My POV

I think I knew in the back of my mind that mom and dad slept in my bed last night. I was glad. I was scared to be alone. Even though I knew the poison had been neutralized, I was still scared. I turned my head and realized that it was 11:00 in the morning. Sheesh.

Mom and dad were standing there watching me sleep.

"How're you feeling, Sunshine?"

"Like I've been run over by an army of Jaffa," I said, grimacing at the headache just turning my head caused.

"Headache?" asked mom.

"Yeah…big one," I said trying to sit up. "Ow!" The slightest movement caused my head to feel like it would explode.

"Lie still, honey," said mom.

"I'll get you some Tylenol," said dad. "And some juice."

He quietly left the room as mom sat down on the side of my bed. "Are you ok, honey?"

"I've been better," I said reluctantly. I tried again to sit up to no avail. So, I gave up. Mom got behind me and sat me up, propping me against her chest.

"Thanks," I muttered.

"You're welcome. You know you just have to ask for help and we'll help you," she said.

"I know, mama. It's just…" I didn't want to continue.

"I know, baby," she said.

She started rocking me slowly. I think she was trying to put me back to sleep, when dad came back in. "Here ya go, Sunshine," he said, handing me the pills and orange juice.

"Thanks, dad," I said. I took the pills and gulped down the juice.

"Now, you need anything else? Laptop, GameBoy, geek magazine?" he asked.

I giggled a little. "I need out of this bed," I insisted, trying unsuccessfully to get away from mom.

"Jessie…" began dad.

"Please?" I begged. "I'm tired of being in bed. I've been in bed for almost a week. Please, dad."

He looked at mom. "Alright. Only if you stay on the couch and rest," he said.

I took a deep breath. I hated being weak. "Alright," I said.

He picked me up. "Wait dad."

"What?"

"I need to go to the bathroom," I said. He handed me to mom who carried me into my bathroom. She helped me get my balance and sat me on the toilet. She sat down on the side of the tub.

"Uh…mom?"

"Hmm?"

"I can do this by myself," I said with an embarrassed look.

"Jessie…"

"Please, mama. I can do this by myself," I begged her. I really had to go, but it didn't look like she was going to leave. She looked at me hard.

"Alright," she said, standing. "But, when you're finished, you call me and I'll help you get up."

"Alright," I said.

She left the bathroom and closed my door. I knew she was leaning against the door, waiting for me to finish. I heard dad call for her and heard her footsteps leave my bedroom. I did what I had to do and cleaned myself up. I stood and, leaning against the wall, pulled my shorts up. Holding onto the wall, I made my way over to the sink and washed my hands. I was so tired by the time I finished, I couldn't hold myself up any longer. I fell to the floor, angry at my own weakness.

I still didn't call for help. I couldn't face mom after I promised her I'd call for help. I let the tears fall silently down my face. I couldn't face mom or dad. I heard footsteps running up the stairs and then my door opened.

"Jessie!" exclaimed mom, as she and dad rushed into the bathroom. She picked me up off the floor and cradled me in her lap.

"Why didn't you call for me?" she asked.

"I thought I could do it myself," I said angrily, knowing I'd probably made her mad.

"It's ok, baby. Jessie, you're just stubborn." Hmmm…she didn't sound mad. But, with mom, you never knew.

"You hungry, Sunshine?" asked dad.

"A little. But…"

"But, what?"

"I wanna shower first," I said.

"No."

"Mom…please." I knew I was begging, but I didn't care. I needed to take a shower!

"You can take a bath, but until you're strong enough to stand on your own, you're not taking a shower," she said.

She sat me on dad's lap and began to run my bath water. I couldn't even sit up straight on dad's lap. Stubborn ain't the word. Hard headed was more like it.

Once the tub was full, dad handed me back to mom. "I'll go fix us some lunch."

She helped me undress and sat me in the tub. "Now. I'll leave you alone to bathe yourself. But, when you're ready to get out, you call me. Understand?"

