Disclaimer: Not mine so don't sue! Pleasssee!
A/N Sooo sorry it's been a while. Hope it was worth it! My thanks as ever to stargate-fan for the beta work! You're worth it! Please keep reviewing it makes me really happy !
Chapter 12Colonel O'Neill sighed wearily and ran his hands through his cropped silver hair. A low sound from the adjacent room infiltrated his thoughts and he glanced up from the smooth metallic floor he had been staring at. His eyes tracked around the room in the Asgard ship in which he was corralled. Their movement minimal and controlled as he coolly perused his surroundings; barely betraying the inner churning of his mind. He winced as a particularly painful thought returned to him.
Carter.
He had no more than arrived in the infirmary, with her in his arms in a dead faint, and given the doctor a hasty summary of the facts as they had been explained to him then he had been called to the General's office. Certain that his seemingly inexplicable behaviour had somehow come to the older man's attention he had steeled himself for a dressing down and a swift journey to a holding cell. Do not pass go, do not collect…
Jack had been shocked to find that Hammond had company; Alien Company. He had fought to control his features, anxious not to betray the overwhelming relief that his confrontation with Major Carter had not been reported as yet.
"Thor! What are you doing here buddy?" Resort to humour -deflect attention.
"General Hammond has requested that the Asgard render assistance in determining whether the genetic experimentation undertaken by the goa'uld 'Baal', has resulted in a stable life form."
As all the colour leeched out of the colonel's face, General Hammond cleared his throat drawing attention to the fact that in his astonishment the younger man had failed as yet to even acknowledge him.
"Good afternoon, Colonel." He stated evenly, an expression of mild amusement on his face.
"Yes?" The younger man replied, and then hastily began again.
"Sir, Yes Sir, er reporting as ordered, General Hammond, Sir." He attempted a hasty salute but in the freefall panic now setting in, it came off half-assed.
"At ease, Colonel." General Hammond chuckled and gestured him towards a chair in front of his desk.
"As Thor has already explained, I asked the Asgard if they would use their more advanced facilities and superior technological knowledge to assist us in ascertaining if Hannah…"
"Hannah?" The Colonel's features betrayed his confusion.
"Ah yes! You've only just arrived on the base so you won't have been appraised of this morning's developments." The General smiled broadly at Colonel O'Neill.
"Your daughter decided to talk to us today; to Teal'c in fact and she introduced herself to him as 'Hannah'."
"Hannah." The younger man repeated as a slow grin spread across his face, his earlier fears melting away in the face of this significant step forward.
"I like the sound of that, Sir," Jack said quietly.
"She has spent a busy morning interacting with Jonas and Major Carter in Iso room three. I believe she has been enjoying several picture books."
Jack was nearly incredulous, the difference a day could make with a child was something he had always found a mystery. One day she was sedated and immobilized in medical restraints and the next chatting happily and reading picture books with his team mates and he had missed it. Life just always seemed to want to kick him when he was down.
"The only fly in the ointment is that she is still refusing to eat anything; in case Baal comes to rescue her." The older man stated with a tiny shake of his head.
"What?" The colonel asked with surprise. "Still not eating after two days?"
"Seems to have a stubborn streak, like one or two others I know." The General laughed.
"Hmmm, Well I guess we'll have to sort that out before the end of the day, Sir." The Colonel retorted with a smile, confident in his skills with kids and the knowledge that she was about to butt heads with the most stubborn man in the air force. He knew just what to tempt a hungry little girl with and he knew she would give in, eventually.
"Well, I'm sure Doctor Frasier would appreciate your help, Jack. I know she is running out of ideas."
Jack wasn't sure that after his outburst in the hallway, Janet would want his help…. Ever. However his features displayed none of his inner concerns.
"General I have another matter that I need to discuss with you." The colonel interjected.
"You can get to that later, right now Thor is going to transport Hannah aboard his ship and I felt sure you would wish to accompany her in case she awakens during the medical procedures, Colonel." The General continued smoothly not allowing any opportunity for an argument about this latest development.
The Colonel nodded and moments later he found himself in the centre of the Asgard medical bay.
