Jacob sat at the briefing room table, staring in shock at the picture in his hands, the achingly familiar childish scrawl. He couldn't believe it, even with the evidence before him; he still didn't want to believe it. His daughter, a little girl again. And he'd just sent her screaming from the room, probably to never have anything to do with him ever again. Selmak sent calming waves over his mind, but they had little effect over his agitated state. Janet had called up not long ago to report that Sam had shown up in the infirmary, inconsolable, and it was all Jacob could do to not go down there and pull her in his arms, because he knew it would only make things worse. George had tried to speak words of comfort, but they'd fallen on deaf ears. Eventually, he'd given up and excused himself to show Anise to where the team of scientist where working on a possible solution to the problem with SG-1.
Jack stayed behind and tried to make Jacob see reason. "Jacob, you can't blame yourself, if anyone is to blame it's me. I should have left her in the infirmary, but I thought she'd be fine in the General's office. Look, I'm gonna go down there, and see if I can set things right like I did with Teal'c. I have a feeling she'll believe it too. Just trust me, ok?"
Jacob finally tore his eyes from the picture and met Jack's. He nodded briefly, and Selmak spoke. "This is a most difficult situation for Jacob. We appreciate everything you have done for Samantha and the other children, and hope that you will be able to heal Samantha's fear of us."
Jack nodded, and left the room, heading to the infirmary, stopping by his quarters and SG-1's locker room to pick up a few things along the way first.
Stepping into the room, he could hear the sobs right away, and quickly spotted the three children, clustered together. He could make out occasional words, namely "funny feeling," "not my daddy," "scared," "funny voice," and "ran away," repeated over and over mixed in with sobs. He spotted Dr. Fraiser nearby and made his way over to her.
"How long she been doing this?" he asked.
"Long enough. If she doesn't stop soon, I'm going to sedate her before she makes herself sick. Do you think you can get her to stop? I've tried, but she won't listen to me." Janet shook her head, distressed.
Jack shrugged. "I don't know. It worked with Teal'c, but he wasn't as upset. I can try." Janet inclined her head, indicating her willingness to let him make the attempt, and Jack approached the bed, the two boys looking up with concerned faces, making room for him to sit down.
Taking the invitation, Jack set the small box he was carrying down and sat down on the bed next to it behind the curled up body of Sam and gently laid his hand on her trembling frame. He stayed that way for several minutes, letting her gradually get used to his presence. Gently, he shifted her so that she was in his lap, and he started to rock her, crooning to her softly. Slowly, her sobs lessened, fading into hiccups and sniffles.
"Want to talk about it?" he asked finally.
"He, he wasn't my D-daddy, was he?" She sniffled, her voice sounding uncertain.
"Well, yes and no." Jack kept his arms around her, one hand making soothing circles on her back.
"Wha-what do you mean?" Her brow was knit in confusion.
"It's a long story kiddo. Teal'c knows some of it. I brought a few things to help explain. Basically he's not the Dad you remember, but in a way, he is still your dad. Like I said, long story, but you're a smart kiddo, and I think you'll figure it out."
He turned to include Danny and Teal'c in the conversation. "Teal'c already kinda knows a little bit about what's going on." Teal'c nodded solemnly. Jack took a breath, and pulled the box over, lifting out a picture from the top, motioning Danny over. The boy came somewhat reluctantly, but nonetheless came and sat by his side. He held the picture so both Sam and Daniel could see it. It was the same photo he'd shown Teal'c last week.
"Who are those people Colonel Jack? They look nice." Sam snuggled into his embrace and looked up at him expectantly.
Jack smiled. "They are very nice, the nicest people I know. They happen to be you all in fact, look very closely, and tell me what you think."
Sam and Daniel looked at him skeptically at first, and then they peered closely at the picture. He watched as they looked at each other, silently conferring in the way they had so many times over the past week, looking over at their shoulders to Teal'c for silent confirmation. Teal'c nodded, showing his agreement, and they turned back to the picture.
Finally, Sam looked up at Jack. "What year is it?"
He'd expected the question coming. "2003."
They were silent a moment. "I heard them say it on TV, but I didn't really think about it, I thought they were just making it up. And I know things looked different, funny. Now it makes sense. That means I'm, thirty- thirty…" Her face screwed up as she struggled with the math of working out her age.
He hugged her, and saved her the trouble. "Yes." He answered simply.
"Does that mean I can drink beer now?"
The question coming from her seven year old mouth so shocked him he nearly dropped her. Laughing, he shook his head. "No, absolutely not. No cigarettes either, and you are absolutely not dating or driving anything with a motor on it for at least another eight or nine years. Longer maybe for dating. Until you're thirty maybe."
