Daughter
Chapter 40 – Cat's Out of the Bag
Elda grinned as she received a plate filled with hamburger meat, a banana, and purple grapes from Gracie's pretend restaurant. She had a special seat on the floor across from her sister in their mother's condo.
"You want a drink?" Gracie asked in her high-pitched voice.
"Sure."
"Okay, coming right up!" The girl turned around to grab a toy pitcher and pretend to pour liquid into a tiny cup. "Here you go," she said politely.
"Careful, Elda," Jack called from behind a newspaper in the kitchen. "She might have spiked that drink with hot sauce."
Elda pursed her lips in amusement. She pretended to take a sip while Gracie watched with expectant and wide eyes. "Mmmm, hot sauce juice. Pretty good."
"See, Daddy! It's good!"
"Oh is that right," he said distractedly.
"Yeah, now your turn," Little Gracie declared, waving a plastic cup in the air. The small child proceeded to pester their father, demanding that he try her specialty drink.
Elda just laughed.
"Hey, Elda, we're planning Gracie's birthday party," Sam said as she walked into the living room. "We're thinking of hosting it here in Colorado. Could you make sure you're onworld for that in a few weeks?"
Her elder daughter smiled delightedly. "Of course!" She glanced at Jack as he argued lightly with Gracie about the utility of hot sauce in pretend juice. "What will it be like?"
"I was thinking of asking Daniel and Vala if we could just borrow their house for the party. Let everyone come over."
She nodded. "Sounds good."
"How 'bout some real food instead?" Jack tried with Gracie. "Chicken nuggets are calling your name."
"Yay!" The little girl climbed up on her father's lap on the kitchen barstool. "Can I have hot sauce?"
"She was so funny the way she exasperated him, Jasuf. You should have seen it."
"I suspect it would be strange." His arm was wrapped around her shoulder as they walked toward the training area of the Ha'tak.
Elda tilted her head. She was so enamored with her little sister's distinct personality that she sometimes forgot the girl was technically another version of herself. "Maybe it would be. At first. But remember, she is her own person. Completely different."
Jasuf smiled down at her. "Perhaps one day we will meet, then."
They arrived to the training area to find it was busy. Warriors from both tribes were already sparring inside the rooms. Other pairs were in deep discussions in the corridors. Elda's eyes widened at the sight of so many of her Hak'tyl sisters readily conversing with Jasuf's guardsmen.
A few of the Jaffa noticed their arrival.
"Sister!"
"Lady Elda."
Elda's eye crinkled at the address. Jasuf smirked with a sideways glance in her direction. A random selection of male and female Jaffa stepped up to bow before her. She was thankful the men's bows were not low, but just the right depth for a peer. She didn't think she could handle teasing from this many guardsman after being away so long. Constantly gating between Earth and Tek'ron made it hard to adjust between the cultures and fend off each side's special brand of torment.
Between marines on Earth and these Jaffa, Elda felt constantly under attack.
"Let us find an unclaimed training room," Jasuf suggested.
The pair did so and found staff weapons already waiting against the wall. Each room was equipped with a handful of them. When occupants were done training, they returned them to their resting places for the next warriors to use. Elda and Jasuf left their coats on the floor in a pile. They each chose a staff and began to practice movements alongside each other.
They moved in sync, using the motions to slowly warm up. Elda had been away too long. She intended to get the most out of this training session while she was onworld. She suspected this is how things would have to go for awhile. Her Jaffa bashaak would be interrupted and piecemeal now that she was dedicating time to SG-3. It was the sacrifice she had to make. There simply wasn't enough time to do everything she wanted.
Goru arrived and called in from the entrance. "Jasuf."
They continued their slow movements uninterrupted. "Goru."
"Your father requests your presence on the peltac. I have already informed him that you are training. He says to report to him when you are done."
Jasuf nodded in acknowledgement.
"EldaMalDoran," Goru now said.
"Yes?" She kept pace with Jasuf as they switched to a new sequence of moves. She let her muscle memory guide her through the motions, keeping an eye on Jasuf's movements from the side.
"Your Den Mother sends greetings."
"Please send them back in kind," she responded automatically. But then her face scrunched as she realized who she was talking to. This wasn't one of her sisters who would always return to the Hak'tyl settlement. It was Goru. She paused to look at him. "Wait a minute."
Jasuf also paused, grinning now.
"Why would you…" Elda was so confused she couldn't even finish her sentence.
Goru's face drew slowly into a quiet smile.
She furrowed her brow. "Goru," she said with a warning tone.
"Progress, Lady Elda. Progress," he said cryptically. His expression was almost mischievous, but more satisfied than anything else. He bowed and left without another word.
She looked up at Jasuf. "What?"
"Your Den Mother invited him to stay in the Hak'tyl village."
Elda's mouth dropped open.
"He is serving as an ambassador for our tribe. Much like you were assigned to do on behalf of the Hak'tyl."
She laid a free hand on his chest. "I leave for two weeks, and this happens!?"
Jasuf leaned down to peck her on the lips with amusement. "All the more reason you should continue to come home. To see what new and interesting news there is to learn."
