A/N: I'm not sure if anyone who used to read this story is still here, but on the off chance that you are... I'm sorry for the silence. I know it's been almost a year, and I haven't been writing much in that time, but I haven't given up on the story. I still intend to finish it. The last year has been... difficult. I've struggled with my mental health and work-life balance (or, rather, lack thereof). It's slowly—very slowly, too slowly—getting better, so I'm back to writing. I can only hope that it keeps getting better—or at least that it doesn't get worse again. I do have some text written ahead, so hopefully I can publish with some degree of regularity again, at least for a while. Do let me know if you're still here, if you're still reading. I'm sure it'll help. Thank you.

Chapter 22, part 2.

Alice parked her mom's Toyota in the driveway. She shut off the engine and turned to Jake.

"Ready for this?"

"No." He took a deep breath. "Let's go."

They got out and walked to the front door. The house was large and lavish in a vulgar way that always made Alice think it was more for show than for living. Before running for Congress, Alastar had been first a successful lawyer and then an Assistant District Attorney—and all that after being raised in a wealthy family to begin with, so it was unsurprising that he liked flashy things. It was more curious that his older sister, Alice's mom, did not; not only did she defy their parents and married a poor Navy Lieutenant, but she then settled with him in a mid-range suburban house and continued to live happily without ever seeming to miss the more extravagant lifestyle of her childhood.

They knocked and waited for a few minutes before the door opened and Alastar himself stood on the threshold.

"Jake, Allie!" He exclaimed, but he didn't seem entirely surprised, Alice noted. "How nice of you to come by! Come in, come in!"

He led them inside into the living room; as always, it was pristine, except for a folder and some papers on the coffee table.

"I've been doing some calls," Alastar explained, sweeping the papers into the folder and putting it away. "Gotta thank all the good people whose donations have helped to reelect me!"

"Congratulations on that again, by the way," Jake said pleasantly, even though both he and Alice would've preferred that he'd lost—not out of meanness, though, they felt the same way about all Republicans.

"Where's Aunt Moira and the boys?" Alice asked, wary of the silence ringing across the house.

"She took them to visit her parents." Alastar dropped onto an armchair, waving them to sit down at the couch. "I decided I'd rather do my thank-you calls than see my in-laws…" He grinned at them. He seemed strangely relaxed—suspiciously so.

Jake smiled nervously. "Sure, who wouldn't?" It was the kind of remark he wouldn't typically make, and Alice understood that, consciously or not, he was trying to put Alastar in a good mood.

"So, what do I owe the pleasure of your visit today, kids?" Alastar prompted when he stopped chuckling.

Jake took another deep breath. "There is something I have to say to you and I thought it would be best if you heard it from me and not from, uhm, third parties."

Alastar nodded jovially, and at this point Alice was already certain that he already knew; Simon must have gotten to him.

"So, firstly, what I wanted to tell you—" Jake's eyes flashed to Alice as if he was seeking some courage, and she smiled at him reassuringly "—is that I am leaving the Marine Corps. Or, rather, I am leaving active duty and moving to the Reserves."

"I know," Alastar said calmly.

Jake swallowed hard. "You do?"

"Yes, Simon told me. He called yesterday."

"I wish he didn't." Jake shook his head, looking a little puzzled at Alastar's serene demeanor. "So you know about…?" His voice trailed off.

"Yes." Alastar smirked at Jake's disbelief. "Listen, Jacob, I appreciate that you came here to tell me yourself. It took guts. But I am actually glad that Simon called me first. It gave me some time to think it all through."

"And?"

"Doesn't change anything. Don't get me wrong, I do not condone the homosexual lifestyle and you will never catch me voting for gay marriage or anything like that—I have a reputation to uphold, after all. But in the past few years I've had to contend with the existence of aliens and a bunch of other improbable stuff. What two guys are doing in the privacy of their own home is insignificant in comparison—just don't flaunt it in front of children." Alastar paused, and then added, a bit gruffly: "Besides, you are my sister's son, and that's enough for me. Family first."

