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Part One
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General Hammond sighed and rubbed his temples. His day had started off bad and had quickly taken a slide down hill from there. He forced himself to look, once more, at the file in front of him; the same file that had been lying open for over three months. He stared at the photograph, entranced as always by the young woman he had come to respect and the friend that had become a part of his family. He took a moment to glance over the file in its entirety, and then he did one of the hardest things he had ever had to do in his life. He closed the file.
*
Jack took a deep breath and turned off the engine. He glanced momentarily at the empty seat next to him before getting out of the car. In the months leading up to Sha'ure's birth, they had driven to the base together, and he had grown use to her presence, grown use to her talking to him to wake him up in the morning, and closer to the end pregnancy, having to keep her awake. Every day he turned up at work it seemed to get harder to step into the base, knowing that Sam was not going to greet him.
He closed his eye momentarily beore stepping into the lift that would take him deep into the mountain. He had a new plan, something he had been working on for the last two weeks. This one would work. He knew it would work, and with Jacob's help, they would find Sam.
He nodded at the airman standing by the lift doors as they opened, not waiting for long enough to see the look of pity behind the man's eyes. He'd seen enough of that look to last him a life time. The corridors were all but empty as he made his way to his office, getting ready to prepare his talk for General Hammond. He knew his
superior wanted to help, but there was only so much the man could do in his position, he had to be seen to be making progress or funding would be pulled. That's why this plan had to work.
The air in his office was stale, but he'd been spending less time in it that usual, instead finding the presence in Sam's office more calming. But not today, today he had no time to wallow in his memories. Today he was going to start his plan to get her back and nothing was going to stand in his way.
*
This had to be, without a doubt, the worst mission Daniel had ever been on. And there had been some stinkers in his time with the SGC. He'd been in trouble more times than he could remember, but this was worse. It was even worse than any of times he had been killed. In fact, if someone had offered to set him up with a group of Jaffa at
that moment, he would have gladly accepted.
"Shay, please stop crying!" Daniel shushed his Goddaughter. He had tried everything he could think of, including attempting to sing. Unfortunately, that had ony made matters worse. He had once been told that there was no such thing as tone deaf. He didn't believe it, and apparently Shay didn't either.
"I promise that when you get older, I will buy you a pony if you'll only go to sleep. Please?" Daniel held her in front of him, pleading with the howling child. "I'll buy you lots of ponies. In fact we can negotiate on the sleep as well. You don't have to sleep, but please stop crying."
There was a slight pause and Daniel's slowly began to smile as Shay scrunched up her face. But a few moments later she started crying again, and it wasn't long before Daniel understood why.
"Remind me to beat your father up for this," he said as he carried her to the table to change her nappy.
Daniel was stuggling to understand it. He had taken care of a few children in his time, and he had never had any trouble with them, but it seemed that Shay was taking after her father and was determined to drive him up the wall. The child hadn't stopped crying since Jack had left for work and Daniel had no idea where she was getting the energy to keep going. But if she didn't stop soon, he was going to end up deaf.
The child wriggled beneath him, causing him to splatter talcum powder all over the table, all over her, and more embarrassingly, all over himself. With his glasses covered in the powder, the half empty container in one hand and a wriggling child in the other, Daniel sighed.
"Shay, sweetheart, why don't we start negotiating for that pony again, okay?"
"Bribing a baby? Daniel Jackson, I'm ashamed of you!"
Daniel turned to look at her, laughing. "Okay, you caught me red handed! I give, I'm a terrible babysitter."
Janet shook her head as she stepped forward, removing the nappy from Daniel's hand and continued to change Sha'uri. She hummed lightly under her breath and soon Shay was giggling up at her. Janet picked the baby up and smiled at her.
"Okay, that's not fair."
Janet looked at him. "Woman's touch."
"Hey, if I wasn't tone deaf I could have done it."
"Sure you could, Daniel. Just like you could have changed the nappy."
"If that was a proper nappy instead of one of those plastic disposable ones, I would have had it changed before you even thought about opening that door!"