She shrugged, not really concerned. "Boys are gross anyway. Can I still have ice cream even though I'm a grown up?"
"Yes, you can still have ice cream." He smiled into her hair.
"I'm really old, aren't I?" Jack cringed at the question, thinking of his own age.
"I don't think that's all that old," he replied defensively.
"Are you kidding, that's positively ancient!" piped up Daniel.
Jack sighed as the conversation degenerated into a debate on how old was ancient, and Jack decided not to share the tidbit on how old Teal'c really was. The boy shared a look with him, and Jack smiled back. Eventually the conversation wound back around to the subject of Sam's father.
"Colonel Jack? Is that really my Daddy up there?" she asked again, coming back to curl into his side. Her voice was quiet. The boys settled down from the boisterous debate and came to listen too. Anything that concerned Sam concerned them too.
"Yeah, he is, he's just different than you remember him being." Turning, he reached into the box again and pulled out another picture, this one of the older Sam and her father on a distant planet. It was one that Carter tended to keep in her locker. It had been taken on one of the Tok'ra bases, so he was wearing the now familiar Tok'ra garb. The two had their arms around each other and were smiling at the camera. Jack remembered Daniel taking the picture.
Sam studied the picture. "He looks happy." She looked up at him, her face thoughtful. "When he talked sometimes, his voice sounded funny. Why is that Colonel Jack?"
Pulling her close, Jack tried to explain. "Well, you see sweetie, your Daddy was very sick once, so sick he almost died. But he was very lucky. You see, because we had the Stargate, we, your grown up selves and I, found a group of people named the Tok'ra, that need human bodies in order to live. In exchange for using our human bodies, they can make someone that is sick all better. So that's what happened, your Daddy now has a Tok'ra, called a symbiote, living with him in his head, and in return, it made him better."
"Does it hurt?" Sam was concerned.
"No, it doesn't hurt, the symbiote makes it better. Your Dad's symbiote has a name, its Selmak. Your Dad can actually talk to Selmak inside his head, just like Selmak can talk to us using the funny voice you heard. That's how we know that it's Selmak talking, and not your Dad."
"Weird," she said, the one word summing up his feeling for the entire situation of Tok'ra exactly.
He smiled, and gave her a hug. "Yep. You think you're up to going back up there and meet him again? He'd really like to see you."
"Will you stay with me?" Her small hand wormed its way into his and clung desperately.
He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. "Definitely." He sent a look over to the two boys. "You ok with all this Danny?" The boy nodded, and Jack ruffled his hair. "You two wait down here. Sam and I will be back later."
They made their way to the briefing room, Sam clinging to his hand the entire way. As soon as they entered the room, she pressed against his legs, moving slightly behind him, her other hand moving to grip his arm. Jacob was still seated at the table and he looked up at their entry.
"Sammy?" he said, and started to rise, but stopped when she pressed even tighter to Jack's side. "I won't hurt you Sammy. It's really me, Daddy." Emotions played across Jacob's face. Hurt, sadness, fear of rejection, pain at the terror he'd caused in his small daughter, and worry over the changes wrought by her current state. Many others flitted across his face that Jack couldn't identify.
"Are you really my Daddy?" Sam's voice was soft, barely above a whisper.
"Yes sweetie, it's me. I'm still in here." Jacob did his best to put all the reassurance he could muster into his voice.
"And you really have a symbee a-a Simba inside your head?" Sam hesitated over the unfamiliar word, and then boldly pressed on. "Colonel Jack said you were sick and it made you all better." Doubt crept into her voice.
He smiled at her new name for the word symbiote. "Yes, her name is Selmak, and she saved my life, and now we stay together."
"You can talk to her? What do you do if you get mad at her?" Sam's curiosity was getting the better of her, and her death grip on Jack's hand was starting to loosen.
"Well that doesn't happen very often. Usually, we get along very well. In fact, Selmak has a great sense of humor." Jacob smiled at the little girl, amazement starting to play across his features. It had been so long since she'd been that small, and yet, she had never lost her wonder at the world. She'd just become a bit more tactful.
Sam perked up at that tidbit of information, finally letting go of Jack's hand and taking a few steps towards her father. "Really? Does Selmak know any good jokes?" All shyness and fear forgotten, she climbed up in the chair next to Jacob, making it spin slightly until she grabbed the table to stop it. She plopped down in the seat, her head and shoulders just cleared the table, and her legs stuck out straight in the chair. She faced her father expectantly, waiting for her question to be answered.
He looked at her, and grinned. "Jokes eh? Well, Selmak always liked this one." He took a breath. "So, what animal should you never play poker with?" At Sam's blank look, he replied, "A cheetah."
