Mysterious Distance

Part 14

Jack pulled into the driveway of the Carter-Jackson home. He'd come to tell Daniel about his wife's impromptu trip through the Stargate. Anise had requested her help with some scientific project and Carter had gated to the Tok'ra base. Jack had been reluctant to let her go. Even after all these years he still didn't trust that blonde bimbo Tok'ra, but he trusted Jacob and Selmak to keep an eye on Sam. He had tried calling Daniel, but Jack kept getting the machine and the voice mail on his cell phone. So here he was. The front door was open so he just let himself into the house. Jack heard voices coming out of Daniel's study. He stopped at the door and listened for a moment.

"Daddy, Daddy, come play," Gracie's pleaded.

"Not now, Gracie," Daniel said sounding more than slightly exasperated. "Daddy's very busy. Why don't you go play with your dolls?"

"I'm bored. I wanna play with you, Daddy."

"Gracie, please…"

"Tell me a story, Daddy."

"Gracie…"

Jack stepped into the room, "Whatcha doin'?"

"Uncle Jack, Uncle Jack!" Gracie ran to him and he scooped her up into his arms.

"Thank God, Uncle Jack!" Daniel looked up at him. "Can you please do something with her? She has the attention span of an ant today. She's driving me nuts."

Jack set Grace own and knelt down beside her. "Tell you what, sweetie. You run outside and play on the swing set and I'll be out there in a few minutes, okay? I need to talk to your daddy for a minute."

"Hurry," she said and ran out the room.

"And no jumping out of the swings, Grace!" Daniel called after her. He looked up at his friend looming over him. "She's as reckless as you are, Jack." Jack continued to loom and looked decidedly unpleased. "What?"

"We need to have a little talk, Daniel."

"Oh, yeah, Jack, what about?"

"About all this," he said gesturing to the texts and notes scattered all over the desk and stacked on the floor. "It's becoming a problem."

"To whom?"

"Your wife, your kid, your friends."

"Jack, this is my job."

"This is not your job. In fact, your job performance has been severely lacking of late. I can't tell you how many complaints I've had about you simply ignoring requests for translations and research."

"So you're here as the "General"?" Daniel asked bitterly.

"No, Daniel. I'm here as your friend. I'm worried about you. Just look at you, Daniel. You look like shit. You've lost weight. And when was the last time you had a hair cut? Y'know, I maybe wrong but those are the same clothes you wore leaving the base three days ago."

"Jack, I'm just so close!"

"To what?"

"You wouldn't understand!"

"Try me."

"It doesn't matter."

"Daniel, if you're not careful, you're going to lose everything."

"That's where you're wrong, Jack, I never had anything. And I think I've done all I can here," Daniel said turning back to his texts effectively dismissing Jack.

"Gracie, Grandpa's here!" Sam called as she led her father into her house. Both Sam and Jacob were shocked when Grace didn't coming racing in to meet them. "Maybe she's outside." Sam walked through the living room to the picture window looking out into the back yard, but the yard was empty.

"Maybe they went for a walk," Jacob suggested.

"Who, Daniel? Not these days."

"Is he okay, Sam?"

"I don't know."

Sam opened the door of Daniel's study to find him hunched over his notes scribbling franticly. "Daniel, where's Grace?"

"Grace?" Daniel looked up in confusion.

"Your daughter."

"I know, Sam. Did you check her room? She's probably playing." Daniel looked back down at his notes. "Jack's here. She's probably forcing him to have a tea party or something."

"Jack's truck isn't here, Daniel."

"Maybe he walked."

"He's supposed to be in Minnesota," she told her husband but he ignored her. Sam sighed heavily and left the study in exasperation. "I know I get involved in my work, Dad, but have I ever been that bad?"

"Only when you were working get Jack on some planet he managed to strand himself on."

When they got to Gracie's room they found a note stuck to the door. "Gone fishin'" It wasn't signed but it was in Jack's handwriting.

"Well I guess that explains that."

"I'm sorry, Dad. I know you came to spend some time with her. Jack should have gotten permission."

