Sam opened her email and started skimming through the subjects in search of any urgent or interesting ones. She was off work at the moment so actually had to leisure to do this rather than scrambling through while doing experiments and acting as the head of SG-1. Most of the messages she saw were relatively unimportant, insofar as that they did not require her immediate attention. There was one that did catch her eye, however, with the subject 'Hello from Chicago.' She clicked on the message and began to read.

Hey Sam, it's Kathy. Did you have a good flight back? Things are beginning to calm down here, though the children all miss their relatives, of which I do include you and the others. Have you told anyone about Jack yet? Well, hopefully after this the whole family will be closer. I am looking forward to coming out there and seeing your work if that is still feasible. Keep in touch.

Kathy

Sam smiled and began composing her own letter. She had not gotten much private conversation with anyone there on subjects she wanted to discuss for fear of General O'Neill overhearing. Now, though, she had a feeling she could tell all and no one would know any better. After all, the general was unlikely to read her mail since that would be overwhelmingly rude of him.

Hey Kathy, we had a great trip back! On the way there, Jack (as I'll call him here even though I can't to his face) was so nervous about seeing everyone again. He did manage to entertain some kids, though. Coming back he was telling tales on all of you. He still hasn't mentioned what abuse he suffered, but I have a feeling that if he opens up to anyone, it will be Daniel.

We only told General Hammond about Jack. We fear for our lives! Hehe. I know he won't hurt us, seriously, but it would be rude of us to share the information. It was kind of sad seeing Hammond and Jack face each other afterwards, though. Jack admitted to having personally screened those who tried to join the base and we could all see the momentary fear in Hammond's eyes and the sadness in Jack's. One thing I can say about myself and the rest of the team is that we have never feared Jack. Okay, so maybe that is not quite the case, but we learned very quickly that he would never hurt us or an innocent.

Do you know what the first thing Jack did as General is? He asked the president's permission for us, meaning myself, Daniel and Teal'c, to read his files from the Black Ops days. They were heavily blacked out, of course, in terms of places, dates and names, but he told us he wanted us to be able to see them anyway. His motives were to let us judge him and decide whether or not we felt he was worthy of commanding the base that protects the entire world. I think he believed we would be disgusted, but though I did feel sick, it was for him, for what he endured. I can't tell you anymore than that, but it was not pretty, even in the clinical and detached form in which he wrote his reports.

You said he was protective you and your younger siblings growing up. Well, that seems to have carried over into protecting everyone from the horrors he has been witness to or done. One of the first things I noticed, and Daniel has told me the same, was that everything was toned down. We figure that this is so those people who haven't witnessed the horrors who end up having to read it will be protected from the whole truth. I can tell you that Jack has never been cruel to anyone. However, if someone else is threatened, and I've seen this myself, he goes so cold. Children trust him on sight and know that he would do most anything to protect him. Unfortunately, they are also his greatest weakness and have been used against him in efforts to get information that would threaten national security. He has never broken and given the information, of course, but if a child is threatened or killed, he goes ballistic and there is an awful look in his eyes.

But I'm babbling now. I wish I had the courage to tell Jack just how strongly everyone believes in him, especially me, but I know he would just shut down. Well, give everyone hugs for me.

Sam

She pushed the send button, feeling both relieved and embarrassed. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and let it out slowly. When she opened her eyes again, she jumped as she saw that Jack—General O'Neill, she corrected herself—was standing in front of her. "Hey, Carter. Whatcha doin'?" he asked casually.

"Ah, writing an e-mail, sir." She looked at him suspiciously. "You don't snoop into our mail, do you sir?"

Jack looked hurt and she was sorry she had spoken. "Of course not, Carter. I do check to make sure no viruses or spies get through, but I would never read your personal mail."

"I know, sir. I'm sorry. So were there any disasters while we were gone?"

"Naw, they got along just fine without us. I feel unneeded!" His eyes twinkled as he said it, but she caught the edge of truth under his light words and winced.

