Daughter
Chapter 14 – All Over the News
The alarms blared as the event horizon rippled within the gate, waiting to swallow someone whole. Weapons clicked as they were checked and clipped onto the vests of SG-3. Colonel Reynolds adjusted his cap. He took in a surreptitious breath to steady himself for what he assumed would be a boring mission.
Colonel Carter and Dr. Lam walked into the gate room together, with a young Mal Doran following close behind. He saw out of the corner of his eye as Sam leaned in toward the girl to whisper something to her. She nodded. He eyed her suspiciously. Jack told him to keep an eye on her. Knowing she was somehow related to Vala, the Mother of All Things Suspicious, he didn't think he had to wonder why.
Dr. Lam busied herself with the equipment she and her staff were still organizing to bring along.
Sam approached Reynolds with Elda in tow. "Colonel, I'm sure you've met Elda," she introduced.
"Ma'am," he said courteously, tipping his hat to her.
The girl bowed timidly in greeting. An armorer approached to offer her a zat, but not before looking to Colonel Carter for approval. Sam nodded at him to go ahead. Reynolds watched as Elda received the weapon, pointed it down, and squeezed it to check that it was working properly. The zat pinged as it opened up ready for use. She deactivated it, then found it a place on one of her side holsters. He narrowed his eyes. She looked like a pro. He sighed internally, hoping against hope that she wouldn't feel the need to use that thing. Especially not on any of them.
He turned away to eye his 2IC. Lt. Baker stepped up. Reynolds leaned in, quietly warning him, "We need to watch her."
"Sir," he acknowledged. His subordinate then bumped elbows with the rest of the SG-3 marines to relay the order, without drawing attention. It was readily apparent to Reynolds that Sam had a soft spot for the girl. And maybe Jack, too, although that was debatable. It made him wonder why exactly she was hanging around in the first place. Vala never mentioned having a sister before. And no one ever explained what made her think to bring the girl around now, of all times.
"Colonel," Dr. Lam announced, "We're ready." She and her medical staff stood together clad in BDUs, each holding heavy cases.
He quirked a smile as he took a gander at their luggage. "You sure you didn't forget anything, Doc?" he said with a friendly, but teasing tone.
She raised her eyebrow at him with a smirk on her face. "If I did, I'll send you right back for it."
"Nevermind." They all looked up toward the control room glass. "General?"
"You have a go. Try not to get into too much trouble," Landry warned good-naturedly through the mic. He smiled down at them.
"Welp, you heard the man. Let's go!" SG-3 led the group up the ramp and through the gate. Gracie stayed close to Dr. Lam, graciously holding her heavy case for her.
Once through, they were met by a group of Hak'tyl warriors. Five of them stood in defensive formation before the gate. This was not unexpected. "Ladies," Reynolds greeted calmly. The gate deactivated behind them with a quiet whine.
"Where is Teal'c?" one of them asked.
"He's busy at the moment, but he sends his regards."
The Hak'tyl warrior raised an eyebrow at this but did not comment. She then made eye contact with Carolyn. "Welcome, DoctorLam."
The doctor stepped forward. Gracie followed, staying just behind and to the side of her. "Thank you," she responded. Gracie could not hide her smile. She bowed low toward the Hak'tyl. They noticed this, but remained expressionless.
The lead warrior motioned for the group to follow. Reynolds split up his team, getting his two lowest-ranked personnel to bring up the rear while he and Baker stayed up front near Dr. Lam. The Hak'tyl led them on a ten-minute hike through the forest. The humidity weighed on them heavily as the sun beat down. The group from Earth was already sweating by the time they arrived at the settlement.
Reynolds pulled off his cap temporarily to wipe at the moisture on his brow. He looked around, seeing nothing alarming as the all-female inhabitants of the village went about their days. He glanced at Elda, who was longingly watching a group of warriors practice their moves off to one side. She seemed to be beside herself that they were here. Dr. Lam, meanwhile, remained coolly professional as she was greeted by Teal'c's girlfriend.
"Remind me of her name again, sir?" Baker leaned in to ask.
"Ishta."
"Right, right."
The leader continued to converse with Dr. Lam, displaying a warm Jaffa smile, then pointed in the direction of a hut that they could use. As the medical staff and Elda headed in that direction, Reynolds and Baker observed one of the guardswomen stepping closer to whisper in Ishta's ear. She clearly pointed at Elda.
