• SPOILERS : "One Hundred Days" - This is not a tag to that episode... It's AU cos Daniel has all his memory, but I guess it would be after Fragile Balance... so thinking about that it may have a spoiler from there too...
• SUMMARY : SG1 go back to Edora to complete the Treaty Agreement mentioned in One Hundred Days, however, whilst there, Jack find outs something that is of particular interest to the Asgard...
• PG [A]

Chapter One

General Hammond, a stocky man with a gruff, but softly spoken Texan accent strode into the briefing room and, as the people there started to stand, he uttered, "Be seated people."

SG1, which consisted of Colonel Jack O’Neill, Daniel Jackson, Major Sam Carter and Teal’c, each raised their eyebrows at each other, then shrugged and sat again.

"So, sir," O’Neill asked, "what have you got for us this time?"

"A treaty to see to Colonel," Hammond informed him.

"Ah crap," Jack muttered, "can’t another SG team sort that out?"

The General nodded, "I suppose they could," he softly agreed, "but I thought *you’d* like to oversee this one..."

"With all due respect, sir," Jack sarcastically added, "but what the hell made you think *that*?"

The General allowed himself a small chuckle as he flipped open the folder he’d brought with him and then said, "Well, I thought you might like this one, Jack, considering the world that you’re going to be visiting is where you’ve requested for your place of retirement..."

"Are you trying to *say* something, sir?" Jack frowned suspiciously at Hammond.

Sam Carter chuckled and replied for the General, "I, uh, I don’t think so, Colonel. I think what the General is trying to tell you, is that the meeting for this treaty is to be on Edora..."

‘Oh’, Jack mouthed, "Edora you say?" he said aloud, "Okay, yeah, I’d go for that."

Hammond laughed at him, then shook his head and said, "I thought you might."

"So, when do we go then?"

"As soon as, Jack..."

"Okay," Jack replied and stood.

"Uh sir?" Sam asked, not quite managing to dispel her amusement at Jack’s sudden eagerness to attend a *treaty* meeting. If it wasn’t Edora, she would be suspicious right about now, but considering it was and knowing her Commanding Officer’s impatience, she just had to smile.

"Yes, Carter?"

"I, um, I think what the General means is, as soon as this *briefing’s* over with? Sir..."

Jack first looked at Carter, then at Hammond, then catching a snicker from Daniel he glared at the archaeologist. The only one that didn’t surprise him was Teal’c whom just looked at him with a raised eyebrow. Suddenly feeling a little awkward he cringed, sort of shrugged his shoulders, then sat again and said, "Sorry, sir...You, uh, you go right ahead with the briefing."

"Why thank you, Colonel," Hammond replied with a chuckle, his body jiggling with his laughter.

Jack simply pulled a face at everyone that clearly stated, ‘Yeah okay, I made an idiot of myself. So, what’s new?’

Hammond shook his head then looked to Carter and asked her to hold the briefing.

# #

"Garran?" Laira called to her son, "are you ready yet?"

"Mother," Garran whined, as he walked into the front living room, "Jack isn’t due for another two hours or so, why do I have to be ready now?"

"Because, my dear boy," Laira chuckled, "like many times before you would only be rushing at the end."

Garran sighed.

"Aren’t you eager to see Jack again?" Laira asked.

"Yes, yes I am," Garran replied, then a tiny smirk appeared on his face as he added, "but obviously not as eager as you, Mother." He then ducked away as a hand shot out to clip him and he ran back into the other room laughing.

Laira shook her head and smiled. It would be good to see Jack again. She had spent many a lonely night thinking of him, but now, it all seemed worth it. She had such news for him that she had no doubt would make him happy for her.

"Laira?" someone softly called for her.

She turned and came face to face with Salyan; her friend whom, along with Paynan and several other men, had at once taken a disliking to Jack but had eventually become friends with him. "Hello Salyan," she softly greeted him with a smile and a hug. "Fair day is it not?"

"It is, Laira, and made fairer by your beauty."

"Smooth talker," she laughed. It was another thing that Jack had brought out of her friend; his sense of humour, and she revelled in it whenever he allowed it to surface. It was rare but so very good to hear.

"Some would say," he smiled, "but then the truth is the truth."

Laira simply shook her head at him, but could not help the smile of pleasure at his words. She could feel her cheeks redden at them and then she secretly stored away such a compliment for when she would feel less than how he perceived her. "Have you eaten?" she asked.

Salyan smiled at her and said, "As if you don’t know?"

Laira chuckled at that, then went to the table and cleared a place for him. "Sit and I shall serve you, once I have gotten my misbegotten son ready for the meeting today."

"Ah, yes, the return of the prodigal son, Jack O’Neill..." Salyan chuckled, then he looked to a crib that was situated in the dark corner of the room and said, "I hope he shall be happy for you. I know that I am."

"I hope such news makes *him* happy Salyan, and that’s *all* I wish."

Salyan gazed at her, unable to quell the deep respect he had for such a beautiful woman. Time had been hard and harsh for her, but now, she practically glowed and it was such a blessing to see. She lit a room as surely as the lanterns at night and breathed warmth into each soul of those that were once cold and brittle; such as his. He looked to the crib again and smiled.

# #

Jack leaned over and straightened the bottom of his combats over the top of his boots. If anyone had been there he knew they would have questioned the overt attention he appeared to be giving them, but he couldn’t help himself. And he knew why...

When General Hammond had first mentioned going to Edora he’d felt his heart skip a beat with anticipation. He’d missed Laira, more than he thought he would. Okay, that wasn’t strictly true, he *knew* he’d miss her, so it was no surprise to him that he had.

He’d been so confused when he’d been rescued. Seeing Teal’c hanging from that rope inside a cavern that had been blown out by Carter, desperately digging his way out; not only to free the Stargate there, but also to save his own life; he’d felt this overwhelming sense of gratitude that someone was still trying to get to him.

That had lasted until he’d met Carter and Daniel, with Teal’c, at the end of the rise. He’d finally, that day, come to terms with the fact that he was never going home and his life now belonged to Laira and her son, Garran. He now thought that fate had gained a hell of a lot of pleasure with him, by the twisting of a knife he’d felt enter his belly the moment he’d realised that he would be leaving behind a woman he had grown to love.

He’d told her he wasn’t happy about leaving and he hadn’t been, but the Ga’ould, the bastard Ga’ould, needed stopping first before he could even think about gaining a life for himself. He had known it; Laira had known it and so they had, sadly, parted; even though a promise to see each other soon had been made.

Now he was about to see her again. He knew how *he* felt about that, but how would Laira feel? She’d have every right to throw him out on his ear, not that he had any intention of starting where they had left off. How could he when he and she would know that he would be leaving again? And so these thoughts accompanied him when he finally stood and made his way to the Gate-Room.

"You all right, Jack?" Daniel asked when he got there.

"Fine," he replied, "Why?"

"Oh, nothing," Daniel shrugged, "S’just I thought you’d’ve been the first here... You know, Edora and... and Laira..."

"Yeah," Jack breathed out at him, but left it at that.

As Jack turned away to face the viewing room, Daniel turned to Sam, his eyebrows rising in enquiry at her, to which he received a shrug and a frown.

"SG1, you have a go," Hammond called down to them over the microphone.

Jack raised a hand and said "Thank you, sir." He then turned back towards the ramp and with a quick nod at the rest of SG1 they all walked up the ramp and into the vortex that connected the SGC to the planet Edora.

# #

Jack was the first to arrive on the other side of the vortex and he immediately spotted Laira; but his mind also took in the strapping young man standing next to her with his arm about her waist. He felt a pang of jealousy go through him and wanted to go over to that strapping *young* *man* and stake his claim on Laira. The moment that thought had been thought, he was internally shaking himself free of it and forcing himself to be pleased that she had made a life for herself. ‘At least now,’ he thought, ‘I know where I stand.’

He saw her smile and knew then that that had been what he’d missed the most. He’d had many dark moments during his time on Edora, but she had always managed to lift them with a smile and a hug and... ‘O-o-okay,’ he thought, ‘let’s get this over with.’

He walked down the slight incline towards them both and returned their smiles. "Laira," he softly greeted and nodded to her with the smile still on his face. He then turned his attention to the strapping young man and raised an eyebrow of enquiry at him.

"Jack, this is Salyan. He’ll be heading the treaty meeting," Laira replied, itching to move forward and hug her one time lover, but not knowing how he might feel about that; so she kept her place until she was sure where she stood with Jack, content just to see him.

Jack held out his hand to Salyan and said in greeting, "Fair day, Salyan."

Salyan smiled, grasped the hand offered and enthusiastically replied, "Tis a fair day indeed, O’Neill."

Jack then half-turned behind him and introduced the rest of SG1 to him.

"Yes I remember, O’Neill," Salyan replied and said to the others, "It is good to see you all once again. Please, follow Laira and I, and we will first show you where the meeting shall be held and then where you shall be staying."

And so they followed. Jack a little behind the others, watching Laira’s interaction with Salyan. It was interesting, pleasing, but also a little painful too. Salyan kept a hand on her waist the whole time they walked, even though he chatted animatedly to Carter. Jack knew why, he used to do the same to Sarah whenever they were in company. It was a bit like staking your claim on the woman you loved, especially if the conversation was with another man that you thought might be better than you, but it also gave a quiet assurance to that woman whenever the conversation was with another woman; silently telling the woman you loved that you had no desires for that other woman.

‘Yeah,’ Jack sighed, ‘I know that way to well.’

# #

They all soon entered a small hut that simply housed a table and chairs and nothing else. There was a fire roaring in one wall and it was explained that that would be for refreshments and food.

"I’m sorry we have no comforts to speak of," Salyan suddenly announced slightly embarrassed by that fact.

"Hey," Jack muttered, "you’d be surprised, but this is as comfortable as anywhere else." He winced when it appeared even to him that he was trying maybe *too* hard to make the man feel comfortable. But more importantly, ‘*why* was he trying so hard?’

"Thank you, O’Neill," Salyan gratefully replied, unaware of anything, especially the curious looks that Jack was receiving from the remainder of his team.

Jack simply looked at his boots and scuffed them a bit. When he finally looked up it was to see a curious look from Teal’c and then the trademark rise of his eyebrow. He was tempted to look at his boots again, but, hey, he was the commanding officer here, so he looked back at Teal’c with a look that said, ‘Yeah, and what are you gonna do about it?’ But getting a further rise of an eyebrow aimed at him, he frowned then turned to Salyan and said, "So, uh, when does this all start then?"

"As soon as you are able, O’Neill," Salyan replied and added, "Perhaps after we have shown where you are staying and after Laira has informed you of her wonderful news."

"Salyan!" Laira exclaimed, but blushed as well, taking the heat out of her exclamation.

Salyan simply chuckled.

Jack blinked at Laira and then at Salyan, then he shook himself and whispered, "Uh, news?"

"Yes, Jack, some good news," Laira replied with a sly look at Salyan, whom simply chuckled a little harder.

Jack was getting dizzy from seeing the interplay. ‘Ah crap,’ he thought, ‘not a wedding?’ He then felt sick to the stomach with the next thought. ‘She’s not going to ask me to be best man, is she? Ah, crap.’

# #

Salyan had left the moment they had entered the house they were staying in. On departure he’d said that it had been his but was more than happy for them to reside there whilst they discussed the treaty. He re-offered it again when Carter said they could stay somewhere else, by claiming that he would spend his time with a friend.

Jack had a feeling he knew exactly who that friend was and he still couldn’t get rid of the pang of jealousy whenever he thought about it. He sighed, entered the bedroom, decided on the farthest bed in the room and placed his kit on it.

Laira followed him. "You do not wish to hear my news, Jack?" she softly asked.

Jack almost jumped through the wall such was his surprise. He’d not expected anyone to follow him and Laira was the *last* person he *would* have expected, *had* he been expecting someone. He winced at his thoughts and felt a headache coming on. He wasn’t actually looking forward to her *good* news and he certainly wasn’t looking forward to the possibility of being asked to be best man at her *supposed* good news. ‘For crying out loud,’ he silently sighed, ‘Get it over with, Jack. You can smile, accept the offer and then leave. Simple...’

He eventually turned, plastered a smile on his face and said, "Uh, yeah, sure, sorry forgot..."

"You’re positive?" Laira asked with a frown of puzzlement.

"Ab-so-lutely!" Jack announced with a grin, and poked a finger in her shoulder to show just how positive he was.

Laira frowned, not completely convinced, but the news to her was too important to be concerned too much and she was positive that he would be as pleased as she, so she smiled, hooked her arm in his and lead him from the hut.

Jack prayed that Daniel wouldn’t come out with some stupid smartass statement like, ‘Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do...’ or Carter with something like, ‘Take your time, sir...’ He actually winced as he left the hut, expecting either one of them to say something, but sighed a huge sigh of relief when he and Laira left in silence.

"So, what’s the news then?" he asked no more than two steps away from the house they had just left.

Laira chuckled, "I see some things have not changed with you. You are as impatient as when I first met you."

