Daughter

A/N: A little comedy for you today... and some planning.

Chapter 11 - Legitimate Salvage

Jack sat with Gracie for lunch. "What's this I hear about an arms dealer?"

"Which one?" Gracie responded easily as she stared at her plate of unknown food. She watched as her father scooped up what he had referred to as a 'burger' and brought it to his mouth with two hands. She decided to copy his actions.

"Which…" Jack suddenly stopped before he took a bite. "There was more than one?"

Chewing around her food, Gracie answered, "Yeah." She swallowed. "The last one we dealt with tried to sell us out. Unsurprisingly. The one before that gave us a good deal on those weapons you saw us using before we left. And…"

Jack waved a hand at her to stop. "Hang on. How many arms dealers do you even know?"

Gracie tilted her head in thought.

Landry arrived with a plate of his own. "Mind if I join you two?" he asked congenially.

"Hank. Pull up a seat. She's about to tell me all about her friends." Landry did just that and settled in with them at the small table in the center of the mess.

"I wouldn't call them friends."

"Oh?"

"They're just… arms dealers," she said with a confused lilt to her tone.

Jack shook his head in pure astonishment.

Landry merely laughed. "And I take it some of these were Ms. Mal Doran's contacts?"

"Some old, some new." Gracie shrugged. "Most of them sweet on her." She leaned forward and whispered conspiratorially. "Maybe we don't mention that to Daniel."

Landry laughed aloud again. "I like her," he decided, looking at Jack.

Jack smirked at his daughter. "Oh, you better believe I'm rubbing this one in Dannyboy's face."

Gracie looked a little confused, but then figured her father must enjoy seeing Daniel flustered as much as she did just the evening before. Maybe that's where she got it from.

"They said that shuttle you owned used to belong to an arms dealer. How 'bout you tell us about that," Jack encouraged.

"Ohhhhh, that's why you're asking."

Another airman approached the table and coughed to get everyone's attention. It was Cameron with a plate of food. "Mind if I…"

Jack pulled a chair from a different table and scraped it along the floor for Cameron to use. He motioned for Gracie to continue. Cam sat down effortlessly.

In between bites of food, she launched into an explanation. "So we fell into the domestic service of this arms dealer named…" She squinted, trying to remember. "Gershwick. I think."

Cameron's eyes widened in surprise, having joined the conversation late. But he didn't interrupt.

"I think I was 9." Gracie tilted her head as she grasped for details, looking up toward the ceiling. She didn't notice the rapt attention of her tablemates. "I would sneak away a lot and explore the ship between the walls. It was a great way to overhear things."

Jack coughed disapprovingly. "And where was Vala during this?"

"Distracting the arms dealer and his buddies when she'd come to pour them drinks or bring them food." She finally noticed their worried looks. Gracie waved a dismissive hand, as if that were nothing extraordinary. "Oh, look, don't worry. Nothing ever happened. Honestly, that was one of the safest places we ever found to hide."

Jack choked on his food. Gracie was talking about the spaceship of an arms dealer, here.

"Anyway, so I would sneak around in the walls to steal extra food and hear about juicy drama between various servants. One day, I overheard a deal that was about to go wrong. And it involved our boss. I didn't really understand what was happening, but I knew he was about to get himself offed."

"Offed?"

"Killed."

"Right, of course."

"So I ran to my mo…" Gracie looked around, realizing she was in public. The group also looked around. "… sister, and told her what was going on. We immediately grabbed what few things we had and ran toward one of the bays. There was this mechanic there whom she had befriended. She told him it was time to go. She convinced him to show her how to unlock the shuttles, and in exchange she promised to take him with us so he could escape with his life."

Cameron ran a hand down his face. "I don't even want to know how she managed to convince him."

Gracie grinned. "Another thing we probably shouldn't tell Daniel."

Hank prompted her to continue. "So?"

"So… the alarms started ringing, the really bad kind. And we knew the arms dealer just got offed, and everyone would probably be rushing to the bay just like us. But because I had advance warning we got there first. By the time the mechanic was done showing her how to unlock the shuttle and reprogram it to be activated by someone's DNA…" Gracie took another bite of her burger. "This is really, really good." She didn't seem to notice that the men were leaning forward, eager for her to continue her story.

