Hi! I'm so sorry I left you waiting for so long! But life (rolling eyes) When I finally had inspiration and time to write, I started and the next time. Bam! The worst flu ever! So, I'm finally able to sit in front of the computer without feeling sick immediately. So, I'm sorry if this chapter isn't quite what you hoped, but my mucus-filled brain did the best it could.

Enjoy!

M.

Chapter XXXIII

March 27th, 2004

Conference room

SGC.

"You'll see, I'm the biological daughter of Helen Magnus and Nikola Tesla. By embryonary age, Ashley is my older half-sister. I guess that makes Will my stepfather, and Henry, a little brother I'm also willing to adopt into my family as they did with me. The fact is, they were protecting me, there was nothing else to hide but my truth. So, I'll plead to you, sir. Please, release the mother I'm getting to know." Helen glared at Hammond.

"Wait. What?" Daniel was the first one able to speak after that comment.

"Seriously, boss?" Henry whispered loud enough for Helen to hear. He was after all the only one of her team who didn't know; she nodded his answer to him. And he grinned. "Cool!"

"Sir?" Sam asked again seeing that Hammond was still too impressed by the news to do something about it. Jack looked at Hammond waiting for his orders still reluctantly grabbing Helen from her arms.

"Colonel, I'm sorry I've put you in such position," Hammond apologized to Jack. "Please, release Doctor Magnus."

"Sir?" Jack asked mostly due to the apology letting go of Magnus' arm and already getting his knife out to cut the binds on her wrists.

"Major, I owe you an apology too," Hammond blushed under the hating glare Helen was giving him. He also saw Nikola's claws growing and hiding and the same clenched jaws signaling they weren't happy about what had happened.

"I would say well played, General," Helen hissed. "But it was my daughter the one you put in such situation," her tone left nothing to the imagination. "And what's worse, she trusted you, and you just broke that trust, you broke her." She stated menacingly, clearly stating that if he were to do it again, he wouldn't survive long enough to apologize. "She is an officer under your chain, but she isn't your pawn."

"What?" Sam asked looking at Helen.

"Major, Colonel. I will like you two to remain after this meeting," Hammond added still trying to come to terms with the Doctor's words about his actions.

"Am I the only one still trying to grasp the fact that you are their daughter?" Daniel asked pointed to both Helen and Nikola at the same time.

"Yes," Jack answered him.

"Wait, you understand this, Jack? Because a few minutes ago, you were about to chew each other's heads out," Jack rubbed his face.

"No, yes," he groaned. "Something like that."

"Seriously, that's the one?" Nikola asked with a grimace, making Sam chuckle for the first time since the whole thing started. Helen smiled at him, noticing that he had managed to lift some of the weight out of her shoulders by that single comment.

"I guess we all need to give some more explanations?" Sam grimaced.

"It seems like it," Helen agreed, getting back to her previous seat and taking her lead, the others rearranged themselves around the table.

"Will you please explain it?" Sam asked, turning towards Nikola and Helen. They nodded.

"Wait, there's something I need to get out of my system," Daniel interrupted making everyone turn towards him. "If they are your parents, you somehow are way older than we think or," he trailed frowning. Sam didn't raise her eyes to meet his, but searched the ones of her newly acquired family, finding nothing but the support she needed. She bit her lower lip and nodded once.

"I'm an abnormal, yes," Sam firmly answered.

"Whoa! And they never said anything about it? What about your skills?" Daniel questioned.

"Perhaps it will be easier if we tell you how it happened before you get to your own but probably wrongful conclusions?" Helen offered.

"I think we all have a pretty good idea of how that was, ma'am," Jack said. Nikola, Helen, Will, Ashley, and Sam laughed.

"It's not quite like you are imagining, Colonel. Samantha is the first ever in vitro embryo," Helen said.

"She's also the first ever somewhat engineered human abnormal," Nikola added proudly.

"That's not possible," Janet frowned. "The first in vitro baby was born in 78. Sam's from the 70. And we haven't reached such levels of technology. We couldn't possibly have an engineered anything at this point."