Reynolds squinted his eyes.
Ishta seemed to nod, looking contemplative.
The Colonel shared a look with his 2IC in warning, but neither said a word. It could easily be nothing. One could only hope.
"You shall eat," Ishta declared to Reynolds.
He'd been briefed on how to interact with the Hak'tyl. This was an offer he could not refuse. He settled for nodding politely and allowing the Jaffa women to lead his team to an outdoor table with bench seating. They also invited Elda and the medical staff there.
Elda would have sat with Dr. Lam, but there just wasn't any room at the next table. So the Jaffa seated her with SG-3. The young blonde bowed respectfully to their minders, accepting the first bowl of food to set in the middle of the table. Carolyn watched carefully, making quiet eye contact with Reynolds. Her look seemed to be a warning to be nice.
He could be nice.
"So, Elda, you know some Jaffa?" Reynolds started. He glanced at Dr. Lam, who had begun spooning food onto her plate. She glanced back at him to show him she was listening.
Elda offered him the first bowl of food. "I know a few," she said comfortably. It was as if she'd walked into her own element here. Gone was the timid girl he'd met in the gate room.
Baker received the bowl from Reynolds and looked down at its contents with a small frown. He had no idea what they were about to eat.
"It's called goh-resh. Think of it as a 'salad,'" Elda explained helpfully.
He scooped the unfamiliar food onto his stone plate. "If you say so."
Elda picked up the next bowl, and then the next, to pass around the table for each person to collect a portion. Soon the food was served. One of Reynolds's men brought a utensil full of food up to his mouth, when Elda said, "Wait." She held up a hand slightly. The blonde glanced at Dr. Lam's table to confirm they had all served their food as well. The medical team, being more familiar with Hak'tyl customs by now, was already standing by.
She looked up at the Jaffa minders who were waiting patiently near the tables. She bowed her head to them.
The women bowed back, each reciting the same Jaffa phrase. Reynolds had no idea what they just said. They just walked away. He looked back at Elda, who simply started eating. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that the medical staff had gotten started, too. "You said you know a few Jaffa? How?" he wondered, curious now.
"I spent time with Jaffa in my youth. Not this settlement, of course." She looked around, seeming to contemplate something.
"Oh my God, this is actually delicious," one of Reynold's men declared. His teammates took a bite of the same food he tried and found themselves in agreement.
Baker took a look behind him at some pre-teenage-looking girls practicing their fighting moves. "You ever learn any of that?" he asked, pointing a thumb behind him.
"Maybe," Elda answered conspiratorially.
"Maybe?" he said, now intrigued. "Sounds like a yes, to me."
She smiled quietly around her food as she chewed.
"If you hung around Jaffa, what about your sister?" one of the other men asked. He spooned another helping of the food onto his platter greedily.
"My sister was busy," Elda replied cryptically.
Reynolds kicked his subordinate under the table. "She was busy being a host," he reminded him.
The man suddenly looked apologetic. "Right, sorry."
Elda was gracious about it, though. "It's alright. Sometimes it's easy to forget. She prefers to forget, honestly." The group nodded in understanding.
Baker thought he came to a reasonable conclusion. "So while she was taken as a host, what, were you being cared for by some Jaffa?"
Elda looked up at him. It wasn't a bad way to explain away her past. "Yeah," she lied. Gracie made a mental note to say something to her mother about this, so they could keep their stories straight.
Reynolds nodded his head at her, deciding that maybe she wasn't the potential threat he'd made her out to be. He still couldn't figure out why the General was letting her hang around, though. He wondered if she had some intel or something that they found valuable. Or maybe she was a charity case. Who knows.
"Hey!" Jack said through the screen of the tablet.
"Hi, Dad," Gracie answered, smiling and waving at him.
"So? How did it go?" He brought a spoon full of food to his mouth. Jack was seated in his office back in Washington, having lunch. Gracie was in her room at the SGC.
"It was great," she responded, unable to contain her smile.
"Yeah?" he said, still chewing. It made him happy to see her happy.
"I met Ishta. She was just as lovely as I remembered from when I was a kid."
"Ishta's cool," Jack agreed lightly. "You know she's with Teal'c, right?"
"Oh yeah, I know. They even got married in my time."
Jack swallowed his unchewed food whole, in surprise. "Really?"
"Yup."
"Huh. Looks like she made an honest man out of the big guy."
