1.
He was annoyed and confused. The last time he had talked to them BOTH they were blissfully happy, engaged and planning the wedding. Then his father had visited from wherever it was he had been stationed for the last six years and BOOM!

Pete had rung him to tell him the meeting had gone down like a lead balloon, he had insulted his father without knowing, and when Mark asked HOW, Pete wouldn't say!

Then the next day he was complaining that she wouldn't answer her phone to arrange the flowers, and how it was all going to have to change when they married. Mark had closed his eyes, he knew his sister, if Pete thought she was going to change just because he got her to the alter, he was in for a shock. He had tried to tell him, to warn him, to hint. Pete had been totally oblivious, would not listen, he KNEW she would change.

Pete had always been a cock sure son of a bitch at school, always so sure that he knew everything about everything, but if there was one thing Mark knew, it was how bloody stubborn his sister could be too!

Mark had tried calling his dad, but when he got through he had sounded subdued, a little upset as if he had heard some bad news, so Mark hadn't even asked about Pete and their meeting, but his dad had told him he was coming over to see the family the next day… so he could wait. He tried Sam, she was 'a bit busy at the moment'. He had tried to tell her that he needed to speak to her, to let her know what Pete seemed to be expecting, but he heard someone shouting her in the background, and she gave him a brief 'call you later' and put the phone down.

His father never turned up. Sam called him late that night to tell him that he had died, heart attack, she said, sudden. They had no time to call him, not that he could have got there anyway. In a way he was glad that the old man had gone quick, cancer was a slow horrible way to die, he wouldn't wish it on anyone.

Several years ago he had received a call from the Airforce Academy Hospital in Colorado Springs telling him that his father had hours, a couple of days if he was lucky and he should rush to see him. At the time he had still been a bloody idiot, blaming his dad, and the Airforce, for everything that had ever gone wrong in his life. He had not gone, had heard nothing at all until he had contacted Sam a week or so later, wondering why he had not heard about any funeral arrangements. She had sounded shocked, whether it was hearing him ask about dad, or the fact that he had been called by the hospital, he was not sure, and come up with the brilliant and not at all unbelievable … 'he got better'. Not the worlds best liar, his sis, probably trying to hide the fact that her beloved AF had called the wrong patients relative, afraid he may sue them for emotional damage, or some such shit.

She had always tried to mediate between the two men of the family, even accepting the distance he had made when she had joined the force, still trying to make them a family, passing on news about where her dad was, that was up until after 'he got better' at which point all she would say was he was 'out of the country' and if he needed to contact him, she could pass a message through 'channels', like he was ever going to need to contact HIM!

When his father had turned up with her, out of the blue, one cold afternoon, he had finally started to forgive the past, he had kids now, it was time he grew up and stopped sulking (that was how Julie had diplomatically phrased it later). He had found his father… changed… not a religious type of change, not really mellow-in-his-old-age change either, but… wise, somehow, or at least that was the only word he could use that sounded correct.

Julie had been delighted to see him, she had invited him to the wedding, of course, he had not come. She had also invited him to see the kids as soon as they were born, he had not come then either, and each time Mark had not hidden the fact that he was glad he had stayed away, even if Sam had turned up each time, he could put up with her, in small doses, after all SHE had not been the one to cause his mothers death. So when 'dad' was stood there, on the door step and had taken a step forward and had hugged him, he had been shocked!

Then Alison had run out and heard him say dad, and jumped into his arms yelling "GRANDPA" as if she had known him all her life! John, the younger by a year had sucked his thumb and just watched warily, but Julie and he had got on brilliantly, and some of the contacts since had made it so they actually felt like a REAL family again! And now he was dead!

And Sam was saying she had broken up with Pete because he had bought her a house? Or was it something to do with a dog? She had been crying when she had called, not surprising as she had just seen her own father die in front of her… though why her father was at her base Mark could not understand… she had sobbed on the phone for a full ten minutes, then he had heard someone in the background say

"C'mere" the sobs had muffled as if she was sobbing into a pillow, or even into SOMEONE and the phone had gone dead. The voice was male, and a lot deeper than Pete's.

Pete had called the next morning, he was headed back to Denver, stopping the transfer to the CSPD, he didn't blame her job, or their father, he mentioned something about not being able to compete with a superhero, but again wouldn't explain, and gave his condolences for their loss. And that was that!

From a perfect happy ending, less than a month ago, to the loss of her father and another broken relationship for sis.

She called, late in the afternoon, he offered to come and be with her, she refused, he asked if she needed help with the arrangements, no she said, she had it covered. She was going to abide by his wish to have a military funeral, not something that surprised Mark at all, and she would contact him as soon as they had a date and time.

He arranged with work for time off, he would have to drive to Colorado, spend a week there around the funeral, then drive back, he couldn't afford to just jump on a plane with the whole family, but when he told Sam about his plans she had covered the phone up, spoken to someone in the room and came back with plans for them to get a plane from their local AFB, or Denver international straight to Peterson, any time he wanted.

Whoever the man was in the background with the deep voice, Mark was sure he was high in the Airforce, and was glad his sister had help at this time. He had to wonder though, was THIS the superhero?

2.
Mark had lived the first 17 years of his life on AF bases, he knew what a hop was and was a bit worried about the kids, after all his dad always used to come home with a stinking headache when he had caught one. Usually it involved sitting in the back of a cargo plane that was transporting things between bases, but when he had told Sam his doubts she had told him not to worry, and sure enough, when they contacted her and told them they could set off the next day, she gave them a phone number and told them to head to San Diego International, they arrived and parked in the long stay and called the number. A car came to meet them and took them to a small, private looking, strip where a small jet was waiting for them. The driver unloaded their bags and gave them a salute before getting back in his vehicle and driving away, without saying a single word!

Someone came off the plane and helped Mark load the luggage, then guided the kids into the plane as Mark and Julie just stood looking at it.

"Hurry up" the man shouted and Mark took his wife's arm and steadied her as she climbed up the small steps. "Get your seat belts on, won't take long to get there in this baby" he told them as he went forward, into the left hand seat. The man in the right seat didn't look up or back at all, busy looking at a clipboard and flicking switches.

The plane took off smoothly, and after a few minutes the man who had helped with their bags unstrapped himself and came back to show them the facilities. He gave both kids a diet soda, and offered the adults something a bit stronger, but they declined and both said they would have a soda too. He got them what they asked for and brought out a DVD of the Simpsons for the kids to watch, saying it would be just under 2 hours to get to Peterson.

Mark thanked him for his trouble, especially as this was the pilot and not the co-pilot, who was waiting on them, and the tall lean man just waved off his thanks and mumbled that he never minded flying. He went back and sat in his seat and never moved again until looking around and shouting to put their belts back on 90 minutes later.

On the ground he once again helped them with their bags, and waited with them until a large truck pulled up to the plane, he threw the luggage into the bed at the back, lifted both kids into the back seat, and helped Julie in too, warning the kids they needed to buckle up, he gestured to Mark to go sit in the passenger side as the man who had driven up jumped out and headed for the plane.

"I'll call you for the return journey" the pilot shouted as the man who had pulled up jumped on board the craft, he received a sketchy salute from the plane and jumped into the truck. "next stop, Carters" he said and pulled away from the landing strip.

"Not just the pilot then?" Mark asked, curious now

"Friend of the family, you could say" he replied "did anyone remember to pick up my DVD?" he looked around at their blank faces and said "DOH!" causing the kids to giggle, he grinned and suddenly he didn't look much older than Mark himself, even though his hair was almost totally grey.

The guards at the base gate made them slow down, until he rolled his window down and they jumped to attention and saluted him, he waved and accelerated away down the road.

It only took another 20 minutes and they were at Sams small house. She opened the door as soon as the engine died and the kids flew out of their belts and out the door into her arms. The family friend started hauling luggage once again and Mark, feeling guilty tried to make sure he grabbed the heavier bags, but the man seemed to have no difficulty with the weight swinging them in the air as if they were empty.

