FIC: Daddy Dearest (4/?)

Jack stopped outside the holding cell door and reached for the door handle. Deciding he most definitely didn't need to walk in on Faith and Alexander in the middle of getting their thing on; he chose instead to knock firmly on the door. "Faith," he swallowed, one advantage of never actually knowing his daughter he'd never had to have 'the sex talk' with her. Just watch her perform sexual acrobatics usually only seen in quadruple X films. "We need to talk."

"We," there was a gasp, "really, oh boy," a long groan, "don't!"

"Faith," by now he could feel his cheeks blazing. "I'm coming in in ten seconds."

"Fine!" the girl snapped. "I'd have been coming in another minute."

A second later the door swung open to reveal his daughter in all her naked glory. "Damn it Faith!" he stood in the doorway his head turned away, hoping that his frame was enough to block the door so nobody would see in. "Put some clothes on."

"Hey pops, you don't get to give me orders." Faith smiled at him, but there was no warmth in it only a knife-twisting bitterness. "I'm sure they won't complain about the sight and it won't be the first uniform to see me butt-ass naked," the girl twisted around him and wolf-whistled the two soldiers standing guard at the far end of the corridor. "Hey guys! Always love a man in uniform, makes me all patriotic!"

"Faith!" It was the Alexander kid, his tone pissed and sounding not unlike his first drill instructor. "If you don't want to do it for him, do it for me."

To his surprise, the Slayer nodded grudgingly before disappearing into the room. "Sure X." In an instant the girl was hurriedly pulling on a pair of pants although still with her hate-filled eyes directed towards him. "Hey pops, you're not the first guy I've called daddy ya know. 'Course after I've sat on their knee for a while they usually they want me to -."

"Faith!" Again it was Alexander as he pulled on a shirt. "That's enough, just cool it down a bit."

"Why the fuck should I?" Faith continued to glare at him. "This prick wanna knows about me, I'm just giving a guided tour through the juicier bits."

"Because," the glare in the one-eyed youth's eye as he stared at him told Jack that the boy didn't feel any friendlier towards him than his daughter. That he could cope with, but his daughter's disdain, that was like a knife in the guts. "Because it hurts you when you talk about the past, get screwed up like this," the young man kissed his daughter's neck, "you're better than Faith, don't let the past drag you back down."

"Five by five," the girl nodded before looking up at the one-eyed man, her eyes softening as she gazed at the young man.

After a second Jack coughed. "Five by five? Where did you learn that?"

Faith's eyes hardened as she looked at him. "Like I said, I was a real helpful girl, always doing my bit for keeping up forces morale," she spat. Jack sighed, this was going to be long and painful.

"I've got a name and contact number sir," Sam robotically called out, her distracted mind with her friend and team leader. Given Faith's anger, she somehow doubted he'd be having an easy time of it.

"Well done Major Carter," General Hammond glanced over to Daniel and Teal'c watching the CCTV screen. "What are you two doing?"

"Seeing how long it is before Faith hits Jack again."

General Hammond sighed long-sufferingly. "Sometimes I think Major Carter is the only adult on SG-1. Major," the SGC commanding officer turned back to her. "That number?"

"Riley, phone!"

"Sam," Riley Finn didn't look up from the report he was writing. "I'm sort of on a deadline here."

"You'll want to take this call."

This time he heard the strained note in his wife's voice. Looking up, he took the mobile from her. "Hello?"

"Hello, I'm General Hammond," the officer gave him his service number, Riley quickly typed it into the Pentagon website and whistled at the service record that came up. There were large recent gaps suggesting involvement in something top-secret, but the record before it was impressive, very impressive. "I'd like to ask you some questions about an Alexander Harris?"

"I don't know any Xander Harris, sir," Riley bit back a curse at his use of Xander's nickname, oops.

"That's not what information I have been able to dig up says soldier," General Hammond's tone was flint-like, Riley was suddenly very glad they weren't having this conversation eye to eye.

"Very well sir," Riley bit back a groan, visions of his career turning to dust before his eyes. From dreams of a position on the Joint Chiefs of Staff to nightmares of a firing squad in a single second. "Then I'll have to be blunter, you aren't cleared and I'm afraid this conversation is over." Groaning slightly, his career was over too but Xander and the others had saved his and Graham's lives. He looked at the phone for a second before picking it up again and dialling an international number. "Hello," he winced as he recognised the voice at the other side, great the Watcher Council's answer to Pee Wee Herman, "Andrew could I speak to Mr. Giles please?"

Hammond stared at the phone in disbelief. The young man on the other end had hung up on him. "Anything sir?"

Hammond glanced down at Sam. "I want everything you can find on Finn and Harris!" This stunk of the NID.

