Author's notes: italics denote person on the otherside of a phone conversation.

Sam closed her eyes and took deep breath to gather herself. She didn't need this right now, not when her brother was in some kind of trouble and needed her. Yet, Sam couldn't just ignore the fact that her little sister was losing her mind, having a mental breakdown, relapse, or whatever the medical term was for this…delusion!

"Sam, you must believe me!" her little sister desperately pleaded.

"Hannah, you're not feeling well," Sam replied, quickly checking Hannah's forehead for any indication of a fever.

"Sam, I'm not sick!" she protested pushing Sam's hand away. "I am Selmak!"

Without hesitation, Sam quickly picked up Hannah and headed for the girl's bedroom. For the moment, all Sam could think about was getting Hannah to the SGC as soon as possible. In doing so, Sam was filled with true fear! Her heart raced with a fear that the heat of battle could not induce but the fear a parent felt when their child was in danger. Even though Hannah wasn't technically her child, Sam was the guardian, thus the parent, and now understood, and suddenly had a deeper respect as to why her father did some of the things he did even though they had annoyed the hell out of Sam when she was a teenager.

"Put me down! Sam! Please!" Hannah screeched, squirming in Sam's arms as they neared Hannah's bed. "I can explain!"

"Just…just sit here while I get you some clothes," Sam said, ignoring the child's protesting looks.

The seizures!

That thought suddenly popped in Sam's mind while pulling some warm clothes out of the dresser drawers. It had to be the seizures causing Hannah to have this mental collapse. What else could it be? Hannah was a healthy four year old girl. Not to mention she was a very intelligent little girl who knew the difference between reality and fantasy!

"Sam, I can prove that I'm Selmak!" Hannah insisted, jumping off the bed and standing directly in Sam's path.

Add stubbornly persistent!

"Hannah…"

"No, Sam! Listen to me!"

Hannah's tone was deadly serious as was the look in her blue eyes. That look on her face compelled Sam to momentarily stop what she was doing. Hannah didn't hesitate to quickly state her case.

"The day your mother died…when Jacob came home…you were in the kitchen baking cookies and your brother was at baseball practice. Jacob had called for you. You were so busy removing the cookies from the tray that you didn't notice him when he first entered the kitchen."

"It was so hard for him…he couldn't stop his tears when he saw you. You look so much like your mother, Allison. He was heart broken and had no idea how to tell you and your brother that your mother was dead."

Sam closed her eyes, trying to shut out the memory of that day. No matter how many times she tried to suppress it she couldn't. She even quit baking cookies because the smell always reminded her of her father's face and the emptiness she felt knowing her mother was gone.

"That was the one and only time your father ever cried in front of you," Hannah spoke softly.

Sam opened her eyes to see Hannah had tears streaming down her cheeks.

"How…"

"It hurt your father deeply that both you and your brother didn't turn to him for comfort after your mother died," she wept, interrupting Sam. "You with you silence and Mark with his anger…Jacob would never admit to anyone how much that hurt him. He couldn't even admit it to me. Not that he had to. During the blending I absorbed all your father's memories and the feelings that were associated with them. I could feel his pain just as he did so long ago."

"Jacob loved his family so much. Allison…you and Mark…you were his life. His family kept him alive during so many long missions. Jacob knew he couldn't fail his family…ever! Then…when Allison died, all he had was you and Mark. And Jacob knew he could never fail Allison, not when her children needed him most."

Hannah's little body shuddered as she sobbed uncontrollably. Sam reached and gently touched the girl's shoulder. There was so much emotion in her little sister's eyes. So much…sorrow…

"You both turned your back on him," she sobbed. "Do you know what that was like for your father? I do…I felt it when I blended with him! All the man wanted to do was to hold something of Allison in his arms to make the pain of losing her more bearable. All Jacob wanted…was to love you and Mark as any father would love his children."

"Oh, I know he could have worked a little harder to show his affections! That damn stubborn pride of his always got in the way. But it never diminished the love he had for you and Mark. And in time the three of you did come to terms with each other. That did make your father so happy."

"Hannah…how could you know all this?" Sam asked in disbelief.