"Yeah, ain't it?" Mitchell agreed enthusiastically. "It's a gem around here. Don't try the meatloaf, though. Not worth it."

"Really? Meatloaf? What even is that?"

"Mitchell!"

"Sorry, sir. Finish your story." Cameron slunk down about an inch shorter to stop attracting more attention.

"Oh… where was I?"

"DNA," Landry said helpfully.

"Right, right. The mechanic got shot in the back. We ran into the shuttle and took off."

"Wait a minute, shot in the back?" Jack asked incredulously.

"Well, I told you that everyone else was coming. So they showed up and probably knew it would be their last chance to get off the ship before… you know." She gestured with two hands.

"No, I don't know. Why don't you tell me."

"Come on, what always happens when the boss gets knocked off on his own ship? Either the enemy takes it over or blows it up." She looked around at the table. "I mean, I don't know 'bout you, but I don't want to ever be around to find out which one it'll be."

"Noooo," Jack said dramatically, "Guess not."

"So the arms dealer dies," Landry clarified, "The remaining crew tries to ditch the ship, but they turn on each other because…"

"Not enough shuttles to escape in. Plus absolutely no one trusts each other."

"Except for you and Vala," Cameron surmised.

"Of course. We're family."

Cameron nodded in agreement.

"And then?" Jack prompted.

"And that's how we got our shuttle. That's what you wanted to know, right?"

"It's more than I wanted to know, but yes, that's it."

"You were 9?" Cameron asked. Gracie nodded. "Hmpf."

Landry inquired, "What is it, Colonel?"

"Vala told me a story about her youth. Said she was a domestic servant at about that age, too."

Gracie piped up. "Oh that's right. I heard about that one. Actually, that's where she got the idea for us to take that job. She saw a potential opportunity to get a ship, eventually. Either by sweet-talking the mechanic into releasing it to her, stealing it, or just waiting for its owner to not need it anymore."

"By getting offed," Jack clarified by use of her specific phrasing.

"Exactly. She didn't much care how long it took because that was a great place to hide. So… whichever came first."

Everyone leaned back in their chairs at her surprisingly nonchalant explanation. Jack ran a hand through his hair as he stared at his grown daughter in amazement. Gracie took a look around the table and noted everyone's exasperation. "Well… what did you all do when you were 9?"

Jack replied, "I was fishing."

"I feel like I just saw you. A lot."

Daniel smiled at Gracie tentatively in the hall outside of General Landry's office. "What do you mean?"

"On the display. You had this fancy jacket on."

"Display… fancy…" It dawned on Daniel that his leather bomber jacket might seem notable to someone as worldly as Gracie. But he hadn't worn it lately, and certainly not in front of her. He snapped his fingers. "The videos."

"Yes."

Daniel cringed outwardly. "How were they?"

"You look about the same. But I can tell that your intended audience is a bit… mmm… ignorant?" She grit her teeth in fear of being offensive.

Daniel huffed in amusement. "No, that's actually a pretty accurate way to describe it."

"That's so strange to me. The stargate. Hyperdrives. Those are so… average… where I'm from."

"I know. To you, those things are ubiquitous. But to most people on Earth, they're fiction. The stuff from stories."

"I realized that by watching you on those… videos," she said hesitantly, testing out the unfamiliar word.

"Maybe they wanted to make sure you understood where we were coming from. Or at least fill in a few blanks, as if you didn't already know about most of those topics."

"Well those things you said about the Ancients were interesting."

"It's one of the most fascinating subjects I've ever studied."

"I didn't realize that the Goa'uld stole their technology. The other you made it sound like it was locked up. That only someone like my father, or possibly me, could unlock it."

"You mean the me from the future?" Gracie nodded. "Well, the Goa'uld adapted what they could. It's highly possible they found Ancient tech lying around that was still in an active, functional state." Daniel's face scowled over various past experiences. "I know we've definitely come across the same by accident."

"Sounds a bit irresponsible, don't you think?"

