The Anunnaki

by MicheleB

Set just after Season 8, ignoring 99 percent of Seasons 9 and 10. Jack thinks he's going to retire again; the universe has other plans.

17. Chapter 17

Parents and Children
Anunnaki Part 17
By Michele
Rating: PG
Summary: Jack visits the Heaven's Bow and makes an interesting discovery, Daniel discovers parenting, changes are underway at the SGC, and a party is interrupted rather rudely.

Note: I would like to thank Tia for giving me the low-down on the town she calls home.

Jack went up to the Heaven's Bow and discovered Camulus out of his cell and messing with the ship's defense systems. He was under the supervision of four armed guards, so Jack couldn't complain too much except to warn Inanna about the man's nature.

"The Jaffa haven't said anything beyond the usual rhetoric," she said as they walked to the holding cells. "There are still factions amongst the Jaffa who are holding out on the entire rebellion. It seems they don't care whether or not the gods are gods, it's the power they're after. They feel that if they can be good enough at their jobs, a god will choose them for renewal and they will, themselves, become a god."

"Tell me again why I'm wasting my time on freeing their sorry asses?" Jack asked.

"Because you are a good man, Jack, and you can do nothing except help to free their sorry asses," she told him.

"Maybe I should get my brother to call the Pope and nominate me for sainthood," he suggested.

"And your partners would say…?"

"Before or after they picked themselves up from rolling around on the floor and peeing themselves from laughing so hard?"

Inanna chuckled and slid an arm through his.

"I am feeling useless, Jack," she said. "Your people have done so well since we've been gone, and I can't even take the credit because I wasn't around to hold your hands as you learned to walk."

"Just out of curiosity, what exactly did you do all those years ago?"

"Actually, it was Enki, not me," she said. "I governed, he played. Your people were barely out of the stone age when we arrived; our role was to assist in the development of a species with potential. The Ancients would place a gate on a world with potential and assign one of our races to watch over that world. Babysit, you could say. I was assigned your world. When we left during the fight with Enlil, and then disappeared, the Asgard were assigned watch duty."

Jack thought about it. "And what was Enki doing?" he asked.

"Tinkering," she said with a slight smile.

"Do I have to get dirty and pull those pretty black strands of hair out one at a time?" he warned.

"Ooooh, Jack, is that in invitation to play?"

He playfully pretended to choke her. "Come on, out with it," he mock-growled. "What was that old man up to?"

"Ok, ok," she conceded with a laugh. "The Ancients misjudged this planet. The dominant species on this planet, proto-humans, were going to die out, so Enki fixed them."

Jack stopped and looked at her.

"What do you mean?"

"Their brains had reached capacity," she said. "Enki is your missing link. He tweaked a few DNA markers, and that opened up their brains. It was Enki that allowed you to evolve. Technically, he broke the rules; you were supposed to evolve, or not, on your own. Enki has always had a problem with rules. He feels they were meant to be broken."

Jack stood still, staring at her in shock. "Who the hell are you people?"

She slid her arm through his again and pulled him along. "Not yet, Jack," she requested. "I promise, you will know, but you need to do as much as you can on your own. Evolutionary leaps don't happen overnight, you know, but it is happening, during your lifetime."

Jack's mind was whirling as he walked blindly next to her. "I'm going to be 55 soon," he said. "My lifetime is about 35 years, and at this age, that is NOT a long time."

Inanna smiled and said nothing.

The sight of two Jaffa snapped Jack back into the here and now. He looked at them, giving them a long look up and down.

"These two think they can become gods? In who's reality?" Jack asked, pointing at the two. "They couldn't even escape from a bunch of pitiful humans, but they can become gods? What a waste of time." He turned to go.

"Submit to your god, human!" one of the snarled. Jack laughed.

"You people need new writers," he commented. "Don't worry, we'll get your god and I guarantee you he won't be a god. I don't suppose you'd like to tell me what you boys were doing down there?"

"This planet belongs to Enlil," one snarled arrogantly. "He does not need to explain his actions to you."

"I see," Jack nodded. "So I guessed right, you were here to collect more slaves." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small vial of green liquid.

"What's that?" Inanna asked.

"Oh, just something the Tok'ra cooked up," Jack said. "A special cocktail. Our Jaffa rebel buddies didn't want to be enslaved to their symbiotes anymore, but they'd die without them, so they take shots of this stuff and it allows them to live without their symbiotes. I was wondering what would happen if we gave a shot of this to someone WITH a symbiote."

"You lie, human," a Jaffa informed him.

"Sometimes," Jack agreed. "But not this time. Why? Are you afraid of what your host might tell us?"

"Nothing of the host survives," he was told.

"Yeah, so I've heard," Jack said. "Old wives' tale, boys. As evidenced by quite a few freed slaves, including the former First Prime of Apophis, his mentor, and his son. I tell you what, though; you tell me where Enlil has been hanging out, and I'll let you live, as is, symbiote and all."

The Jaffa sneered at him.

"It's a bargain deal, boys," Jack cheerfully informed them. "Answer one question, and answer honestly, and I'll keep the symbiote poison to myself. I'll repeat the question, in case you've forgotten it already –where is Enlil?"

He shook the vial of liquid, looking into the glass as he held it up to a light. He chatted with Inanna about the stuff, telling her how they acquired it and how the Tok'ra queen sacrificed herself for them. Inanna was impressed and took the vial, giving it a close inspection.