She huffed and blinked. Then she grabbed at his tunic. "What hut could he possibly be staying in?" She knew of no unused huts in the Hak'tyl settlement. And it was too cold to try building a new one. They couldn't have built one in the short time she was gone either. Even though a couple of months passed from her perspective, to everyone else, she had not been away that long.
"I understand there was a bit of rearrangement to accommodate him." His smile hinted at something else. Elda narrowed her eyes, insisting with a look that he better tell her everything. "He shares a hut with Agean."
If her mouth could drop any lower, it would have hit the floor. Jasuf laughed at her incredulous reaction. He had been looking forward to seeing what she thought of this development. She stammered, "Well… are they… what…"
Jasuf laughed more. He laid a hand on her shoulder. "Perhaps you should direct your questions to your sister, Elda."
"I will!" Then she shook her head. Her eyes wandered aimlessly as she took in this latest turn of events. "Huh." She never thought she'd see the day when a male Jaffa was allowed to live among the Hak'tyl. Teal'c didn't count. He was there too rarely to ever call it home. And he hadn't married Ishta here. Elda wasn't even completely sure where he lived in her old timeline. She and her mother met him in different locations around the galaxy throughout her childhood. She'd only been to his home planet of Chulak a couple of times. And during those brief instances, she had been in disguise for fear that Goa'uld spies were watching for her arrival. Knowing Teal'c's strong connection to her birth family meant he was an obvious target for surveillance. Staying with him was out of the question.
She marveled at how quickly the Jaffa moved. Sometimes they advanced to new levels before she could even blink. Elda now planned to find Agean and interrogate her thoroughly later. She had to know what this was all about.
She leaned on her toes to offer Jasuf a sweet kiss. His hand naturally found the small of her back as he responded. Then she bumped her staff weapon on his side. "Spar with me."
Elda returned to Earth to spend the night there. She would participate in her first briefing as an official member of SG-3 the next morning. She planned to be up early, so it made sense to sleep on the base.
Jasuf understood and didn't complain. He simply whisked her into their hut to give her a proper sendoff before she left. Elda had to admit, she was enjoying his enthusiastic welcomes and long goodbyes. As much as she disliked being away from Tek'ron, Jasuf was making the constant travel worth it. Her marine friends did not hesitate to tease her mercilessly when she came back smiling again.
In the morning, Elda walked into the briefing room to find General Landry and Colonel Reynolds already there. She inclined her head toward them.
"That's a good sign, Colonel. She's the first one here."
"That she is, sir." Reynolds quirked a friendly smile toward her as she sat down next to him.
Elda regarded him with a curious tilt of the head. "How are you feeling?" she asked with genuine concern.
"Fit as a fiddle. Your sister worked her magic, and I feel like myself again."
"Oh good. Glad she was available."
"Glad she didn't mind helping."
"Believe me, Colonel. She doesn't hesitate with a healing device. It's the least she can do."
"I believe you."
Soon Lt. Baker and the two Corporals on their team arrived. They all nodded to each other in greeting and the meeting got started.
Landry said, "Let me begin by saying: Welcome back, Colonel. Welcome to the team, Elda."
They both inclined their heads humbly.
"Your first mission as a team of five will be to check out a new gate address. We've already sent a MALP and a UAV. They found signs of civilization on the planet. You are to make contact with the locals. Get a feel for what they're about."
"Not a bad first jaunt, I'd say," Reynolds commented, glancing at Elda.
Lt. Baker spoke up. "I take it we'll just train her in the field, then, sirs?"
"Yes, Lieutenant," Landry replied. "No point holding her back after everything that already happened on that space station. Just teach her the protocols as you go." He hardly seemed worried.
Elda felt a little proud to have his implicit trust. Her Uncle Hank was silently declaring her as capable and qualified to just run with SG-3 now. No more delays.
He proceeded to give the team detailed instructions. Afterwards he stated, "You leave in two hours."
"Sir," Reynolds acknowledged. They were soon dismissed.
Later, the team stepped through the gate, clad in their matching uniforms and SG-3 patches. The men had acquired P-90s. Elda armed herself with her blasters instead. Reynolds didn't mind it. He'd rather she shoot with something she was comfortable with if the situation demanded it. He was aware of the knives and other tools she hid on her person, too. He was cautiously optimistic that this mission wouldn't require weapons at all.
Elda kept pace with Baker as they trudged through the brush of a nondescript forest. The weather was comfortable. Not at all like winter on Tek'ron.
"What did you get up to offworld yesterday?" he casually asked, eyes scanning the trees.
She was doing the same, but didn't feel on edge. They had not seen anyone on this planet so far. "Training. Seeing what I missed while I was gone."
"What does training look like there?"
"Huh, that's a thing. It just changed. I'm still getting used to it."
"What do you mean?"
"Remember Exhibition?"
Baker nodded.
"That's over. The tribes aren't rivals anymore. They're pairing up warriors from each side to train together with staff weapons instead."
"Is that right?" he responded with interest. "Why the change?" His eyes briefly rested on an animal scurrying away. He continued scanning as they walked.