"Carter, where do you want this lot?" he asked

"Erm, you can put them in the living room Sir, if you wouldn't mind" so whoever this was, he was higher than a Lt. Col, though at his age he should be a full bird, unless he had been really bad, and somehow looking at his grin Mark could imagine that he really could be BAD if he tried.

"You got enough room Carter?" he asked

He had a point, Mark hadn't thought of it, Sam lived alone, the house was plenty big enough for just her, but for a family?

"Mark and Julie are having my room, the kids are going to camp out on the floor in here and I'll have the sofa in my study, plenty of room sir" she said

"For a week? You are going to sleep on that sofa for a full week and expect to be able to move by the end of it?" he picked the bags back up and started taking them outside again

"What you doing Sir?" she asked following him to the door

"Swapping houses" he replied. "there's plenty of room at my place, I'll sleep on base and you lot can have mine for the week"

"I can't ask you to do that sir!" she protested and Mark and Julie backed her up

"You didn't ask" he said telling the kids to get their butts into the truck.

Now Mark had seen some strange things in his time, but this took the biscuit, not ONLY did the man in front of him leave his sister speechless, something he thought he would never see! But the kids obeyed him without Alison arguing! She ALWAYS argued, from what colour socks to put on, to which cereal they didn't like this week, to what time bed time was. Mark theorised that the world would stop spinning if his kids ever did as they were told without an hours discussion so he stood there waiting to spin off into space while 'sir' buckled their belts and then looked at the three adults.

"You lot coming?" he asked and got in the drivers seat. Mark looked at his sister, who shrugged and got her coat and bag and said

"I'll meet you there" and she clambered into an old Volvo.

Less than 10 minutes later he pulled up outside a beautiful house, it was at the end of a quiet road and you could see nothing but trees behind it, the man…sir… damn Mark had not even asked his name and they were kicking him out of his home! He turned and grinned at everyone, "Ok we'll get you all settled and then I'll leave you to Carter, oh erm…" he looked embarrassed "I don't have a lot of food in, I'll have to go stock up" he said

"Don't you dare!" Julie said from the rear seat "We will manage ourselves, it's bad enough that we didn't think to book a hotel, you are not feeding us as well!"

Mark grimaced, she was right, he shouldn't have taken Sams word for it, he knew her house was small, Pete had said so, but the credit cards were already maxed and they were looking at a 20 hour drive each way and he really REALLY wanted somewhere to stay where he could wander around in his bare feet, and not have to have meals at set times if he didn't feel like it.

Sam pulled up at the side of the truck and jumped out to help with the bags, Mark sidled up to her and said out of the corner of his mouth "you know we have no idea what his name is?" she dropped the bag and covered her mouth with her eyes wide open in shock

"Whatya doin' Carter?" their host asked

"Oh sir, how rude of me!" he raised an eyebrow at her "Mark, Julie, kids, this is General O'Neill, my commanding officer, Sir, Mark, Julie, Alison and John"

"Call me Jack" he waved his hand about "I should have introduced myself earlier, I usually have this archaeologist to do that sort of stuff for me" Mark saw a grin pass between his sister and her CO

"I thought you worked with Sam, isn't that what COs usually do?"

"Yeah" he said looking puzzled "I do"

"Then why do you have an archaeologist working in deep space radar? And why does he usually introduce you?"

"Private joke" his sister said quickly… as he had said many a time before, she was a bad liar.

3

Jack quickly got the bags indoors, his house was beautiful, clean lines and obviously not lived in a hell of a lot. He dumped the bags in the living room and told Sam to get everyone a drink, and he headed towards the north of the house. He was gone about 10 minutes and it seemed that he had changed all the bed linens and set up the guest room. He came back to where the family were sat in the sunken living room with the glorious view.

"Sir, did you pilot them?" Sam asked him

"Er yeah, you know me and waiting, just as quick to nip over and get them as wait for them to arrive" she grinned up at him

"You sir? Impatient? Never!" he grinned at her again, Mark was puzzled, he had known quite a few officers in his time and the one thing he had found was the higher the rank the more anally retentive they were. This man was… human, had the AF changed that much in 20 odd years? Somehow he doubted it.

"Come on kids, grab your bags and I'll show you where you're sleeping," he walked back down the passage he had appeared from, the children jumped to their feet and grabbed two smallest bags and headed off after him… again not a peep of protest!

"He means you by that too" Sam told her brother

"He said 'kids'" he pointed out staying sat down

"MARK? JULIE?" came the shout and Mark automatically jumped to his feet at the tone, Sam grinned up at him

"Told ya" she said.

Mark swung their bags to his back and traipsed after their host to a large room with another wonderful view of the forest.

"Bath, in here, the kids have one just opposite the room they are in, there's a couple of spare toothbrushes in there if you forgot yours, I always do," he said "linen, if you need it is first door in the hall, there isn't a handle on the inside so if the kids play hide and seek and you can't find them for 2 hours, that's where they will be," he looked around, "yup, that's it, I'll leave you to settle in" he turned and almost made it to the door before stopping. "if you don't mind, keep the kids off the deck on the roof, I have the telescopes set up for the meteor shower next week and I'd rather they didn't disturb the settings" and he left them to it!
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Of course the first thing that Julie did was get the funeral clothes out to make sure they had travelled without needing to be re-pressed, she opened the closet and let out a low whistle, Mark came to her side to see what caused it. There was a full dress uniform, nothing surprising about that, but the chest! He had never seen so many medals Julie ran her fingers over the rows and rows of ribbons. Hey both jumped as a cough sounded behind them

"Sorry" he said and reached past them and took the uniform "need it for the funeral"

"I…I" Julie stuttered

"You weren't prying, I know, just looking to hang your clothes up, I forgot I had left this here, I usually leave it on base… anyway, Carter is in the living room, she can take one of you to the local shops for food, and I'll see you tomorrow" he left again and Julie looked at her husband

"Damn we are living with in the home of a real live hero" she said 'or superhero?' he thought, again.
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Mark decided he would go to the shops with Sam and quiz her on the way, but his wife had other ideas, she was stood beside the old car before he could find his coat and with a

"Look after the kids and don't forget what Jack said about the roof" they were off.

He settled down to watch some telly while the kids ran around the back garden having fun, he had warned them not to go into the trees, or onto the roof and he looked up every couple of minutes or so to make sure they were in sight. He had just decided there was nothing worth watching when a loud scream filled the air and he ran outside to see Alison on her backside in front of a huge black man. A slightly smaller but still well muscled, bespectacled white man was stood beside him. Though it was neither very sunny nor cold the black man had a hat on and Mark had to wonder how it stayed on as he bent almost to the floor to lift the stunned child to her feet. John stood still five feet away and just watched as usual.

"I apologise for knocking you down" he said formally and straightened up looking straight at Mark. "Where is O'Neill?" he asked

"He's gone to the base, he…I … we" he stopped and started again. "Hi, I'm Mark Carter, I don't know if you…"

"Brother to Colonel Carter and son of Jacob" he inclined his head "My name is Murrey, we are members of O'Neill and Colonel Carters team, this" he gestured to the bespectacled man to his side "is Daniel Jackson"

"Pleased to meet you" the younger man said walking forwards and holding out his hand "Sorry for your loss, Jacob was a great man" Mark just nodded, he didn't know his father well enough to call him great or to refute it, and for the first time he really wished he HAD.

"These are my children, Alison and John" he introduced the kids, Daniel shook both their hands solemnly but Murrey inclined his head to each again and did not offer his hands at all.

"So…" Daniel said

"You in the air force too?" Alison asked

"No, I just work for them, I'm an archaeologist" Daniel said

"That like Indiana Jones that my mom watches?"

Daniel laughed and said "not quite, but close"

She peered around his legs to the man behind and then in a stage whisper said "he's scary"

"You have no idea how many people agree with you" Daniel said as Mark gasped at his daughters bad manners

"Alison! Apologise to Mr Murrey! NOW young lady"

She looked straight up at him and said "I'm sorry, but you ARE" to which the large man just said

"Indeed" he did not seem to be offended.

"Sam will be back soon, she had to go get some grocery shopping"

"Yeah Jack only has beer in his fridge unless we are having a team night, then he has beer and soda!"