"And yet, there she is." Nikola grinned.

"You have no idea how much of the technology the regular people out there has, comes from something thought and created at the Sanctuary," Will added. Jack frowned. "But after several poor experiences with the different governments, they recognized that technology liberated too quickly could create chaos."

"You'll see," Henry grinned."We are great at creating things from scratch. I mean, he is THE Tesla and all. But there are many with minds similar to his, moving on different areas of expertise. Now, humans," he sighed. "Humans are excellent scientists. However, there's only one small issue. Somehow, you always manage to turn things towards war."

"Exactly, and we can't risk it. Not again. Granted, WWII was started by a power-starved abnormal, alas, Ashley's father got rid of him three years before it ended. And humans were the ones who kept it going, finding a human they could use as a marionette for their campaign."

"You mean?" Daniel trailed.

"Yes, he was an abnormal too." Helen nodded. "As most of the Presidents, we've got a chance to meet. Governing a country is a very exhausting job, and there's only a handful of humans who willingly go for it. Alas, we are straying from the subject at hand," she waved her hand in the air. "Samantha was created in a lab, and we took away from her the parts of the DNA that would allow her to change as Nikola, and now Ashley, can."

"So what is she?" Janet frowned.

"We don't know for sure," Helen admitted.

"You don't know?"

"No," Sam whispered.

"if you are to compare her DNA with mine and Nikola's, Doctor Frasier, she will be an almost perfect combination of both. Samantha, as Nikola and I; has a rare DNA structure with four strands instead of the two you normally see. That's something that allows us to heal in an accelerated way."

"Along with speed, strength and no aging," Nikola grinned.

"But Ashley doesn't have it?" Daniel wondered trying to bring back his feeble knowledge of biology.

"No, her DNA as any other human and most abnormals, is a double strand structure, only that hers is highly mutated. She's the fastest, and strongest of us, and she can access to the features that are proper from an Akhkharu. Although, her body can still collapse on a death sleep out of acquiring enough injuries. While we don't."

"What the hell is this death sleep you've been talking about for ages now?" Janet asked with a frown.

"There's a pain threshold, and there's an injuries threshold, that no human being and even most abnormals can't cross," Nikola explained. "If you get to your limits of pain management, your body collapses. There's such thing as too much pain, just like there can be too many injuries, for a double-stranded DNA that's it."

"We call a 'death sleep,' to the moment we induce ourselves into a coma or the moment when a double-stranded DNA with high healing speed collapses into a coma. When it happens, the body uses this time out of sorts to start a regenerating process without needing to pay attention to other things which generally would take priority."

"Such as?" Janet inquired.

"Breathing returns to the lowest pattern, and the circulatory rhythm slows down to a point in which it seems we are completely out, we are by all means and purposes, in a coma. Therefore, without having to worry about keeping a constant high rhythm, nor having the need of sending pain waves, the system reorganizes in a new pattern, and that's one for reconstitution. One doesn't wake up from a 'death sleep' if reconstitution isn't at least 90% done."

"It's scary as hell," Will added. "I've never seen for real until a few months ago; it's like seeing a dead body."

"How come you haven't seen it if you are an item?" Janet asked

"Oh, Helen usually enters it when I'm asleep." He shrugged. "So I never really witness it. But when I did, I understood why they called like that -

Their temperature lowers, the breathing is nearly not existing and finding a pulse is impossible unless you have an abnormal hearing range. It's a terrifying experience if you don't know what is happening."

"I always knew you cared about me too, protégé," Nikola smirked.

"Nah, I was worried Helen would kill me for allowing you to die especially knowing you are an immortal creature." Helen rolled her eyes.

"Getting back to your question, Doctor Frasier. When Samantha learned about her other skills, she wasn't in the right mind to develop them. Therefore, she still doesn't know her true limits, nor do we."