Elda swallowed. "Umm, they may have realized that competition wasn't doing the job anymore. So they're trying something new."
"Wonder why, though."
Elda shrugged. The less she said, the better. It would only invite more and more teasing from the two Corporals listening in. She just knew they would jump her at any mention of Jasuf.
"If they pair people from both sides, do you get a partner?" Reynolds asked from ahead of them.
Oh boy. "I have a partner, yes." Elda could feel Crawford and Smith behind her slowly getting ready to hurl comments. She tried to keep her eyes on their surroundings instead of taking a look back to see their expressions. The minute she made eye contact with either of them, she would be doomed.
Reynolds held up a fist. The group paused.
Someone revealed themselves ahead of them.
"Well, hello there," the Colonel greeted toward a young man.
A male individual stared back wordlessly.
Reynolds tried introducing himself. "I'm Colonel Malcolm Reynolds. This is my team, SG-3. We're here to make contact with whoever lives here. Just say hello. Get to know you, if you're interested."
He only received a quiet gaze.
Reynolds furrowed his brow. The male had a mark on his forehead. He glanced back at Elda. "Wanna give it a try?"
She nodded and stepped forward. "Chel hol," she greeted. Elda inclined her head very slightly, a polite way to show respect for someone she didn't know. She would automatically adjust the depth of her bow if she learned of this new person's rank among his people.
The young man's eyes blinked at this. Then he gazed behind the group from Earth.
Crawford turned when he heard rustling behind him. "Whoa," he said calmly, holding his hands up. "We're not here to hurt anybody." His eyes rested on the business end of a now-active powered staff weapon.
Around them, more staff weapons appeared. They were suddenly surrounded by many people. SG-3 remained calm. They knew to make no sudden moves. The locals had every right to be suspicious. Elda observed that these people, who were obviously Jaffa, wore no armor. Their simple clothing implied a modest tribe must live here. This was probably their patrol using whatever leftover weapons they had after the fall of their master. Each of them bore the same branding on their foreheads.
She chose not to speak further, for it was not her turn. She quietly locked eyes with the Colonel, pursing her lips to show him that they should all remain silent for now.
The new Jaffa herded SG-3 away.
Before they knew it, they were disarmed and locked into a small cave. A metal grate had been bolted into the rock, serving as a door at the only opening. Large boulders took up the perimeter. They made perfect places to sit.
Reynolds peered outside the bars as their Jaffa hosts simply walked away. He sighed.
Elda stepped up next to him to see. Then she very obviously examined the metal door.
"Can you get us out of here?"
"Yeah. I could," she replied casually. She pointed at the lock. "That's not hard to pick." She patted at her hair, checking for the small tool she had hidden behind her ear. It was still there. The Jaffa hadn't thought to check for that.
"How do you wanna play this, sir?" Baker asked.
"We're here to make nice. So let's make nice. We wait for someone to come talk to us."
Everyone nodded. Elda seemed to go along with it, which was reassuring for Reynolds.
He quietly laughed to himself.
Their first day on the job with a Mal Doran sees them all in jail.
It was just his luck.
He didn't comment aloud, though. He wanted to see what would happen first. So far, nothing alarming had really occurred on the continuum of SG-3 hijinks.
After about a half hour, someone finally came to see them. It was a different Jaffa male. He was older than the first one they encountered. "State your intentions," he demanded with a gruff voice.
Reynolds went through the motions of introducing the team and explaining their presence here. Elda sensed that the Jaffa wasn't very impressed.
"You are all human?" he verified.
"Yes, that's right," the team leader replied.
"Who is the owner of this?" He held up a component of a blaster. Reynolds recognized it and looked back toward Elda.
Her eyes widened slightly. They took her blaster apart? Her lips parted slightly in offense. Crawford and Smith shared a worried look. She treated that thing like her baby. They knew she would be getting pissed. Reynolds gestured for her to step up next to him.
Elda's eyes burned as they flitted between the Jaffa's hand and his face.
He paid her offense no mind. "What Jaffa did you steal this from, human?" he said with obvious derision.
Reynolds blinked. He very slowly placed a hand on her shoulder, hoping to keep her from saying anything that would get them all killed.
Elda got the message. She glared back at the Jaffa who addressed her, waiting for Reynolds to speak instead.
"She didn't steal anything," he argued on her behalf. He looked to Elda for confirmation. "Right?"
She nodded.
Crawford and Smith grit their teeth. Baker raised his brow.
"Then explain the inscription on this panel," the Jaffa challenged. He held it up for her to see.
It would seem that this blaster had previously been taken apart. A message was embossed on the inside of the metal housing. It was custom. Nothing the manufacturer would have placed when the blaster was originally being mass-produced.
Elda's eyes softened when she read what it said in Goa'uld. She sucked in a delighted breath and smiled.
Reynolds was perplexed. She suddenly had stars in her eyes. "What does it say?" he wondered.
Elda could only squeal in response. She bit her lip in satisfaction.
The Jaffa on the other side of the bars watched her carefully. "Identify yourself, human," he said to Elda.
