Space Race

"Where is your… head?" Waiting patiently, Jack watched his daughter as she sat there for a moment and then clapped her hands on her head, grinning hugely with satisfaction and joy. "Good girl!" Jack tickled Daniella very slightly on her belly as congratulations. "Where is your… foot?" Again, she paused for a moment, thinking hard, and then, with a toothy grin, crashed down onto her padded bum and grabbed one foot, waving it in the air. She giggled as she did so. Ignoring the protests from his knees, Jack crawled forward very slightly and gently forced the toddler to the floor, using his head to tickle against her belly. Her giggling got louder and louder until Jack found himself laughing along with her.

They were interrupted by a shout from the other room: "Lunch time!"

Scooping her up, Jack stood up and carried Daniella into the kitchen. "Are you hungry?"

"Me is."

"Good." He put her into her high chair and passed her the plastic fork and spoon. She was not perfect with the cutlery and still resorted to her hands when it came to certain foods, however, she had the dexterity to use them. "Oh, no!" Jack declared in mock horror. "The dreaded peas!" Daniella giggled as she used her fingers to pick up a pea and pop it into her mouth; with cutlery, peas simply rolled around the plate.

Keeping an eye on her, Jack began his own lunch of a tuna sandwich. "Hmm, tuna."

"I know you like it."

"Thanks," Jack said with a small smile directed at Sasha. "You know I have the next two days as simple office hours, feel free to take some time. When was the last time you saw Andy?"

"Things are… complicated with Andy, but thank you. I might do tomorrow."

"Hope it's nothing to do with your job and hours here?"

"No. Andy and I have known each other far too long to let a job affect us. It's just not always easy to see him."

"I live with Sam, but barely get to see her," he remarked before fully realising the comment that had come out of her mouth.

"Where is she at the moment?" Sasha asked and, for some reason, it did not strike Jack as odd. The young women was wonderfully astute, able to recognise every single one of Daniella's moods better than either parent and it was clear that she picked up on things between the other two adults in the household. Sam seemed to be throwing herself into her work ever since her ordeal at the hands of Osiris, which included at home and Jack was not happy with the situation. He was pleased that they had finally managed to sort out their private life and he had not been as happy as he was in a long time. Jack was worried that Sam was not coping with what happened to her and he did not want a previously stable element of his life to become a problem area in his life.

"Taking part in an inter-services tournament of sorts." It was probably the closest to truth lie that he had ever told Sasha. She had been back ground checked to ensure that she was not a spy sent by the NID or someone else, but she was just a normal girl. Whenever she was alone with Daniella, there was always an Air Force guard watching them, keeping them both safe from any other government agency. She had no idea what true danger the job had put her in. Sadly, Sasha would be completely ineffective at protecting Daniella should the situation arise.

"Is she a competitive person?"

"In certain fields."

"Oh, well, if you speak to her before she finishes, wish her luck from me."

"I will," Jack promised, his thoughts now consumed with the dangerous elements of the race in which she was taking part. Sam did not need to be given luck to win, she needed luck to come out of it alive.