"I just don't understand the Tok'ra," he said, frowning. "They have this stuff, but they keep whining about needing hosts to continue their cause in freeing themselves. Why don't they take their own medicine and dump the symbiotes? Wouldn't that be more effective in freeing themselves?"

"Hmmm, I don't know," Inanna admitted. "Seems a good puzzle to me. If they get rid of the symbiotes, and take this serum, which I am assuming replicates their…what's wrong?"

"Please don't use that word," Jack begged with a pained look. "That R word. Not good. Ask Thor."

Inanna shrugged. "As you wish. So this assists their bodies in taking the place of their destroyed immune system. If they continue to take this, and procreate, the assumption would be that their children will eventually be born with an intact immune system."

"One would think," Jack nodded. Inanna continued to think as she looked at the liquid.

"It is difficult to actually get rid of a DNA sequence all together," she said. "It can be made dormant, it can be altered, but this particular one is a necessary component for the body to survive, therefore nature would not allow it to be completely wiped out, not unless race extinction was planned, which the Mother will have, if She feels it is in the best interest of said race. Do you have more of this?" she asked. "May I keep some for Aba to play with when he returns?"

"Sure," Jack said. "Where is he?"

"Checking on his terraforming project," she said. "I think I'd like to see this serum in action," she said thoughtfully. "Let me get an asu down here and we will do a little experimenting."

One of the Jaffa shouted out coordinates. Jack gave him a bow and walked out toward the door.

"You promised we would live, O'Neill!" a Jaffa called out.

"I am letting you live," he said. "But this isn't my ship, so you'll need to do the rest of your bargaining with Inanna."

Daniel was fairly certain the world's press corps were plotting to kill Jack. After the second surprise visit from a mothership, and the second win by the SGC, the press was once again clamoring for interviews. Jack was refusing to take them seriously and making a show of not understanding what the fuss was about. Bad guy in, bad guy gone. What time did the Simpson's start?

He spent most of the day at the SGC writing and reading reports and discussing HomeSec protocols with General Landry. This little altercation with Enlil, who was seriously out of touch with events, was minor compared to what could be happening. Landry had spent a great deal of his time reading mission reports from the past 8 years, and knew Jack was deliberately downplaying events for the public so that the planet wouldn't go into complete mass hysteria. Enlil was laughable compared to what was waiting for them.

The Daedalus and the Prometheus came back empty handed and heads hung in shame.

"Sir, we need to be able to track cloaked ships," Jack was told. He sent the request to R&D as a priority and received a curt, "We're working on it!" from the head of R&D, Col. Carter.

Finally done with paperwork, Jack headed home. He had a long conference call along the way with the president and the Joint Chiefs. He was sorry the SGC and HomeSec couldn't be a little more patriotic, hell, he considered himself an all-American boy, but if HomeWORLD Security was going to be guarding the entire planet, he wasn't going to plaster the red, white, and blue all over everything. The entire point was to bring the globe together in this joint mission. And no, he wasn't going to ask anyone's permission before sending his guard dogs after a stray entering his yard. He was given a job to do, and damned if he was going to apologize for doing it. Davis called after and told him that the Middle Eastern bloc was requesting a meeting, and they were being very polite about it. Jack understood –the president wanted him to go into the meeting waving their flag and lording it over the Middle East. Jack wasn't going to play that game. He told Davis to set up the meeting and include Sgt. Gaafar in case there was a language barrier. Davis would pepper Jack's entire counsel with Middle Eastern Americans, if he needed to.

The president called Jack personally after the conference call and asked him to please, please, please, play nice.

"Sir, as long as it is in the best interest of the world, I will play very nice," Jack said. "I don't care what kind of politics you and the rest of the world leaders make for yourselves, so unless you want to replace me with someone who kisses ass better than I do, you need to let me do my job."

"Jack, please, the American citizens need to know that their president is in charge of their security," Hayes told him. "What am I supposed to tell them when you go around thumbing your nose at me?"

"Tell them whatever you'd like, sir, but I'm not thumbing my nose at anyone," Jack stated. "You placed me in charge of the security of this planet, sir, and that's exactly what I'm doing. I'm not attempting to overthrow anyone, I'm not telling people how to live; I'm out there chasing assholes who are trying to make you, and all your American citizens, their slaves. You and all the other countries involved signed the orders that make Homeworld Security answerable only to the international watchdog council that is being put together, not to any one country or person. The implication itself is that I and my office must stay neutral when it comes to world politics. If you are going to change that order, let me know, because I'll pack up my toys and go home now. We have a new daughter in the house, and I'd like to be a father again."

Hayes sighed noisily into the phone. "Alright, Jack, alright," he said. "You never were one to get on the political bandwagon. I'm going to run again next year, can I at least get you to sing my praises, huh? A couple of photo ops? Make it LOOK like you're playing nice? Please? I'll even kiss the baby."

"Well, she's 10, but you can kiss her, if you'd like," Jack said. "Ask Daniel, first, though, she's his."

"What?"

"A Jackson oops showed up. Her name is Stacy. Daniel brought her home yesterday just when all the current nonsense started. Major Davis has the report, if you're curious."

"My congratulations to Dr. Jackson," Hayes said, resigned. "May I inquire as to the well-being of the SG-1 house as a whole?"

