15 Minutes

 

Julia Donovan gave a somewhat tremulous smile to the figure sitting across from her on the stage. “Thank you for granting me this interview, Lord Camulus.”

“It is just Camulus. I am no longer a System Lord.”

“Yes, that’s right. I’m sorry. And you now use the surname ‘O’Fallon’?”

“Yes. Since I did not technically have a surname, I took on my wife’s.”

“And that would be Major Jessica O’Fallon of the United States Marine Corp.”

He smiled. “Yes, that would be her.”

Julia nodded again. “I must admit that this past week has been quite exciting. First the President, along with members of the allied countries, announces the existence of the Stargate program and that military forces have been exploring other planets by means of an ancient, alien technology. Then it comes out that there has been a secret war between Earth and hostile alien forces for a decade, more than once coming close to bringing about the end of the planet. Now we come to find out that you, a member of this alien race, has been living here, on Earth, for two years with your human wife. It’s quite a lot to take in.”

Jessica hit the button on the remote to shut off the tape. Daniel gave her a questioning look. “There’s a lot more to the interview.”

She sighed and sat forward in her chair. She hadn’t even had time to get out of her BDUs after coming through the gate. She hadn’t had a decent bath in nearly a three weeks and she felt like bugs were crawling through her hair. “Did he threaten to kill any body?”

“No.”

“Did he try to restart his religion here on Earth?”

“No.”

“Did he kiss the bimbo journalist?”

“Uhm… no.”

“Then I’ll watch the rest of it later. Right now I really just want to get cleaned up, checked out and get home to my bed.”

Daniel looked at the woman sitting at the table in the debriefing room. He had pulled her aside after her return to fill her in on what had happened while she was off world, because she was one of those who would be affected the most. “Yeah… I guess you probably do.” She looked like death warmed over. They had met with resistance on the world they had been sent to and had been required to stay longer to organize relief efforts after a Jaffa attack had decimated the food stores of the indigenous people. “You probably better let security take you home, though. All manner of kooks have come out of the woodwork since the President made his announcement.”

She frowned. “Trouble at the safe house?”

“Security has been beefed up. So far they’ve managed to keep intruders out, but there have been some altercations between those who want to welcome Camulus with open arms and those who want to burn him at the stake.”

Jessie groaned, her head falling onto the table before her. “My life is a mess.”

“You’re the one who wanted to keep him.”

She looked up at the archeologist and gave him a snarky scowl. “Is that all, Dr. Jackson?”

“For now.” He returned her scowl with a sarcastic smile of his own. “You’d better hit the showers, O’Fallon. You reek.”

“What the…?”

“It’s been like this ever since someone leaked the location of the safe house, Ma’am.”

“Shit.” She was grateful that the windows were tinted. It kept the people now pressing against the outside of the Escalade from seeing who was inside. On one side were people apparently pro-alien, while the anti-alien crowd was on the other side. It appeared to be a mixture of everything from religious organizations to the standard sci-fi nuts in full costume. Of course, there were media vans as well. “I never thought I’d long for the days when I had an entire regiment of Jaffa at my command.”

“How so, Ma’am?”

“Jaffa would just start shooting.” The guard started to laugh, but turned it into a fake cough. “It’s all right, Airman. It was supposed to be funny.”

“Yes, Ma’am.” They made it through the safe house gate, the guards there keeping the crowd back. “Should I get my side arm ready just in case, Ma’am?”

“Oh, I like you. I think I’ll keep you.” The vehicle came to a stop close to the house. She unfastened her seatbelt and grabbed her duffle bag before exiting. The moment she came into view, the crowd on the other side of the gate started to scream everything from desperate questions about her marriage to insults and death threats. “So help me, if they’re giving my daughter nightmares…”

“We should get you inside, Ma’am.” The airman shot a stern look at the crowd, hand at the ready in case he did need to pull his side arm to defend her. The door was opened before she reached it by another guard. It looked as though the upscale residence that had become her home had been turned into Fort Knox.

The President had agreed to give Camulus asylum. However, since he was an extra-terrestrial rather than just a foreign citizen, it had been determined that he should be kept in a bit higher security than the norm. The residence that had been provided had once been the summer home of some hoity-toity actor type out of Los Angeles, complete with a twelve-foot high wrought iron fence and heavy-duty gate. With nearly seventy acres, an Olympic sized swimming pool, more than six thousand square feet and stables, the price tag was a cool three and one half million. There was room for their security detail and the pool house had become the hub for all the camera and microphone feeds. It was more than what she was comfortable with, but she hadn’t been given much say in the matter.

“Mom!” A lanky figure with a wild mane of orange hair slammed into her from the left. “You’re home! Make the crazy people go away!”

She hugged her daughter. “Working on it, Georgie Girl. Have you been good while I was away?”

“Of course.” She said it a bit too deadpanned.

“Georgie.”

“I have a new governess.”

Jessie sighed. “Another one?”

“I don’t like her. She’s not very nice.”

“What did you do to scare off the last one?”

“She glued all of her books together and put equine manure in her shoes.” Camulus came into the hallway, setting his sketchpad aside and reaching out to pull his wife into his embrace. “The woman was a harridan anyway. I didn’t care for her.” He lowered his face to press his lips against her own. From further down Georgina made a gagging noise. “O’Neill said there was trouble.”

“Nothing too terrible.”

“Which means you were fighting for your life and don’t want me to worry.” It bothered him being the one who had to stay behind while she went off to explore and to fight. It went opposite of all that he had been used to for thousands of years. That his wife might one day go through the Stargate and never return weighed heavily on his mind, but he did not have the heart to forbid her to do so.

“Now would I try to protect you from worry?” She bit his chin lightly, which was enough to make Georgina throw up her hands in disgust and return to the den where she had been working on her lessons.

“Constantly.”

“Hmmm… maybe a little. So, how goes stardom? I understand you’ve been giving interviews since the President lost his marbles and decided to announce to the entire world that we’re in contact with alien life.”

“Only one interview, and that was at the request of your superiors after someone let it slip that I was on Earth.”

“Sounds like fun.”

“The aftermath has been rather amusing. I’m thinking of starting a harem.”

“Oh, funny man.” She poked him hard in the stomach and reclaimed her duffle. “What brought this on?”

“There have been numerous women who offering to share my bed. Some of them feel that I have not allowed myself to fully appreciate human women since I have elected to keep myself to just one since before my arrival.”

“What are their names and where can I find them?”

“Planning to kill off the competition?”

“I have no competition.” They walked together towards the area of the house where their bedroom was located. When she ran into the doorframe, he become concerned.

“You’re exhausted.”

“Noticed that, did ya?” She swung her duffle and let go of the strap so that slid across the floor for a couple of feet. “I’m not going to tell you what happened out there. You’ll just start yelling at me again.”

Which meant ‘I almost got myself killed, again. We were scared out of our wits and a hair’s breadth from capture, again. Don’t ask and just be thankful I’m home in one piece, again.’ Camulus bit back the scolding on the tip of his tongue and opted inside to kiss her forehead. “The evening meal is still several hours away. Get some sleep.”

“I just got home.” She wrapped her arms about his waist, burying her head against his shoulder.

“And I’ll give you a proper welcome tonight. Right now, however, I have work to do, our daughter needs to finish the tasks her new governess has set for her and you need to sleep.” He lifted her chin and placed a tender kiss against her lips. “That is an order from your lord and master.”

“Mmmm… is that a ‘chocolate ice cream in bed’ proper welcome or a ‘let’s send the kid to the other end of the house so the screaming doesn’t keep her up’ proper welcome?”

“Your daughter has decided that she prefers the other end of the house anyway. We don’t have to send her there.”

She smiled and nuzzled his shoulder briefly. “Looking forward to it.” He maneuvered her to the bed and made sure she was settled in, pulling off her shoes as she lost consciousness almost the second her head hit the pillows. Without another word, he backed out of the room and shut the door.

Georgina looked up from her workbook when he returned to the den. “Mom looks like shit.”

“I have it on good authority you’re not supposed to be using such language.” He sat back to his chair, the notebook back in his hands.

