Many of you guys caught the huge error in this chapter. I debated what to do - but realized the only way to fix it was to rewrite part of the chapter. I'm so sorry - it's not a very good thing to have to do. I hope you can all erase what you read before and reread this! Again, my apologies and thanks all for the catch!

There was silence in the room until, as usual, it was broken by Jack.

"So – don't leave us in suspense. Where did the little ba-", he glanced at his CO, "uh guy go?"

Jacob – or maybe Selmak – did the transfer thing and it was again Jacob who spoke. "Uh, Selmak didn't mean to imply that we know exactly where he went."

"Of course not", Jack said, sounding agreeable. "We certainly wouldn't expect the Tokra to give us accurate, timely information."

"Colonel!" Hammond said sharply. "That was uncalled for."

Jack looked a little sheepish and gave a small shrug. "Sorry Jacob, Selmak. I didn't mean to – well, yes I did but that wasn't fair. Just chalk it up to being a bit antsy about this whole thing."

"That's okay Jack, I understand. But you didn't let me finish. While we can't pinpoint the exact location, we do have a good idea of the most likely places he would have gone. Nirrti had a number of planets under her control but after conferring with some of our colleagues, it looks like there are half a dozen at most which would be probable."

"Why those?" Sam asked curiously.

"Some of the other planets have different non-human species on them, some are no longer habitable – or at least no longer have large populations on them. And in some cases the planets were taken over by other System Lords and Ra'mash wouldn't find them too friendly."

"Would he know that?" Jack wanted to know. "I mean, he could have gone some place that was fine when he was younger, but now is in someone else's hands."

"Possible, although most of them changed hands while Nirrti was still alive. Presumably he would know about them. There are a couple that we're unsure of, so we've kept them on the list, but we don't think they're too likely."

"So uh – how do we check out even six planets?" Daniel wanted to know. "I mean, supposing they have large populations, it might be hard to track him down."

"Possibly, although none of the Goa'uld controlled planets ever grew that big. They would be too hard to control so the populations were strictly controlled."

"Unlike Earth", Teal'c interjected. "Without the Goa'uld it was able to grow."

"Until we now have too many people", Jack said softly. "So, we have six planets. Do they all have gates?"

Jacob frowned and again let Selmak take control. "Unfortunately no. Three of them have gates and three do not. Then there are the additional two of which Jacob spoke. They do not have gates either."

"Great – so we're going to have to go by ship?" O'Neill glanced at Hammond and then back to Jacob/Selmak.

"I'm afraid so", Jacob answered. "We've been given permission by the Council to take you in a Tel'tak to the three planets."

"Really?" Jack looked surprised. "How come they're being so nice? It's not usually like the Tokra."

"Probably the thought of six little Jack O'Neills running around the galaxy terrified them", Daniel muttered. At the shocked looks on everyone's faces he blanched. "Crap – I'm sorry Jack. I didn't mean to say that."

"Ts'okay Daniel." Jack sighed and rubbed his eyes. "Probably true anyway. So – where do we start?"

"Jack, I spoke with Jacob and thought I'd send Sg3 with him to the three planes without a gate. They could check things out and if they find Ra'mash and the – they could bring him back."

"Sir! With all due respect, I need to go with Jacob. I'm the one who will recognize the little weasel and anyway, they're my – uh – embryos."

Sam glanced at him and although she didn't say anything, she was clearly upset about the whole turn of events. Her wretched eyes flashed to the General. "Please Sir – I - would like to go as well."

Hammond took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Colonel, you've barely recovered and I don't think Dr. Frasier would think you're ready for an off world mission. And Major – you went through something pretty serious also. I think you need more time to rest."

"I agree Sam", Jacob added to what the General had said. "You need to rest and get yourself back to peak condition. Don't worry – I'll make sure we find the bastard."

"I appreciate it Dad, but I really do want to go. I want to - help the Colonel."

"I think what she's trying to say Sirs is that she won't rest if she stays behind. Yes Carter and I went through a bit -"

"A bit Jack?" Daniel said incredulously. Jack gave him a dark look.

"Yes Daniel a bit. Believe me when I say it could have been much worse. I'm not saying that what we went through was easy, and I'll admit I still have a few nightmares – but it's only going to be worse if we stay here and worry. Getting out and finding the bastard – and getting the embryos back, will go a long way towards us getting better."

"The Colonel's right Sir", Sam pleaded to General Hammond. "I'll go crazy just staying here and waiting. And there's really nothing wrong with me. I'm sure Janet will agree."