Hannah lay sleeping on her side in a medical pod. She looked different somehow, even since yesterday. Her blonde hair had been washed and pulled into two low pigtails which were rapidly working loose allowing wispy tendrils of hair to sweep across her face and curl around her neck.
Her thumb was firmly pushed into her mouth, although she was no longer sucking it, her soft pink lips curving gently round the edge of it displaying her shiny white teeth. The little girl's other hand was folded under her chin and the Colonel was disarmed by how small and defenceless she appeared in her sleep, a whole world away from either the screaming hellion of two days before or the tortured soul displayed on the memory screen the previous evening.
He walked over but before he could stretch out his hand to push the stray hairs from her eyes, the Asgard scientist who was there with him started to speak.
"The child is asleep, a condition which we will attempt to continue if at all possible until our test are completed. If you touch her she will awaken." The grey eyes held O'Neill's brown ones without blinking and then he continued.
"If you would care to move into the adjoining area, we have provided you with a chair to wait upon."
"Er ok." O'Neill said suddenly feeling uncomfortable. With one long last glance at his daughter's sleeping form he made a graceful retreat and there he had remained, periodically pacing to the doorway and watching the Asgard scientists doing their tests and talking to one another in the low tones of their mother tongue.
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Doctor Frasier had shooed the medical staff out of the side room in which her friend Major Samantha Carter sat in stunned silence. Sam had been that way since she had regained consciousness after passing out in the hallway. Taking a deep breath she closed the door and walked briskly, her heels clip clipping on the hard floor, over to the edge of the bed and gently placed her hand on the Major's arm.
"Sam?" She enquired in a low voice attempting not to startle the woman.
Sam looked up into her friend's eyes, and saw they were filled with concern. Her own bright blue eyes filled with tears, which soon overflowed and trickled down her cheeks.
"Jan, Do you think I was…. you know…?" Her breath hitched and she cried harder, fresh tears flowing down her cheeks in tracks. Janet's heart broke and she threw her arms around her distraught friend and held her tightly until the worst of the weeping subsided.
Mentally Doctor Frasier was kicking herself; it was over nine months ago that Sam had been kidnapped by the employees of Adrian Conrad. When she had been rescued it had become fairly obvious that amongst the many tests conducted on her during that week that some internal examinations had taken place. Sam had reacted badly, vomiting and shaking with shock at the idea of even a medical violation of her body. Blood tests showing trace levels of HCG in the Major's blood had indicated a pregnancy had begun but with no signs of life in her womb and with the contraceptives that all female SGC staff took she had explained it away. A 'Phantom pregnancy' she had assured her friend, 'it happens to lots of women', 'nothing to worry about'.
She had failed to recognise the other, far less obvious solution that in fact a pregnancy had occurred and that the embryo had simply been removed.
"What kind of sick people would steal my baby from me?" Sam's voice cut through her thoughts like a knife.
"The NID. You know they are that sick, we've dealt with them for 5 years now."
Doctor Frasier returned to her musing, when a new potentially more devastating thought occurred to her. In her concern first for her friend's health and then latterly for her emotional state, she had failed to appreciate the ramifications of this latest development. She gasped involuntarily, causing Sam's head to snap up and their eyes to lock. Janet coloured slightly.
"So if the Colonel is Hannah's Father and he thinks that an embryo had been stolen from you. Then you and he must have…."
Sam blushed beet red from the roots of her hair to the soles of her feet.
"And that means if anyone gets wind of this then you and he will be….."
"Court marshalled." Sam finished the sentence for her and looked at the floor.
"How did it? I mean when, where?" Janet asked in a stricken voice, mentally torn between joy for the two and fear of the consequences of their actions.
"It was after a mission, one of our many narrow escapes, I had a gash on my leg, and Daniel had that arrow in his shoulder," her voice broke as memories of Daniel's face flooded her mind. Janet nodded recollecting the operation to remove it.
"I just couldn't be alone anymore. I kept seeing his face shouting my name as I was falling in dreams, every time I closed my eyes he was dying again in glorious technicolour."
"Daniel?" Janet asked thoroughly confused.
"No, not then. Daniel hadn't died then." Sam replied pointedly.
"Oh, The colonel? You had nightmares about the colonel dying?"