Jack shrugged at that, not really having anything to say. He tried to discount it, but well, essentially it was true. Sometimes his impatience was out of wanting to see something, but in this case it was more of an urge to just get it over with as quickly as possible, so he could then sort out his thoughts and get the hell of this planet as quickly as was humanly possible.

Laira shook her head with amusement as they both entered her home; utterly unaware of Jack's misgivings.

Jack winced expecting to see Salyan there, but only the fire that burned brightly along one side of the wall; causing their shadows to perform a crazy dance together on the remaining walls; was there. He frowned, "Where’s Salyan?"

"Oh he’s about," Laira whispered and added, "He thought it best that you and I should be alone when I tell you the news."

"Mother?" Garran suddenly called.

Despite his anxiety, Jack could not help the chuckle. "Alone?" he laughed.

Laira also chuckled, sighed then shook her head as she left Jack standing in the middle of the room, to see to her son.

Jack was fascinated by something in the corner of the room. The shadow there was darker than any other and it was larger too. He cautiously moved over there and peered down. There in the middle of a crib was the cutest of baby’s; its face scrunched up with, well, whatever was making the baby scrunch its face up; its body covered to the chin with a blanket. It gurgled suddenly and then started to cry.

Laira was beside him in an instant.

Jack stepped away and, with his hands in the air, he suddenly protested, "I didn’t do a thing..."

Laira laughed out loud. She then picked the baby up, sat in an armchair, rocked it a little while, whilst she hushed and shushed at it, then when the baby quieted she looked up at Jack, "So what do you think of my news?" she softly asked.

It took a moment for Jack to process that. No wedding. Okay, no wedding... The baby, the baby is the good news... and then it clicked... The one thing that Laira had wanted was a child... Of course... ‘Doh!’ came to mind, but there was no way he’d ever say it. He looked at her and then the bundle in her arms, his face softening in an instant. "It’s great, Laira," he muttered with sincerity, "He’s a looker too..."

"Yes, just like his father... He’s also called Jack..."

"You... you named your baby after me? Jack gasped and then, when he received a nod from her, he blushed with the compliment... "That’s nice, Laira... real nice... Thank you..." He then glanced down at the baby in her arms and whispered, "I’m glad you got your wish..."

"And so am I..."

"So..." Jack then muttered, but had no idea how to say what he was going to say.

"So?" Laira replied.

"So, uh," Jack muttered a little uncomfortably, "So, who’s the lucky fella then?" he suddenly blurted and cringed with embarrassment. "And that *so* came out the wrong way..." he quickly apologised.
 
Laira laughed but admitted, "Well, I’ve not been with another man since you Jack..."

"Ah right, but... but how... Huh?" he suddenly looked up, shocked to the bone.

"You gave me a beautiful baby boy, Jack," Laira wistfully explained, glancing down at the boy in her arms. "A beautiful baby, with the darkest shade of eyes I have ever seen... Except yours, of course..."

"Mine?" he gasped.

Laira nodded eagerly. "Yes," she breathed out at him, her eyes alight with the love she had for him all those moons ago.

"Huh?"

Just then the baby let out another wail of protest. She hushed and shushed him again and then with a look of longing she held the baby out to Jack.

He took a step back.

"Jack?"

"Hey," he tried to brightly say but even he could hear the tenseness of his own voice, "Look I’d, uh, I’d best get back to the rest of SG1. You know, uh, see how they’re, uh, how they’re settling in and all that." With that said he turned smartly on his heel and left Laira’s home.

Laira gazed at the place that Jack had been standing only moments before, her eyes tearing up with the less than eager reception Jack had given the baby. She thought it would have been such wonderful news for him, as wonderful as it had been for her, but it hadn’t been... That at least was *very* clear.

Chapter Two

"Mother?" Garran asked with a frown. He looked to the door, surprised that there was no sign of Jack in the main part of the room, and then he looked back at his mother again, his frown deepening. He knelt beside her, placed a hand on her arm and softly called, "Mother?"

"Oh Garran," she whispered, her breath catching with her upset, "I’ve been such a fool. I... I thought he’d be pleased."

"He wasn’t?" Garran asked, ever more surprised now.

Laira shook her head and softly kissed the baby’s cheek.

"What did he say?" Garran demanded, his tone harsh and growing colder by the minute.

"Nothing. It wasn’t what he said," Laira offered in explanation, "but more of what he did."

"And that was?"

"He... he would not hold the baby and he left without even glancing at it. His own flesh and blood and he would not even look at it."

Garran held his mother for a moment until the shudders he felt dissipated, then he stood and silently vowed retribution for one Jack O’Neill that had stolen his mother’s heart only to return it to her in pieces.

# #

Jack returned to the rest of SG1 with his mind in turmoil. He opened the door and entered to find Teal’c in Kel-No-Reem and Daniel and Carter talking animatedly beside the fire. He was about to about-turn, but Carter suddenly stopped him.

"So, *was* it good news, sir?" she innocently asked, though Jack could see the twinkle of amusement in her eyes as she asked the question of all questions.

"I guess," he muttered, his instincts screeching at him to leave.

"You guess?" Daniel remarked with a frown. "It either is or isn’t, Jack." When his friend simply stood in the doorway, stating nothing but emanating an awkwardness that Daniel had rarely seen from him, his frown deepened and he asked, "She, uh, she didn’t ask you to marry her, did she?"

‘Now *that* I could have handled,’ Jack thought, ‘not the earth shattering news that I *did* get.’

"Jack?" Daniel called.

"Uh, no," Jack eventually replied, then very quickly added, "Uh, listen, I’ve... I’ve forgotten something for the, uh, for the meeting. I think I left it in my office. I guess I’d best go get it." And with that he turned and left the house.

Sam frowned with puzzlement. Firstly, as far as she was aware, Daniel and she had all that was needed for the meeting, and secondly, never had she seen her commanding officer, well, to put it bluntly, so off balance. She stood, muttered something about seeing if he was alright to Daniel and then followed Jack from the house.

# #

"For crying out loud," Jack softly muttered to himself, "A kid. I’ve got a kid. What the hell am I going to do?" He heard a twig crack behind him and he turned in an instant, his trusted companion, a P90, rising as he did so.

"It’s me, sir," Carter called out with her hands raised.

Jack sighed with relief, then turned and started to walk towards the Stargate again. Some might think him a little dense at times, but even he knew what Carter was here for and he’d be damned if he was about to talk to her about it. The *last* person on Earth, even though they were on Edora, he’d talk about *this* to.

"Sir?"

"Carter?"

"Are... are you all right, sir?" Sam asked, knowing she was treading on thin ice, but still felt compelled to add, "You seem a little, um, a little distracted."

"I’m fine, Carter," Jack replied and kept on walking. "Why don’t you go back and talk over the Treaty meeting with Daniel again."

"Sir?"

Jack turned and faced Carter, his teeth grinding with annoyance. "I’m fine. You’re fine. Laira’s fine. *Everyone’s* fine, so why don’t you go *back* to Daniel and leave me the hell alone." He then turned smartly on his heel and left Carter standing in the middle of wherever they were, gawking like a fish out of water. Yep, he could admit that he was going to regret that outburst, but right at this moment in time, he really couldn’t care on iota. He needed to be alone, in familiar surroundings; away from prying eyes and the chance that Laira might come looking for him, demanding an explanation; and his office was the best that there was.

He stepped up to the DHD and pushed the corresponding buttons for the co-ordinates to Earth. He waited for the whoosh of the unstable vortex to spit out at him and then tapped some numbers into his GDO. After a moment or two, he walked up the steps and stepped into the vortex without looking back.

# #

"Incoming Traveller," Sergeant Walter Davies suddenly announced.

Hammond was at his side in an instant. "Any idea who?"

"It’s SG1, sir..." he replied with a frown of puzzlement.

"You sure?"

"Yes, sir..."

"What the hell could have gone wrong this time?" Hammond muttered and then louder he said, "Open the Iris, son. I’ll go see what’s happened."

"Yes, sir," Walter replied and started to punch out a designated number on his keyboard.

Hammond left the viewing area of the Gate-Room and entered the room; stopping at the bottom of the ramp to await the arrival of SG1. He saw Jack O’Neill walk from the vortex and then down to where he stood; the wormhole dissipating with a whoosh behind him. "Jack?" he queried with a frown.

"Uh, sorry, sir, I think I forgot something."

Hammond was about to question him on that, but before he could utter a word he saw Jack leave the Gate-Room without a by-nor-leave. "What the..." he muttered and then left to follow his 2IC.

He was there to see Jack open his office door, enter and then close it again. He knew what that meant. It meant that Jack wasn’t up to any visitors, but by god was he going to get one. Hammond approached the door, knocked once, but without waiting for an answer he entered and closed the door behind him. "You want to explain, Colonel?" he asked with his hands on his hips, accentuating his annoyance.

Jack winced. He knew he’d been rude to his Commanding officer, his friend, but he just needed time alone. Enough time to get his head around the revelation that Laira had just dumped on him. Uncalled for and really unfair and he *didn’t* blame her. It was just a shock to him and he needed time to sort it out.

He could feel Hammond looking at him and with a sigh he eventually looked up into the face of a man that looked pissed at him, but also slightly concerned. "I know I was out of line, General," he muttered in explanation, "and I’m sorry, but... but can you give me a moment...alone?"

"No can do, son..." Hammond stated, "Not until you tell me what the *hell* you’re doing back here. The truth, son.... And while you’re at it, you can also tell me why you felt the need to treat me in the manner that you just did."

"I can’t, sir," Jack muttered and winced as he softly added, "I’m having a hard time *myself* coming to terms with why I’m here in the first place and... and for the Gate-Room? I’m truly sorry, sir..."

"Has it something to do with the Treaty? Has something happened that it now can’t go ahead?"

Jack shook his head, "No, nothing like that, sir. The meeting should be," he glanced at his watch before adding, "should be going ahead in an hour or so."

Hammond frowned, "All right, son, so why *are* you here then?"

"It’s of a personal nature and one that I really don’t want to discuss... at this moment in time," he added, hoping it would leave any further questions on the boiler and be asked again at a time when he might be able to actually answer them himself.

Hammond sighed at his 2IC. He wasn’t pleased with his answer and if the truth were known he was a little curious as to what the ‘of a personal nature’ entailed, however, even though one Jack O’Neill had an inuring habit of getting under your skin and getting to the heart of *your* business, he would not do the same to this excruciatingly private man. He sighed again as he said, "Well, Jack, you know where my office is if you ever *do* want to talk..."

Jack smiled. He knew that the General had called him by name to re-affirm to him that although he did outrank him, the chat in his office would be off the record and between one friend and another. He was grateful and as the General opened his door, he said, "I do, sir, and... and thank you..."

"You’re welcome Jack, but... just get your thinking done and your butt back on Edora as soon as, okay?"

Jack nodded.

"I imagine there are at least a couple of people missing you at this moment in time," Hammond added with a smile as he turned and left; gently closing the door behind him.

# #

Jack sighed and sat back in his chair. He knew that the General hadn’t meant Carter and Daniel when he mentioned two people most likely missing him right now. He knew he’d meant Laira and her son, Garran. "Ah, God" he softly exclaimed. "What a mess."

He was in turmoil. He wanted to be happy, desperately wanted to be happy and he was, somewhere deep down inside of him, but the most overwhelming feeling was a sense of panic that he could neither describe nor explain.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath in, feeling his heart hammer ruthlessly inside his chest and exhaled, leaning his head on the back of his chair. Why couldn’t he be happy? Hell, he knew he should be. All right, why wasn’t happiness the *first* thing he felt? Why did he run? He shouldn’t have run, he knew that, but his feet had moved before he’d even thought about it. He’d found himself almost running back to the house he and the rest of SG1 were staying in. Why? Why did he feel the need to get as much distance as he could from Laira and the baby?

He instinctively smiled when he thought of the boy. He looked more like him than Charlie ever had. Charlie had looked like his mother. Huge sea-blue pools for eyes and just as expressive. A dimple would appear in his cheeks whenever he’d laughed and a sneaky smirk that had told him much more than any words ever had.

Jack glanced at his desk drawer and pulled it out. There on top was a cigar case that held his life to this moment in time. All of his past, including a medal he’d got for bravery and had given to Charlie for a present. He swallowed deeply the pain that always surfaced when he thought of his son; his *late* son. He moved forward and leant on his elbows with a sigh; scrunching his eyes shut and rubbing his thumb and forefingers over them; discreetly wiping away a tear that always followed his actions of trying to dispel his despair.

Now he knew why he had run. It had nothing to do with the fact that Laira had had a child by him, a boy in fact, but more because of the implication that he could not ignore. He was afraid. Afraid that she did not want him there to help bring up their beautiful baby boy, but more afraid that she *would* want him there. He knew with this revelation that a life, a life that had always been a possibility, but never thought of because of other commitments, had now been thrust upon him without warning.