"Let me get something straight here. If you two are four-stranded, and Sam is four stranded, and a Goa'uld isn't capable of surviving you two, and assuming it has to do with your unique DNA," Daniel frowned. "How was it possible for Jolinar…" Daniel trailed noticing Sam's raised hand. "Oh, of course, you've already asked." He blushed.

"Yes. I did. And what Jolinar left behind will benefit me when I learn how to control it. She would've died in a very unpleasant way if she kept fighting against my body. When she decided to let go everything was easier."

"The Naquadah in her blood is a byproduct; it will diminish in time. Nikola and I don't have it any longer. However, the Colonel protein markers will disappear a year after he acquired them while Samantha will reabsorb these changes in a longer period due to the extensive and positive change it creates in our kind at cellular levels. "

"Jack, you are awfully quiet," Daniel commented after a while.

"He knows something, Doctor Jackson; I'm certain of that. Although, I'm yet to find out what could it possibly be. I'm not quite certain he knows for sure what it is." Helen pointed crooking her head.

"Jack?" Daniel tried again since he hadn't moved for a while now.

"Colonel?" Sam frowned confused. Feeling Sam's eyes on him and reading the worry in them, he cleared his throat and sat straighter.

"Well, a while ago, we experienced for the first time the existence of alternate realities," Jack started, and Sam's eyes widened.

"You always knew about this?" Sam frowned feeling a bit betrayed.

"No, Carter, I didn't," he frowned and waved. "Not this at least, I was talking to the other you, and she told me something that got my attention," he trailed.

"What was it?" Sam wondered, Jack rubbed his face tiredly.

"To be honest, I'm still trying to remember it all. She had that cascade thing, and between the scare and everything in between, I forgot all about it."

"Cascade?" Nikola and Helen asked at once.

"Entropic Cascade failure," Sam explained quickly, "as the result of existing in a timeline in which the same person already exists." They nodded. Jack clenched his jaw.

"Huh, I never experienced anything of that sort," Helen frowned.

"Really?" Sam frowned. "I suppose it has to do with the fact that you weren't a different Helen but the same one. This version of me was a completely different person; she never joined the USAF, and she was married," Sam blushed, "and things like that."

"That could be the reason, yes." Nikola agreed, Sam felt both her parents squinting eyes over her after that married comment and then they grinned knowingly. Sam shook her head.

"So, you did know something, Colonel? About me? About them?" The Major asked.

"Yes and no, as I've said I'm still trying to take a grip of my thoughts. What I do know is that after I woke up that day and saw you both in the same room, I started to have dreams I couldn't remember. I knew it was a memory related to you, Carter. But at the same time, I knew it wasn't you. I guess now it's all starting to make sense in my head," he shrugged.

"What does?" Sam asked confused.

"She, Doctor Carter, she said that your mother," Jack sighed. "I hate alternate timelines. Doctor Carter's mother hadn't died in a car accident. She met her later, never told me how or who she was. I remember I laughed. I didn't make sense; I was sure you'd know if your mother wasn't your mother and since you never said anything about that, I scratched it as one of those time thing differences."

"Well, around that time I didn't know I was adopted, so there was no way I knew about them or talked about it. " Sam agreed.

"Yeah, and I know that by the time the dreams started we already knew about how you ended up with the Carter's. I guess somehow they found them earlier," Jack explained.

"How could that be? When?" Sam frowned. Nikola and Helen exchanged a glance.

"Many times, actually," Helen smiled sadly. "For instance, a few years back I was a problem away of joining the Stargate Program; they needed someone who could develop the level of technology that was needed for it to work. However, something else came up, and I never made it. A young astrophysicist was placed in that position; it was a bonus that it was also someone from the Air Force."

"I replaced you," Sam frowned.

"That seems to be the case, and all the involved who knew me thought you were me. That's the reason I never knew about you from then."

"That was before or after I contacted you through the network?" Catherine asked.

"What?" Hammond asked confused.

"Before. Due to the previous experiments, they knew they needed to develop a way to provide power to the ring and also, needed a program to control it. I asked them to give me a couple of months, but when I had time to ask about it, the project was already on the go. The Captain placed on my position fulfilled the job tenfold. However, there was one thing this Captain couldn't provide," Helen trailed.

