AU: General O'Neill is called into base on Christmas. Grace wants her Dad. Daniel wants to work. Who will win?
Part 4 of my Lost and Found Universe. One-shot for Shipmas 2023.
NB: When I originally wrote 'Lost and Found', I used the Air Dates for the timeline then played with the days depending on story. I have attempted to align this series with the Arduino timeline. Unfortunately, doing so would mean that 'Happy Birthday Daddy' would be completely out of sync. So therefore, I will be keeping the Air Dates as the timeline for this series.
A Little Christmas Grace
"C'mooon… I wanna see Daddy now!" I wheedled in what Mummy called my painteded O'Neill snarkiness. When I asked what painteded was, Mummy replied that it was original or untested. That couldn't be right. It was Daddy's first and he tested it on Uncle Daniel all the time.
"In a sec, Gracie. I just need to work out this symbol. The tablet is not making sense so far and I think that it's the key to understanding the context of the whole… Hey!" He almost yelped when I swiped the piece of shiny black rock out of his hands. "Give that back!"
"No." I replied, looking at it.
"Gracie." He said in the sternest voice he could manage, rubbing his eye under his glasses. He had nothing on General Daddy's stern voice and even less sternness on Mummy's. She could even put Daddy in his place with a look. If Mummy were here, she would have taken me straight to Daddy, unless he was in a meeting.
I understood why she couldn't. Sami was less than two weeks old and very demanding. There was so much crying. She always wanted food or cuddles, or her bum cleaned then more food. She even cried when she wanted sleep, unless Daddy was home, then she would stretch out on his chest while he watched The Simpsons or sport on TV and drop straight off contentedly, emitting a soft golden glow. Daddy had learned how to control his, which was good because he used to dead set fill the house with shininess whenever he was happy, which was all – the – time.
Turning the piece of flat shiny rock in a semi-circle so that the top was now at the bottom, I gave it back to him. "You had it upside down." I told him and crossed my arms over my chest, though with my bright peridot green dress adorned by red sequined Santa hats, and two puffed up pig tails with bells in the hair ties, I probably didn't look very menacing.
"Wait. You can read this?" He asked, pushing his glasses up his nose even though they hadn't fallen down.
"Maybe." I replied with a suitably annoyed look on my face.
"Maybe, yes or maybe, no?" He asked very slowly as if I were a little girl. I was, but I could read that piece of rock and he couldn't, so yay me.
Leaning forward, arms still crossed, and chin stuck out, "Maybe – but only if you take me to Daddy."
His mouth dropped open, but he closed it again, "Are you blackmailing me, Gracie?" He asked with a look of asper-asassper-assperation – meh – a large word that meant annoyed – put out – frustrated. I smiled; Daddy loved teaching me new words to use in place of others. It was not uncommon to hear Mummy and Daddy having what he called his dinosaur word competition. He said there was a book dedicated to teaching you different words with the same or similar meanings. It ended in saurus, so I told him it must be a dinosaur. He agreed.
"No. I am trading with you." I replied and grinned broadly, giving him a slightly different word.
"Trading. You are trading with me?"
"Yep." I replied, popping the 'p'. He narrowed his eyes. Daddy had said that maybe after being kidnapped by the crazy woman then being returned because he was annoying – apparently those were her words – that he would be less annoying. He wanted me to tell him what the funny letters said, I wanted Daddy. That was a trade.
Daddy would be home right now if it wasn't for the crazy woman kidnapping Uncle Daniel and stealing Daddy's friend's ship. We got Uncle Daniel back, but the crazy woman was still causing Daddy problems because she entered a contract to sell the ship to some other guys who were now demanding something in return for not having the ship anymore. He said aliens didn't understand Christmas and presents and new baby sisters when he left last night.
"OK. Let me get this straight. If I take you to your father, you will translate this complex ancient language for me?" He asked rather specifically.
"Ah-huh." I agreed with a nod, my arms still crossed.
