General Hammond was going to make.

"Maybe he'll give you command, Sam," Daniel suggested, though they all knew it was only wishful thinking.

"Maybe." Sam's tone was sad and reflective, thinking back on all the things SG-1 had been through together.

Jack's voice resounded in her head, Home of sky blue waters…loofas… "Ya, sure, you betcha, Snookums"… Mosquitoes—She never had found out what else he was going to say about Minnesota before Thor had beamed him up. That had been the first time he had asked her to go fishing with him. What she wouldn't give to have him ask her again…

Just then, General Hammond entered from his office, followed by an Air Force colonel in full dress uniform. "SG-1, I understand that you have only just recently lost Colonel O'Neill…" He paused. "His loss was felt by us all…But I've decided that though Major Carter is quite capable to lead SG-1, under the circumstances and the fact that you are our premiere team, it would be best if you had someone of higher rank in command of your unit."

"General—" Daniel tried to interrupt.

"Dr. Jackson, we've been through this before. Now, my decision is final. Perhaps in the near future I will grant Major Carter command, but not at this time," Hammond told them firmly in his Texas drawl, "This is Colonel Richard Browning. He will be commanding SG-1."

Sam stood up and saluted stiffly. "Colonel."

Browning returned it. "Major." Then he turned to Daniel, "Dr. Jackson."

Daniel couldn't help but hesitate slightly before replying. "Nice to meet you, Colonel," he said politely, shaking the colonel's extended hand.

"And you, Doctor. It's nice to meet you, as well, Teal'c," Browning said, turning to the Jaffa.

Teal'c bowed his head. "Colonel Browning."

"Your first mission will be tomorrow, briefing at 0700. Dismissed." With that, Hammond left so that SG-1 could get acquainted with Jack's replacement.

There was an uneasy silence for a few minutes before Colonel Browning broke it, "I understand what you must be going through. I've lost my CO before; I know how hard it is to accept a new commanding officer, but I hope we'll be able to—" The colonel was cut off by alarms going off.

"Unscheduled off-world activation," a voice announced over the PA system.

The occupants of the briefing room filed quickly down the stairs to the control room, followed by General Hammond who had emerged from his office, to see who was coming through the Stargate.

"Receiving an IDC, Sir. It's the Tok'ra," Sergeant Davis reported.

"Defense teams stand by. Open the Iris," Hammond ordered.

Sam quickly made her way to the gate room hoping that her father would be one of the Tok'ra coming through.

The iris retracted and a few minutes later, Jacob Carter, and his symbiote Selmak, and Freya, and her symbiote Anise, stepped through the event horizon.

"Dad!" Sam greeted her father.

"Sam. It's good to see you, kiddo." Jacob smiled, giving her a hug. "You remember Freya and Anise?"

Sam tried to keep the bitterness out of her tone and plastered a fake smile across her face, "Yes, how could I forget?" She could hear Jack's voice again as the memory of Freya's last visit resurfaced, I would rather have died myself than lose Carter…Because I care about her…a lot more than I'm supposed to. The Tok'ra woman had been the cause of trouble for SG-1 on more than one occasion. Her last trip had been particularly unpleasant and had lead to Sam and Jack having to confess their feelings for each other. That memory brought to Sam's mind others that were painful to relive and reminded her of the fact that she had never had a chance to tell Jack that she loved him. She supposed she ought to be at least a little grateful that Freya had given her the opportunity to express some of her feelings to Jack before he died.

The elder Carter turned to General Hammond who had just entered the gate room. "George, how are you?"

"Jacob. What brings you and Anise?" Hammond returned, shaking his old friend's hand.

"Daniel, Teal'c," Jacob greeted the rest of SG-1. "Actually, we've got some good news. But first, I have a question. What happened to Jack?"

They took Jacob and Anise to the briefing room, where Teal'c told Jack's story, again, with Daniel and Sam interrupting from time to time to add something. Jacob listened quietly, with a curious expression on his face, glancing at his daughter and noticing the emotions, that she was obviously trying to keep under control, playing in her eyes.

"It seems my news is better than I thought," Jacob said when Teal'c had finished, drawing incredulous looks from the members of the SGC. Sam couldn't keep the hurt she was feeling at her father's reaction off her face.

"Jack's alive," Jacob's statement was like a pebble dropped into a pond. The shock rippled over everyone's faces as what he said sank in.