"Yes, ma'am," I said softly, looking at the bubbles in the water.

She cupped my chin and raised my head. "It's ok, honey. Your dad and I love you and we want to help you." She kissed me on the forehead and left the room.

I bathed and washed my hair. Once again, I was too stubborn to call for help. I let the water out and crawled out of the tub. I was able to wrap myself in a towel and sit on the toilet before my strength gave out.

(Mama?)

(Hmm?)

(I'm…uh…I'm done.)

(Be right there.)

A minute later, she opened the door and saw me sitting on the toilet. "This is as far as I could get," I said sheepishly.

"Damn, kid. You are so stubborn," she said.

Although she tried to hide it, I heard the disappointment in her voice. She helped me dry off. "Stay here. I'll get you some clean clothes."

I started crying when she left the room. I heard her and dad talking in my bedroom. For some reason, my hearing was better than it had been. I knew they were whispering.

"She's so damned stubborn, Jack! She could've fallen and hurt herself and she still wouldn't ask for help."

"I know. I don't know what we're gonna do with her if she doesn't start asking for help when she needs it."

I heard the sorrow in both their voices. They just didn't understand. I'd been on my own for a long time. I learned not to depend on anybody. It was hard for me to ask for help, even from my parents. They didn't deserve my problems. I knew what I had to do.

I wiped the tears from my eyes before mom returned. "Hey, Sunshine. You ok?" asked dad.

"I'm fine," I said softly.

"Then why are you crying?"

"I'm not," I said.

"You were," said mom, touching my face lightly.

"I'm fine. I just had an eyelash in my eye," I said, looking away from them.

I knew they didn't believe me, but right then I didn't care. I'd already disappointed them. Once my strength was back, I was out of there. They didn't need to put up with someone who had trouble trusting anybody.

I let mom help me get dressed and pretended to be better. Dad carried me downstairs and brought me a sandwich for lunch. "Here ya go, Sunshine."

"Thanks, dad," I said softly. Mom handed me a glass of milk. "Thanks, mama."

"Welcome," they both said.

They both watched carefully as I ate. I guess it was to make sure that I ate everything. I had to force it down. My stomach was in turmoil and my mouth was dry. Then the phone rang, causing me to jump.

"Easy, baby," said mom as she answered the phone. "Hello? Yeah. She's right here."

She turned to me. "You feel like talking to Landon?"

"Not really," I said. "Tell him I'll call him back later," I added, faking a yawn.

"She's too tired to talk, Landon. She said she'll call you back later. Ok. I'll tell her. Bye." She hung up and turned to me. "He said to tell you he loves you and he misses you."

For the first time that day, I truly smiled. Then, I didn't have to fake a yawn. I was so freaking tired. But, I didn't fight it. I knew that in order to leave, I'd have to have at least a little strength.

Dad took the plate and cup away from me as mom coaxed me into lying down with my head in her lap. "You ok, honey?" asked mom, stroking my hair.

"Yeah. Just tired," I said yawning again.

"Then sleep, honey. Everything will be fine when you wake up."

I couldn't say anything else. I knew if I did, I wouldn't have the strength to leave my home…my family.


Jack's POV

After Jessie woke up from her nap, we ate dinner and then watched Stand By Me. By the end of the movie, she was exhausted, so we helped her get into bed.

"I love you, Jessie. I just want you to get better," I whispered when I kissed her on the forehead.

"I know dad. I love you too," she said sadly. There was something in her eyes. I didn't know what it was.

"Night mom."

"Goodnight Jessie. I love you honey," said Sam, kissing her forehead.

"I love you too."

We watched her as she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep. We sat there a few minutes, just watching her.

"Jack?"

"Hmm?" I sat beside her bed, stroking her long, blonde hair.

"Is she gonna be ok?" I could hear the worry in Sam's voice.

"God, I hope so," I said. "I just wish she would ask for help when she needs it!"

After a few more minutes, we went to bed ourselves. Around 0400, I woke up. Something was wrong. I couldn't put my finger on it, but something was definitely wrong.