"We are well, thank you for asking, Henry," Jack said pleasantly and irreverently. "We're a little irritated with the overly conservative nature of this particular town, but I'm hoping that the addition of a few open-minded people to the SGC and HomeSec will bring our neighbors into the fold. I'm considering a case of Ex-Lax for our more up-tight brothers and sisters out here. I can't seem to go anywhere without getting an invitation to a revival, and the flyers on my windshield are a little annoying but they make for great kindling in the grill. My shrink tells me I'm dealing well with it."

Hayes gave a reluctant chuckle. "Yes, I'm sure aliens and same-gender, polyamorous households are making waves with the politics of Colorado Springs. Any threats of burnings, yet?"

"No, but thankfully our immediate neighbors are good people and are being entertained with our silliness. They even went out of their way to protect my home during the initial battle, and after the public outing of the SGC, we returned home to find neighbors waiting with home-cooked meals and lots of thank you cards. And if it were in my power to put in a commendation for Sheriff Andy Richardson, I would; the man has been a godsend out here. He's made himself invaluable to the SGC by protecting our privacy, no questions asked, except for a little gossip over poker and beers, and I've never heard anything I've said to him privately come back to haunt me. He even held this town together during the battle; very few riots, only a couple of deaths from heart-attacks. If the man ever decides to run for governor, I'd back him, and so would the rest of my kids."

"I will mention his name in a few places, Jack," Hayes promised.

"Thank you, sir, and I'll ask Major Davis to check my schedule for a lunch opening some time soon. We had lunch at this little hole in the wall place while we were there recently, and they had these little balls for desert, called sesame balls. Mmm Mmm, addictive."

"Oh, Jack? Getting back to the same-gender issue? I'm having a little problem with my own conservatives. Can I get Dr. Jackson to come and talk to a panel?"

"I'm not his keeper, Mr. President," Jack said with a shrug. "Call the house and ask him. He'll be the first to tell you he isn't an expert in this field, though, anymore than you are an expert in straight sex. Daniel is a wonderful lover, but he's MY lover; we're just folks being folks and enjoying ourselves. I'm sure he could give you a few ideas on where to start looking for a guest speaker. Personally, I think you should just tell your conservatives that my bedroom isn't any of their damned business because if it is, then they can start reporting their private lives to me because I get a say in what they are doing in THEIR bedrooms. Where I stick my dick or what Daniel does to my ass has absolutely nothing to do with how I do my job, so your conservatives can to get a grip and concentrate on their own backyards."

"Message heard, Jack."

Jack made a concerted effort to dump the crappy emotions before going into the house. He took the packages from the backseat and let himself in.

"Hello!" he called out, shutting the door behind him.

"Up here!" he heard. He put the packages on the floor and went upstairs. He found Daniel on a ladder, stapling dark blue squares of paper to the ceiling of Stacy's room. She was on the bed, laying on her back and watching Daniel. Jack sprawled next to her and looked up, too.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"It's a star chart," Daniel said. "I had someone at the SGC print it out after I measured the ceiling. All the stars are in day-glo, so they'll glow after the lights go out." He continued to staple each square of paper after double-checking the corners for their corresponding matches.

"That's pretty cool, Daniel," Jack said with an impressed nod. "Did you make some for our room, too?"

"And listen to you lecture me on the different constellations all night? No, I didn't. I will, if you will let me put an Egyptian mural on the walls."

"I have my telescope, I'll be fine with that if I want to look at stars," Jack commented. "What did you two do all day?" he asked, turning to look at Stacy.

"We went shopping," she said. "Daddy bought me a bike, some books, and a stereo and CDs, a TV and DVD player and some movies, and a computer."

Jack's eyes grew wide and he lifted his head to look around the room. There were indeed lots of electronics, and the bookcase looked as though it held various mythologies from around the world. None of the electronics were hooked up except the stereo which just plugged into the wall; Daniel was probably waiting for Sam to get home. He looked up at Daniel.

"Did you leave anything for us to buy her, Santa?" he questioned.

"Yeah, she wants a puppy," Daniel said with a smile. "I told her she'd have to deal with you, on that one."

Jack turned onto his side, frowning in contemplation. "What kind of puppy?" he asked suspiciously.

"One that barks and has a tail?" she suggested. Daniel burst out laughing as Jack groaned and fell onto his back. Stacy giggled next to him. Jack opened his eyes and lifted his head.

"Did you just call him Daddy?" he asked. She nodded. "Say it again."

"Daddy."

"Who is Daddy?"

"Daniel is Daddy."

Jack smiled and looked up at Daniel who was a little flushed.

"That is so nice to hear, Danny," he said softly. "If anyone deserves it, you do."

"Thanks, Jack. Of everything that's happened, she's the only reward I want. Having Stacy makes this all worth while."

Daniel continued with the ceiling as Jack and Stacy became acquainted. Jack went round and round on lots of different topics, with no seeming continuity, in typical Jack-speak, but Daniel knew from long experience that Jack had his own way of reasoning and he was reasoning out who Stacy was. The doorbell rang a while later, and Jack went down to answer it. He was back a minute later, holding flowers and a stuffed bear.

"The card says they're for Miss Jackson," he said and held them out to her. Surprised, Stacy looked up at Daniel.

"I don't know, honey," he said. Jack shook his head; they weren't from him, either. "Go ahead."

She curiously opened the card.

"Welcome home, Stacy, from…the President?" she read with a confused look. "What President?"