"What!" Sam was the first to speak.

"Jack—Jack's alive?" Daniel asked, intermittently raising and furrowing his eyebrows as he said it.

"We have received information from a Tok'ra operative that Colonel O'Neill is being held by a Goa'uld by the name of Atê," Anise said, in her deep, metallic voice.

"Atê is the Greek goddess of evil and misfortune. That would explain why her Jaffa were on P8X-345," Daniel told them.

"There is no doubt that it is O'Neill?" Teal'c inquired.

"No, Atê specifically called him by name in the presence of our operative," Anise confirmed.

"Jack's alive?" Sam whispered, echoing Daniel. She still couldn't believe what her father was telling her. She shook her head, her blue-eyed gaze glued to the table. "But we saw him die." The emotion in her voice was evident to all. She knew he was dead—she had watched him die and hadn't been able to stop it. How she wanted her father to be right!

"Yes," Jacob replied, giving his daughter a sympathetic look, "The Jaffa must have taken his body to Atê and put him in a Sarcophagus."

A sarcophagus, of course! the calculating part of her mind thought—the part that, at times, wasn't affected by her emotions. How could I have been so stupid? The Goa'uld would have taken the colonel's body, revived him, and tried to torture him into telling them the iris code or some other "Tau'ri" secret.

The image of her colonel, beaten and bruised, under going torture at the hand of a Goa'uld, penetrated the emotional cloud that surrounded the rest of her mind.

Vaguely, she was aware of Daniel saying, "Let's hope Atê doesn't have the same plan for Jack as Baal did."

"General, permission to lead a rescue mission," she asked, pulling herself from her shocked state.

"Major, that depends on what information the Tok'ra can provide on his location," Hammond replied. A small smile tugged at the corners of his mouth and his eyes shone with relief at the good news about his second-in-command.

"Dad?" Sam asked, turning to her father.

Smiling himself, Jacob explained, "The Tok'ra operative has given us a detailed description of the planet where Colonel O'Neill is being held. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to provide us with much information on the complex itself. Now, the Goa'uld base is…"

About a minute into planning the mission, looking overwhelmed by all the emotions she was feeling, Sam asked to be excused.

General Hammond exchanged a glance with Jacob and said, "Very well, Major, the briefing will be in a few hours."

"Thank you, Sir." Sam saluted and hurried out.

Jacob watched the door shut behind her.

Anise will be able to finish helping George plan the mission, Selmak spoke silently to her host.

Turning to his old friend, Jacob asked, "George, Anise, you'll be able to finish up here on your own?"

"Yes, of course," Hammond replied, knowing full well where Jacob was going, "I'd like you to look over the plans before they're finalized, but Anise and I will be fine."

"Thanks, George."

Jacob left the briefing and hurried after his daughter. She'll probably go to her lab, Jacob thought.

Would she not prefer to go somewhere more comfortable? Selmak asked.

She can't go home until later and she doesn't have any quarters here on base that I know of, Jacob replied.

Without realizing it, he had reached Sam's lab. You been doing the walking again? Jacob asked, with a laugh that got him an odd look from a passing airman.

Selmak gave a mental snort, a very human mannerism courtesy of her many human hosts. Don't blame your absent-mindedness on me.

Sobering, Jacob knocked lightly on the door.

"Come in!" came the flustered reply.

Opening the door, Jacob stuck his head in. Sam was in the process of trying to make her self look presentable: she had obviously been crying.

"Dad!" she paused, "Selmak?"

"It's me, Sam," he told her, coming farther into the room, "You alright?"

Sam gave him a weak smile and looked down at her hands. "I'm fine. How's the planning going?"

"Fine," Jacob returned, not believing her for a moment. "Sam, tell me the truth. Are you alright?" He took a few more steps toward her.

Sam shut her eyes, and then opened them again, revealing them to be red and puffy; tears rained down her cheeks.

Jacob immediately crossed the room and took her in his arms. "C'mere, honey. Shh … It's alright." Sam buried her face in his tunic. "It's alright. Jack's alive," Jacob soothed. Why is she crying if he's alive?

I believe Samantha is emotionally spent. And perhaps she cries because he is in the hands of the Goa'uld, Selmak said.

You know she's stronger than that, Selmak.

"I—I don't know why I'm crying," Sam said, pulling away a little, but staying in her father's warm embrace. She smiled broadly despite the tears still coming. "Jack's alive!"

