Jack smiled at Thor as he ended the transmission.
"You are welcome to use the quarters where your companion is still resting until we receive an answer from your government"
"Thanks buddy"
He made his way slowly back to the room he had left Lalia in, feeling pleased with himself. He was sure that the president would accept Thor's offer. How could he decline? And he now felt that he could relax and begin to enjoy his life with Lalia. He flexed his recently broken arm experimentally.
"Speaking of which" he muttered to himself grinning as he enter the room.
Lalia was still sleeping, the effort of their 'escape' leaving her exhausted. Her hair fanned out around her face and her arm was thrown over her eyes. He moved slowly over to the bed so as not to wake her and lay down gently next to her.
He ran his fingers gently from her wrist, over her elbow and down her side, leaning in to kiss her lips, half hidden by her arm, as he did so. She groaned as squirmed slightly under his touch.
"Wake up sleepy head"
"Jack?" she murmured.
"Shhh, everything's fine"
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Jack smiled sleepily, looking down at the sleeping woman in his arms and running his hands through her silky hair. They had spent the day and most of the night exploring each other's bodies, before they both fell into a sated sleep in the early hours of the morning.
He had taken time to explain his plan to Lalia and she seemed content with the fact that Hammond would do everything he could to make it possible. She seemed pleased with the idea, and though she hadn't shown it he knew that she had not liked the claustrophobic atmosphere of the mountain. He sighed to himself, the events of the last few weeks had forced his hand, but he had to admit that he was tired of fighting and the idea of leading Earth's first colony appealed to him, and with this beautiful woman at his side it appealed even more.
He slid slowly from the bed, leaving Lalia to sleep and heading towards the control room. The must have been some word from Hammond by now.
"O'Neill" Thor greeted him, bowing his head slightly.
"Hasn't Hammond been in contact yet?"
"Indeed, he contacted me several hours ago. You, however, were otherwise engaged"
"Ah"
"General Hammond asked that you 'call him back' when you were not so otherwise engaged"
Jack grimaced, wondering how the General had reacted to that little piece of information.
"I believe he seemed pleased for you."
"Really?"
The small alien nodded, and Jack knew that the Asgard couldn't smile, but he could have sworn he saw the trace of a smirk cross Thor's lips. But he hardly had time to react as Thor tapped away at a few buttons and the image of General Hammond appeared before him.
"Sir"
"Colonel, good to see you are finally unoccupied"
The smirk that he had thought had passed across Thor's face was finally planted on Hammond's.
"Sir" he didn't trust himself to say any more than that.
"Jack, the president has agreed to you proposition, and gladly accepts the protection offered by the Asgard. He asks that you return to Earth to help in choosing both civilian and military personnel that will make up the colony. Lalia will be given amnesty and has the presidents that word that the NID won't be able to lay a finger on her…."
"Great"
"…… He does however want Dr Frasier to document her abilities, a task which will be taken up by the medical staff assigned to the colony, once they have been chosen. That is the only condition which you and she must agree to"
Jack considered for a second, he thought he could speak for them both. He nodded.
"Okay, but I want final say in choosing the medical staff and I want Lalia to meet all of them before we leave for the colony. She's gunna be working with them and I want her to feel comfortable"
Hammond nodded "We had anticipated that and files on all of the available staff will be available when you both return to Earth, we have also arranged for each of them to be interviewed by Lalia and yourself before the final decision is made"
Jack frowned, this all seemed too easy.
"What's the catch?"
Hammond sighed "Thor informs me that both Lalia and your own abilities are growing and that even he had no idea what you are both capable of. It is likely that the President will want the medical staff to documents your progress as well as Lalia's. I convinced him that you would have enough on your plate with the setup of the colony but it is my belief that he's still keeping it in mind and although he's content to wait until the colony is organized I'm sure he'll get round to asking. For now he's making concessions to keep you happy."
Jack thought, the information from Hammond running through his mind.
"Okay, I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. For now tell the President that we agree to his terms. We'll return to Earth as soon as possible."
Hammond just smiled and nodded before ending the transmission.
He glanced at Thor.
"I believe that you have no intention of letting your own abilities be studied"
"Like I said I'll cross that bridge when I come to it, for now the only thing that matters is that Lalia is safe"
Thor nodded "Would you like me to transport you back to Earth now?"
"No let her sleep, we're gunna have a busy time when we get back. I'll let you know when were ready"
