Well, I said I was going to wait a few days before I posted another chapter, but I have some kind of review addiction, so here goes...I hope you like it!
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This can't be happening.
Sam groaned, her forehead pressed against the desk as she hid her head in her arms. She'd ducked into Janet's office, trying to escape the chaos that had erupted in the isolation room down the hall. It had been almost half an hour now, and she still sat hiding in the dark at her friend's desk, hoping desperately that no one would notice she was gone.
Jade Carter O'Neill?
She'd known the moment she saw the girl's face that it was a possibility. She knew perfectly well how Colonel O'Neill felt about her, and as much as she tried to ignore them, the feelings she had for him could be almost overpowering at times. Still, she couldn't imagine either of them letting their guard down enough to risk a court martial, risk breaking up SG-1…and then to get pregnant? Her head spun at the thought, and she let out another groan.
"Carter?"
Oh, please, no.
When she didn't lift her head, she heard O'Neill walk slowly into the room, stopping next to her and stuffing his hands into his pockets.
"Uh…Carter?"
She sighed loudly and looked up, feeling slightly sick. "Yes, sir?"
He shuffled his feet awkwardly. "Hammond wants to see us."
"Of course he does."
Jack winced, and he opened and closed his mouth a few times, trying to come up with something to say.
"She might not be who she says she is, you know."
Sam shook her head. "Did you see her? She looks just like me, and of course she would be-"
She stopped herself just in time, but Jack cocked his head sideways, clearly reading her thoughts.
"Mine?"
Sam blushed furiously, shaking her head and standing quickly. "No, no. We couldn't…sir, I'd never-"
"Relax, Carter." O'Neill looked down at his boots as he kicked lightly at the desk. "We can't get in trouble for something we haven't done yet."
This didn't make her feel any better, but she swallowed and took a deep breath.
"Right. I'm coming."
She numbly followed the Colonel down the hallway, stepping behind him into the elevator. It suddenly felt way too small, and she hugged herself defensively.
"What is she doing here?" she asked, more to herself than to Jack. "Did we send her back? I had to know how it would affect the timeline…why would I-"
"Carter, please," Jack moaned, rubbing his eyes. "Just be patient. I'm sure she'll have some kind of explanation." He smiled a little at her, leaning his head against the wall behind him. "If she is your kid, then she's probably a genius."
Sam tried to loosen up. She knew he was making an effort to ease the tension.
"Sir…" She hesitated, and he lifted his head, raising his eyebrows.
"What?"
She chewed nervously on her bottom lip. "If this actually is…our daughter…" She paused again, taking a deep breath. "Are we going to be able to deal with this?"
The Colonel just shrugged. "I don't see why not. We've dealt with worse, right?"
Sam cringed. "Hardly."
His eyebrows shot up at the word, and the elevator door slid open. She ducked out into the corridor before O'Neill could respond, hurrying up the stairs and making her way through the control room and up to the General's office. Hammond waved her in, waiting until Jack stepped inside and closed the door before he began.
"Colonel, Major. Sit down."
Sam frowned at the chairs in front of the General's desk, wishing she could be anywhere but in that room. O'Neill plopped down and crossed his arms, and she reluctantly did the same.
"I realize this is a bit of an awkward situation, but the fact is, we have no evidence as of yet to support this young woman's claims. Dr. Fraiser's going to run some tests, and in the meantime, I'd like to find out why she's here, and how she was able to get her hands on SG-1's IDC."
Sam blinked her eyes and leaned forward in her seat. "General, I think we should at least consider the possibility that she may be telling the truth. It's not like we haven't dealt with time travel before, sir, and she does…well…" She looked over to Jack for help, and he finished her thought for her with a playful grin.
"She does have Carter's eyes."
Hammond frowned and laced his fingers together over the desk in front of him. "Major, I realize there are physical similarities, but there are other explanations. For all we know, this could be some kind of elaborate Goa'uld setup, and we are not going to buy into this girl's story until…unless it's verified. Is that understood?"