Instinct, good old instinct, had told him to run and hide from this decision that there was *no* hiding from. Yes, he and Laira, no matter how painful it had been, had come to a decision to part company, but now there was a child involved and he just wasn’t sure he *could* walk away. Not now, not ever.

But what about SGC and the bastard Ga’ould? What about that, *this*, life? What would the others say? Could he leave them? Could he be that selfish and leave them to their fates? The reason he’d left Laira in the first place is because no place was safe until the Ga’ould were no more. But could he leave now?

He rubbed at his temples willing the headache that was forming from his head, but to no avail. He came to the conclusion that no matter how hard he thought about it, he *couldn’t* come to a decision. And when he thought that bit more on it, he realised he was trying to come to a conclusion without actually talking to *Laira* about it. This couldn’t be made alone. She might not want him there and he couldn’t blame her for that. But, as he did when he came to a positive decision, the opposite was just around the corner and he found himself willing her to want him there.

He gave his eyes the quick once over with his fingers again, sighed, closed the desk drawer and then stood. He mentally braced himself for the days ahead and what decisions *might* have to be made, then walked around his desk, opened his office door and softly closed it behind him.

# #

Garran knocked on the door of Salyan’s home and shuffled from one foot to the other, agitated but angry enough to be there in the first place. He entered when someone called him to do so and looked around the room.

"Hello Garran," Sam smiled in greeting, "What brings you here?"

"Is Jack here?" he asked.

"Uh, no, he said he had to get something from his office back on Earth," Sam replied and added, "You could wait though. I’m sure he won’t be long."

"That’s okay," Garran replied with a smile he forced upon his features, "I’ll go meet him at the Stargate."

"Okay... Oh," Sam added, "Can you tell him to hurry? The Treaty meeting is due to start any minute now."

"Sure," Garran replied with the same smile on his face, but the moment he’d left the house, his look became as hard as rock and his steps were forceful and determined.

# #

Jack turned and saluted his friend in the viewing area of the Gate-Room, then faced the vortex, walked up the ramp and returned to a world that he had vowed would be his place of retirement. ‘It still could be,’ he cajoled himself, as he stepped out of the vortex and onto Edora soil.

His first view was of the sloping hills in the distant, haloed in the sunlight. He took a breath in and relished the sweet scented air about him. He then looked down and came face to face with Garran. "Hey, there Garran," he smiled in greeting, but it fell the moment he got a good look at the young man’s face. ‘A storm cloud if ever I saw one.’ Jack thought, "Wonder what could have brought that on?’

He got to the bottom step and instantly stepped back up one when Garran approached. He frowned with puzzlement. ‘Gees, what the hell is wrong with him?’

"Forgot I was there, didn’t you, *Jack*?"

"Wha..."

"Forgot that I was privy to your breaking my mother’s heart, didn’t you, *Jack*," Garran spat at the older man and shoved him in the shoulder.

‘Ah Crap!’ Jack thought and winced when he felt another shove on his shoulder. "Look, Garran, I’m sorry," Jack tried to explain.

"Save your pity for yourself, *Jack*," Garran shouted in anger, "You need it far more than I. Or better yet, save your pity for the son that killed himself with your *own* *gun*. Give *him* your pity. He at least deserves *that*, though his *life* would have been a *better* gift."

"How the hell..." Jack muttered.

"I was there too, when you explained to Mother *why* you were sad and I pitied you. Pitied you enough that I thought you could look upon me one day as you once did your *own* son, but I was wrong...." Garran gulped in huge breaths of air as he tried to control his anger, but the moment he felt strong enough, he added, just as angrily, "I *was* wrong, you have showed that to me tonight. You *took* my mother when she *loved* you. You took her and left her and then returned, only to break her heart again."

"Garran, that’s not true..." Jack whispered, his heart hurting from the young man’s angry, hateful words, and tried to place a hand on Garran’s shoulder to re-assure him.

Garran stepped back and swiped the hand away. "It *is* true," he vehemently argued, "If it were *not* so, then how is it that my mother sits in her chair, with my brother, weeping? Telling me that you could not even afford the baby a glance once you had discovered that it was yours..."

Jack took a step forward and opened his mouth to explain, but Garran took another step away and through gritted teeth of anger, he whispered, "Don’t come any nearer and do *not* go anywhere near my mother!"

Jack stood there by the Stargate stripped to the bone. He silently looked on as Garran then turned and strode away from him; his back ramrod straight with his anger. He then sat heavily on the last step leading up to the Stargate, stunned and numb with what had just been said to him. He felt sick to the stomach that his relationship with Laira had been maligned, debased to the point that their relationship had only occurred to satisfy some base need of *his*. He denied it in his mind, reliving the time he’d had with Laira, but instead of them consoling his thoughts they added to his despair, until he could think no longer.

He glanced at his watch and noticed that the time for the Treaty meeting had arrived, so he wearily stood and started to make his way to the hut where it was being held; Garran’s words of hate playing an eternal repeat in his mind.

Chapter Three

Jack arrived at the hut where the meeting was being held to find that it had already started. He was uncomfortable as it was, but more so when each member that was attending the meeting turned and stared at him as he opened the door. "Sorry," he whispered with a wince, "thought I’d forgotten something, but... I hadn’t," he added with another wince and a frown.

"S’alright, Jack," Daniel breezily accepted his excuse and added, "We’re not far into the meeting and we can go back over what you *have* missed, if you’d like?"

"No, no that’s fine. I’m sure you have it all in hand... Just... just carry on..." he muttered and moved over to sit next to Carter; despite the frown of puzzlement he was getting from her. When Daniel started talking again, Jack silently indicated with his head and a raise of his eyebrows that maybe she should be listening to what the archaeologist had to say, rather than what was so puzzling about him.

Sam nodded in understanding and then turned to Daniel.

Jack sighed inwardly with relief, but the last thing he was hearing was whatever Daniel had to say. All he heard was Garran’s voice, angry and accusing, stripping him bare with each word that had spewed from the young man’s mouth. He looked to his hands listening intently to the angry voice, vaguely aware that his fingers restlessly twisted and turned within each other; vaguely aware of his stomach tossing and turning with each word.
 
He took a deep breath and glanced at Laira seated opposite him and felt the imaginary knife turn that little bit deeper. He’d been surprised to see her here in the first place, but he supposed, much as why he had attended, that this was too important to let personal issues get in the way of it.

He could feel the occasional glance from Salyan and guessed that maybe he was also privy to what had happened between Laira and him. He winced when he thought about the possible altercation that could occur between him and the young man. If it was anything like Garran’s he would bet his last wage packet that it was not going to be pleasant. He would probably get a lecture on how Salyan knew that Jack Junior wasn’t his, but that he would raise him as if he was. That *he* was the one that would lose out on such a wonderful thing and that *he* should be assured that Laira would be happy, far happier with Salyan than she would *ever* be with him.

"Jack, you wanna add to that?" Daniel asked, interrupting his unpleasant musings.

"Hmm?" he mumbled with a blink of surprise.

"Is there anything you want to add to what I’ve just said?" Daniel re-iterated, but with an accusatory look of ‘I know you haven’t a heard a word.’

Jack looked away. "Uh, no," he muttered, "You’re doing fine, Daniel. You just...just carry on..."

"All right," Daniel replied and did just that.

Jack sighed, wishing his painful musings a swift and just as painful death, but, he conceded, he couldn’t see that happening for some time. He glanced at Laira again and sighed with regret.

# #

Laira’s heart skipped a beat when she turned to see who it might be interrupting this important meeting, and saw Jack. The last person she ever expected to see was him. However, she supposed, that these meetings were more important than any personal occurrence. Still, she could not stop the painful twist of her heart when she did see him or what he’d done no more than an hour ago. She quickly looked away and glanced at Salyan, pleased to feel a hand go to hers and squeeze it with re-assurance. She was grateful for it. Without it she might have descended into the blubbering, embarrassing state that Salyan had found her in when he had come to take her to this meeting. She gently smiled at him and then looked away.

‘Why did he run?’ flashed into her mind. Why was he not pleased with her news? Why had he not taken the baby from her and showered it with affection? She glanced up at Jack and quickly looked away when she found him looking straight back at her. She could not deal with him right now. Was he so disgusted with her? Had their love been so shallow? She hadn’t thought so at the time, but then maybe she had wished too hard for such a thing and had *imagined* his love for her. But even if that *was* the case, how can he reject such a beautiful thing as the baby?

From the moment he had told her of his son’s death; the unfortunate and painful accident that had occurred; she had wanted to give him something that, she knew, could never replace what he’d already had, but could perhaps ease the troubled soul she had seen and heard. Her eyes lit up as she thought of the day she had given birth to Jack Junior. It had been painful, as all births were, but the moment her eyes had lit upon the wailing bundle wrapped in a blanket, it had felt as if all her prayers had been answered in that one single moment.

Later she had been tempted to contact Jack and tell him of the news, but Salyan had come to her with his own very special news. He’d told her of the Treaty Meeting between Edora and Earth and that Jack and the rest of SG1 were going to be the one’s representing *their* planet. She’d hugged Salyan with laughter and love. Another prayer answered.

She glanced again at Jack, this time lingering a little when he appeared to be engrossed with his hands. His face was dark and foreboding; his mind, she was certain, was far away and not with this meeting; just as hers was. ‘How could he not love the boy?’ she thought. The first time the baby had opened his eyes and had blinked at her with his dark, almost black, pools of wonderment, she had fallen in love. Why was it so hard for Jack?

She suddenly noticed that the soft drone of Daniel Jackson’s voice had changed pitch, so she looked up and sure enough the doctor was closing his folder and closing the meeting until tomorrow. Laira sighed with relief and started to stand. She forced a smile on her face as Sam greeted her with a ‘Fair day, Laira’ and then turned to leave with Salyan.

# #

Jack turned to his team and said, "You go ahead. I’ll be along in a minute."

Daniel looked at Salyan and Laira at the doorway, then looked back at Jack and nodded. Now he thought he understood why his friend’s mind had not been on the meeting. Trouble was brewing, he could sense it; he just hoped that it would not affect the Treaty that was in discussion. With that thought still lingering, he took a hold of Sam’s arm and led her past Salyan and Laira and from the hut. Teal’c silently bowed his head at the two Edorans then he too left.

Jack looked around to make sure no other remained and then satisfied they were alone, well, he Laira and Salyan, he turned back to them and opened his mouth to say something.

"I would be very careful in choosing what you have to say, O’Neill," Salyan softly seethed.

"Yeah," Jack replied on an exhalation. "I’ve, uh, I’ve been doing that," he admitted, indiscriminately waving a hand at the table where the meeting had been held.

Salyan simply raised an eyebrow at him and then said, "So what is it that you wish Laira and I to hear?"

"Actually" Jack muttered uncomfortably, accentuating his discomfort with a slight cough, "I was kinda hoping it could just be Laira and *me*." He then watched a silent interplay between them both, before he saw Laira suddenly nod her head at Salyan. He swore he heard a disbelieving ‘Are you sure?’ from Salyan, to which he replied, with a slight hint of annoyance, "Hey, I’m not about to beat the crap out of her, you know."

Salyan turned to him and said, "You do not have to be *physical* with someone to hurt them, O’Neill. I thought, *especially* now, that you would know as much."

Jack twiddled his cap in his hands, finding it a far more pleasing thing to see than the anger that was emanating from Salyan. "Yeah," he eventually whispered, "*so* know that."

"Laira has requested my leave," Salyan added as though Jack hadn’t spoken, "and I shall do so, *against* my better judgement, however, mark my words, O’Neill," he warned, "should I find her as I found her today, you will rue the day you ever set foot on Edora."

Jack silently nodded, understanding the threat and accepting it. He hoped it would not come to physical blows between him and the young man, but that depended on what was going to happen in the next few minutes. He watched Salyan bend at the waist, gently peck Laira on the cheek, then turn to him with a glare of warning. He acknowledged the glare and waited patiently as the Edoran left.

"So, Jack," Laira eventually whispered, her voice wavering with emotion, "What is it you wish for me to hear?"

"Can we sit?" he asked and on her nod he sat on the chair that was closest to him. He turned and watched Laira sit on a chair that was the farthest from him and he sighed. Not good, but completely understandable. Looking at his hands on the table, he suddenly breathed out at her, "That... that was *some* *news*, Laira."

"I thought it would be the best of news, but I was obviously wrong," she simply replied.

"*Not* wrong," Jack gently countered, "It *was* the best news."

"It was?" Laira muttered with a frown of confusion. "If I am *not* wrong then *why* did you run?" she asked.

"Laira," Jack softly offered, "you’ve had almost a year to come to terms with this... I’ve had just a... a second or two and you expected me to raise the roof with overwhelming gladness *in* that second."

"It is not difficult to do, Jack," Laira whispered. "I knew I loved the boy the moment I set eyes on him. I expected the same would be for you. However, once again, I was wrong."

"*Not* wrong, Laira," Jack again admitted.

"Then I do not understand..."