Janet opened her mouth to reply when the front door swung open and Cassie bounced into the room. She was grinning from ear to ear and holding on to a blue cuddly toy. She smiled at Daniel before reaching out to take Sha'uri from Janet.
"Look what I got you Shay, its Stitch!" the baby giggled loudly and pawed the bear, no tears in sight.
"Okay, it's a conspiracy. The blue alien doesn't make her cry but I do?"
"Daniel," Cassie said shaking her head. "Don't be silly. It's not your fault Stitch is more adorable than you."
"Hey!"
Cassie giggled and stepped back in case Daniel reached to tickle her, as he often did in retaliation. "I have the baby, you can't touch me!"
"You can't hide behind the child forever," Daniel said lightly.
Cassie stuck out her tongue and moved to sit on the couch. She played with Sha'uri on her knee and it wasn't long before the baby's giggling was echoing through the house. After a few moments, Daniel and Janet moved into the kitchen.
"So," Janet said with a small smile. "How are you doing?"
Daniel shrugged. "Okay, I guess. It's Jack I'm worried about."
"I'll worry about Jack when I have time to pester him about it. We're talking about you here." When Daniel didn't seem inclined to talk Janet sighed and continued, "Daniel, you have to start taking care of yourself. You can't not sleep. You're wearing yourself out and you will be no use to anyone if you burn out."
"I can sleep when we find Sam," he said softly, refusing to make eye contact. "Right now, I need to concentrate on translating that book. I know the answers are in there and I will find them."
"And no one doubts that, Daniel," Janet sighed, placing a hand on his shoulder. He looked up at her and she smiled sadly. "We all miss Sam, but killing yourself isn't going to bring her back to us. You need to stay strong, if not for your sake, then for Jack's and for Shay's. They need her back, but they need you as well, Daniel. They need all of us to be here for them."
Daniel nodded and, without thinking, pulled Janet into a hug. He wasn't quite sure what had possessed him to do it, he wasn't as close to Janet as he was with SG1, but st that moment he needed her friendship. He held on tight, refusing to let go until a piercing scream broke the silence.
~x~x~x~x~x~
End of Part One
~x~x~x~x~x~
Part One
~x~x~x~x~x~
General Hammond sighed and rubbed his temples. His day had started off bad and had quickly taken a slide down hill from there. He forced himself to look, once more, at the file in front of him; the same file that had been lying open for over three months. He stared at the photograph, entranced as always by the young woman he had come to respect and the friend that had become a part of his family. He took a moment to glance over the file in its entirety, and then he did one of the hardest things he had ever had to do in his life. He closed the file.
*
Jack took a deep breath and turned off the engine. He glanced momentarily at the empty seat next to him before getting out of the car. In the months leading up to Sha'ure's birth, they had driven to the base together, and he had grown use to her presence, grown use to her talking to him to wake him up in the morning, and closer to the end pregnancy, having to keep her awake. Every day he turned up at work it seemed to get harder to step into the base, knowing that Sam was not going to greet him.
He closed his eye momentarily beore stepping into the lift that would take him deep into the mountain. He had a new plan, something he had been working on for the last two weeks. This one would work. He knew it would work, and with Jacob's help, they would find Sam.
He nodded at the airman standing by the lift doors as they opened, not waiting for long enough to see the look of pity behind the man's eyes. He'd seen enough of that look to last him a life time. The corridors were all but empty as he made his way to his office, getting ready to prepare his talk for General Hammond. He knew his
superior wanted to help, but there was only so much the man could do in his position, he had to be seen to be making progress or funding would be pulled. That's why this plan had to work.
The air in his office was stale, but he'd been spending less time in it that usual, instead finding the presence in Sam's office more calming. But not today, today he had no time to wallow in his memories. Today he was going to start his plan to get her back and nothing was going to stand in his way.
*
This had to be, without a doubt, the worst mission Daniel had ever been on. And there had been some stinkers in his time with the SGC. He'd been in trouble more times than he could remember, but this was worse. It was even worse than any of times he had been killed. In fact, if someone had offered to set him up with a group of Jaffa at
that moment, he would have gladly accepted.
