A/N: Okay, so I tried to write these scenes around the episodes, so familiarity with "Tok'ra" parts 1 & 2 is a must. And hopefully it's not too fragmented...
Daughter of my Heart, Chapter Nine
[set during Tok'ra, parts 1 & 2]
Seven nights of broken dreams, fragmented echoes of Jolinar's memories, and Sam had a 'gate address. She knew where to find the rest of the Tok'ra.
Things moved very quickly after that. Sam briefed the General and the rest of SG-1 the morning after the final piece clicked into place, and Hammond agreed that they needed to ship out as soon as possible, before their potential allies could move on.
Sam took an hour for herself, driving out to Cassie's school and pulling her daughter from class to say goodbye.
"What's wrong?," Cassie asked as they stepped out into the hall.
"I have to go on a mission," Sam whispered, crouching down to Cassandra's level. "I might be gone a while."
"How long?"
"I don't know," Sam replied. "It has to do with Jolinar. With finding her people."
"Is it dangerous?"
"I don't know. They don't really want to be found. But they might be able to help."
"And you're leaving today?," Cassie asked.
"I'm sorry, kiddo. I know it's short notice, but this is really, really important. I have to go."
"Okay," she answered in a small voice, reaching for a hug. Sam wrapped the little girl in a tight embrace.
"I love you so much," she whispered. "Be good for Janet while I'm gone."
"I will, Mom. I love you too," she replied.
Daniel had seen Sam happy, he'd seen her angry, and he'd seen her afraid. But never had he known her to start a mission looking quite this apprehensive.
"She'll be all right, you know," he tried to reassure, hoping she was just worrying about Cassandra.
"I know," Sam answered shortly.
"Your dad, too," he added, knowing she'd made the time to call.
"I know," Sam said again.
"Sam..."
"I feel like I'm about to lose something, Daniel, something big," she blurted. "I've never left on a mission before, feeling like something was going to slip away."
"It's going to be all right, Sam."
"Is it?," she asked, anxious eyes turned to him.
"I've got your back," he promised. "We all do."
"I know. But I still feel..." she stopped, her face crumpling.
"Hey," he said softly, taking a step closer. "We're coming back from this, all right?"
"Right," she answered, voice wavering.
"Come here," he said, pulling her into a hug. "They'll be okay. We'll all be all right. You'll see them again soon."
Her answering sniffle was less than reassuring.
It took everything she had to pull herself together enough to step through the Stargate with the rest of SG-1.
And then, of course, everything went to hell.
She knew it was nothing personal. She knew they were only trying to protect themselves. But she also knew what it was going to cost her, what it was going to cost her team, to stay trapped here until the Tok'ra were ready to move on.
Cassandra could be fully grown by the time they got out. And her dad...
Sam didn't want to think about that.
Daniel watched Sam carefully as one emotion after another wrote itself across her usually stoic face.
Frustration, anger, sadness, despair. He felt it, too, the powerlessness, the futility of their situation.
There was nothing openly hostile about the Tok'ra, nothing to fight against or overcome. They simply weren't allowed to leave, for security reasons.
It really wasn't so different from what Teal'c was subjected to on Earth, he thought. Freedom within the SGC, but nowhere else.
The Tok'ra had given them open quarters, very much like what they themselves used, and freedom to explore the tunnels and interact with the other denizens.
They just couldn't leave.
Jack surreptitiously glanced at Sam, worry creasing his already care-worn face.
Daniel knew this must be eating at him, too, but the soldier in him would never show it. The worry was because Sam was.
SG-1 was late checking in.
Normally, Janet wouldn't be privy to this sort of information, especially so early in a mission, but with SG-3 sitting in her infirmary for their pre-mission check-up, discussing their rescue tactics for SG-1, it was hard to ignore what was going on around her.
Teams are late all the time, she reminded herself, trying to quell her own growing anxiety. It doesn't necessarily mean anything has happened to them. It's not time to worry...yet.
