"Here, baby…"

Jake looked up at Nate with brown eyes watery from crying and regarded the bottle in the retired general's hand skeptically. Nathan couldn't help the gentle smile as he pressed the nipple lightly against the lower lip that was sticking out.

"Go on, big guy, you know you want it."

Well, maybe he did. But he wasn't quite ready to admit it just then. Instead, the baby turned his head and looked over at the two labs who were watching the proceedings with interest. Jaffer rumbled cheerfully deep in his chest at the baby's glance, and Bubba answered with his own chuffing noise.

"He's no better at paying attention than Ian was, is he?" Ian Piper asked, grinning when Nate tried to draw the baby's attention back to the bottle he was trying to give him. The colonel had been over at the Brooks' home for several hours, now, watching the news and enjoying the battle of wills between Jake and Nate.

"He's just being stubborn," Nathan said, echoing Piper's smile. He didn't mind at all. Jake was a welcomed addition to the household just then – as was Jaffer. "He probably gets that from Jack."

Jake looked back up at the sound of Nathan's voice, and Nate tried the bottle again while he had his attention. He almost had him convinced that he was hungry when the phone rang, drawing Jake's gaze towards the sound.

"Get that, Ian, will you?"

Piper reached over and picked up the phone, not getting up from the easy chair he was in.

"Hello?" A smile creased his handsome face, and he looked over at Nate, holding the phone out to him. "It's for you."

"I have an armful of baby, Ian. Who is it?"

"Just take the call, Nate. Give me Jake."

The two men smoothly transferred Jake over to Ian's arms, and Nate took the phone while Ian took the bottle.

"Hello?"

"Where did you get an armful of baby?" the voice on the other end asked.

Nate smiled, feeling a surge of relief.

"Maggie! Where are you?"

"Paris."

"Are you all right?"

"Everything is crazy here, but I imagine it's no worse than anywhere else."

"Are you all right?" Nate repeated.

"I'm fine, Nathan. If I play my cards right, I should be home tomorrow."

Nate frowned.

"How are you going to do that? I thought all air travel was suspended…"

"All civilian flights," she corrected. "The French Ambassador has graciously offered to fly the entire group home tomorrow on a military flight."

Nate turned to look at the TV, which was showing yet another one of the alien aircraft – this time flying over Big Ben in London.

"Absolutely not, Maggie."

"What?"

"The last thing I want is for you to be in a plane in the same airspace as one of those things. Go to the American Embassy and stay there. That way I'll know where to find you."

"Nathan, I don't-"

"Maggie," he interrupted, uncharacteristically. "Just do it baby. It's not safe to be in the skies right now – that's why they cancelled those flights in the first place."

There was a hesitation on the other end while she thought about what he was saying, but she finally replied.

"All right."

He breathed a sigh of relief that he didn't bother to hide from either her or Piper.

"Good. If anything happens, I'll get you out of there, but for now the safest place you can be is on the ground."

"All right, Nathan." She wouldn't tell him he was probably right, but he probably was – and she knew it. "Now, are you going to tell me where you got a baby?"

"It's Jake. Sam and Jack had to leave him and Jaffer when they headed back to Colorado when this whole thing started."

"And Ian?"

"He went with them."

"Do you think that's safe?"

He had no idea. But there was no way he'd ever admit that to Maggie. There was no reason she should worry, too.

"It's probably the safest place on the planet right now, Maggie. When they get through to check on Jake I'll check on Ian, but I'm sure he's fine."

"All right…"

She didn't sound convinced, but she didn't want him to worry about her worrying about Ian.

"I better go."

"Okay. Keep in touch, though."

"I will."

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

The line went dead, and Nate set the phone back in its cradle.

"She's going to stay at the embassy."

"Good." Piper looked down at Jake, who was now busy with the bottle he'd been ignoring earlier. "You realize that leaves you to have to change the diapers all by yourself, though…"

Nate snorted.

"Why do you think I kept you around?"

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Is it the same one?"

Hammond shrugged, but none of the people who were gathered around the monitor saw the motion. They were all too busy looking at the screen that showed – quite plainly – a Ha'tak flying over Big Ben.

"The press is having a field day with this…" one of the techs said.

"There's no way they're going to be able to spin this one," another person said.

Hammond secretly agreed, but he scowled anyways. He looked over at Jacob Carter, who had walked through the gate only a minute before, with Pia at his side.

"What did you find out, Jacob?" he asked the Tok'ra.

"Quite a bit," Jacob answered, his own eyes glued to the screen as well. "Let's go someplace and talk."

Hammond nodded, and gestured for Jacob and Pia to lead the way towards the briefing room, and turned to Harriman.

"Call SG-1 to the briefing room, please – as well as Doctor McKay," he added almost as an afterthought.

"Yes, sir."

Harriman turned for the phone as Hammond headed for the briefing room.

OOOOOOOOOOOO

The phone rang in Sam's lab, and she frowned at the interruption, even as she reached for it.

"Major O'Neill."

McKay frowned as well, looking up from the papers he'd been studying.

"What?"

Sam ignored him, listening to the voice on the other end. Then she hung up.

"We're wanted in the briefing room."

McKay's eyes went to Sam's hand, and he scowled, but Sam wasn't paying attention to him. She was looking at Ian, who was sitting at her desk where he'd been for almost an hour now. His head was in his hands, and he actually looked more like he was in pain than in thought. And he hadn't looked up when she'd answered the phone.

"Ian?"

He looked up, then, but his eyes were barely opened, and his expressive face was contorted with pain.

"Are you all right?" Sam asked, frowning.

He nodded.

"My head hurts, is all… What's up?"

"We're wanted in the briefing room…" Sam told him, really concerned now, since there was no way he hadn't heard her just say that.

"Why?"

"My dad just arrived, and he apparently has some information for us. Are you sure you're okay?"

Ian nodded, gingerly, and stood up.

"Let's go."

He didn't even take one step; however, before he crumbled to the floor, and it was so sudden Sam didn't have a chance to even try to catch him.

She jumped forward, kneeling at his side, and turned to McKay, who was staring at them.

"Call for a medic!"

"What?"

"Now, McKay!"

Startled at the fierceness in her tone, Rodney reached for the phone she'd abandoned.