"Would you like a drink?" he felt awkward offering them a drink, as they weren't his to offer, but he reckoned that they could be replaced.

"No thanks, we'll just head back to base, I was just checking if Jack had got back, the president called while he was picking you up, he will have found out by now" WOW! The president had never called his father as far as he knew, and HE had been a General!

"See you later kids! See you at the funeral Mark, wish we had met under different circumstances"

"Fare well Mark Carter, Alison Carter and John Carter" Murrey said and turned and followed the archaeologist down to the front of the house.

So, the private joke wasn't so much a joke, inside that mountain they needed an archaeologist, a man who looked like a walking mountain and they had a team, and the way they said it, it wasn't like 'everyone on base is a team' but more like a smaller, more intimate meaning of the word. What WAS his sister doing? And how had his father been involved?

4

He heard the women pull up not long after the visitors left, and he rushed to help them unload the food.

"We had a couple of your team drop by" he told Sam

"Daniel and Teal'c?" she said

"No Daniel and Murrey" he told her, for some reason she blushed and nodded at him "What sort of a name is Teal'c?"

"Erm from Africa" she said quickly, a terrible liar! They were in the living room and Mark saw a photo on the mantle, he wandered over to it, it was a picture of Sam, her CO and the two men he had just met, and all of them were heavily armed, except the large black man, who had a pistol and knife, but a huge stick, where everyone else had an assault weapon… or that's what he thought they were called, they were black and mean and deadly looking. The plaque on the bottom said SG1, he picked it up,

"Your team?" he asked

"Yeah" she turned to the kitchen as if to escape his questions

"Why is Daniel decked out like a solider… and why are you?"

"I AM a solider Mark, just because I am a scientist doesn't mean I can't fight!"

"I never said you didn't" he stated "But you have been assigned here for eight years and this picture is less than 2 years old, I recognise the hair cut, and Daniel, the archaeologist who you said was a private joke? He seemed serious enough when we were talking"

"Mark, please, leave it alone, you KNOW I can't tell you" and there it was, the reason why he hated the air force and everything to do with it, secrecy!

Sam stayed in the kitchen packing away the food for a while, avoiding him he thought, but he had plenty of time, they were going to be together most of the week, rather than upset her now he decided to wait until after his fathers funeral, she had enough on her mind with organising that without him causing problems.

The phone rang and Sam looked through the hole in the wall between the two rooms "Let the machine get it" she said, and he sat, uncomfortably waiting for the recording to start, knowing he would be able to hear his hosts private messages.

"O'Neill, go" not the most eloquent of messages but it suited the military man that Jack was supposed to be.

"Jack?" a young girls voice came over the loud speaker "Is Sam off world? She isn't answering….

His sister came flying through the door and grabbed the phone from its cradle "Cassie! Sorry honey, I forgot to ring you and tell you."

Mark once more wandered up and down the room, pretending to look out at the kids who were running around as if grass had just been invented for them to fall on. Off WORLD?

He heard Sam tell the young woman the news of their father and tell her to 'contact Jack' and that she could stay at her place as Jack was hosting her brothers family.

"Your sofa bed is still made up, I was expecting to use it," she told her… they spoke for another 5 minutes and then with another reminder to 'call Jack' Sam hung up.

"Cassie?" he had heard the name, evidently she was someone who stayed at Sams on occasion, Pete had mentioned that she had moved out to somewhere else whenever he stayed over, but Mark had never got the full story of who she was, or why she slept at Sams.

"My best friends daughter" Sam said "When Janet died…" she closed her eyes the pain still fresh, so it was not that long ago "I… we… Cassie came to live with me until she started college this semester" he nodded, it was a brave person who took on a teenager who had lost her mother, his respect for his sister grew.

"Pete mentioned her a couple of times" he said, hoping the mention of Pete wouldn't cause an argument

"They didn't get on very well" she explained "she used to sleep here when Pete was staying"

"Jack runs a hotel? Or does he just like sleeping on base?" he asked

"No, Jack, Daniel and Te…Murrey are her uncles, we all look after her together, it was just that as I'm the closest thing to a mother she has left, I decided to have her most of the time" he seemed to ignore her slip, why was she having a problem with the mans name though, it was Teal'c Murrey wasn't it? Did it really matter if she called him by his first name instead of his last?

"Off WORLD?" he saw her eyes move rapidly from side to side as she tried to think something up… he actually saw the split second when she found it

"She means I am inside the mountain, it's like another…" he gave her the same look he had when she had tried to tell him it wasn't she who had dismantled his motorbike, and her voice died off "look Mark…"

"It's classified?" he said, she nodded. "Just tell me it's none of my business, don't try making up stories Sam, you suck at it"

The kids barrelled into the house at that moment, breaking the tension that had started to build up between the elder siblings, and Julie came forward from the kitchen too, and they all sat down in the living room while Alison told them of all the animals they thought they had spotted in the trees, the squirrel and the birds Mark believed, the bear and tiger he doubted!

John was as usual very quiet, he had at last stopped sucking his thumb but getting him to talk was like pulling teeth, though he would giggle and react like any other 9 year old sometimes, mostly he just watched, and trying to include him in a conversation was frustrating.

Sam's cell went off and she stood and walked to the passageway "Carter" she said, why she answered the phone like that he had no idea, maybe it was a military thing "Yessir, she just called here… yessir, oh thank you! … what time will… you sure? OK I'll see you tomorrow sir, and once again… thank you, yessir… still… thanks" her voice during the conversation had gone from totally normal, through surprise to almost full of tears at the end, Mark had to wonder, what was it that made these people so close, he had worked in the same office with the same people for over 20 years and he didn't even know half of their partners names! Never mind swap houses!

She stood with her back to them for a minute before he saw her breathe in deeply and turn, a smile on her face. "So, Cassie is going to sleep on base, you won't meet her until tomorrow, what say I take us all out for dinner?" Alison jumped up and down with excitement and Mark couldn't do anything but agree to her suggestion after she had made it in front of the kids.

They all had showers and changed, and Sam left to do the same, stating she would be back in an hour, when she got back they realised they had a problem. They couldn't lock the back doors! It seemed Sam had a key to the front door (which again made him wonder) but Jack had forgotten to leave the rest of the keys to secure the building, she got her phone out of her pocket again.

"Walter, where's General O… he is? Again? Oh!" the look on her face was total shock "Erm yes…no… can you put me through to Daniels lab…" there was a slight pause but the shocked look didn't fade "Daniel, where does Jack keep his spare keys for the back door… yeah he's on with the president and I don't want to disturb him to ask, but we can't go for dinner until we can lock up… don't suppose YOU have a backdoor key? No I have a front one too, how about, erm, Murrey? Damn I made sure I gave you all different keys to my place, how come we all have front door keys to his? … yeah go break into his locker and bring them" she laughed "no really, go see if you can get them from him, we will wait here… I was thinking O'Malleys… Oh yeah! SURE! More the merrier… Ok half an hour… bye"

"So…?" Mark prompted her

"The president is coming to the funeral" she said

5
"You're kidding!" he gasped "I had no idea dad even knew the president!"

"He didn't it's because…" she closed her eyes

"Classified?" he supplied and she nodded

"So, you all have keys to each others homes? Isn't that a little unusual?" he asked

"We… sometimes we… are away, longer than expected, if some of the team comes back earlier we help each other out, clean out the fridge, pick up the mail, that sort of thing" she said

"You could just pick the locks" he pointed out, knowing from their youth how good she was as it

"It has been known" she grinned "that's partially why they gave me keys to start with."

"Lets get everyone together, Daniel will be here in 15 minutes, if you want to all wait in the car, he and Murrey are coming to dinner too, hope you don't mind" he didn't, they did not have a hell of a lot in common, and reminiscing about the good-ole'-days at home was out, as there were none to remember, at least more people would help fill the pauses between them. He was just trying to fasten Alisons belt, not easy with Julie and John already in the back seat of the small car, when he heard the sound of the huge engine from earlier. He stood up to see Jack walking up to them.