"Sam, I told you…I'm Selmak," she smiled through her tears. "I know your father better than he knows himself. The memories and feelings of Jacob are still within me, even after we returned from our higher plane of existence."

Sam blinked in surprise! Higher plane of existence? Did she mean…

"Yes, Sam. Jacon and I had ascended," Selmak responded to Sam's shock.

Selmak and her father ascended! Holy Hannah!

"But we both came back," Selmak continued, she then choked and sobbed, "I'm so sorry about your father…I didn't mean to kill him!"

Sam quickly sat on the nearby bed and pulled the girl onto her lap. She wasn't surprised anymore. She understood the depth of emotion that was shared between the symbiote and its host having experience it firsthand with Jolinar. And while looking down at the girl's teary blue eyes, Sam didn't need anymore convincing. The girl's emotions were genuine. Her words about Jacob rang true. And Sam had been witness to far more complicated scenarios since she began traveling through the Stargate. From Hannah's words and the emotions that poured from her, Sam could only conclude that Hannah was speaking the truth…she was Selmak.

"Selmak, you didn't kill my father," Sam cooed, gently rocking the girl.

"Yes, I did. Even though it was unintentional…I still killed him. I'm so sorry Sam…I caused such a mess!"

"What mess? You and my father are alive!" Sam said excitedly.

Selmak took a deep shuddering breath.

"After I killed your father…I was…consumed with my own guilt. In one selfish act, I helped Jacob to ascend with me. It was easy because your father had the Ancient gene, which was his ticket to ascension. Only Jacob wasn't happy with me for doing such a thing! He was so angry! He was ready to die because he believed he would then be with Allison. But I really fucked that up by taking him away from her and his family."

"But you're both back, right?" Sam asked, trying to ignore the fact of a four year old little girl having a potty mouth.

"Correct."

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"Because I wasn't sure if Jacob was on Earth or not. Plus…"

"Plus what?" Sam asked when Selmak hesitated.

"I was afraid of what your Government might do to me or worse, what they might do to you to get to me. I had caused Jacob so much pain that I could never forgive myself if something happened to his family."

Sam instantly felt guilty because of Selmak's answer. She was wise to not reveal herself right away. And Sam couldn't blame Selmak because from Sam's experience, she knew the Government and those people in the private sector are capable of doing anything to achieve their goals. Plus, by Selmak not revealing herself sooner, Sam's father went unnoticed for the past ten days or so.

From her conversation with Mark, Sam knew Dad was in danger from those individuals who would seek him out for the information contained within his head. And now, Sam wished she could contact her brother to find out more about Dad. But that would have to wait until Sam reached Mark, after she took Selmak to the SGC.

"Let's get you dressed warm," Sam smiled to Selmak.

"You…you believe me?" Selmak asked slowly.

"Yes, I do," Sam replied putting Selmak on the floor and getting on her feet.

"You're not angry with me? Or disappointed?"

Sam knelt down to Selmak's level and gently wiped her tears away.

"I'm not angry with you and I have no reason to be disappointed. You saved my father from cancer. You helped to bring my family back together. You helped to bring my father back from the dead! I'm grateful for all you've done and I look forward to still having you has my half sister."

"About that…I honestly have no idea how that happened! Being Jacob's daughter was not a part of the arrangement! Unless…unless it's part of my punishment."

"Punishment?"

Selmak sighed and her shoulders slumped. Her head drooped when she spoke, unable to make eye contact with Sam.

"I'm losing my memories as penance. After each seizure more and more of my memories are gone. The only reason I could think of was because I killed Jacob."

Sam put her hand under Selmak's chin, gently lifting her head up so Sam could look directly into her eyes.

"I don't blame you for my father dying. I never did and neither did he."

A timid smile briefly flashed on Selmak's face. Then suddenly her eyes rolled towards the back of her head. Sam quickly held Selmak on her side, as Dr. Brightman had instructed whenever Hannah had a seizure. Sister or not, Sam still found it difficult to watch Selmak during the seizures because she felt powerless to stop them. All she could do was the same as before. She held Selmak and talked to her for several minutes until the girl slowly opened her eyes again.