He lapsed into silence, looking at them a little challengingly, maybe expecting applause or something. And, if she weren't so stunned, Alice would've given it to him—this reaction was a total opposite of what she'd expected. She was sure Alastar would be indignant, furious, and vilely homophobic. Instead, he spoke in a measured voice, clearly having thought it through thoroughly, and although he might not be a poster boy for inclusiveness, his message was clear: I accept you.

"Thank you," Jake managed, looking as shocked as Alice felt.

Alastar smirked again. "I can see I threw you off. Ha! I can still do that."

"Yeah. I have to admit, I expected your reaction to be more like Simon's," Jake admitted.

"And to be frank, if you had told me four years ago, it probably would've been," Alastar agreed easily. "We live and learn, my boy. There are life-sucking aliens out there somewhere and our world was inhabited by another species of humans before we came around—that's enough to make a man reevaluate his stance on many points."

Alice shook her head and spoke up for the first time since the beginning of the conversation: "I thought you didn't believe the Ancients were here before us."

"I'm not sure if I do," he replied gravely. "It's very hard to reconcile all that with my beliefs—I haven't abandoned them just because I know more. But it's in the questioning that one finds true faith."

Alice frowned, unsure how it related to her remark, but decided not to dig too deep. The fact that Alastar was being so open—for him, anyway—was already much more than she had the right to expect, and it was blowing her mind.

"So we're okay?" Jake asked, as if he still couldn't quite comprehend it.

"Yeah, we're okay. Don't expect me to invite your, uh, partner to family functions, but I won't throw a tantrum if I find myself in the same room with him or anything," Alastar clarified, his tone light. "And don't worry about Simon. Eventually he'll realize that family is more important than this affair and he'll come around."

Jake nodded, but he didn't look convinced.

"So, do you have any idea what you want to do in the civilian world?" Alastar pivoted to an easier topic and, as they continued the conversation, the tension slowly subsided, so that when the siblings were leaving forty minutes later, they felt somewhat more relaxed.

"I still can't believe Alastar turned out to be so cool about it," Jake commented as they got into the car.

"Me neither. I guess the whole aliens exist thing must have made more of an impact on him than we'd realized," Alice admitted, turning the key in the ignition and slowly pulling out onto the street. "I mean, it's not like he's suddenly an ally, but…" She shrugged.

"Yeah." Jake looked out the window pensively. "You know, I think that's just part of it. I really think that he truly believes that family should always come first. I mean, he's always taken care of mom and all…"

"Yeah, you're probably right," Alice agreed. "At any rate, I am really glad it worked out this way. Now he's gonna tell Aunt Moira and the boys and they'll take their cue from him, they always do."

"Oh, I don't know, they aren't small children anymore—Patrick's eighteen and Lee's, what, fifteen? They might have their own view."

"Perhaps, but I don't believe it would be more conservative than their father's," Alice reassured him. "If anything, they're in their rebellious stage. I mean, you remember the row over Patrick's choice to skip a year and go backpacking across Asia…"

Jake chuckled. "Oh, yeah. Poor boy. He's going to Cornell instead, right?"

"Wasn't it Columbia?"

"Maybe Columbia. Either way, a far cry from sleeping under the stars somewhere in India…"

Alice sighed. "I'm glad we didn't have that kind of interference. Even when Dad was still with us, he's never pushed us in one direction or another."

"Yeah, makes you admire Tobey even more. I mean, Simon's even worse than Alastar when it comes to meddling, and yet Tobey managed to go his own way."

"Simon's almost disinherited him when he learned Tobey wouldn't go to West Point." Alice nodded, remembering.

"He's a good guy, Tobey is. He looks and acts like such a goof, but he's got a good backbone in there."

"Yeah, and he's smart, too. Did you know he's got me couching him on how to get into the Program? He doesn't know what it is—he thinks it's all about a space race with China—but he still wants to be good enough to be considered. I don't have the heart to tell him just how much of a long shot it is."

"Good for him!" Jake grinned, amused. "Can you imagine Tobey going against a charging Jaffa or Wraith?!"