"Hey! Sorry never gave it a thought" he apologised, handing Mark a bunch of keys, "that's the spare set, it has the garage keys on and the freezer key, just in case you get a bit short of meat, its in the cellar, under the kitchen, behind the garages."

"Thanks… I don't know how to say it enough, everything you are doing for us"

The man coughed slightly, maybe embarrassed? "Anything I can do to help" he said

"You knew my father well?" he asked

"Erm, not very well, but dad and I got on fine this last couple of years" he said. Mark was puzzled, DAD? How come he was calling dad DAD? Mark had been under the impression that with them both being Generals, and Jack looking to be closer to his fathers age than his own, that they were the stronger bond, but when Jack called him dad he had a flash of insight, Jack was doing this for Sam, he had met dad through Sam, not the other way around, and again the suspicion that this was part of the break-up with Pete surfaced.

"Anyway" the older man said "O'Malleys? You kids want to ride in the truck?" he bent down to ask the occupants of the back seat "Save your mom being squashed up like that" the kids scrambled out of the car again, as Sam came around the side of the house "Carter you want to borrow my truck for the rest of the week? More room in it"

"And you will drive my Volvo? I don't think so Sir," she said with a grin on her face.

"Naww I'll get the Hog out and go up on that" he said "I'll be in a limo tomorrow, behind you lot, the President insists I travel with him" he rolled his eyes, "and we have the other guests to transport, I won't be short of a ride" he threw another bunch of keys at her… and drew yet a third set from his pocket, he went to the garage and opened it up to show a newish Harley, all chrome and leather, parked dead centre of the space.

A horn sounded on the road side and Daniel hung out of a window… "Jack, I'll give you a lift to base tonight" he shouted, Jack looked at the bike, then back at his friend and closed the garage back up.

"Ok, I'll drive us to O'Malleys, Carter, up front with me and … John, and Mark, Julie and Alison can sit in the back"

They all followed his orders, Mark only realising they had been orders after doing as he was told, he grimaced, so easy to fall back into the habits of childhood, and Jack pulled out after the other vehicle had cleared the way, and both cars made their way to O'Malleys for dinner.
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Jack lead the way into the restaurant and they were given a huge booth that sat them comfortably, the man on the door placing people (maitre D would have been too posh a title for him) had given the party a strange look, and then glanced at the kids and shown them to their seats.

"Think they are ever going to forget?" Jack asked the others

"I doubt it O'Neill" Murrey said "You caused over $1000 of damage"

"That wasn't entirely our fault T" he protested "Anyway Daniel started it"

"Did not"

"Did too"

"Did not"

"Did too"

"Not"

"Too"

"Sir! Daniel!" Murrey and Sam rolled their eyes at each other, this was a common thing then, between the two men.

The cough came again from the older man and he looked downright… smug… as if he had won a point in some game, but Mark didn't understand how or why.

They ordered steaks and the 'team' laughed when the waitress asked if it was just for Jack or if the order was for the whole table. Mark was just starting to feel like a total outsider when Daniel asked him about his job, and for a while everything went along fine.

About half way through the meal Sam stood up and waved across to the door, and a young woman made her way over, Daniel and Jack moved aside and she squeezed past them to Sam and gave her a huge hug. "So sorry to hear about Grandpa Jacob," she said "you should have called"

"I thought you had enough on your plate Cass, I didn't want to…"

"It's OK" the younger woman said "I'm here now" she turned to Jack "I sent my bags up to the base, that OK Uncle Jack?" she asked, he nodded and she sat down

"You want to order a steak?" He asked her

"Naww, I ate on the plane, I think the airman was trying to get me to agree to a date" she said and Mark saw Jacks face turn thunderous as the girl pinched a few potato wedges from his plate, totally ignoring him. The other two men at the table were surprising to watch too, the huge Murrey looked as if he had been turned to stone, his mouth turned down, and all Mark could think of was that he WAS scary! Daniel on the other hand winked at Sam and she smiled back.

"His name?" grated the older man and Mark was sorry for whoever it was when Jack got hold of him

"Jaaack" she said, taking another slice of potato.

"Caaass" he replied spearing her with a look that would have intimidated Mark if it had been directed at him.

"She's winding you up Jack" Daniel said "to distract you from the fact that she has eaten all your potatoes" The young woman smiled and Sam laughed as Jack looked down at his plate in surprise, he glared at her again

"You will pay for that young lady" he said, as she reached across and stole a wedge from Daniels plate

"ummhumm" she agreed, her mouth full and everyone laughed again.

The adults were eating dessert, and were talking about the arrangements for the next day when Cassie started yawning, "sorry, folks" she said "been a busy day. I'll grab a taxi to the base, am I in my usual room or is it full of Tok…"

"Cass!" Jack said sharply and whatever she was going to say Mark was not going to find out, she blushed to her roots

"Sorry Uncle Jack, wasn't thinking" she said, he nodded,

"Just sit back down, Daniel is giving us a lift back to the mountain after dessert, the Carters have had an even longer day than you," he nodded and it was only then that Mark realised both his kids were asleep, John laying his head on Sam and Alison on her mother.

As soon as they finished Jack got up "need a pee" he said and headed to the back of the room, Sam grimaced at his earthy language and turned to her sister to complain about men in general, while Cassie giggled, so it was only Mark who noticed he grabbed the waitress and handed over a card as he went to the toilets, Mark watched for him returning, and sure enough, he signed a slip and took his card back before making his way back to the group.

Mark made sure he knew he had been seen, by keeping eye contact as the man approached, and watched as he coughed again.

"Jack?" Daniel said

"Daniel?" he answered

"Hairball?" the younger man asked, so it was a well known mannerism, that cough, the older man glared at the archaeologist, who looked totally undisturbed by it.

"We heading back to the mountain?" he said, not sitting back down

"Sure" Daniel said, getting up, Murrey and Cassie followed him out of the booth

"You escaping before she finds out you paid for the meal?" Mark asked in a low voice as Jack stood further back to let everyone out.

"Me? Afraid of Carter? You bet" he grinned and the party heading to the base left with a few quick goodbyes.

Sam waited a good five minutes before she tried to attract the attention of the waitress, and when Mark told her not to bother and what Jack had done, she smiled slightly rather than look annoyed, Mark was impressed, his sister as he had always known her would have argued down to the last penny to make sure she paid her own share, or even more than her share, something, or someone, was having a positive influence on her… 'about time' he thought.

6
The next morning was cold and clear, the family were picked up from Jacks house, to follow behind the coffin. Sam was in full dress blues, as was only right for a military funeral. Jack and the president and secret service men, George Hammond and a strangely dressed individual were in the car behind, then Daniel, Murrey, Cassie and three more people in the same style clothing as the man with the president. Two more cars followed behind them, only a couple of AF people in them. Behind, in their own vehicles were servicemen, and people that Mark would have expected to see attending his father.

The funeral was impressive, even Mark had to admit that, his throat closed with suppressed tears as the arrow of jets flew overhead, one peeling off and leaving a gap as they passed the grave. George Hammond gave the eulogy, and spoke of the long time friend that he was laying to rest, he mentioned the new family he had joined in the last six years, with a nod to the people sat near the president, in the light brown leather clothing. Sam received the flag for the family, she had tried to persuade him to take it, but he knew she was closer to the old man, it would mean more to her to have it. The last post sounded and everyone started to head back to the cars for the wake, which was to be held at Peterson.

The group of strange people hung back slightly as the line progressed, people he had never met shaking their hands and offering words of sympathy, and then they came forward, as one group.

"High Councillor Per'sus, thank you for coming" Sam said "this is my brother Mark and his wife and children"

The man had a strangely echoing voice and Sam looked slightly alarmed as he spoke "Jacob will be missed, we did not always agree on things, but he was always a staunch defender of your people and of course…"

"This way High Councellor" a small man with grey hair and glasses said quickly cutting off what the important man was saying.

"Of course, sorry" he looked abashed and his voice had risen to a higher register.

