9
Oh boy! The looks on their faces! He had never seen a 50 odd year old blush before and the man turned his back on everyone and the cough was back. Sam just looked stunned and had her mouth open, like a gold fish. Her eyes kept darting to her COs back and then to Thor.
Julie grabbed Sam by the arm and dragged her closer to them "He's damn cute, you have to admit it" she told his sister. Sam just started to include Julie in her look of disbelief.
O'Neill walked to the door and left the room Sam closed her eyes and then speared the alien with a look.
"Thor! You know what I told you the last time you mentioned it!"
"I do indeed Colonel Carter, however I thought it was time to bring up the subject with O'Neill as you have not done anything about our request…"
"Thor! I was engaged to someone else!"
"Does the use of past tense mean that is no longer the case?" he asked "It would be beneficial to both our races if O'Neills DNA was not lost, he is very advanced"
"You have the clone! There is a chance that he will have children!" she was upset now, Mark could tell, however he could NOT tell if it was because she did not want to think of having Jacks children or because she did and their working situation meant that they couldn't do anything about it.
"Would you be willing to mate with the O'Neill clone?" she was asked
"For crying out loud he's 16 years old!" she shouted, oh yeah his sister with someone young enough to be her son! He could see that happening… NOT!
"I could always bring the idea to the president as I told you when I was deploying the satellite" Thor said
"NO!" she almost screamed. "Look Thor, I appreciate what you are saying, I do, and if things were different, if Jac…If the General was not my commanding officer, then I would consider it" hell Mark could she would MORE than consider it! "but as the rules are and as things stand, Jack has a girlfriend, and the SGC needs us both… and … and" she trailed off, like a clockwork toy when the spring run down.
"If all these things were no longer an issue?"
"But they are Thor! There is no what ifs…" she walked over to the window and looked out.
Julie walked up to her and put an arm around her shoulder "You actually love him, don't you?" her voice drifted back to him
"More than I can say, but…" she lay her head on her sister-in-laws shoulder. Mark caught movement out of the corner of his eye and noticed that Jack was back in the room, and by the look on his face he had heard… probably everything, including that last confidence between the women. He looked stricken, as if someone had stabbed him in the guts.
Mark walked over to the older man "and you love her" he stated, hopefully so the women couldn't hear them Jack nodded to him but wouldn't say anything aloud.
He coughed "So I take it you want Johns imbalance fixing?" he said and Sam spun around to face them.
"Yeah, sorry for being such and idiot earlier" Mark apologised
"Hey when it's your kid… you go kind of nuts" he said understandingly
"And thanks for getting him help in the first place" the older man just waved at him in dismissal, which irritated Mark no end. Was he totally incapable of accepting praise? Or thanks?
While the small alien was moving things about on his board the girls were talking over against the window, and a slight hum had started from the bed his son was on so he could no longer hear what they were saying.
Suddenly a bright light shone in the room and an object appeared out of thin air on the podium, Thor picked it up and took it over to the girls. He handed it to Sam and she nodded while Julie looked at it curiously, Sam handed it to Julie and the thing glowed, as she handed it back, the glow died.
"Well I guess that proves it" Sam said over the noise of the bed. "Catch sir" she tossed the stone and Jack reached out and caught it, seemingly without even looking at it as it flew towards him. The stone glowed VERY brightly
"Sweet… what is it?" he asked tossing it up and down and watching it flicker on and off as he did so, a slight smile at the corner of his mouth.
"It only glows when someone with the active Ancient gene holds it O'Neill" Thor told them "the brighter the glow the stronger the genetic advantage"
He kept tossing the stone and watching the glow dim as it got further from his hand until Sam went up and snatched it out of the air in annoyance, as she turned away Mark saw the same grin on Jacks face that he had seen in the restaurant when Sam had told him and Daniel off for arguing.
Thor spoke "The boy is well again, would you like me to return you to the place I picked you up from?" the lid on the bed moved back and Mark and Julie moved to either side of their son.
"Yeah Thor, do that, and put both kids in the bed you got Alison from" Jack said "and thanks for your help"
"I am glad I was available for you" the little man answered and moved another stone on the podium the white light appeared and then they were all in Jacks living room again.
Julie ran to the kids as Jack and Sam sat down. She came back carrying a sleepy, but otherwise unharmed child who rubbed his eyes and said in a clear voice "I want to go back to bed", the longest sentence Mark could remember him ever saying without being prompted. Julie sat on the sofa next to Sam and held him on her knee.
Jack stood and said "Right, I better get back to the mountain, we'll talk tomorrow folks, about everything" he crossed to the door and turned "You OK Carter?"
"Yes sir," Sam said "Thanks" she nodded down at her sleeping nephew, Jack waved his hand and left the building.
"So what, exactly, happened with his son?" Julie asked.
Mark sat on the arm of the sofa and brushed his sons hair away from his face "Charlie… Charlie shot himself" Sam told them "he was about the same age as Alison when he died" it explained the violent reaction the man had when John was injured and then he heard he would be OK. "According to Daniel, Jack blamed himself for not securing the weapon properly, and for a time he was…" she could not say it, but Mark understood
"Suicidal?" she closed her eyes and nodded.
"He went through the Stargate that first time not expecting to come back" she told the shocked couple
"And the Air Force ordered him to do it? Even knowing he had just lost his son?" Mark spat the words out
"Mark! You have to understand, any of us… all of us… are willing to give everything we have for the safety of Earth, no matter what! We want YOU to be safe!"
"I'm sure we are grateful Sam, but that does not excuse the force using a man in that state of mind!" he could see she agreed with him, but she wouldn't admit it.
He decided to leave it until the talk the next day and offered to put his son to bed again. Sam stood and said goodnight and left, taking her Volvo and leaving the keys to the truck on the hall table. Mark and Julie got ready for bed without saying anything, and when they were laid side by side, they rolled into each other and held themselves until the trembling stopped and they could finally sleep.