Elda's eyes flitted to Reynolds. He nodded. "Elda Mal Doran," she said plainly. Her eyes went back to the blaster component in the Jaffa's hand.
The Jaffa considered her for another brief moment then decided something. "You will be offered sustenance," he announced, apparently addressing the whole group. Then he left, taking the blaster component with him.
When the Jaffa was out of sight, Reynolds eyed Elda. "What the hell was that?"
She couldn't stop smiling. Elda turned to face everyone else now, making pointed eye contact with the two youngest marines. Their faces twitched as they made guesses about what had her so giddy all of a sudden.
She sighed happily as she sat down on one of the boulders.
Reynolds and Baker shared a look of confusion. Smith squat down before Elda. "What happened, Baby Cakes?"
"He put a message in there," she said, still smiling.
"Who?" Baker asked.
She kept grinning. "No one."
"Ohhhhh boy," Crawford said with an amused look. He sat casually on another boulder and crossed his arms.
"You never did tell us where you got your newest blaster, ya know. Time to 'fess up," Smith declared. He stood and put his hands on his hips. Reynolds and Baker continued to hover nearby and regard her curiously.
She pursed her lips briefly, then did as Smith asked. "That weapon is a gift from Jasuf."
Reynolds crinkled his eye. "The Jaffa representative?"
She nodded. Baker looked back and forth between them. "Was that his payment for doing the trade negotiations?"
She shook her head negatively, still grinning.
"Ya know," Crawford said thoughtfully, "If I ever gave my girlfriend a gun as a gift, she'd probably shoot me with it."
Elda scrunched her face at him. "Then you must be dating the wrong girl."
Smith began to crack up.
"Whoa, whoa, hang on," Baker interrupted incredulously.
"You're tellin' me," Reynolds said with a raised brow, "you're dating that Jaffa?"
Elda shrugged and tilted her head with a smile.
The two older members of SG-3 glanced at each other in surprise. This was a new one. No doubt.
"Why'd he give you a blaster as a present?" Smith wondered.
Elda eagerly explained, "It was a romantic gesture. He has one to match." She looked at both Crawford and Smith now. "Remember how I told you he got kidnapped alongside General O'Neill?" The boys nodded. "That's how he got them."
"Souvenir?" Smith guessed.
"Yeah. Or a badge of honor."
"General O'Neill got kidnapped recently?" Reynolds asked.
"Yeah, actually, he did, sir," Baker reported.
Crawford muttered, "Humans do half-heart necklaces. Jaffa do blasters. Go figure."
"What are those?" Elda asked curiously.
"Uhh… it's… you know how you can have a necklace with a thing hangin' off of it?" She nodded. "You could have a pair of necklaces where each charm is one half of a heart. And they match up when you put 'em together."
"Awww, that sounds kind of sweet." Then she twitched her face. "But not very useful."
"Yeah, I guess not."
Reynolds waved a hand around at them. "Let's get back to business here. Elda, what did the damn inscription say?"
"Oh." She giggled softly in continued delight. "Something to the effect of: Elda, may this weapon ensure your safe return to me. Love, Jasuf." Her eyes blinked rapidly as she looked up at the ceiling with more stars in her eyes. She was positively glowing.
Her new CO tilted his head. "Huh. Jaffa love notes. How 'bout that, Baker?"
The lieutenant raised his brow. "Yes, sir. Learn something new every day."
Crawford and Smith began to laugh.
Later, Elda was surprised when another Jaffa stepped up to the entrance. She stood immediately. "Bier!"
The guardsman eyed her through the bars of the little cell. "Lady Elda."
Crawford and Smith quirked their brows at this address. They squinted at each other.
Bier gazed around at her human companions before turning back to her. "When you left to perform good deeds in the galaxy, this is not what I expected you to do."
"Oh stop it. This is just a misunderstanding. What are you doing here?"
"The Jaffa on this planet are known to our tribe. We trade with them regularly. They sent one of their young to inquire if Jasuf knows an EldaMalDoran. When he heard this, he sent me to investigate what is transpiring here." He regarded her with amusement. "You seem to be exercising great restraint, My Lady. Could you not have escaped this cell by now with your skills?"
Elda huffed. "I am trying not to cause offense here, Bier."
He smirked at her.
"Hey," Reynolds cut in. "Can you put in a good word for us? So they can let us out?"
Bier regarded the human with a friendly smile. "I can." He turned to go.
Elda watched him as he left. "Oh good."
"Score one for Lady Elda," Smith said playfully behind them.
Crawford daringly added, "Sir, best decision you've ever made adding her to the team."
Reynolds glared at him. Baker shook his head.
Bier returned with the same Jaffa that questioned them earlier. SG-3 was let out of their small prison. Bier held out Elda's beloved blaster, now put back together, for her to take back. She placed it in her thigh holster easily. The Jaffa returned SG-3's other weapons to them as well.
They were given a formal apology and invited for a meal. Reynolds decided to take the offer, knowing the mission was to establish friendly relations. Bier hung around to serve as a liaison while these unfamiliar Jaffa got comfortable with Elda and her team.
