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I hope you enjoy this chapter... it's long but a lot of things happen.


"C'mon Daniel… it'll be fun."

"No Jack… I'm not suicidal."

"It's Carter!"

"Which is exactly why I'm not going to paint her toenails pink"

"Coward!"

"Sensible," Daniel corrected.

Jack shook his head. "Coward."

The archeologist shook his head and sighed. "It's your funeral."

"Are you coming?"

The archeologist sighed again and shuffled back down the hall.

It was 12:34 and Carter had fallen asleep hours ago. Jack thought it unlikely she'd awake if he painted her nails- he had found out from experience she was a sound sleeper.

Daniel had discovered him with Cassie's nail polish and had attempted to dissuade him- unsucessfully apparently.

"Jack, come on," Daniel tried reappearing. "It's past midnight, and you haven't slept since Pete came- well, not really slept and-"

"I changed my mind- go away!"

"Jack-"

"Go!"

Obediently he trotted away. Jack unscrewed the little bottle and grinned wickedly.

"You touch me with that stuff and you will regret it." A voice said calmly from the couch.

Jack nearly dropped the bottle. "You're awake?"

"No sir, I talk in my sleep all the time."

He put the cap back on and tossed it over by the teen's makeup bag. "Couldn't sleep?"

"Nope."

"Me either."

There was rustling noise. "I keep thinking about Pete," She admitted.

Jack stood up. He really didn't want to hear this.

"Teal'c hated him… guess I shoulda dumped him as soon as I found that out, huh?"

"Carter, do you really want to be telling me this?" He asked.

She was quiet for a moment. "I… I feel like I owe you an explanation."

"Well, you don't."

He barely saw her head nod. "I'll see you tomorrow then." He said.

"I'm sorry Jack."

He stilled. "What?"

"For everything."

Unsure of what to say, Jack stood there silent. "Carter-"

"Never mind. Good night sir."

He hesitated then nodded. "Night."

And as he climbed into bed, the thought of retiring returned him… and this time, he was serious.

Å

Dori was thoroughly enjoying her last full day at the cabin. Her father wasn't as tense with Pete around, Daniel, Teal'c, Janet, and Cassie actually enjoyed themselves and Carter seemed to be happy…

Carter.

The teenager stood in the doorway, watching Sam carefully.

She knew everyone thought Carter liked her dad… and she knew her dad liked her.

But there was only one way to find out for sure whether Sam really did like her dad.

She squared her shoulders and marched into the room.

Å

Carter looked up as her CO's 'daughter' neared and smiled… until she saw the look in the girl's eye.

"Dori? Is something wrong?"

Dorothy took a deep breath. "Doyoulikemydad?"

"Er… what?"

She repeated it again- this time slowly.

Carter paled. "Um… I really don't think that's any of your business," She said, not unkindly.

"It is if my dad loves you," The girl retorted hotly.

Carter was struck speechless for a moment. "He… what?"

Dori knew she probably should stop right there… but she didn't.

"Jack has loved you for a long time- Cassie said so! I don't see why-"

"No," Carter said quietly. "You don't see why because you're a child. Your father and I have made our choices… And we'll have to live with them."

"Why?" Dori demanded. "Things could change."

Carter pulled herself up. "No Dori… somethings can't change."

"Why?" She whispered. "He loves you Sam."

"That's enough young lady," A stern voice said from behind her. The two females started and looked at the source. Jack O'Neill stood there looking very angry.

"Dad, this is idiotic!" She protested.

"That may be but it's none of your concern."

Dori stared at them. "What is WRONG with you?" She yelled. "You two love each other, screw-"

"DOROTHY!"

"It's true!" She said defiantly. "Daniel and Cassie told me all about you… and… and…. And when you were zay-zay'tarcs!"

"Go to your room!" Jack ordered.

"No!"

He stared forward. "Dorothy Anne Mor-"

"I won't!"

Daniel, Teal'c, and Janet appeared in the doorway. "Jack? What's going on?"'

"Nothing," He gritted. "Nothing."

Dori snorted. "Whatever Jack. You'd like to think so."

"DORI, I AM ORDERING YOU TO GO TO YOUR ROOM!"

"I DON'T CARE!" She yelled back. "You love each other-"

"Dorothy Morgan, be silent."

The teen stared at Teal'c for a moment then was quiet. Teal'c inclined his head and the girl quickly left the room. A minute later, a door slammed closed.

Cassie chose that moment to show up. "Jack, the hamburgers are burnt."

Å

Jack eased into Dori's room and looked over at her. The teenage girl was playing with her Playstation.

"Dori?"

She didn't looked up. "What? Come to yell at me?"

Jack sat on the corner of her bed. "I'm sorry about that."

She raised a shoulder.