"Anise" Sam said, quite coldly actually, at the next of the strangers

"Freya" he wasn't sure if that was a name, or a greeting, but Sam just shook her hand and then passed her on to him. And so it continued, the president came over after the leather party had gone to their cars, and had a quiet word with Sam and then had shaken the whole family by the hand

"Your father did a lot for this country" he said "he will be missed by us all"

Mark mumbled a 'thank you sir' and once again wondered what the hell the old man had been doing to merit this type of attention!

"You OK Carter?" he heard a low voice behind him and was just about to reply when he realised that it wasn't him being addressed. Jack was stood close to Sam as she held the folded flag tightly trying to stop tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Yes sir," she said "just need a second"

There were only two cars left, theirs and the teams, the president had evidently left Jack behind, Daniel and Murrey were stood just at their side and as his family turned to head to the vehicles, the two men fell in behind them, and Mark heard a voice softly float on the wind

"C'mere" he turned back and sure enough, that familiar voice he had heard on the phone was her CO and she was crying into his chest, his arms wrapped around her.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Ω * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The wake had to be the strangest thing Mark had ever attended, the president left almost immediately the family arrived, and there were several air force officers and noncoms who seemed to have no other purpose than to interrupt people as they tried to make small talk with Mark and his family. The little man in glasses was the one usually to step in but a couple of times it was a Major. Jack stood by Sam all through the event, though they never touched at all past him helping her from the car as they pulled up.

George Hammond came over and had a couple of words with them, Mark had known him a long time, but of course had lost touch when he left home, he was sorry to hear his wife had died, she had been a good friend of his mothers.

Every time George looked around he caught the eye of either the little man, the Major or Jack, and Mark was sure they were saying things to each other, even across the room. When their glasses were empty the small man appeared by their sides and offered to refill them, George called him Walter and Mark wondered if it was the same one Sam had been talking to the day before when she had been after Jacks keys.

Mark explained Jacks extraordinary gesture of giving up his home to total strangers, to his fathers oldest friend and he got a "not surprised by anything he does" as the only comment.

He decided to pump for information and learnt that Jack had been a Colonel up to a year or so back, and George had been in charge of the base, now George was in DC and Jack was the boss, they had all worked together for almost 9 years, a VERY long time in the air force for the same group of people to be together, but Mark knew better than to ask about anything too personal, he would be stonewalled, or worse, may say something to get his sister into trouble.

George told him he was retiring soon at last, to spend time with his grand daughters, who were about the same age as his two by the sounds and they filled a couple of minutes swapping horror stores about Tessa and Alison.

Walter scurried across the room to Jack and said something to him, he raised his head and looked directly at George and then at Walter without his lips moving something was said!

Jack strode out of the room, Walter looked at his old boss and raised his eyes to the heavens, Mark noticed the man beside him bring one hand down to his hip and lay it palm down, as if measuring a childs height, Walter nodded and George said 'excuse me' and left the room as well.

Daniel and Murrey were moving off to follow them when Walter shook his head and they relaxed, standing one each side of Sam who also looked curious.

Mark moved over to her as Julie started talking to a Colonel Dixons wife about her family.

"What's happening?" he asked his sister

"Mark" she sighed

"Classified?" he asked she nodded again, he was getting tired of it, but at least she had stopped lying.

"Major Carter" a female voice came from behind them

"That's Colonel Carter Anise" she replied

"That's Freya Colonel Carter" she came back snappily.

"Sorry, Freya, what can I do for you?"

"I am wondering about the history of the service we just observed…"

"I can help there" Daniel said quickly and turned the woman away from the group talking 19 to the dozen.

Another of the strange group approached "Korra" Sam greeted him

"Samantha" he replied "I will miss Jacob, he had a strange sense of humour, but then so did Selmak. Will you be attending the ceremony for his loss now we have resettled Revanna?" Mark saw her glance at him from the corner of her eye, and the man talking to her seemed to understand whatever it was she was trying to tell him. "I will contact…you… with the details, if you would like, later?"

"I would be honoured" she said. And the man moved away.

"How many conversations would have been easier if I had not been here?" he asked her with a tinge of bitterness in his voice.

"Mark… it isn't just you, there are other people here that are not cleared to know things"

"Such as whom?" he asked

"That woman Julie is talking to for one" she replied

"I thought her husband worked with you?" he said shocked

"He does… SHE doesn't" he really did not understand, how the hell could someone live with a person as a married couple and not be allowed to know the things they did at work? Damn military. He wished he could leave, but that wouldn't be fair on Sam, even though she was a part of 'the problem' she was still his baby sister and they had just buried their father.

7
Whatever had called Jack and George away could not have been that important, they were back within the hour, he was still standing next to Sam when the older men came back and he was quietly storing up everything he could hear for review later. He heard the name Selmak several times from the group in brown, and heard words like Tok'ra and symbiote and he heard several of them agree that they would go the same way as Jacob had if they were faced with the same decision, that didn't gel with the 'heart attack' that Sam had told him of.

He has his back to his sister as Jack approached and he was careful not to look as though he was listening

"Sir?" she asked softly

"Our… buddy… wants a bit of a hand. I've told him you are busy and will contact him tomorrow"

"I can go now sir, if Th… he thinks it is important"

"No, no, not that urgent, he assures me, tomorrow will be soon enough"

"I can come when I've dropped Mark and the family off" she insisted

"Carter" his voice had an edge to it "for cryin' out loud, you just buried dad! I don't want to find you on base before 0800 in the morning, do I make myself clear Colonel?"

"Yessir, thanks"

"For what?" he asked all innocence

"For arranging the funeral, for doing everything for me, for paying for dinner!"

He coughed and said "Ahh Walter! Everything OK?" Mark turned back in time to see a smile on his sisters lips as her CO had his back to her.

Another piece of the puzzle, Jack O'Neill had arranged the funeral as well as transport and everything else… the thing Mark couldn't really work out was how MANY puzzles were there to have pieces to? Was it all interlinked? Or was there a Jack puzzle, a Jack and Sam puzzle, a Work-under-the-mountain puzzle and a 'dad' puzzle?

His head was throbbing, he was coming down with a migraine again. He made his way to the seating around the edge of the room and sat down, hoping it would go away. Less than half an hour later he was throwing up with the pain in his head, dammit! They were getting annoying these headaches, Julie must have seen him leave because she sent Jack in after him with his medication. He was helped out to the truck, his family brought out as well and they all headed back to Jacks house so he could lay in the dark until he recovered. The funeral was over.

By the time he woke it was dark outside, he found his wife asleep by his side, so he got undressed, brushed his teeth and splashed cold water on his face to get rid of the sweat that had dried while he was ill, and he got back into bed with her.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Ω * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Next morning Sam called early to say she had to go to work, and would they be OK without her? Mark assured her he was big enough to look after the family for one day in a strange place. He was just settling down to breakfast when his cellphone rang, he looked at the caller ID it was Pete.

"Pete, how you doing?" he asked as he flipped the phone open.

"Swell" his friend said "been trying to ring you since yesterday, you not at home?"

"No Pete, we're in Colorado Springs, we buried my father yesterday" he said.

There was silence on the other end of the phone for a full thirty seconds. "Jacob died?" he asked… damn Sam hadn't told him? Well it wasn't as if they knew each other, they had only met the once.

"How's Sam doing?" he asked

"She seems to be fine to be honest. She had to go into work today, so we are just filling time"

"You at her house? I can be there in a couple of hours, we can go for a drink"

"At her COs house" Mark said, it was ages since he had been for a drink with Pete, them living so far apart nowadays, but he wasn't prepared for the reaction Pete would have to the news of where they were staying.

"What the hell are you doing at O'Neills place?" he sounded angry

"There wasn't enough room at Sams, you know how small the place is, so he told us to stay here and he went to the base" Mark was still impressed by the mans generosity.

"Yeah… anything for his team" his friend sneered down the line.

"Listen Pete, I don't know what you have got against Jack but…"

"Sorry Mark, the man is good to his friends, I just wish… hey! Look! Want that drink or not?"

"Sure, you know where we are?"