"Never!" Sensing the need to change the subject, she said, "I already got a letter from Kathy. She has to settle back into sanity, such a tragedy! Have you cleared her visit here yet?"

"She pumping you for information on my secret life here already? Or are you pumping her?"

Sam laughed. "Both of course! Don't worry your little head about it." She said in a mock patronizing tone.

Growling at her, Jack smacked her lightly on the head. "I have spoken to the president already and though he didn't sound overjoyed, I think it's just the prospect of more O'Neill's. I'll have to clear with Mom and Kathy when they want to come but he left it an open invitation. I'd better get back to the paperwork but I just needed to tell you that. Have fun!"

Sam sighed as he left. He was sooo insecure! She went back to checking the rest of her mail, clearing out the crowded inbox. Just as she thought she had finished, a new message popped up. She paused mid-growl as she realized Kathy was responding already. Clicking hurriedly on the subject line, she hastily began to read.

Hey Sam, yeah, I've noticed just how protective he is. I also saw how much the Air Force has changed him, not entirely in a bad way. His eyes have far more shadows now, which is understandable, but he also seems happier. I think that is mostly because of you and the rest of your team. Nothing makes Jack happier than having someone need him. I haven't quite figured that one out yet, but it's true. His greatest fear is being useless, mainly because that is what our father called him, repeatedly. I cannot curse that bd enough for what he did to my brother and tried to do to the rest of us, nor can I get Jack to accept my gratitude for all he did for us. As long as you don't shut him out, who are his closest friends, he should be stable and healthy. He seems to have had that shaken a few times by the way he kept watching all of you. Can you tell me why? Well, I have to go start supper. Write me!

Sam hit the reply button again. She was unsure if it was her place to reveal what she was going to say, but if Kathy wanted to help her brother, she had to know this. With a deep breath, she began to type again.

Kathy, Jack is likely to come hustle me off to eat pretty soon so I'll make this short. A lot of it is classified but it will help you understand. I'll start with Cassie. She seems like a well adjusted teenager but as you know, she's an alien. What you don't know is that she has nearly died several times. First, of course was when we rescued her. We believed a bomb which had been planted in her would go off. I refused to leave her, even then while Jack and the others waited upstairs for whatever would happen. In the end, it didn't go off but you have probably never seen such a terrible look in his eyes. Well, maybe if you saw him post-Charlie… Then the one who put the bomb in her came back later and Cassie almost died again. Jack was ready to put his job on the line if Hammond hadn't agreed to the plan that saved her.

Then there's Teal'c. Teal'c gave up his entire way of life on Jack's word, which meant leaving behind his wife and child. He didn't tell us this until later, but Jack was absolutely horrified. Another time, the big guy was brainwashed by his former employer and almost killed us. As I'm sure you can guess, Jack blamed himself. There are many more tales I could tell but I'll move on for now.

I have been in my share of trouble many more times than I can count but I'll just tell you about one of the major ones. My mind was taken over by a computer virus, sort of, which completely screwed up the base computers. In order to protect the world, Jack was forced to fire fatal shots at me. I can't explain how I survived at the moment but you know Jack.

Daniel is the worst. Jack took to him as a little brother, you noticed. Well, he gets into horrible trouble with great frequency. Once all of us were brainwashed into believing that he was dead so we would leave him behind. What was put into the programming was the Daniel called out for Jack, but he was unable to save him from the fire. It still gives me shudders every time I recall the false memory. The worst time was when Daniel did die of radiation poisoning and 'left' for a year. Yeah, that doesn't make sense but that's another thing I'll tell you more about later. Naturally Jack tried to take the blame for that too since the two of them had been having some major differences of opinion.

Well, I'd better send this because I think I hear him in the hall. Later!

Sam

As she hit send, she hoped this computer and Kathy's were as secure as she thought.