"I… just wanted to… try and explain."

Dori hit 'pause' and turned around. "Explain what?"

"About Carter and I."

She snorted. "What's to explain… remember? It's none of my business… I'm just a kid."

Jack counted to ten. "You know what regulations are, right?"

"I'm not six," came the reply.

"The fraternization rule… Carter's in my chain of command, I can't go out with her… even if I wanted too."

Dori opened her mouth to say something, thought the better of it, then slumped back in her chair.

"I just want you to be happy Jack," She said finally. "Really."

Jack gave her a small smile and wrapped his arms around her. "Thanks honey."

She sighed. "Didja burn dinner?"

He gave a mock indignant sniff. "Me? Never?"

"You always burn dinner."

"Just for that, you can cook your own dinner," He threatened.

"It would turn out better then yours!"

Å

Carter, down lying down on her CO's bed- Teal'c kindly transferring her- listened as her CO and his daughter burst into peals of laughter.

She rolled over carefully and buried her face in her pillows. Despite everything she did, her thoughts drifted back to the kiss.

She didn't know what happened- one minute they were barely touching lips and then...

A small moan of longing escaped before she could force herself to stop thinking about it.

Å

The next day they all began packing. The two teenagers were surprised how far their possessions had spread. Cassie kindly packed Sam's suitcase for her much to the Major's dismay as the teen threw everything in and called it 'packed'.

After a quick lunch, Jack and Janet drove off in their separate vehicles- Dori and Daniel riding with Janet and Cassie. Teal'c had opted to ride with Jack as he would have more leg room.

After a little while, Teal'c began to meditate (as best he could in a moving car) and Carter fell asleep.

Jack found that strangely enduring. His 2IC, squirming around on the seat until she found the most comfortable place and then promptly falling asleep.

He looked at her and saw her unconsciously licking her lips. He instantly turned his attention back to the road.

That brought up memories of the kiss and that was something he could not afford to think about right now.

Å

The group boarded the plane, happy to be going home. In almost everyone's opinion, the only good thing that happened was the disappearance of Pete.

Jack was going to drop Carter off at her house but the Major requested to be taken to the SGC along with Teal'c. Jack obliged then swung by the Fraiser's house to pick up his daughter and Daniel… and to discuss some plans with the good doctor.

With Jack being gone from 7:00 in the morning to 6:00 (those being ideal times), he needed someone to supervise Dori until he returned home. Cassie offered to watch her for a few weeks until he found a more permanent solution. Jack, having to be content with that, thanked her and took the two 'D's home (Daniel's car being at his house.)

The archeologist drove away leaving Dori and Jack to eat their supper and unpack (Which constituted of dumping all the clothes into the washer) and going to bed.

Å

Jack yawned and opened his eyes. The smell of eggs and bacon filled the house.

"Dori?" He called.

"In the kitchen Jack!"

He stumbled out of bed and down the hallway. She was dropping the bacon onto a paper towel as he walked in.

"Morning!" She said brightly. "Sleep well?"

Jack stared at his daughter suspiciously. "What are you up to Dori?"

The girl wore a green cargo shirt and matching camouflage shirt. She gave him a nervous smile and handed him a plate filled with scrambled eggs. "Nothing Jack."

"What do you want?"

"Nothing!" She insisted filling her own plate and sitting down. "Does something have to be up?"

"You're up at 6:00 o'clock, dressed I might add, just to make me breakfast? We use to have to drag you out of bed and you never ate anything other then toast."

The teenager frowned at him. "Things change."

"I agree. What is it?"

She ignored him and focused on her eggs. Jack sighed and took a piece of bacon.

"I want to go with you," She said suddenly.

"Absolutely not."

"Jack!"

Jack watched as the teen poured herself a cup of coffee then wandered back to the table. "I really want to go-" She began. Jack calmly took the cup and handed her a glass of orange juice she had poured for him. She frowned.

"Dorothy, you are not going to go with me so you might as well get use to it."

"Why not?" She demanded.

"You can't and don't argue."

Dori began plaiting her hair. "Can't you at least stay home today?"

He sighed. "I would but I have a wedding to attend."

She perked up. "Can I go? Please?"

He massaged his forehead. "Dori…"

"Please?"

"End of discussion."

She stared at him for a moment then stomped off.

"Oy." Jack muttered. "Another week of that and I'll go nuts."

A door slammed.

Å

Dori still wasn't speaking to Jack as he dropped her off at the Fraiser's house. Adjusting her backpack, she walked up the path, knocked, and then disappeared inside the house. Janet came out a moment later.

"Doc, want a ride to work?" He called. "Save gas."

She agreed.

Once at the SGC, he relieved General Ponds from command and frowned as the tall pile of memos.