Reynolds carefully explained what a MALP and UAV were. The locals had clearly noticed both devices and were highly suspicious of them. They had been on alert waiting for their owners to retrieve them. The Colonel promised to take those items back, emphasizing that no one here was going to be surveilled by the Tau'ri. It was just a way for them to ensure a new address was safe to visit. Dialing one black hole planet was one too many in the SGC's honest opinion.
With a peaceful accord established, SG-3 and Bier headed back toward the gate.
Elda brushed shoulders with Bier. "Jasuf put an inscription inside the blaster he gave me," she said excitedly to him.
The Jaffa laughed aloud. "I was the one sent offworld to have that service performed, Lady Elda."
Elda's mouth opened. "Really?" She smiled at him. "That's so sweet. Where does one go to have things like that done?"
"I will share the address with you," Bier promised.
"Oooh yes, please."
Reynolds shook his head as he listened to them. His subordinates opened the gate and made the MALP drive through with the UAV on top. Reynolds watched as Elda gave a fond farewell to the Jaffa. The guardsman seemed awfully amused with her. He promised to send her regards to his superior.
"Come on, Elda. Time to go home."
She glanced over and nodded. Then she bowed respectfully to Bier. He bowed back. Elda stepped up next to Reynolds near the event horizon.
He leaned in. "I take it your training partner is also your boyfriend?"
Elda grinned. "Yup."
They stepped through the gate. As they descended the ramp, Reynolds quietly wondered how much he was really going to write in his report. Somehow leaning on Elda's connection to her boyfriend didn't seem like a very flattering way to explain how SG-3 accomplished its mission. And yet, that's what happened.
Mitchell's eye quietly twitched. The chair scraped loudly as he stood up and left his shared office with haste.
Reynolds stared after him, laughing a little. He knew Mitchell had gone into the system to read his mission report. The leader of SG-3 ultimately decided to just tell the truth. Nothing awful had happened, so there was nothing to hide. He could take the ribbing from his colleagues for a little while. And if he got tired of it, he could order Elda to go beat all their asses.
She'd probably do it.
And she'd probably get away with it, too. She already had two Generals wrapped around each of her pinky fingers. What more did she need?
Reynolds drummed his fingers together in satisfaction.
Mitchell eventually found Elda on the recreation level. She was in one of the rooms with Jack, who was teaching her ping-pong. "Sir," he called out in the doorway.
"Mitchell!" Jack gestured for him to come in. "Check it out." He served the ping-pong ball across the table. It hit the other side near where Elda was standing, then bounced harmlessly to the floor.
She stood frozen, still trying to wrap her mind around the game. She held a paddle awkwardly in her right hand. "Was I supposed to hit that?"
"Yeah," her father said nonchalantly. "You know who's pretty good at this? Teal'c."
Elda's eyes lit up. "Oooh. Okay. Then this game must be worth it." She went after the ball on the floor. When she stood back up, Mitchell caught her gaze. "What?"
"I just read the mission report."
She simply stared at him, waiting for him to make a point. After a beat, she just said, "Okay." Elda turned around to try and hit the ball with her paddle. It bobbled along the table, never making it over the net.
"What's the problem, Mitchell?" Jack asked as he leaned over to grab the ping-pong ball.
"Sir, before I get into that… have you read it, yet?"
"Of course I did. I had Landry send it to me as soon as he received it. Sam saw it, too." He pointed at Elda with his paddle now, grinning. "Good job, by the way."
His daughter smiled back primly. She twisted to and fro a little with pride. "Thanks."
"Good…" Mitchell was incredulous. "Sir," he said meaningfully. "Did you happen to catch the part about a supposed…" He stopped short, hesitating. The Colonel glanced between the other two, trying to figure out where they might stand on this topic he was bringing up.
"Colonel? Spit it out," Jack ordered impatiently.
Cameron looked straight at Elda. "You have a boyfriend!?"
Elda's eye twitched. "Is that news to you?" she inquired flatly.
"Yes, it's news!" He glanced at Jack, who was more amused than surprised. Cameron huffed dramatically. "Since when!?"
She shrugged. "I don't know. We don't mark time on Tek'ron the same as here. I don't have an exact date."
Mitchell continued to sputter. He looked at Jack with a question in his eyes.
The General just shrugged.
Mitchell shook his head. "Who else have you told about this?"
Elda just stared at him. She seemed to be contemplative. "Well… to be honest… no one."
"What?"
"I tried to tell him," Elda admitted, pointing at her father with her paddle. "And then we got interrupted."
"Sir, you found out before SG-3's mission?"
"Yeah, I did," Jack confirmed casually. He tried serving the ping-pong again, making Elda jump to try and hit it back. Her paddle made contact, but the ball sailed into the net this time.
"You didn't wanna tell me?" Cameron asked Elda.
Elda pouted. She could tell he was a little put off by that. "Oh, I'm sorry, Cameron. I thought you already knew."
"What? How could I know if you don't tell me?"
"Well, everyone else knows. I just figured someone clued you in by now."
Cameron's mouth dropped. Jack smirked. "What do you mean, everyone else knows?"
"Just what I said."
"Gracie," he said with a warning tone.