"An accurate translation of the writings, of course," Daniel completed, "and that's when you gave Catherine my resume." Helen nodded, and the rest frowned in confusion.

"You gave Catherine his resume?" Sam asked Helen. "Wait, is that why you asked me about an archeologist back then? You thought I was her?" She turned towards Catherine.

"Yes, as Helen stated. Most of us thought you were Helen for a long while; the ones who knew she was supposed to be the one sitting there simply assumed she was playing the character. Until we realized you weren't her. It took long enough to make you two apart that when we did, it was silly to bring it up. I didn't know Helen lost you," Catherine finished sadly, "if I only knew..." she shook her head and sighed.

"As for the other question, I should clarify that I knew Daniel family. He is, as a matter of fact, one of my many godsons. However, his parents had one wish, and that was for him not to be dragged to the abnormal world if there was another chance for him."

"They knew?"

"Yes, they were part of our program, and we funded several of their projects. I was there as soon as I heard of the accident and took care of Daniel until his grandfather was located. That took far longer," Helen explained. "After that, and due to some differences with Nicholas, I followed Daniels career from afar and successfully fulfilled his parents wish for as long as I could until now that is. However, I was tempted to contact him when he published his book, and he fell in disgrace for his peers. I chose to follow him closely."

"I often found my bills paid, money in pockets, or something another thing," Daniel remembered, and she nodded. "Once the landlord told me he had found the envelope I left him for the rent," he chuckled.

"Some tasks were more complicated to achieve than others, but I had the means to manage. I was trying to plan a way to bring him to some project or excavation, something that would take him out of his situation when Catherine called me. I could've given her the translation from my expedition diary, or I could give her someone who could try for himself."

"And you gave us Daniel," Janet affirmed.

"Yes." Helen nodded to the Doctor. "But those weren't the only times. I'm assuming there was also an SGC on her timeline?" They nodded. "If they ever got a highly complex menace then they could've met at the SGC."

"What? That's impossible."

"No, it isn't. There's a policy for the SGC; I'm pretty sure General Hammond is aware of it. We are the last resource for this base."

"What?" Jack asked.

"Am I lying, General?"

"No, you are not. I have an executive order which states that in case of a disaster that could cause the end of the world as we know it. Being this a scientific situation or even an invasion, I should dial nine on the red phone and tell the Sanctuary team to get ready for the worst." Hammond explained. "Until now I never knew what this Sanctuary was or why we were supposed to call them."

"The reason why we are the last resort is quite simple. We are as you saw, more effective than humans for some tasks. And since we all share the same world, we have an agreement with all the involved governments to protect this world at all costs," Helen explained and then she shook her head. "There was also, an issue a few years ago, in which we all could've met. There was an attempt at an abnormal uprising; the government decided to create a special task force to take care of it. "

"Oh, that's right," Nikola added. "There were several conversations about an SG1highly trained military team that was going to be sent to the camp to talk with the abnormal leaders. But something changed, and SCIU was created instead." He pointed. "There was also that time when I was working in that lab, remember?" Helen rolled her eyes and nodded.

"Yes, in Nevada. SG1 arrived for containment seconds before we left." Will added.

"And those are not counting the almost bumps in Prague," Jack added. "You were having breakfast, he found you." He pointed to Nikola, "and you walked right past our car. The moment you were out of sight, Sam entered the car."

"No wonder Mr. Borcky didn't stop asking about Ashley," Will added.

"Then I can be certain that a claim that reached me about my loud friends, wasn't about Nikola and Henry bickering like an old couple, wasn't it?" Daniel blushed under Helen's eyes.

"Well, if it was related to a dispute on the restaurant, then no." Helen smiled.

"Colonel O'Neill, for the way you are still looking at me, I'll say there's still something you haven't told us," Magnus added after a while.

"I took me a while to grasp it, but I remembered something from the dream about a Linchpin."

"A Linchpin?" Helen asked with a smile. "And pray tell what else you remember?"