"Sam, you were off world and Daniel's not exactly himself, is he? I think she's far better off with Jack than Daniel."

"I know. I'll call Jack and have him bring her back."

"Don't bother, Sam. I wouldn't mind a bit of fishing myself. I think you and Daniel need to have a long talk. And if that doesn't work than Selmak and I are going to have a long talk with him. And I don't think he'll like that."

Jacob rounded the corner of the cabin to find Jack and Grace swimming in the lake. He set down the duffle bag and walked out to the short dock. Grace caught sight of him and screeched, "Grandpa!" before clambering up the shore.

Jack smiled at Gracie's excitement as he levered himself up on the dock.

"Grandpa, come swim with me!"

"Not right now, baby. Selmak's scared of the water. I'll just sit here with Jack and watch you okay."

"Okay!" Grace got a running start and jumped off the dock producing a splash that managed to soak both Jacob and Jack.

Jack handed Jacob his towel and asked with a raised eyebrow, "Selmak's scared of the water?"

"Well, maybe not Selmak. There's a reason I didn't join the navy. I got caught in a flash flood once when I was a kid. Never liked the water since." Jacob tossed the towel and eyed the cooler. "Beer in there?"

"Yep and Kool-Aid. Take your pick."

"I'll have a beer. You want one?"

"Nah." Jack turned his attention back to Grace who was splashing around in the water in her inner tube.

Jacob pulled his shoes off and rolled his pant legs up let. He sat down next to Jack and let his feet soak in the cool water.

"So what brings you to my little corner of the universe, Jake?"

"I came back with Sam to visit my granddaughter, but she was kidnapped," Jacob's question was spoken lightly but there was an underlying question to it.

Jack gave the other man a long searching look before her spoke. "I didn't trust Daniel with her."

"It's that bad?"

"Yeah."

"What's wrong with him, Jack?"

"I don't know. He's obsessed with his research."

"What's he researching?"

"Ancient philosophy according to Jonas. Daniel's been consulting him occasionally."

Jack paused unsure of how much he should about Daniel and Sam's relationship, but then Jacob said what Jack been thinking. "Sam's not happy with him anymore. She married him because she was tired of being alone but now her husband's going AWOL."

Jack was still cleaning up from dinner when Jacob came back into the living room after tucking Grace in. Jacob wandered over to the mantle and examined the pictures there. One was of SG-1, from the looks of it taken off world. Another was one of Jack and his son Charlie in his baseball uniform. Next to it was one of Jack with Gracie. She was wearing Jack's floppy camouflaged hat and holding a small fishing pole.

'Jacob,' Selmak began. 'Perhaps it's just me, but doesn't Grace bear a striking resemblance to Charlie O'Neill.'

'Holy Hannah! Selmak, do you think that Gracie is Jack's?'

'She does favor him more than Doctor Jackson.'

"Hey, Jake," Jack called from the kitchen. "You want another beer?" When Jacob didn't respond Jack walked out of the living room with two beers in hand. He stopped when he saw what Jacob was looking at. "Jacob?"

"Gracie's your daughter, Jack."

"Yeah."

Jacob turned to face the father of his granddaughter. "I don't understand.."

Jack set the beers down on the coffee table and sank into the couch. He scrubbed a hand over his face. "When Carter broke up with Pete she ended up getting really drunk and I was supposed to be looking after her, but she threw herself at me and I was stupid and weak. She took off for San Diego the next morning. I wanted to go after her, but I couldn't. The Joint Chiefs were coming for a visit or something. Daniel went and came back married to Carter. And then I had to shred my resignation letter."

"I'm sorry, Jack," Jacob told him with genuine sympathy. He knew how much Jack had cared about Sam for all these years. "So, no one knows Daniel isn't Grace's father?"

"Teal'c knows. He's never mentioned it though, but I can tell he knows. Thor knows."

"From when he gave her the marker."

"Yeah, I think Daniel has realized it, too. He gives me and Gracie weird looks sometimes."

"Sam doesn't."

"If she does I've never seen any indication."