“Mom does.”

“Well, your mother is a soldier and an adult. When you are a soldier and an adult, you can talk like her. Until then, you should curb your tongue.”

The child set down her pencil and folded her arms over her workbook. She looked up at her father. “Are they going to stop sending her away so much, now that everyone knows about the base?”

He looked up from his work. He had been helping the Department of Home World Defense design a satellite defensive grid, something that blended concepts of Tau’ri, Goa’uld, Ancient and Asgard technology to launch into orbit around the planet as a measure to protect the planet from hostile attacks. They were having difficulty balancing the various components into something stable. This, however, was more important. “It troubles you that she goes away so often?”

“It troubles you, too. I know it does.”

“Your mother has a very dangerous job, but there are few with the strength of will to do it.”

“I know.” She kicked her feet idly, her young face creased in a frown. “Still, now that everyone knows about us, shouldn’t she stay home more?”

He contemplated this for a moment. Now that Earth’s leaders had disclosed the secret under Cheyenne Mountain it would make more sense for Jessica to remain home. The woman who had interviewed him regarding his stay here had been quite interested in the woman who was now his wife, as were most of the people who now sought to contact him. Some were irrationally jealous or angry with Jessica, others were admiring. Some were violent in their pity towards her, as he had not denied the means by which he had come to have her in his life. It may serve them well if his wife were present to be seen. “Perhaps she should. We will see what comes of it.”

Georgina frowned. “I want her to stay home more often.”

“Your mother does not want to be away from us as often as she is, but she is a soldier. Soldiers do as they are ordered to do, and she is no different.”

“It didn’t used to be that way. She used to be the one giving the orders.”

And so they came to the crux of the matter. Camulus leveled an appraising look at his daughter. “That is not how things are any longer, Georgina. We are no longer the masters of all we see before us.”

“Earth bites.” She kicked the floor again, her face set in a scowl.

“Come here.” He set his notepad down and held out a hand to his daughter. She got up from the floor and moved to him so that he could pull her onto his lap, cradling her close. “This is our home now, Georgina, the only place where you and your mother are safe.”

“But Mom isn’t safe. They keep sending her out where the System Lords are. What if they send her away and she doesn’t ever come back?”

He placed a kiss at her temple. “That will never happen. Your mother is too headstrong and obstinate for any of them to tolerate for every long. They’d be begging us to take her back.”

Four hours sleep probably wasn’t enough to help her catch up on what she had missed, but that didn’t stop Jessica from holding him to his promise of a ‘proper welcome.’ She had tucked their daughter in after being brought up to speed on just what was wrong with the new governess and how she couldn’t be blamed for chasing off the last one. After that she hadn’t allowed him much warning before she had pushed him down onto their bed began to kiss him. These moments together made Earth more tolerable for him.

“You seem in a hurry.” His shirt hid his smile as Jessie pulled it over his head.

“Tomorrow would make three weeks since I’ve gotten laid. I’m hungry.” She lowered herself down to kiss him, her tongue dueling with his own. She was hungry, and he wasn’t about to complain.

“I thought I was supposed to be welcoming you home.”

“You can have the next turn.” She raked her teeth across his collarbone, bringing a smile to his face. He threaded his fingers into her hair as she began to work her way down his torso, first biting and then soothing the area with a kiss. Strong fingers unfastened the closure of his Earth styled jeans and pulled them down over his hips so she could trail nibbling bites over the curve of his pelvis. She stopped only long enough to pull his clothing off the rest of his way before standing up to undress.

The only light was from a night-light she kept in the adjoining bathroom so she could find her way in the middle of the night. His eyesight was good enough that he didn’t need help. At the moment, he placed his hands behind his head and watched this amazing woman he had been fortunate enough to find remove the soft t-shirt and jeans she had worn home from the base. He hated these long separations from one another, the weeks of not knowing where she was or if she was safe. The trouble was that there simply wasn’t a position open at the moment for a non-combat person within the SGC, so she was kept on as an active team member with the Joint Chiefs of Staff dangling the promise that she’d be taken out of the field in time like a ripe plum before them.

She bent down to slide off her jeans, kicking them to the side before she knelt back onto the foot of the bed and started to crawl back up over him, keeping her body low so that her hair dangled down to brush lightly over his skin. When she drew even with his pelvis she paused to blow warm air along the length of him. He drew in a sharp breath. “Jessica…”

“I thought you were complaining that I was hurrying too much.” She shook her head to tickle him with her hair, chuckling when he shuddered in response. “I just thought I would slow it down a bit.”

He gave a growl in the back of his throat. “Woman, it is unwise to tease your husband.”

“Oh yeah?” She moved up further until her face was hovering only an inch above his own. He felt the bed shift under her weight as she lowered herself down so that her legs were straddled on either side of his own, the warm heat of her body moving to rest against the head of his shaft. “And what do you think you can do about it?”

He arched a brow at her just before he brought his hands quickly from behind his head and gripped her hips. At the same time he rocked his own, impaling her. She let out a little shout of surprise followed by a warm laugh. He rolled them both over so that she was pinned beneath him, taking hold of her wrists and pinning them above her head. “You would be better served by at least pretending to be meek and subservient.”

“You don’t want me meek and subservient. You’d get bored.” She flexed her hips beneath him, trailing one leg against him. “You like me bossy.”

“Hmmm… do I?” He brought his weight down upon her fully, knowing it would effectively stop her from moving too much. As expected, she gave an irritated little grunt and tried to squirm. “I think having you meek and subservient for a bit might be a pleasant change of pace.” He licked at her lips gently, tightening the grip on her wrists when she tried to pull free.

“Nuh-uh, you’d be bored. So start moving that cute ass of yours.” She nipped at his tongue, but he pulled back in time. “I’m getting anxious.”

He smiled down at her and gave one, slow movement of his hips. She gave a little sigh, her eyes closing. He took advantage of the moment to kiss the side of her neck. It didn’t take long for her to realize that he’d stopped. “Hey!”

“I think you should wait a bit. You need to learn patience.” He nipped at her earlobe, grinning against her hair at the frustrated noise she made. “Is there a problem?”

“Yeah, stop with the playing and get with the loving already.” She wriggled against him. “I need my nookie.”

He chuckled against her neck. “I fear that I have spoiled you.” He reached down to coax her leg up over his hip and gave another long movement. She gave an appreciative response, but he felt her stiffen up unexpectedly.

“What the fuck?”

“Hmm?”

“Cam, the window!”

He raised his head up and looked towards the window. They were on the second floor and their room was at the back of the house, but there was someone at the window. Someone with a camera pointed in at them.

He got off of her in one movement, crossing the room with long strides. The intruder looked up, his eyes wide, and started to scramble away. Behind him he heard Jessica grab the phone and hit the com line to the security detail. “Sergeant, we have an intruder at the back of the west wing. Scramble the guard.”

Camulus threw open the window, but the man was sliding down the rope that he had used to climb up to the window. He hit the ground as the dogs were turned out. The stranger gave one last look up at the window, daring to pause just long enough to snap off one more picture, before taking off in the direction that would lead to the service road behind the house. “He’s moving east.”

Jessie had scrambled into her jeans and tossed him his before reaching for her shirt. “Did you see a gun?”

“Just a camera.” He pulled up the jeans, tucked himself out of the way and zipped up. “I’m guessing one of those charming little tabloid photographers your people seem to breed in mass numbers.”

“Well, whoever he is, he better hope the guards reach him first.” She headed towards the door, but he moved to catch her around the waist. “What?”

“This is what the guards are for, Jessica. Do not go putting yourself in danger needlessly.”

“It’s a jackass with a camera! Do you really want pics of us screwing one another brainless to wind up all over the internet?”

“The guards are already outside and have a better chance to reach him.”

“How can you be so calm?” He gave a one-shouldered shrug. “This has happened before. What the fuck is going on around here?”

Camulus pulled his wife close. “It would appear that ‘celebrities’ on your planet have little to no privacy. I am told, however, that eventually the people of this world will grow bored with us and we will have our lives back. Until then, it seems we will simply have to weather the storm.”