"Hey, I’m like that," he softly whispered with a smile, trying to lighten the mood, but seeing the look Laira was giving him, he knew she would have nothing to do with his attempt. He swallowed deeply, took a breath and started to explain, "*This* news *is* the best news I could have *ever* gotten, but my commitment to SGC hasn’t changed. The Ga’ould are still out there, terrorising, taking and destroying worlds. *That* hasn’t changed."

"I understand that, Jack," Laira softly whispered.

"Do you?" Jack questioned, "Well, you’re a better man, uh, woman...whatever, than me, because right now I really *really* *don’t* understand it at all."

Laira stood and moved to the chair that was next to Jack’s. She gently placed a hand on his arm and sat.

Jack sighed with relief, her first overt step towards forgiving him, but he had more to say. He just as gently placed his hand over hers and whispered, "The first time I left was because of my commitment to the SGC program and also because both you and I knew that we belonged to another planet that couldn’t be exclusively ours. We were needed elsewhere. But this news, this baby, has changed that. I’m also needed *here* now. You have given me a son, Laira," Jack softly whispered in awe, "a beautiful baby boy, a... a second chance and one that I’ve wished for, for so very long now..."

"I know..." Laira softly whispered.

"What am I going to do, Laira?" Jack whispered back at her, unable to keep the pain of indecision from his voice or his face.

"You’ll know Jack... Just try not to be so impatient..." Laira replied with a smile and added, "Sometimes, especially the hardest of all decisions, it takes time and a lot of thought. It’ll come to you... all you have to be is a bit more patient than you have been."

"Me? Patient?" Jack muttered, his eyebrows rising with surprise, his face then softening as he heard her whispered chuckle. He turned to face her, grateful that she was as forgiving as he remembered and placed a hand on her cheek; gently caressing it with a thumb. "Yes, oh wise one," he eventually whispered with a smile.

Laira softly chuckled a little longer, then took his hand from her cheek, kissed the palm and said, "Why don’t you come see the baby again? I think he misses his father..."

More than anything Jack wanted to do just that, but now was not the time. "I... I can’t," he stuttered and on her look he added, "Please, Laira, it’s not like before. More than anything I’d love to, but I really should get back to the others. Well," he shrugged, "at least try and get from Daniel what exactly *did* occur during the meeting today."

The look of suspicion fell from Laira’s face the moment Jack had uttered a need to see the baby and she chuckled with understanding, concerning his lack of tangible detail relating to the meeting. "As should I from Salyan," she gently admitted.

"Not here either, huh?"

"No," Laira shook her head, "rather more in a place that held so many dark thoughts... a place that held me prisoner and would not let me escape."

Jack’s hand found its way back to her cheek and he whispered, "And I’m sorry for that..."

Again she took a hold of his hand, but this time she held it in her lap and whispered, "I know, but all is well again, Jack." She then looked up into his eyes and said, "Let’s go hear what we’ve missed."

Jack laughed out loud, kissed the back of her hand and then pulled her to her feet as he too stood. "Let’s," he agreed as he placed a hand to her back and led her from the hut.

# #

Salyan chewed on his lip, certain that it would soon bleed with his concerned administration and turned to resume his anxious pacing. His thoughts were definitely with the couple that were inside the hut. He had wanted to stay, to be there for Laira, to ensure that whatever O’Neill had needed to say to her would be said and that they would not hurt her. He wished he had not used such a threat towards the older man, but seeing Laira and the distress she had been in and he had found it difficult to assuage his anger at the man that now was talking with her... alone.

His ears pricked at the sudden laughter that wafted out to him through the open window and he breathed a huge sigh of relief. He turned with a puzzled but light smile on his face as the door opened.

Laira turned to him in an instant and smiled, "Are you still here, Salyan?" she gently queried.

He felt a fool now having waited for her, despaired for her, so he meekly shrugged his shoulders and nodded without uttering a word.

"I *am* grateful," she replied with a hand out welcoming him, "but you needn’t have," she added and glanced at Jack, her eyes alight despite the dimming light from the sunset.

Salyan grasped her hand and gently squeezed it, silently communicating to her that he understood and was as pleased as she. He then smiled and said, "So, am I to assume that the talk went well then?"

"Which one?" Jack muttered and then spluttered, "Uh, not that what you had to say at the meeting wasn’t, uh, tip-top and on the mark."

Salyan actually laughed out loud at that and chuckled, "Then the praise should actually go to Daniel Jackson, for today I had nothing to say."

Jack cringed and swallowed hard. "You, uh, nothing, huh?" he muttered.

Salyan shook his head, but could not hide his amusement. "Never fear, O’Neill, I am sure that Laira here heard just as much, or as little I should say, as you and I think she too will want to bend my ear on what has actually transpired during the meeting." Salyan again laughed to see a blush appear on Laira’s face. He was enjoying this.

"You know," Jack said, but with a smile, "I think you’re liking this much more than you should...be... uh, liking this...."

Salyan clapped a hand on Jack’s shoulder and admitted, "It *is* good to know that I still have to do very little to have you tongue-tied and making an ass of yourself, O’Neill."

"Salyan!" Laira exclaimed, but could not help the giggle at the end.

"From *both* of you?" Jack exclaimed in reply.

Salyan chuckled some more and then said, "So, another mouth to feed?" he asked.

"Um, no," Jack replied and instantly looked to his boots, "I’d best get back to Daniel, Sam and Teal’c," he softly added, "let them know that I’m okay."

"Do you not have a communications device on you?"

"Yeah," Jack uttered with a frown and automatically fingered his radio in the top left pocket of his jacket.

"So call them, then," Salyan replied, "let them know that all is okay and that you will be having dinner with Laira and I."

"So, now you are inviting yourself to dinner, eh?" Laira chuckled and lightly thumped Salyan on the arm.

Jack's frown of puzzlement deepened at that. Why *wouldn’t* Salyan be there? However, he mentally shrugged, shook the thought from him and said, "I’m not sure I should be here, Salyan. I mean, I was pretty offish with Carter earlier today, and I guess I should really apologise."

"Well, it’s up to you," Salyan sighed.

Jack looked first at the young man and then at Laira, bemused as to why they were more intent and content to have him for dinner that to spend time together, alone. Eventually he sighed and fingered his radio. "Carter?" he called down into the mouthpiece.

The radio whined and crackled a moment before Sam’s distorted voice could be heard, "Yes, sir?"

"I, uh, I... uh..." Jack spluttered, but then leant back in shock as Salyan slapped his hand away, depressed the talk button and started speaking.

"Major Samantha Carter, your Commanding Officer shall be a while yet. He has been invited to dine with Laira and I, to which he has graciously conceded to... However," Salyan added with a smirk, "he does wish for you to remain awake so that he might apologise for his abominable behaviour towards you earlier today."

Jack furiously slapped at Salyan’s hand, muttering, "Give me that..."

Salyan stepped back, drew an arm about Laira’s waist and laughed out loud, especially when he heard a bemused ‘Sir?’ from Sam over the radio.

Jack glared at him, but when another enquiry could be heard from his 2IC, he fingered the talk button, took a deep breath and said, "You heard what the man said, Carter, now... uh... do as you’re told..."

The radio whined and crackled quite a while before Sam uttered a bemused "Yes, sir."

"Let’s eat," Salyan suddenly announced, then with his arm still about Laira he turned with her and started to walk away.

Laira held her hand out for Jack, but he shook his head and whispered, "S’alright, I’ll just hang back here a minute."

She frowned at him, but then was soon caught up in a conversation with Salyan to pay Jack much attention.

# #

Jack stood at the doorway of Laira’s home and smiled contentedly as he watched her go back inside. He took a deep breath of the night air and exhaled with pleasure, before starting to make his way back to Salyan’s home.

As far as he was concerned the evening had been a blast. The moment he’d entered he’d picked Jack Junior from his crib and had gently cradled him the whole evening; chortling and whispering baby-talk as the baby had tightly grasped his thumb. He’d waggled the hands, tickled the toes and had revelled in the sound of the baby’s laughter.

His radio suddenly burst to life, interrupting his musings, with a panic sounding Daniel. "Jack? Can you talk?"

He fingered the talk button, depressed it and said, "Yeah, I can talk..." ‘Duh!’ came to mind.

"Jack, Thor’s here and he say he needs to speak with you, like... like now."

Jack blinked in surprise. ‘Thor’s *here*? Now?’ He depressed the talk button again and said, "All right, Daniel, tell Thor I’m on my way...."

"Okay, will do..."

And with that the radio blinked off. Jack widened his stride and thought ‘What the hell could the little guy want with him *now*?’

Chapter Four

Jack entered Salyan’s home and looked around the room. He saw Thor to the right of him, ‘Pacing?’ he thought with surprise. However, despite his surprise and concerns he had a soft spot for Thor. "Hey there, buddy," he breezily greeted the elder Asgard, "you here to take me up on my offer of fishing?"

"I wish that I were, O’Neill," Thor replied with a little sigh.

"Oh?" *That* surprised him. Thor wanting to go fishing with him rather than what he was *actually* here for?

"Indeed..." Thor muttered then pointedly looked at Daniel, Teal’c and Sam. "Is there somewhere else we could talk, O’Neill?" the elder Asgard asked.

Jack looked at the others with a frown, "You *know* we come as a package, Thor," he said, "Whatever you’ve got to say, or ask, you *know* you can say it in front of them."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive..."

The elder Asgard blinked at his human friend, ‘was that a frown?’, before he said, "If you are sure, O’Neill, then there is something I need to ask of you."

"Figures..." Jack muttered knowingly.

"It concerns the child..."

"Child? What child?"

"*Your* child, O’Neill," Thor simply replied.

Jack glanced quickly around the room. ‘Ah crap’, he silently muttered when each of his team mates returned a quizzical look at him. "Okay, buddy," he interrupted Thor, "maybe this *should* be taken elsewhere."

"As you wish," Thor nodded and moved to stand next to Jack. Before any other words could be uttered, a white beam enveloped them both and they disappeared from Salyan’s home.

# #

"A child?" Daniel whispered.

"Well, the Colonel did have one," Sam muttered in response.

"Yeah, but what would Charlie have to do with Thor and the Asgard? I mean, Charlie’s dead."

Sam shrugged her shoulders, utterly perplexed. Unless? ‘Ah God!’ she thought disgustedly. ‘They couldn’t have... Could they?’ "Daniel," she murmured, feeling vaguely sick with where her thoughts had taken her, "you don’t think that the Asgard have dug up Charlie’s bones and taken a sample of his DNA from them, do you?"

Daniel was ready to deny it, but knowing the desperate situation the Asgard were in of finding a compatible match for their race, so that they could survive, he actually started to contemplate the gruesome possibility. He suddenly looked heavenward and vehemently stated, "If they have, Sam, I wouldn’t hold out much hope for Thor’s survival once *Jack* finds out. In fact," he added, "if he *does* survive Jack’s anger, he won’t survive *mine*."

"SamanthaCarter, DanielJackson, it would do neither of you any good to speculate," Teal’c suddenly announced, surprising them both. "It would perhaps serve us all better," he added, "if we await O’Neill’s return, before we try and hypothesise something we do not know for sure."

Sam and Daniel looked at each other and then shrugged in acceptance.

"You know," Daniel suddenly blurted as he stood, "I’m... I’m just going to take a walk outside. It’s a bit stifling in here right now."

Sam nodded with understanding, and she was tempted to join him, but that was the point of it, wasn’t it? Take a walk and sort out your thoughts... alone. "We’ll call you," she said aloud, "when the Colonel returns."

Daniel nodded and then left.

"It would appear that I have upset DanielJackson," Teal’c muttered with regret, looking towards the door by which Daniel had just left.

"Nah," Sam muttered, "I think *I* did that, Teal’c."

"What you have speculated is not unwarranted SamanthaCarter," the Jaffa solemnly replied, "However, I see little point dwelling on a possibility when we do not know the facts."

"And I get that, but getting it doesn’t mean that those thoughts stop, no matter *how* disturbing they are."

"Indeed," Teal’c agreed, "which is why I very rarely venture in the first place."

"Yeah right," Sam muttered disbelievingly, but tempered it with a smile.

Teal’c simply raised an eyebrow at her.

Sam laughed, settled onto her back with a sigh and impatiently waited for her Commanding Officer’s return; hoping that she was as far as she could get from the truth of the matter with her thoughts.

# #

"O-okay," Jack said the moment both he and Thor materialised inside the Asgard ship, "how the *hell* do you know about Jack Junior?"

"We have placed a Tracker device in your blood, O’Neill, which not only transmits your location to us, but also sound waves."

"You know," Jack growled, "I’m beginning to dislike this invasion of my privacy now."

"Of that I can understand," Thor gently agreed.

"Then *do* something about it."

"I was not happy when I discovered what the Grey Council had agreed upon concerning this matter, O’Neill, and I ardently disputed it on your behalf. However," Thor gravely added, "as you know, these are desperate times for the Asgard and our need outweighed whatever grievances you might have had...or *do* have..."

