Daniel shuffled the papers before him impatiently, glaring from the empty seat at the head of the table, to the door leading into the large room.
"You know, I can understand Jack's reluctance to do his paperwork, but you'd think he'd bother to show up to our briefings on time," he grumbled to his other two teammates. Across the table, Teal'c merely raised a silent eyebrow in response, while beside him Sam shrugged helplessly.
"I have noticed that O'Neill has been somewhat preoccupied since the arrival of Mia O'Neill," said Teal'c knowingly, the shadow of a smile lurking beneath his words. Sam glanced up sharply, startled by the Jaffa's words.
"I'd actually forgotten about her," said Sam, suddenly embarrassed. Daniel rolled his eyes.
"Sam, we were both in your lab this morning before Jack showed up," he said in mild exasperation. "How could you possibly forget?" Sam blushed lightly at his words.
"I've had a lot on my mind," she replied guardedly. Both her teammates eyed her curiously, waiting for her to go on. She rolled her eyes. "Ok, so I've been a little caught up in the readings brought back by SG-12," she replied sharply. "Thus the briefing," she added, motioning to the room they currently occupied.
"Well, I still think you should join us for lunch," said Daniel, gazing intently at his friend. "Providing, of course, that Jack ever shows up so we can get this briefing over with," he added archly.
"I'm sure he has a good reason for being late," said Sam, half-heartedly defending her CO. Daniel eyed her speculatively, clearly trying to decide whether or not she was serious. For her part, Sam was simply glad to have distracted the scholar from his persistent lunch invitation. She really could not imagine what she should say to her alter-ego's daughter. She was having a hard enough time imagining her alter-ego even having a daughter. With General O'Neill, no less. It made facing the girl awkward, at best. And while it could be interesting from a scientific perspective to examine the facts of the divergent and reintegrated timelines represented by Mia's existence, it was still not a meeting she looked forward to. Surely Daniel could appreciate that. After all, he had experienced first-hand the disconcerting possibilities of an living in an alternate reality. Surely he, of all people, would appreciate the discomfort inherent in having to socialize with one's child from an alternate timeline.
As if reading her thoughts, Daniel calmly ventured, "You should really talk to her, you know. Mia's nowhere near as terrifying as you and Jack seem intent on making her out to be." Sam sighed.
"Daniel, it's a little more complicated than that," she said. "Genetically speaking, she is my daughter," she tried to explain. "But in every other respect, she's a complete stranger."
"Wouldn't it be the same thing even if you had been the Sam Carter to give birth to her? Isn't that what parenthood is all about? Getting to know your children?," he argued passionately.
"Yeah, as they grow!," Sam countered. "But this girl is already teetering on adulthood. It's not the same thing, Daniel," she said, levelling him with a serious stare. "Nothing about this feels natural or real. In this timeline, I couldn't possibly be her mother."
"That is not true, Colonel Carter," piped in Teal'c, with his usual clarity. Daniel and Sam both turned to stare. "Her conception has been placed several months following the mission to ancient Egypt. In reality, it has been little more than three weeks since that mission would have taken place. There is yet time to conceive Mia O'Neill in this timeline as well."
Sam and Daniel both gaped at the Jaffa, who was looking from one to the other with a rather smug grin tugging up the corners of his mouth. Recovering first, Sam reasoned, "Teal'c, it isn't going to happen. General O'Neill is still my commanding Officer, and the rules..."
"Actually," interrupted Daniel, his eyes suddenly alight, "once he signs off on your transfer, that will no longer be true." He grinned wickedly at her, eyes suddenly blazing with delight.
"Daniel," she growled warningly, glaring back at him. "It isn't going to happen," she said, clearly emphasizing each word as she ground them past gritted teeth. Daniel's features settled into a smug grin, though he wisely abstained from making any further comment on the issue. Sam was just about to press her point further when General O'Neill strolled casually into the room, smiling at them all.
"Hey kids," he quipped lightly. "Sorry I'm late. Got a little tied up talking to our latest house guest," he added by way of explanation. If anything, Daniel's smirk grew. Sam glared at him as O'Neill took his seat. "So what are we in for?," he asked, pulling a copy of the mission briefing towards him as he spoke.
"Well, Sir," began Sam, quickly switching back into some semblance of professionalism, "SG-12 has just finished their initial survey of P7X-294, and I believe some of their findings would be worth further investigation."
"How so?," asked the General, silently praying for the Cliff Notes version of the explanation.
"The team took readings of the planet's ambient radiation levels. They were about four times higher than we would have expected from an uninhabited world, and they were strongest at ground level."
"Meaning?," asked the General, waving his hand impatiently for her to continue.
"Meaning there could be a possible energy source on the planet, a natural resource of some sort that could potentially be harnessed for use here on Earth."
"Ah," he replied, leaning back in his chair. "And you're certain this radiation isn't dangerous?," he asked calmly.
"There was nothing in any of the preliminary readings to indicate any immediate danger, Sir," Sam reassured.
"Then you have a go," he said, sitting forward again. "You'll leave at 15:00 hours." Then, rising from his seat, he added, "Dismissed."