A/N: Thank you very much for the response to the previous chapter. It's nice to see that there are still people out there, who read this story. As always thanks to Byrthelm for his invaluable help. And now, I hope you will enjoy this chapter!

CHAPTER 6

She didn't think that she had ever been so relieved in her life as in the moment when they nudged the luckless X-301 and got a reaction from Jack. For a couple of seconds she felt like her heart had stopped and her stomach twisted painfully, when they didn't get any acknowledgement from either O'Neill or Teal'c that they noticed her, Daniel and Jacob's arrival. She feared that they were too late and she wasn't sure what she wanted to do most: to cry, scream or throw up. She prayed for any sign that they were still alive and when they finally got one, it took all her willpower not to throw herself at Daniel or Jacob in a welter of relief and happiness, but focus on getting Jack and Teal'c into the ship.

To say that she was surprised to see that the Tok'ra they came to find was her father would be a huge understatement. Even though she was aware that it was possible as neither she nor Daniel knew who exactly they were looking for but he was one of the last of their allies she expected to see. She wasn't sure if she was happy about the meeting because of it's potential to end disastrously, especially if Jacob realised that there was way more to Sam's concern than she wanted to make him believe. Still, she couldn't deny that it definitely had its advantages as well, because they didn't need to worry that they weren't going to recognise the person they were looking for, and convincing Jacob to help them was probably much easier than it would have been if it had been any other of the Tok'ra, although it was possible that Freya and Anise would willingly help them as well, Sam bitterly thought.

Jack mentioned the awkward conversation she had with these two when they were suspected to be Za'tarcs, when on one of the evenings that they spent together at his house they started to share what they thought to be the most uncomfortable situations that they had found themselves in ever since joining the program. She had no doubts that it actually slipped out of his mouth before he managed to bite his tongue when she saw the careless expression be replaced by a frown and he looked at her with a mix of panic and apology in his widened eyes. Even the awareness present in her mind that he mentioned this moment as awkward, uncomfortable and something he definitely didn't want to relive wasn't able to prevent her from feeling upset.

"Carter! "You can't be serious..!" he exclaimed, disbelief very clear in his voice, when he saw the smile she had on her face just seconds ago fade. He had seen the expression, which appeared on her face instead at least once during the whole time that they worked together. It was very similar to the one she had when they came to get him from Edora and he walked up to Laira, wanting to say goodbye and invite her to go with them to Earth. He completely ignored it back then but later, when he found out just how hard she worked to find a way for him to go back home, its memory made him feel guilty and this feeling only intensified, when she admitted that she was hurt by his actions and jealous. Right now, however, it seemed extremely ridiculous to him.

Yes, he wasn't surprised to see that she was neither happy to hear that or even slightly amused by the situation. He might have not been the best at this whole relationship business, but even he knew that it wasn't something one should so casually mention to his girlfriend. He couldn't help flinching a little at the word, it felt a little strange to think about Carter as such when it didn't seem to reflect the seriousness, which he thought about their relationship with. Yet, at the same time, he couldn't find a better one. Thinking about her as a lover was like reducing what they had just to its physicality, a partner felt a little too impersonal and beloved didn't only seem like taken from a sappy movie, but also didn't exactly carry the rather significant message that what they shared was mutual and that they were together. So, while he certainly wasn't shocked by her reaction to this unfortunate slip – he could only thank God that he managed to bite his tongue before he mentioned the kiss – he didn't expect to see an expression on her face, which he was pretty sure he was quite sure he wore every time he saw her with Martouf, Narim or any other man, who didn't try to hide his interest in her.

"Come on! You can't be jealous about her..!

"Well, I don't think you're going to deny that she is attractive, intelligent and…"

"… happens to put us in a mortal danger situation every time our paths cross!" he interrupted, finishing the sentence for her. "For crying' out loud, Carter, she has a snake in her head! And if that wasn't enough, a snake that is obviously attracted to Daniel, what makes it even more creepy!"

She could see his point; she knew how he felt towards the Tok'ra and the way he talked about it, it was rather clear that he didn't really have any positive feelings in regard to this situation. There was also a fact that if there was anything that nobody could doubt about Jack O'Neill, it would be that he was extremely faithful with his feelings. She still remembered the one time, when she met his ex-wife and even though by then they had been divorced for over two years, Sam could see that at that time he still wasn't completely over Sara. He did seem to have moved on quite notably since then and if she was to believe Daniel, as she never dared to ask, it would be because of a conversation that he was forced to have with the woman, but she was pretty sure that Sara would always remain an important part of his life, even if only because of all the memories associated with Charlie and he would never stop caring about her. It wasn't a thought that made Sam happy but it certainly allowed her to feel quite secure in this relationship, especially combined with the fact that even though he didn't really talk about it, he was doing his best to show her that he cared about her, but it was simply stronger than her. And because of that, she felt quite relieved to see that it wasn't Anise and Freya that they encountered but her father, and she figured she should actually be quite happy to see him for a whole lot more reasons than just this one, even despite his reaction.