I gently shook Sam awake. "Sam."

"Mmm..." she moaned, but didn't wake up.

I shook her a little harder. "Sam. Baby, wake up."

She opened her eyes and rolled towards me. "Jack? What's wrong?"

"I don't know…something," I said. "I'm gonna go check on Jessie."

"Ok," she said with a yawn.

I pulled on a pair of sweats and went across the hall to Jessie's room. I knocked. "Jessie? You ok, Sunshine?"

When she didn't answer, I opened her door, hoping she was just asleep. She wasn't in bed. I looked in her bathroom and she wasn't in there either. I started to panic. Then I found the note on her desk.

Dear Mom and Dad,

I'm sorry for giving you so much trouble. You just don't understand how hard it is for me to ask for help from anybody. Even you guys. It's hard – even after all this time – for me to trust anyone. I know you're disappointed in me. It hurts to know that I've disappointed you. I'm so sorry. I've been taking care of myself for a long time. I'll be fine. Just…let me go. I'll be alright. I love you guys…more than you'll ever know. Please forgive me.

Love Always,

Jessie

I ran back to our room. "Sam…get up. Jessie's gone."

"What?" she exclaimed, jumping out of bed.

"I found this," I said, handing her the letter. She read it as I continued. "Help me search the house."

We searched the entire house and didn't find her. I was really panicking by this time. We pulled on our clothes and jumped in the truck. As weak as she had been, we thought she couldn't have made it very far. Sam spotted her a few blocks away, curled up under the trees. She was trembling violently.

"Jessie!" I exclaimed, jumping out of the truck.

She opened her eyes and tried to roll away from us, but she was so cold, she could barely move. "Let me go!" she said weakly.

"Honey, it's freezing out here. Why did you run away?" asked Sam, reaching for her.

She tried to back up, but was so weak she couldn't even move. "Why did you look for me? Why couldn't you just let me go?"

"Jessie, you're our daughter. You belong at home…with us."

She was still shivering violently and was beginning to cry silently. When I went to pick her up, she struggled.

"Let me go! Please, just let me go!" she cried out, struggling violently against me.

"Jessie, stop it," I ordered.

She went stiff in my arms, shivering uncontrollably. She was wearing nothing but the pajamas she'd gone to bed in. It was close to 10° outside and was beginning to snow. I wrapped my arms around her trying to keep her warm.

"Sam, grab the blanket out of the truck," I said. When she had, she handed it to me. I wrapped it around Jessie and stood with her in my arms.

We got in the truck and went home. Jessie cried silently the whole time. It was eerie. I didn't know what we'd done. I didn't know how to make it better.

When we got back home, I carried her inside and Sam ran her a bath to warm her up. Stripping her down, she put her in the tub and I came in so the three of us could talk. Sam made sure she was covered by the bubble bath, before she called me in.

"Jessie, why did you run away?"

"You're mad at me for not asking for help," she said still shivering. "I thought if I wasn't here, you wouldn't have to worry about me anymore."

I reached out and stroked her hair gently. "Baby, we're not mad at you. We're worried about you. We just want you to ask us for help when you need it."

"I don't…" she trailed off.

"Don't what, baby?"

"I don't know how," she said, just before she broke down completely.

Sam wrapped her arms around Jessie and hugged her tightly. I held out the towel and closed my eyes as Sam lifted her out of the tub. Wrapping her in the towel, I left the room so Sam could get her dressed.

"Jack? You can come back in now," said Sam.

I went back inside and saw Jessie sitting on the toilet shivering again. She looked so damned sad. I picked her up and carried her into our room. "Dad…"

"You're staying with us tonight. You're still cold and we can keep you warm," I said in a voice that brooked no argument.

She nodded. "You're probably gonna catch a cold from bein' out there. How long were you out there?" asked Sam.

"Since midnight," she said softly.