She sighed. "Teal'c knew because Ishta told him. Then later, Daniel and Vala figured it out when you all visited Tek'ron together. And…" she paused, gesturing at Jack, "he figured it out, too, when he got kidnapped with Jasuf. Uncle Hank found out during our briefing after that." Elda addressed her father now. "And then you told Sam, right?"
"Yep."
Mitchell furrowed his brow. Someone was missing from this list. "What about Carolyn?"
"Oh."
"What, oh?"
"She was the first one to find out." Elda pointed a finger at him. "But she twisted my arm to get me to confess. So I didn't willingly tell her anything." She lowered her voice. "Do you even realize how dangerous a woman she is?" she asked, as if it were a secret.
Jack began laughing.
Cameron's face was full of confusion and offense. "Carolyn knows!?"
Now Elda grit her teeth. "Uh oh. Hey, it's not her fault! I swore her to secrecy." Her eyes darted around. "At first."
"Let me guess: doctor-patient confidentiality," Mitchell grumbled.
"Yeah that thing."
The Colonel placed a hand on his face in exasperation. "I don't even know what to say."
"Huh, Reynolds once said that on the training grounds with that exact look on his face." She turned to Jack. "Must be a Tau'ri thing."
Her father wheezed as he laughed some more.
Elda stepped closer to Cameron to put a hand on his shoulder. "It's going to be okay," she said reassuringly.
He stared at her through splayed fingers. He dropped his hand. "Good God, woman."
"What?"
"I can't believe you've had a boyfriend this whole time."
Elda grinned at him. She found his exasperation entertaining. Now she understood why no one had mentioned this to him. They must have been waiting to see how long it took him to find out. His reaction was epic.
"Well, is he good to you?"
"Of course he is. Otherwise I wouldn't let him touch me."
Mitchell just shook his head. "I bet you'd kick his ass if he did something wrong, too."
"Wouldn't be the first time."
Jack laughed again.
But Mitchell looked at her worriedly.
She held up two placating hands. "Cameron," she said with emphasis. "He's fine. He's the sweetest Jaffa I know. He even gave me a blaster as a present." She smiled at this.
"He gave you a… right, that was in the report."
"Reynolds didn't miss a thing," Jack commented. "Thorough, isn't he?"
Mitchell gave him as close to a side-eye as he could manage without being completely insubordinate.
"Cameron, are you okay?" Elda asked with concern.
He blinked at her. "Me? Am I okay? I'm fine. It's you who worries me!" he groused, pointing at her.
She tilted her head. "Why?"
"You and your pretty little face are trouble. I almost thought one of those marines had a thing for you…"
"Eww."
"Yeah, exactly. Eww. You should be with an airman instead."
"Mmm, no, sorry. I like my Jaffa just fine."
Jack cackled in the background.
Mitchell sighed. Loudly. He shook his head again. He glanced at Jack, who was simply tickled by it all and completely okay with his daughter having a relationship with a Jaffa. The dude wasn't even human. Her boyfriend must have really made an impression on the General to have his wholesale approval like this. Cameron stared back at Elda, who was simply waiting for him to say something. "Really?"
"Really." Elda nodded at him to emphasize it. She held up her paddle. "Did you want to join us?"
Cameron closed his eyes briefly. "Nah. That's alright. I'll leave you guys to it." He stole a look at Jack then leaned in toward her. "If you really want to get good at this game, talk to T."
Elda smiled.
Jack harumphed. "I'm not that bad at ping-pong!" he argued.
Mitchell refrained from reminding the General aloud of his infamous reputation as the worst player on the base. He nodded at him respectfully instead. "Alright. I'm out." And with that the Colonel left.
Elda looked over to her father. She shrugged.
He grimaced briefly at Mitchell's quiet implication about his lack of skill, then let it go. "Let's try this again, shall we?"
Sam, Vala, and Carolyn sat together on the long bench as they watched Gracie play with other kids her age in the local mall's play area. It was the middle of the day, so only small people who didn't go to school were around. Sam always found it advantageous to visit the play area at these times.
Her little girl had already made two friends and was happily running around with them. Gracie climbed on top of a toddler-appropriate slide and waved to the women. Then she jumped down dramatically instead of sliding down.
"Show off," Sam muttered.
Vala and Carolyn chuckled. The two kids she was playing with, a girl and a boy, carefully slid down after her. They all ran off to another piece of playground equipment. High-pitched screams of delight filled the air. Other moms and grandparents sat around as well, attentively watching their young while munching on snacks. Some had small babies with them.
Vala leaned down to rifle through one of her shopping bags. She fingered the lace fabric hiding among tissue paper inside a pink-striped cardboard bag.
Carolyn smirked as she leaned over to peek. "You have plans," she accused, knowing which lingerie Vala had purchased.
"Oh, you don't even know," Vala said conspiratorially.
Sam grinned, eyes still on her daughter. "Maybe someone can finally join the Mama Club with me," she teased.
Carolyn giggled. "Daniel should marry her, first."
"He said he will," Vala reported nonchalantly.
Her friends both turned on her. "What?" they asked together in surprise.