Alice smiled crookedly. "I try not to make such judgments. I mean, look at me—I don't quite look like I could wrestle a Wraith, either, and yet…"

"True," Jake agreed with a playful expression on his face. "Sometimes I think you're just making it all up!"

Alice rolled her eyes, stuck out her tongue at him, making him laugh out loud, and they continued to banter lightheartedly all the way home.

She was staring into the screen of her PC, too tired to realize that she'd lost her focus a while back and was now simply watching the cursor blink in and out of existence at the beginning of a paragraph. It had been another near-sleepless night and she was thinking that if it wasn't going to get better anytime soon, she'd have to give up and go back to using sleeping aids. But it hadn't been two full weeks yet, and Green had said it would take at least that for the meds to start working at all, and who knew how long it would be before she'd see any significant improvement? In the meantime she was just going to be constantly exhausted. There was a tiny sliver of a good side to it, though: the overwhelming fatigue numbed out all the emotions that would otherwise be raging inside her. It was better to not feel much at all than let herself be consumed, she figured.

She didn't hear the door open, but the sound of someone clearing their throat jerked her out of her fugue. She looked around, a bit dazed, and focused on the man who's just entered: medium height, round face, brown hair, sideburns and muddy blue eyes.

"Good afternoon, Major," Captain Scott said with a pleasant smile. "Am I disturbing you?"

She shook her head. "No, my mind was wandering," she lied, getting up from behind her desk, as much to face him as to stretch her legs. "How can I help you, Captain?"

"Well, ma'am, I've heard about the teenage alien you've rescued, and that she's currently trying to learn all about Earth and all. I thought I might offer you my services—I majored in history at the Academy and I'd be delighted to help her out with any questions, or just general help, anything I can do." He beamed at her, clearly satisfied with his own initiative.

Alice smiled back tiredly. "That's very kind of you, Captain, and I'm sure Dalia will greatly appreciate it. I'd given her the reader's digest version of the history of the Earth, but it's certainly not enough."

"I'm sure you've done an excellent job, ma'am," he reassured her hastily. "I just thought I might pitch in…"

"And I appreciate that." She nodded. "You know what would be very helpful?" He looked at her eagerly and she almost smirked—but not quite. "If you could have a think over a proper curriculum. We want her to go to high school starting next year, that'll be August 2013, and she needs to be prepared. We're working on a cover story that would explain any gaps she might still have at that point, but history of the world—even just in general terms—is one thing that would be good if she already knew by then. I've given her a couple books that looked good to me, but I'm not really an expert in the humanities, so I'd appreciate some support."

"Do not say another word, ma'am, I am on it!" He beamed again. "I'll prepare something by the end of the week and then I can guide her and answer any questions she might have, at any point in time, afterwards."

"Awesome, thank you, Captain. That's—" She was interrupted by the sound of her phone ringing. "It's really very nice of you," she finished, walking back to her desk to pick it up.

"No problem at all, ma'am. Happy to help!" He replied, then nodded respectfully and exited quietly to let her talk in private.

"Major Boyd," she breathed into the receiver.

"Major, this is Aga Foster," a familiar voice said, and Alice had to restrain the urge to sigh impatiently.

"Aga, hello," she replied instead, her voice quite measured for the volume of irritation she felt at the journalist.

"I hope I'm not disturbing you," Aga said and then continued on the same breath: "I'm calling to ask if you could please recall the tail you've put on me. This is really—"

"No," Alice interrupted her rudely. "They're not there to spy on you but to keep you safe." That wasn't the exact truth: yes, the two agents assigned to shadow Aga Foster were there mostly to ensure her safety, but they were also reporting on her every move—and moreover, they were there to intercept any attempts by the bad guys to follow or threaten the journalist; if they were able to do that, then perhaps they could find out who exactly stood behind her recent abduction and beating.

"What about my right to privacy?" The journalist complained, clearly annoyed.

"It's all perfectly legal," Alice replied evasively.

"The military doesn't have jurisdiction!"

"No," Alice agreed, trying very hard to remain calm. "And your shadow isn't part of the military."

"Then who? FBI? I know it's not NYPD," Aga asserted confidently.