Unlike his usual decisive demeanor, Hammond seemed unusually uncertain. His eyes travelled between his two officers, understanding their anxiety and need to be part of this mission, but also having to consider their health and safety. Were they ready to head out into the galaxy, where unknown dangers lurked on every new planet and with every new race they encountered? He blinked, his thoughts clear on his face. He opened his mouth to deny the requests when Jacob spoke.

"I'll look after them George", he said gently. "I really think they need to go."

Hammond let out his breath and closed his eyes for just a second. He could feel a sinking somewhere in his chest – it was always difficult to let men and women go, when he knew how dangerous their jobs really were. Still – could he stop them if they really needed to go? "Okay Jacob – I'll let them go with you. Just bring them back in one piece, okay?"

"Okay George", Jacob smiled and then gave his daughter a wink. She mouthed 'thank you' to her father and then gave a tentative smile to the General.

"Thank you Sir."

"Yes Sir – thank you." For once Jack was not being sarcastic. He knew how difficult a decision this must have been for Hammond and he seriously appreciated the man's trust.

"You're going to have to tell Dr. Frasier", the General warned. "There's no way I'm gonna do it!"

Jack grinned – he didn't blame his CO but it wasn't going to be pretty. "Of course Sir – although you'll protect me if I need it?"

"Nope", Hammond gave a slight grin in return. "I'm going to be in meetings."

"All afternoon General?" O'Neill looked at him with a definite gleam.

"Hell, all week if need be! Now I suggest you go and get yourselves ready. Sg-1, you are to go with Jacob and Selmak of the Tokra. And good luck folks. I hope you find what you're looking for."

"Are you going to go tell Janet now Sir?" Sam asked as they were walking down the stairs. Jack turned and looked at her incredulously.

"Who me? No way Major." - His face broke into an extremely evil grin. "You're going to tell her."

"Me? But the General said -"

"Uh uh Major", O'Neill interrupted. "It's called delegation." He sprinted ahead. "I have faith in you Carter. You'll do a much better job than I would. Janet's your friend. She won't kill you."

"No", she muttered as she turned towards the Infirmary. "But I may just kill you Colonel."

"What was that Major?" O'Neill called after her. "Did you say something?"

"No Sir."

"Good. I'll see you in a bit Carter."

"You're an evil man O'Neill", Jacob said to him as he watched his daughter disappear down the hall. "One day she'll get you for that you know."

"I know", Jack grinned. "I look forward to it. I'm sure she'll be very inventive about it too."

"And you don't mind?"

"Mind? Hell no. I'll deserve whatever she does and I'll enjoy seeing her – uh -"

"Loosen up?"

Jack thought briefly of the day – night - she'd showed up at his house and the fact that she'd spent the night with him. "Yup", he said, "I can hardly wait."

"So, we all ready to go campers?" Jack eyed his team carefully, even after all these years together. It wasn't that he didn't trust them – to the contrary, he trusted them with his life – it was more that he felt a deep responsibility to always ensure they were prepared and that they would be safe. It had become a routine for them after years travelling together – a routine all of them counted on.

"All ready Jack. How about you?"

"Yup – as ready as I'll ever be. Okay Jacob", he turned to the other man. "Lead on!"

They were travelling to the latest Tokra base on the planet Balla. As soon as they arrived they'd pick up the Tel'tak which would then fly them to the first planet on the list. As Jack walked up the ramp in the SGC he took one final look back, seeing Hammond and Dr. Frasier standing side by side in the Control room. Although Hammond looked concerned, it was Frasier's look of fear that almost stopped him. She knew that he wasn't in any shape to be doing this, but she also knew that there was little she could do to prevent him from going. He lifted an arm to her – telling her he understood – but that he'd also be careful. She nodded at him – which in some strange way felt almost like a blessing. With that he turned and walked through the event horizon.

It would take them a day to get to the first planet – some name Jack couldn't even pronounce. Jacob told them all to get comfortable, which for Teal'c meant sitting down to meditate, for Daniel meant pulling out a book, and for Sam her laptop. Jack wandered over to where Jacob was flying the ship and sat down beside him.

Jacob glanced at him and then focused his eyes forward, out into the vastness of space. "You okay?" he asked.

Jack opened his mouth to give a glib answer, but knew Jacob didn't deserve that. He'd gone to a lot of trouble to help them and at the least he deserved honesty. "I'm getting there", he said. "Still have a few nightmares, but they'll eventually go away."