"She told me I should thank her mother whenever we found her and let her know that James was right."

"James? He was right most of the time," Helen chuckled. "Did she specify?" Jack nodded and frowned.

"Oh! The Linchpin Theory," Nikola grinned. "That was why you were so forthcoming with listening to my chat."

"Did she tell you of what that Theory consisted? I've never heard not even his hypothesis about it."

"You don't know?" Nikola asked surprised.

"No, you knew him. He told me 'Helen you are a linchpin' then he mentioned that I wasn't supposed to know what that meant or I would feel too overwhelmed by it. Should I start worrying?" Helen inquired looking at Nikola.

"As the Colonel, Henry and Samantha already know, James's linchpin theory proclaims that there's one person who is responsible for making decisions that alter the whole course of history." Helen raised an eyebrow, "not knowing their decisions affected the outcome; they could take them without feeling the weight of such feat."

"Ha, ha. Very funny, Nikola. Now, do tell, what this theory of his consisted of?" Nikola looked at her, "Oh, you aren't seriously saying that James, the most logical man I knew, believed I was the cause of the current state of the world. And if I am, I'm disappointed in myself."

"Well, yes. James thought you were a linchpin, and please do explain why would you be disappointed in yourself?"

"Have you seen the world outside?" She raised her eyebrow.

"Yes, it's a mess," Nikola agreed, and she smirked. "However, before you start deflecting yourself, do remember how many countries walked away from those many non-sense wars you lived through, and how many people wouldn't be here at this point if it wasn't for you." She clenched her jaw.

"Oh, well. Let's not dwell." She told Nikola who nodded in understanding. "Colonel, thank you for remembering and letting me know."

"So, it's everything out there now?" Will asked looking around the table.

"Although I imagine there are many things you haven't disclosed, Doctor Magnus. You are all free to come and go as you please, provided that you announce when that would be to take the precautions to protect your identities."

"We appreciated it, General. We should leave as soon as possible; we have tasks to comply back home."

"Very well then, if there are no more questions."

"We shall start packing then." Helen nodded.

"Ah, Doctor. What about the things you mentioned you had to offer?" Hammond stopped them.

"We will provide Doctor Frasier the list of medically related offerings. Along with a list of technological offerings to Doctor Carter. Doctor Jackson will get a secured connection to our library. Finally, Colonel O'Neill will get a detailed list of weapons. Everything will be available as soon as we get back to the underground." Hammond nodded. "If that's all, General?"

"Yes, please. Let me know when you are ready to depart."

"We will."

"Colonel! Major!" Hammond stopped them as the room got emptier and pointed toward his office. Both officers nodded and followed Hammond. "First let me apologize once more for my behavior."

"Sir?" they both asked at the same time.

"Don't pretend you didn't notice."

"Really, sir. I have no idea why you are apologizing." Sam told him.

"Well, your mother did, Major. I don't know how much Doctor Magnus knows of how you two work, but she noticed what I did."

"I'm not following you, General," Jack added Hammond sighed.

"Well, in all the time you've been working together I've never seen you come to this point. You were presented with many different situations and not even once your relationship took a hit, you two always managed to overcome whatever was thrown on your way." He raised his hand to stop them from talking. "I know, I know. It has to do with the not so little fact that you care about each other a lot more than you are supposed to, I too, I was there. Now, today, that something unique you have was on the verge of breaking. I know you trust Sam, Colonel. But something told you she was keeping something from you, and it bothered you. And Major, I know you wanted him to trust in you, and you did understand that with so much pressure it was nearly impossible for him to do it blindly."

"And I noticed," Hammond sighed. "I saw you were trying to convince him and he was trying to convince you. And at that moment I knew that to get the secret out of the way, I had to use all I knew from you two, to break you, Major. Because the only weak link on the chain at that point was you." Sam clenched her jaw and frowned. Then she exhaled slowly, letting the rage she just fell ebb away.

"You are right, General," she said on a clipped tone. "I was the weak one in this situation. And now, I understand her menace to you. Sir, permission to speak freely?"