Sam giggled. "I have one! What planet is the most musical?" Her face was completely serious.
Jacob sent a blank look over to Jack, who was still standing by the doorway. Jack shrugged helplessly. "I don't know Sam." Jacob answered her finally. "Which one?"
"NepTUNE!" Sam shouted gleefully, giggling at their startled looks.
"That's a good one sweetheart." Jacob smiled affectionately at his daughter, and was possessed by the desire to hug her, but didn't want to startle her, not when things were going so well. Suddenly, Sam climbed to her knees in the chair and held her arms out, her invitation clear. Eyes moist, Jacob leaned forward and pulled her across the space and into his lap, surprised at how neatly she fit, just like he remembered.
She snuggled into his embrace, her head tucked under his chin. "I love you Daddy," he heard her whisper.
Gently, he brushed a kiss on her forehead, smoothing back her soft blonde hair. "I love you too baby, forever and always."
They stayed like that for some time, but eventually, she began to fidget and squirm, as if uncomfortable. Sensing something was wrong, Jacob looked down at her in concern. "Sam, what's wrong honey?"
"My back feels funny." She wriggled a big more.
"Funny?" his brow furrowed, and then Selmak prompted him and he realized just what young Sam might be referring to. Looking over to Jack, he said, "Selmak thinks she means the naquadah."
Jack had been standing quietly in the doorway, reluctant to break the tender moment, but not wanting to leave in case things got tense again, so had stayed quietly out of the way in the doorway. "She doesn't know about Jolinar. It wasn't really an issue."
Jacob nodded. "Ok, I think I can explain it in a way she'll understand, you told her the rest more or less? About being a grown up, and me?" Jack nodded. "Okay." Jacob turned his attention to the little girl in his lap.
"Sammy, you know how I have Selmak inside my head?" Sam nodded. "Well, at one point, your grown up self had a symbiote too, her name was Jolinar. But there was an accident, and Jolinar had to go away. But because Jolinar had been inside of you, you can feel when there are other people around that have a symbiote inside of them like me. That's what that funny feeling in your back means. Understand?" Sam's face was thoughtful.
"Was I sad?" She leaned against her father's chest, arms wrapped around his.
"Yes." Jack answered, remembering the days after the incident. "But you got better. And then you took us to meet the people that introduced us to Selmak."
Sam took in this new bit of information, and turned around in her father's arms. "Can I meet Selmak? Colonel Jack says we can talk to Selmak, that when Selmak talks it makes your voice sound funny."
Jacob nodded, and bowed his head. "Hello Samantha, it is a pleasure to meet you. I am sorry I frightened you earlier." The dual tones made Sam blink, causing her to shift back in Jacob's lap slightly, and Selmak made sure that she felt she wasn't being held there if she didn't want to stay.
Sam looked curiously into her father's face, but other than the voice, she couldn't tell any difference. She narrowed her eyes slightly. "Doesn't it get dark in there when you aren't doing anything?"
Selmak smiled. "I can see and hear everything that is going on, even if I am not speaking, so no, it doesn't get dark."
"Oh. That's good." She frowned. "Thank you for making my Daddy all better when he was sick." Impulsively, Sam kneeled on her father's lap and hugged the Tok'ra, planting a kiss on his cheek. Selmak looked surprised at the display of affection. "Can I talk to my Daddy again please?"
With a bow of his head, Jacob's voice was again normal. "You doing ok sweetie?"
"Yes Daddy." She snuggled back into his embrace. "I'm hungry though."
Jacob laughed. "I guess we should go find lunch then."
"We left Teal'c and Danny in the infirmary," Jack spoke up.
"I'd like to meet them too, why don't we get them and George and Anise, and see about feeding this little one?" He stood up, taking Sam by the hand; relieved they'd mended her fears of him. He'd been so afraid she'd want nothing to do with him when he'd seen how terrified she'd been.
A/N: I had toast for breakfast. Oh, and Ben and Jerry's at work. (Blushes) (How exciting my life is.) :P
Anyway, wanted to explain that I was just possessed by a need to write a scene where Sam reconciled her fear of her father by cracking jokes with him. I'd envisioned a sort of age old father daughter thing where they were always trying to find jokes and riddles for each other, so naturally, when Jake explained that Selmak had an excellent sense of humor, of course Selmak would become Sam's new friend too.
And children are a most wondrous source of silly jokes and riddles. The cheetah joke came from Laurie, one of the traveling respiratory therapists from work. She gets jokes from her nieces and patients. The NepTUNE! joke was compliments of Janissima. Second graders of course being a never-ending source of amusement I imagine!