"What?"
"Forget it. So, what did you do while you were there?"
"Mostly help Dr. Lam. When she needed something from the cases, I volunteered to get them. We also sat to eat. I had to teach SG-3 a little bit about Hak'tyl food. They didn't think they'd like it. But they ended up loving it."
"Well how about that. So you all got along just fine, huh?"
"Yeah, I think so. That Reynolds man kept looking at me funny, as if I was about to steal something. By the end, I think I convinced him that I wasn't there to do anything other than help."
Jack frowned, not liking what he was hearing about Reynolds. He told him to keep an eye on her, but not because he didn't trust her. Well if Gracie was capable of smoothing things over on her own, he could let it go. She was a big girl. He'd wait for her to ask him for back-up. Besides, she could easily beat up Reynolds and set him straight that way. Jack smiled internally, wondering just how funny that would be to watch.
"Dad?"
"Yeah," Jack said, breaking himself out of his internal musings.
"Can I go back? You know, the next time someone is scheduled to go there? Or maybe with Teal'c?"
He took in the sight of her hopeful expression. A little piece of his heart melted. "Sure. If it's just Teal'c, no problem. If it's Dr. Lam again with SG-3, that's cool."
"Okay, what about if Cameron goes? They were saying something about regular visits to maintain the alliance."
"Uhh, that we'll have to see."
Gracie blinked. "What's wrong with going with him?"
"Nothing."
"Dad," she said, not believing him in the least. She gave him a look.
"Mitchell is… fine. It's just when you put him altogether with the rest of SG-1…" Jack trailed off.
Gracie waved her hand in a circling motion, encouraging him to continue.
"Look they're magnets for trouble, alright? I would rather you not go with them. Anywhere. Period. Ever."
"What?" She was in disbelief. "But that's your old team!"
"Exactly. I know the stupid, crazy shenanigans they get into…"
"Shenani-what?"
"…and you are much better off not having anything to do with it."
"You do realize that I have gotten into my own share of situations, too, right?" Jack simply stared back as he chewed his food. "I can handle just about anything that happens."
"No one is saying you can't take care of yourself." He sighed. "Believe me, I know. I saw you." He held up an index finger within range of the camera lens. "But! There's no point in taking extra chances. You can go offworld, but only on nice, calm missions like the one you were just on."
Jack marveled at what he'd just told his daughter. Never in a million years did he think he'd be giving one of his own kids permission to leave the planet. He always imagined it being an argument over borrowing the family car. Not this.
Gracie decided that what he was allowing her was enough for now. She tried to remember that his protectiveness stemmed from his utter horror over the things she'd experienced. Teal'c had explained as much when she complained to him, after Jack's original denial of her request to go offworld. So for the moment, she would take what she could. At least she had a father to care about her at all. She would just have to work on her negotiating skills in anticipation of the next time she'd need them.
Daniel flipped one end of his tie over to complete the knot around his neck. He carefully arranged the ends, one on top of the other, and straightened the whole thing out. He adjusted the freestanding full-length mirror in one of Jack's rooms by swiveling it backward slightly. Then he stepped back and patted at his tie as he evaluated how well he'd done the knot.
Mitchell appeared to look in the mirror behind him. He straightened one of the shiny medals currently hanging off its designated spot on his military dress uniform.
Jack had offered up his home in Washington as a temporary base so they could get ready to meet the President at the White House. Their appointment was scheduled for later in the afternoon at the Oval Office.
"How's Vala," Cameron asked casually in a somewhat flat tone.
Daniel squinted at his reflection in the mirror. "You just saw her. On the plane ride here."
His CO narrowed his eyes at him, annoyed. "How's. Vala," he repeated, now with more emphasis. Cameron's eyes followed as Daniel moved away to grab a suit jacket draped over a chair.
Daniel looked back at him while he put it on. He narrowed his eyes in return. The Colonel's unamused expression seemed to tell him all he needed to know. "You do know, don't you," he realized aloud.
"Of course I fucking know, Jackson."
"How?" Daniel asked suspiciously.
"How. Gee, you two are both on my team. We all know each other intimately. And now…" he paused as he made a flippant gesture in his direction, "…two of you know each other even more intimately." He huffed. "I know how to pay attention, Jackson." He was almost offended.
Daniel could give two shits. "She's fine."
"I bet she is."