"Selmak?"

"Jacob always called me Sel," she whispered with a small smile. Then her eyes welled up with tears. "Please, you must help me find Jacob before I lose all my memories. I have to tell him how sorry I am before I forget!"

"Selmak…"

"Sam…PLEASE!"

Desperation filled Selmak's eyes and could be heard in her voice. For Sam, all those parental feelings hadn't diminished just because Hannah no longer existed. So, Sam pulled Selmak close and hugged her tightly just like a mother would comfort her child, just like she did hours ago when putting her little sister to bed.

"I promise to help you and protect you. There is just one question I have to ask…why would the oldest and wisest Tok'ra symbiote return from ascension in the form of a four year old girl?"

Selmak merely giggled with a devilish grin on her face.

Unbelievable! The whole thing was absolutely unbelievable! And if Carter's brother and his family hadn't been in danger by an attack by the Air Force and NID, Jack would have been laughing his ass off!

Selmak was female!

No wonder Jacob had kept his snake quiet whenever they were on Earth. In fact, Jack couldn't remember ever really talking to Selmak the whole time she had been blended with Jacob. There was that incident on a Goa'uld mother ship when Selmak insisted on being the commander when they went up against Apophis. Now Jack knew why!

"Sir…this isn't funny!" Carter snapped as the elevator was rising.

"Sorry," Jack replied, not realizing that he was smiling. "It's just that your Dad never mentioned anything about Selmak being…female."

"Jack!"

'For crying out loud! I can't have any fun anymore!'

But of course, Sam was right, as always. So, Jack quit clowning around.

"I'm sorry, Sam. How long has she been unconscious?" he asked as the elevator came to a stop.

"Twenty minutes," Sam said shakily as they exited the elevator. "She had another seizure during the drive to the base."

"Brightman will look after her. As will I," he said reassuringly.

"So, you believe she's Selmak?"

"I know you do. Plus, it could possibly explain Dr. Brightman's test results…"

"However, you still need to question her," Sam frowned.

Jack nodded reluctantly.

"I promised her, Jack," she replied, coming to a stop near a Hummer.

"I know you did. Don't worry. I'll do my best to take care of her until you get back."

"Thank you."

"Daniel, Teal'c and SG4 are already at the Airfield. A helicopter is on standby in LA and will take you wherever you need to go."

She nodded as he opened the passenger door.

"Jack…I'm sorry…for earlier…about not believing you."

"Hey, you have nothing to be sorry for. I wasn't right about Hannah being harcisis."

"But you were right that something was…odd about her," Sam countered.

"All that doesn't matter anymore," he smiled helping her into the vehicle. "Go get your brother. Tell him everything you deem necessary about the Stargate Program and about your father but don't give away all our secrets. I'll deal with the paperwork later when you get back," Jack paused, grasping her hand firmly. "And Sam…we will protect your family and we will find your father."

Sam gave him that smile. It meant everything was going to work out…somehow.

Once the Hummer was out of sight, Jack immediately headed back down to the private room where Selmak was being monitored. Two guards stood outside the door. Their instructions, from Jack, were only that Dr. Brightman, Lt. Colonel Carter, and he were allowed in the room. If anyone else attempted to gain access the guards had the authorization to shoot unless ordered differently by General O'Neill.

No one else knew that the child was Selmak. Jack planned on keeping it that way for a little while longer, at least from base personnel. He did have a duty to report it to the Joint Chiefs. But he was only doing so in the hopes that he could find out about Jacob Carter. They had to know something about the man. Otherwise they wouldn't have tried to extract him the way they did.

Plus, like Sam, Jack truly missed the guy. He personally thought that Jacob didn't deserve to go the way he did. The man was a warrior and should have died in the heat of battle! Jack also felt that he had to make it up to Sam because of the way he had been acting lately. But there was also this part of Jack that just couldn't wait to crack jokes about Selmak being female to Jacob.

Jack couldn't help himself! The idea was just so hilarious! He wasn't going to be able to let this one go! Unfortunately, he was going to have to wait until later. There were more important matters that needed his attention.

