THE HERE AND NOW
CHAPTER 10
"NURSERY RHYME"
The SGC was no place for a child to be running around. There were dangers; there were aliens around, not to mention it was a military facility, a first line of defense against all possible alien threats. As Jack O'Neill soon learn he didn't have to worry about any of it. The SGC was loyal and would do anything for a man who didn't leave anyone behind.
It was with that loyalty that the SGC crew made a pact that no one outside of the mountain would know about little April staying on the base and everyone would take care of the child. Those who volunteered out of friendship and those who volunteered out of curiosity were equally welcomed and trusted. Siler had done a nice job of modifying the gate room.
Now, instead of having to walk to the infirmary, a ring transport simply took them to the lower levels which held the infirmary, now isolated from the rest of the rooms. Janet could work her magic with out the need to worry about contagens or pathogens endangering the entire base, not to mention the new Asgard scanners were ideal when they first came through the gate.
In truth, General Hammond and the president knew of the child staying on base but turned a blind eye to it. It did not affect the base operation in any way and it had made the SGC more secure than before. No alien virus could infect the entire base, no alien intrusions thanks to the Asgard's bio scan. There was a small joke going around between the president and Hammond about how they should have posted a child at the SGC earlier.
"So George, tell me again how we got Asgard tech?"
"Well Mr. President I guess Thor didn't want his Godchild to be in any danger."
From that day forward supreme Commander Thor had been beside O'Neill as ambassador of the Asgard. The now normal size alien kept watch over his friend and child.
"Is April O'Neill ready?"
"Jack said this was ok?"
"He did."
Teal'c nodded and Janet let the two year old go towards the two alien men one a modified Asgard, the other a rebel jaffa. She wondered what kind of test Thor was going to give April since it seemed she was in perfect health. Janet wondered what he had in mind as Jack entered her office. He smiled and raised an eyebrow.
"So where is April?"
"Thor and Teal'c."
"Again? Remind me why I let the kid be spoiled by those two?"
"Because last time you handed Hammond one of your reports he told you to stop eating chocolate bars while you wrote them."
"Right. So lunch?"
"Of course."
Jack smiled and together they went to find Daniel. One year had passed since Sam's absence and even tough she was missed no one brought up the subject. It was a sore spot for everyone. Even though they missed the blonde colonel they knew that if they felt hurt or cheated somehow, then Jack O'Neill must feel ten times worse.
April O'Neill had first gone to the base while she was three months old and from the start everyone wanted to see the little child that had made General O'Neill vanish from the base for almost that entire amount of time while he got everything ready. In that time adjustments had been made to the base and now April had her own spot in Daniel, Janet and Teal'c's rooms and offices. Even Hailey had volunteered.
The Sparkplug, as Jack like to call the now Major Hailey, was as smart as Carter and had the energy of ten Daniels high on coffee. Jack liked her immediately. She was now the go to gal and was on SG-1.
"So, seen Hailey.?"
"She's fighting with Siler again."
"So that's why he has been to see me for the last couple of days…"
"You too Janet? And I thought I was the only one who had to deal with them."
"Head aches and hurt toes General."
"Count me in for a head ache doc."
They were now a close knit group and the void left by Carter didn't hurt as much when they were hanging out around one another. Hailey was a good friend and was at least as smart as Sam. Daniel could see that Jack's eyes sometimes lost their gleam when Hailey would explain to them about a piece of technology she had found or how visiting a planet was important. The hurt was there, but Jack seemed to be the one who didn't want to even think about Sam.
Looking at it Daniel felt it was better off as Jack had a new responsibility though they also had to share in that responsibility. They were his friends after all and as Thor and Teal'c came in holding on to April, Daniel knew they were going to be all right despite the loss of one of their own. Yet there was always going to be that sense of loss.
The SGC was different all right. The void of Colonel Carter had been felt all over and everyone tried to compensate and tried to not talk about it, but it could still be felt. And even as they began to forget and to just be as they were, the realization that Carter was gone became all too real once again just a year later, when Jacob Carter and Selmak of the Tok'ra emerged trough the gate.
The news was hard and Jack O'Neill did not want to be the one to deliver it, but he had to. After asking what he knew, Jack told Jacob everything. Jack shook his head while a dialogue was taking place between Tok'ra and host. Jack could see the different emotions cross Jacob's face and he didn't like them.
I don't understand this Jacob.
There is nothing to understand Sel, I guess she made her decision.
She is a grown woman Jacob even though this is not a path you had in mind for her, that does not mean it's not the right one.
It's not that Sel, it's the way she did it. These people were her family, hell I consider them family and I don't even work with them. I just don't get it.
"Daddy."
The small girly voice snapped Jacob from his inner monolog and caused him to look at Jack with wide eyes. He smiled at Jacob and knelt down beside the little girl who asked him if she could go with Daniel since he was leaving. She wanted to be outside the mountain. Jack nodded and she smiled and looked at Jacob.
"Who is he, daddy?"
"An old friend honey now go, Daniel's waiting."
"Yes, see you home daddy!"
She smiled and was out the door before Jacob could ask. Again Jack told him everything. The older man smiled in approval. Jack O'Neill was one tough SOB but when it came to kids he was as tame as one of those circus animals. Selmak's amusement made Jacob smile at the man who frowned at it.
This however became a sort of tease. Jacob called Jack a softy and Jack would grumble and before they knew it, Jacob too was tamed by the little girl who seemed to think of him as her grandfather. When Jack smiled and told her that he might as well be, Jacob and Selmak smiled and frowned at the same time when Jack referred to them as whipped by a 3 year old.
By no means was life easy on April. She had to remember to keep everything a secret. The man with the big eyes aka Thor and Teal'c and her grandfather's snake and also the big doughnut thing her dad told her was a door to the stars had its ups and downs. New enemies would come, but they had been ready for them and the war was fought on equal ground.
The SGC was a defense for Earth but also became a sort of intergalactic UN. The SGC soon changed its name to the SGA Star Gate Alliance. Much to the delight of Thor, he had proven that humanity could become the fifth race. However, he frowned when Jack suggested they should change the name of to The Federation.
They still had enemies out there. The Wraith was one of them and the Aschen the humorless freaks as Jack called them, but they gave as good as they got and at four years old April had become the base's sweet heart and many were heart broken when they found that she would be spending more time at home with Jack. Since she had turned one, her time spent at the mountain had been less and less but she always stayed there and worked alongside her dad.
In truth the little girl knew almost all the workings of the SGA and even though she loved the outside and loved doing stuff with her dad at the park, or in his back yard in the play area he had made her, she missed the mountain and she spent as much time in the mountain as she did outside. Thanks to a flexible schedule and Colonel Griffin's help, Jack was always there for April.