"Yeah." Sam glanced away and worried her lower lip with her teeth.
"I dream about all of you dying." Janet confessed hoping to reassure Sam.
Carter smiled wryly, " I guess but still you don't respond by driving over to your commanding officer's house in the middle of the night and throw yourself at him."
"Mrs Hammond would sure be surprised." The petite doctor smirked.
"Jan! Don't go there eh? I'm finding it hard to look the General in the eye as it is." Sam grimaced.
"So you just went over and knocked on the door. What did you say?" Janet had abandoned any semblance of a doctor's bedside manner, her role as girl friend to the major usurping her more professional persona.
"I said, 'I can't do this alone tonight' and he pulled me in the door and gathered me up in his arms and just held me there for the longest time, Jan." Sam supplied, a little smile crossing her tired face.
"Well then the next thing, what with the feel of his arms, the smell of his skin, and then he asked if I was ok and I looked into his eyes." Carter turned and grinned at her friend.
"Well that's a cliché." The doctor retorted in a passable impression of the irascible colonel.
"I was sort of immobilised there in his eyes, and then he kissed me."
"And?" The doctor urged.
"One thing led to another." Sam concluded suddenly embarrassed by the turn the conversation had taken.
"Oh no you don't, Samantha Carter! Details, I want lots of details." Janet stated firmly waggling her finger towards her recalcitrant friend.
"Ok, Ok!" Sam gave in gracefully shifting slightly closer towards where the doctor was perched on the edge of the bed.
"I kissed him back, and he just seemed to let go. Next thing I knew I was pressed back against the wall in his hallway and all hell broke loose." Sam grinned as she recalled the experience.
"Sort of like the Neanderthal virus from the land of light?" Janet smirked.
"I guess." Carter blushed again.
"What I want to know Jan, Is why the contraceptives failed." Sam asked suddenly serious once more.
"I've been giving that some thought as well, Sam," Doctor Frasier mused. " On that mission and the one before you had injuries that broke the skin. Alongside the dressings placed upon them you were given some fairly heavy-duty antibiotics. They can counteract the effects of any contraceptives. I guess we didn't issue our normal warning because I didn't think you were in a relationship, at that time."
"I wasn't." Sam replied placing a reassuring hand on her friends arm. " It wasn't your fault Janet you weren't to know."
"I am aware of that Sam, I just don't know what we are going to do about it." Janet brooded her mind veering of into the labyrinths of plan, counter plan, supposition and conjecture so often the process of medical diagnosis.
"So far, only you me and the colonel know about this. Right?" The doctor enquired carefully.
"If you say so." Sam replied with a slight shrug.
"The colonel will back from Thor's ship soon with Hannah and then I suggest you have a long chat. You can stay here and I will send him in to you; there are no cameras in here and between the pair of you a decision must be made based on the information the colonel has. However, bear in mind that the information could be incorrect, Sam an assimilation of facts made to look like a whole they were never intended for." Janet stated reasonably.
"I don't want to talk to him, Janet." Sam stated miserably, " He hates me."
"No he doesn't. He was really upset when you fainted, by now he'll be torturing himself with thoughts of your demise. Worse still he'll think you hate him!"
"Oh God!" Sam sighed heavily, "What a mess."
"Not necessarily," Janet stated quietly.
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He jolted back to reality as the Asgard commander addressed him.
"Colonel O'Neill, the results of the tests we have undertaken have produced some interesting results."
Jack opened his mouth to attempt an explanation but was cut off before he had drawn breath to begin.
"Her 'DNA' as I believe you call it, shows clearly many identifying features of yourself and Major Carter. As to manipulation on a cellular level, I can find no evidence of any intervention either crude or technologically advanced." Thor paused suddenly aware that the human before him was not displaying any of the customary facial expressions he associated with 'surprises'. He wondered if it was just that the man he had begun to consider his friend simply didn't understand though he had long known that O'Neill's intelligence was far above the level he chose to show publicly.
"I do not believe this child has been subjected to any artificial fertilisation techniques, O'Neill."
The colonel winced and looked away embarrassed. He knew that the wily alien could 'fill in the blanks' in this tale with ease.