Sam nodded and mumbled, "Yes, sir."
As they stood to leave, Hammond leaned forward over his desk.
"There's one other thing."
He hesitated, looking uncertain, and Sam exchanged a nervous look with Jack.
"I hate to have to ask this, but it's going to come up, and I'm going to need to have something to tell the President."
Jack raised his chin and stated firmly, "General, Major Carter and I have never had any kind of inappropriate relationship. You have my word."
Sam nodded in agreement, and the General seemed satisfied.
"Thank you, Colonel. Dismissed."
Sam followed O'Neill out of the room, they walked silently down the stairs and back to the elevator. She glanced around the hallway, hoping someone else would join them as they took it back up, but the door slid open and she reluctantly followed him in alone. As soon as the elevator began to move, Jack turned to face her.
"Look, Carter," he said firmly. "We're not going to let this be weird, okay? We haven't done anything wrong, and even if this does turn out to be…our kid from the future, well…" He stopped, unable to finish the thought. Sam just sighed.
"Then it's going to be weird, sir."
Jack groaned and leaned his head back against the wall.
The doors slid open a short time later, and she and Jack made their way back to the isolation room, walking in to find Janet chatting enthusiastically with the young girl. She was dressed in a simple set of civilian clothes, her bare feet crossed beneath her knees as she sat up on the bed. She smiled brightly when she saw Colonel O'Neill walk through the door.
"Hey!"
Her eyes went wide when she spotted Sam behind him, and the two of them stared at each other, Sam getting her first good look.
The girl's eyes were large and bright blue, a perfect reflection of her own. She found herself matching other features: Jack's ears and mouth, her nose and hands…it was a perfect combination of their looks. The girl's hair was still slightly damp, and it trailed down to her shoulders. It was darker than Sam's, and she stole a glance at the silver streaks in the Colonel's hair, trying to remember exactly what color it had been when she first met him.
"Wow," Jade whispered quietly, interrupting her thoughts. "You're so beautiful."
Sam blushed and stepped up beside the bed, mumbling a thank you.
"I mean, you're beautiful where I come from, too," the girl corrected herself. "But, wow, you're just so young!"
Jack cleared his throat beside her, and she scooted forward, reaching out to squeeze his arm.
"Yeah, yeah, you're pretty too, Dad."
He stepped back, frowning. "Uh…that's not what I…Look, my name is Jack. How about you call me that, okay?"
Releasing his arm, Jade shook her head. "I'll try, but that is so weird."
Janet stepped away, mouthing "Good luck" to Sam.
"It's Jade, right?" Sam asked, still unable to keep her eyes off of the familiar features in front of her.
"Yup, Jade Car-"
"Yeah, yeah." Jack interrupted. "We know that part. What we don't know is how it is that you got here."
She pressed her lips together in a nervous smile, gesturing to the stasis chamber that lay on a table across the room.
"You sent me here, in that."
Jack glanced over at the object on the table. "Doesn't look much like a time machine."
"It's not," Jade explained. "It was just to keep me in stasis. I wouldn't have survived the trip otherwise."
"But how-"
"I can't tell you anything about it," the girl interrupted apologetically. "Sorry, but it hasn't been discovered here yet. You'll just have to trust me."
Naturally.
"You said we sent you?" Sam asked skeptically.
Jade smiled up at Sam. "Yes. I know what you're thinking."
I doubt it.
Sam tried to smile at the girl, but she was afraid it didn't come out particularly friendly.
"You're thinking there's no way you would have sent your daughter back in time, because the chain of events following my introduction into this timeline would most likely distort it to the point that I might never even be born. Am I right?"
Sam blinked in surprise, and Jack flashed an I-told-you-so grin.
"Partly," she finally answered.
"Well, trust me," Jade said, her eyes darkening. "If I'm not able to fix this timeline, it's not going to matter either way."