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
The door opened. The woman in question walked in, two strappy heels hanging from her fingers. "Hello, boys," she greeted seductively.
Both sets of eyes swept over her form. She was wearing a tight dress. It was modest. Appropriate for visiting the White House. But still tight.
"Jack called. Said he's sending us a car to pick us up. It'll be here in twenty," she announced. Vala quirked a smile at the extra attention her teammates were giving her. She made it a point to sashay her way back out of the room.
Daniel and Mitchell both looked at each other.
Cameron clapped him on the back. "I don't blame you, Jackson." He walked out after her.
Daniel let out a breath. Then he grinned. "Worth it," he murmured to himself.
"Carolyn, how was the mission?" Landry asked as she stepped into his office.
"It went fine. Routine," she reported. She sat down, paper report in hand. She leaned forward to place it in the bin on her father's desk.
His eyes wandered to it briefly then back to her. "How was our young guest?"
Carolyn smiled as she thought. "Thrilled."
"Then Teal'c had a good idea."
She hummed in agreement. "It's the most I've seen her smile since I met her. She always seems so nervous here on base. But over there? It's like she was home."
Landry leaned back in his chair and relaxed. "Good."
"What's going to happen to her? I mean, she can't live here forever."
"Not sure yet. Colonel Carter is here for the moment, but she's due to return to Atlantis soon."
"And Uncle Jack and little Gracie are back in Washington."
Landry tilted his head. "I'm sure she could go over there. But then…"
"She'd have to leave Vala, who is like a mother to her." Carolyn frowned, not able to think of any comfortable options for the obviously-traumatized young lady in their care.
"And she can't join her actual mother on the next assignment, either," Landry confirmed the point they both already knew.
"I wonder if…" Carolyn paused. Her father patiently waited for her to finish her thought aloud. "What if I give her something to do? Maybe she can keep assisting me offworld. Maybe I can find her something to take care of in the infirmary." Carolyn cycled through the simpler duties of the medical ward. The things that everyone was responsible for but never had time to really do properly.
"Go right ahead. She needs something to do."
His daughter nodded. "I might just do that. Meanwhile, I'll be setting her up with Dr. McKenzie. There are definitely some things to address in that department," Carolyn declared, referring to one of the base's resident psychologists. "Maybe this will be good for her."
"I agree. We could have her shadow some of our other departments, too. Maybe she'll find her calling that way."
"Kind of like how Vala did when she first got here?"
"I'm pretty sure there was just a single department calling her," her father quipped. Carolyn blinked at his blatant reference. She knew what he meant. She'd just never heard him address the awkward topic aloud before.
She opened her mouth, then closed it, smile slowly forming on her face. She saw mischief in her father's expression. Actual mischief. She laughed aloud.
Landry grinned.
"You know about them, right?"
"Who? Dr. Jackson and Ms. Mal Doran?" She nodded. "It's all over the news!" he exclaimed.
This had Carolyn laughing harder.
"Oh, which reminds me," he muttered. Her father started rifling through a drawer. He pulled out a small green envelope. "Here," he said, handing it to her. "I'm not allowed to use this. But you can."
"What is it?" She accepted the envelope and peeked through its open side. "Lettuce Entertain You."
"It's from a potential contractor. Attempt at bribery. I told him I couldn't accept. He left it on the desk anyway."
Carolyn opened it up completely to see a plastic gift card tucked inside. "$200… that's it? You're a General."
Landry chuckled at her offense on his behalf. "I don't even like the restaurants on there."
"None of them are Church's Chicken, that's why," she deadpanned.
He smiled. "Take it. Go have a nice time with someone. There should be enough there for dinner for two."
She looked up at him with a suspicious smile. Carolyn knew there was no point in declining the gift. He wouldn't let her leave without taking it with her. And she needed to get back to work. "Fine. Thanks, Dad."
"Thank the vendor."
A few more days passed before Carolyn was certain that Cameron had returned to base. She knew he had gone to Washington again. She hadn't seen him since she checked his wound in the infirmary, having been sent straight to Atlantis as soon as she was done. By the time she got back, he was already across the country.
It bothered her more than she realized that she hadn't spoken to him in this many days.
He looked up from his desk when she knocked. He was in the shared office that all the Colonels used for filing paperwork and other administrative tasks generally. "Hey, hey!" he greeted her warmly. "It's been a minute."
"Hey, Doc," Reynolds called from his desk nearby.