"No, er I didn't know for sure Thor, so I thought I would wait and see what you came up with." He trailed off as his Asgard friend regarded him with his grey unblinking eyes.
"Perhaps," Thor said with the mere hint of bite in his tone, "If you were to tell me all the details of the discovery of this child I might be able to render assistance more efficiently."
Jack sighed heavily and began to tell him all the events of the preceding days. He halted when he reached the part about his visit with Maybourne.
"He has information about a cache of alien weapons and he wanted to trade it for a presidential pardon. In order to capture my attention he brought information about the 'merchandise' he knew had been traded to Baal." He stated bitterly.
"This information was useless as you already had recovered the child." Thor replied evenly.
"Yes but when the documents the Tok'ra scientist had made were translated one word was rendered 'egg'. As Maybourne explained, the translation was inaccurate referring to 'eggs' only in the sense of a bird's egg. More accurately it should have been translated 'Young'. Like, the offspring of a bird is an egg, rather than in the sense of 'Ovum', being a component part of making a new life.
"I see," Thor said carefully, "So if that is the case why did you simply not explain that before we began?"
"That's a complicated question, Thor." He looked at the alien, who didn't take the hint and simply waited for him continue.
"In our military, men and women who work together are not allowed to…."
"Mate?" Thor supplied helpfully.
"Amongst other things," Jack groaned blushing furiously. "Long term relationships are forbidden and I didn't want it to be true because it would hurt Sam, er Major Carter, enough to lose her career."
"Why would Major Carter's efforts be in jeopardy?" Thor asked deliberately a tiny change in his expression displaying his consternation.
"We will probably both get kicked out of the SGC," O'Neill replied miserably.
"This is not a situation that the Asgard high council would countenance. You are both too valuable to the fight against the goa'uld and the replicators to risk your loss."
"Yeah, well once we report this it will be out of our hands, permanently."
"I was not asked to determine how she occurred, O'Neill. I was asked to determine if she was a viable life form. That is the question I shall address my report to." Thor said seriously his huge eyes boring into Jack's deep brown ones.
"Thank you buddy," He said his face relaxing into his first easy smile since midday.
"As for her subsequent development, she has been aged in three stages by goa'uld nanite technology. From birth to three months immediately, from six months old to three years after three months normal development. She was then allowed to develop normally for a further six months until just five days ago when she was aged again to her current age of approximately five earth years."
"Janet worked that out, she hasn't any adult teeth yet." Jack supplied earning a nod from his Asgard friend.
"Physically she has developed well but emotionally it may take a little while for her to catch up to her intellect and rapid growth."
"That would explain some of the monster tantrums."
"Tantrums?" Thor enquired.
"Lots of screaming and crying, hitting out at things." Jack supplied with a rueful smile.
"Excessive displays of emotion are frequent amongst humans, you merely control them better when you mature." Thor stated kindly, leaving Jack feeling like the only child at a tea party of elderly female relatives. He hated this; being given a pat on the head, like a clever boy.
"Yeah well, she's an expert and it isn't going to continue much longer." He sighed thinking back to his earlier battles with the kid. "Hopefully."
At that very moment there was an ear-splitting scream from the next room and Thor frowned slightly as Jack stood up swiftly to get to his terrified child.
"Good bye O'Neill," he said pleasantly.
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"Colonel O'Neill," gasped the horrified SF, as he appeared seated on the bed next to his daughter, safely back in iso room three. The scream had died in her throat as she had been engulfed in white light and transported back to the safety of the SGC, and she launched herself at him sobbing out her relief at what she interpreted as her rescue from an alien ship. Phrases of broken goa'uld were flowing incoherently along with her tears into the warmth of his shoulder as she cried away her fear at the thought of losing what she was rapidly beginning to consider as her home.
For his part Jack simply rocked her back and forth silently rubbing her back and gently moving her legs to a more comfortable position for her. Once her tears had quieted down to the odd shuddering breath and deep sighing he spoke to her gently.
"Hey now, everything is ok here, isn't it?" The child stiffened at the sound of his voice and tried to pull back but he kept a firm hold.
"Ok, you're ok. No need to panic. I've got you and we're staying right here." He spoke softly but firmly attempting to hopefully instil confidence in her.