"Oh yeah, I know, I followed her there the day I bought her the house" he said bitterly "be there in a couple"
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Ω * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Three and a half hours later they were in a bar having drinks, Mark had to avoid alcohol because of his migraines and the meds he was forced to take, but Pete was drinking quite heavily, beers and whiskeys. Mark told him to slow down a couple of times, but really, he was a grown man, if he wanted to throw up and have a stonking headache then it was up to him.

Pete was still complaining over the fact that Sam hadn't told him about their father dying, they had worked out by this time that it was the day after Pete had met him, or even that very day, she had told him that the meeting had gone fine, but he knew it hadn't.

"She said Selmak liked me" he said into the beer mat,

"What?" Mark asked, recognising the name

"She said Selmak liked me, so it must have been your dad that didn't, you always said she was a daddies girl but I wouldn't have thought he would still have that much influence over her"

"I don't think he did, Pete, he was hardly ever in the country this last few years"

Pete snorted into his beer "in the country!" Mark looked at him, it looked like Pete knew a lot more about all this than he did, he ordered another round of drinks.

By the time Pete was almost collapsing under the booze and maudlin talk of his failure to win Sams heart, Mark had heard some extraordinary things. He doubted that they could be true, but then Pete was not known for his imagination.

He poured his friend into his own car, drove him to a motel and booked him into a room, lay him on the bed and left.

He caught a taxi outside and went back to Jack O'Neills house. He went to the mantle shelf and took down the team picture and studied it closely, he could see the gold emblem on Teal'c forehead, he had not registered it before, and if he looked closely he could see two moons behind the party! Damn maybe it wasn't the drink talking!

Sam came around in the early evening and Julie had made steak and ale pie for them, they sat and talked about nothing and everything, and after the kids were put to bed Mark brought up her appearance on television a couple of months back, and the amazing technologies she was working on.

Sam looked slightly uncomfortable. "So, sis, tell me again about deep radar telemetry and how you are involved in holographic projections, archaeologists, alien creatures, men with gold tattoos and planets with two moons?"

"Mark?" he wasn't sure if she was trying to tell him to shut up or not, but he had had enough

"And how about you explain why dad died suddenly of a heart attack, but half the people at the funeral had known he was dying and could attend him? Something to do with snakes was it?"

"I'll take it from here" a voice came from the living room doorway, Mark jumped, damn the man was quiet!

"Sir… I… I…"

"Shanahan called the mountain, he thinks he may have let slip some information while drinking with his best buddy here" Jack indicated Mark with his head, Sam closed her eyes.

"So Mark, I've just been working on persuading the President and Joint chiefs to allow you in on our little secrets, to find out he spilled more than a BIT of information." Mark had not realised up to now just how commanding a presence Jack O'Neill had, he had been careful to act the fool and rein in his power, now he was a General of the USAF through and through, as well as someone who had fought and defeated aliens according to Pete, he was one scary guy! In a way, scarier than Teal'c who was alien, this man really could kill you with his bare hands and Mark was not sure he would care if he did! He shuddered at the thought of what he had brought his family into.

Mark was just about to launch into a series of questions when a cry sounded out. Julie jumped up and ran from the room.

"MARK! John isn't in the bedroom!" the men looked at each other and Jack nodded to him, Mark went down the passage while Jack headed outside, Sam followed her CO.

They heard shouting and when they got outside John was laid on the concrete patio, unconscious, his arm and both legs at an unnatural angle and Sam was crying.

"Oh god!" Julie rushed towards her son, Jack jumped up and grabbed her!

"Don't move him! You could cause more damage!" he gripped her arms tightly, shaking her until she acknowledged what he was saying. "Carter… want to get them back inside?" she looked at him as if he was speaking a foreign language.

"Sir?"

"CARTER! Get them INSIDE!" his voice had an edge of panic and Julie started screaming… all Mark could do was look at the broken body of his son, spread out on the floor "FUCK!" Jack said and pulled a strange pearl coloured stone from his pocket, he held it up and said "THOR! We need medical assistance, bring us up!" and a white light surrounded them.

8
When he could see again after the light died, he was stood in a very empty room, with Jack, Sam and Julie, there was no sign of John.

"THOR!" Jack shouted and a little grey… man… thing walked into the room, it was identical to the one that Sam had been on telly with, like the one Colson had shown.

"Do not worry O'Neill, I have put the child into a medical pod, he will heal" Jack sank to the floor shaking, Julie with him.

"Thanks Thor, I couldn't have stood…" Sam moved the necessary steps to stand beside him and ran her fingers through his hair.

"You saved him Sir" she said softly

"I should have blocked access to the roof! I know kids will always do things they aren't supposed to, you would think I would have learnt with Charlie" he wiped his hands over his face and gave a huge sigh.

"Sir, this isn't your fault, and you saved him!" he sat on the floor for almost a minute before he got to his feet, gesturing for Mark to follow him, Mark looked where they were headed and saw a huge picture window, showing nothing but sky… then he took a couple of steps and realised, it wasn't sky, it was space! The earth was below them, he could see the terminator almost at San Diego. He gasped and turned to the man beside him.

"It's all true?" he asked

"I don't know ALL he told you, or what you have worked out for yourself, but you're a Carter, it was quite obvious you were thinking something yesterday, and no one ever accused a Carter of being stupid"

"Alison!" Julie suddenly said

"Thor, there's another child at my house, can you bring her up and place her in a bed until we are ready to leave?"

"It is done O'Neill, would you like to see the male now?"

"Yeah, I think that is for the best" Jack grabbed Julie gently by one arm and Mark by the other and guided them to the door.

"So Thor, did my solution work?" Sam was asking the alien

"Indeed it did Colonel Carter, once again you saw through the problem, now we just have to balance the ratio of the…" Mark zoned out, he knew what type of discussion this was going to be and he saw Jack roll his eyes at him as if to agree.

They walked into a room, almost exactly the same as the one they had left, this one had a couple of beds floating in mid air in it though, on one he could see Alison, curled on her side and fast asleep, the other was covered over by a lid, and only the top third of it was transparent, he could see John laid peacefully, so still was he and so unnatural to see him laid on his back that Mark could not help the fleeting thought that he was really dead! The pressure on his upper arm increased slightly and Jack nodded towards his wife.

"If Thor says he can fix him, he CAN fix him, never doubt that!"

Julie ran her fingers over the see through part of the lid. A beeping noise came from the device and she pulled her fingers back suddenly as if burnt.

"There is a slight imbalance in the chemistry of the brain" Thor stated and Julie looked at him in panic "this has nothing to do with his recent injury, it looks to have been present from birth, would you like me to correct it?" Sam walked over to him

"Could you give us more details Thor?" she asked, he went to a podium against the walls and moved some stones that looked just like the one Jack had yelled into, a display appeared in the centre of the room. Mark did not understand a single word of what was said over the next five minutes, he just kept turning around, amazed at how comfortable his sister was with all this, how she manipulated the controls on the podium

She called him back to himself with a hand on his shoulder "Mark?"

He jumped slightly and then looked at her sheepishly "sorry sis, what is it? Zoned out there for a bit"

"I've just been looking over the scans" he felt Julie press up against his side and put his arm around her shoulders. He nodded to Sam to continue "I'm no medical doctor, but… it looks as if John is slightly autistic" no, she had that wrong, Mark thought to himself, he was just… shy in company, autistic kids were the ones who wrapped themselves in their arms and rocked in a corner, moaning to themselves. John didn't do any of that.

He started to shake his head in denial when Julie nodded! What the hell! She NODDED? She AGREED? He pulled his arm from her shoulder and looked at her in shock. "Julie?"

"Oh Mark… please don't pretend you have not noticed… we have always known that there was something wrong, it was just never enough that we HAD to investigate!"

"My son is perfectly normal!" he told everyone in a voice that brooked no nonsense

"Mark… listen to me, Thor can fix the chemical imbalance in his brain, but he needs your permission to do it." Mark started to shake his head again when the small grey alien spoke

"Actually Colonel Carter I do not need his permission. I can fix the child without it."

"Don't you DARE touch my son! Your fucking freak of nature!" he snapped and was about to lunge for the tiny creature when he felt a pair of extremely strong arms wrap around him. He was immobile!