Kathy, sitting at her computer in Chicago, shuddered as she thought about all that her beloved brother had suffered, physically, mentally, and emotionally. She heard a knock at the door and hurriedly shrunk the email she had just read. Fortunately it was just her mother, the only one there with whom she could speak of these emails. "Mom, hey! Miss me already? It's been a whole day!" She grinned as she said this and then beckoned the older woman over to computer. "I just got a couple of emails from Sam. You might want to read them." She brought up the first email and then went to the kitchen to make coffee.

Jennifer accepted the cup of coffee in silence and then put her thoughts into words. "It's hard to believe they are all so cheerful. I mean, Sam just gave a few bare facts, implied a great deal more, and yet…" She tried to articulate what she had come up with. She had gotten a Masters degree in psychology and worked as a school counselor while volunteering in her spare time to counsel victims of abuse at a local shelter. "I've seen many broken people, and none of them has ever truly broken from what I could see, or if they did, they fixed each other so well that they are the stronger for it. What did your Sight tell you?"

Kathy sighed. "I'd have to agree with that assessment. I could see shadowy parts here and there when they were apart, but when they were together, they were all much brighter for it, and I include Ally in that statement. I managed to talk with her a few times, and apparently, even though she has only seen Jack once in Colorado and Teal'c on a very rare and sporadic basis, she has gotten various checks and mysterious letters inviting her to a variety of activities, such as Taekwondo classes. She said that her teachers mentioned once or twice that her 'father' was a very generous man. She said she knew all along that Jack was her benefactor because she could smell him on the letters and that was why she opened them. So what are we going to do about Jack's low self esteem issues?"

Before her mother could answer, there was a chime from the computer indicating a new email. This one was from Jack.

Hey Sis, Sam says the sanity is driving you nuts. How's that working out for you? Kathy giggled at that and her mother smiled. Let me know when you are free to come out here and I'll book you and Mom seats on a military plane. I'm settling easily back into work. Apparently, we are the reason why there are some many disasters around the SGC. I'll show you SG-1's backlog of reports when you get here and then you'll understand. You never did tell mom about that rock climbing trip did you? I could tell you were dying to but you had given your word. Well, I give you permission to tell all if you so desire, just as long as it is a subject that never comes back up. Anyway, I gotta go drag the kids off to supper. Write back soon.

Love,

Jack

Jennifer looked curiously at her daughter as she finished reading and Kathy met her gaze stoically. "Let me close out of this so we can sit somewhere comfortable. It's not the most pleasant of memories for me." She did so and they retreated to the back porch. Kathy was very glad that her three sons and daughter weren't home yet. She knew she should start dinner but doubted she would have much appetite after this. Hmm, maybe she could send everyone out to eat when they got home. Her mother cleared her throat and she stopped stalling.

"This was a few weeks after Dad died. Jack had promised to take me rock climbing before but hadn't gotten around to it before. At a guess, this would be right after he did what he did to ensure us money and he knew what he would be getting into so wanted to fulfill it before he was too busy. From what I've pieced together since then, the father of one of his friends owned a sporting goods store and sold Jack the climbing equipment at a discounted price. Anyway, this was in September I believe so it was just beginning to get chilly. It was a really beautiful day, though, after the sun came up. Jack started me out on a miniature cliff, maybe twenty feet high and taught me the basics of climbing and using the equipment. Then we went to a bigger one, that had ledges to stop at and all. We weren't the only ones climbing…you know, I never did figure out who taught Jack about climbing.

"So we were partway up when we heard a loud cracking noise. Jack yelled and shoved me onto the nearest ledge and tied me off on his rope. Then he took off climbing without a rope. I was pretty much in shock so I was watching rather than panicking at the point. There was a middle aged couple out climbing and I guess there was a fault in the rock that they were too heavy for. The man was holding on by his fingertips by the time Jack got to him. The woman was on her own ledge, by the way. So Jack was hanging on by his fingers and boot tips but I could tell that they were slipping so he somehow maneuvered to slip them off and toss them. He had better traction then. He climbed over to get behind the man and brace him with his own body. He was already pretty tall by then but I could see that he was straining. Jack helped the man climb over to another ledge and then took the guy's rope and climbed up to fix it to different stays at the top.