Daniel laughed aloud. "Gracie, you hit the nail on the head."

"Huh?"

"It means…"

"Jackson! Enough chit-chat. Come on!" Mitchell interrupted them from the doorway.

Daniel rolled his eyes. He waved for Gracie to follow him, who hid a smile over his constant annoyance due to Mitchell. She was starting to recognize the Colonel's value, in terms of entertainment.

They entered the briefing room again. This time, Dr. Lam did not join them. But Gracie didn't have to be disappointed because Teal'c was here instead. She immediately went to sit with him. "Teal'c," she intoned happily.

"EldaMalDoran," he greeted her by her cover name. His eyes sparkled at her, and she just knew that they would again become fast friends. "I would be eager to hear of what adventures you have experienced out in the galaxy. I understand there were many that involved good dealings with the Jaffa."

"I would love to tell you about them," Gracie said with a genuine smile.

He bowed his heads in thanks to her. She bowed similarly. She demonstrated the Jaffa gesture perfectly. The other occupants of the room did not fail to notice her mastery.

Gracie turned away from Teal'c to see who was present. She noted the same people she'd had lunch with. Daniel, of course, was here. But neither of her mothers was present. Before she could wonder why, Vala walked in casually.

"Nice of you to join us," Mitchell said sarcastically.

In response, Vala merely pinched his cheek and sat down next to Daniel, where there was still an open spot. She shimmied within her chair, adjusting its height multiple times until it was just to her liking. She either didn't notice or didn't care that everyone was waiting for her to finally settle in. When she looked up, she offered the table a bright smile.

Jack simply shook his head. But he did not complain. "Princess? You good?"

Vala held up a finger. She adjusted another setting on the rolling chair. It squeaked loudly as the chair back retracted. Then she looked back at Jack and grinned. "Now I am." She tilted her head primly as she smiled.

Daniel let out a breath of annoyance but also remained silent. Landry grunted in amusement.

Gracie scrunched her face, a bit confused. Her mother seemed so… juvenile. It was funny to watch. Vala's current playfulness reminded her of carefree times from when she was very young. Before she was old enough to recognize any of the anxiety her mother harbored for constantly having to run away. This version of Vala was much like herself at that age. It was now no wonder the men here lovingly referred to her as a princess. They used it as a pet name reserved for a beloved young girl. Or at least, in this case, someone young at heart.

"We're here to discuss how we're going to clean up," Jack announced. "Once this business is worked out, I'll reopen the base and we can rotate in fresh personnel."

Daniel groaned loudly in relief.

Cameron rubbed his hands together. "That's good news, sir," he commented. "I've got this fear of what's been growing in my fridge."

Vala visibly cringed. "Ohh… ewww. Not that leftover chicken from two weeks ago."

"One and the same, Darlin'. I may need to enter my apartment with weapon drawn. Who knows what kind of zombie attack is waiting for me in there."

Teal'c grunted, amused.

Gracie's face was unmistakenly confused. Jack didn't miss her look and found it comical.

"Yes, well, let's put a hold on planning your fridge op. First, we deal with remnant Goa'uldies hiding in the bushes here on Earth."

"Hiding in the wha?"

Everyone laughed at Gracie's innocent confusion.

"Perhaps," Daniel started, waving a hand around the table good-naturedly, "we refrain from using very Earth-like turns of phrase, for the sake of our otherworldly kin here."

Jack and Cameron shared a look. "Nah," they both disagreed.

Daniel shot Gracie a look of apology. He shrugged. "I tried."

Vala reached over to pat her hand. "Don't worry, Darling. You get used to it."

"Indeed."

Gracie blinked, remembering the other version of Vala, her contemporary adoptive mother, telling her the same. It was just a few days ago, from her perspective. It made her heart ache to miss her so much. She settled on nodding thankfully and letting the group move on in the conversation. She could use the distraction.

Jack pointed at Vala and Teal'c. "You two. Tag." He then gestured at Cameron and Daniel. "You two. Bag." He now looked straight at Gracie. "You get to help, too. But from afar where it's safe and no one sees you."