She waved at them both. "How was Washington?" She stepped in and stood before Cameron's desk.
"Ever been grilled by a President?"
"No, can't say I've had the pleasure." She grimaced for him.
"Let me tell you. It was a full-on cook-out."
"Ouch."
"But the good news is: no snake in his head. He's just naturally that unpleasant." (A/N: this is pretending it's a fictional President in the Stargate universe, thank you very much. :) )
"Umm, that's good?" she questioned.
Reynolds laughed in the background. He stacked papers together into a pile and stuck the corner into a small machine. The automatic stapler made an audible click. He grabbed his cap from the desk to stuff it into his pocket. He made to leave, offering them both a brief goodbye on his way out, report in hand.
Both Cameron and Carolyn waited patiently for him to close the door. They each relaxed.
"How 'bout you? How was Atlantis?"
"Pretty. But I didn't get to see much. Too busy working."
"Yeah, I bet. Any progress?"
"Some," she said brightly. "Dr. McKay came around to help out a little bit." She twisted her mouth. "He and Dr. Keller argued… a lot."
Cameron chuckled. "They broke up, didn't they."
"Oh yeah. Then I think they got back together. And then broke up again. In the span of a week."
He laughed more now.
"There's more drama over there than I thought imaginable, Cam."
"Sounds like fun."
"Yeah. Lil' bit," she said nonchalantly. She fingered the item in her lab coat pocket. "So, I recently received a gift."
Cameron's eyebrow raised, waiting for her to go on.
"Wanna help me spend $200?" She pulled the gift card out to show him.
Cameron took it and whistled. "Pretty decent gift."
"Yeah, you could get a good meal with that."
He looked up at her, unable to contain his grin. He wouldn't have been able to play it cool for the life of him in this moment. "Cheescake's callin' my name."
"Then you should answer the call." Carolyn matched his smile.
He handed it back to her. "When?"
"When are you free?"
He looked down at his desk to find a calendar underneath all of his paperwork. "Tomorrow?"
"I'm off shift at 3:00."
"Yeah, I could be, too. Early dinner?"
"Sounds good."
"Good."
They stared at each other awkwardly. Carolyn coughed. "I should, uhh…" She pointed behind her.
"Yeah. Yep. Me, too," Cameron said, grabbing papers on his desk to scoot back in front of him.
They gave each other one last brief smile and then Carolyn departed. She bit her lip after she turned away, heart fluttering.
Cameron watched her leave, fighting the smile on his face and failing miserably.
He didn't mean for this to happen.
Really.
But the dress she'd picked out. And the way she'd swept her hair up. It was all just a little too much for him.
Cameron had taken her home. Actually taken her home. He never did anything like this. Ever. He was a gentleman.
Well, he used to be.
Carolyn didn't seem to mind as they made out against his front door.
He smiled into her kiss. Betting pool was gonna have a field day with this one.
And he was so gonna be out of a job when her dad found out.
Somehow, he didn't care.
"Wow. You look tired."
"Shut up, Jackson."
Daniel set his tray on the table across from Mitchell. He sat down without invitation. "Oh yeah, you look like you didn't get any sleep last night." He pretended to look down at his watch. "Or has it been two nights? The days just blur together…"
Cameron looked up from his coffee and stared at him. He shook his head side to side ever so slightly.
"Don't worry. You didn't miss much here. All quiet on the home front," Daniel pretended to report. He smirked when Cameron continued to look annoyed with him. "No emergencies, offworld or otherwise. No medical events… What a perfect time to take some PTO."
Cameron pointed his coffee stirrer at him. "You can shut your trap, now," he suggested menacingly.
Daniel grinned. He got started with his breakfast. Revenge never tasted so sweet.
Gracie didn't flinch when the kawoosh invaded the gate room temporarily. The loud sound did not alarm her. The force of the forming wormhole settled into the ring, shimmering brightly. The light glinted off the soft strands of Sam's golden hair.
She'd pulled it back into a ponytail again. A wisp of hair fell out of the elastic, framing her face. Sam sort of didn't care. Regulations were a bit relaxed on Atlantis, including the military expectation that her hair be perfectly controlled. She adjusted the strap of her duffle bag from one shoulder to the other. Her blue eyes smiled kindly at Gracie while the rest of her face maintained its professionally aloof demeanor. They were in public after all.