"Mark! Listen to what they have to say! Stop acting like an idiot!"

He struggled but it was no use, DAMN the man was strong, and this was no gymnasium work-out strong, these muscles holding him still were used to hard work under difficult conditions, solid as rocks.

"Thor, I'm going to release him… if he attacks you, send him back to earth, to the SGC, they will hold him while we sort everything out" the words worked as if he had been drenched in cold water, there was no way in hell they were sending him anywhere without his kids!

"Mark" Sam was talking again "the autism is only very slight, but it does explain his behaviour, the imbalance can be corrected on earth with drugs, if that is how you want to do it, but Thor can fix him now, permanently" Julie wrapped her arms around him and turned to the rest of them.

"Can we have somewhere to talk? Alone?" Jack Sam and Thor headed for the door.

"Just shout when you want someone to come Julie" Sam told them and the she bent slightly as she walked "Now Thor about calibrating that…" the door shut off the rest of what she was saying.

Julie came around to look him straight in the eye, she put her palms on each side of his face and drew his head down. She kissed him softly on the lips

"Mark, normally I would back your call, but this is the health and well being of our SON" she told him gently "we have both known for years that something is wrong with him, not enough to take him out of mainstream school, but… wrong" he started shaking his head but she held him immobile "How many of his teachers have called us and told us he has trouble interacting with his peers? They knew. They were trying to hint to us what the problem is. We need to allow these people to help, for Johns sake!"

"What if they slip, or do something wrong? He is HAPPY as he is! I don't want to lose my son!"

"He is OUR son! This is not just your decision, but Mark, you chose the wrong way now, and I will never forgive you, every time we try to make him join in with the rest of us, I will be thinking of today, every time he does something strange, I will blame the autism and the fact that he could have been cured!" Mark thought about it, she was right, he would too.

He folded her in his arms and breathed deeply of her scent, it was calming, soothing, he nodded into her shoulder and she lifted her head as Jack had done earlier and called "Thor" up to the ceiling.

The three others came in within a few seconds and Mark noticed something "how come Alison slept through all that?" he asked

"I have put her into a deep sleep so she is not traumatised by the condition of her sibling" the grey being told them.

"You drugged her?" he stared to feel his temper rise again

"No, there is no pharmaceutical element, the beds can just cause a natural sleep to deepen to the point where humans do not wake unless we allow it" he calmed down again.

"The scans indicate that both of your children have above average intelligence, but Johns is extremely high" the alien said, Mark had no idea what to say about that. "And with the genetic contribution of your wife, though not the ideal mating that the Asgard had hoped for, it is… interesting" his voice trailed off. He stood looking at something that Mark recognised from a documentary, a DNA string twisting in mid air.

He looked around, Jack and Sam were both looking puzzled so he felt slightly better, Julie, of course, hadn't a clue what was being said, any more than he had.

Jack spoke "Thor… buddy? Whatya mean?"

"O'Neill Julie Carter is a possessor of the Ancient gene. Though hers is not as strongly reinforced as yours, coupled with the Carter IQ…"

Sam looked at the children excitedly as if someone had told her they could cure the common cold. "You sure? And both children have inherited it?" she asked

The little mannequin nodded, and Julie spoke up "So what would have been the ideal mating?" she asked

"That would be O'Neill and Samantha Carter"

9

Oh boy! The looks on their faces! He had never seen a 50 odd year old blush before and the man turned his back on everyone and the cough was back. Sam just looked stunned and had her mouth open, like a gold fish. Her eyes kept darting to her COs back and then to Thor.

Julie grabbed Sam by the arm and dragged her closer to them "He's damn cute, you have to admit it" she told his sister. Sam just started to include Julie in her look of disbelief.

O'Neill walked to the door and left the room Sam closed her eyes and then speared the alien with a look.

"Thor! You know what I told you the last time you mentioned it!"

"I do indeed Colonel Carter, however I thought it was time to bring up the subject with O'Neill as you have not done anything about our request…"

"Thor! I was engaged to someone else!"

"Does the use of past tense mean that is no longer the case?" he asked "It would be beneficial to both our races if O'Neills DNA was not lost, he is very advanced"

"You have the clone! There is a chance that he will have children!" she was upset now, Mark could tell, however he could NOT tell if it was because she did not want to think of having Jacks children or because she did and their working situation meant that they couldn't do anything about it.

"Would you be willing to mate with the O'Neill clone?" she was asked

"For crying out loud he's 16 years old!" she shouted, oh yeah his sister with someone young enough to be her son! He could see that happening… NOT!

"I could always bring the idea to the president as I told you when I was deploying the satellite" Thor said

"NO!" she almost screamed. "Look Thor, I appreciate what you are saying, I do, and if things were different, if Jac…If the General was not my commanding officer, then I would consider it" hell Mark could see she would MORE than consider it! "but as the rules are and as things stand, Jack has a girlfriend, and the SGC needs us both… and … and" she trailed off, like a clockwork toy when the spring run down.

"If all these things were no longer an issue?"

"But they are Thor! There is no what ifs…" she walked over to the window and looked out.

Julie walked up to her and put an arm around her shoulder "You actually love him, don't you?" her voice drifted back to him

"More than I can say, but…" she lay her head on her sister-in-laws shoulder. Mark caught movement out of the corner of his eye and noticed that Jack was back in the room, and by the look on his face he had heard… probably everything, including that last confidence between the women. He looked stricken, as if someone had stabbed him in the guts.

Mark walked over to the older man "and you love her" he stated, hopefully so the women couldn't hear them Jack nodded to him but wouldn't say anything aloud.

He coughed "So I take it you want Johns imbalance fixing?" he said and Sam spun around to face them.

"Yeah, sorry for being such and idiot earlier" Mark apologised

"Hey when it's your kid… you go kind of nuts" he said understandingly

"And thanks for getting him help in the first place" the older man just waved at him in dismissal, which irritated Mark no end. Was he totally incapable of accepting praise? Or thanks?

While the small alien was moving things about on his board the girls were talking over against the window, and a slight hum had started from the bed his son was on so he could no longer hear what they were saying.

Suddenly a bright light shone in the room and an object appeared out of thin air on the podium, Thor picked it up and took it over to the girls. He handed it to Sam and she nodded while Julie looked at it curiously, Sam handed it to Julie and the thing glowed, as she handed it back, the glow died.

"Well I guess that proves it" Sam said over the noise of the bed. "Catch sir" she tossed the stone and Jack reached out and caught it, seemingly without even looking at it as it flew towards him. The stone glowed VERY brightly

"Sweet… what is it?" he asked tossing it up and down and watching it flicker on and off as he did so, a slight smile at the corner of his mouth.

"It only glows when someone with the active Ancient gene holds it O'Neill" Thor told them "the brighter the glow the stronger the genetic advantage"

He kept tossing the stone and watching the glow dim as it got further from his hand until Sam went up and snatched it out of the air in annoyance, as she turned away Mark saw the same grin on Jacks face that he had seen in the restaurant when Sam had told him and Daniel off for arguing.

Thor spoke "The boy is well again, would you like me to return you to the place I picked you up from?" the lid on the bed moved back and Mark and Julie moved to either side of their son.

"Yeah Thor, do that, and put both kids in the bed you got Alison from" Jack said "and thanks for your help"

"I am glad I was available for you" the little man answered and moved another stone on the podium the white light appeared and then they were all in Jacks living room again.

Julie ran to the kids as Jack and Sam sat down. She came back carrying a sleepy, but otherwise unharmed child who rubbed his eyes and said in a clear voice "I want to go back to bed", the longest sentence Mark could remember him ever saying without being prompted. Julie sat on the sofa next to Sam and held him on her knee.

Jack stood and said "Right, I better get back to the mountain, we'll talk tomorrow folks, about everything" he crossed to the door and turned "You OK Carter?"

"Yes sir," Sam said "Thanks" she nodded down at her sleeping nephew, Jack waved his hand and left the building.

"So what, exactly, happened with his son?" Julie asked.