"How is our little patient?" he asked quietly after closing the door behind him.

"Resting," Brightman replied, looking up from the medical chart. "I gave her a mild sedative. She'll sleep for a few hours."

"Good, that will give Carter time to get her brother and hopefully find out more about Jacob. Plus, I'm in no rush to question the kid."

"Sir, I ran another series of tests…" Brightman said slowly.

"And?" he asked, knowing he probably wasn't going to like her answer.

"According the Colonel Carter, Selmak's losing her memories after each seizure…"

"Bottom line Doc, that's all I need," he insisted gently.

"There is a possibility that Selmak may not remember anything at all if she has one maybe two more seizures. She'll be a normal four year old child…nothing more."

"All her memories will be gone? What about what she's experience here?"

"I don't know, Sir. I still don't see any medical reason why she's having these seizures."

Jack sighed heavily, looking down at the girl sleeping. He already felt bad enough for the way he treated Selmak, and Jacob, during the final battle with the replicators before 'she' slipped into a coma. But she was a snake at the time and Jack couldn't help how he felt about them. Now it was different. Selmak wasn't a snake anymore. She was a vulnerable child. And Jack always had a special place in his heart for the kids.

"How much time does she have?" he asked.

"I don't know, Sir."

"Very well, I'll be in my office. Call me if there are any changes."

"Yes, Sir."

"And Brightman…"

"Understood, Sir…not a word to anyone."

"Thank you."

With Selmak settled in comfortably, Jack had the task of informing the Joint Chiefs. No doubt the President would be awakened. Hell, Jack pondered the idea of calling General Hammond in on this one. But Jack decided not to. He hadn't asked for Hammond's help during his command of the SGC and he wouldn't start now.

Although, Jack may have to consider Hammond be the one to tell Jacob that Selmak was now his daughter. Jack knew Jacob would never believe him! Especially when Jack had a grin on his face from ear to ear!

The sun wasn't even up yet. Hell, he shouldn't even be up yet. But Henry was up. It was four thirty in the morning and he was already up and dressed because the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs had an urgent matter to discuss. And one of the only reasons why the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs would wake the President of the United States up so early was because of the Stargate.

But General Maynard was not his usual calm, collected self when he entered the Oval Office.

"Sir, we have a situation."

"I can see that, sit down, Francis," Hayes ordered. "Better yet, let me sit down and drink my coffee while you explain to me why I'm up so God damn early!"

"Mr. President, earlier today we discovered that an FBI agent in San Diego was performing a search on the Military Data Base. A file was accessed. Now because the file was for a top-secret operative, the FBI was only able to get whatever information we wanted them to see."

"That doesn't sound so bad," Henry retorted before taking a sip of his coffee.

"Sir, the NID were also monitoring this particular file!" Maynard continued adamantly. "They had already sent agents out to San Diego before we had our team assembled!"

"Hold on a second, who's the operative?"

"General Jacob Carter, Sir."

Hayes blinked in surprise and almost laughed.

"Isn't he dead? Or did I miss something," he replied, setting his cup down. "I seem to recall signing a nice sympathy note to his daughter, Lt. Colonel Carter."

"Yes, Mr. President. You are correct. General Carter died two months ago because his symbiote slipped into a coma and died. However, I believe he's returned."

"What?" Hayes laughed.

"I believe that General Carter ascended then returned. It's the only explanation…here," Maynard said, opening up a laptop he had been carrying for the President to see. "This is video surveillance footage from Mercy Hospital in San Diego. The man on the monitor was admitted as a John Doe with amnesia."

Hayes looked at the video and examined the image when Maynard paused the playback.

"Francis, I'm not questioning your judgement here but this guy in a young man! General Carter was…"

"Here's his file, Sir. You'll find this photo matches the image."

Henry pulled his glasses from his coat pocket and put them on. Holding the photograph then looking at the screen he saw the two were the same. But still, Henry wasn't convinced so easily. He knew images could be altered, simply by pressing a few buttons on a computer!

"Ok…so he looks like the image."

"Sir, the fingerprints are identical," Maynard pressed on. "We even have a DNA match. This man is General Jacob Carter."