Around them, other personnel stood ready at the bottom of the ramp. They had all donned Atlantis expedition uniforms, each with a specific assignment at a mysterious base in some other galaxy. The only differentiating feature among them was the color of the trim on their shoulders. Sam could have easily passed for one of the civilians.
Gracie shivered and stuck her hands in the pockets of her plain green uniform, hoping to still her nerves. She glanced at the active stargate nervously. The gate wasn't the problem. It was the destination. "Are you sure it's safe over there?" she asked quietly.
"You heard Daniel. He checked the translation three times. We have what we need to prevent anything crazy."
"Right. But are you sure?"
Sam briefly laid a hand on her daughter's shoulder then dropped it back down. "I promise, I'll stay safe. I'm not planning to do anything more than help them get the facility up and running."
"But last time…"
"I know. But this time is different, Elda," she tried to say reassuringly. Sam leaned in. "I'll call you. And as soon as it's done, I'll come right back."
The younger blonde drew in a quick breath and let it out slowly. "Okay," she acquiesced. It wasn't like she had any choice but to watch her mother go. The other personnel began to ascend the ramp. Sam flashed her a brief smile and followed.
The wormhole dissipated.
Gracie stared at the empty space inside the ring for a while until she felt a warm hand wrap around her shoulder. When she turned, Vala was there. She offered a slight smile. "She'll be okay," she reiterated quietly, so the defense team still around wouldn't hear. "Jack wouldn't have allowed her to go back if he wasn't sure himself."
"I still don't understand why it has to be her," Gracie complained.
Vala pulled on her shoulder to make her come with her. They turned and exited the gate room. "Sam's one of a kind. It has to be her. Besides, the people in charge will breathe a lot easier when they know they've replenished the drones. Supposedly it will make everyone safer in two galaxies."
"Do you believe that?"
Vala glanced at her. "I believe it will mean we get more time to do things we want to do, if the others feel safer."
"If you say so." Gracie looked around at the gray walls and the random personnel going about their days. "What now?"
"Let's go help Daniel."
They found him in his office, already hunched over the work table staring at an old parchment. Gracie hadn't been in here more than a few times so far. It had this sort of musty scent to it compared to the rest of the base. She surmised it had something to do with all of the old things that kept piling up in here. She understood him to be some sort of expert on language, but his exact capabilities still eluded her.
Vala pulled one of the two stools forward for Gracie to occupy. She took the other one. They sat across from Daniel, whose attention was still glued to the yellow, decaying paper in front of him. Vala leaned an elbow on the table, then her chin on her hand as she stared at him. She blew a puff of air out, moving the thread of hair that had fallen over her eyes. The fingers from her other hand tapped quietly on the metal work table.
Gracie looked back and forth between them.
Vala's fingers drummed louder. Daniel jerked, suddenly noticing the sound. His eyes shifted from the parchment to her hand. Then he looked up and seemed slightly surprised that they were both right there. "Oh!" He took in a breath. "Didn't even see you come in." Vala rolled her eyes. He turned to Gracie. "She left already?"
The blonde nodded. His lack of situational awareness dumbfounded her. You couldn't let yourself be like that offworld. At minimum, it was a bad habit. At most, it was dangerous and life-threatening. But apparently he let his guard down here within the bowels of a mountain. Her adoptive mother hardly seemed surprised. She glanced at Vala, who looked quietly annoyed with him. She didn't complain aloud though.
"You ever seen this language before?" he asked, turning the parchment around carefully on the table to show her.
Gracie looked down at the symbols on the paper. She shook her head. "I would only recognize Goa'uld. And only some of it."
Vala leaned over to stare down at the parchment. "Don't know this one."
"Eh. Worth a shot. That's okay."
"What exactly are you doing?" Gracie asked.
"Trying to translate this language so we can unlock the secrets it contains," he tried to say profoundly.
"Secrets?"
"It's probably directions for how to turn on some planet's version of a toaster," Vala deadpanned.
"Wouldn't be the first time," Daniel said drily.
"I'm confused," Gracie confessed.
Daniel quirked a smile. "Actually, SG-13 brought this back with them, along with…" He gestured at some random objects behind him on a cart. "It was found in the ruins of some Alteran workspace they found on another planet. I've been asked to see if this parchment says anything useful."
"The Ancients did everything digital," Vala reminded, implying that no parchments would have been left behind for him to examine. Not that they'd even survive this long.