"The man was apparently something of an idiot because before Jack was up there, the guy tried to climb over to his wife and slipped. Jack jammed his knee into a crack to brace himself but the man fell anyway, at least for a few feet. Then he caught himself and stayed still, waiting for Jack to finish what he was doing. Jack was caught, though, with his knee stuck there. I had to climb up to the top myself, to find help. There was a spotter up there, who was on break and he climbed down to help the couple down. Then he spotted for me while I got down and called for help. A couple of others climbed up and finally got him down but his kneecap was damaged. He was young enough to cover for that on his physicals and basic training and all but with age it's gotten worse. He told me that he has been threatened with knee surgery several times but has refused it so far because it will lay him up for awhile, and as long as his friends are going into danger, he wants to be ready at all times in case he has to go rescue them. He also said that the only reason he has managed all those years when he was fully active as a colonel was alien technology that he would tell me more about when I came to visit. Anyway, Jack was commended for saving the guy's life but he just said that he had screwed up and asked me not to tell anyone."

"Screwed up? He saved a guy's life and thinks he's made some horrible mistake?"

"Uh, Mom, remember Dad? How many times did he tell Jack he was a screw up? I think he was afraid that his bum knee would keep him out of the air force which would null the promise he had made with them. But that's just my guess. Hey, I have an idea. What say we go to the recruiting office Jack used and see what they can tell us about Jack? You know the military and records. Everything has to be in triplicate and in hard copy. No matter how good he is at computers, Jack couldn't hide or destroy what isn't there."

Jennifer stared hard at her daughter. "How do you know so much about this?"

Kathy just grinned. "Who do you think taught me? I've written him many letters in the past nine years, both online and on paper. I rarely got a direct response, well, one that could be traced, but he left hints and bits and pieces for me to put together so I could develop my skills further. Occasionally Grandpa would give me advice too, which I assume he got from Jack as well to help complete the pieces Jack gave me. I've been getting informal word from Jack on a monthly basis, almost, though he has missed a couple of check-in's, here and there. I assume now that those times he was off world, but I'll have to ask when I see him. Come to think of it, he was missing for three months one time. I was really worried when he missed his monthly 'news' so to speak and I had dream about Jack. Nothing dramatic, just him digging a hole. It was sort of random so I didn't really pay attention except insofar as I got the feeling he was safe. The next month I had a dream of him on a boat with a woman. The third month had Jack speaking into a radio with a grin on his face. A week later I heard from him again as though nothing had happened. I'm going to ask about that when we get to Colorado, though. So when would be a good time for you?"

"I'm starting to think no one tells me anything around here. So what is your job, precisely? You work in a government building and you work with computers but you have never actually given me a description of what you do on said computers."

Kathy sighed and glanced around her house. She knew her brother had been over a few times over the last we and guessed that he had made her house safe from any surveillance but his own. Well, she trusted him, and besides, he was so secretive that she couldn't even hack into the base computers where he worked. "I am employed to, um, track down illegal websites wherever possible, and if I can find the owners, to turn them in to the police, or government. That includes a great deal of hacking, and I am fairly sure it was Jack who got me this job. Grandpa occasionally helps, but his leanings are more toward military traitors and such. And Jack has been known to send me cryptic hints suggesting people and sites I should be checking on, but that was pretty rare up until a few months ago. I guess now that he is general, he is sitting more at the desk so has time to do all these computer searches."

Jennifer stared at her daughter in a mixture of pride and incredulity. "Okay. So when did you say you wanted to head to Colorado?" She asked again.

Kathy smiled. "How does next weekend sound? I can do my job anywhere as long as I have my laptop. I don't think the family would mind too much since 'mom' tends to stifle their buoyancy, you know." Her mother nodded.

"You send a confirmation email and I'll help you put together supper. Tomorrow we can go see what we can find at the Air Force office."