Gracie sat up. "Okay. How?" she asked eagerly.

"By telling us if you recognize anyone that you see on a monitor. Then if you do, telling us what you know about them."

"So, I only have to watch and identify?"

"Yep."

She nodded her head. "Okay, I should be able to do that."

Daniel then supplied, "The other me, we'll refer to him as 'future me,' gave us a pretty long list of individuals who were at one point or another affected by the Goa'uld hiding here on Earth. Per his version of history."

"I like Old Man Daniel better," Jack interrupted.

"Excuse me?" His friend was ready to be offended.

"When we talk about your other self. He was an old man. But he was still Daniel. Old Man Daniel." Jack's hand bounced up and down with each short sentence he provided in explanation.

Vala scrunched her shoulders as she tried to stifle a laugh.

Daniel gave her a look from the side of his eye. He grit his teeth. "Fine."

Jack gestured for him to go on. "Please, continue," he said with a friendly tone.

Daniel made a show of rolling his eyes. Cameron bit his lip, trying but failing to hide his amusement. Daniel went on, looking directly at Gracie. "The list gives a general idea of when each person is affected. In the future where you come from, a lot of these people end up dead, one way or another. We're hoping to prevent those deaths. Technically, they haven't done anything wrong. Yet."

She nodded, just barely following and understanding.

"So here's where you come in. Some of the people on the list were reported to have gone offworld. In search of you."

Gracie froze.

"If you recognize any of them, that will help us prioritize the names on the list. Because if you've seen them before, we know for sure we need to secure them before anything happens to them."

Jack added, "Old Man Daniel made a big fuss that we'd be changing the timeline the minute we got back. Our intel could become outdated in a heartbeat. The faster we get through the list, the better. Might as well focus on anyone we can positively ID."

Gracie breathed in deeply. "I'm going to be honest. When we were being chased, I didn't always see who was after us. I was too busy running." Her lip quivered at the memories.

Her father pursed his lips, guilt coloring his features. He knew what he was asking her to do. The last thing he wanted was to make his daughter revisit horrible experiences. But the part of him that was in command of the security of the entire planet knew this was a job that had to be done, no matter how close to home it hit. There were a lot of lives on the line. And most of them didn't even know they were in danger. They were defenseless.

"I bet you'll end up being more helpful than you think," Jack said reassuringly and with confidence in her. "When we finish this sweep, everyone can breathe easier. And the little version of you can finally go home." Gracie's mouth stayed open slightly in her nervous state, processing her father's words. Meanwhile, Jack passed around copies of a report. The group began to flip through the pages.

When Gracie received a copy, she looked down at it anxiously. It was nothing more than symbols on a white sheet. There were no images. She didn't really know what she was looking at. Daniel seemed to notice this. He made a note to find some way to educate her in English literacy soon. Clearly, she wouldn't have learned how to read and write English offworld. He caught Gracie's attention and nodded his head, hoping to convey the message that he understood and that he'd help her later.

"Sir, the President's name is on here," Cameron pointed out with alarm. He looked up at Jack worriedly.

"Yup."

"Are we really going to tag and bag him?" the Colonel wondered aloud.

"Pretty sure Secret Service is going to have a problem with that," Daniel agreed.

"He doesn't get compromised yet, according to our intel. We'll leave him for last if we can. My aim is to mop up all these Goa'uldies before they get very far down this list," Jack explained.

Vala pointed at a name on the page. "Isn't this the name of that government official I had a verbal run-in with?"

Daniel leaned over to see. "Oh. Yeah," he said casually.

"Who?" Jack asked.

"Senator Fisher," Daniel supplied.

"Verbal run-in?" Gracie asked.

Cameron helpfully explained, while giving Vala a tired look, "She nearly tanked the funding for the Stargate Program."

"Not my fault he couldn't see past his limited range of vision," she responded unapologetically.

Landry closed his eyes and shook his head at the embarrassing memory.

Jack smirked. "Maybe we move him up on the list."

"Or not," Daniel argued. "Vala will be instantly recognized."

"All she and Teal'c need to do is walk past him, incognito. Same for anyone else on this list when we find them. If any of 'em tingle their Spidey-senses, we grab 'em and ship 'em over to the Tok'ra."