"You see," Jack replied, waving a finger of annoyance in front of him, "this is what I *don’t* get. SG1 have come to your aid now, what, three, four times, pulled your skinny little butts out of the fire and you do *this* as a way of a thank you? As far as I’m concerned, this sucks... *big* time, buddy," he added with disgust.

"If it had not been for the Tracker device we would not have known your precise location when we have needed to call upon yours and SG1’s expertise." Thor softly countered. "It might have taken days, weeks to find you and it would have been too late in each case."

Jack sighed and turned away. This grated on him. He was all for going out and doing what he could to help his friend’s race, but this, this was *way* too much. He turned back and suggested, "Well, can’t you turn off the *sound* part of this deal? At least then I’ll know that whatever I *have* got to say isn’t being analysed millions of light years away on another planet, by some ungrateful race that doesn’t know how to say *thank you* the *right* way."

"I understand your misgivings, O’Neill, however without the sound enabled on the device how would we have known of your child?"

"And what *is* it with you and Jack Junior?" Jack remonstrated, then the penny dropped and he stopped. His eyebrows drew together with suspicion. "You’d better not be going where I think you’re going with this," he quietly warned.

"As you know, O’Neill, we regard you as an advanced Human, with the potential to be the missing link to what ails our race. However, this missing link is not within *you* yourself..."

"Stop, *right* * there*..." Jack furiously interrupted the elder Asgard. "No!" he stated just as angrily.

"But you do not know what it is I am about to ask of you," Thor replied, blinking up at his friend.

"Oh yes... I... *do*..." Jack countered, "You want to go down there and *take* a sample of that baby’s DNA..."

"If you mean, by the emphasis you have placed on the word ‘take’, to *steal* the DNA, then you are wrong. However, if you mean to take *after* we have gained your permission to do so, then you are correct in your assumption."

"No!" Jack stated.

"O’Neill," Thor replied with a sigh, "there have been many things in the past that I have disagreed with concerning what the Grey Council have warranted justifiable actions and in some cases my disagreement of them has been justified. However, we *are* a desperate race, searching for the only possible means of survival. It saddens me that our means often disregard certain aspects of another race that we hold in high regard, but such is our desperation we deem them necessary."

"But don’t you understand, Thor," Jack begged, "this isn’t just about *me*. This involves a kid that I didn’t have *any* prior knowledge of until a couple of hours ago. A kid who’s mother has more of a right to make this decision than me."

"Then perhaps I should speak to the Mother."

"For crying out loud," Jack uttered completely at the end of his tether, "Laira’s people had a hard enough time trusting *us*. You know, *human* like. She’d take one look at you and run for the hills, taking Jack Junior with her."

"Then will you request a sample on our behalf, O’Neill?" Thor simply asked.

Jack turned away in frustration. In terms of survival he knew that it was always a desperate struggle. Hell, that’s why humans had started to explore the stars in the first place; looking for another place to house those that had come close to destroying their own home planet.

But this? How *was* this different? Hell, he was sure that if Thor could think of another way, he would, but wasn’t there something inherently wrong with this? He hadn’t felt comfortable with the fact that right now, if the cloning of his own DNA had been successful, that there would be all these *clones* of him running around another planet in another distant galaxy. It kinda freaked him out a little. And he’d been secretly glad that Thor had placed a tracer in his blood to stop that from happening.

But they weren’t talking about him in this instance they were talking about a baby. His baby... Laira’s baby, and just because he didn’t like the idea of what the taking of a sample meant, he couldn’t make the decision *for* Laira. But would she understand? ‘Ah crap,’ he thought, ‘somehow, I’m gonna have to *make* her understand.’

And along with that disparaging thought, there came the realisation that he was going to have to ask on Thor’s behalf. He sighed deeply, then turned to face his friend and said, "All right, I’ll do it, but if you see them suddenly wanting to dunk me in a lake or something, with my feet tied to a boulder, just so they can see if I float or not, you come rescue me, okay?"

"Of that you can be assured, O’Neill..." Thor gratefully replied.

"Well, okay then... but," Jack added, "don’t count your chickens just yet. I’m not sure I can pull this off..."

"The chickens shall remain un-hatched, O’Neill, until I hear word from you..." Thor promised.

"Good," Jack muttered and then added, "So you wanna send me back then? Can’t get much done up here, chatting the daylight away with an old friend."

"As you wish, O’Neill," the elder Asgard replied as he moved over to the transport device. Just before he turned the crystal to beam Jack back down to Edora, he looked up and said, "And thank you, O’Neill."

"You know, you wanna try teaching the *rest* of the Asgard on how to say that..." Jack muttered, just as he disappeared from the vessel.

# #

Daniel hadn’t gone far, in fact he found that he couldn’t move much farther than two feet away from the house he’d found stifling. It didn’t have anything to do with the fact that he *physically* couldn’t, more that he himself couldn’t.

He looked to the star filled sky for the umpteenth time and wondered what the hell was happening. He seriously hoped that Sam had been wrong in her assumptions, but the more he thought about it, the more likely her assumptions were. Why else would Thor mention a child? He stopped mid-step when he heard Sam calling out to him from within the hut.

"Daniel? He’s back."

His heart picked up speed, both from relief and also with a sense of foreboding. He turned and entered the house, for the first time in his life having no inkling of what was about to transpire. Jack?" he asked as if just calling his friend’s name would somehow silently transmit every question that he had in his head, but couldn’t ask aloud.

"Present and correct," his friend replied.

"You okay?"

"Fine..."

"You wanna talk about it?" Daniel softly offered.

"Uh, not really," Jack replied with a wince.

"So, sir," Sam interjected, "when do we leave?"

"Leave?" Jack frowned at her.

"Well, I assumed that Thor was here to discuss a mission that he thought us less intelligent beings might be able to help him with," she suggested.

"Ah, right, a mission," Jack muttered.

"You are being evasive, O’Neill," Teal’c suddenly blurted, "Is there a reason for such an action?"

‘Good old Teal’c," Jack thought, ‘straight to the point.’ "We-e-ell," he replied aloud, "a mission *was* what Thor wanted to discuss, however, it doesn’t take moving..."
 
"Huh?" Sam replied utterly confused.

"*Apparently*," Jack explained, "the mission that Thor wants *me* to take doesn’t involve any one of us leaving. Apparently, Edora is the *right* place."

"Have the Replicators infiltrated this planet, O’Neill?"

"No, no Replicators..."

"Jack, Thor mentioned something about a *child*," Daniel stated, "Does it have something to do with that?"

"You know, it’s getting kinda late, I think I’d best turn in," Jack muttered and started to head for the bedroom, but stopped when Teal’c called out to him.

"O’Neill, you are being evasive again. This concerns us. Has Thor *done* something to you?"

"Nope..." Jack replied and then consented, "Look kids, I have a big day ahead of me tomorrow and so do you, what with the Treaty and all, so, I suggest we all go to bed and get a good night’s sleep so we can handle our respective days with a fresh mind and a body to match."

"Jack, does... does this have something to do with Charlie?" Daniel asked.

"What? What the hell made you think that?"

"Well it was Sam’s idea actually," Daniel admitted, but quickly added, "However, the more I thought about it, the fact that Thor mentioned a child, the more it made sense."

"*What* made sense?"

"That Thor, or more likely, the Asgard race, have dug up Charlie’s bones and taken a sample of his DNA."

"Argh, *gross* Daniel, and *so* wrong," Jack muttered with a look of utter disgust on his face.

"We-ell, those were my thoughts too," Daniel softly admitted, "but why *else* would Thor mention a child?"

Jack sighed heavily, "You’re not going to let this go, are you?"

‘Nope’ the archaeologist mouthed at his friend.

Again Jack sighed, then he sat on the floor by the fireside and said, "Okay, kids, gather round, this might take some time and raise a whole lot more questions that I just *know* you’re going to wanna ask me."

Chapter Five

He knew he’d ordered the others to bed and to sleep and had promised he’d follow soon, but, ‘dammit’, his head just wouldn’t stop thinking. He scuffed the ground, sending a small pebble skittering across the dry dirt, and sighed. He took a breath in and then jumped, startled by Teal’c's voice.

"You appear to be troubled, O’Neill."

"That’s putting it lightly, Teal’c," Jack muttered, once his heart had stopped hammering in his chest and had resumed a gentle, unobtrusive beat.

"Do you wish to discuss that which is bothering you?"

Jack thought about that, his face scrunching with the effort. Eventually he muttered, "You know, I wouldn’t mind that, big guy... If I only knew where to start..."

"As you have told me on many occasions, it is usually best to start at the beginning," Teal’c replied.

"Yeah," Jack breathed out at him, "but that only applies when you *know* where the beginning is..."

"And you do not?"

"It’s not that clear, Teal’c."

"Then perhaps if I were to ask some questions, would that help in anyway?"

"It can’t hurt," Jack admitted with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Very well, O’Neill," Teal’c replied with a slight bow. "Is it the fact that you agree with Thor and the asking for the DNA sample that is bothering you or that you have to ask in the first place, disregarding whatever misgivings you might have on the subject?"

"You know... it’s a bit of both..."

Teal’c raised an eyebrow at him.

"Well," Jack began in explanation, "I can’t believe that I’m actually agreeing to this in the first place. I mean, I wasn’t exactly doing cartwheels when I found out about that Loki...all... guy taking some stuff from me that would clone me, you know?"

"Indeed I do..."

"And yet, here I am, saying, ‘Okay Thor, anything for you old buddy’ without any thought whatsoever of the consequences."

"I dispute the fact that you have given it little thought, O’Neill. If that were the case then you would be as ‘snug as a bug’ in your cot as we speak and not out here in the dead of the night unable to relax."

"Snug as a bug, Teal’c?"

"Is that not one of your Tauri phrases pertaining to ‘resting comfortably’?"

"Well, yeah, but coming from you it sounded a little, uh, off..."

Teal’c frowned at Jack, but then said, "Then I shall endeavour in future to refrain from using that phrase again."

"Unless, of course, you *like* people laughing at you, big guy..."

Teal’c’s eyebrows drew together with suspicion as he muttered, "Are you attempting to distract the conversation away from what is troubling you?"

"You know, you’re getting *way* too perceptive," Jack half-heartedly grumbled.

"Only of you, O’Neill."

"Lucky me," Jack whispered.

Teal’c simply raised an eyebrow. "I do believe," he suddenly announced, "that you have not explained to me why you find it difficult to ask for the DNA sample."

"C’mon, Teal’c, wouldn’t *you* find it difficult? Someone comes up to you and says ‘Hey, Teal’c, big guy, head honcho of the Jaffa, how’d you feel about us taking a bit of your son’s DNA so that our race can survive?"

"Perhaps I *would* find it difficult," Teal’c softly admitted, but added, "but then, I have not given it much thought."

"Well, why don’t you *give* it some thought and let me know..." Jack groused.

Teal’c started to step around Jack, his head tilted slightly to one side, as it always did when he thought on something.

Jack unwittingly followed him with his eyes, silently thinking ‘I didn’t mean right *now*...’

Eventually Teal’c stopped his pacing and turned to face Jack. "I have thought on the matter, O’Neill, and I have come to the conclusion that it would depend upon the circumstance."

"Well, not a lot of help there, big guy..." Jack sighed.

"If it were the Ga’ould asking such a thing then I would deny them, however, in your case it is not. It is the Asgard."

"And?" Jack urged.

"I believe it would depend upon your thoughts of the Asgard."

"O-okay, I can do that," Jack shrugged and then imitated Teal’c as he walked around the Jaffa. "Okay, I’ve thought about it," he suddenly announced.

"And?"

"A-a-and... even though they *are* an ungrateful, one-time arrogant race, that maybe might have deserved this swift kick up the rear from the Replicators, I kinda like them. Well, I like *Thor*," Jack added with conviction, "and when it comes down to it, I think I’d miss the little guy if he died or... something."

"Then I do believe that your reasoning is justified, O’Neill," Teal’c said, "The only thing that remains is your convincing Laira that Aliens such as the Asgard do indeed exist and that the race of Alien whom is doing the asking is indeed trustworthy and worth this chance."

"So-o," Jack sighed, "my work here is done then. A done deed, if ever there was one."

"I do not believe you are aware of the difficulty that lies ahead for you," Teal’c replied and opened his mouth to explain.

"No, trust me, Teal’c I *fully* understand," Jack interrupted, raising a hand to stop the Jaffa. "Perceptive you might be, my friend, but I really gotta start teaching you the art of sarcasm."

"If you think it would help."

"Oh it *might* come in handy once in a while," Jack replied with a smile.

"Then I look forward to the learning of sarcasm," Teal’c announced. "Has this helped in any way, O’Neill?" he eventually asked.

Jack clamped a hand on Teal’c’s shoulder and sincerely said, "More than you think, big guy."

"Then I should expect you to sleep soon?"

"Yeah," Jack muttered, stretching his back, "I think I can sleep now."

Teal’c bowed, but still remained where he stood.

Jack raised an eyebrow at him, then smiled and started off towards the house. When he’d reached the door he turned, "Hey, Teal’c?" he called.