"So what's got you so worried that I have to be woken up at four-thirty in the blessed AM, Francis?"

"Our team missed their radio contact. We sent another unit in. They found the team and two NID agents tied and gagged inside the home of Mark Carter, Jacob's son. There was no sign of anyone else. Sir, General Carter and his family have…disappeared."

The President's phone rang.

"Excuse me," Hayes said, picking up the phone. "This is Hayes."

"Sorry, Mr. President, I didn't realize you were already awake when my call was redirected," An all too familiar voice said.

"That's ok, Genera O'Neill. What can I do for you?"

"Sir, we have a situation…there is a strong possibility that Jacob Carter has descended, Sir."

"Yes, I've just been informed by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs. They seemed to have come to that very same conclusion."

"Did they have to use force to extract him?" O'Neill snapped. "Colonel Carter's on her way to pick up her brother and his family up from an undisclosed location…apparently they're shaken up pretty bad. Especially the kids!"

Hayes sighed. Now he wished that he had been informed about General Carter sooner. Then perhaps this mess could have been avoided.

"Please, extend my apologies to Colonel Carter and her family."

"I'm sure they would like to hear that from you, Sir. She's bringing them here to the SGC. I figure it's the safest place for them to be right now."

"Good! When General Carter arrives…"

"Jacob isn't with his family, Sir."

"Do you know where he is?"

"No, Sir."

"Does anyone know where he is?"

"I'm sure Jacob does, Sir."

"Sorry, I was talking to myself. I need more coffee!"

"I understand, Mr. President."

"Very well…"

"Sir, there's more."

"More?"

"I'm afraid so, Sir. Jacob was only part of the reason why I was calling the Joint Chiefs. The operator informed me that General Maynard was already in your office."

"Yes, he's here. Let me put you on speaker phone," Hayes said, then pushed a button. "Go ahead General."

"Jacob wasn't the only one who descended. I have a little girl here claiming to be Selmak."

"Carter's symbiote?"

"Only she's not a snake anymore…she's a kid! According to Carter, Selmak ascended and helped Jacob to ascend. Apparently, it wasn't working out so both of them came back. Honestly, this whole ascension thing must really suck for someone of Jacob's caliber to return from it!"

Hayes couldn't help but let a smile slip as he took a drink of his coffee. He quickly learned that Jack O'Neill always had an interesting view on things.

"Does this Selmak know anything about where General Carter may be?" Maynard asked.

"I haven't had the chance to verify if the child is Selmak or not, Sir. She came to Earth as Hannah Carter, posing as Jacob's daughter in hopes of finding him. DNA tests confirmed that she was Jacob's daughter so we believed her."

"Why didn't she reveal herself sooner?" Hayes asked.

"According to Carter, Selmak was afraid. She wasn't sure if Jacob was on Earth and she didn't want to put anyone in danger. She only revealed herself to Colonel Carter after Mark Carter called his sister about his father being attacked by the Air Force and the NID."

"General, I want you to get whatever information you can from this Selmak immediately. Verify if she is who she claims to be and see if she has any idea where General Carter might be going," Maynard ordered.

"I doubt she knows anything about Jacob right now, Sir. Besides, I can't talk with her at the moment. Selmak has been having these seizures and just had one not too long ago. According to Dr. Brightman, the kids going to be unconscious for several hours. Plus, Selmak says she's losing her memories because of the seizures. Dr. Brightman says one or two more seizures and the kid's memory could be wiped clean."

"Could be?" Maynard questioned.

"Brightman doesn't even know what's causing the seizures or how to stop them. But something is happening to Selmak's brain chemistry."

"General, we need more information on General Carter," Hayes started to say. "What about Colonel Carter's brother?"

"I doubt Mark would help us right now, Sir. Besides, I don't think he knows where Jacob is either because Mark didn't mention anything about where the man was going to his sister. Sir, might I suggest you have General Hammond get involve?. He knows Jacob better than anyone, even his own kids. I'm sure he would be able to track down Jacob."

Hayes looked to Maynard for a response.

"Very well. I would like you to question Mark Carter as well and keep me informed about the girl," Maynard said.