"Granted Major."

"You do that again, and she will not be fast enough to complete her threat." Hammond nodded. "I do understand your position, sir. However, I took part in enough missions, and I've been under your command for long enough for you to know that I would've never held something that could affect the base or the lives of those involved in the project. And I hoped you respected me enough to give me the time I needed to accept the facts and tell you all the truth."

"Again, Major. I'm sorry."

"I won't lie to you, Sir. It hurts you didn't trust me, especially when I know how much you value my opinion in any other situations."

"I understand. Sam, Jack, I hope at some point this comes to be water under the bridge. I know that even if stretched beyond what you ever experienced before, your relationship won't be affected by it. I hope we can figure ours too. Dismissed." They saluted him; Jack turned around.

"Ah, sir?" Sam trailed. "I wanted to ask you for a few days leave?"

"Major?"

"As they have said, no one knows for sure what I'm capable of at the moment. I want to know it, sir. The only way for that to happen is to test them; they know how to do it. And now you know they won't hurt me."

"I'll see what I can do, Major."

"Thanks, sir."

An hour later, there was a knock on Helen's room. Both Will and Magnus' frowned since they weren't expecting anyone. He walked to the door and opened slightly only to be surprised by the person on the other side.

"Is she inside?" Jack's voice reached Helen, Will turned towards her, and she nodded in agreement.

"Yeah," Will said opening the door for him to come in. "I'll take you two need a private chat?"

"Yes," Jack nodded.

"Helen, I'll be in the cafeteria if you need me." He said after walking to her and placing a kiss on her cheek. He turned around only to glare at Jack before getting outside and asking one of the guards by the door to take him to the mess hall.

"Colonel O'Neill. To what do I owe this pleasure?" She asked once the door closed behind Will. She walked to the table and invited him to the seat. "It's not my desk, but it's the best I can currently offer," she smiled.

He opened his mouth several times, and she waited to see if something formed, but nothing did. So, after what she thought was enough time, she chuckled.

"Since you seem unable to articulate any words, allow me to guess. You aren't here to apologize; I would be unpleasantly surprised if you did," Helen affirmed.

"I don't think there's anything I need to apologize for," he frowned.

"Agreed, you did and acted in ways you thought necessary, and one should never apologize for protecting the loved ones. Which takes me to the next possibility: you are here because there's a chance I mold her into something she wasn't before me." She squinted at him. He chuckled.

"We both know that hell would freeze over before you or anyone could mold her into something she doesn't want to be mold into!"

"Touche," Helen acknowledged with a knowing smile. They fell silent for a while. She had other options to present him but wanted to give him time to arrange the words himself instead of tossing options that she knew weren't close to the real matter.

"You won't offer me a rope, right?" Jack rubbed his face.

"Oh, I could very well do that, Colonel. However, at this point, I'm afraid I would only give you enough to hang yourself instead of to help yourself." Helen pointed with a raised eyebrow.

"For crying out loud, don't do that!" He waved. "You look just too much like her when you do." Helen chuckled.

"Very well then, I'll try not to look like my daughter. So you can find the way to talk to me about her." He huffed.

"Why are you making this so complicated?" Jack asked.

"Am I?" Helen crooked her head slightly and grinned.

"Yes! No! Crap!" he rubbed his face tiredly. "I don't get it, ma'am."

"What is that you don't get, Colonel?"

"You! I don't get you! I mean, I was nothing but an idiot since we met. I treated you poorly and offended your work and all the abnormals around you. You still cured me, and never batted an eye when I said or did something that could offend you."

"As I've said several times before, Colonel. I have plenty of experience in many areas. Alas, let me show you something that not many people have seen, and you might be able to understand better exactly how much I've experienced."

She stood up and searched for something on her bags and then she doubled the left sleeve of the blouse she was wearing enough to show her forearm. Then she took out what looked like a scalpel and scraped the top layer of her skin.

"What? Stop." He said, and she shook her head.