"Our President," Jack said. "I was talking with him on my way home, and I mentioned you. I didn't know he was going to do this, though."

"That was very nice of him," Daniel commented with a raised eyebrow. He'd get more out of Jack later.

"The United States President?" Stacy asked in disbelief, delicately touching the daisies and yellow roses.

"Yes, the US President," Jack said with a nod. "President Hayes. Because of what we do, we know him. You'll probably meet him, at some point. Maybe we can call him tomorrow and you can thank him. It's getting a little late tonight."

"You know President Hayes' phone number?" she asked.

"Sure," Jack said. "I have to know his phone number, because I'm a general and sometimes I need to talk about security things with him."

"Oh." She carefully put the vase on her dresser and kept the bear. She sniffed and the men looked at her.

"What's wrong?" Daniel asked in concern.

"Nnnnnothing," she whispered. Daniel got off the ladder and went to her. She was crying into her bear. He sat on the edge of the bed and pulled her onto his lap. Jack left them alone.

"Tell me what's wrong, honey," Daniel asked her after a couple of minutes. He couldn't for the life of him figure out what might be upsetting her.

"Are….are you….going to….send me away?" she hiccupped into his chest.

"What? No, of course, not," he promised, horrified that she would think that. "What makes you think that?"

"Because….no one has ever…..been so nice to me before."

Daniel held her tight. "Oh, honey, I'm so sorry I haven't been here for you," he said. "I really didn't know you were born, or I would have been with you since then. I'm sorry if we did too much today, I just want you to be happy. I missed 10 birthdays, 10 of everything, and I'm a little angry about it. Not at you, at life for making me miss you. Maybe we should have gone a little slower, so you could get used to us. And I didn't think about how all the stuff from yesterday might upset you…. I'm used to it, you're not. I guess you're a little overwhelmed. Or am I wrong in thinking how you're feeling?"

"I….I feel like…hiding," she whispered.

"That's what overwhelmed feels like," Daniel told her. "It's ok, we'll go slower tomorrow and we can talk and maybe go for a walk in the woods. It's very nice and peaceful. Does that sound good? Or we can do whatever you'd like."

"A walk…sounds good," she said. "Linda, my foster mother, didn't like me to cry. I try not to."

"Crying is normal," Daniel immediately said. "You cry whenever you feel like it. And when you're ready, I'd like it if you told me what made you cry. You don't have to because sometimes things are just too private, but I'd like to help you, if you'll let me. When my parents died, and I was adopted, I cried all the time, at first. And we don't mind crying in this house because emotions are part of who we are."

She sniffed and nodded. "Does Jack cry?"

"Sure, he does," Daniel said. "I've seen him cry quite a few times. And I cry and so does Sam. When we need to. Even adults need to cry sometimes. I was crying just a little while ago, pretty much for the same reason you are; I was feeling overwhelmed. Lots of things happened all at once, and I was having a hard time communicating to Jack and Sam what I was feeling, so I yelled a little. Sam was at work so Jack came and talked to me when I was calmer, and I cried. I didn't want to, I didn't know I was going to, but I did. Jack didn't mind, he just put his arms around me and let me get it out. We love each other, so it's ok."

She was quiet for a while as she calmed down. Daniel felt no need to put her down as he learned the feel of her and the scent of her, imprinting her into his mind and heart. During the past few months his entire life had changed, culminating in the present moment of holding a daughter he didn't know he had. Her grip on his arm loosened and her breathing was evening out. Daniel turned and slid her onto the bed. He took her sneakers off and pulled the covers over her. He smoothed her hair back, took her glasses off, and looked at her. He kissed her brow.

"I love you," he whispered. She gave a sleepy nod. "If you need me, come and get me, but knock and wait for one of us to answer before coming in, ok?" She nodded again.

Daniel took the ladder down and laid it against a far wall, out of harm's way. He went to his room and collapsed face down on the bed. His glasses smooshed against his eyes so he lifted his head, took the glasses off, and buried his face again.

"Is she alright?" Jack was reading, new reading glasses perched on the end of his nose. Sam had gotten tired of watching him hold a book at arm's length to read and made him go to an eye doctor.

"Overwhelmed," Daniel pronounced from the mattress. He moved over and put his face in Jack's side. "I'm a Dad, Jack. I don't know what I'm doing."

A hand touched his hair. "No parent knows what they're doing," Jack said. "It's hit and miss the entire way. We do the best we can, make the best decisions we can, and if we fuck up, all we can do is apologize and try not do make the same mistake a second time. You'll be fine. You're doing fine."

Daniel slid an arm around Jack's stomach and kicked his sneakers off.

"I need to fly out to Iraq in the morning, I'll only be a couple days," Jack told him. "Sam will be home tomorrow night. I was thinking of having a party. Combination of things –house warming, a welcome for Stacy, and a get together for our immediate SGC family and friends. Does that work for you?"

"Sure."

"Good, start making an invite list of people you'd like to bring. I've got mine, Sam can do one, too. We'll make it a pot-luck; I'll do dogs and burgers. Let me do the shopping, I want to invite Megan and the kids."

"Ok."

