Jack tried to listen to the Secretary of Defense. It was important, after all, and it had everything to do with him – at least it would if he was the one who was tapped to head the Homeworld Defense Organization. But he couldn't help but look over at Ian every few minutes, and he knew that Sam was doing the same thing. They'd done a lousy job of telling him about the possible changes in the wind, especially since they hadn't even prepared him for the possibility. Of course, it was short notice, but that really wasn't much of an excuse. Daniel and Teal'c had been told, after all, and while both of them were just as chagrined at the way things were changing, they had had a chance to get used to the idea – at least a little. Enough that they weren't floored like Ian had been, anyways.

"While I agree with the need to form the organization, I'm not entirely certain I approve of having a member of the United State's armed forces leading it…"

Jack turned his attention from Ian to the discussion in time to see the delegate from India standing and addressing the group. He was met with a delegate from the French.

"Colonel O'Neill is uniquely qualified to-"

Before the French diplomat could finish his statement, however, the Indian representative interrupted.

"There must be others. You heard the boy. He has it, so others must. We have no true certainty of where O'Neill's loyalties lie, after all. There must be someone who-"

Despite his hurt, shock and anger at Jack just then, Ian was the first to speak up – and he didn't ask for permission, first.

"Are you stupid? Or just completely uninformed?" He asked, looking at the delegate with his most contemptuous look – which for him was impressive, since he was contemptuous of pretty much everything around him most of the time. "Jack just risked his life – and the lives of his wife and closest friends – to save the Earth, and your ungrateful ass. I'd say that makes it pretty clear just where his loyalties lie, wouldn't you?"

"Hear, hear!" the Soviet diplomat said, bowing slightly to Ian and smiling uncharacteristically at Jack. "I – and my superiors – have no question where his loyalties lie. We, more than anyone perhaps, have had more dealings with O'Neill and the SGC through the years, and while he is fiercely loyal to his own people, he has also proven to us without a doubt that this planet's safety is paramount to him."

The Indian delegate scowled, but sat down without saying anything, and Jack looked over at Ian, who refused to look in that direction at all.

"He doesn't look like him, but he certainly sounds like Nathan…" Sam heard the Secretary of the Air Force say softly to one of the Generals sitting beside him.

The other man nodded, and she looked over to see Ian's reaction, but he wasn't looking at her. She caught Jack's gaze, which was as worried and helpless as her own, but neither could say anything just then, because Hammond had opened the floor to any more debate about other people who might be on the list of people for the head of the Homeworld Defense Organization. A very short list since they'd already agreed that they wanted someone who was able to operate it, and there were only two people who fit that description so far. And there was no way in the world any of them wanted Ian Brooks in such a position.

A short description of what the HDO would be responsible for doing, and a reminder that they would create a committee that the organization would be answerable to, and then the President turned to Jack and officially offered him the position.

Ian's eyes were haunted when Jack accepted the job, and he lurched to his feet and staggered out the door without a glance back, shrugging off the help of the medic Fraiser had left to assist him and McKay.

Hammond looked over at Jack, who was watching the door but had to turn back to the room filled with politicians, since they were all watching him. They'd have to talk to Ian, but not right then. No matter how much he wanted to follow him and make things right between them again.

OOOOOOOOOOO

Fraiser frowned when she saw Ian limping through the door of the infirmary, completely alone and wearing an odd expression that Janet couldn't even begin to decipher. He went past her office without a word or even looking, and went straight to his bed, stopping only long enough to pull all the privacy curtains closed around him to block out the rest of the world.

She looked over at the medic who had followed Ian into the room.

"What was that all about?"

The man shrugged.

"I'm not sure, but he's not happy…"

OOOOOOOOO

The rest of the discussions didn't last all that long. Now that they had the bare bones of an idea for the WDO – and someone picked to run it – they knew that it would give them something more to tell the media – the media of all their nations, who were breathing down their collective necks in anticipation of some kind of solution to the new threat of alien invasion. This would be the best announcement they could make, and they needed to get a speechwriter on it as soon as possible.

"Too bad Hammond didn't have this gene…" one of the Air Force generals said as they were dispersing for the morning. "He'd be an even better choice that O'Neill, really…what with the fact that everyone in Washington already knows him – and the wild popularity that's going to come with the release of the final version of the events of the last few days."

"I have other plans for General Hammond," Hayes said, walking past the men, who were standing close to where Jack and the others were; Jack surrounded by several of the delegates who were congratulating him.

"He's leaving the SGC?" one of the Generals asked, surprised.

Although it wasn't mandatory that the President of the United States answer to any of his generals, Hayes nodded.

"Yes."

"Then who is going to run things here? Major O'Neill?"

Hayes snorted.

"She's too bright to be wasted on command of this facility… we have plenty of places that we need her more. Besides, she's not a General officer and that's what we'll need…I just need to convince the man that he's the right one for the job…"

He walked out of the room, followed by his secret service agents and by the rest of the people in the room, and Sam turned to Daniel, split between being annoyed that she wasn't even considered for command of the SGC – which she didn't really even want, of course – and satisfaction at being called too bright for the job (although Hammond was a genius in his own way and she knew it).

"Who do you think he means?"

Daniel shrugged.

"How should I know? I think I know… three generals in the entire military. What are you going to do about Ian?"

She sighed at the sudden change of topic, and shook her head.

"I'm going to go talk to him… hopefully I can get him to understand that none of this is persona-"

"No." Jack interrupted her, his brown eyes serious. "I'm going to go talk to him."

This one was his responsibility – even though Sam was far better at it than he was.