"No." The single word made him smile. That one word in a human tongue filled him with hope for the future.
"We don't say no to grown ups, Hannah." He said with a smile already sliding easily back into the role of 'Daddy'.
Confusion flashed across her features as she tried to understand his words and failed. She crossed her arms still sitting on his lap and pouted as she turned away muttering under her breath.
"Hassac."(Fool/Idiot)
"Hannah," The colonel chided gently, "I know that was rude." He gently placed one finger under her chin and turned it so he could see her face.
"Hannah." He said firmly commanding her full attention. "Naughty."
She scowled fiercely and he smiled indulgently at her as she fought the urge to make another smart remark. Although unable to understand the word she understood the tone of reproach her behaviour had produced.
She sighed heavily and looked away still pouting slightly. He felt a surge of emotion wash over him, and he gathered her protesting into his arms and hugged her tightly. He kissed the top of her head and then turned her so she was facing him and tickled her.
Shock followed swiftly by a tentative smile and a giggle were the initial results of his efforts.
"Oh so you are ticklish." He grinned and tickled her until the giggle erupted into raucous laughter. Jack began to laugh too and deposited her bouncing onto the bed whilst he headed for the box of kids stuff near the door. He turned as the laugh was cut off suddenly to find a forlorn face looking at him sadly.
"I'm only going over here to get you something." Jack said pointing over towards the door. The little face fell further and the bottom lip began to quiver ominously. He crossed back to her in two easy strides and swept her up high in the air prompting a small squeal of surprise.
"Ok lets both go," Jack, said laughing as she clutched wildly at his shirt before settling on his hip, "I see we have some books. Which do you like, munchkin?"
"Book." She said happily pointing at 'one thousand and one words'.
"Ok, words and pictures it is, lets get started." The colonel said winking at his daughter as he headed back towards the bed. He settled back leaning against the headboard and swung her around so that she sat leaning against him; the book opened and she began to recount many of the words she had learned with Jonas, sometimes chatting to him in goa'uld and sometimes pointing to indicate a word she didn't know.
"Dist'ra". (Master) She turned around and patted his face pointing to a picture of a magician in a cape with a pointed goatee beard.
"Magician." Jack stated clearly.
"No. No," she shook her head vehemently. "Tiu. (You) Dist'ra (Master)"
She pointed at his chest to emphasise her words, but when he didn't seem to understand she huffed with frustration. She then pointed to herself and said, "Hannah," before pointing again at the colonel and saying, "Dist'ra."
"Oh I get it," the colonel said as the light suddenly dawned on him. " Daddy."
"Tiu?" (You?)
"Uh Huh, Daddy." His eyes filled with tears as he realised the enormity of the moment. This was the first day of the rest of his new life.
Hannah yawned widely and popped her thumb back into her mouth. Jack instinctively pulled it out and said, "You'll make your teeth wonky baby; we don't want icky fingers in there."
She scowled again as she leaned back against him and closed her eyes. He stroked the hair away from her eyes and whispered softly as she turned in towards him.
"Gotta get you a hair cut kiddo. You look like an urchin." The thumb headed for the mouth again but was apprehended en route. Sleepy blue eyes opened slightly and stared sadly at him. He let go of her wrist as he thought 'can't win them all and she is still three, emotionally speaking.' Jack shook his head at his weakness, 'two days and you're a goner, there's no hope for you O'Neill."
He lifted her higher into his arms and rubbed gently up and down her back. Hannah snuggled in closer to him, seeking the warmth of his embrace. The child relaxed and the rhythm of her breathing slowed into a deep sleep. Jack gazed down at her and silently marvelled at how like her mother she was when she slept with the same soft eyelashes and golden hair.
The colonel sighed heavily and gently lifted the sleeping girl and placed her on the bed and covered her with a blanket. Hannah stirred restlessly, her blue eyes fluttered open and she murmured a protest at his departure. He smiled and sat down as though settling in for a long wait, and stroked her hair away from her face. The soothing motion lulled her back to sleep and he soon was able to sneak away.
He motioned the SF to stay where he was, and strode purposely in the direction of the infirmary.
A/N : Review please . I think better within the glow of warm praise !