Four hours. She'd been out in the freezing weather for four hours. Yep. She was gonna get sick. Sam and I dressed in our bathroom and went back into our room. She was already asleep. She looked so frail lying there. I let Sam crawl in and then I crawled in behind her. We fell asleep with our daughter in our arms. Neither of us knew how to help her. But, we knew that the next day was going to be interesting. We had to go back to the mountain in order for a trial of some sort, regarding Martouf and Freya.

When I woke up around 11:00 that morning, both Jessie and Sam were still asleep. I just laid there enjoying the silence and the feel of my wife and daughter sleeping peacefully beside me.

Jessie stirred a few minutes later, with a soft moan. But, before she could fully awaken, Sam woke up. "Mornin' beautiful," I whispered in her ear.

"Mmm…morning," she whispered back. She turned her head and gave me a long good morning kiss.

"Rent a room," muttered Jessie before coughing slightly.

I felt Sam's smile against my lips and returned it. "How're you feeling, Sunshine?" I asked.

"Cold," she said, with a shiver and a cough.

Sam turned over and placed the back of her hand against Jessie's forehead. "You've got fever," she told her.

"That's whatcha get for playing in the snow in your pj's," I said.

Neither one of them found it funny. But, then again, I didn't really say it to be funny. "Sorry," I said reaching over to stroke her hair. She turned away from me.

"Jessie…it was a stupid thing to say," I said, begging for forgiveness. She didn't say anything else. "Sunshine…I'm sorry."

Sam rolled her over and she'd shut her eyes, tears streaming down her face. She coughed again. "Sam, go get her some cold medicine," I said softly. She nodded, kissed Jessie on the forehead, and left for the medicine.

I moved closer to Jessie and put my arms around her, placing her head on my chest as she cried silently. "I'm so sorry, baby," I said. I started rocking her gently as I had when she was a baby. "I didn't mean it the way it sounded. I was just trying to lighten the situation." I linked my mind with Sam's so that she would hear what was going on. It was something Thor had taught us in regards to Jessie's abilities, along with keeping her from orbing out.

"I know," she said softly, shivering. "It's just…you were right."

"About what?"

"It's my fault I'm sick. I was the one who ran away." She broke off as a coughing fit overtook her.

I sat her up and rubbed her back until she stopped coughing. She collapsed weakly against me and I wrapped my arms around her, pulling the covers up over her trembling body.

"It's not your fault, honey. If we'd paid closer attention to what you were going through, then we could've helped you."

"You did pay attention. But, I…"

"You what?"

"I overheard you and mom talking about how stubborn I am…and how I could hurt myself because I won't ask for help."

"Jessie…sometimes being stubborn can be a good thing. But, then sometimes, being stubborn can cause you to get hurt," I said. "You said last night that you didn't know how to ask for help."

"Yeah. All the homes I was in taught me one thing. You can't depend on others to help you…not without giving them something in return."

"Jessie, you're my daughter and I love you. It's just…I want you to ask for help when you need it. I know it's going to take some getting used to. But, your mom and I love you more than anything. We will do anything to help you get better."

"I know." She started coughing again just as Sam walked in with the medicine.

"Here, Jack," she said handing me a temperature tape. I put it on Jessie's forehead. A few moments later, I read the gauge.

"103°," I said. "Here Sunshine. Drink this," I said handing her the cough medicine.

She gulped it down and gagged. "Nasty," she sputtered.

Sam handed her a glass of orange juice and some pills. "Take these. It's cold medicine," she said.

She took the pills and drank the juice. "At least the juice tastes better than the cough medicine," she said, leaning against me again.

"You wanna stay here or you wanna be in your bed?" I asked, nuzzling the top of her head with my cheek.

"My bed, please," she said softly. "Mom?"

"Yeah, honey?"

"Did that cold medicine have something for my headache?"

"Yeah. How bad?"

"Like it was yesterday. Like a Mack truck is running through my head," she said rubbing her temples. "It hurts."

"Come on," I said, picking her up and carrying her into her room. "You want some chicken soup?"