"Sam's good at hiding from herself and over looking the obvious. She gets that from me," Jacob turned to examine the picture again. "God, I feel so stupid. It's so obvious. She looks just like you, Jack. Talk about hiding in plain sight."

Jack and Jacob sat on the dock fishing and sipping beer. Gracie was off playing by herself near the bank. "Are there actually any fish in this lake, Jack?"

"Sure there are. They're just crafty."

"Very crafty apparently." Jacob looked for his granddaughter. She was moving farther away along the edge of the lake. "Gracie," he called. "Come back. You're going too far."

Gracie ran back over to the two men on the dock. "It's okay, Grandpa. Skaara was with me."

Jack turned to look at her sharply, "Skaara?"

"Skaara comes to play with me sometimes. He's more fun than Oma."

"Oma? Does Oma play with you, too?" Jack questioned alarmed.

"Uh uh, Oma helped me forget. She talks a lot."

"Forget what?" Jacob asked.

"I don't remember, Grandpa. I forgot."

"Of course you did, sweetheart." Jack told her slightly amused. "What does Oma talk about?"

"About how one day I'll be old enough to remember and about how Daddy's going to go away soon but he'll still be here like Oma and Skaara."

"Jack, is she saying that Daniel's going to ascend again?"

"I think so," Jack threw down his fishing pole. "Jacob, we've got to get back. I don't suppose you have a tel'tac parked around here somewhere?"

"No."

Jack pulled out his cell phone. "This is General O'Neill. Let me speak to Sgt. Davis." Jack wait a few moments be for Walter picked up. "Walter, is the Prometheus still in orbit?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good. Have them transport me, Jacob Carter, and Gracie to Dr. Jackson's house."

"Yes, sir. Is anything wrong?"

"Just do it, Walter."

"Yes, sir."

It wasn't long before white light enveloped them and they appeared in the Jackson's kitchen where Sam and Daniel were facing off against one another.

"Daniel, don't do this," Jack told him.

"It's too late, Jack," Sam told him and threw her coffee mug through her husband and it smashed on into the wall behind him.

"Oma needs me," Daniel stated simply.

"You selfish bastard, your wife and kid need you," Jack argued.

"There is still great evil in the universe. Oma couldn't help me ascend again. I had to do it own my own. I can do so much more in this form."

"You couldn't do a whole hell of a lot when Baal had me!"

"That was different. You were on a lower plane."

"Lovely. Have you forgotten your responsibilities on this lower plane."

"Jack, I thought you of all people would understand that there are bigger things worth fighting for that requires you to leave your family."

"I'm not sure I believe that anymore, Daniel."

"I have to do this." Daniel looked to his wife who stood there stiffly, desperately trying to hold back her tears and anger. "Sam, I'm sorry if I've hurt you and Gracie. But by doing this I will be helping to protect you."

"I think understand, Daniel."

"I guess you would, Sam. But you're still angry. I hope you can forgive me in time. You should know that Gracie is Harsesis. Oma helped her forget but she will remember one day. "He turned back to his angry friend, "Jack, take care of Sam and Gracie."

"No, that's your job. You can descend again. Do it now!"

"Jack, please don't make this even more difficult."

"O'Neill," Skaara said appearing before him. "Daniel is needed."

"Skaara, how ya been?" Jack asked bitterly.

"Well, O'Neill."

"You been keeping an eye on Gracie, I hear," he told Skaara a little more civilly.

"She is special."

"You ascended types aren't going to take her away like Shifu are?"

"She is needed here, O'Neill. She will be legendary." He turned to Daniel. "We must go."

"Sam, I'm sorry. I wish there could be another way. Please be happy." She nodded but silent tears began to fall. "Jack, I wouldn't be who I am with out your example. You taught me there are bigger things than myself to fight for. Please try to understand."

"I'll try but I'm not promising," he stated grudgingly.

Daniel smiled and turned to Jacob, "It's been an honor to know you and Selmak."

"You too, Daniel."

"Gracie, you be good, okay? I'll still be watching over you. I love you."

"I love you, too. Will you visit?"

"I'll try." With that Daniel and Skaara transformed in amebic light and ten disappeared.

TBC