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"It's my serve, Dad."

Sam still found herself cringing at the word, and she was surprised to see that Jack hardly seemed to notice. He tossed the ping pong ball up in the air and shook his head.

"That didn't count. I wasn't ready."

Jade laughed loudly, and the sound echoed around the walls of the gym, the cheerful noise sounding somewhat out of place to Sam. It had been Teal'c's idea to set up the ping pong table, and he and Sam sat on a low bench across the room, watching the two O'Neills as they batted the ball back and forth across the table.

"So, Jade," Sam began, as Jack served the ball and the girl crouched in position on the other side. "What happens when we contact Thor?" The ball thwacked across the table, and Jack dove after it, bumping his hip into the corner and wincing. Jade easily returned the ball, aiming for the other side of the table, and Jack swiped at the air and frowned.

"That's game," the girl said cheerfully, turning to face Sam as O'Neill went chasing after the ball across the gym floor. "We get him to come pick me up."

"Wait…what?" Jack picked the ball up from where it had rolled into the corner. "Pick you up?"

Jade sighed and leaned on the edge of the table, crossing her arms over each other. "I know you're not going to want me to go, but the fact is, all the information Thor will need is up here." She tapped her temple with one finger. "It's non-negotiable. Your orders, Dad. I have to go, but you're welcome to come with me."

"Oh, gee, thanks," Jack said sarcastically, setting his paddle down on the table.

"We've got three weeks," Jade reminded him with a smile. "Maybe I can earn your trust by then."

Sam stood from her seat on the bench and picked up the Colonel's paddle, and he dropped the ball in her hand.

"I don't think trust is the issue here," she commented, serving the ball over the net and stepping backwards. Jade returned it with a flick of her wrist, and for a few moments, the room was quiet except for the loud click of the ball against the table and paddles. Jade finally missed her mark, the ball whizzing across the room and into the far wall.

"So, what is the issue?" she asked boldly, resting against the table. "You have a problem with me being your daughter?" Before Sam could respond, Jade's mouth twisted into a sideways grin and she added, "Or maybe you just have a problem with me being his daughter."

Sam felt the color rise to her cheeks, and Jack looked up from where he leaned against the wall.

"Is there a difference?" he asked, looking confused.

Jade ignored him, looking at Sam intently as she crossed to the other side of the table.

"I know you," she said in a low voice, pointing a finger at Sam's forehead. "I know what's going on up there."

Sam backed up in surprise and tried to think of something to say, but before she could open her mouth, Jade had already stepped away, crossing the room to look for the ball. O'Neill stepped forward and spoke quietly to her.

"What was that all about?"

She shook her head and shifted her eyes to the girl kneeling down in the corner. She was afraid to admit to herself that she was jealous, that it was hard for her to see Colonel O'Neill warming up to Jade so quickly. She felt oddly left out, as if everyone could see that the girl was closer to her father where she came from. Sam wondered if she'd done something wrong, if it was somehow her fault. Worst of all, there was a horrible fear growing inside of her, the fear that any chance that she and Colonel O'Neill had of one day being together was going to be torn away from her by whatever changes were going to be made in the next few weeks. All of these feelings swirled around inside of her, and she felt strangely transparent in front of the small bright-eyed girl who seemed to stare right into her soul.

She glanced up to see Jack eying her curiously, and she tried to smile.

"I have no idea, sir."

Jade laid the ball on the table and looked apologetically up at Sam.

"Don't be mad. Sometimes I talk too much." She stretched out and wrapped her arms around Sam, and Sam couldn't help but reach her hand up to run it over Jade's hair. She looked over the girl at O'Neill, and they shared a meaningful look, his warm, brown eyes helping to calm her nerves.

"I'm not mad," she said quietly, pulling back to smile hesitantly at the girl in her arms. "I think I know what you meant."

Teal'c stood from his seat on the bench, looking slightly bored with the familial scene before him.