"I just wanna sleep," she said.

"Nope. You have to eat something before you sleep," said Sam. "Go fix her some, Jack. I'll keep her awake."


Sam's POV

Jack went to get Jessie some soup hoping that would warm her up and make her feel better. "Honey, you have to stay awake until your dad gets back, ok?"

"I'll try," she said coughing again.

"You know, you're dad's right."

"Bout what?"

"About us wanting you to ask for help when you need it. It doesn't matter what the problem is, Jessie. Together, we'll be able to take care of it."

"I know. I'm sorry, mama."

"For what?"

"For not trusting you and dad. It's just that after being alone for so long, I still don't know how to act."

"You're acting just fine. You just need to work on the asking for help issue," I said, laying down with her and putting my arms around her. "And we're gonna help you."

Jack came back with her soup. I helped her sit up so she could eat. We had to force her to eat. She really wasn't hungry, but we all knew that she needed some nourishment, otherwise she wouldn't get better.

She drank the soup and the water Jack brought then I laid her back down. She coughed hard and long. Jack handed her a Kleenex and she coughed up something and tossed the Kleenex in her wastebasket. Jack handed her the cough syrup again.

She shook her head. "Nasty stuff," she grumbled.

"I know, Sunshine. But, you've got to take it so you can get better."

"Dad…" she began, but was interrupted by another coughing fit. She tried to sit up but couldn't. I grasped her shoulders and pulled her to a sitting position.

"Drink it, baby," said Jack. This time, she didn't fight it. She drank the medicine and gagged as before.

She started to shiver again and I realized she still had fever. I handed her some more medicine and made her take that too. "Come on, angel."

"What?" she said, closing her eyes.

"I'm gonna help you get into something warmer."

Jack left the room and I helped her get into some warmer, flannel pj's that Jack had bought her for her twelfth birthday. He'd actually found Colorado Avalanche flannel pajamas for her! By the time I'd gotten her dressed, she was sound asleep. I laid her back in the bed and covered her up.

"Jack, you can come back in now," I said with a chuckle.

He opened her door and walked back in. "She ok?"

"She's asleep," I said. "She was asleep before I finished getting her dressed."

"Good. She needs the rest," he said, walking over to her bed. He leaned down and kissed her forehead. "Get better, baby," he whispered. He brushed her hair out of her eyes. Turning to me, he said, "She's burning up."

"I know. Hopefully, the meds I gave her will cut the fever out," I said. I walked over to them and did the same thing. I kissed her forehead and whispered, "I love you, angel."

I stepped back and into Jack's arms. We stood there watching Jessie sleep fitfully. Every once in a while, she'd cough harshly a couple of times and then relax.

The phone rang downstairs and we both left her room. Jack picked it up. "O'Neill. No, sir. She's sick. It's a long story, General. But, she's got a really bad cold. We've got her doped up and asleep right now. She ate some soup and then we gave her some medicine and she's been asleep since." He looked at his watch. "About ten minutes. Yes, sir. But, sir…she's sick!" He broke off with a deep sigh and rubbed his hand over his head. "Yes, sir. I understand. We'll be there in twenty minutes."

He hung up the phone and turned to me. "General Hammond?"

"Yeah," he said. "He wanted to know if we were coming to the base today. Apparently, the Tok'ra won't believe that their top two snakes are in fact…well…snakes."

"But, dad saw it too!"

"Yeah, but apparently they don't really believe him or Selmak. They said that Jacob was too close to this. They want Jessie to prove it."

"She's sick!"

"I know, baby. But, Senator Kinsey's there and he wants Jessie there now."

"Damn it! Can't General Hammond do something?"

He put his arms around me. "He tried, Sam. But, Kinsey overruled him." He kissed the top of my head. "Come on. Let's get her and get this over with."


Jack's POV

I couldn't believe that smarmy bastard. My daughter is very sick and he wanted us to take her out in this weather! I'm gonna kill him one of these days.