"You make it sound so easy, Jack," Landry complained.

"No need to overcomplicate anything."

Gracie's eyes sparkled with renewed understanding. "I think I get it now. You want to take advantage of their latent abilities to sense a symbiote nearby."

Jack pointed a finger at her. "Bingo."

She blinked and tilted her head. "That means I'm right?"

"Yes," Daniel clarified.

"I suggest that ValaMalDoran and I remain separate. We will be more recognizable if we operate together," Teal'c said. "And we will be able to cover more ground."

Jack agreed, then added, "Mitchell. Daniel. You each get a support team. We'll be working multiple contacts simultaneously throughout Washington. We screen through the list first, then move in on all positive IDs at the same time. We won't give 'em a chance to blink."

"How many symbiotes are we hoping to catch, sir?"

"Old Man Daniel insisted they never had a firm number. By the time we got there, he says it had dwindled down to just a handful."

"Sir, I'd like to request additional support teams standing by. If we don't know how many we're dealing with, could be more than we can handle at once."

"I can approve that."

Gracie spoke up. "What will you do with them, if you catch any?"

"Get the snakes out of their heads pronto. Tok'ra will be standing by on board one of our ships to do the extractions."

"And the hosts?"

"Find out what they know. See who else might be a Goa'uld. Then swear them into silence."

She glanced around at the table. Everyone wore serious and determined expressions. Could they accomplish in a day what took seventeen years for the other Daniel and Cameron to do? She pursed her lips doubtfully. Her father seemed so confident. Gracie, however, could not help but feel less so. But if this is how they were going to clean up, as he called it, then she'd help if she could. Her younger self deserved the opportunity to grow up on Earth without constantly looking over her shoulder.

Vala found Gracie loitering outside her base quarters that evening. "Waiting for me?" she wondered aloud congenially.

The young blonde looked up at the sound of her voice. She seemed relieved. "Sorry. I didn't know how else to find you."

Vala reached her place in front of the door and placed a hand on her shoulder. "It's alright. Want to come in?" she offered, pointing at her door. Gracie bowed quietly, Jaffa style, to signal that she accepted. Vala quirked a smile at her gesture. It seemed to have come so naturally that Gracie didn't even realize it was more of a Jaffa habit than a human one.

They entered her quarters and Vala gave her the same chair to use as before. The stolen one from Daniel's room was still there. As Gracie sat down, her mother tugged at the elastic bands holding her own hair in pigtails. She ran her hands through her dark strands to loosen them. As she picked up a hair brush and stared into the mirror, she asked, "So? What's on your mind?"

Gracie didn't hesitate. She usually had no reason to, with Vala. "I'm worried for you."

Vala's eyes flicked toward her in the mirror as she brushed her hair. "Why?"

"This mission you're going on. It sounds like someone could get hurt. I don't want that for you."

Vala set down her brush and looked right at Gracie. "My bit's the easy part, actually. I won't be in much danger. And neither will you."

"Jobs are never as easy as they seem at first."

Vala tilted her head. "Words no truer than those."

"That's how you taught me."

"Did I?"

"We were always anticipating how others might double-cross us."

"So you're worried something might go wrong on this next mission."

"Something always does."

Vala sensed Gracie's paranoia. The girl really had been through a lot. "How about this? I promise to be careful. No extra heroics." Gracie stared at her, seemingly not reassured. "Cameron can take care of the heroics."

"Is that what he's known for?"

Vala bit her lip. "Hmm, maybe. He does lose his pants a lot, though. Not sure how heroic that is."

Gracie laughed quietly. "I heard a story about that once."

Her mother's eyes lit up. "Which one?"

Gracie grinned, but her answer was interrupted by a knock on the door. Vala opened it to find Daniel there. At first he seemed surprised to see Gracie, but then smiled at the pair. "Catching up?"

"She just told me that she'd heard of Cameron's pant affliction."

Daniel squinted. Then his face slowly transformed into a smirk as he realized. "It's a long-term condition of his."