Cassie watched closely as Janet chopped the vegetables for supper, her suspicions growing. Janet's smile was too tight, her motions too jerky. She was worried, Cassie guessed, and trying not to let it show.
Was it just more 'work stuff', or should she be worried too? She was so tired of all the secrets! On Hanka, there had been no secrets. Not really, anyway. Old Mrs. Potts never would have stood for it. She had to know everything, all the time, and she always shared the best news with anyone who'd listen. Nothing stayed secret for long, with Mrs. Potts around!
So why all the secrets here? The Stargate she could understand. It was big and scary and led to the Goa'uld. But all the little things her new family kept secret? That, she couldn't understand.
Growing tired of the heavy silence, Cassie finally spoke, voicing her suspicions. After all, if something had happened to Sam and Daniel, she had the right to know!
"Something happened to Mom and Dad, didn't it?," she asked. Janet's hand stilled as the doctor turned to face her.
"Why would you think that?," she asked carefully.
Cassandra crossed her arms. "You're worried about something."
"How do you know I'm not just worried about one of my patients?," the doctor countered.
"Because you worry about all of your patients, and this is different," Cassandra observed.
Janet sighed. "You know as well as I do that everything that happens beneath that mountain is classified. I can't tell you what's going on, good or bad."
"But it's something bad, isn't it?"
"Cassandra...you can't think that way. Your mom and dad, and the Colonel and Teal'c...they all know what they're doing. And they're very, very good at what they do."
"So why are you worried?"
"Because sometimes I forget," she said at last.
General Hammond had a headache. People missing, people found...and an ultimatum for new hosts that would either prove a death sentence for an old friend, or a salvation for them all.
"Are you sure you want to go through with this?," he asked the younger General.
"Considering I don't really understand half of what you've told me, and I can't believe the rest...Sure. What have I got to lose?"
"Jacob..."
"George, I'm sure, okay? At the very least, I'll get to see what Sammie does for a living."
"If you're sure...," George sighed.
"I am. There's just one thing."
"Name it."
"No matter what happens to me out there...take care of her, will you?"
George smiled. "Of course."
SG-1 and 3 were all back, safe and sound. And all it had cost them for their return was Sam's dad...
Janet eyed the team warily, finding signs of strain, regret, exhaustion, and sorrow etched across every face. Even Teal'c appeared more somber than usual.
As they finished with their post-mission exams and prepared to leave, Janet stepped out in front of them, blocking their path. Crossing her arms, she stared them all down. The Colonel frowned.
"Is there something else you need?," he asked, teetering on the edge of snappish.
"Yes," she answered sharply. "I'm recommending a few days of down-time for all of you, effective immediately."
"What?" "Why?" Sam and Daniel asked, almost simultaneously.
"You've just spent the better part of a week in captivity," she reminded them. "Now I don't care how civil the Tok'ra were about it, you all still need time to regroup and recover. Three days, minimum."
"Doc," the Colonel protested.
"I'm serious," she said. "Once you leave this infirmary, I want you to leave the base. That's an order."
"I am not at liberty to do as you request, Doctor Fraiser," Teal'c replied.
"It's my understanding that you are allowed to leave the base so long as you are accompanied by a member of your team, Mr. Teal'c. And if none of them will volunteer, you are welcome to join Cassandra and I for dinner tonight. I promised her we'd make pizza," she added, for the benefit of 'mom' and 'dad'.
"I would be honoured," Teal'c replied, inclining his head.
"You can bunk at my place afterward," the Colonel offered. Teal'c inclined his head once more, the hint of a smile touching his ever-serious face.
"Jack, why don't you join us, too?," Daniel offered. "At least, I'm assuming we're invited..." he said, indicating himself and Sam.
Janet smiled. "Sounds like a party."
"I'll bring the cake," the Colonel answered, eyes twinkling.
Janet breathed an inward sigh of relief. This was more like it.