I had Sam go warm up the truck and I went to get Jessie. She was still shivering. The medicine wasn't doing any good at bringing her fever down. I grabbed a pair of sweatpants and a sweatshirt out of her closet.

"Dad?" she said with a harsh cough.

I turned around and saw her watching me with sleepy eyes. "It's ok, baby. We've got to go to the base."

"Ok," she said. "I'll be here when you get back."

"You're coming with us. General Hammond said the Tok'ra want to talk to you," I said.

"Why?" she said, yawning widely.

"They don't believe that those two are Goa'uld," I said, being honest with her.

"Oh," she said, closing her eyes.

"Come on, Sunshine. This will keep you warm," I said helping her sit up. I helped her to pull on the sweats and her socks.

"Where's mom?"

"Warming up the truck for you," I said. I wrapped her in a blanket and picked her up. "You ready?"

"Sure," she said softly. She laid her head on my shoulder as I carried her downstairs. Sam was sitting in the passenger seat so I sat Jessie on her lap.

"Hi, mama," she said with a weak smile.

"Hey, baby," said Sam, kissing her forehead. Jessie laid her head on Sam's shoulder and, with Sam softly stroking her arm, went back to sleep.

When we got to the base, she was still asleep. I took her from Sam and carried her into the mountain. At the check point, one of the Airmen asked what was wrong.

"She's sick, Lieutenant," I snapped.

"Senator Kinsey?" he asked.

"Yes. Senator Kinsey is the reason we've got her out in this weather."

We put our hands on the scanner and he let us through and we made our way to the infirmary. We were going to leave Jessie there so she could continue sleeping, but we were stopped before we got there.

"Colonel, Major…the General is waiting for you in the briefing room."

"Sergeant, we're taking Jessie to the infirmary."

"Sir, I have orders to escort the three of you to the briefing room."

"Damn it!" I swore.

We made our way to the briefing room. Kinsey was sitting there looking smug. If I didn't have Jessie in my arms, I would've knocked that smirk off his face.

"Jack?" asked General Hammond.

"She's not doin' too good, sir. She's running a fever and she's been coughing most of the night."

"Colonel O'Neill, please be seated," said Kinsey. "You too, Major Carter."

"O'Neill," I said.

"Excuse me?"

"As I told the two snakeheads, when you refer to my wife, you will refer to her as Major O'Neill," I said, sitting down beside Sam.

He looked angrily at General Hammond. "Why was I not informed of this obvious breach of regulations?"

"Excuse me?" asked General Hammond. "There has been no breach of regulations."

"What about the no fraternization rule? Or does that not apply to these two?"

"No. It doesn't. They were given special dispensation by the President," he said.

"We'll see about that," he said.

"General, why are we here? Jessie's really sick and needs to be home in bed," asked Sam.

"The Tok'ra high council do not believe Jacob's accusation regarding Martouf and Freya."

"Why? Selmak saw it."

"I know, but they want solid proof. The only solid proof is Jessie."

I shook my head as Janet walked in. "I thought I told you to keep her in bed," she said.

"You did, Janet," said Sam angrily. "We were ordered to bring her in here."

Jessie started coughing again and opened her eyes. "Dad…"

"Janet, she's running a fever. We've given her cold medicine, but it's not helping the coughing or the fever," said Sam.

I sat Jessie up and rubbed her back until the coughing fit subsided. Janet called down to the infirmary and ordered something be brought to the briefing room.

"General Hammond, we need to start asking questions of this person now," said Kinsey.

"You're not asking my daughter anything," I said vehemently, inwardly enjoying the look on his face when he realized I'd called Jessie my daughter. "She's sick and she's not up to answering anything right now."

"We need to know what she knows," said someone coming in the door.

I turned and looked at Jacob. "Jacob, she's burning up and she's got a really bad cold. She's not up to this!"

"I'm sorry, guys. They won't believe me," he said. He leaned over and kissed Jessie's forehead. "Hey, baby. You feeling ok?"