Vala gestured for him to come in. "Oh yes, difficult to treat."

"No belt known to man can help him."

Vala chuckled. "We need to do this in front of his face." They shared mischievous grins.

Gracie looked between them, fascinated with their camaraderie. She tried to look for hints that there really was something more between them than a comfortable friendship. Her birth mother's surprise at the suggestion made her rethink her assumptions. She had almost been certain that this Daniel was already in love with this Vala. She'd concluded as much about the old versions she'd left behind in the future.

The thought didn't disgust her as much as it had just a few days ago. Gracie now understood better why her family was torn apart. She could even reason out some of the old man's actions. While he was still no hero in her mind, he was less of a villain than he used to be. Gracie had even come to trust this Daniel. He'd been nothing but kind to her. He seemed to be the sort who deserved a little happiness. And if he made her mother happy, too, well then so much the better. Isn't that part of the reason why she was here? To watch her be happy every day?

Gracie wondered if the old man was treating her mother like a queen right now, somewhere in another timeline. She would probably demand no less after what they'd all been through.

Daniel changed the subject, breaking the blonde out of her internal musings. He announced, "I'm finally going home. You ladies need me to pick anything up while I'm off base?"

"Home?" Gracie asked.

"My house."

"So… you don't just live here?"

"God, no," Daniel said emphatically.

Gracie appeared perplexed. "Is it because you're not the base commander here?" She looked to Vala for guidance.

Daniel remembered that Gracie's only other experience with the SGC was from the future. A version that wouldn't happen now. "The other me had no choice but to live on the base. They were on another continent," he began to explain. "Here, I'm just little old me. And even if you're in charge here, you won't get a set of quarters that's much nicer than these," he continued, gesturing around at Vala's VIP quarters.

"So you travel elsewhere for different accommodations?"

"Yep."

"What about you?" Gracie asked Vala. "Do you have another space, too?"

Vala pouted. "No." She looked pointedly at Daniel.

"Hey, don't look at me."

She opened her mouth to argue, but decided against it. Vala could pester him later about her living accommodations. She'd always been begging him to let her live off base with him. And he'd always outright refused. Landry once joked that it would be the only way he could trust her off base, with the steady assumption that Daniel was her unofficial keeper. So it had become a bit of a game between them. A long-running argument Vala had never taken seriously. Until recently.

Vala shivered internally. Ugh. But revisiting the topic would mean she had to talk.

"Vala?"

"Hmm?"

"You spaced out for a second."

"Ice cream."

Daniel paused. "That's what you want me to bring back?" he checked. She nodded. "I'm not taking responsibility for the stomachache you're inevitably going to have after it."

"I promise not to blame you, Darling. Get us the biggest tub of chocolate ice cream you can find."

"Really? Because you've said that before…"

"Here," Vala said, suddenly pulling a credit card out of nowhere. "Use this. Then we can just blame Cameron."

Daniel took the card and was less than surprised to see it was a credit card that belonged to Mitchell. He looked up at Vala dubiously. "So if I use his money, it will be his fault that you have a stomachache?" he clarified.

Vala patted him on the cheek. "You really are so smart," she said sweetly. Gracie laughed in the background.

Daniel was not as amused. He rolled his eyes at Vala. "Gracie, let me know if you think of anything you'd like to have. Vala has my number."

Vala used two hands on his shoulders to spin him around and shoo him out. "Go. The sooner you leave, the sooner we get ice cream."

"I'm not coming back until the morning, Vala."

"Fine, fine, fine." She waggled her hands at him to make him leave. "We have girl talk to do."

Daniel sighed. "Alright, alright. See you tomorrow."

Vala shut the door.

"You didn't have to make him leave," Gracie pointed out.

"Of course I did, Darling. Absence makes the heart grow fonder."

Gracie blinked, swearing she'd heard that somewhere before. "He's still a mark, isn't he?" The young blonde raised an eyebrow at her mother.

Vala grinned back. "He never stopped being a mark."

"You said never to fall for a mark."

Vala looked side to side with feigned guilt. "Oops," she admitted.

A/N #2: Thoughts on Gracie's story from her childhood?