Jessica looked up at her husband in stunned disbelief. “Oh, this will never do.”

----------------------------------------

“I want you to behave. If you keep up like you are, you’re going to be shipped off to a military school.”

“They have military schools for first grade?”

“If they don’t, I’m sure we can get one started.”

Georgina rolled her eyes and downed another spoonful of Honeycomb. In truth, Jessie hadn’t expected that particular threat to work, but the child was on her fifth governess already! The military had felt that, given her unusual parentage, it would be better for Georgie to have a home-based education. Dr. McKenzie felt that the girl was acting out in response to her mother being away all the time. Jessica suspected that she was just taking after her father. He also had a tendency to be difficult to get along with when he didn’t get his way.

Camulus seemed to be adapting to Western clothing rather well. Jessica was feeling particularly dowdy in her only currently clean set of BDUs when next to her husband’s pressed slacks, high dollar Italian leather shoes and cashmere blend sweater. He had negotiated a rather nice salary for himself, which had certainly surprised her. She had figured that the world leaders would decide that this house was enough, but they seemed to consider him an expert advisor. If they would accept her resignation, she’d never have to work again. Of course, she was concerned about how this cushy life style was going to affect her daughter. Georgina was already out of touch with the real world.

Her husband placed one half of a bagel with a generous portion of cream cheese on her plate. It was his subtle hint that he felt she had lost a few too many pounds on her last assignment. He had used to do little things like that on Camulus Prime as well. Sometimes the amount of attention he paid to her was almost eerie. Not to mention he never got her bagel right. She reached across the table and claimed the strawberry jam to add to the cream cheese. “You’re going in today?”

“There are several officials from the world governments that are due to arrive today to discuss the new defense grid. I have been preparing the presentation for them.”

“Ah, that explains the fancy duds.” She took a bite of her bagel. She missed fresh food when she was off world. How did they manage to make all MREs taste like chicken? Not even good chicken. Corned beef hash shouldn’t taste like three-day-old chicken nuggets. “How’s that coming along, by the way?”

“Once we get the last few difficulties with the sensors worked out, we should have a prototype ready within the next six months. Of course, it would help matters if I could get the additional staff I have requested.”

“Such as?”

“Colonel Carter. The woman may be irritating and uncooperative, but she is one of the finest minds your people have to offer. However, General O’Neill refuses to put the rest of SG-1 on stand down so that she can bring that intellect to the project.”

“General O’Neill is an asshole.”

“Georgie! Where did you learn to talk like that?”

Georgina frowned. “From you, Mom.”

Jessica looked over to see her husband smirking as he pretended to go over his notes. “And I’m sure that your father never uses any foul language at all.”

“He only swears in Gould.”

That got Cam’s attention. “It’s ‘Goa’uld’.”

“Whatever.” Georgina ignored her father’s scowl as she attempted to pour herself more cereal, spilling some on the table as well. She set the box back down and started picking up pieces of Honeycomb to put into her bowl. It was Jessica’s turn to smirk. “When will the people at the gate leave?”

Jessie sighed. “When they get bored with us. We’re too interesting at the moment.”

“Why? It’s just you and Dad.”

“People are often amused by strange things.” Jessie poured herself another cup of coffee. “Now, I want you to behave yourself while we’re at work and don’t cause any trouble.”

“Okay.”

“Well, that sounded sincere.”

Camulus pushed away from the table, giving his wife an amused smile. “I wonder where she learned such behavior.”

“From you.” Jessie stood up with her cup in hand. “I mean it, Georgie. Not one report of you being a brat.” Georgina didn’t respond vocally. Instead, she reached over and wrapped her arms about her mother’s waist to hug her tightly, her jaws working to chew up the mouthful of cereal. Jessica kissed the top of her head. “I’ll see you tonight, Georgie Girl.”

The moment they stepped outside of the house the shouts started again. Some girl screamed out her undying devotion to Camulus, bringing an irritated scowl to Jessie’s face. Her husband put a hand on the small of her back and pushed her towards the vehicle where their guards waited to drive them to work. “No, you may not shoot the crazy women.”

“Why not? It may be genetic. They should be removed from the gene pool.”

“Get in.” He opened the door for her, waiting for her to slide over to the other side of the seat before getting in after her. “You really are going to have to control this jealous streak of yours.”

“It’s not jealousy. I just don’t want my daughter thinking that it’s all right to have strange women throwing themselves at your husband.” She buckled up. He didn’t. Gods, after all, were immortal.

“Of course. After all, you are proving to be such a wonderful example of all that is feminine and graceful to Georgina.”

“Graceful is for the birds. If she’s going to make it in today’s world, she needs to be tough.”

~***~

“Major!”

Jessica turned around to see General O’Neill. “Sir, I was just on my way to your office to drop off my mission report.” She offered him the neatly bound document she had spent most of the morning polishing up.

“A whole day and a half early, as usual. Major, it’s a shame all my officers aren’t as efficient as you.”

“I do aim to please, Sir.”

“I am so glad that you’re this agreeable, because I’ve been meaning to talk to you about something. Walk with me.”

They turned and headed down one of the SGC’s many corridors. “You’re not going to ask me to kill my husband again, are you, Sir? I’m afraid that’s the one order I just can’t do.”

O’Neill sighed. “No, unfortunately I have to play nice as long as he behaves himself. Unless he did anything to put you or Georgina in danger.” He gave her a semi-hopeful look. “Has he?”

“No, General. He’d probably kill anyone who did.”

“Oh, well, I can always hold onto my hopes. No, Major, I needed to let you know that I’m pulling you off of your team so that you can be reassigned.”

Her knees almost gave out on her in shock. “Sir?”

“Orders from the top, Major. The big boys at the Pentagon feel that, given recent events and disclosures, we need to put a human face up there next to Camulus’.”

“Do they have any idea what I look like, Sir? We’ve got people on this base that could be cover models. Why not pick one of them?”

“They’re not married to a Goa’uld. You’re a topic of interest right now. Everyone’s curious about the officer who was captured and ended up becoming the wife of an alien.”

Jessie could actually feel the blood draining from her face. “Please, Sir, not that. Anything but that. I’ll scrub out the latrines. I’ll play tour guide the next time the top brass come to visit. I’ll kiss the Tok’ras’ collective asses, just please don’t make me talk to reporters!”

“It’s not my call, Major.”

“But they’re blood sucking parasites! They’re worse than the Goa’uld!”

“I agree, but now that the SGC is in the open, we need someone out there who can be a face the people can connect to.” He gave her a slight smile. “I have the utmost confidence in you, Major.”

“Sir, I’m a walking carrot.”

“Carrots are very healthy, Major. Good for the eyes.” He looked down at the report in his hands. “I am going to miss the timely field reports, though. Your new assignment starts immediately. I’ve given the rest of your team two weeks down time while we search for another member to fill in the gap. I was thinking Johnson would be the new commander, or do you think I should swap him with another team?”

She sighed, knowing she had no chance of getting out of this. “No, General, Johnson’s good. He’s more than ready for a command.”

“Good! Take it easy for the rest of the day, Major. Go out and get an extra dress uniform or two, you’ll need them for camera time.”

“Better me than you, Sir?”

“You got it, Major.”

She sighed as O’Neill vanished around a corner. “The universe hates me.” Figuring that her life as she knew it was over, she stepped away from the wall and went off in search of her husband. She found him in one of the briefing rooms, giving his presentation to an attentive audience. Heads turned as she entered, but quickly resumed looking at the diagrams displayed by the overhead projector. When he had finished and had answered their questions, the men got up to leave, each taking time to stop and talk to Camulus.

When he had finally shuffled off the last of them, he looked at his wife. “What do you think?”

“I think you have a really boring job. Is this what you do all day? Stand around and talk to suits about satellites?” She got up and picked up the projector control from where he had set it down, flipping through the slides.

“When I’m not designing the satellites, or sensor systems or the weapons you carry through the chappa’ai with you every day.” He walked up behind her and wrapped his arms about her waist.