"It's a federal agency, that's all I can say. Again, Aga, they're there to protect you. Do you want to end up in the Hudson?"

"Of course I don't, but I think if this was going to happen, they would've already done it." She sounded pretty blasé about it, but Alice was sure it was just a façade. "They left me alive for a reason, right?"

"I can't speak for them, and I'd be very careful about making assumptions. We don't know who they are—we can only guess, and that's one more thing to be concerned about. But you've landed in the hospital because of them, and I doubt they'd have any qualms about finishing the job if you don't do what they want."

"I can't drop the story, it's just too big." Aga's voice was almost pleading now. "Although I'm starting to question if anyone will believe it." She sighed in frustration. "I bet you could clarify so many things…"

"I certainly could, but I'm not gonna make the job easier for you," Alice replied, a bit harsh. "This is not a good time for the truth to see the light of day. Not yet."

"Yeah? If not now, then when? In a hundred years, when it's no longer relevant?" Aga asked heatedly.

"I doubt it'll ever be irrelevant," Alice countered, equally crankily. "But releasing it right now would have disastrous effects. I told you, people's lives are at stake."

"Yeah, yeah, you people always say that," the journalist dismissed. "And you didn't answer my question. If not now, when?"

"When people are ready," she replied. "If you're questioning if people will believe what little you have found out—if it's real at all, which I am not so sure of—what makes you think they'll believe the full truth?"

"Tell me that truth and I'll tell you if they'll believe it," Aga parried.

Alice sighed, vexed. "This conversation is pointless," she decided. "I'm not going to recall the people who are following you—not unless you promise to drop the story."

"I can't do that."

"Then we're at the same stalemate as we've always been."

"Indeed. But there's another reason I'm calling," Aga revealed. "One of my sources told me you were involved in that plane hijacking in the UK. That true?"

Alice pursed her lips and didn't respond, too annoyed at being discovered. Who told? She wondered angrily. She knew better than to ask—she was sure the journalist wouldn't give up her source.

"So it's true," Aga said, correctly interpreting the silence. "That's pretty amazing. Why the secrecy, though?"

"Because of you," Alice replied irritably. "I really don't need any more journalists sniffing around me. I've got enough problems with the one."

Aga laughed out loud and then coughed. It sounded bad.

"You okay?" Alice asked worriedly, her earlier frustration gone within seconds. "How are you feeling, anyway?"

"Not great," Aga admitted. "My chest hurts when I laugh or even take a deep breath."

"Broken ribs are no joke," Alice agreed.

"Sounds like speaking from experience?"

"Oh, yeah. Though I was only twelve when I fell off a ladder on a tree house." Well, actually she had been pushed off by Aaron on a dare, but those details didn't need to be shared.

Aga chuckled softly. "That sounds delightfully normal. And here I was thinking there's absolutely nothing normal about you, Major."

Alice smiled tiredly. "Define normal."

"Good point. But coming back to the hijack—I've read about it in the papers, you come off like a real hero."

"I was just saving my own skin," Alice insisted. "Nothing heroic about that."

"Well, you saved a lot of people—and, they say, the British royal family, too. That must feel pretty good."

Alice didn't have the energy to even frown. She didn't feel particularly good about the whole incident—she was mostly annoyed at all the formalities she had to go through, both back then in London and now; the investigators kept e-mailing and calling her with additional questions, even though to her it seemed like she'd already described every single detail she possibly could. And she was still disappointed at herself for making mistakes that didn't end up in tragedy only because of sheer luck. The fact that, along with herself, she'd saved other people was immaterial to her; after so much time in the Stargate Program, and especially after what happened in the future, the stakes didn't seem particularly high and were easy to dismiss.

"Sure," she lied unconvincingly. "Still, I'd really rather remain anonymous. It had nothing to do with my normal work—with the story you're pursuing. Please, please, can you keep this to yourself?" She asked without much hope.

Aga seemed to meditate for a moment. "Okay," she agreed finally. "You're right, it's not relevant to my story—except that it highlights just how much of a character you are."

Alice didn't know how to interpret that, so she remained silent.