"No," she said softly. For her to admit being sick, it wasn't good. She closed her eyes and started coughing again. After this fit was over, she was in tears.

"Hey, what's wrong?" I asked rubbing her back.

"Everything hurts now," she said, scrunching her eyes closed.

"Like what, Jessie?" asked Janet.

"My throat, my chest, and my back."

"It's from the coughing," said Janet, just as a knock interrupted her.

"Come," said General Hammond.

A nurse opened the door. "Sir, I was told to bring this medicine up for Jessie."

He nodded and Janet got up to get the medicine. Shutting the door, she turned back to Jessie. "Here. This is a little bit stronger than what you probably took."

She shook her head. "That stuff's nastier than what dad gave me," she said coughing again.

"Take it, Sunshine. It may taste nasty, but it'll help you get better," I said, kissing the side of her head.

She frowned but opened her mouth for the medicine. Sure enough, as soon as it was down, she gagged. Janet handed her some pills and a glass of water.

"They'll get rid of the fever," she said. "And help get rid of the cold."

"Why's she so sick, Dr. Fraiser?" asked General Hammond.

"Her immune system took a beating from that poison they injected her with," said Janet. "She's lucky it's not worse than it is."

"Jessie?" I wanted to tell them about her running away.

She didn't say anything. I looked down, maneuvering her to where I could her face. I smiled and kissed her on the forehead. She'd fallen asleep.

"Jack?"

(Sam, I think we should tell them about her running away)

(I don't know Jack.)

(They're wondering why she's so sick, Sam. They know that after what happened, we wouldn't let her out of our sight)

Sam took a deep breath. (Alright, Jack)

"Sir, the reason she's so sick is she ran away last night…around midnight. We found her about 4:00 this morning a few blocks from the house."

"It was 8° at 4:00 this morning!"

"I know, sir."

"Why did she run away, Jack?" asked Jacob.

"She thought we were mad at her because she wouldn't ask for our help when she had to get up, go to the bathroom, things like that."

"Damn," said General Hammond.

"I know."

"If you don't mind!" said Kinsey, loudly.

Jessie woke up with a start. "Dad?"

"It's ok, baby. I'm here," I said, holding her tight.

"I wanna go home," she said sleepily.

"I know baby." I looked at General Hammond. "Can we please get on with this?"

He nodded, realizing Jessie was sicker than we thought. "Get on with it," he told Kinsey.

Jacob introduced the newcomer to us. "Jack, Sam, Jessie…this is Malek. Malek, this is my daughter, Sam; my son-in-law, Jack; and granddaughter, Jessie."

"I am very pleased to meet you, Jessie," said Malek.

She looked at him and smiled sleepily. Then Martouf and Freya walked in. Jessie whimpered in fright.

"They can't hurt you, honey," whispered Sam.

(I wanna go home)

"I know, baby. We will," I said, softly.

"Let's get on with this," said General Hammond.

"This is Tegar, Marka, and Bredda," said Jacob, introducing the other three Tok'ra.

They nodded at us. "How do you know that Martouf and Freya are now working for the Goa'uld?" asked Tegar.

Jessie shivered and I tucked the blanket tighter around her. "I read their symbiotes," she said softly.

"How did you do this?" asked Marka.

"I don't know. I just could."

"Can you read mine?" asked Tegar.

"Yes," she said.

"What is he thinking now?"

"That I'm lying. That he doesn't really like the world of the Tauri, and that I'm a freak," she said with a soft cry.

The other Tok'ra looked at him. "Well?" asked Malek.

"She is correct," he said with awe in his voice.

"You called my daughter a freak?" I asked, venom in my voice.

"No," he said quickly. "My symbiote is freaked out that your daughter could do this to one of us."

"Do what?" asked Sam.

"Read one of us easily. No one has ever been able to do that."

"Do you believe her?"

"Not necessarily," said Bredda. "There are a few other questions we have."

"Then ask them," I said angrily. "My daughter is really sick and wants to go home."