“Yeah, well, I’m not likely to be doing that again any time soon. I’ve been booted off the team and reassigned.”

“What?”

She sighed and let her head fall back against him. “The brass has decided that they need a human spokesperson t balance you out. I’ve been picked for the job.” She folded her arms over his. “No more gate trips. No more shooting bad guys. Just dressing up and smiling for the camera.”

“Would it be so bad to stay on Earth for a change? To be here for Georgina?”

She pondered this for a moment before shaking her head. “No, that part will be nice.” A thought came to her. “Did you have anything to do with this?”

“What? Of course not.” She tilted her head up and narrowed her eyes with suspicion. “I assure you, I had nothing to do with this. I can’t deny that I like the idea of you staying home, but I did not have any say in your reassignment.” She continued to eye him. “You doubt me?”

“You’re my husband. I know you better than anyone else and I know what a manipulative bastard you can be.”

“One wonders why you fought so hard to keep me, then.”

Jessica gave him an impish grin. “Great sex. Can’t find that with just anyone.”

Camulus gave a little growl and tickled her ribs, making her squirm. “As I recall, you have no one to compare me to.”

“I can change that.”

“I would firmly counsel against such action.” He turned her around and held her close. “Now that you’re no longer an active off-world team member, what are your plans for the day?”

“The General told me to take it easy and get some more dress uniforms.” She nipped his chin. “So, I guess I’m technically free.”

“Excellent. Then we can take the rest of the day to spend some time together. We’ll get you some new gowns while we are out.”

“Why? I’m never in them long enough to sleep, anyway?”

“I didn’t mean that type of gown. There have been several invitations extended to political events. You will need the proper attire.”

It took her a few minutes to understand his meaning, but once she did she leaned forward with a groan. “Somebody shoot me now.”

----------------------------------------

“Fox News, CNN, MSNBC…. Oprah?”

“Oprah.” The aide assigned to help her with her new schedule double checked the day planner and nodded. “Yep, definitely Oprah.”

“Why would I be signed up for Oprah? What could I possibly have to say for an hour?”

Camulus frowned at his wife’s reaction. “Something the matter?”

“Yeah, I’m being drug along like a toy poodle trained to walk on its hind legs.” She slid down in her chair, her arms folded over her chest. Camulus smirked, but was wise enough to say nothing. The aide, however, was not as bright.

“Your stylist will be here in two hours.”

“My what?”

Camulus arched a brow and leaned back in his chair, watching the show in amused silence.

“Your stylist.”

“What stylist?”

“The… the one hired to fix your hair.”

“And what is wrong with my hair… other than the color.”

“Well… you have a certain image to project. You are to be the human face of the SGC.”

Jessie tilted her head to one side. “I’m a Marine. That’s my image. If you like, I can be more of a Marine and chop it off to my ears.”

Camulus spoke up. “I disagree with that idea.”

“Who’s asking you?”

“As your husband, I prefer your hair long.”

Jessie frowned at him. “Yeah, but you also think orange hair is pretty. That alone proves you have no sense of taste.”

“This coming from a woman who has no problem going out in public wearing ratted jeans and a t-shirt with holes in the hem?”

“Hey! Those clothes are comfortable!”

“And hideous.”

“Why should I have to be stylish? You’re enough of a clothes horse for both of us.” She looked over at the aide. “Here’s a little secret about the Goa’uld: The only thing they love more than power is ostentatious presentation.” The Goa’uld in question gave a disgruntled sound and fell silent again. “I don’t need a stylist. Cancel him.”

“I’m sorry, Mrs. O’Fallon, but this comes from someone higher up than you.”

“It figures, and my correct title is ‘Major’. I was a soldier long before I was a wife.” She sighed and kicked the underside of the table with her booted foot. “So when does this nightmare start?”

“In two days, Major.”

“Yippee.”

Camulus looked up. “Yippee?”

~***~

“Now, Major, just try and relax. Just try and ignore the cameras and pretend that it’s just you and me here.” Mark Tracer gave his best broadcaster smile as he watched the crewman clip a small microphone to the woman’s dress uniform.

“Sure, you and me and the thousands of people watching.”

“Don’t think about that. We’re just three people having a conversation.”

Jessica arched a brow at him. “This is an interview.”

“A debriefing, then.”

She pondered this for a moment. “Okay, I can think like that.”

“Good.” Mark straightened his notes as the producer announced of the speaker that they were about to start. “Try to remember to smile.”

“Smile, right.”

Camulus gave a slight smirk at the woman sitting next to him. “Try not to look as though it hurts so much.”

“Oh, shut up.”

He looked at the reporter. “Please forgive my wife. She refuses to be graceful about this.”

Jessie was about to give a response to that, but decided against it. Her stomach was tied up in knots. Mental note: find a way to prevent General O’Neill from ever having another beer. If she had to smile for the cameras, then he had to go on the wagon. As if apologizing for teasing her about her situation, Camulus reached over and took one of her hands into his own, clasping it firmly. She returned the gesture gratefully.

The director counted down the start of the show. Tracer’s smile was bright enough to blind a person as he looked into the camera. “Good morning, Los Angeles!” Jessica braced herself for what would no doubt be a nightmare.

~***~

“Mommy, they’re talking about you on television.”

“Yes, Sweetie, I know. It’s the curse of twenty-four hour news channels.” Jessica lay on her stomach in the posh hotel room her husband had insisted on, her uniform immaculate and hanging in a garment bag within the closet. Camulus was still in the shower after spending a good length of time the hot tub on their balcony, scrubbing the chlorine from his skin while she spoke on the phone with their daughter. “It’s what bored people do.”

“But these are the funny guys on the silly channel.”

“Well, that narrows it down to about three fourths of the stations on the air.”

Georgina gave a long-suffering sigh. “Mother.”

“All right! All right!” She reached over and got the remote. “What am I looking for?”

“Uhm… five people sitting kinda in a circle. One of them is a guy who’s prettier than you.”

“Oh, what a loving child you are.” She flipped channels until she came to one of the entertainment networks where a panel of the fashion elite was talking. “Blond guy wearing a bright pink shirt?”

“Uh huh!”

“That’s an eye sore.” Jessie looked up as Camulus exited the bathroom, a large towel wrapped around his hips and using another to dry his hair. “Your daddy’s out of the shower, now. You still want to talk to him?”

“Uh huh!”

Jessica smiled as Camulus frowned and checked the time. It was almost an hour past Georgie’s bedtime. “All right, then. I love you, Sugar Pop.”

“I love you, too. Good night.”

“Night-night, Baby.” She blew a kiss into the phone before handing it over to her husband.

“Georgina, what did we discuss about keeping a proper schedule?” His voice was firm, but he was smiling as he walked a bit away. Jessica turned up the television a notch or two to see what her daughter found so amusing.

“So Camulus is really a parasite living inside a host body. Well! He certainly has a good eye for masculine beauty!”

“But apparently not for feminine beauty. I mean, if you looked like that, why would you choose someone who looks like Major O’Fallon?”

Jessie’s mouth fell open as she watched. To her surprise, the guy in pink broke in to jump to her defense. “That’s not true! That’s so not true!”

One of the only two women on the screen rolled her eyes. “Are you looking at the same pictures we are, Stephen?”

“Yes, I am! If you’d put your glasses on you’d see that Jessica O’Fallon has got great, classic bone structure and a lovely figure.”

“Why would you notice her figure?”

“I may not be interested in women but my job is to make them look good. That girl has got plenty to work with. Being a Marine keeps her in shape and there are a lot of starlets who pay a lot of money to have a chest like hers. So she has a bad shade of red hair and all those freckles, that’s genetics! Other than that, Girlfriend has it going on!”

One of the other men on the screen waved his hands to get the center of attention. “Steph is so right. I’ve got a contact in the makeup department of ‘Good Morning, Los Angeles’ and he says that Jessica O’Fallon is very pretty when you see her up close. As for those freckles, they wanted to use stage make up to cover them, but Camulus wouldn’t stand for it. E.T. seems to adore them. Oh, and those eyes! My source tells me that her eyes are a very, very dark blue. That’s a rare color to have and it’s absolutely gorgeous!”