"If my presence is no longer required, I will return to my duties."

Jack looked back and forth between Sam and Jade for a few seconds, and then pushed away from the wall behind him, following Teal'c to the door.

"Me too. You got this, Carter?"

She opened her mouth to object, but Jade raised her bright, blue eyes to meet hers, and she changed her mind.

"Yes, sir. We'll be fine."

The door clicked shut, and she pressed her lips together in a tight smile.

"So…"

Jade sighed and plopped down on the bench against the wall.

"We knew this would be harder on you, you know."

"Oh?" Sam asked carefully, sitting down beside her.

Jade looked down at her hands as she spoke, her hair falling loosely over her shoulders and hiding her face from Sam's view.

"Yeah. I mean, I look so much like you, it's easy for Dad to…" She paused and tucked her hair behind her ears, looking over at Sam with an uneasy smile. "You know what I mean?"

Sam nodded slowly, understanding perfectly. Colonel O'Neill would have no problem loving this sweet girl, making a place for her…accepting her as his. It would be easy and natural, but somehow, Sam knew it wouldn't be quite the same for her. She sighed quietly as Jade continued.

"You warned me it would be this way…that you probably wouldn't like me very much at first."

"I don't dislike you, Jade, I just-"

Jade cut off her protest with a look and went on. "You said this was a hard time for you…that you and Dad had a rough couple of years, and you were…well, lonely."

Sam took a deep breath, trying to keep down the ache that was forming in her chest.

"I know myself pretty well, I guess."

Jade leaned over to lay her head on Sam's shoulder. After a few moments of silence, she sat up again and pulled her feet up onto the bench, settling comfortably.

"I want to tell you something." Sam raised her eyebrows curiously, and Jade gave her a bright smile as she spoke.

"One night, a few months before I came here, I couldn't sleep, and I decided to go for a walk." She leaned forward, her elbows propped up on her bent knees. "I went out the back door and walked around the side of the house, and there were you and Dad, sitting on the side of the porch, all wrapped up in each other's arms." Her eyes misted over, and she stared off into space as she spoke. "Dad was whispering stuff in your ear, and you kept giggling…it was so adorable." Sam blushed at the thought, but she found herself caught up in Jade's words, and she listened with her eyes on Jade's sad smile. "I didn't tell you, but I stayed there for a long time, just watching you sitting there, talking. He would hold your hand, and play with your hair, and run his fingers down the side of your face…" She sighed and refocused her eyes on Sam. "He loves you so much. And while I don't know what's going to happen in this timeline, I am certain that isn't going to change. Okay?"

There was a long pause as Sam processed these words. Feeling more relaxed, she ran her eyes over Jade's features, her thoughts suddenly drifting to what she'd been like as a little girl. How she and O'Neill had raised her…where she went to school…

An unpleasant thought occurred to her, and she swallowed the lump in her throat before she spoke.

"I worked a lot, didn't I? When you were growing up?"

She could remember the long nights waiting for her father to come home, letting herself into the house after school, watching TV with Mark to pass the hours, dinner getting cold as she waited at the window to see his headlights shine onto the hedges. She felt tears stinging in her eyes, and she tried to keep them back as Jade stared at her.

"I never resented you for your work, Mom. Not ever." She reached over and took Sam's hand, her voice shaking as she continued. "It was so important, and I was proud of you for what you did. You were an amazing mother, and I loved you so much…"

Jade covered her face with her hands as she began to sob, and Sam wrapped her arms around the girl tightly, leaning her head down to rest on Jade's shoulder.

"Shh," she whispered. Sam began to feel a strange sense of calm, and as she rocked her daughter gently, a wave of affection swept over her. It was something she'd never experienced before, and it occurred to her that maybe what she was feeling was a mother's love. A wide smile broke out across her face, and she pressed her lips to Jade's hair, her voice breaking as she whispered quietly in her ear.

"I'm still here."