Jacob didn't try to hide his anger when they explained what had happened and even though Sam knew he would complain about their stupidity for a very long time, there hadn't been a moment of doubt that he was going to help them. He liked and respected both, Teal'c and O'Neill despite Selmak's slightly hostile attitude towards the first and that he found the latter to be quite infuriating at times. Still, even though he wasn't going to admit it out-loud, he knew what a huge loss for the entire galaxy it would be if the two men didn't survive and he didn't want to be accused of neglecting something so important as saving their lives, when he could do that. He also didn't want to risk his restored relationship with his daughter as in that moment he was pretty much the men's only hope and Sam would never forgive him if he didn't do everything in his power to save them. The memory of how she, along with her brother, blamed him for her mother's death was too fresh in his mind, but he also remembered all too well what it was like to lose her mother, a person he still loved very much and if he could, he wanted to spare his daughter that pain.

He knew that they were both very important to her, one way more than the other and more than Jacob would wish. He might have not been in SGC at the time, but he was aware of everything what happened while she and Jack were believed to be Za'tarcs, including what had been said during their second testing and it only confirmed the suspicions that he already had about Sam and her CO. He had watched them for quite some time now, ever since Selmak remarked what a fine couple they were and even though back then he immediately denied even the slightest possibility of it ever being true, his inseparable companion wasn't convinced and after observing the interaction between the two officers more closely, neither was he anymore. There were moments, when the retired General in him screamed about its impropriety, that he wished he had been oblivious to it, but it was difficult with a voice in his head mentioning every little detail that proved his initial belief to be wrong. When he knew what to look for, he suddenly found it difficult not to notice the looks they exchanged, seeming to carry on a whole conversation during the short moment when they eyes locked, the hint of smile at the corner of their lips, the way O'Neill always kept an eye on her to make sure that she was fine or how Sam always found his jokes funny, even if she tried to suppress her reaction and was often the only one amused.

He sighed, slowly approaching the entrance to the cargo bay and looked at all members of SG-1 present inside. The first person he saw was his daughter, sitting with her back leaning against the wall, her eyes fixed on O'Neill, whose head was resting in her lap, one of her hands gently fiddling with the man's hair. Daniel and Teal'c were on the other side of the room, the Jaffa in a much better shape than the team's leader, both acting as if they were completely oblivious to the affectionate display just a couple of metres away.

"We reached Earth," he spoke, his gaze on Sam and he noticed her jump a little, startled by his voice breaking the complete silence in the room.

She looked up sheepishly, realising that her father had just nabbed her when she allowed herself to lower her guard for a moment and show her feelings. Her cheeks reddened when she met his eyes, but she didn't see any anger in them. She was surprised as she expected that not only would he be furious to understand the truth behind her relationship with Jack, but also wouldn't hesitate to voice his wrath, yet nothing indicated that she was right. It could be Selmak's influence as she was always doing her best to restrain him, but she usually did that by taking over after he made his feelings clear. Or she simply didn't know her father as well as she thought she did, which was much more possible than she wished.

"Dad…" she addressed him a few moments later, when the Colonel and Teal'c were taken to the infirmary accompanied by Daniel and they were the last to remain on the ship. He was about to follow, when she placed her hand on his arm, stopping him.

He turned around and she didn't need to say anything for him to know why exactly she did that. She was chewing on her bottom lip, clearly uncomfortable and wondering how to start this conversation. He smiled reassuringly, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"That's okay Sammie, you don't need to explain anything," he said and chuckled, when he saw the confusion, which was written all over her face. "Look, Selmak and I are aware that there has been something going on between the two of you for some time now. I am not going to lie and say that I'm extremely happy for you because honestly? I have very conflicted feelings about this whole thing and even though Selmak is one of your biggest supporters and is trying to convince me otherwise, I am not sure if it's a good idea. Do you realise what will happen if anyone ever finds out about it? There are a lot of people, who would kill to have something like this to discredit you, SG-1 and even the whole program, and I am sure that they will not stop until they make sure that you get the highest penalty provided in the rules. You will lose everything Sam, everything and I am not sure if an affair with your commanding officers is actually worth it!" he hissed, looking around to make sure that there was nobody around, who could overhear them.

"Jacob..!" he heard Selmak's voice in his head, giving him a warning not to overact.

"It is worth it," Sam hissed back, feeling the anger rise inside her. "Look Dad, the last few weeks made me realise that the initial decision that we made about trying to act as if it doesn't exist was the biggest mistake we could have made. We are both aware of the risk, do you really think we hadn't considered them? But we still decided to give it a try, because the only other option was one of us leaving the SGC and we aren't ready to make such a huge decision for something uncertain. After all, we could figure out that it's not working, decide to split up and let's assume I transferred somewhere else, I would forever regret giving up such a huge adventure for a relationship. Yes, of course, it could…"

"Sam," he spoke in a stern voice, interrupting her. He knew she could go on for much longer, but it wasn't time and place for it. It seemed that they didn't just jump into this relationship on a whim, but actually thought about their options and it, combined with the passion that Sam was ready to defend the whole matter with, made him feel better. "As I would have said if you hadn't interrupted, it's still your life and I learnt my lesson about trying to interfere. I only want to know one thing – are you happy?"

Sam look at her father with disbelief. She expected a lecture, a whole list of arguments why he thought that she had lost her mind and was more than ready for a huge fight, even if it would result in getting estranged with him again. It didn't come though, and there was nothing in his gaze but sincerity. Obviously, her father had changed way more than she would believe.

"Yes Dad, I am," she said, her lips widening in a smile.

Jacob nodded his head, fighting the urge to roll his eyes when he heard Selmak's remark that his daughter's happiness was absolutely apparent. Wrapping his arm around her shoulders, he led her out of the ship.

"Come on, let's go to the infirmary."