O'Neill stared at the clearly hostile girl. He had the distinct feeling that if not for the young man's hands resting on her shoulders, he'd already be splattered all over the wall. Pushing aside his disquiet, he ran his expert eye over Faith and her companion.

His daughter was a five foot six inch, curvy brunette with long bouncing hair, mocking liquid brown eyes, and rosebud lips. He imagined the normal man his age would notice her looks, and fail to register the pantherish way she moved, the purpose in her eyes. She was a warrior born.

And her boyfriend. Jack turned his eye to him, the young man was a good-humoured looking youth, but there was an indefinable something that identified him as a fellow combat veteran.

"Finished your inspection daddy?" Before he had time to reply, Faith continued on. "So tell me father," the girl snorted. "Who the hell were you to mummy dearest? A paying client, a steady who ran like fuck when you found out she was carrying, or an one night stand?"

"A one-night stand," he answered slowly. God, how was he supposed to deal with the fiery beauty's justified anger and pain?

"So daddy, what do you wanna know about me?" the girl snapped. "See my report cards, 'course there aren't too many. Maybe you'd like to see my arrest record pops? And can we talk about allowance; I'm thinking twenty bucks a week for the last twenty-two years would be cool. Hey papa, what about my college fund?" The girl's mouth opened again but shut when her boyfriend whispered something in her ear. But still she glared at him.

"I just want a," he swallowed a forming lump in his throat, "a chance to explain." And maybe a chance to get to know you, he added silently.

"Fine," the girl's full lips curled up in a sneer. "This should be good."

"Thank you for bringing this matter to my attention Riley," Giles hung up the phone before looking at Andrew. Whatever had possessed him to hire this prat as his personal assistant, he wondered? The boy was efficient enough, but his endless bloody prattle. He understood that Faith was running a book on who would last longer – he dying of a heart attack, or Andrew beaten to death by him. "I need you to find out all you can on a General Hammond," he passed the pad over with what details Riley had been willing to furnish him with. "Also I need Faith and Xander's recent travel schedule, and contact Willow, get her back here immediately."

"But Miss Rosenberg is in the middle of the peace conference between the Azuwithoo Clans."

"I said now Andrew."

"But we must stick to our mission like -."

"Andrew," he sighed long-sufferingly. "If the next words out of your mouth are a reference to some science fiction nonsense or some bloody comic rubbish," except Dan Dare of course, now there was a classic. "Or anything other than 'Yes sir, right away', you will find yourself volunteered to serve as the Slayers' practice dummy for the next month, am I clear?"

His personal assistant paled. "Yes sir, right away."

Andrew rushed out of the office. Giles looked out of the window. For once the idyllic view of England's green and pleasant lands failed to soothe his fearful heart or settle the churning in his stomach. "Bloody hell son," he muttered. "What have you got yourself into this time?"

Faith stared at her father, well biologically at least, to her eyes the bastard wasn't any more of a father than any of the rat-bastards who'd insisted she call them daddy while they did her. "That's it?" she demanded. "You didn't know? That's your excuse?"

"Faith if I'd -."

In an instance she was in the soldier's space, noting that although his face didn't show it, he was scared. Good, she wanted him to feel some of the fear she'd been forced to go through. "Where were you? Where were you when Ma was using me as a punch-bag? Where were you when my foster-pa decided that it'd be fun to use me? Where were you when I was working the streets? Where you when my only true Ma was ripped to pieces by a fucking monster? Where you when I accidentally killed a man? Where were you when I went on trial for murder?" She began to slap the man, her blows lacking their usual force.

After a few seconds she felt Xander's hands on her arms, pulling her back. "Come on honey," her love whispered in her ear, pulling her into a hug. "I think you should leave now," her boy-friend's tone was stone cold, like it was when they faced demons. "Leave now."

"Faith-."

"Didn't you hear me the first time?" her lover growled, his voice more dangerous than she'd ever heard it. "Get out."

"Okay."

She looked up from Xander's protective embrace to see her dad stood at the holding cell entrance. "You know something pa?" the man stopped at the opening door. "The nearest thing to a father I ever had was an evil dark arts mage who I murdered people for. Are you proud of your little girl now?" she smirked at the added slump in the man's shoulders. Then, when the door closed behind him, began to cry into Xander's chest.

"How did it go O'Neill?"

Jack glanced to side in surprise as the Jaffa melted out of the corridor shadows. "She hates me," he said, determined not to show how raw and painful a wound that hatred was.

Teal'c tilted his head to one side. "But surely she cannot blame you for what happened when you were not there?"

"That's the point Teal'c," he explained heavily. "I should have been."