"Yes. He agreed to it. I didn't even have to bring it up on my own," Vala reported, turning to look pointedly at Carolyn. The doctor had previously suggested she have a talk with him about the subject, since the space pirate was aspiring to become his wife.
"Wow," Sam said. "How about that." Her eyes scanned the play area for Gracie, finding her at yet another structure. This time, she was crawling through a tunnel with her friends.
"Well… what kind of a timeline are we talking here?" Carolyn wondered.
"Oh, I don't know yet. I'll just go with the current."
"It's go with the flow," Sam corrected.
"Whatever."
"Vala," Carolyn demanded, "Spill."
"He said he wants babies."
Sam choked on her own spit. "What!?"
Carolyn handed her a water bottle and patted her back. She turned back to Vala. "I thought he couldn't handle having Gracie around?"
Vala shrugged. "He did better than you think. Those two were actually inseparable when she was over."
"Yeah, I kind of thought that's because you made him take care of all the fun activities," Sam said.
"Hmm." Carolyn brought a finger up to her chin. "When they stopped by our place, Gracie was glued to Daniel."
"See?" Vala said. "Gracie loves Daniel. And as much as he openly complained, he enjoyed having her around. He just wouldn't admit that he had fun… at first."
"So now he wants a kid of his own?" Sam asked incredulously.
Vala refrained from bringing up Daniel's ulterior motive to torture her husband. She kept her face carefully neutral, pretending to keep a watchful eye on Little Gracie playing with her friends. She simply answered, "Yup."
"Huh. Never thought I'd see the day," Sam murmured.
"I guess you inspired him, Sam," their doctor friend concluded. "Err…" She waved a hand in Gracie's direction. "She did."
Vala smiled. "What about you, Sam? Ever think of having another one?"
"Oh… I think that ship has sailed. I already got my two kids now."
Carolyn laughed. "Yep, twins!"
Sam and Vala joined in her laughter.
"And the other one already has a boyfriend," Vala commented. They all watched as the little version of Sam's daughter merrily chatted away with the other kids. They proceeded to chase each other around in an impromptu game of toddler tag.
"Gawd, I know. At least he's a good pick."
Vala chuckled more. "Of all the men she could choose from… it had to be…" She looked left and right to ensure no one was listening in. Her voice dropped to a whisper, "…someone from out of town."
Sam and Carolyn continued to giggle. Carolyn then reported, "You know Cam was suspicious of her."
"Yeah?"
"He thinks she might have had a fling with one of the marines."
Both of Elda's mothers disputed that emphatically and loudly. It had Little Gracie glancing in their direction.
Carolyn held up two hands. "I don't believe it. Trust me."
"Cameron is an idiot. I'm sorry, Carolyn," Sam grumbled.
"No need to apologize," she said graciously. "He can be an idiot sometimes."
Vala smirked.
"He strongly believes if she's going to date anyone, it should be someone in the Air Force. Only."
Vala rolled her eyes at Sam. Their blonde friend just shook her head. Vala bumped Carolyn's shoulder. "He still hasn't figured out Big Gracie, has he?"
The doctor shook her head in amusement. "Nope." They all shared smiles of exasperation.
Sam's phone began ringing. It was the SGC. "Carter," she answered with a professional tone.
"Sam?"
"Jack."
"Where you at?"
"The mall. Why?"
"Space pirate with you? And the Doc?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"Put me on speaker."
Sam pulled the phone away and regarded it with a confused look. She hit the button to play Jack's voice aloud for everyone to hear. "You're on speaker. But we're not secure," Sam declared.
"That's okay," Jack's voice now said loud enough for all three women to hear.
"Jack?" Vala asked. "What's going on?"
"Cat's out of the bag. Mitchell found out."
"Found out what?" Carolyn asked.
"He read Reynolds's mission report. He knows." They could all sense the devious smile on his face by his tone.
"Oh my God," Sam said, laughing hysterically now. "Jack, we were just talking about that."
"What, what?" Carolyn insisted, continuing to be confused.
Vala looked at Sam with a similar expression of puzzlement. "Need I remind you neither of us has access to that mission report," she announced. "Not legally, anyway," she added for good measure.
Sam was too entertained to explain what she already knew. Instead she immediately asked, "How'd he react?"
"Sam, you should have seen his face. He was so damn offended that Gracie never told him. Then she pointed out that she didn't have to tell anyone cuz we were all smart enough to figure it out before she got a chance." Jack laughed on the other side of the line. He silently implied that Cameron was not quite at their level of intelligence on this matter.
His wife continued cracking up. Little Gracie came over to see what was going on. "What's so funny, Mommy?" She was laughing too hard to answer, and just waved a hand at her.
Carolyn pointed behind the child. "Look, Gracie, your friends want to play!" Gracie's eyes lit up and she turned right around to run back to them. "Uncle Jack, Vala and I still don't know what's going on," she complained.
"Carolyn, you better watch out. That boyfriend of yours is going to give you a piece of his mind when you get home. Gracie admitted that you were the first one to know about her boyfriend."
The doctor's face dropped. "Oh crap."
Vala began laughing hysterically.
