Chapter 5: His Daughter's Name is Shiannon, But He Calls Her Shane

Captain Elliot's POV

"Yes, sir, I did say the Colonel had a daughter under almost identical circumstances to Lieutenant Hailey and myself."

"May we ask what these circumstances are, Captain?" Major Carter emphasizes my rank heavily with this question. The Colonel is catching some serious hell in the look s department. If looks could kill...Damn. 6 feet won't save him.

"Yes, sir." I don't elaborate. I said you could ask. I didn't say I'd answer.

"Well, Captain." I tip my cap to him. Well, what?

"Well, General." Two can play that game.

"Aren't you going to answer?" Not today. Maybe when Pinky's 18.

"You didn't say I had to. You asked if you could ask and I said you could, but I didn't say I'd answer. And I'm not saying I'm answering now." Ain't I a bastard.

"Captain I...we are ordering you to explain yourself and the statements you just made now!"

"Sirs, ma'am. Ethically, you can't order me to reveal anything said to me in confidence and if you do, you can just draw up the DoD charges, not like it could go to general court-martial anyway. I'm not telling you anything, unless Colonel O'Neill or Doctor Frasier gives me the OK." If looks could kill an off-world burial wouldn't save me.

"Doctor Frasier ordered you not to speak about the circumstances surrounding the conception of his, Colonel O'Neill's, daughter. Am I correct?" This is Major Carter. The silent duo had better start talking before more shit hits the fan, quickly.

"Tell her, Captain."

"Sir?" He's gone crazy.

"Tell her." The silent duo isn't so silent anymore.

"Are you sure, Doc?" She nods. "Okay. Let's start over. What do you want to know?"

"What the Colonel's daughter's name?"

"Seriously, you should ask him yourself. Not that I have any qualms about tellin' ya, but it's sound a lot better comin' from him. He can give you straight facts, but I barely know the story."

"Captain." They don't haveta be so threatenin' about it.

"His daughter's name is Shiannon, but he call her Shane. She almost four years-old." There, I've done more than my part. Anything else comes from them, 'cuz I really don't know much else, except that her mom is Major Carter and I ain't telling them that. I don't think they will be either.

" And?"

"And…that's about all I know about her. Please, ask those two for any completely accurate information." They look to him. Them being the two generals, seeing as Carter is now out of her element.

"Colonel? Is what he's saying true?"

"The Captain does not lie." Cryptic, maybe?

"Okay. Since you want to make this so difficult."

"I don't see anything difficult happening here."

"Good, there doesn't have to be any difficulty here, Jack. Just tell us the truth. Do you have a four year-old daughter named Shiannon?"

"Yup.

"Where did she come from?" Isn't that just an opening for sarcasm.

"Where do babies come from? Jacob, I thought you'd know that by now."

"Jack, this is serious."

"Ask the NID. They made her."

"How and who from?"

"I couldn't tell you and I'm not tellin' ya."

"Why not? Don't you trust us?"

"Not even gonna dignify that last one with a response. As for the first…Let's just say there's enough against us. We don't need a child added to that and neither does this command. As General Hammond has so helpfully pointed out. One child is enough, two is too many." If that doesn't make it blatantly obvious; nothing will.

"Does she know?"

" Who?"

"Shiannon's mother?" The Colonel shakes his head.

She can't know...ever!"

"Why, Jack? How can you deny a woman the right to her own daughter?"

"You wouldn't say that if you'd seen Shane. You'd know her mom immediately. You see her all the time. "

"Let me see a picture of her then." The Colonel grudgingly pulls on from one of his pockets and hands it over; careful to keep anyone, but me, Hailey, Pinky, Doc, and Jacob from seeing it. Jacob holds the picture in his hands, mindful of leaving fingerprints. He tips his head, then the picture. He looks almost in disbelief. "Her? I can't believe it."

"Yep. Now, you understand, right?"

"Oh, yeah. I understand. Damn. Her. Looks just like her too."

"I've noticed. She's got her little nose and everything. And her chin. You noticed the ears. She's got those same elfin ears."

"Damn, Jack. How'd you hide her away. When Sam was little I gloated about how gorgeous she was every chance I got. How could you possibly not gloat about this cutie?"

"I gloat. Just not to anyone here." Everyone else is beginning to look a little miffed at being left out.

Daniel was getting a little impatient.

"Are you gonna share? Jack?" I did not like the inflection in that. The Colonel doesn't either from the look he just gave Doc Jackson.

"No. I'm not gonna share...you Spacemonkey." And...he's gonna do it and...*pout* He did it. He pouted. "Stick your lip back onto your mouth, Daniel. That's so not gonna work, today." He slumps a little in defeat.

Daniel sighs.

"So you have a daughter. What exactly is the relevance of that to this situation and how do they know about it while we don't?" Ah, and that's the question, isn't it?

"They needed someone who understood the circumstances and there's barely a team leader in the SGC who doesn't know about Shiannon and hasn't met her, too."

"Jack, we've known you nearly five years and even we didn't know you had any other kids."

"Daniel, Shane's conception was such bad timing it's unreal. I wasn't gonna pass out cigars that said, 'it's a girl.' I didn't get to celebrate her birth like normal Dads do. If anything I was almost cursing it. But I love her. "

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