There was only silence on the speaker.

"General O'Neill, do I make myself clear?" Maynard reiterated.

"Yes, Sir. But haven't we done enough to Mark Carter and his family already?"

"I don't need to remind you that other parties are interested in locating General Carter. It is imperative that we get to him first so that we can protect him! Now, either you can question Mark Carter or I'll send someone to do it for you! Understood?"

"Understood, General, Sir!" O'Neill replied, making Henry believe that the man actually jumped to attention.

"Jack, just find out what Mark knows and keep us informed about the girl," Henry said in a more tactful manner.

"Yes, Mr. President."

"Thank you, Jack," Hayes replied then severed the connection by pushing the button. "Jack's right. George is a good friend of General Carter's. He was there when the guy lost his wife and I know Carter made it a point to be there for George when his wife died from cancer. If anyone could figure out what Carter's up to it would be George."

"Do you want me to tell Hammond that his best friend is back from the dead and about the same age when they had first met each other, or do you?"

"Why don't you bring Hammond in, I'll do the talking…after I get some more coffee in me!"

His legs were getting a little stiff, his ribs had a dull ache about them, and he was getting sleepy. Only Jake dared not pull over and sleep, no matter how tired he was. Instead, he pulled off the highway into a gas station with a mini-mart. He had made it well beyond the Arizona border with no sign of being followed or any indications that the authorities were after him.

Jake wasn't sure if he should take it as a good sign or a bad sign as he exited the vehicle and looked around. The sun was blinding with no clouds to block it so he had to narrow his eyes until he made his way inside the mini-mart.

The wad of money that Mark had given Jake was in fact two thousand fifty-six dollars. Way more than what Jake needed. And way more than he felt comfortable carrying around. So, Jake only carried what he needed. Enough for his much needed coffee and a few snacks to go with his peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and gas.

Jake saw he was the only customer so he took his time gathering the items he desired. He even grabbed a half gallon of milk to help wash down those sandwiches. He had no idea why he wanted the peanut butter and jelly. He merely had a strong feeling that he would like them and he did. Just like he enjoyed the coffee and the cigarettes.

"Got everything you need?" the young cashier asked.

Too say young was an understatement. Jake doubted that the kid could grow facial hair.

"Pack of Lucky Strikes if you have them," Jake smiled.

The kid reached and grabbed the pack of cigarettes and put them with the rest of the items Jake had placed on the counter.

"Did you get in a fight?" the kid asked as he started to slowly ring things up.

"Yeah, opened my mouth when I should have kept it closed," Jake smiled, gently rubbing the bruise on his left cheek.

"Did you win?"

"Of course!" Jake boasted.

Like he would ever let anyone beat the crap out of him!

"Way to go! Can you give me any advice…you know on how to kick someone's ass?" the kid asked excitedly.

"The best advice I can give you is to not get into any fights," Jake seriously said. "It's better to walk away and stay level headed."

"That's what my dad tells me."

"He's a smart man."

"Then let me give you some advice," the kid said holding up the pack of cigarettes. "Quit now while you're still young. My father died of lung cancer…he smoked a pack a day until the day he died."

Cancer? Cancer was bad…very bad. Jake felt it. He couldn't get cancer again!

Again?

Jake had one of his visions. He was lying on a hospital bed. They doctor used the paddles on him to get his heart going again. His body was weak. The cancer had eaten away at him, leaving nothing but a battered old shell of a man. He hated feeling so weak!

"Mister?"

"Oh…sorry," Jake blinked. "Maybe you're right. I won't get them. How much do I owe you?"

"Eleven seventy-one."

"Here and put the rest on pump number five," Jake said handing the kid the money.

With his items in the car and a full tank, Jake pulled back out onto the highway. About a mile down the road, he chucked the pack of cigarettes out the window. They were making him nervous. He didn't like feeling nervous.

Thank God he didn't get that feeling from drinking coffee. After a few sips he felt refreshed and ready to press on. Jake even felt good enough to push his luck and hit eighty-five on the speedometer. Little did he know those answers he was seeking were behind him and that even now a trap was being planned ahead of him.