"Roll it like this," Elda suggested. She let the ball run down the small hill at a local park later that evening. Gracie's eyes lit up as she watched the colorful sphere. The little girl immediately went after it, giggling with delight.
Nearby, Jack and Sam watched them from a park bench. Sam leaned into the crook of Jack's arm, smiling at them.
After Gracie came back up the hill, she was bouncing up and down for a turn. Elda showed her how to give it a light push so the ball would gently roll down the slope instead of bounding away uncontrolled. They cheered together when it looked like Gracie was successful.
Jack watched as something caught Elda's eye. She pointed, then looked back at him. He saw a few brief sparkles lighting up in the air near his daughters. "Fireflies," he called out to explain.
Elda's eyes focused on one firefly, which was really just a small beetle flying around. She seemed rapt with curiosity as it occasionally lit up its body in the twilight. She spun around, realizing that many of them were appearing now. Gracie also noticed them as she returned with the ball. She tried to jump to catch one in her hands. She missed.
"We should have brought a jar or something," Sam muttered.
"Yeah," Jack agreed. "Don't think we've ever caught fireflies with the little one yet."
"Daddy! It's like baby fireworks!" Gracie exclaimed.
Jack and Sam chuckled at the way her little mind tried to make sense of the world. She continued to hop around, ball now forgotten and rolling away. She attempted to capture one of the glowing beetles in the air. But it was flying much too high for someone of such short stature to reach.
Elda, too, tried to get one. She was able to gently trap a firefly between two palms. She knelt down so Gracie could see. It buzzed around dramatically within her miniature prison, giving off a pleasant glow. The child oohed and ahhed at it. Soon the insect escaped Elda's grasp and flew away to join its mates in the air. Both daughters watched with awe.
Sam got up to retrieve their ball before it was lost. They had just purchased it for a few dollars at the store. Gracie would be disappointed not to take her new toy home tomorrow morning. She and Jack were planning to return to Washington. He had already been away from his desk too long.
The daughters giggled as they tried to chase after more fireflies. Elda lifted Gracie up so she could try to reach them. The little girl squealed when one made contact and tickled her hand. Jack smiled, regarding them both with love and trying to savor the moment.
Cameron wagged a finger at Carolyn pointedly from across the table in the apartment. "No more secrets!"
She put two hands up, as if in surrender. "I swear! I have nothing more!"
He grumbled into his dinner plate. Then he pointed his spoon at her accusingly. "I can't believe you knew this whole time."
Carolyn sighed loudly. "For the twentieth time, Cam. I'm sorry!" She crossed her arms defensively. "I wanted to say something. But I couldn't."
He frowned at her. "You could have told me. I would have kept my mouth shut." He threw his hands up, spoon going with them. "For God's sake, I work for the SGC. I know how to keep a damn secret!"
She regarded him impatiently. "So do I," she reminded him.
Cameron tried to stare back with an expression that mirrored hers. But soon his face broke and he dropped his chin to his chest, laughing. He simply couldn't stay mad at her. Carolyn let out a breath of relief.
"Boy, I feel like an idiot." When Carolyn didn't answer, he looked up at her. She was quietly smirking as she took another bite of food. He tried to ignore her silent agreement. "Maybe that's what Gracie was so worried about when Jackson was trying to act like a little detective," he said thoughtfully.
"Oh, I'm pretty sure it was," Carolyn agreed.
"You know he came lookin' for me, trying to get me to make you talk."
The doctor narrowed her eyes as she looked to the side. "Ass."
Cameron just laughed. Then he shook his head. "How does that even work?"
"What?"
"A Jaffa and a human. In a relationship. Never would have imagined it."
"We have interracial relationships all over this Earth. Why couldn't there be an interspecies one out in the galaxy, too?"
"Yeah, I guess. But in all my time working for who we work for, I never heard of something like this. Have you?"
Carolyn shook her head. "There's a first time for everything."
Then Cam blinked. "Uhhh… you don't think they could…" He seemed to look at her meaningfully.
She just gazed back at him and tilted her head, waiting.
He lowered his voice. "There's no way they could have babies, right? Like she wouldn't get knocked up suddenly out of the blue or somethin'?" he asked worriedly.
"I have no idea, Cam. But I made it a point to counsel her on all that when I found out she might start seeing this guy. I got her covered. Don't worry."
He sat back hesitantly. "Well, okay." He grimaced. "Wonder how the General's really taking it."
"From what I gathered, he's fine with it."
Cameron looked at her dubiously. "That's his daughter. If she were mine, I'd be flipping out."
"Maybe it's a good thing she isn't yours then, Cam. Uncle Jack seems to like Gracie's boyfriend. I mean, they did escape a kidnapping together. Pretty sure that'll bring anybody close together."
"Yeah," he replied uncertainly.
"And besides, she already held her own in that sparring match of theirs. I don't think we have anything to worry about when it comes to him. With both him and the Hak'tyl standing with her, it just means there's that many more people out there willing to protect her."
Cameron tilted his head. "That is actually a pretty good point."
She rolled her eyes. "Well, I have my moments."
He grinned at her adoringly. "Yes, you do, Doc."