"You're going to get me in trouble someday…"
Cassie smiled, looking over at him as the two sat at a table in the deserted commissary sharing a late night meal.
"Like you need my help for that?"
"If your mom knew what we just-"
"She won't find out – although I'm pretty sure she already suspects…"
Ian flushed, guiltily, and took a bite out of the sandwich he was eating. The good thing about the commissary was that there was always a sandwich that could be eaten – and jell-o.
"I can't believe you came here just to seduce me."
She giggled.
"I did not."
He held his hands up, giving her an amused look.
"But you did."
"That's not the only reason," Cassie said, flicking a spoonful of jell-o at him. "I was worried about you. Mom wouldn't let me come and see you, and the mountain's pretty much sealed shut."
He nodded.
"That's because of the press – and all the head honchos we have visiting."
"I heard they were talking about making General Hammond head of the Homeworld Defense Organization…"
Ian scowled.
"No. They're going to make Jack head of it."
She gave him an incredulous look.
"Really?"
"Yeah."
"What about SG-1?"
He shrugged, trying to pretend a nonchalance that he definitely didn't feel.
"It'll be split up, I guess…"
"That's crazy!"
He just shrugged again, and Cassie reached out and caught his hand, her gaze firmly on his own.
"What are you going to do?"
He shook his head.
"I don't know. Maybe I'll quit the Air Force and go do R and D somewhere…"
She frowned.
"You don't mean that…"
He wanted to tell her he did mean it, but he couldn't lie.
"No."
"Then what are you going to do?" she asked, obviously concerned.
"I don't have a clue," he admitted. "There's a woman here who thinks we should go back to Atlantis and see what else is there. She asked me to go, too."
"That's crazy."
He smiled.
"That's what I said."
"You told her no?"
"Pretty much."
"What did she say?"
He shrugged.
"I have a feeling she's going to try anyways… with or without me. If she manages to convince the bigwigs, she's going to get a lot of people killed."
Cassie frowned.
"You've been to Atlantis. It's not that dangerous, is it?"
He told her about the latest trip – and how only he and McKay had actually made it.
"There's no guarantee that anyone will get through to the other side," he finished. "Who knows what'll happen to the next group."
She frowned.
"General Hammond won't let it happen…"
"He's not going to be the one who decides," Ian reminded her.
Oh yeah.
"So what if they decide to go? Are you going to go, too?"
He frowned. The dream Cassie's arrival had interrupted might have been strictly from some obscure memory hidden deep in his mind, but he didn't think so. At least, he didn't think it was one of his own. He thought – maybe – that it was from the Ancients. Maybe a memory of a scan they'd done of a planet or something. He hadn't imagined Alexander's voice – or appearance – in the dream, and that was what made him think that maybe the Ancient had been planning on letting him in on a little more information. Or maybe had been ready to tell him a weather report. Who knew?
The city in the dream had been decimated. Maybe by the Wraith? Or maybe it was an earthquake or something completely natural. He wasn't all that adept at reading that kind of situation. Maybe Jack or Teal'c could have been able to tell from a glance if it was damage done naturally or by an outside force, but Ian couldn't.
Were the Wraith still in the Pegasus galaxy? It'd been a long, long time, after all. Maybe they were as gone as the Ancients were. Atlantis was still in one piece, after all, and if there were still Wraith, then by now they'd surely have found a way to sack the city – even if it was underwater. They could go through the Stargate, or something…
What if they were gone? Did that mean that-
A cold nose pressing up against his side shocked him out of his musings, and he looked down, startled to see Jaffer standing beside his chair. For such a large dog, the lab could be silent when he wanted to. Obviously, since he'd just managed to sneak up on the two of them without being heard.
"What are you two doing in here?"
They both looked over, guiltily, and saw Jack coming across the room, holding Jake in his arms. The baby had obviously woken his father up, and Jack had just as obviously brought him out to the commissary to keep from having Sam woken as well.
"Eating," Ian said, flushing slightly and glad the room wasn't as light as it normally was.
Jack came over and sat down beside Cassie, who smiled and held her hand out to Jake so he could grab her finger. Which he did. Although he was looking over at Ian.
"Does your mom know you're here?"
"She's asleep."
He looked at Ian.
"Does she know you're out of bed?"
The New Yorker handed Jaffer the last of his sandwich – which vanished in an instant.
"She's asleep. I didn't want to wake her up."
Boy, wasn't that an understatement?
"Are you really going to be head of the Homeworld Defense, Jack?" Cassie asked.
O'Neill frowned, giving Ian a look that said he didn't really appreciate the news getting out already. Of course, Cassie could be trusted with the information – she'd proven that a long time ago – so it wasn't as if he'd spouted it to the press or anything.
He nodded, trying to hold his son, who was suddenly squirming.
"It looks that way, yeah."
She smiled.
"Congratulations."
"Thanks, Cass."
She frowned, suddenly, as she realized something else.
"Wait a minute… you're not moving to Washington DC are you?"
That was, after all, where every other government department was located.
Jack shook his head, barely managing to keep from dropping Jake, who was now twisted completely in his arms and hanging almost upside down, looking at Ian.
"Not if I can help it."
Ian looked at him, surprised.
"You're not?"
"Are you kidding? Do you know how many politicians live in DC?" Jack righted Jake – at least for the moment – and he gave Ian an unreadable look. "I don't have any intention of becoming a politician, and I'm sure as hell not going to live next door to them…"