"Yes, O’Neill..."

"Thanks..."

"You are more than welcome... my friend."

Jack stood there a moment, then shook his head and entered the house.

Teal’c stood watching his friend’s shadow pass the first window and then he moved off when he saw the shadow pass the bedroom window; satisfied that his friend would indeed be getting some rest.

# #

Jack raised himself from his cot and groaned. Despite the heat of the planet, his knees protested the cramped area of the cot and his back moaned and complained at him the ridges and bumps that made the base of his cot. He sat on the edge and stretched his back, rubbing at the aches. "Agh, God!" he exclaimed when he found a particular sore spot.

"So, Jack," Daniel murmured from the doorway of the bedroom, "Will you need some company when you go to speak with Laira today?"

"That’s kind, Daniel, "Jack responded around a hiss, "but I think I should do this alone, you know?"

Daniel shrugged, but felt the need to add, "Well, if I came with you, at least she could think we’ve *both* lost our minds instead of just *you*..." he offered with a smile.

"Oh and that *so* makes me feel better about all this..."

Daniel ignored his bad-tempered response and said, "Actually, I’m a little surprised that you’re going along with this in the first place. I mean, given that when you discovered what Loki had done to you..."

"Yeah, me too..."

"So, the obvious question would be, *why*are you going along with this?"

"Daniel, the Asgard will *die* if they don’t find something that can save them and even though I really *really* don’t like their methods, I know that Thor would be doing something else, *if* there was something else he *could* do... you know."

"Yes, I know, Jack," Daniel sighed, "but you’ve already got a... a *mini* you running around Earth, are you sure you can handle the thought of perhaps *millions* of Jack Junior’s running around a planet in another galaxy? Or come to terms with the fact that if this *doesn’t* work out, then the clone that the Asgard create through Jack Junior’s DNA, would die?"

Okay, he *hadn’t* thought of that. "Well," he eventually shrugged, "they saved the *mini* me, maybe they can do the same with Jack Junior?"

"And who’ll look after Jack Junior, Jack?"

"I don’t know, Daniel..." Jack groused.

Daniel simply looked at his friend, silently urging him to at least give it *some* thought.

Jack looked right back at Daniel, but he was the first to look away. Could he live with the fact of knowing that Jack Junior, the clone, the copy of his kid *would* die? He sighed, knowing the answer almost before the thought had solidified. He looked back up at Daniel, stood and as he looked up to the roof of the house they were staying in, he suddenly yelled "Thor, buddy, need to have a word with you..."

A bright white light illuminated the bedroom and when it dissipated, Thor stood in the middle of the room, blinking up at Jack. "Do you have an answer, O’Neill?"

"No," Jack replied, "I have a question..." and on the slight tilt of the elder Asgard’s head, he asked, "When you get this... this sample, are you gonna make a human out of it?"

"It *is* the only way to determine if this child is indeed the missing link we are searching for."

"And... and the clone will *die* if it’s *not* the one?"

"Yes."

"You see, *that’s* what I don’t like about this," Jack suddenly announced. "You go off on your quaint little quests, seeking out your... your..." he raised his hands and indicated with his fingers the open and closed quotation marks on each of the next words, "missing link", without any thought whatsoever of the consequences."

"And had your kind, O’Neill, thought of the consequences before they had used their Weapons of Mass Destruction, or when they had built their motor vehicles, or when they had created the many technological items that litter your world, had they thought of the consequences, do you believe that your planet would be in as much difficulty as it appears now?"

That was about as pissed as he’d heard the elder Asgard and it threw Jack for a moment. "Well, no, I *suppose* they hadn’t..." he eventually and grudgingly admitted. "But I’m not the right guy to be asking that..."

"True," Thor admitted, "However, we, the Asgard, did not truly understand the consequences of *our* actions until the first of the clones had died. Too late, as I believe your kind would *also* attest to."

"Isn’t there *any* other way?" Jack asked.

"If there were, O’Neill, do you not suppose that we would be making use of the alternative?"

Jack shrugged at that.

"Do not think we callously do this," Thor added, "we do not. As I have already mentioned, such is our desperation, there are things we do that, in any other circumstance, we would refuse to commit. We have thought long and hard over this, searched a millennia for an alternative, however, despite the consequences of the clones, it is the only action available to us."

"You... you can’t just get the answer from a cloned skin sample... or... or something?"

Thor shook his head, "I am afraid not," he admitted, "It was the first thing we attempted, which ultimately led us to the cloning of a full bodied human."

"You’re sure it’s a *human* that you’re looking for?"

"Yes... Specifically a human that is genetically associated with you."

"Jack?" Daniel softly called.

Jack briefly turned to him, but he hadn’t finished with Thor yet. He turned back to the elder Asgard and said, "You know, buddy, I can’t seem to get my head around the clone *dying*. It... it kinda sucks with me."

"The process is not *painful*, O’Neill. It is similar to the administration that you apply to an animal you claim should be put out of its misery. It is a peaceful passing."

"Will Jack Junior be like, uh, *mini* me?"

"How do you mean?"

"Will he be *aware* that he’s dying?"

"I cannot truly answer that for you, O’Neill," Thor replied. "In the past our tests have indicated that nothing at all of the original’s awareness is within the clone. *Your* clone, however, was different and we have determined that it had something to do with the tracer that I had placed in your blood."

"*Something* to do with the tracer, but you’re not sure what..."

"No, we are still running tests. However, we are certain that it was directly associated with it."

"And this won’t affect Jack Junior in any way at all?"

"No, O’Neill. Your child has no tracer within his blood and therefore all eventualities that applied with the other tests shall be expected with *this* cloning."

"You’re sure?"

"No-one can be one hundred percent sure, O’Neill, but I am as sure as I can be."

"Jack?" Daniel called again.

"Yes, Daniel?" Jack tersely replied, turning away from Thor.

"I... um, I think we should be leaving for the meeting. It’s getting late and if we don’t show up, they may come *looking* for us..." Daniel emphasised, discreetly pointing at Thor.

"Oh, right, uh, sure..." he spluttered. He then turned back to the elder Asgard and said, "Shoo, Thor, I’ll get back to you."

"You are still going ahead with this, O’Neill?"

"Yes," Jack replied, making shooing motions with his hands, "even though I don’t agree with it, I’ll still ask..." He quickly glanced behind him before turning back and urgently whispered, "Now, shoo, buddy, before I don’t have to do any explaining at all."

A bright white light of the Asgard Transporters filled the room to capacity, but then suddenly extinguished itself, taking Thor with it.

Jack breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Let’s get to the meeting..."

"Are you okay with this, Jack?" Daniel gently asked as his friend passed him in the doorway.

"No-o," Jack replied, "but it’s not like I have *another* choice..."

Daniel looked on and found himself in agreement. He was surprised to learn that Jack was someone whom said one thing but on some occasions *felt* the exact opposite. He’d also learnt that his friend was more pliable than he had originally thought. That he was receptive to other ideas and not completely inflexible with his own. It was times like these that his friend often surprised him.

He shook his head and silently laughed. He knew how private Jack was when it came to personal matters, but Daniel was tempted to let him know that the more he pushed others away, to guard that privacy, the more intrigued people became and the more they wanted to know all the things that Jack *didn’t* want them to know.

‘Oh boy,’ he silently thought, ‘I’m now beginning to *think* like him.’

Chapter Six

Unlike the previous day, the Treaty meeting flew by, so quickly that it had Jack wishing he’d had a question or two just to keep it going, but, he’d not paid enough attention to the details again. As the others stood, promising that tomorrow would be the day where the finer points would be discussed, and that if all went well, then the actual signing of the treaty could also take place, Jack sighed and also stood. He moved to stand next to Laira and whispered, "Can we talk somewhere? Somewhere that’s not here and with not so many people around?"

Laira took a hold of his arm, smiled up at him and nodded.

"Uh, Salyan won’t mind?"

"No," Laira replied with a frown, "Why should he?"

"Oh, no reason," Jack replied with a shrug, "Just thought he might, you know?"

"Well, he won’t, Jack, so stop worrying."

"Okay," he smiled down at her, then he looked at the rest of SG1 and said, "Have fun, kids, I’ll be back soon."

"You too, sir," Cater replied with a knowing smile.

Jack frowned at her for a moment. Did she mean, ‘have fun’ as in *have fun*, or ‘have fun’ as in ‘I wouldn’t want to trade places with you, sir, not for all the money in the world’ kinda fun? The former sounded better to him, so he decided to go with that one, despite actually feeling that the latter was probably *more* to the point. "Thank you, Carter," he eventually replied and then turned, with Laira on his arm, and left the hut.

# #

They had taken no more than two steps away from the hut when they ran into Garran. Jack winced and stiffened a little. If their last meeting was anything to go by, he was expecting another painful encounter with the angry young man. He mentally braced himself, convincing himself that whatever Garran did have to say couldn’t ever be as bad as what he’d said last night.

"What are you doing with *him* Mother?" Garran angrily asked.

"Garran!" Laira admonished with a gasp, "Where are your manners, young man?"

"I *asked* you a *question*, Mother."

"And I refuse to answer you until you tell me what this attitude is all about."

Garran ignored his Mother and moved to stand nose to nose, or more accurately, nose to chin, with Jack. "I *told* you," he seethed, poking the older man in the chest, "to stay *away* from my Mother."

"Garran!" Laira exclaimed, as she let go of Jack’s arm, grasped a hold of Garran’s shoulders and turned him to face her. "Explain yourself!" she demanded in no uncertain terms.

"Why don’t you ask *him*..." Garran spat out at her, thrusting a finger at Jack.

Jack gently placed a hand on Laira’s shoulder and said, "It’s all right, Laira, let the boy run with his anger."

Garran shrugged out of his mother’s hands and stepped up to Jack. "Leave my Mother alone!" he yelled.

"And say I don’t want to, Garran?" Jack softly replied.

"Then I’ll just have to *make* you," he stated and before anyone could stop him, he drew back a fisted hand and punched Jack on the chin.

Jack had seen it coming and had managed to move his head to the side a little, but the punch still connected and it threw his head further to the side. ‘Okay,’ he thought with a wince, ‘*that* hurt.’ His hand automatically went to his chin and rubbed the sting from it. If it had been a man he knew he would have retaliated, but it wasn’t and he wasn’t too sure he didn’t actually deserve that.

"Garran you will apologise, now!" Laira cried out.

"I *will* *not* apologise."

"You will, young man, or you shall spend the remainder of the day in your room and you will go with out food until you come to your senses."

"It’s all right, Laira, I’m fine. I’m pretty sure he didn’t mean it," Jack tried to re-assure her.

"I am *not* sorry for that, O’Neill, and if Mother was not here, you would get more of the same," Garran promised.

Laira again took a hold of her son’s shoulders, turned him to face her and said, "Get out of my sight. Now! Go to your room and stay there until I return." When her son continued to stare at Jack, she turned his face to hers and said, "Now, Garran, before I lose my temper with you."

Garran harrumphed, turned and as he stomped off towards his home, he threw over his shoulder, "Mother will not always be there to protect you, O’Neill."

Jack rolled his eyes at that threat and sighed.

Laira turned to him with a stricken look on her face, "Jack," she muttered sincerely, "I’m sorry. I have no idea what has come over him. I thought he respected you, even loved you in a way. I have no idea why he’s turned against you."

Jack smiled down at her and replied, "Laira, you have nothing to apologise for and I think I have a pretty good idea what’s troubling Garran." On her frown of puzzlement he added, "He was there when I stupidly ran from you and Jack Junior. I guess he was there when you were upset too."

"Then it is time I set the boy straight," Laira stated and started to move off.

Jack gently grasped her arm and said, "Can you do it later? I need to talk to you."

Laira turned to him and the frown of puzzlement returned. "It sounds serious," she muttered.

"Well, yeah, kinda," Jack shrugged.

She briefly glanced at her home, then turned back to Jack and said, "Perhaps it is better that I give not only Garran time to cool off, but also myself."

"Well, if you punch anything like your son, then I wouldn’t wanna be at the end of it, that’s for sure," Jack chuckled.

"He didn’t hurt you, did he?"

"Nah," Jack dismissed her concern, "I’ve had worse. He hurt a lot more yesterday than he did today."

"He hit you *yesterday*?" Laira gasped.

Jack shook his head, "I think Salyan said it best when he said that you don’t have to get physical with someone to hurt them. Garran kinda did that yesterday."

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I’ll live," Jack replied. Even though he knew that was true, he also knew that the pain of what Garran had said to him yesterday would take longer to heal than the punch he’d thrown today. Still, he’d gotten over it before and he’ll do it again. "Come on, let’s go find a nice place to chat," he eventually muttered with a smile, then placed Laira’s hand in the crook of his arm and walked off.

# #

"So, you think the Treaty’s going okay?" Jack suddenly asked, brushing away an insect that had flown too close his face and squinting against the sunshine.

"I think so," Laira replied, "though we are still a little bemused that our soil is such a commodity for you."