Daniel and Carter came barreling only minutes later, arguing over what would the most appropriate wedding present.

Jack calmly sent them to fight elsewhere and focused on seeing how many appointments he could get out of… quite a few actually.

The wedding was at 2:00 o'clock, so at 1330 hundred, SG-1 was in front of the Stargate, dressed in suits or dress blues, waiting for the General to appear.

Carter and Daniel had compromised on a gift- an ornate vase that would match the decor of the wedding couples house.

Jack showed up a few minutes later and Walter began dialing the planet.

Å

Dori frowned and pushed her English book away. Cassie sat on the other side of the room, curled up on the couch reading a book.

"Cassie?" She began tentatively. "Can I ask you something?"

The red head nodded. "Sure."

"What… what does Jack do at his work?"

Cassie frowned. "Deep Space Radar Telemetry."

"At NORAD?"

"Why are you asking so many questions?"

"YOU know about his work," She said petulantly. "I just wanna know."

Cassie hesitated for a second then shook her head. "Sorry Dori… I would tell you but-"

"It's classified."

"Right."

Dori sighed.

Å

They returned from the wedding a little past seven. Walter opened the iris and watched with amusement as Daniel, bedecked with flowers, stumbled through the gate, clearly drunk. Sam, Jack, and Teal'c followed through, complete sober and watching bemused as Daniel began singing the national anthem at the top of his voice.

"I will take him to his quarters," Teal'c said finally. Jack nodded his thanks and turned to Carter.

"Want a life home?"

She shook her head. "I think I'll stay here tonight… thanks anyways sir."

He nodded. "Later."

Å

"It's 7:30 Cassie!"

The teenager sighed. "He's FINE Dori… Mom often runs late, it's no big deal."

Dori narrowed her eyes. "Your mom's a doctor, right?"

Cassie nodded.

"How come they need a doctor if all they do is look through telescope-"

The door opened, saving Cassie the trouble of thinking up a story.

"Ready to go?" Jack asked. His daughter nodded, grabbed her backpack, and headed out to the truck after giving Cassie a quick hug.

Å

The next few days went fairly smoothly for the General and his daughter. Dori finally stopped pestering him about his work and nothing out of the ordinary happened.

He should ofknown Dori had a plan.

Å

"Dad, can I stay the night at Cassie's?" She asked Thursday morning as he dropped her off.

Jack considered this. "I suppose… if it's okay with the doc."

"It is!" She hastily assured him. "She's going to drive in earlier tomorrow so she said you won't need to pick her up."

Jack shrugged. "What about clothes?"

She held up a duffle bag. "Ahead of you."

He ruffled her hair. "Okay then… scamper!"

She hugged him tightly. "See you tomorrow night."

He nodded. "See ya."

Å

That night, as the girls got ready for bed, Dori mentioned casually: "I need to be home by 6:30 tomorrow Cassie… Jack got me a job helping Daniel clean up his apartment- apparently there are artifacts all over the place!"

Cassie laughed and nodded. "There's uncle Daniel for you… okay, if I'm not awake, wake me up."

"Deal."

Å

Cassie was true to her word and dropped off at 6:30. The girl carefully tried the door to Jack's car. It was unlocked.

"Tsk tsk," She whispered. "You really should lock your doors Jack."

And the girl disappeared into the back of the car.

Å

Jack turned on the radio as soon as he entered the car- it felt different without Dori there. He left it on the jazz station that Janet had chosen last time he picked her up until he got to the mountain.

Å

Dori grimaced as the door closed. Her father had a terrible taste in music. Cautiously poking her head up, she gasped as she saw the multiple guards guarding the place.

"Not as easy as I thought," She mumbled. "Still doable."

She pushed the door open and jumped out. A minute later, she felt elated. She had slipped past two guards and-

A firm hand gripped her shoulder. "Just what do you think you're doing here Miss?"

She was jerked around. A tall, dark skinned Airman was glaring at her.

"I uh… my dad uh…" She trailed off and offered him a nervous smile. "You see…"

"George! Call the General and tell him we have a intruder!"

"Not General O'Neill!" She pleaded. "Please!"

He scowled at her. "And why not?"

"He's my father."

Å

"Colonel Carter?"

Sam looked up. "Yes Airman?"

"We have a girl in interrogation room 1 who is begging to talk to you."

"How'd she get inside of the mountain?"

"She was caught outside ma'am." He hesitated. "She says General O'Neill is her fath-"

"Dori?" She squeaked. "Dori's here?"

He nodded. "Dorothy Anne Morgan O'Neill."

Carter let out a strangled cough. "Let's hope she doesn't use that as her full name," She said wryly. "Interrogation room one?"

"Yes."

"Inform General O'Neill."

"Yes ma'am."

He departed and she headed for the first floor.