"OK." He agreed and handed me the shiny black thing. I smiled and shoved it in my bright pink shoulder bag that Uncle Teal'c had bought me for my birthday, then turned and skipped out the door.
"Wait! Gracie..." He called out, moving from behind his desk, dodging a stack of books and dashing out his door after me. "Translation first, young lady." He demanded.
"Nope." I replied, same popping sound, still skipping toward the elevator. I heard him make a noise at the back of his throat. Stopping, I turned slightly and looked over my shoulder to see him standing, hands on his hips and lips turned down in his version of a cranky frown. Little did he know that I could see the smile at the edges of his lips. The smile that said he was point seven five seconds away from…
"Oh, alright! Let's go!" He huffed. Make that point six five seconds. I smiled, spun on the spot, and flounced into the elevator to hit the button. "You know, you have entirely too much of your father in you."
"Daddy says you love it." I told him.
"Your Daddy loves it as well. I don't think there is a single General at the Pentagon that wouldn't know you on sight. Aaand… if they didn't, all you'd have to do is open your mouth." He said giving me the smile that meant he really did love my extreme O'Neill-ness.
"I love you too, Uncle Space Monkey." I replied, knowing that my grin was half O'Neill, half Carter and totally irresistible.
"If you weren't so cute, I'd… ooohh…" He complained, his hands curling in pretend fists just like the cartoon dog on Nickelodeon just as the doors opened on Daddy's level. Grinning again, I bobbed my head side to side making my Christmas bells jangle and took off at a skipping lope down the corridor greeting every airman by name as I went. Daddy always said that it's important to know people's names and use them as much as possible.
When we came to Daddy's door, Uncle Daniel stopped me with a hand on my shoulder. "Let me check first." He instructed. I stood by as he knocked on the door. When there was no answer, he cracked the door. "He's not there. Might be in the briefing room. You stay here and I'll find him." He said, opening the door and letting me inside.
I promptly walked around the desk and plopped down in his big cushy chair. His dress hat was on his desk. Giggling, I picked it up and placed it carefully on my head. It was so big that it dropped down over my eyes. Tipping it slightly, it slipped backwards and fell into place. I sat for a little while just swinging my legs back and forth before coming up with an idea. Reaching into my bag, I pulled out my pink unicorn and Uncle Daniel's pretty rock. Placing them both on the desk, I put on a hard soldier face.
"What do you mean you can't read this Major?" I gruffed at Sir Cupcakes.
"I – I – I – don't know, Ma'am." I replied for Cupcakes in a squeaky unicorn voice. "It's re– really old and not many people can read it." I squeaked his next answer.
Putting my cranky face back on, I replied, "The Air Force pays you to know this stuff, airman. I have to reptri – reptri – write you up." I changed the word because I couldn't get the word I wanted out. Reaching forward to the purple and yellow clay cup that I gave Daddy for his birthday; I drew out the long green crayon and made a few marks on a piece of paper – being careful that it wasn't for Uncle George or Uncle Henry first – sitting on his desk just as the door opened.
"Gracie." Daddy said in a not very happy voice. Jumping a little, I dropped the crayon and fumbled with his hat until it fell off and slipped down behind me to sit on its end on the chair. "I was just…"
"Reprimanding Sir Cupcakes for not being able to read that." He finished motioning the Uncle Daniel's black rock, his eyes hard and unyielding.
"Yes, Sir." I answered immediately, sitting up a little straighter the way I had seen other people do when he wasn't happy. And he wasn't. I could feel the bad energy coming from him.
"Hey, there'll be none of that from you. I hear 'Yes, Sir' all day." He said, his voice much softer and kinder. "I don't want you to ever think you have to call me that." He replied quickly, then smiled down at me.
"OK, Daddy." I replied and smiled back at him before getting up and walking around to give him a big hug. He hugged me hard and kissed the top of my head.