"Shay, please stop crying!" Daniel shushed his Goddaughter. He had tried everything he could think of, including attempting to sing. Unfortunately, that had ony made matters worse. He had once been told that there was no such thing as tone deaf. He didn't believe it, and apparently Shay didn't either.
"I promise that when you get older, I will buy you a pony if you'll only go to sleep. Please?" Daniel held her in front of him, pleading with the howling child. "I'll buy you lots of ponies. In fact we can negotiate on the sleep as well. You don't have to sleep, but please stop crying."
There was a slight pause and Daniel's slowly began to smile as Shay scrunched up her face. But a few moments later she started crying again, and it wasn't long before Daniel understood why.
"Remind me to beat your father up for this," he said as he carried her to the table to change her nappy.
Daniel was stuggling to understand it. He had taken care of a few children in his time, and he had never had any trouble with them, but it seemed that Shay was taking after her father and was determined to drive him up the wall. The child hadn't stopped crying since Jack had left for work and Daniel had no idea where she was getting the energy to keep going. But if she didn't stop soon, he was going to end up deaf.
The child wriggled beneath him, causing him to splatter talcum powder all over the table, all over her, and more embarrassingly, all over himself. With his glasses covered in the powder, the half empty container in one hand and a wriggling child in the other, Daniel sighed.
"Shay, sweetheart, why don't we start negotiating for that pony again, okay?"
"Bribing a baby? Daniel Jackson, I'm ashamed of you!"
Daniel turned to look at her, laughing. "Okay, you caught me red handed! I give, I'm a terrible babysitter."
Janet shook her head as she stepped forward, removing the nappy from Daniel's hand and continued to change Sha'uri. She hummed lightly under her breath and soon Shay was giggling up at her. Janet picked the baby up and smiled at her.
"Okay, that's not fair."
Janet looked at him. "Woman's touch."
"Hey, if I wasn't tone deaf I could have done it."
"Sure you could, Daniel. Just like you could have changed the nappy."
"If that was a proper nappy instead of one of those plastic disposable ones, I would have had it changed before you even thought about opening that door!"
Janet opened her mouth to reply when the front door swung open and Cassie bounced into the room. She was grinning from ear to ear and holding on to a blue cuddly toy. She smiled at Daniel before reaching out to take Sha'uri from Janet.
"Look what I got you Shay, its Stitch!" the baby giggled loudly and pawed the bear, no tears in sight.
"Okay, it's a conspiracy. The blue alien doesn't make her cry but I do?"
"Daniel," Cassie said shaking her head. "Don't be silly. It's not your fault Stitch is more adorable than you."
"Hey!"
Cassie giggled and stepped back in case Daniel reached to tickle her, as he often did in retaliation. "I have the baby, you can't touch me!"
"You can't hide behind the child forever," Daniel said lightly.
Cassie stuck out her tongue and moved to sit on the couch. She played with Sha'uri on her knee and it wasn't long before the baby's giggling was echoing through the house. After a few moments, Daniel and Janet moved into the kitchen.
"So," Janet said with a small smile. "How are you doing?"
Daniel shrugged. "Okay, I guess. It's Jack I'm worried about."
"I'll worry about Jack when I have time to pester him about it. We're talking about you here." When Daniel didn't seem inclined to talk Janet sighed and continued, "Daniel, you have to start taking care of yourself. You can't not sleep. You're wearing yourself out and you will be no use to anyone if you burn out."
"I can sleep when we find Sam," he said softly, refusing to make eye contact. "Right now, I need to concentrate on translating that book. I know the answers are in there and I will find them."
"And no one doubts that, Daniel," Janet sighed, placing a hand on his shoulder. He looked up at her and she smiled sadly. "We all miss Sam, but killing yourself isn't going to bring her back to us. You need to stay strong, if not for your sake, then for Jack's and for Shay's. They need her back, but they need you as well, Daniel. They need all of us to be here for them."
Daniel nodded and, without thinking, pulled Janet into a hug. He wasn't quite sure what had possessed him to do it, he wasn't as close to Janet as he was with SG1, but st that moment he needed her friendship. He held on tight, refusing to let go until a piercing scream broke the silence.
~x~x~x~x~x~
End of Part One
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