The woman from before gave an exasperated sigh. “But he could do so much better!” Stephen seemed to take offense to this.

“Better than the mother of his child? How could he do better than that?”

The woman waved him shut and looked straight into the camera. “Camulus, Honey, believe me; you don’t have to go with the first Earth woman you see. If you decide that you want to try someone else, you can reach me at the studio.”

“And listen to that voice for the rest of my life? I think not.” Cam set the phone back in it’s cradle. “What is that tripe?”

“I dunno. Your daughter was watching it. She thought it was funny. It looks like there are those who believe you married beneath yourself.” She started flipping through the channels again, finding a local news channel so she could check the weather for the following day. They had three more interviews to do this week, although her husband had somehow managed to schedule quite a bit of ‘alone time’ for them. If she were going to be hanging out in L.A., then she was certain her husband would want to know what to tell her to wear.

The bed shifted as he joined her, stretching out over her back and pulling her hair from the side of her neck so he could kiss her. “Not possible. There is no one greater than you.”

“Mmm… flattery will get you everywhere.” He let up long enough for her to turn over beneath him then lowered his head to kiss her properly. She was more than happy to cooperate as he tugged the belt of her robe loose so he could push it open. She nibbled on his chin as she pulled the towel from his hips. “Thank you.”

“For what?” He trailed kisses along her collarbone.

“For helping me through this morning.” She ran a hand over his back. “I hated doing that.”

He chuckled against her skin. “I could tell. I know you well enough to know you hate giving answers to anyone who doesn’t outrank you.” He brought his face back up to kiss her gently. “You’re very much a soldier in that respect.”

“Wasn’t that what you liked about me when you first saw me?”

“Among other things.” He covered the full length of her body with his own, both of them wrapped up in one another so that the voices from the television barely registered as white nose. Jessica ran her nails over her husband’s back as he pushed slowly into her, savoring the feel of having him this close.

Camulus moved within her with slow, sure strokes. She loved to run her hands over his arms, feeling the corded muscles there as he used them to hold his weight over her. He was beautiful, thus husband of hers. Sometimes it was hard to remember her life before him. Jessie arched her body underneath him, pulling him more deeply into herself, and was rewarded with a deep growl. From somewhere else in the room, voices drifted through the soft sounds of their breathing.

“In the studio, tonight, we’ve got a guest who is currently fighting with the military for the right to see her daughter. They’ve been denying you access to her, is that correct?”

“That’s right! They won’t even acknowledge my calls or letters. They’re trying to pretend as though I’m not even here!”

“Well, we’re hoping to change all that by having you here. Ma’am, could you tell our audience, and those watching at home, who you are?”

“I’m Constance O’Fallon, and I’m the mother of Major Jessica McKenzie O’Fallon.”

Jessie pushed her husband up and away from her, craning her head back to see a woman centered on the screen. Life weary face, cheap dye job, too much makeup and dark, dark eyes were looking out from the set. “Oh, Shit!”

~***~

“What do you mean ‘it might be her’?”

Jessie sighed. “I haven’t seen my mother since I was eight, not even a birthday card! It might be her, I can’t be certain.”

The man on the other end of the line sighed. It wasn’t long after the interview that the press secretary for the White House called up to find out what was going on. “Is it her name?”

“I always called her ‘mom’, but I remember that her customers used to call her ‘Connie’ or ‘C.C.’.”

“Customers?”

“She was a hooker.”

“Oh, that’s just perfect.”

“You’re telling me.” Jessie was using the hotel phone that, for some strange reason, was installed in the bathroom. She was sitting on the closed toilet seat and willing herself not to fall apart. Ever since she’d heard that woman introduce herself, her heart had been hammering in her chest, threatening to break out. “Is there any way to check her identity?”

“We’re working on it now. We’ll have to move fast if we’re going to control this. The headlines tomorrow are going to be blasting the military about anything from breaking up families to keeping you and Camulus as science experiments. Someone, somewhere, will find a way to spin this into the negative.” He fell silent as Jessie played with the phone cord. “Keep your head down about this, Major. Until we’ve confirmed whether or not she’s who she says she is, we have no comment for the press.”

“Got it.” The phone went dead, but she sat there in silence for a moment longer before putting the receiver on the cradle. She took a slow, deep breath before getting up and walking back into the main suite. Camulus was not in the bedroom. She frowned and listened, hearing his voice from the other room. Pulling her robe more tightly about her, she walked in that direction, slowing as she started to make out his words.

“Well, you obviously didn’t offer her enough!” He was facing away from her, looking out the glass doors of the balcony window while talking on a cell phone. She saw him make a face. “She’s a tawdry little harlot who abandoned her child. I will not have her showing back up and upsetting Jessica!” He seemed obvious to the fact that he was still naked and standing at a window where anyone with a good telescopic lens could snap a picture of him in all his glory. He was too intent on scowling at some invisible someone on the other end of the call. “Your job is to make certain that little things like this stay far away. I want that that woman silenced!”

He closed the phone with a slap and turned from the window with a snarl. Upon catching site of Jessica, he faltered, looking all the world like someone who’d just been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Jessie leaned against the archway separating the bedroom from the sitting area. “She’s shown up before now, hasn’t she?”

He looked as though he were going to attempt to deny it then thought better of it. “About three days after the nature of our relationship became public.”

“And you didn’t tell me that a woman, claiming to be my mother, contacted you.”

“We do not know for certain if she is your mother. And either way, I only had to speak with her for less than an hour before she showed her true intentions.”

Jessie tilted her head to one side. “Money?”

He frowned. “You don’t seem overly surprised by that.”

“The timing is suspicious. If she had ever wanted to know about me, she could have found out. Adoption records are sealed, but I was never adopted. She could have found out what happened to me. That she waited until my name was being blasted from every television and radio in the country shows that she probably forgot I was even born.” She didn’t sound petulant. She didn’t!

Okay, maybe she did, because her husband came over and pulled her into his arms. “I told my aide to find out what her price would be to make her disappear. I didn’t want it to get this far, to give her the chance to hurt you.”

“Yeah, you have your good moments.” She rested her head against his chest, letting her body relax into his. “She’s not going away. Not now that she’s been on national television.”

Camulus sighed. “I know, but we’ll deal with that when we need to.”

----------------------------------------

James Rathbourne pulled the brush through his wife’s golden hair for another stroke, smiling at how the candlelight made it shine. They had spent a rather pleasurable afternoon together and had just gotten out of a hot bath. She was reclining between his legs, watching the crackling of the fire, the satin of her gown slithering against his calves.

Of course, that’s when the phone would choose to ring. She reached over and picked it up. “Rathbourne.” Her accent always made his family’s name sound exotic, almost decadent. He pulled the brush through her hair again. “Yes, he is here.” She held the phone behind her and tilted her head back. “It is the base.”

He took the phone, leaning forward to kiss her nose before speaking. “Rathbourne, here.”

“Major, This is O’Neill. I have a job for you.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“I need you to go out to New York and find a woman claiming to be Constance O’Fallon. She claims to be Major O’Fallon’s mother. You’re to bring her back to Cheyenne Mountain.”

James frowned. “O’Fallon’s mother? I wasn’t aware her mother was still alive. She never talks about her.”

“Yeah, well, she’s not entirely sure this is her. We need her brought in so we can do a DNA comparison, but we want her brought in secure.”

“Understood, Sir. I’m on my way.”

“Good man. See you when you get here.”

“Yes, Sir. Good-bye, Sir.” He disconnected the phone and looked down at his wife’s pouting face. “Don’t start.”

“I want you to stay home.”

“I have to follow orders.” He set the phone down and pulled her up so she was lying on his chest. “I’m not going off-world, just to New York to pick up someone claiming to be Jessie’s mother.”

She frowned. “Jessica doesn’t like her mother. I’ve only heard her mention her once. She called her a cheap harlot whom she was better off without.”