"How are you, munchkin?" He asked in a tired voice as he came around the side of his desk, deftly picking up his hat and placing in carefully on the hat hook behind his chair.
I sighed, "I'm OK. Sami was crying a lot, so Mummy called Uncle Daniel and asked him if he could take me to work with him." I explained as I hopped onto one of his other chairs. It had still been dark when we left. Picking up the paper flower, I twirled my fingers through its delicate petals deep in thought.
"What's up, Princess?" Daddy asked.
"I think Santa forgot me." I sniffed and looked at him. "I guess maybe he didn't realise that I was in a different home now. Maybe he went to my old house in the mirror." I didn't want to be upset but I couldn't help it.
"Oh, sweetheart." Daddy said, coming around to gather me up. My arms went around his neck as he hoisted me to sit on his hip. "He didn't forget you. I promise. Maybe he is just running late. The snow has been deeper than usual." He explained. He was right. I'd nearly lost my bike in a drift when I forgot to put it away.
"Yeah, maybe." I sighed heavily.
"I'll tell you what, why don't we go and get some hot chocolate from the commissary on level 3 and then stop by the people upstairs to see if they are still tracking him?" He suggested. That was a great idea and it made me smile brightly. I loved hot chocolate! "Then we can go home."
"Yesss! Can Sir Cupcakes come along?" I asked.
"Of course, he can. Can't have hot chocolate without someone taking point, can we?" I shook my head vigorously. Suddenly the door opened, and Uncle Daniel burst through.
"Jack! Where have you been?" He asked looking a little annoyed.
"Well Space Monkey, I was out there, then I was there…" he pointed to his chair, "…then there…" The floor beside his desk, "…now I am here. Soon, I will be in the elevator, then on level 3 with cake and hot chocolate." He replied giving me a side glance.
"You know your daughter calls me Uncle Space Monkey." He said, an edge of complaint in his tone.
"No, really?" Of course, he knew. He was the one who told me that I could call him that. Encouraged me in fact. "Anyway, your girlfriend is gone, her scum bag alien friends are gone. Prometheus is still ours. It's Christmas. So, go, shoo, skedaddle." He ordered.
"She's not my girlfriend, Jack."
"Details." Daddy replied as he turned to carry me out the door.
"Not so fast." Uncle Daniel said, focusing on me, "You owe me one translation young lady." He said with his hand held out for the tablet. Daddy narrowed his eyes as I produced Uncle Daniel's shiny rock from my bag.
"Atlantus. Vis Uban. Videum de Anquietas. Corruptus Castella Renin." I told him with clear words then looked at Daddy to see his proud smile.
"Corrupt Castle Kingdom? No, fortress. Kingdom of the corrupt fortress." He worked out moving words around before looking up at us both. "Tintagel. As in the birthplace of King Arthur?" He asked, looking a little weary. I merely shrugged. I had never heard of Tintagel or King Arthur before and had no idea how he got Tintagel out of what I had said. "Are you sure that is what it says?" He asked as he ran his finger over the symbols.
"Yep." I didn't know how I knew; I just did. I looked at it and the words just made sense.
"OK, thanks. I'll get right on that." He muttered as he walked to the briefing room door.
"Daniel." Daddy caught his attention.
"Yes, Jack?"
"Don't forget Christmas lunch. If you do, Sam will have my head." He reminded him. I knew Daddy would phone him again in a few hours, it was always the same.
"Oh, right. Sure, sure. I'll see you then." He replied, walking out leaving the door open. Daddy shook his head and smiled.
"C'mon munchkin, let's get that hot chocolate and find Santa, hey?"
Holding up Sir Cupcakes, I lifted one of his feet to his head in a salute, "Yes, Sir! General Daddy!" I said, snapping the salute before tucking him back into my bag. Maybe by the time we got home, Santa had visited.
A/N: I hope you can understand my four year old language where I have used it. Copied from my oldest child when he was growing up.