"Understandable," Jack nodded, "but just know that it helps us in the fight against the Ga’ould."

"And thus bringing you and I closer to the dream that we hold dear to our hearts."

"Yeah about that..." Jack muttered with a frown.

"You have changed your mind?" Laira gently asked, feeling her heart skip a beat with fear.

"Actually, I thought *you* had..."

"Me?"

"Uh-huh..."

"I don’t understand. What would make you think such a thing?"

"Salyan..."

"Salyan? What does *he* have to do with you and I?"

Jack frowned down at her. "There’s *no* you and Salyan?" he eventually asked.

"No, what made you think there was?"

"Well you looked pretty cosy to me, I just thought..."

"We are friends, Jack," Laira interrupted him with a smile, feeling her heart sigh with relief. "Nothing more...."

"Yeah?"

"Yes," Laira confirmed, her face brightening.

‘Oh’, Jack mouthed at her and then cringed feeling a little foolish.

Safe in the knowledge that Jack still felt the same about her, Laira decided to play a joke on the man she loved. "And yet," she added with a twinkle of mirth in her eyes, "he *has* changed."

"Yeah, I noticed that too..." Jack agreed, "Still, who wouldn’t when they’ve got someone like you to love."

Laira laughed out loud and said, "His change had nothing to do with me, Jack. You brought that change about."

"I did?"

"Yes, you did," she chuckled.

"Cool," Jack uttered and smiled. "How?" he suddenly asked.

"Despite what you might think about yourself, you actually have many Edorans looking up to you with respect and gratitude, and, in my case, with love."

Jack suddenly stopped walking, turned Laira into his arms and hugged her. "You do realise," he softly whispered, "that the only thing that matters is your love?"

"It figures," she chuckled.

"So not fair, nicking my line like that," Jack laughed, pulling out of the hug. He then took a hold of Laira’s hand and led her to his favourite spot in this little part of a world called Edora. Once there, where they both looked out across a lake; its waters shimmering in the sunlight; Jack pulled on her hand and they sat side by side, leaning against each other, revelling in the heat from the sunshine and the sweet scents on the air about them.

Laira spoke first. She gently placed a hand on his cheek, caressed it with a thumb and whispered, "Whatever it is that you need to speak to me about, it looks serious."

"It is," Jack softly confirmed.

"Then do you want to start?"

"It’s kinda hard to know *where* to start."

"Which has always been the difficulty with you, Jack," Laira softly chuckled.

"Yeah," Jack breathed out at her, but that was all.

"We have all day, you know... take your time..." Laira gently cajoled him.

Jack sat there, his stomach churning, trying to decide the best way to say what he had to say and what he needed to ask. Eventually he said, "Laira, do you believe in Aliens?"

"Are you not one to me, Jack, and I to you? Though you might *look* like an Edoran, you still come from another planet."

"Okay, let me ask you another way... Do you believe in Aliens that might not *look* like an Edoran?"

"Jack..." Laira muttered with a frown of puzzlement. This was not making sense to her.

"Do you?" he asked again.

"I suppose so," Laira tentatively agreed and added, "What I mean is, there are insects on this planet that do not look like Edorans, and yet they also live here, so why should an Alien have to look like an Edoran for that Alien to be accepted or believed in?"

‘Okay,’ Jack thought with relief, ‘this is easier than I thought it would be.’

"Jack?" Laira gently queried to get his attention.

"Laira, I have this friend, Thor, whose race, they’re called the Asgard by the way, are on the brink of extinction and he’s... he’s asked me to ask you something."

"Go on..."

"The Asgard are *dying*, Laira," Jack gravely muttered, "You see, they... they don’t *have* kids as such, they make copies of themselves and then transplant their knowledge, their thoughts and their feelings into that copy of them...." He took that moment to briefly glance up at Laira, just to make sure she was getting all of this, because if the truth were known, he wasn’t too sure he was. He was pleased to see her attentive look at him, so he continued, "Do you want to know how they make the copies of themselves?"

Laira nodded and said, "If you think it would help you to ask what you need to ask."

Jack silently nodded, "Well," he began, not quite managing to look at her, "What they do is, and please this is how *I* see it, not how you’d get it from Carter or even Thor himself."

"Jack," Laira softly interrupted, "you’re babbling. Would you like to get to the point?"

"You know, you do that *way* better than me..." Jack admitted with a smile. However, it dissipated when he received a raised eyebrow and a silent nod of urging from Laira. "Okay," he sighed, "to the point."

"Thank you," Laira whispered with her own smile.

"What they do is they take some DNA, that’s what makes you, you and me, me and well, uh, anyone, anyone... uh, really..." he lamely finished, with a frown and a cringe. "So, anyway," he continued, "they take that DNA and make a copy of themselves, then they transplant all that is them into that copy and voila, a brand spanking new Asgard for another how many years that an Asgard lives..."

"And?" Laira simply asked.

"A-a-and, well, the reason they’re dying is because they are running out of the ink that makes a *good* copy of themselves..."

"What?"

"They need to get a good DNA match and start over again," Jack added, "Apparently, as Carter said, sooner or later a copy, of a copy, of a copy, kinda fades after a while and... and that’s why the Asgard are dying... Because they can’t make a good copy of themselves anymore." He looked up and asked, "Are you getting any of this, cos, you know, now that I’ve said it aloud, it’s not making any sense to me at all."

"I think I am, Jack," Laira admitted, but frowned when she asked, "but what has this got to do with what you want to ask me?"

"O-o-okay," he muttered, "Well, believe it or not, but apparently the Asgard race think that I’m this super-duper advanced human or... or something... and they think that somewhere along the line I might be the answer to their problem."

"And?"

"And, well, I’m not, kinda..."

"Jack," Laira muttered impatiently, "This is beginning to wear thin."

"*I’m* not the answer to their problem," Jack blurted, "but... but maybe a kid of mine is?"

Laira sat there for a moment processing all that Jack had told her. It was a lot to go through and decipher. "So," she eventually muttered, "as I understand it, you are saying that the Asgard race needs some DNA from a child of yours?"

"Yes..."

"Oh God, Jack," Laira gasped, "from Jack. They want to take some DNA from Jack..."

"Yes..."

"But you said that this DNA makes you, you and me, me... If they take Jack’s DNA then what will he be *after* they do that?" Laira exclaimed, a look of absolute horror on her face.

"It isn’t like that, Laira..." Jack blurted, "Trust me, Jack Junior will still *be* Jack Junior."

Laira stood and started to stride away from him. "Tell your *friends* that they cannot have him, Jack. They cannot take what makes my baby, my baby away from me."

Jack also stood. "Laira," he called but he knew she was too far away to hear him, or if she *could* hear him, that she’d actually turn and listen to him any more. He called once more, just in case, but he sighed when he saw her disappear of over the rise and into town.

‘Way to go, Jack,’ he dispassionately thought and sat down heavily on the grass beside the lake; regretting the moment he’d even agreed to do this, despite the consequences of the Asgard race.

Chapter Seven

‘Well, that went swimmingly,’ Jack despondently thought as he trudged his way back to Salyan’s house. ‘Ah crap!’ then came to mind when he looked up and saw Garran running towards him.

"What did you do?!" the young boy yelled, running full tilt into Jack and taking them both to the ground. There he blindly punched the older man over and over; yelling at the top of his voice, asking him what he’d done to his mother.

The first thing Jack felt was his lip split and then a swelling on his left eye. He grabbed at Garran’s wrists and tried to stop the punches, but that earned him a swift knee to the groin, which took his breath from him and also caused him to loosen his grip. His head snapped to the right as another punch made contact with his face, then suddenly and blessedly the boy disappeared from above him and his chest gave a heave as he gulped in a large breath of air. He then turned onto his side and spat the blood from his mouth; wiping the residue from his lips with the back of his sleeve. He felt a hand tightly grasp his arm and then lift him to his feet.

"O’Neill..." Teal’c called, worry evident in his voice.

Jack stood, but bent over at the waist, trying to stop the world from spinning away from him and trying desperately to catch his breath. "S’alright, Teal’c," he gasped, "let the boy go."

Teal’c did as he was asked.

Garran instantly made a beeline for Jack, shoved him in the side, which sent him to the ground again, and as he yelled, "Always got someone to look out for you, eh?!" he kicked the older man as hard as he could in the back.

Jack groaned and tried to turn over, but a blinding pain in his kidneys ordered him to just lie still. He was inclined to listen and lay there waiting for the short, sharp shocks of agony to subside.

"Garran!"

Jack did turn over this time; despite the complaints his body made; and looked to the one whom had called for the boy. He saw Laira running from her home. The closer she got the more he could see the upset he’d caused her and it bit hard at him. ‘Sorry,’ came to mind, but he didn’t say it aloud, knowing she wouldn’t listen or believe *just* how sorry he was. He’d frightened her, he knew, and he’d also hurt her deeply. He wanted to make it up to her, but right now he hurt too much physically to be able to do much at all.

He then looked up at Garran, seeing the boy struggling in Teal’c’s bear hug. ‘No getting outta that one, son...’ Jack thought, then laid his head back on the ground and sighed with relief as the pain subsided to something he could handle.

"I guess things didn’t go quite to plan, eh, Jack?" Daniel asked as he helped his friend to his feet.

Unable to find his voice Jack simply shook his head, a hand going to where the most pain was and that was his eye. He raised his head and looked at Laira, but quickly and guiltily looked away again when he saw the hurt he’d caused in her eyes. He accepted Daniel’s unspoken offer of help, straightened and leant on archaeologist as he was led into the house.

Daniel helped Jack to sit and then called for Sam. She was in the bedroom in a split second, the med-kit open and on the bed before either man had uttered a word.

She tilted Jack’s head back and he flinched the moment the first swab touched his eyebrow. "Jesus Christ, Carter," he yelled, "you wanna go easy on that?"

"Well," she tightly whispered, "if you wouldn’t get into fights, I wouldn’t need to do this."

"Yeah, well, it’s not like I *asked* him to do that..." Jack muttered.

"Asked or not, he did a pretty good job of re-opening the scar on your eyebrow, sir, and if you’d stop talking for a second or two, I might be able to take a look at your lip."

Jack stopped talking with a harrumph of annoyance and winced and flinched each time Sam dabbed at his two wounds. He had a headache from the sudden release of adrenalin in his body and the stings from his cut lip and eyebrow were doing nothing to alleviate it. "For crying out loud," Jack softly groused as he pushed Sam’s hand away from his lip, "Are you done yet?"

"Just let me see to your eyebrow and then you can go do whatever needs to be done."

"Actually, I think I’ve done enough for today," Jack solemnly replied.

"You want to talk about it, Jack?" Daniel gently asked from the doorway of the bedroom.

"Not really, Daniel," Jack replied, cringing when Sam applied some butterfly tapes to his eyebrow, "Let’s just say I explained and Laira didn’t get it, not that I blame her, because I’m not too sure I get all this *myself*, you know?" He then added, "Then she completely misunderstood. *I* hurt *her*, *Garran* hurt *me* and here we are having this cosy little chat that’s left me wishing I’d never brought the DNA crap up in the first place."

"Well at least you tried, Jack. No one can fault you for that," Daniel softly murmured.

"Yeah, well, a fat lot of good that does Thor..." Jack sighed. As Sam started to pack away the med-kit, he rubbed at his temples and added, "The things is, is I think Laira would go for it, if she knew that by taking some of Jack Junior’s DNA didn’t actually mean that we’d be taking all that *is* Jack Junior from her."

"What?"

"Yeah, well," Jack shrugged, "that’s where she completely misunderstood."

"Did you *try* and tell her otherwise?" Daniel asked.

"You know, *Daniel*," Jack tersely replied, "it’s a bit hard talking to someone’s back. Know what I mean? Besides," he softly added, "I’d already hurt her and I didn’t see the point in trying again and hurting her that little bit more."

"You want to explain that to Thor and the Asgard, Jack?"

There was a bright light that filled the room and then Thor appeared. "There is no need, Doctor Jackson," Thor muttered.

Jack tapped his own head and said, "I guess you heard then?"

"Yes I did, O’Neill, and it is unfortunate."

Jack looked down at his hands and sighed, "Yeah, well, unfortunate doesn’t stop you from dying." He then looked up and said, "You know, I think it *would* have been better if *you’d* had the chat instead of me, at least you’d have had the know how to have explained this... this DNA crap to her. Or Carter maybe..."

"No, I still believe that you, O’Neill, were the best choice, despite the unfortunate outcome."

Again Jack sighed and shook his head. "Not with you there, buddy," he gently disagreed and just as softly added, "So whatchya gonna do now?"

"Perhaps we shall *find* an alternative, O’Neill..."

Jack looked at the elder Asgard, really looked at him and tried to picture his tiny world without him. ‘Dammit,’ he thought, ‘hadn’t he lost enough people in his life? Hadn’t he served enough penance by now that maybe this time something could be done? Stop it, Jack,’ he silently remonstrated and there and then he came to a decision. He didn’t particularly like the decision he’d come to but he’d be damned if he’d just let a race die when the possible answer was *this* close to being found. Eventually he asked, "How long can you stay in orbit?"