"Don't worry, it will heal in a moment," she said, and as cleaned the blood away, he saw something on her skin that wasn't there before. "My cells retain this memory because I do. I don't allow myself to forget," once her skin was clean of blood she extender her forearm so he could see the numbers on her skin. "I was a war prisoner too, Colonel. This one, my stint at Birkenau a few months before WWII ended wasn't my first time; it is only one of the most memorable ones one who did leave a mark that I had to learn how to keep."

"You were in a concentration camp?" He frowned. She shrugged.

"As I've said, some things simply made sense when I relived my life. This one was one of those."

"What do you mean?" Jack frowned.

"Before I did the time travel, my friend James sent me this picture thinking it was a joke or a very well done photo editing. I agreed with him; it was me at a camp not looking at my best. It turned out; it wasn't fake. They found me, this me and they took me as one of their prized trophies. When they did I understood that my capture was what allowed James, Nigel and I to move freely through France. So, you'll see. I've been a prisoner before, and I had plenty of information to give that I couldn't. Including exact information on how crucial was that the Sanctuary reached to Normandy before the ships. One word about what I knew and the history would've ended up quite differently."

"Why are you showing me this?" he asked

"Well, I thought this would be enough," she said repeating the previous actions and this time white skin replaced the numbers. "But I should know better, you and I are quite alike. And I know that by first hand, Colonel. Don't you remember? Didn't you figure out why my voice has resulted known to you from the start?"

"You were there," he whispered.

"Yes, you were unconscious most of the time when they captured me. But we shared the same accommodations on that rotten jail in Iraq for the last two weeks of your capture. You were already in a complicated situation when they dragged us there. And during the two weeks we shared space your condition only worsened."

"I remember someone talking to me, telling me I needed to drink, to keep holding."

"What can I say? I don't like to lose patients, not even when there's nothing much for me to do to help them. Thankfully a local tribe had seen my team being captured and searched for help. I was the one who started the riot from inside, and they attacked from the outside. Soon, the jail was ours, I called James for supplies which he sent, and we left you and most of the prisoners once we noticed you would be able to survive."

"I owe you my life," he frowned.

"No, you owe your life to yourself, Colonel. My involvement in your situation was a plain coincidence; I was passing through the same situation and helped al in any way I could. As you might remember not all the prisoners survived." She pointed, and he nodded.

He remembered once he was back on his feet, he took the crew to the building, but prisoners were long gone. Only corpses remained behind.

"But since you've just noticed this, again I can affirm this is not why you are here."

"You are right, even if we share some things. I'm not here for a past I would rather forget."

"Oh, no, you are here for your future." She smiled. "Am I correct?" He analyzed her question and nodded.

"Answer me something," she nodded again. "Why if you know how I am, if you know what I've been through, you keep pushing me towards her? Why would you want me close to Samantha?"

"Don't you love her?" Helen frowned.

"I do," Jack answered honestly.

"Then why shouldn't I be pushing you to her?"

"I don't know; I might die? I am only a human being? I'm an old man?" She chuckled.

"We all might die, even Nikola with the right means. Human or abnormal doesn't make the slightest difference, trust me I've been in love with both kinds. And if you are an old man, well, take it for someone ancient, love is not as easy to find. You shouldn't keep it at arm's length when it is doing everything in its hands to breach the space you've placed between it and you."

"But why? Why would you do this?"

"I love her, Colonel. I've loved her my whole life. Her whole life," she smiled sadly. "And I never thought I would get a chance to meet her. However, here we are. And now I can love my daughter and show it to her in ways I never considered I would. Trust me, after all I've experienced, there's nothing I want more than Ashley and Samantha's happiness."

"That's different; they are your flesh and blood," Jack pointed.

"Well, I might be. Alas, I don't care from who their happiness comes as long as my girls know how beautiful it is to be in love and be loved. And yes, I know I sound extremely corny. But that is the truth, Colonel. I've lost enough people and at the end, the only thing they leave you are the memories."

"What if I don't deserve those memories?" he almost barked, and Helen smiled. Finding his hand, she gave it a reassuring squeeze.