Mark sat on the arm of the sofa and brushed his sons hair away from his face "Charlie… Charlie shot himself" Sam told them "he was about the same age as Alison when he died" it explained the violent reaction the man had when John was injured and then he heard he would be OK. "According to Daniel, Jack blamed himself for not securing the weapon properly, and for a time he was…" she could not say it, but Mark understood

"Suicidal?" she closed her eyes and nodded.

"He went through the Stargate that first time not expecting to come back" she told the shocked couple

"And the Air Force ordered him to do it? Even knowing he had just lost his son?" Mark spat the words out

"Mark! You have to understand, any of us… all of us… are willing to give everything we have for the safety of Earth, no matter what! We want YOU to be safe!"

"I'm sure we are grateful Sam, but that does not excuse the force using a man in that state of mind!" he could see she agreed with him, but she wouldn't admit it.

He decided to leave it until the talk the next day and offered to put his son to bed again. Sam stood and said goodnight and left, taking her Volvo and leaving the keys to the truck on the hall table. Mark and Julie got ready for bed without saying anything, and when they were laid side by side, they rolled into each other and held themselves until the trembling stopped and they could finally sleep.

10

They were woken early next morning by sounds of laughter coming from the living room, when they got there they could see John watching a Simpsons DVD and he was mimicking everything the characters said, causing his sister to roll with laughter on the floor.

After hugging them both Julie went to set out the breakfast cereal as Mark decided to address the subject of the roof. He looked straight at his son, who for once looked back and did not avoid his gaze, and told them they had to stay away from the ladder and platform. He emphasised how dangerous it was and both children solemnly nodded their heads.

There was a banging noise coming from outside shortly after and Mark went out to see Jack fixing a gate across the bottom of the stairs, a huge bolt and padlock on the floor ready to be fixed.

"I'm sorry for all the trouble we have caused you" Mark said to the tall man. Jack just grunted and kept on working. "I think it's better if we leave today" he continued

"Don't be stupid" Jack told him "Carter still needs you, it's only 2 days since you buried dad"

"Are you actually seeing anyone? Or did you tell her that so she wouldn't feel guilty about Pete?"

"I WAS seeing someone, the first time she saw Carter and I together she dumped me"

"Together…?"

"Not like that" he rushed to clarify "Carter came around to talk, Kerry saw the way we looked at each other, and decided she didn't like the competition, not that there was any competition" Jack said "I assure you, I would never do anything to harm Sam, not personally nor professionally"

Mark understood that he was 100% sincere but thought maybe a push was in order.

"You can't say that, you have to choose" Jack raised an eyebrow at him, asking for clarification "Either you are not going to hurt her professionally, or you are not going to hurt her personally, you can't avoid one if you do the other. Hurting her career may not seem like an option, but by protecting it you are causing her pain ever day"

Jack opened his mouth, then closed it again. "Thor… last night, I heard every word, Thor piped it to the corridor so I couldn't miss it, up 'til then I would have argued that she had moved on, that it had only been infatuation on her part. That she had outgrown it… but Mark, I'm 15 years her senior! And she is… she deserves better than I, no matter how much I love her" he closed his eyes as if realising he had said it out loud at last.

"Did you know Thor had talked to her before about…" he left the sentence open

"NO! God I wouldn't have been able to look at her for the last few months if I had heard that!"

"So when did he talk to her?" Mark asked

"Must have been after fifth dumped her on Orilla after they defrosted me" Mark nodded, not understanding a bloody word of it "Actually Thor mentioned a satellite, so that would be when replicarter… about 3 months ago" he said

"Just after she got engaged to Pete" Mark said

"Yeah… look don't mention anything to Carter… Ok?"

"Would it hurt you to call her Sam?" he asked the older man as he fitted the huge bolt to the gate frame

"Best not to get into bad habits" Jack replied "If I start thinking of her as Sam…"

"She stops being a team mate and becomes a woman?" he guessed

"Oh I NEVER forget she's a woman," he grinned "anyway, I am the only one she lets call her Carter" he said. Picking up his tools and shoving them into a bag on the floor.

"Coffee?" Mark offered and Jack dumped the tool bag in the back of an AF jeep that was on the drive and walked into the house.

As Jack went to wash up in the guest bathroom Mark quickly told Julie what the two men had talked about, and told her, pointedly, that he had been told not to tell Sam, Julie smiled, she had got the message.

Sam turned up less than 15 minutes later and Jack told everyone that they had better go up to the mountain to have the discussion interrupted the evening before. Sam drove the truck and Jack drove the jeep, Mark electing to travel with the older man, and both kids coming along, enjoying the open top vehicle and the wind as they took the twisted path to the top secret AF base.

When they pulled up to the gate they were waved through without a problem, and Julie gave him a smile and nod as she and Sam met them in the car park. On their way down the elevators Sam took out the stone she had confiscated from her boss the night before and she handed it to both children in turn, both times it glowed, as brightly as it did for their mother, but nowhere near as bright as it did when Jack took it. Jack amused the kids by using the stone, the communicator and a yoyo and juggling, until Daniel turned up in the room they had ended up in and offered the kids a snack, both parents gave consent and Daniel left with a child on each hand.

Teal'c sat at one side of the table, Sam next to him, Jack at the head, at Jacks gesture the Carter couple sat opposite the two team-mates.

"What I'm about to tell you is classified under section 11C9 of the National Security Act." Sam said solemnly and she proceeded to tell them the story that Pete had sketched to Mark the day before, however he got a lot more details than Pete had, he assumed, as they talked for over an hour. He heard all about his fathers cure, and the fact that the old man had been living on another world for six years, or many other worlds, if Mark understood what he was hearing.

Jack stood and gestured them to what looked like a window that was covered on the other side by steel, and he pressed a button, the huge shutter lowered and they could see the artefact that they had been discussing.

THIS was the Stargate!

Jack was about to say something when they grey haired little man from the funeral came up a staircase in the corner of the room.

"President on the red phone General" it STILL surprised Mark to be reminded that this man had such a high rank, he seemed so, normal.

"Will…"

"Yes sir, soon as I get back to my station" Jack nodded

"And…"

"Yes sir, here" he held out two credit card sized pieces of plastic, one each to Mark and Julie

"Oh and…"

"No problem Sir" the little man turned and went back down the stairs.

"Maybe we should have Walter hold that stone, just to see" Jack said as he headed for his office "back in a minute"

"Hmm" Sam said, picking the stone up from the desk and looking at the stairs, she turned and repeated what her CO had just said "back in a minute" and started down the steps.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Ω * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Jack got back first and noticing the stone was no longer on the table he headed to the top of the stairs "Carter" he shouted down

"Sir?" came the answer back up

"Stop passing that stone around and get back here" he shouted, he paced up and down the table a couple of times before she arrived back in the room. "the president has just informed me that General Hammond has decided to retire"

"Yes he mentioned it at dads funeral" Mark said without thinking that he may be interrupting something

"I've been offered head of Homeworld Security" he said looking straight at Sam

"You're leaving the SGC?" she went pale and fell back, luckily into a chair.

"Not a lot of choice" he said

"You could refu…" she shook her head, stood up to attention and saluted him "Congratulations, sir! I'm sure you are the right man for the job!" Mark watched as her heart broke.

"Indeed" came the rumble from the huge black man

"Glad one of us is" Jack answered at the same time "seems our little grey buddy decided to take things into his own hands. He woke the president up at 0200 this morning, scared the first lady to death!"

If it was possible Sam had gone even paler, at that moment Daniel came back with the kids and saw Sams face, he immediately turned to the older man

"Jack?"

"Daniel" came the reply.

"Jack?"

"Daniel!"

"What's going on?"

"Promoted" was all he said

"General Hammond?"

"Yeah"

"Well congratulations then!"

"Hmm"

"Who is going to be running this place?" Daniel asked and everyone looked at Jack

"Whoever I decide, it seems" he answered.

"Area '51 wants Carter for a few months too"

"So she won't be under your direct command any more?" to say that Daniel had not been present during the discussions with Thor the evening before, he seemed to grasp something quicker than Sam had.

Jack put both his hands in his pockets and bounced on the balls of his feet as he said…

"So Carter… Want to go fishin'?"

The end