"Who are the Goa'ulds that they work for?"

"Morrigan and Ba'al," said Jessie.

"How did this happen?"

"They were both captured at different times," she said. "Their symbiotes were replaced with true Goa'uld."

"What of Anise and Lantesh?"

"They're dead," she said softly. She finally looked up at them. "You have to believe me!"

"Why?"

"What about the poison they gave her?"

"What poison?" asked Tegar.

"They injected Jessie with a poison only known to Tok'ra. It was in a diluted form but we managed to find a cure for the alternated form before it was too late," said Selmak.

"Take those two in custody," said Malek. "We believe you Jessie. And we apologize for the pain that these two traitors have caused you."

We watched in amazement as the two former Tok'ra were taken out in some sort of bind to keep them under control. Malek turned to Jacob. "Do you have the results of this poison? Many of our operatives have died mysteriously and it is quite possible that this new strain may have been the cause."

"The notes are in my lab, dad," said Sam.

"Follow me," said Jacob to Malek.

"Daddy?"

"Hmm?"

"Can we go home now?" she asked softly, sleepily.

I looked at General Hammond. He started to say something but was interrupted by Kinsey.

"I have a few questions for this…child," he said.

"Senator Kinsey. As you can see, Jessie is very sick at the moment and is not up to answering any of your questions," said General Hammond.

Kinsey ignored General Hammond. "What I want to know is how can she do this?"

"Do what?" asked Sam, reaching for Jessie's hand.

"Hear what a symbiote thinks?"

"She's genetically enhanced," said Janet. "By the Asgard."

"Hang on," said Kinsey. "She's calling you" he pointed at me "'dad'. And she's calling you" he pointed at Sam "'mom'."

"Yeah, so?" I asked.

"She's too old to be your daughter," he said. Then his eyes lit up. "She's adopted isn't she?"

I got angry. "No. She's not adopted. She's my daughter…biologically. And Sam's."

"What? Is she a clone?"

"General Hammond! Please!" said Sam.

Jessie had tears in her eyes. (It's ok, Sunshine)

(He reminds me of Simmons)

I tensed. We never could prove that Simmons and Shanahan were the ones who'd shot Jessie. Therefore, they were both still out there…planning and plotting against my family. One of these days, they will pay for what they've done to my family.

"Take Jessie home, Jack," said General Hammond. "Take her home and take care of her."

"Thank you, sir," I said, standing with Jessie in my arms.

"Just a minute, Colonel," said Kinsey, standing and reaching for Jessie. "I'm not finished here."

"Yes, you are," I said, handing Jessie's weak body to Sam. I hauled off and decked the son-of-a-bitch.

He fell back in his chair, blood running from a cut on his lip. "You stay the hell away from my family," I said angrily.

"Dad!" said Jessie softly. She held her hand out. I realized my knuckles were bleeding.

"It's ok, Sunshine. They're just a little sore," I said.

She shook her head weakly and continued to hold out her hand. When it started trembling, I took her hand in mine. She held her other hand over mine and healed the wound. She coughed softly and closed her eyes with a smile on her face.

I felt her face and knew she was breathing. She was so weak that after healing me, she'd fallen asleep!

"You'll pay for that, O'Neill!" said Kinsey. "I'll have you up on charges so fast…"

General Hammond interrupted him. "Get off my base," he ordered.

"Excuse me?" said Kinsey.

"You heard me. Get off my base. Only an order from the President himself will allow you back onto this base."

"You'll pay for this, General."

He angrily left the room. I turned to General Hammond. "Thanks."

He nodded. "Just get her home, Jack. And as of now, SG-1 is on stand-down until she gets better."

"Yes, sir," I said, gently taking Jessie from Sam. We walked out of the mountain and took off for home.

I put Jessie back to bed with a firm order for her to stay there until she was better. A few days later, her fever broke and she began to get better. Landon would bring her homework to her. She'd do it and send it back to school with him. Everything was fine. Then all hell broke loose.