Soft snores were soon heard. Jack looked down. He gave the brown hair a stroke and went back to his book. When Jack got up in the morning, Daniel was still fast asleep. At some point in the night, he had woken up long enough to get undressed and into pajama bottoms. No more walking around naked. Part of Jack was bummed about it but he enjoyed unwrapping presents, so it was ok. He went to take his shower and pack a bag. Stacy actually had what was meant as the master bedroom, but the adults decided that they couldn't fit three sets of dressers into their bedroom nor could three adults use the one closet, so they took a bedroom with a bathroom that connected to a second bedroom, and made the second room a dressing room. It also made for easier changing when others were still asleep.

When Daniel woke up, Jack had already left. Stacy was watching cartoons. She handed Daniel a note.

"Remember to go down to Peterson Elementary and get her registered for school," the note said. "You'll need her custody papers, birth cert/SS ID card, medical records, and former school records. Go into town and introduce Andy to her. SGC has an email account set up for her, show her how to use it. Take her into the SGC and get her an ID card. Call if ?"

He tweaked her chin. "Did he feed you? Good. Well, let's get the day started. Get your shower and find something to wear, and we'll get you registered before we do anything else. Am I supposed to help you with your hair or anything?"

"No," she shook her head in amusement. "I can do that."

"Oh. Good. Ok, because I am in desperate need of coffee."

He did help a little with her hair, getting a snarl out. They got her registered quicker than he thought. The principal was surprised to see him and fluttered over him, one of their home town heroes. Daniel had a private word with Principal Herbert and told her that if one person harassed Stacy because of him, he would take her out of their school that very day. No one was to make a big issue out of things. Principal Herbert assured him that other SGC kids went to their school, and the staff knew better than to allow reporters or anyone else access to the kids. The school also had standing orders to allow SF to take them out of class, if there was an emergency. Daniel requested to see the paperwork on that one, and after reading it through, and seeing that it was signed by General Hammond several years earlier, he approved it. He also added Jack, Sam, Paul, Nate, and Cassandra on the list of personnel authorized to take Stacy out of school. If he wasn't on-world, someone had to look after her. He was given a list of names and told to contact one of them about a Kid Tree that SGC parents used. Daniel recognized most of the names, including Reynolds and Bosco. Stacy was given a school ID card which had SGC in small letters in a bottom corner. One of the parents would explain to Daniel what it was about.

He asked to meet with Stacy's teacher and was told that 5th grade began the multiple teachers and classes rotation to get the kids ready for high school. He met with her home room teacher and gave Mrs. Sandberg private cell phones and emails to be used specifically for parent-teacher communications. Gen. O'Neill and Col. Carter were step-parents, and she could speak to either of them, also. Mrs. Sandberg let Daniel know that Jessica Bosco was also in her class and did he know Major Bosco? He did, and Daniel felt better.

He then took Stacy into town and got her a cell phone. He programmed in emergency phone numbers and showed her how to use the phone and when to call which number. Daniel numbered them, so she would remember the order. She could call any of her parents at any time. She was to give her phone number to no one without permission from Daddy, Jack, or Sam. She was introduced to the sheriff and then taken into the Mountain. Things were much calmer than the day before. Daniel introduced her around, to the extreme surprise of all, and had an ID card made for her. Stacy didn't know it, but she just made the list of Protect At All Costs.

The new doctor, Dr. Lam, took finger prints, a retina scan, and a blood sample and sent it for a DNA workup for security purposes. He took Stacy to his office and showed her how to access the email. She would be able to access it from home as soon as Sam set the computer up. Nyan had set up the email and was thoughtful enough to plug in the emails for her new parents. Daniel let Stacy know that sometimes it was easier for them to send emails if they were really busy and their waking hours didn't overlap. It was also easier, sometimes, to talk about private things on the email because it could be written out, thought about, and then talked about when they could get together and talk.

He introduced her to Col. Reynolds and Major Bosco, letting Bosco know that she was in Jessie's class and what was this about a Kid Tree? Bosco told Daniel that the SGC parents had their own internal communications system; in case of emergencies, their SGC Kid Tree would come alive and a couple of parents with vans and SUVs would pick up all the kids. Daniel immediately agreed to put them on the Tree. With Stacy's status as the only child of Dr. Jackson, she would be a prime target so Bosco would let the rest of the Tree know to make sure Stacy was accounted for. Daniel had no idea that the SGC parents had such a protocol for themselves. Up until the recent past, the significant others didn't understand why their soldiers insisted on such extreme measures. The SGC took care of its own and as the daughter of SG-1, Stacy was SGC royalty.

"Do you really know aliens?" she asked as they sat and ate ice cream in town.

"Sure," Daniel nodded. "In fact, you met one today."

The spoon clattered against the dish. "I did?" she asked in surprise.

"Yup. Nyan is an alien," he told her. "We met him a couple years ago on another planet, and he came back with us."

"But he doesn't look like an alien," she said, not quite believing him.

A hand reached over Daniel's shoulder and took his cone.

"Hey!"

"Who doesn't look like an alien?"

Nate plopped himself down and handed the cone back after taking a large bite.

"Nyan," Daniel told him. "Stacy, this is Nate. He's Jack's son. Remember we told you about him?"

"Hi, Stace," Nate greeted her. "I always wanted a little sister. You look like your Dad."

"So do you," she said, unconsciously fluttering her eyes at him. Daniel gave an internal groan; he had forgotten the typical reaction of females toward certain O'Neills and Stacy was definitely a female. A pre-teen female.

"Tell Jack," Nate encouraged her with a grin. "It's fun to watch him get riled up."

"Don't tell her things like that," Daniel admonished him.

"It isn't fun to watch him?" Nate asked.