"Yes, but others who came along after? Not necessarily so. SG-13 said the workspace looked active. They could cycle through menus on the HUD. Looks like someone else came knocking and left behind records of what they tried to do with the system."
"Again with the Ancients leaving things behind and still active," Gracie noted with a glare toward the parchment.
"Guess it's kind of hard to press the 'off' button when you shed your corporeal form," Vala remarked. Daniel chuckled as he leaned back down over the ancient paper.
"Is this what you do all the time?" Gracie asked. "Like when you translated the instructions for that machine they want to use on Atlantis?"
"It's one of the many things I'm here to do all the time."
"Inbetween going offworld on missions?"
"Yup."
Gracie gazed around at his office overstuffed with old things. "How do you do it all?"
"I don't," he said with a sigh.
"Some of these things have been sitting in here since I first showed up," Vala mused.
"Don't remind me," Daniel complained quietly. Then he added, "I can easily blame you for not getting any work done."
Vala grinned saucily. She stood up from the stool and rounded the table. "Blame me all you want. But you're keeping me," she said while playfully bumping his shoulder with her own.
He stood up straight and turned to her, matching her smile.
Then the pair remembered themselves. They both glanced at Gracie.
"I knew it," she said simply. They stared at her, unsure of her reaction. The blonde rolled her eyes. "Oh please. Everyone knows."
Daniel's mouth dropped open. Vala blew out a breath of amusement. "Told ya," she said to Daniel. She met his eyes with laughter when he looked at her.
Gracie rolled hers. "I'm pretty sure the other 'yous' from my time were together, too." They both turned back to her. "Apparently I got here too late to join in on the gambling. From what I overheard in the mess, a few people won big."
Now Daniel squinted his eyes in confusion. "Seriously?"
Vala laughed aloud.
"Too bad, really. I had advance warning from my time. Could have earned enough credits to buy better clothes than these," Gracie added, looking down at her green uniform. She raised her eyes back to Vala. "Can we go shopping again?"
Vala leaned forward to grasp her hand. "Absolutely." She held out her other hand toward Daniel, palm up.
He swatted her hand away. "I'm not paying for your shopping trip."
The dark-haired raven shot him a naughty smile. "Your loss." He blinked.
Gracie ignored their cringey flirtations. "Was it big news when my parents got together, too?"
Daniel frowned. "Actually, they weren't supposed to be a couple at all."
"Wha?"
"The military has strict regulations regarding relationships between members of the same chain of command."
"Sooo, was it a secret?" Gracie felt confused.
"Well…" Daniel shared a look with Vala. "No one could ever say they were a couple… until Jack retired."
"Wait a minute, I thought he was planning to retire. You're saying he already did?"
"Yep. So he could marry your mom."
Gracie blinked rapidly.
"And then the President at the time begged him to come back." Daniel gestured with a hand aimlessly in the air. "They pretty much got away with it."
"I'm still confused. But what you're saying is: they weren't allowed to be together, but they figured it out?"
"Yes."
"That sounds complicated."
"Gracie, you have no idea," he replied glumly.
"What about you two?" she asked, waving a hand in their direction. "Is this some sort of forbidden relationship, too?"
Vala wrapped an arm around Daniel's waist and leaned her chin on his shoulder to look up at him with a smile. "Is it?"
He looked down at her then back at Gracie. "No. Not forbidden. We're civilians. So we're not subject to the same rules as the military."
"Oh." Gracie shook her head. "Earth has a lot of strange rules."
Vala laughed. "It's maddening, isn't it?"
Gracie nodded emphatically. Then she had a thought. "What about military with non-military? Is that allowed?"
Daniel shrugged. "Yeah. Happens all the time."
The blonde slowly smiled. "Can I borrow some credits?" she asked of him.
He squinted at her suspiciously. "Whhhhhhhhhhhhhhhy?"
Gracie grinned. "I have a betting pool to join."
Vala knew exactly what she was thinking. "But word's already going around about Mitchell and Dr. Lam."
Daniel's head whipped back and forth between them rapidly.
"Sure. But I'm talking about the pool for their marriage," Gracie explained with a dubious smile.
Vala's eyes went wide. "Daniel. Give her the money."
"What?"
"This is an opportunity!" Vala rubbed her hands together.
Gracie locked eyes with Daniel. "After I win, I'll pay you back. With interest," she promised.
He rubbed a hand down his face. "You really are a Mal Doran."