"Every one of us deserves to have memories with those we love the most, in the most fulfilling ways. So, no matter how undeserving you believe you are, I will keep pushing you to Samantha." Jack opened his mouth to interrupt her, but Helen raised her hand to stop him.

"Perhaps you are right, and you don't deserve her. But have you ever considered that she does deserve to know how it feels like to wake up in the arms of the man she loves? If you agree with it, then by extension, you deserve to know how waking up to find her in your arms feels like." Helen finished. Jack cleared his throat, he wasn't a man that displayed that much emotion, but he was struggling with the feelings her words brought to him. "Wouldn't you give her that chance?"

"I would love to, ma'am. However, no matter how much you embellish it, in the end, we are bound not to make it happen. There are rules and boundaries we can't cross."

"It's that all that's keeping you from acting? I know she doesn't want to hurt your career and that's the reason why she isn't crossing them. But you? Why don't you?" Helen asked confused.

"I'm afraid that if I do, her whole career will end up being damaged. If someone is to find that we crossed the line, they will assume we have always done it. And I will get a few nods of approval for having her and possibly an offering for another retirement. But she won't be so lucky."

"And if these rules didn't apply to you?"

"Then I would've been here to ask you her hand. And of course, I would have to find a way to ask the same to Jacob."

"And then again you wonder why I'm pro Jack O'Neill." She chuckled. "Don't worry Colonel; everything will fall into place in due time. Now, will you please take me to the cafeteria? I'm starving, and my partner has been waiting for me there since you arrived."

"Sure."

Will and Daniel were talking at the cafeteria when they spotted them, William turned around the moment Daniel frowned at his back and grinned when he saw Helen and the Colonel looking civil towards each other.

"Doctor Magnus, Jack?"

"Doctor Jackson." Helen greeted him. "Thank you, Colonel. I'll go grab something to eat," she announced and Will stood up and walked with her. Daniel stared at Jack as if he had grown another head.

"What?" he asked. Daniel shook his head.

"What? You and Doctor Magnus and no animosity? It seems like the chance of her being your mother in law did change things for your relationship with her." Daniel grinned.

"Daniel," Jack warned.

"Come on, Jack. It is the truth; you were about to kill all the abnormals of the unknown world. And hated her guts! Now you are all but grabbing hands with her."

"I'm not grabbing hands. And I didn't hate them."

"Yeah, right. I heard it loud and clear how you hated them."

"I didn't. " Jack sat and sighed.

"He didn't hate us," Ashley said making Jack jump.

"I hate when you do that," he added.

"Do what?" Ashley grinned.

"You know, your magic trick."

"I walked here Colonel," Ashley grinned. "Oh man, how do you even manage to go on missions together when talking about Sam leaves you so out of touch?"

"I'm not out of touch, whatever you mean with that." Ashley raised her eyebrow. "What is it with you women and that eyebrow?" Jack waved.

"Well, I mean, you didn't hear me come. You should've. Being sneaked upon is a terrible tactic."

"Great, now I'm receiving military advice from a kid," he rolled his eyes.

"This kid has rocking techniques if you must know," she grinned turning a chair around and sitting on it. "Let me tell you, Doctor, the Colonel was only pulling up a brave angry upfront because he was scared mom would take Sam away from him."

"There's that and the likeness," Helen added seating beside Daniel. "He probably figured we were related somehow and thought that I ended as the lucky family member who won the money lottery or something."

"And he distrusted your youth," Will pointed.

"Well, you distrusted 'my youth' before," Helen smiled.

"I didn't! I thought you were out of your mind which is completely different."

"Am I not?" She chuckled. "The point is, we did have a rocky start. It is like that for most humans or unknowing abnormals. Distrusting my age is something pretty common; that's why we had to come up with the makeup in the first place."

"Everyone has a nice point; it doesn't take one thing out of you, Jack."

"What?"

"You still must talk with Sam, and explain things to her." Not quite knowing how to argue with that, Jack nodded.