"That isn't the point," Daniel said.

"Don't you call him Daddy?" Stacy asked Nate. He shook his head.

"Na," he said. "I only just met him a couple years ago, so I call him Jack."

"Oh. Where's your mom?"

Nate shrugged. "I don't know where she is. That's ok, know why? Because Jack's parents are great, and his mom makes excellent cookies. I know for a fact that she likes Daniel, so I'll bet she'll be your grandma, too." Daniel saw a glimmer of need on her face. She needed grandparents.

"Daniel, do they know about Stacy yet?"

Daniel didn't know. "I don't know," he admitted. "If Jack told them, he didn't mention it to me. I'll call them later."

"President Hayes sent me flowers and a teddy bear," Stacy informed Nate. He leaned forward.

"Really? That's cool," he declared. Daniel gave him a nod. "Jack knows a lot of people in high places." He took Daniel's cone again, taking a bite out of the wafer.

"Honey, one of those phone numbers I put in your cell phone belongs to Nate," Daniel told her. "He's your big brother, now, so you can call him. I'll give you his email as soon as your computer is set up. His girlfriend, Cassandra, is also a very close friend of ours, and her number is in the cell phone, too. You'll meet her soon; Sam is coming home tonight, and I know she wants to take you shopping for clothes and she said something about taking Cassie, too, for a girls only trip."

Nate groaned. "Clothes?" he whined in a familiar tone. "Do you know how many clothes Cassie has already? We'll need another closet, if she keeps buying clothes. And shoes! Oh, my God….!"

Stacy smiled shyly at him and finished her sundae.

"Did you get her set up with an ID?" Nate asked quietly in Goa'uld. Daniel nodded and told him about the Kid Tree and that he and Cass were on the emergency list for her school.

"Things seem pretty calm around here after yesterday," Daniel commented. "I was expecting a little more panic in the public."

"They're taking their cues from you guys," Nate told him. "From what my friends are saying, if the SGC isn't panicking, neither will they. Jack is kicking ass, and a lot of guys, and a few girls, are talking about signing up. They know the new HomeSec office will be here, and they all want a piece of the space action. Forget the Marines, the new hot spot is the Air Force. Jack is about to see a significant increase in new recruits, and it's all due to him and the SGC."

The TV news and the written word were all talking about the battle over Iraq the previous day, but there was none of the panic and hysteria that the first battle generated.

"Jack said if we ignored the hype and treated this like an everyday routine, the public wouldn't wig out," Daniel commented. Nate agreed.

"Mmmm…The Egyptian president is coming for a tour of the SGC next week," Daniel told him. "We're keeping it quiet. Can you take care of Stacy?"

"Yeah, sure," Nate said.

They left Nate and headed out again.

"What language was that?" Stacy asked.

"That was Goa'uld," Daniel told her. "It's an alien language that a lot of us at the SGC learned. Sometimes we speak it when we need to say private things in public. I didn't mean to exclude you, we just didn't want everyone else listening. We were talking about the battle yesterday. Also, Jack, Sam, and I need to do something next week; the President of Egypt is coming to see the SGC. All week is going to be a little crazy, so Nate and Cassie will be watching you most of the time. We'll call you and check in, but don't be upset if we don't see you too often for a few days, ok? This is something we have to do for our jobs."

Stacy was quiet for a while as she watched the passing scenery out the window. "Do all aliens look like us?" she asked, sounding a little disappointed.

"No," Daniel shook his head. "A lot do, but not all. I have a few friends who don't look like us at all, and Sam has a good friend who looks like a big lizard. She likes to go flying in space ships with him. He's really nice."

They pulled up to Daniel's old house where a moving van was parked outside. Mrs. Arthur almost cried at meeting Daniel's daughter. It must be a grandmother thing, because Stacy was immediately given a cookie and a glass of milk. Daniel talked with Mrs. A about the upcoming presidential visit and she began to make a list of things to do at his office before the Secret Service came in to sweep the place.

"Daniel," Mrs. A stopped him on their way out. She took his hand and patted it. "I want to apologize. I had heard the rumor that Andrea had had your baby, but when you didn't mention her, I honestly thought you didn't want to talk about her. If I had known otherwise, I would have told you about your child myself."

Daniel was slightly shocked. "Do others on campus know?" he asked.

"I don't know," she said. "If they do, they probably put your silence down to the usual college boy denying his paternity. It happens too often for people to take notice, and it's become no one's business except the parents of the child."

Daniel understood and buzzed her cheek. Everyone knew Andrea had gotten into drugs, completely ruining her scholarship, and after Daniel left her, she had begun sleeping around more and more often; even if Daniel had known about her pregnancy at the time, he wouldn't have believed that the child was his, even if his name was on her birth certificate. He didn't need a paternity test, though; Stacy looked too much like him for him to think she wasn't his.

It was four weeks of settling in for Stacy and her new parents, a new school for her and her father, and Stacy making friends with the neighborhood kids. Daniel hovered for a while, anxious about her being out of his sight, and nearly had a panic attack when Jack convinced him to allow her to have a sleep-over at the Bradley home up the street. Daniel made her promise to keep her cell phone next to her and to call him at ANY hour, if she wanted to come home. Jack and Sam found other ways to distract Daniel while the kid was out of the house for the night, and she came home in the morning happy and not well-rested, having been up most of the night with kid games. Daniel was also not well-rested, having been up all night for adult games. Both took naps after lunch.

