Jack O'Neill sat at his desk, staring at a couple of sheets of paper. All three were from the extensive confidentiality agreement that SGC personnel had to sign. All three were pulled from the same file of Dr. Grace Jacklyn Carter. And all three had different signatures.
The first had been a clear, straightforward, contemporary cursive. It had shown up in the document the most frequently. But three times, he had run into a similar handwriting that had a definite slant with more prominent curly-cues, and looked remarkably like Samantha Carter's handwriting. The last frightened him above all. It had shown up once in the document- the hastily scribbled print that was almost identical to his own.
He sighed and picked up the phone. He pressed '1' on the speed dial and waited.
"Daniel Jackson."
"Daniel. It's me."
"jack! How're you?"
"I'm fine, but the security on your base seems to be a little lax."
"What makes you say that?"
"In the last week, you seem to have hired not one, but three new scientists, all with the same name."
"What are you talking about?"
"I have three sheets from the confidentiality agreement that Dr. Carter signed. And each one features a prominent signature that looks distinctly different from its predecessor."
"What?"
"Well, one looks…normal. It's the most commonly used."
"The other two have me worried, however…they seem to be in Carter's and my handwriting."
"Well, that's weird."
"Tell me about it."
Daniel thought for a moment. "Jack…what happened eighteen years ago? Why did Sam leave?"
"Daniel, I've told you before…I don't…now what the hell does that have to with this?"
"Trust me. I know there's something that you're not telling me."
"If I didn't tell you then, it was because it was none of your damned business!"
"Jack! Whatever happened eighteen years ago is affecting the way my base is operating. I believe it is my business! AND…I haven't seen the woman who was like my little sister for over eighteen years! I have a right to know what happened!"
"What are you saying, Daniel?" Jack asked, his voice deadly silent, indicating that he had picked up on the hint that Daniel had thrown his way.
"Grace Jacklyn Carter is Samantha Carter's daughter."
His breath caught. He had suspected that her sudden departure had been somehow connected to their time as Tok'ra hosts, but…
"Colonel, you don't remember anything about the last six weeks?"
Jack looked at the doctor. "Six weeks?"
"You were blended with a Tok'ra symbiote. You were about to die."
"I got a SNAKE in my head? What was I on?"
"A fever of 104 degrees Fahrenheit."
"Oh."
"You and Major Carter were sent to the Tok'ra. If I understand correctly, you were both sent undercover."
He choked. "Together?"
Janet looked at him, somewhat concerned. "I don't know."
"Jack, the tests that Cassie ran during Grace's physical verified that Grace is your daughter as well."
"I'll be there in two and a half hours." He said, standing.
"Jack…"
There was no answer as Jack O'Neill had hung up the phone and was racing out the door.
"Damn!" The archaeologist said as he hung up his end of the phone.
--
Jack O'Neill hurried down the halls of level 27 of the Cheyenne Mountain complex. A flurry of salutes greeted him, but he could barely see anything but red. She had borne his child with no indication to him of his parenthood.
He scarcely registered that he was at the SGC and after what seemed to be no time, Jack arrived at Daniel's office door.
"Jack!"
"Where is she?"
"Jack, I think you need to calm down. She's…well, she's not what you'd expect."
"Daniel! She's my daughter!"
"I know." Daniel said, his clam voice in direct contrast to Jack's ranting voice. "But since I was there when she signed all of those papers, and can verify that she's passed our physical and psychological evaluations, I can tell you that she's obviously dealing with something."
"Daniel, she's eighteen. She shouldn't have to have the weight of the world on her shoulders!"
There was a timid knock on the door as Grace walked into view. "I'm sorry." She said, turning as if to leave.
"No. Grace…" Daniel said, leaving his desk and hurrying toward the door.
She stopped. "Yes?"
He led her into the room. "I have someone I'd like you to meet: General Jack O'Neill."
Grace took one look at the face of her father and collapsed.