“That sounds like something Jessie would say. She isn’t one to mince words.” He kissed her, once lightly and then more deeply the second time. The sweetness of her lips and tongue sent a jolt through his belly and straight to his loins. Forcing himself to pull away from her took an act of extreme will. “I have to go. This shouldn’t take long.”

She sighed and sat up, folding her arms over her full chest. “Fine. Go. I will find some way to amuse myself in your absence.”

He chuckled and got up. “Let me guess; you’ll be helping Georgina O’Fallon to find a way to scare off yet another teacher.” He flicked a lock of her hair. “Ayan, you’ve got to get over this.”

Ayan Rathbourne, former handmaiden and mistress to Lord Camulus, dear friend of Jessica O’Fallon and former nurse of Georgina O’Fallon scowled at her husband. “I have been with the Little Empress since her birth. I was the one who bathed her and placed her into her father’s hands while he waited for the sarcophagus to revive Jessica. I am the one who should see to her raising.”

He chuckled as he walked from the living area into their bedroom. “You have more influence in her life than anyone else, possibly even more than Jessica. The teachers are there to educate her on academics. You will always be important to her.”

Ayan got up from the floor and followed her husband. “I do not see why a girl child needs to learn so much. What good does it do her?”

He had already put on his briefs and was pulling over one of his plain brown shirts. “This is Earth and the United States is an industrialized nation. Here a woman is expected to know how to think for herself and earn a living for herself if she needs to. There are a lot of jackasses out there, Ayan. Georgie needs to be able to take care of herself.”

“Her father would never let her end up with a man who was unworthy of her and would not give her the care and consideration she deserves. What good does it do her to be educated?”

He buttoned up the trousers of his BDUs and gave her a little smirk. “Jessica O’Fallon.” Ayan narrowed her eyes and put her hands on her hips. He grinned as he sat down on their large bed to lace up his boots. “You like Jessie, and she’s an educated woman who can take care of herself. Didn’t have need for a man at all until that snake bullied his way into her life. I don’t see why Georgie shouldn’t take after her mother. In fact, I may volunteer to teach her hand-to-hand myself.”

“She should be a lady, not a boy.”

He stood up and pulled on his shirt, buttoning it up. “I dare you to tell Jessica O’Fallon that she’s not a lady.”

“Jessica is well aware that she is not a lady. She is proud not to be.”

James finished dressing and crossed the room to pull Ayan close to him, kissing her upturned face. “And her daughter will be just as proud. You worry too much.” He kissed her again, this time more deeply. Damn, but he didn’t want to leave today! “I’ll be home as soon as I can manage.”

“That would be wise.” She toyed with the buttons on his over shirt, a petulant expression on her face. “Otherwise I may grow lonely and find someone else.”

He gave her a cocky grin. “You wouldn’t dare. You love me too much.”

~***~

If he had a favorite color, it would be blue. Deep, dark, midnight blue. It was the color of the silken sheets and coverlet of their large bed. It was the color of nearly every gown he had custom made for Jessica. It was the same color of her eyes, mysterious and mesmerizing. He enjoyed the way the darkness of the color set off the paleness of her skin, and he did not agree with her belief that it clashed horribly with her hair.

“What are you thinking?”

“How very fortunate I am to have you in my life.”

“What do you want?”

Camulus gave his wife a brief tickle to the ribs, making her giggle and squirm as much as she had the energy to do so. He had demanded complete and utter privacy for the rest of the evening and for all of the following day. He had grown weary of people interrupting them and wanted peace and quiet. “I want you to be happy.”

“I am happy.”

“No, you were happy. Now, with all of this insanity crowding in around us, you are stressed.”

Jessie sighed. “Yeah, I am that.” She looked up at the ceiling, the fingers of one hand combing through his thick hair absently. “I don’t know, everything was so much easier when we were top secret and I could come home to someplace silent and reserved. Now I’ve got an battalion of reporters and U.F.O. nuts at the gates and all I want is for my daughter to grow up as normally as is possible for her.”

“And now the woman who denied you the chance to have what would be a ‘normal’ life has resurfaced.”

She shook her head. “I can deal with her return from exile. I put her behind me years ago. She can’t touch me any longer.”

He didn’t believe her. A human was always vulnerable to her mother. Still, it was unwise to provoke Jessica, especially when she was so willingly pliant. He placed a line of kisses over the curve of her shoulder. Her skin tasted slightly of salt left behind as the perspiration from their lovemaking had evaporated. The elegant upsweep her hair had been styled into for the party they had attended eight hours ago was now in ruins, allowing the tousled locks to spill over the pillow casing. She was still wearing the sapphire and diamond necklace he had bought her, at least. Jessica didn’t care much for jewelry, she didn’t like having to keep up with it, but he enjoyed seeing it on her.

Jessie make a sound of content in her throat and shifted around so that she could meet his lips when he raised his face to hers. “Love you.” It was much easier for her to say now; she wasn’t afraid of losing herself to him any longer. It had taken some time for her to fully get over her distrust of him as a Goa’uld, even though she often still teased him about his less-than-nice past. She kissed him again before pulling away so that she could see him clearly. “I’ve been thinking.”

He raised an inquiring brow. “Should I be worried?”

A slender finger came up to thump him in the nose. “Be nice. I’ve been thinking about how I’m not going to be going off world again any time soon… and Georgie’s six, now.”

Camulus sighed and shifted his weight off of her. She wanted to have that discussion again. “No.”

“You haven’t even let me present my argument.”

“I don’t need to hear it. The answer is ‘no’.”

She gave a frustrated sigh. “Could you at least hear me out before going all ‘overlord’ on me? I should at least be allowed to present the facts.”

He rose up on one elbow to look at her. “I know the facts. I remember them well. You, dying from loss of blood because of a decision I made. You are every inch a woman, Jessica, but we have already learned that you are too narrow in the hips to safely give birth. I do not have a sarcophagus to use to save your life.”

“This is U.S.A. We’ve gotten very good at keeping women alive during tricky pregnancies. Women hardly ever die of childbirth in this country. Besides, I’ve already had one child. The second should be easier.”

“The second child is often larger than the first. I will not risk it.”

“Hello. My life, here. Don’t you think I should have a say in the matter?”

Camulus scraped his teeth against the soft skin of her stomach. “Certainly you have a say. However, it doesn’t mean that I have to agree.” Strong hands landed on his shoulders and he was pushed away. Jessie’s dark eyes were hard as she swung her legs over the side of the bed and reached for her robe. “Jessica…”

“You know if the only reason you’re concerned about having another baby is that you’re afraid that it will kill me, then that’s very sweet. But you could at least have the courtesy to speak to the doctors about the options.” She tied the belt of her robe as she stood up.

“Where are you going?”

“I’m tired.” She reached out and grabbed a pillow from the bed. “I’m going somewhere I can sleep.” She ignored his protests as she stormed out of the room.

~***~

“Of course, I was so shocked at how much she had grown up when I saw her on the news. She was such a scrawny, gangly thing when she was a child.” Connie put out her cigarette. “Do you have any children, General?”

Jack made certain to keep far away from the painted claws of Constance O’Fallon. The woman was a predator with a bad dye job. It was too bad that Carter was off world at the moment. Sam could have handled the woman and left her crying. He’d never send Daniel into this particular lion’s den, pun intended. “As you may have heard, there have been several men coming forward, claiming to be Major O’Fallon’s biological father since you… introduced yourself to the world.”

She lit up another cigarette as she gave a disdainful snort. “Yeah, I seen them. Some of them may have been old boyfriends of mine, all of them even, but none of them was Jessie’s daddy.”

“You’re certain of that?”

“Of course I am! I should know who fathered my own daughter!”

Jack swallowed his smart aleck comment about her previous profession. He didn’t think it would be very helpful at the moment. “Got a name you can give us?” Why did he agree to let Carter go with Hammond to Pegasus? He should have sent Danny and kept Carter. Sam would be much better at this.