The other man nodded and then quickly looked around at where his daughter was sitting. "How about Sam? Has she said anything?"

"Uh – not much." Jack certainly wasn't going to give away any confidences – not that Sam had said much, although she had opened up at his house that night. Still, he could understand Jacob's worry and wanted to give the man something. "She was affected by the whole thing, although fortunately they seemed to treat her okay." At least they had while she was awake, but Jack was not going to say anything about that to Jacob. "She'll be okay – she's one of the strongest people I know."

"Yeah", Jacob sighed. "Still, I wish –"

"You and me both", Jack agreed quietly. "This is a helluva thing. I just hope we find that guy quickly and get this over with."

"Jack, if you do get them back – the embryos - what are you going to do with them?"

He noticed that it was hard for Jacob to talk about the embryos – just like it was for all of them. It was such a bizarre situation! "I don't know", Jack finally answered. "I've tried – not to think about it too much. I know we'll - I'll - have to make some kind of decision, but right now all I want to do is capture the ass hole who did this."

"Yeah, I get it. We'll do everything we can to find him and hopefully you won't have to worry anymore after that."

"Thanks Jacob." The two men sat in companionable silence, simply looking out the window at the stars, when suddenly Jacob spoke.

"You're met Pete, right?" he asked.

"Uh – once or twice." Jack looked at him curiously, wondering what this was about.

Jacob turned to him, a surprised look on his face. "That's all? I thought you guys got together regularly for team nights and such. Sam used to talk about them all the time."

"Really?" Now Jack was surprised. He was also felt a sense of - loss. Those had been such good times – but they'd practically stopped when Sam met the cop. "Uh – she doesn't bring him to too many things", Jack explained. "I don't think Pete feels very comfortable with us."

"He doesn't? Why the hell not? You're not being a jerk to him, are you?"

"Who me?" Jack looked at him indignantly. "I've been nothing but nice to the guy – the couple of times I saw him. And so have Daniel and Teal'c." He paused and then looked at the Tokra next to him. "I think maybe it's Sam who's uncomfortable", he confessed. "She wanted - normal – and that's Pete and his friends and his life. We're – not very normal."

Jacob snorted. "You can say that again. Still, Sam has never been that conventional", he mused. "She was always the one who hung around with the – less popular, more interesting ones. I just don't get why she's marrying the man. He seems exactly the kind she'd get bored with in a month."

This time it was Jack who sighed. He really didn't want to be having this conversation. "Well, she seems happy so I guess that's what counts. And I'm sure he's a good guy. I can't imagine Carter going out with a jerk."

Jacob's eyes snaked over to him. "You must not have met Jonas Hanson", he said, a strange note in his voice.

"Actually, I did. Man practically killed me and our team. He did kill some of his own men."

"Definitely a jerk", Jacob said darkly.

"Okay – so maybe she's gone out with one jerk. That doesn't mean that Pete's one."

"And then there was Todd Farrow."

"Who's Todd Farrow?" Jack looked at him out of narrowed eyes.

"High School. He's serving a 10 year sentence for fraud."

"Okay – but she was young. Kids make mistakes."

"Barry Weintraub."

"Okay – I'll bite."

"After Hanson. I think he's still working at Walmart. He was a genius, but I'm pretty sure he had some kind of severe personality disorder or something."

"Alright – you've made your point Jacob. Sam doesn't always pick the right guy, but I haven't seen or heard of anything that's wrong with Pete." Great – now Jacob had him defending Carter's fiancé for god's sake!

"Not yet", the other man said darkly. "Just wait. They all turn in the end."

"Now you're just sounding like some Gothic novel. They'll. Be. Fine."

"Why don't you go talk to her Jack? Now's a good time."

"You want me to talk to her? About Pete?"

"Well, not about Pete exactly, but she respects you and she'll listen to you. Maybe you can make her see sense."

Jack simply stared at the man, wondering if he had any idea at all why that so was not a good thing. "Uh, I don't interfere in my team members' lives Jacob." Okay, so he didn't need to know that that wasn't exactly true. In terms of Carter and Shanahan though, it definitely was.

"How about your friends'?" Jacob said, turning to him swiftly.

"Look - she's made her decision and we have to respect that. It's not - I can't - it's her choice Jacob."

Sam's father shrugged and looked ahead, his expression showing his irritation and his worry. Jack really wished there was something he could do, but in this case there really wasn't.