"But I'll do what you ask," the journalist continued after a beat. "After all, you weren't on duty then, and everyone has a right to privacy," she added pointedly.

"Thank you," Alice said, ignoring the barb. "I appreciate that." She sighed. "Anything else?"

"No, thank you, Major. I'm sure we'll be in contact," Aga half-joked, making Alice roll her eyes. "Have a good afternoon."

"Bye, Aga."

Alice ended the conversation and threw the cell onto her desk with a deep sigh. How was she going to deal with Aga? Worse even than the journalist publishing her story was the very real possibility the Trust or whoever was after her would get to her—and silence her permanently. As much as she was frustrated with her, Alice did not want to have Aga on her conscience. She sighed again and went back to her research paper that she was trying to re-write in a way that could be released to the public.

"So, what do you think?" Carter looked at Alice expectantly.

She mulled it over for a moment. "It's not bad," she agreed. "I would just make one amendment—let her come from the other side of the family. I know it would be easier with Alastar already knowing about the Program, but he's also a politician, and it could affect his reputation if anyone found out. My paternal grandmother only had a brother, but we can invent a half-sister for her," she suggested.

"It's up to you, if you think that's the better option, then let's do that." Carter scribbled something on the sheet of paper she had in front of her. "You think your family will be okay with this?"

Alice shrugged. "My cousins won't know any better, and frankly I don't really care if Simon's okay with it or not. If he stirs up any trouble he can be ordered to stand down and keep quiet."

Carter's eyes were sharp as she stared at Alice, perhaps in response to her glacial tone when Alice mentioned her uncle. She didn't comment on it, though. "Well, then, if you're happy with this cover story, then I'll submit it to O'Neill and we'll start moving along with the formalities. It'll most likely take a few weeks, maybe even months, but I think in the meantime we can let Dalia out of the mountain. That is, if you're okay with that."

Alice nodded tiredly. "A change of scenery will be good for her. The only problem is my roommate—I can tell her the cover story, of course, but I can't guarantee that Dalia won't slip up and say something utterly weird that would make her question it. Dee is still a kid, but she's clever in her own way."

"We can have her sign an NDA," Carter mused. "But wouldn't that make her even more suspicious?"

"Definitely. I think perhaps it's better not to, for now. If she learns something she shouldn't know, then we can whip out an NDA," Alice decided.

"And you think she'll be alright with a teenager suddenly coming to live with you?" Carter asked, even though Alice had already assured her it would not be a problem.

"Dee is the most generous person I know," Alice replied with confidence. "She's also an extreme extravert, new people excite her. I'm sure she won't have anything against Dalia. We certainly have enough room at the house." And, Alice didn't say, Dee is now paying less than a third of the rent. Actually having three people live there would mean her part would be more of an even split, and that is bound to make her happy, since she's always worried about not paying enough. "Still, as soon as we have the confirmation about the cover story, I'll tell Dee and ask if she's fine with Dalia coming to live with us. I expect no opposition, but I can't just drop it on her head without at least appearing to consult it with her."

Carter nodded. "Okay, then. We should have a confirmation by the end of this week. Dalia will just have to be patient until then."

"She'll be alright. Besides, even after then, she'll still be coming here with me every day—she should get used to it. I can't leave her alone at the house just yet—she needs to learn more about our world first."

"Indeed. Alright, then, Major. Let me send this to O'Neill. You're dismissed."

"Ma'am." Alice nodded respectfully and left the room. She checked her watch and sighed deeply. She started walking down the corridor deliberately slowly, not especially excited for her next appointment. All too soon, she was in Doctor Green's cozy office, sitting in one of the armchairs and sipping tea that the therapist offered considerately instead of coffee.

"So, Major, how are you feeling today?"

"You can call me Alice." The officer sighed, putting down the teacup. "And I feel tired. I knew it was going to be difficult—I mean it's not like the months up till now were a walk in the park, but this is a whole new level."

Green nodded sympathetically. "It's going to take a little while," she acknowledged. "But I truly believe it's for the best. It's going to help you in the long run, I promise you."