Constance scowled. “I didn’t bother with names, not full names, but you remember the first timers. I couldn’t be sure when she was born, but when that hair started coming in, I knew which one was her father.” She tapped her cigarette on the side of a heavy glass ashtray that had been brought in for her. “It was when I was living near Fort Ord, out in California.”

That sounded promising. “Was he from the base?”

“Sure was. I think he was infantry, or maybe artillery. Young thing, fresh off of a farm in Iowa. I don’t mean that as a cliché, he really was a farm boy from Iowa. It was his birthday, or maybe he’d finished training, I can’t be for certain, and his friends wanted to celebrate.”

“Do you remember what they called him, at least?”

“Johnny. Little Johnny, actually, on account of one of his buddies was named Johnny, too, and was about half a foot taller. He had the same bright orange hair and freckles from head to toe. Sweet kid, and real polite. He called me ‘ma’am’. There weren’t many who did that.” She crushed out her cigarette. “I don’t mind telling you; it was a relief when I realized Jessie was his. He was a good sort, not like some I’ve met in my life. Maybe that’s where she got the urge to be a soldier from.”

Jack had been taking notes between doodles that resembled fish. He had a nickname and a location. That was something. “I need to get this information to my staff. I hope you’ll understand that we’d like you to stay on the base for the time being.”

Connie batted her heavily made-up eyes coyly. “I don’t mind at all, General. I hope I’ll be seeing you around.”

Jack stood up and pushed his chair in. “Oh, I’m usually here. Comes with the stars on my shoulder. The airmen will escort you to the VIP quarters.” He forced a smile. “Enjoy your stay, Ma’am.”

He got out of the room as quickly as he could. The doors to the lift opened up and a familiar face stepped out. “Davis! Where have you been?”

Lt. Colonel Davis looked puzzled. “Sir?”

“I just had to spend over two hours in a room with that woman, something that was supposed to be your job.”

“I apologize, General. I was unavoidably delayed in Washington.” He did not look the least bit repentant.

“Sure you were.” He shoved the clipboard at Davis. “On the bright side, we’ve got a location and a possible name on the real Daddy O’Fallon.”

“A fish, Sir?” Davis turned the clipboard on its side. “The tail is a bit long, don’t you think?”

Jack snatched back the board and turned it right side up. “She remembers he was called ‘Johnny’ and that he was stationed at Fort Ord.”

Davis perked up. “That’s a start. ‘John’ is a common name, but if we cross reference it with the personnel there at the time the Major would have likely been conceived, we should be able to narrow down the field.”

“Just what I was thinking. Oh, and you’re looking for someone with orange hair, like O’Fallon’s.”

“That should narrow it down even further. I don’t know a lot of people with that particular shade of red.” Davis looked relieved. “This is good news. That alone means we can throw out all of the men who have come forward claiming paternity. I wasn’t looking forward to conducting those interviews.”

“Yeah, well, you get the next round with Connie. I told her that an officer would be escorting her to dinner, tonight.” Davis blanched. “Don’t worry. I have complete confidence in your ability to carry out this dangerous assignment.” He gave the Lt. Colonel a smirk before turning away and heading back to his office. Revenge was so sweet.

Chapter 2

Dr. Lam arched a single brow of inquiry towards the tall figure that was standing in the doorway of her office. “This is surprising.”

“Surprising?” Camulus watched the petite woman close the file she was perusing and rise from her chair. She walked over to a filing cabinet and replaced the folder.

“As a Goa’uld you are immune to most poisons, bacterial and viral infections and are almost always in a perfect state of health. I can only assume you are here because either your wife or Georgina are ill, but I don’t see either of them with you.” She opened another drawer and flipped through the folders until she found what she was looking for. Pulling out two files, she closed the drawer and turned her attention back to him. “What’s on your mind?”

Camulus flexed his shoulders a bit before stepping further into the room. “I wish to speak with you regarding how the Tau’ri treat pregnancies.”

Lam looked interested. “If Jessica is pregnant then I will need her to come and see me. This afternoon if she has the time.”

“No, she is not.” He looked uncharacteristically uncomfortable. “She wishes to become so.”

“Ah.” Lam set the two files onto her desk. “Considering that the files tell me you are able to control your own potency, I am going to assume that you are not of the same mind.”

“It is not that I… I adore my daughter and I would be pleased to have another child with Jessica. I would be happy to have a dozen children with her, although I doubt she would be willing to have that many. It is just… I do not want another child so badly that I would put my wife’s life in jeopardy.”

“I see.” She indicated a chair in front of her desk. “Have a seat.” Camulus folded himself into the chair as Lam walked behind him to shut the door, giving them privacy. She slipped her hands into the pockets of her lab coat and walked back to her desk, perching onto the edge of it. “I have read the files regarding Jessica’s return, the accountings given by her, yourself and Ayan in regards to the day Georgina was born and I am also the doctor who gave your wife her last three physicals. Why do you feel that she would be in danger?”

He looked at her in disbelief. “You have read the files. She died giving birth to our child! If I had not had a sarcophagus I would have lost her forever.”

Lam gave a nod. “True, she did have trouble with her first pregnancy. Why do you think that was?”

“I… this body is not a small man. The children that I have fathered in the past have almost always been rather large for newborns. Jessica is a warrior and very strong for a woman, but it would seem that she lacks the width and depth required for such a birthing.”

The doctor frowned, pondering this for a moment. After a while she shook her head. “As her doctor, I disagree. Certainly there are women with greater pelvic space, but Jessica is not abnormally small. She has hips, they just aren’t that pronounced. And the female’s pelvic girdle is made to stretch somewhat to accommodate.”

“I was there. I carried her to the sarcophagus. I heard… I heard the last breath leave her body.”

“And I don’t doubt that, but I’ve also read all accountings.” She reached behind her and picked up one of the files. Flipping it open to about the middle she skimmed over notations. “According to Ayan there was a great deal of blood and tissue that made it’s way out of birth canal before Georgina was actually born. She also noted that there was some difficulty in getting her to start breathing. The midwife had to clear out excess blood and fluids from her mouth and nose, clearing the airways.” She closed the file and leveled a look at Camulus. “That sounds more like placenta previa.”

“What?”

She set the file back down. “It’s a condition that affects about one in every two hundred pregnancies. Note that I said ‘pregnancies’ and not ‘women’. The placenta is a temporary organ that only develops during pregnancy and functions as a sort of filter between the mother and child. In placenta previa the placenta attaches too low on the uterine wall. In some cases it can actually be low enough that it is between the baby and the birth canal. In a normal birthing the mother’s body detaches the placenta, which should then come out after the child, that’s why it’s called ‘after birth’. In placenta previa, however, it can come out before and sometimes the child actually breaks through it, before it detaches from the mother. There is excess blood loss and hemorrhaging, which can kill the mother within minutes. Also, the child can suffocate, but a doctor or, in this case midwife, can avoid this by acting quickly to clear out the airways so that the baby can breathe.”

Lam gave a little shrug. “Had Jessica been here during her pregnancy the misplacement would have been identified and Georgina would have been taken by a planned C-Section, thus circumnavigating the problem. As it stands, it’s very unlikely that she would have the same condition were she to conceive again. She’s a healthy, well-developed woman. I see no reason why she couldn’t have another child.”

He sat, looking stunned. Carolyn fought back a smirk. “You’re actually taking this a lot better than most men. Usually when you start talking about all the inner workings of child birth, they turn green and run out.”

He gave her a quelling look. “I have seen men slaughtered on the battle field. I do not lack the fortitude to stomach something as ordinary as this.”

“That’s good to know. Actually, I’m glad you finally came to see me about this. I was getting worried.”

“About what?”

“Your daughter. She had her check up the other day and I wasn’t too happy with her behavior. She’s acting out and showing classic signs of a child in distress.”

Camulus became concerned. “What is wrong with her?”

“I would guess that she has two parents who have been fighting for an extended period of time and her home life feels unstable.” She gave him a hard look. “Children need to feel secure. Right now Georgina doesn’t have that feeling.” She got up from her desk and started walking towards the door. “As her doctor, and your wife’s doctor as well, my advice to you is to stop treating Jessica like a minion and start treating her like a partner. In other words, get over yourself, go home and start making babies.” She opened the door and stood there, waiting for him to leave.