"You've been through a lot, Samantha. It's understandable you'd need to let it all out," Jacob said.

Sam looked down. "Daddy, can I tell you something?" she asked, sounding a bit like a lost child.

"Anything, sweetheart," Jacob replied, stroking her hair.

"I…can't. Never mind," Sam pulled away, wiping at her tears. "I should get ready. We have to get the colonel back." Jacob saw the military mask fit firmly back in place.

"Sam." He caught her arm, turning her toward him. "Tell me."

"I can't," she repeated. "Dad, It's…I can't."

"Is it about Colonel O'Neill?" Sam didn't answer. "Sam, it's obvious that you were mourning more than a lost friend. I won't tell General Hammond. You have to talk to someone. I'd rather it be me."

Sam shut her eyes again, then, coming to a decision, sat down on one of the chairs and gestured for Jacob to take another. "When Colonel O'Neill…died, I…I'm—Dad, I love him."

Jacob blinked.

Why are you surprised, Jacob? You already knew it, Selmak asked him.

I guess I just…didn't believe it.

You don't mind though. Jack O'Neill is a lot like you.

I should think that would worry me.

"Dad?"

"Does he feel the same for you?" Jacob asked.

"I don't know! I thought he was dead!" Tears were starting to flow again, but she kept talking. "And now he's alive. I'm so happy, but I don't know what to do. A relationship would be against regulations. I'd resign, but I don't know if he feels the same and—and I don't even know why I'm thinking about this! He's alive and that's all that matters!"

"You always did think too much, kiddo," he said, smiling fondly at her.

"That's what Jack used to say," Sam replied, unconsciously using his first name.

He called you 'kiddo'? Jacob wanted to say.

I do not think that that would be appropriate, Selmak said.

I wasn't going to say it.

"I'm sure you'll work things out, Sam. When we get Jack back, if you need to talk, Selmak and I are only a Stargate away." Jacob put his arm around her.

She hugged him. "Thanks, Dad." She smiled and Jacob knew she would be all right, for now.

Sam went to the commissary for a much-needed cup of coffee. She perused the usual array of less-than-appetizing food, and all the conversations she had had with Jack over blue and red Jell-O came to mind. A small smile, at the prospect of seeing him again, crossed her face—though it was tainted by worry over what the Goa'uld might be doing to him, while she was enjoying the luxury of coffee and Jell-O.

As she picked up a tall ice cream dish full of blue Jell-O and took it to one of the tables, someone called her name, "Major Carter!" It was Colonel Browning. "Join me?"

"Colonel Browning. I didn't expect to see you here, Sir," Sam replied, taking the offered seat next to him.

"Yes, well, evidently you're not the only one who could use a cup of coffee. Though, with all the excitement since those Tok'ra came, I suppose you need it more than I do. Congratulations, by the way, on the good news about Colonel O'Neill."

"Thank you, Sir. I'm sorry I didn't have the pleasure of serving under you, Colonel," Sam told him.

"So am I. Though, I doubt you felt that way before."

"To be honest, Sir, no I didn't." Sam dug her spoon into her Jell-O.

"Jell-O, Major?" Browning asked, looking at her chosen fare incredulously.

Sam smiled. "It's about the only good thing in the commissary, besides the cake. Though, Colonel O'Neill would argue that the Froot Loops are delicious." Sam looked down into her Jell-O as if it were some complex piece of machinery she was trying to back-engineer.

"Well, to each his own," Browning offered the cliché, drinking the last of his coffee.

Sam took a sip of her own coffee and then said, "Colonel, I'd be honored if you would join SG-1 on the rescue mission."

Browning looked a little shocked. When General Hammond had told him he would be leading SG-1 after O'Neill's death, he had known that the other team members would look on him as the guy who replaced their CO. He not only knew what it was like to lose a teammate, but also what a close-knit team SG-1 was. He had never expected such an offer from Carter. "Thank you, Major, I'll come along, but I think you should lead this mission."

Author's Note: I forgot how long it was before I actually stated that Jack was alive. Chapters Five and Six will be up tomorrow or later today. What do you guys think of Colonel Browning? I tried to make him likable so that the only thing anyone would have against him would be the fact that he was Jack's replacement; especially because he's going to be joining the rescue party. Thanks again for the reviews.