"I know." The question was if Alice could make it long enough for it to ever get better, but she didn't say it.

"And how are you feeling about the whole situation with Dalia?"

Alice looked up at the ceiling. "Everyone keeps asking me that, telling me how much of a burden and responsibility I'm taking upon myself, and on a logical level I know this, too—but I can't get worked up about it. I just don't have enough energy to worry about what might be anymore. All I know is that I couldn't possibly have another person on my conscience. I'm not being as altruistic as everyone seems to believe."

"Perhaps you're not giving yourself enough credit," Green contradicted gently. "But although I agree it's a great responsibility, I have no doubt you can rise to it. And I don't think it'll be as much of a burden as others might suggest—I've spoken to Dalia extensively, and one thing that is absolutely clear is that beyond her deep-seated belief in the importance of paying off this life debt of hers is a great well of gratitude towards you for saving her life. She's very young, much younger in some respects than your typical teenagers on Earth, but at the same time, very mature in others. I think she might be good for you."

Alice frowned. "Good for me how?"

"I don't know what happened to you, exactly, but whatever it was, it caused you significant trauma," Green explained calmly. "And you've been locked in this trauma for months now, reliving it instead of processing it. Having someone on the outside of it that you are responsible for and who will take a portion of your time outside of work can be a good thing—if you let it."

"And how do I do that?"

"Don't push her away. Let her guide you. Spend time with her—not just teaching her maths and physics and stuff, just go shopping together, or hiking, or just watch movies for the fun of it. It doesn't seem to me like you have anyone you can just relax with," Green noted.

Alice thought about Deanna, how soothing hanging out with her was until the revelation of her ill-fated crush, even though she had been always pushing Alice to do things that were completely out of character for her. And then her thoughts slipped over to Aaron—how they could spend hours in each other's company, talking, playing with Ike or Chappy, or just being quiet together—and how it never failed to make her feel a little better; not cured, certainly, but just tiny bit more like her old self. Jake's presence helped, too, and mom's, but none had quite the effect Aaron did. With mom, Alice always had to be on her guard, always worried about her fragile mental state, and Jake was sometimes a bit much for her—he was a talker, and after a while, it could become tiresome; but Aaron didn't mind companionable silence and it was just refreshing—to be alone, but together. Somehow her personal cloud would usually hold off on the rain until after Aaron was gone.

"That's not exactly true," she admitted after a short pause. "I like spending time with my mom and brother, and my best friend… but they're in L.A. Here, there's only Deanna…"

"Who's Deanna?"

"My roommate and friend. The problem is—well." Alice hesitated. Could she tell her secret? She wouldn't tell anyone else, but there was this patient-doctor confidentiality in effect here, so it wasn't the same, right? "A while back Dee admitted she had a crush on me and since then it's been a little… awkward."

"Ah. Did she take the rejection badly?"

"Not really. I mean, I could see she was—I mean, it made her sad." Alice shook her head. "But she said she still wanted to be friends, and I'm trying, but it's hard to just get over it. Still, she and I do hang out together a bit."

"That's good, but I still think you need more things to hold your attention outside work," Green opined. "And perhaps the introduction of Dalia into both your lives might prove helpful—being alone, just the two of you, might create unnecessary tension. Having an uninvolved third party there might help dissolve some of it."

Alice nodded. It sounded reasonable, and she thought it would be nice to be able to sit on the couch next to Dee without feeling like she was leading her on, no matter how unequivocally she'd told her it wasn't going to happen between them. Having Dalia there might help dispel some of that awkwardness.

They were quiet for a moment while Alice mulled it over. Green sipped at her tea, watching her, but apparently not in a rush to say anything.

"What now?" Alice asked eventually, picking up her cup.

"You tell me," Green replied softly. "Are you ready to tell me what happened?"

The tea sloshed against the porcelain walls that held it within as Alice's hand trembled. She put the cup back on its saucer. "It's a long story."

"I don't have any other appointments today," Green noted. "I have time if you do. Or, we can do it in parts—"

"No." Alice shook her head violently. "Let's just get it over with." She then sighed, squared her shoulders and launched into the story.