"I should be getting back to the Asgard home world now," Thor replied, "There is little reason for me to stay."

"There’s a *big* reason for you to stay, buddy," Jack countered and added, "Maybe you *should* talk to Laira."

"Jack..." Daniel blurted in warning.

"Laira’s aware of Aliens, Daniel," Jack quickly explained, "It wouldn’t scare her."

"And how can you be so sure?"

"Well I can’t, but it can’t be any worse than what’s already happened," Jack tried to explain. "Daniel," he added, "maybe all this coming from me wasn’t the *best* idea either Thor or I have had, and to be honest, maybe it will only add what’s already happened, but I know... I *know* she’d go for it, if she only understood the thing about the DNA. She’s scared that when Thor takes the DNA then Jack Junior won’t exist anymore and I don’t know how to explain to her that that just won’t happen."

"What about Sam? Sam could tell her..." Daniel gently offered.

"Yeah, she could," Jack reluctantly agreed, "but then I thought that if Laira saw the one’s she’d be helping out, she might go for it more. I mean, Thor’s a kinda likeable fella," he added, "and like I said, he’d be able to explain things a lot better than me." When he saw Daniel wince with indecision, he continued, "What other choice *is* there? You *know* how I feel about this, and if there was another choice then you could bet your last dollar I’d be taking it, and so would Thor, but there isn’t Daniel, there isn’t..."

"I just think that Sam would be a better option, that’s all..." Daniel murmured.

"All right," Jack shrugged, "then we’ll let Carter do the talking."

"Whoa, hang on a minute, sir, but, but I agree with *you*," Sam muttered.

Jack blinked at her and whispered, "You do?"

Sam nodded. "It’s true that I could talk to Laira and tell her what the taking of a DNA sample involves and let her know that her child, your child, would still be the same, but, if I know Laira, sooner or later, she’ll want to see Thor, just to make sure that she’s not about to agree to something that, inherently, could be evil. If Thor explains these things to her now, well, sir, you’d be killing two birds with one stone, so to speak."

"You agree with me?" Jack gasped.

Sam chuckled and said, "Yes, sir."

"Daniel?" Jack called, "Thor, buddy? Both of you are my witnesses, that, on July 2nd Two Thousand and Three, Major Samantha Carter of the United States Air Force *actually* *agreed* with her Commanding Officer one Colonel Jack O’Neill."

"I’m not *that* bad, sir..." Sam protested.

"Well, I’ve never heard an agreement pass your lips before, Major."

Sam opened her mouth to contest that, but snapped it shut again. She knew she had, she must have, but right now, knowing he'd want an example, she just couldn’t think of a time when she *had* agreed with him.

"Uh, guys?" Daniel suddenly spoke up, waggling his fingers to get their attention, "You remember our little problem here?"

Jack raised his eyebrows at Sam, silently conveying to her that he thought he’d won this round and then he turned to Thor and said, "Okay, buddy, you’ll know where I’ll be and when to make your appearance. Go sit, hang loose and be ready."

"If you are sure, O’Neill, then I shall wait."

"Great," Jack announced and after the bright light from Thor’s Transporter had dissipated, taking the elder Asgard with it, he left the bedroom calling for Teal’c.

"Yes, O’Neill," The heavyset Jaffa gruffly acknowledged.

"I’m gonna be talking to Laira again," Jack explained, "but I think Garran might have something not so positive to say about it. Any chance you could, uh, keep him busy a while? But don’t hurt him."

Teal’c nodded and slightly bowed as he said, "I shall endeavour to do so, O’Neill."

"Thanks big guy," Jack gratefully whispered, then he turned back to Daniel and Sam and muttered, "Wish me luck, kids," then he turned and left the house to make his way to Laira’s home, with Teal’c following resolutely behind him.

# #

Jack banged twice on the door to Laira’s home and said, "Laira, it’s me. Jack." He stepped back as the door flew open.

"Don’t you get it?!" Garran snarled then looked at Teal’c. "I see you’ve brought your shield with you again," he muttered with utter disgust. "Scared I might beat you senseless?"

"Oh, p-a-lease, Garran," Jack sighed and rolled his eyes, "Just let me in to see your mom."

"No!" Garran yelled and tried to slam the door.

Jack’s foot was quicker and although he winced when the door shut against it, he pushed the door open and entered the home. He silently nodded to Teal’c whom grasped Garran about the waist, bodily picked him up and escorted him from the home.

Jack briefly watched them leave, wincing at the curses that spewed from Garran’s mouth and then stepped further into the home. "Laira?" he called.

"I'm sorry for what my son has done to you, Jack, but I think he is right," Laira whispered from the doorway to her kitchen, "I think you *have* done enough."

"Look, I’m sorry, Laira, truly, but if I could just explain..."

"They can’t have my baby, Jack, they can’t," she declared and quickly went to the crib and picked up Jack Junior, holding him tightly to her breast.

Jack took another step further into the room, schooling his face to one of concern. "Laira, you think I’d let anything happen to Jack Junior?" he whispered, "You think I’d do that?"

"I don’t know anymore, Jack. A year can change someone and you only have to look at Salyan to know that. You were a bitter man when I first knew you and you had a right to be. Perhaps you are once again that bitter man."

"Bitter or not, Laira, I can’t believe that you honestly think that I would let something happen to... to my *son*..." He watched as she looked first at Jack Junior and then up at him. He could see she was faltering, so he gently added, "Look, I’m no good at explaining all this scientific crap, not like Thor and Carter. Is there any way you’d let either one, or maybe both, of them come and explain it to you?"

Laira glanced at her child, happily gurgling, oblivious to her distress, in her arms. Her heart broke at the thought that she might lose him, but this was Jack after all. Would he, could he be as callous as she believed him to be? Yes, he’d been bitter at the beginning of his forced stay on Edora, but over time he’d mellowed and had loved her. She looked into his eyes, searching for the truth, and all she saw was a love for her and a pain of indecision. Eventually she whispered, "How can you ask me this when you are not sure yourself?"

"The only thing I am not sure of Laira," Jack just as softly replied, "is whether Jack Junior would be a compatible match for Thor’s race, but I can swear to you now, that the DNA that Thor would need to take from our son would not harm him one iota. Please, Laira," he gently added, "why don’t you just let Thor come here and explain it to you. He’s a friend and he’s desperate."

"Would his desperation cause him to lie to me... and to you?"

Jack shook his head, "No, he’s not like that. Despite the methods that his race are forced to take, I promise you, whatever question you need to ask him, he’ll give you an honest answer."

Laira scrutinised Jack’s face, looking for an untruth that she could not find. She looked down at her baby and felt the harsh pang of pain stab at her as the thought of losing him. Could she trust Jack? Yes, she knew that she could, with her life and all that was sacred to her heart, but could she trust his friend?

Chapter Eight

Jack stood in the middle of Laira’s front room, anxiously looking at her. He was tempted to push her for an answer, but hadn’t he royally screwed things up already? "Hey," he eventually whispered, "I’ll be here with you... What more could you want?" he added with a soft chuckle and a smile.

But Laira still gazed at him, her eyes bright with her own anxiety. "If I decide not to do this, Jack," she asked, "will your friend just leave? He... he won’t try and take Jack, will he?"

Jack was taking her in his arms in an instant, running a hand comfortingly through her hair, hushing and shushing her fears from her. "He’ll have to get through me first," he promised her, "but it won’t come to that, Laira... Trust me..."

‘And that’s what it came down to in the end,’ Laira thought, glancing at the beautiful baby on her arms. ‘Do I trust Jack or not?’ She turned slightly sideways and leant her shoulder on Jack’s chest. She then placed a hand to his cheek and caressed it. "All right," she eventually whispered, "I’ll listen."

Jack kissed the top of her hair, ran a hand through it, as the light signalling Thor’s beam down enveloped the room. He blinked once or twice until his eyes adjusted to the dimness of the room and then introduced Laira to the elder Asgard. "Laira, this is Thor, my buddy. Thor," he muttered as he turned to face the elder Asgard, "this is Laira, mother of my beautiful baby son."

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Laira," Thor greeted with a slight bow.

Laira looked to Jack with a hint of fear in her eyes. Though she held Jack Junior in one arm, she tightly squeezed Jack’s hand and took a step forward. "I would like to say the same, but... but I’m not sure," she softly admitted.

"It is understandable," Thor replied. "I am very grateful," he added, "that you are allowing me, on behalf of the Asgard race, to speak to you. If you have a question you wish for me to answer, then please, do not hesitate to ask it."

"*A* question? I have many, Thor," Laira laughed, though it was short and tight with her anxiety. She felt Jack waggle her hand in re-assurance and she briefly glanced at him, smiling her thanks. She then turned to him and handed Jack Junior over and when he took the baby with a huge grin, she found herself responding to such an animation of pleasure. How could she have ever doubted him?

Felling a little braver with that silent question she took another step towards Thor and asked, "If I do not agree with this, will you leave, despite knowing that I could be condemning your race to certain death?"

"Yes..."

"You won’t come back and try to take that which you have no right to take?"

"No..." Thor replied. "There are many things that I am sure O’Neill has told you that we are being forced to commit, against our instincts and what is essentially the Asgard, but theft, and O’Neill knows this, we will not tolerate."

She briefly glanced at Jack and when she received a curt nod from him, she turned back to the elder Asgard and said, "Jack tells me that this DNA sample you wish to have, does not mean that Jack here, my son, will be lost to me?"

"No, far from it, Laira," Thor gently replied. "It is a simple process and it does not require the theft of any personality that your son might already have. The taking of the DNA is of a physical nature, such as blood and perhaps saliva from the baby’s mouth. It will be painless, I assure you. And your son will be as he is now."

"I trust Jack with my life," she said with conviction, "but I do not know you. What can you say to me that will convince me that I should trust you? That what I might agree to would not be used for evil purposes?"

"It would be easy for me to say that you *should* trust us, but as O’Neill has experienced, sometimes even with the best of intentions, evil does on occasion prevail. A scientist of ours proved such a thing not so long ago."

"It happens, Laira, you know that," Jack whispered, "but trust me when I say that Thor is one of the noble ones. Hell," he added, "you think I’d have him as a friend if I didn’t think so?"

"But if he has betrayed you before..." Laira began but stopped when Jack interrupted her.

"*He* didn’t betray me and the scientist that Thor was talking about didn’t *really* betray me, he... I guess he just got caught up in the moment..." Jack shrugged.

"That is very generous of you O’Neill," Thor said with a slight bow, "but essentially Loki *did* betray you, no matter that it was for a cause that the Asgard are in agreement of, such as the saving of our race." The elder Asgard then turned to Laira and said, "Despite the desperate nature by which we search for a cure that ails our race, there are still limits to what we will actually do."

Laira looked to Jack pleading him with her eyes on what to do.

Jack understood, but he shrugged his shoulders and said, "This has got to be your decision, Laira. I can’t help you with this one."

Laira turned back to Thor adn said, "We, Jack and I, must be here throughout and if we think that you might be going against your word, we can call a halt to what you propose?"

"If that is your agreement, then I shall abide by it," Thor replied.

Laira took Jack Junior from Jack, hugged him to her breast, took a hold of Jack’s hand as she faced Thor and whispered, "Then I shall agree to this taking of the DNA."

Thor slightly bowed and said, "I see that O’Neill has chosen wisely for his mate. You have wisdom, Laira, something that does the Edorans credit."

Jack blushed when Thor mentioned Laira being his mate. He had this image of a caveman claiming her for his own. Not pretty and pretty embarrassing too. "Hey," he eventually muttered, "you got that wrong, buddy." And on Thor’s slight tilt of his head, Jack added, "She’s my companion, *not* my *mate*."

Laira leant close to him and whispered, "Did you just think the same as I, Jack, when he mentioned the word ‘mate’?" And on his furious blush she started to laugh.

"I shall take my leave of you both, "Thor announced, "and prepare the equipment needed for the taking of the DNA sample."

Laira turned and faced the elder Asgard. She tentatively held out her hand for him to shake and she said, "It is good that Jack has friends such as you, Thor."

Thor shook her hand and replied, "I assure you, Laira, it is the other way around."

"Okay, okay," Jack suddenly blurted, "Enough of the talking as though I’m not here. It’s... It’s embarrassing."

Again Laira laughed out loud, "Oh modest one," she gasped.

"I can be modest..." Jack pouted and the pout grew in severity when Laira simply raised an eyebrow of disbelief at him.

"I shall return shortly, Laira, and *thank you*..." Thor sincerely muttered.

Laira nodded, but did not see the light that transported Thor to his ship. She closed her eyes and rested her head on Jack’s shoulder. She smiled when she felt his kiss on her hair and her heart bloomed to hear his whispered declaration of love. "As I love you, Jack..." she whispered back at him.

Epilogue:

"So, buddy, you got the resul