Maggie O'Neill took one look at Stacy and promptly swept her under her wing. Within minutes, Stacy had a Grandma and Grandpa. Jack's parents were put into the fourth bedroom, Megan and David into the small, fifth room, a room they were all guessing used to be a nursery, Katie shared with Stacy, Michael set up in Daniel's grotto, and Matthew was left to his own devices to find a spot to squat. Sam's brother and sister-in-law insisted on a hotel room for themselves and the kids, as did Daniel's cousin Martin and his family. Daniel was overjoyed that they accepted his invitation to the party. He had spent quite a bit of time on the email and phone with Martin and Joy, and was looking forward to actually meeting them. Stacy was thrilled at learning she had blood-cousins.

A few days before the party, just before Jack's family arrived, they attended a special announcement at the SGC. With Jack's blessings, Col. Reynolds was given command of the new SG-1 unit, and Major Bosco became Colonel Bosco and given command of SG-3 with the blessings of Col. Reynolds. Both men were then given a stack of personnel files and told to complete their teams. Reynolds took Daniel's advice and moved Nyan in as SG-1's resident geek. Reynolds understood that Nyan was also Daniel's assistant and that Daniel might need him from time to time to assist with classes and other sticky activities such as stubborn translations and newbie training.

Gen. Hammond came in for the party; he beamed like a proud grandfather over his flock while his granddaughters gave hugs to Jack and Sam before running off to find the other kids.

Major Davis brought his new main squeeze who glowered from inside a black leather jacket, silently daring anyone to make a comment. Daniel quietly told his amused partners that this was Nick's first time with a man and that he was more nervous than a tomcat on a visit to the vet. Paul had to whisper more than once into Nick's ear to knock it off and HAVE FUN, DAMMIT! Jack snickered and promised to take Nick aside at some point and have a little chat with him.

As part of SG-1's plan to indoctrinate the public to the presence of aliens, not only were the Anunnaki invited, and to remain in their own clothing if they wished, but the Sua were also encouraged to attend. Jack was a little worried about David and a possible allergy to alien fur, so he had M'Net gently rub his tail against the astonished boy's arm. When the skin was still clear a half hour later, Jack sent T'Keet and the other Sua cubs into the fray of children. Jack had a special t-shirt made for Davy; the shirt said, "Extreme allergies, please don't feed the kid. Ask Mommy or Uncle Jack first." Jack had Daniel write it in Goa'uld on the back. He then gave epi pens to Daniel, Sam, and the rest of the family just in case.

Enki gave Stacy's cheek a grandfatherly pat and Daniel thought he saw something silvery slide from Enki's hand and disappear into Stacy's skin. He guessed she was being tagged, something both the Anunnaki and Asgard had been doing with individuals they wished to keep personal track of. Enki privately informed Jack and Daniel that the Abydos transformation was proceeding on schedule and grasses were beginning to form over the sand dunes. He had also placed a new chaapa'i on the planet, but he wouldn't tell them where he acquired it. Please don't use it yet, give the rebirthing process some time.

Jonas and Kiana came, carrying a very new baby. The SGC personnel who knew Jonas were quite vocal in their congratulations as the baby was passed around. Jack, Sam, Daniel, Teal'c, and Gen. Hammond were invited to come to Kelona for a special celebration to bless the baby, their own version of a baptism.

Teal'c gave Stacy a bow and presented her with a necklace. A carved stone hung from a leather cord.

"This is for our daughters," he told her in a quiet rumble. "It helps them to gain strength and courage." He hadn't known about Jonas' new baby, but would make one for baby Danna for her blessing ceremony.

Sgt. Gaafar also had a necklace for Stacy, a gold chain, and a bracelet, both of which he properly presented to Daniel to place on her.

"In my culture, a daughter is most precious," Khalid told her. "She is the light of joy in Allah's eyes and the fire of love in His heart, so when a daughter is born, we give her gold to remind her of how precious she truly is."

Daniel gave her a nudge and she shyly thanked him.

"Shukran jazelan, sadiq," Daniel murmured, clasping Gaafar's hand. Thank you very much, friend. Daniel needed to remember to point Khalid out to Michael; Khalid was one of the few who managed to keep his spirituality amidst all the alien chaos. Khalid was a happy Muslim who managed to find all the 'glad' passages in the Koran, and knew that Allah was patient and loving and had a sense of humor as evidenced by Michael who was definitely in his own alien chaos as he watched Sua milling about with the humans. Jack did have to warn the Sua that Tau'ri did not approve of sex on the grass in public.

"Jack," Nate went up to Jack who was grilling. Nate had a young man behind him. "This is a friend of mine, Grant Kendrick; he's in the Academy and really wants to get on an SG team. I promised him an intro, nothing more."

The young man almost squeaked as he gave a nervous salute. Jack returned the salute with two fingers; the others were holding a beer.

"Relax, son, it's a picnic," Jack drawled. "It's Gen. Landry you should be talking to about SG teams, but that's ok, tell me why we should be paying attention to you." Jack already knew he'd be telling Landry about Kendrick; if Nate was bringing an Air Force Academy student to Jack's attention, the young man deserved it. Jack spoke with him for a while and then sent him to play with the rest of the kids. He put the pile of dogs and burgers on a table and got out of the way when the kids noticed.