Camulus rose from his chair, his mood no longer fretful and starting to become quite irritated. “Are you always like this?”

“When I need to be. Sometimes you have to be tough to get someone to realize they’re being a jackass.” She tilted her head to one side. “While I do think it is quite touching that you are concerned for your wife’s health, I also believe that taking complete and authoritative control over the decision to have another child was overstepping things. It’s her body and it’s her life. If she feels that she can do this, then you should have enough consideration for her to give her wishes some merit.”

He was about to say something, but stopped. As much as he hated to admit it, the human doctor did have a point. Perhaps he had been too controlling in this. This was not a war where his Jessica was a soldier. This was her life at home, and he knew her well enough to know she would not take needless risks with him or their child. “Thank you for your time, Dr. Lam. You have been most… helpful.”

~***~

“There is no smoking inside this base.”

Connie turned around to see her daughter standing in the doorway. She hadn’t realized how different Jessica would look now that she was all grown up. In her mind’s eye, she had always pictured her as the scrawny, knock-kneed child from so long ago. “Jessie. I was beginning to think you’d never come down to see me.”

“It was suggested that I should at least try. The cigarette?”

“Oh! Of course.” Connie tamped out the Camel she had been dragging on. “I just needed a puff. It’s been a rather stressful few months, what with finding out that my daughter is an astronaut and all.”

“We all need to make a living.” Jessica stepped further into the room, her hands laced behind her back. “What do want?”

Connie faltered. There was very little of her in the woman standing there. The only O’Fallon trait she could readily see was the color of Jessica’s eyes. Everything else about the Marine was cold, hard… unforgiving. “Well… I wanted to see you, is all. I mean it’s been so long.”

“You saw an opportunity to maybe make a few bucks and jumped on it. I can’t say that I’m all that surprised.”

“A mother can’t want to reunite with her daughter?”

“You have no right to call yourself my ‘mother’. A mother doesn’t desert her child in a roach infested dump to be picked up by the cops sometime around midnight.”

Connie squared her shoulders. “I thought I was doing what was best for you.”

“You did what you thought was best for you.” Jessie glanced over her mother’s clothing. “You approached my husband while I was still off-world. He offered you money to go away. You should have taken it.” She started to turn away.

“I was ruining you!” Connie wiped at her face, chasing away a stray tear. “You were eight. Well, I was ten the first time. I was living on the streets and there was some drunk. A man gets enough liquor in him and he doesn’t care how old you are. He only cares if you got someplace he can stick it. He offered me five bucks, enough to feed me for a day or two. I was hungry enough to do it. It was easy. All I had to do was hike my skirt up, let them have their fun, and they paid me for it.”

Jessica turned back to face her. Connie was shaking, but she continued on. “There were two others before you, only they never saw the light of day. Abortions weren’t legal back then, but there were doctors willing to do them for a price. Then I got pregnant with you. Maybe I was just feeling my years, but I couldn’t do it again. I wanted to do something good for a change, have someone in my life for once that didn’t pay me to get on my back, so I had you. I know I wasn’t any good at being a mother, and I know it wasn’t right to leave you sitting in the other room where you could hear everything when I had a customer, but it was all I had to give. Then that drunk asked me if he could have a taste of you, and I knew I’d messed up big time. You were the one decent thing I ever did in my life and I was screwing that up, too.”

Jessie lifted her chin up. “You could have taken me to Social Services yourself.”

“I would have lost my nerve. I had to move while I still had the guts to do it. I knew you’d be better off without me.” She took a deep, shuddering breath. “I mean, look at you! Look at how well you turned out!”

Jessica stood there for a moment then walked towards Connie. “I was damaged goods. Older than what most couples wanted to adopt, too wild and uncouth for everyone else. I was a punk. Always fighting. Always getting into trouble. It’s a miracle my ass didn’t land in juvenile lock up.” She stepped back. “My becoming a Marine had nothing to do with you. I saw a female officer all decked out in dress. I joined up because I wanted to be like her.”

Connie tried to hold back a sniffle, but failed. The cheap mascara she used was starting to run. Jessica turned away again. She stood up straight, her back tense. There was no sound in the room other than Connie’s rough breathing. After a while, Jessica spoke again.

“I don’t want you near my daughter. You’re too old to change your ways and I feel you would be a bad influence on her. It’s best that she never know you.”

“I suppose I can see that. I’d probably do the same if I were in your shoes.” She crossed her arms, hugging herself tightly. “So, I guess that’s all there is.”

“I’ll talk to Cam. There should be some kind of arrangement that can be worked out for you. We can provide a home for you just about any place you’d like; I would just prefer that it not be in Colorado. We’ll get with his financial advisors and set up an allowance for you. I can see to it that you never want for anything.”

Connie looked over her shoulder at her daughter. “Thank you. For… for what it’s worth, I really did think I was doing the right thing by you.”

“Maybe you did, but I can’t help but think that my life might have been better if you had tried to stop turning tricks and attempted to find legitimate work instead. Maybe if I’d had a real mother I wouldn’t have been as screwed up as I was.”

~***~

Jon could always tell when he was in trouble. Darcy wasn’t the type to yell or scream. She was the type of person who could get so silent and cold with rage that the temperature in a room would drop ten degrees the moment she walked in. She would hold her back ramrod straight and her lips would be pressed so tightly together that they would disappear. It was one of the dangers of marrying a red head. His temper was just as bad.

“Honey, it was a long time ago. Years before we ever met. I was young and stupid.”

Darcy fluffed the bed pillows a bit too roughly, the sound of her hand hitting the cotton duck filling the room. “I am aware of that, Jon.”

Ouch, he really did hate it when he knew she was angry but she managed to keep her voice calm and sweet. “Then you have to know that I did not cheat on you. Hell, she’s twice as old as Justin.”

“Yes. So I’ve heard.” She finished making the bed with swift, curt motions.

“Then I fail to see why you’re so ticked off with me.”

She shot him a quick glare. “Twice, twice, we tried to have a daughter. I have three wonderful boys and I love them all dearly, but you know how much I wanted a girl. Now I find out that you have a daughter that I’ve never laid eyes on.”

Oh, for crying out loud! “A daughter I didn’t even know existed until a week ago!”

She put his boxers into the top drawer of their dresser and shut it with deceptive silence. “And haven’t even picked up the phone to try and contact since you found out about her.” She threw a discarded towel into a laundry basket and continued tidying up the room. Jon stared at his wife in confused silence.

“Okay, please straighten this out or me. Are you pissed because I fathered her or because I haven’t ran off to Colorado and asked to speak with her?”

“Aren’t you the least bit curious? I mean she obviously takes after you. She looks just like you. She’s military…”

“Darcy, a tendency to join the military is not genetic.”

“And just how can you be so certain of that?” She pulled discarded clothing from the hamper and transferred it to the basket. “You’re a grandfather. Aren’t you even a little interested in that part?”

“Of course I’m interested! Hell, the fact that there’s someone out there who came from my loins who is an officer, a highly decorated officer who is part of one of this country’s most important projects, pleases me to no end! But I haven’t had one bit of input in her life.”

“That’s not her fault!” Darcy stopped, realizing that her voice was getting too loud. She took a deep breath and composed herself. “That cheap little whore didn’t have the decency, or maybe just didn’t have the sense, to contact the Army and chase you down. Can you stand there and tell me that if she had you would have turned your back on that little girl?”

“Of course not! I would have done right by her. Brought her to me and raised her myself. But that’s not what happened.”

“Only because neither of you were given the chance.” She leveraged the basket onto her hip and faced her husband. “Pick up the damn phone, Jon. You should at least give your daughter the chance to say she doesn’t want to know you rather than making all the choices yourself.”

She started walking towards the door. He raised his hand and opened his mouth to say something but she cut him off with a tense ‘I’ve said my piece’ as she passed by him.

Jon sighed and dropped his hand. He really should have married someone more docile.

....to be continued

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