Å

Dori was getting frightened. Two men with guns guarded the outside door, while yet another man was in the room, staring at her.

What did her dad do that was so important?

The door opened and Carter walked in.

"Sam!" She cried with relief. "I've never been so happy to see you."

Carter covered a smile. "I can see that." She gestured for the Airman to leave. "How did you get in here?"

The teen shrugged. "Snuck in the back of Jack's car, hid until he reached her then got out. A man caught me half way in here."

"Why did you do that?" Carter asked, trying to sound stern. It was rather difficult because the girl had a woebegone look on her face that reminded her a lot of Jack when he was pouting over the loss of a yoyo.

"I just wanted to see where he worked… not a national crime is it?"

"Actually…" She said slowly. "It is."

Dori blanched. "Am I going to go to jail?"

"No, but-"

There were loud voices heard outside the door as the General demanded in.

"But I think you're going to wish you were." Carter finished.

"Dorothy!"

Dori sighed.

Å

Jack watched his daughter through the security monitor 30 minutes later, a frown on his face.

She was slumped in her chair, remorse written across her face.

Jack had been angry when he found out but now that the 'yelling part' as Dori had said so despairingly was over, he had to admire her creativity. According to Lionel, the man who had caught her, she had snuck an impressive way in.

Good. She had found out their weak spots for them… for free.

He shifted slightly. He could understand why the teen had wanted to know and sympathized with her.

"You could always call a few markers," His second-in-command remarked quietly. He stared. He hadn't know she was in there.

"She's a kid." He objected.

"A clever, resourceful one. I think she can handle it sir."

He looked at her. "Really?"

She nodded. "Get permission to bring her on base… wouldn't have to leave her at Cassie's all the time…"

He began nodding slowly. "That could work…"

She smiled and slipped away.

Å

The door opened and Dori looked up. Her 'father' entered the room, his expression unreadable.

She swallowed hard then met his gaze. "What is it?"

"I had a little talk with the President."

She stared. "Of the United States?" She squeaked. "I'm not going to jail for like ever, am I?"

"No."

The teen fidgeted. "So?" She said finally. "What happened?"

"I've decided… you won't be staying with Cassie anymore."

"I'm not?"

"No. I've found a new babysitter."

Dori paled. "Who?"

He let her imagine the worst for a moment before saying: "Me."

An incredulous smile intermingled with pure delight spread across her face. "You? Jack, are you serious?"

"Yep. Looks like you'll be stuck with me for the next four years."

"YESSSSSSSSSSSS!"

She jumped up and flung her arms around him. "I love you Jack!"

He untangled himself from her. "Ditto, now sit down."

She obeyed.

"I have some pretty unbelievable things to tell you…"

Her eyes sparkled. "Really? What?"

"Carter?" He called.

The door opened and the Colonel walked in. She carried a laptop in her hands. She handed it to Jack who showed it to Dori. An image of the Stargate was what she saw.

The girl leaned forward. "What is that, a stone ring?"

"What I'm about to tell you is classified under section 11C9 of the National Security Act." Sam began.

"National security?" Dori whispered. "What is it that you do?" She demanded.

"Just let me talk, will ya?"

Dori flushed and nodded. "Okay."

"You're currently in a top secret military facility known as Stargate Command."

Dori nodded.

"In 1928 in Giza, Egypt, Archaeologists uncovered an ancient device, capable of instantaneous transportation to other planets by means of a subspace wormhole. "

Dorothy automatically looked over at Jack, incredibility written across her forehead.

"She's not kidding," Jack assured her. "We're both serious."

Carter continued to talk, the teenager listening to her with astonishment.

"So… we have a device that can travel to other planets?"

"We can travel through the Stargate to other planets by means of a subspace wormhole." Carter confirmed.

She leaned forward. "Are there aliens?"

Jack nodded. "In fact, you've met two."

Dori's eyes widened. "I have? Who?"

"Take a wild guess."

She thought for a moment then something clicked. "Teal'c?"

Jack smiled. "Sharp cookie huh Carter?"

His 2IC nodded. "Yes sir."

"Who else?" The teen demanded.

Jack shook his head. "I'll let that person tell you… now… how would you like to see the gate in action?"

Her eyes widened. "Really? I can?"

"SG-6 is about to leave on a mission… you can watch from the control room."

"Awesome!"

Å

That night when she crawled into bed, she looked out the window.

"Mom, you wouldn't believe what dad does!" She whispered. "It's so cool!"

A star seemed to wink at her. She smiled.

"'night…"

When Jack came in later, he found her fast asleep, a small smile on her face.

He tucked her in and shut off the small lamp. "Night Dori… see ya tomorrow."


I hope you liked it... it's kind of rushed- sorry about that.

Please, PLEASE review!