"I guess I'll get up for a bit", Jack finally said to the other man. "Shout if you need me."

"Sure Jack. Uh - I didn't mean -"

"T'sokay. I know you worry about her but - she's a strong woman. She'll make the right decision". With that he got up and moved away from the front of the Tel'tak. Heading into the back section he saw Daniel reading his book.

"Hey Daniel", he said, squatting down beside his friend. "Whatcha doin'?"

Daniel gave him an irritated glance and held up his book.

Jack turned his head sideways so he could read the print. "Hmm - sounds interesting - NOT!" He settled in beside the archaeologist and proceeded to bug him by wadding up small pieces of paper that were in his pocket and tossing them at him.

"Will you stop that Jack", Daniel ground out in frustration. "Why don't you go bug Teal'c or Jacob."

"Nah - you're more fun", he grinned.

With a sigh Daniel put his book down beside him. "Okay fine. Let's talk." He almost laughed at Jack's sudden wary expression.

"About what?' the other man said.

"I don't know. You're the one who was bugging me." After eyeing the older man for a few more moments he shook his head slightly. "Uh - have you talked to Sam?"

"Carter? About what?"

"Don't act so clueless. You know about what. This has to be pretty heavy for you guys and I just thought it might be good to talk to her. You know, you're going to have to make some decisions when we catch up with Ra'mash."

Jack scowled at his friend. He sounded just like Jacob. What was it about these guys who wanted to make him talk? Still, when he thought about it, which he'd tried not to do, he realized that they were right. He did need to talk to her, and now was as good a time as any.

"Okay fine", he said, sounding thoroughly ticked off. With a sigh that sounded almost like a groan, he gave Daniel one last dirty look, stood and headed towards where Sam was sitting, still working on the computer. Daniel looked after him with a grin and returned to his book.

He let himself down to the floor – gently – and sat next to her, his legs crossed. Definitely not the most comfortable position. "So."

"Colonel?" She glanced at him in surprise. "Is there something I can do for you Sir?"

"Yeah – no – uh maybe."

"O-kay Colonel", Sam answered, looking and feeling confused. She simply looked at her CO and waited, hoping he'd get to the point quickly.

"Your father thinks we should talk", he said quickly, drumming his fingers lightly against the floor.

Sam watched his long fingers as they tapped out a beat. "Talk? About what?"

"About -", he waved a hand around, "You know."

"I do?" She looked at him with puzzled eyes.

"You know Carter - about the – uh embryos?"

"Oh." Damn, why couldn't her father stay out of her business? "What are we supposed to talk about?"

"He thinks we should make some kind of a decision about them now – in case we're forced with – you know, something urgent."

"But I have no idea what decision I even want to make."

"I know", Jack sighed. He glanced up briefly at the woman by his side. "Have you -"

"Have I?"

"I don't know – thought about the idea of the – embryos?"

Sam sucked in a breath and suddenly felt shaky. "Uh – a bit."

He nodded and began to pick at the hem of his pants. "Yeah, me too."

"And what –"

"What did I think about?" he asked, finally raising his head and looking at her with a crooked smile. "I guess about the possibility of – a kid."

"Me too", she said, so softly that he could barely hear her. "I – it's not something I really thought about before, but now – I kind of like the idea of motherhood."

"Yeah, but the baby wouldn't be Pete's", Jack reminded her gently. "I mean – well – you know."

She nodded but didn't say anything. How could she possibly tell him that she was glad it wasn't Pete's? How could she tell him that the thought of having a baby with him was what made her feel happy and excited.

"I know – but I guess it doesn't really matter. I mean, it would be mine."

"And mine Carter", he told her softly, but firmly. "There's no way I'm gonna lose touch with my child – if – we – uh – hell, you know."

"I know." She reached out and touched his cheek. "You have to know I'd never do that to you. We're definitely in this together."

"So – what do we do with the damn things when we find them?"

"Bring them here. I'm sure there's somewhere we can store them. I don't – I really don't think I could destroy them."

He nodded, feeling a sudden sense of relief. "Me neither", he agreed. "So – if – when we find them we'll take them back and have then stored."

She nodded – but looked teary eyed. This was the best way she was sure, although why she felt so sad all of a sudden, she didn't know.

"We'd all better get some sleep", Jack suddenly announced. "We're gonna have a busy day tomorrow."

As he curled up on the floor, his sleeping back draped over top of himself, he couldn't help but think back to the other evening. He much preferred curling up with Sam.