A loud roar of laughter brought Jack's attention to a circle that was forming. Bre'tac had declared Daniel fat and lazy and was grinning with a feral intensity. Daniel handed his glasses to someone and answered the feral grin. Jack chuckled as the titans clashed. He went into the house, looking around on his way. It made him happy to see David running and playing with a pack of SGC kids. Katie immediately took Stacy in hand, while Matthew went with the teenage boys for whatever rough-housing teenage boys got into. Megan followed Jack into the house and asked for a private moment. He took her into his den and she told him, amidst tears, that she was divorcing Andrew and begged Jack to forgive her for her behavior; she thought she had been doing the right thing in following her husband's lead. Jack held out his arms and let her cry on his shoulder.

"Megs, I love you," he reminded her. "At times I feel more like your father than your uncle, so how could I not forgive you?" She sniffed and nodded. After being still for a moment, she took his hand and placed it on her stomach which had begun to grow. Jack felt a flutter beneath his hand and kissed her cheek.

"It's a girl," she told him. "I've been thinking of her as Olivia."

"After your mother," he finished. "Baby, I know things are going to be tight, so promise me you'll let me know if you need anything."

"We're fine, Uncle Jack, really," she told him.

"Yeah? I'd be happier if you moved down here."

"And what about Gram and Grandpa?" she asked. "Or do you want the entire O'Neill clan down here and into your business?"

Jack snapped his jaw shut and scowled.

"Missy."

She smiled and followed him back out to the yard. They bumped into Hammond on his way into the house.

"George!" Jack greeted him. "Sir, this is my niece, Megan. And Olivia." He patted Megan's stomach. "Megs, General Hammond."

The startled screams of several women brought Jack and Hammond running back into the yard, along with the rest of the military. A familiar figure stood arrogantly over the group. Military personnel shoved children and civilians behind them and toward the house. It was pointless to draw the weapons they all felt the need to carry, the figure was a hologram.

"Baal!" Jack yelled. "Who invited you? Party crashing is rude, you know."

Baal smiled condescendingly.

"O'Neill. I had to see this for myself," he said with great amusement. "I was told you had mated with not only Col. Carter but also with Dr. Jackson. How enterprising of you."

"Jealous much?" Sam asked, stepping to Jack's side. Daniel stepped up to the other side.

Baal chuckled. "My dear Samantha…."

"Yeah, yeah, wadda ya want?" Jack interrupted.

"I have a proposition for you, Jack," Baal said.

"I'm not taking."

"Now, now, don't be hasty; I haven't told you want it is."

"You've got nothing I want," Jack said.

"I have Enlil in my sights."

Jack paused.

"I'm listening."

"I want Camulus."

Jack sat, stretching out his legs. "I don't have him," he admitted.

"Don't play games with me, O'Neill," Baal said silkily. "Everyone knows that coward came here."

"Yeah? Let's talk cowards, Baal," Jack snapped. "You and me, baby, right here. No weapons, no armies, no cute toys. Mano-a-snake, here and now; bring it on, 'cause I owe you a big one."

Baal chuckled again. "Ah, Jack, let us not stoop to kicking sand; just give me the sholva and I'll give you Enlil."

Jack sipped his beer. "Told you. I don't have him. You'll have to deal with someone else."

A figure came from the crowd behind Jack and took a step in front of him. Baal's eyes glowed for a moment.

"Well, well, so that rumor is true." Baal gave a mocking bow. "Lady Inanna has returned."

"To quote someone I've learned to respect –bring it on," she taunted him. Baal laughed.

"You always were overly fond of these pets of yours," he said. "And what can I trade you for Camulus?"

"Oh, I want you, bishru," she responded, silk for silk.

Baal's eyebrows went up. "Bishru, is it?" he grinned. He paced in his small window as he chuckled. "Obviously, that is an unrealistic demand," he commented reasonably. "Even you are subject to age, Ninmah, and you are getting on, so I'll put that request down to senility. The original offer is, I believe, Camulus for Enlil."

Jack stood and stepped up to Inanna, putting a hand to her back.

"Assuming we believe you even have him, we need to discuss this," Jack told him. "Go. We'll send a message when we're ready." He waved a hand at Baal who gave another mocking bow and vanished. Inanna turned to Jack.

"He's up to something," they said together.

Jack turned to their families. "Party on!" he called out. "Ignore that man behind the curtain. Teal'c! Oh, there you are."

"Camulus has something Baal wants," Teal'c stated.

"And is pretty desperate to get it. Think you can get it out of him?" Jack asked. Teal'c narrowed his eyes.

"Gibil!" Inanna called out.

"Wait," Jack said, changing his mind. "Let's let Baal stew for a while. It can wait a few hours; can't the boys have fun?"

Inanna conceded and waved her warrior away.

"Good!" Jack happily declared. "Now. Ninurta was telling a story about Zu stealing Enki's necklace, I believe." Jack looked at the crowd still huddled together. "What? He wasn't actually here, so…continue, mingle. I want to a meeting with my personal cabinet, if you wouldn't mind." He grabbed Daniel on their way to the house.

"Did she call him a bitch?" he asked.

"Bishru," Daniel annunciated. "A small child."

Jack nodded. "Uh huh. Nin…"

"Ninmah. Lady Mother."

Jack looked at him.

"Not literally," Daniel clarified. "It's a polite honorific, although he was being sarcastic. Nin means lady. Except in Ninurta's case, and you'll need to ask him why, I don't know."