Captain Elliot

“Well, since we’re all so curious here, why don’t I bring Shane here?” Hey, he should so do that, so I can spend time with Pinky and Hailey.

“I think that’s a great idea, Colonel? Don’t you, Generals?” They both cast very suspicious looks towards me. Okay, they know distraction when they’re being distracted.” I mean, I’m just saying it sounds like a good idea to me. But you are the Generals. It’s your choice.” They seem to have a silent conference. Hammond gives a curt nod.

“Colonel I expect to meet your daughter no later than 08H30 Mountain Time, tomorrow morning, or else.” The Colonel winces that wince, which one gives when they’ve been given an order that they can’t follow to the letter for one reason or another.

The General knows that wince and doesn’t like what it’s telling him.

“Is this going to be a problem, Colonel?” Emphasis on the *Colonel*

“Well, sir. Shane doesn’t get up until 08H30. Which, I think you know means that I have to get her up over an hour early to get her and myself here on time.”

“Well, that’s not my problem, now is it, Colonel?”

“Of course not, sir, it’s all my problem.” He ends the muttered statement in a sigh.

“So you’ll be here?”“Yes, sir.”

“Both of you?”

“Yes, sir.”

“On time? Not an hour early or God forbid an hour late?” I would swear the Colonel rolled his eyes, but I just miss it.’

“Yes, sir. We’ll be there, the both of us, on time. I swear.”

“Fine, then. Jacob, anything to add?” The retired General just shakes his head in the negative. “All right, dismissed.”

I don’t know how, but now it seems like Colonel O’Neill--and maybe the good Doctor Frasier-- are in way more trouble than me or Hailey. And from the way he and Doc just tore out of here with the rest of SG-1 hot on their heels, they know it too.

Before long Hailey, Pinky, and I are the only one’s left in the briefing room. I look at her, holding our daughter and cherish the sight for it is one Colonel O’Neill will never see.

We guess they’ve forgotten about us and we decide hightail it out of there before they remember. I feel the numerous glances at our backs and can’t help the need to walk closer to Hailey than normal. It’s a protective instinct. What’s a guy to do?

We head to the commissary to get Pinky a bite to eat. We can tell she’s hungry, ‘because she tries to eat her mother’s hair whenever she is. It’s safe to say, eventually we got the idea.

We get to the serving line and decide on Jell-O for all of us. Now, the only debate is which Jell-O to get. There’s the blue, the green, the red, the orange, and of course the ever-present yellow.

I of course, being the man of the house, wanted red. Okay, not. I love orange Jell-O, just like I love orange soda and so that’s what I picked. To say Hailey was surprised would be an understatement, because she likes it too. Two orange-lovers. Who woulda thunk it?

But the big surprise was when our daughter reached for the yellow and the orange. Apparently she likes to keep her options open.

After paying for the Jell-Os we find an empty table and head that way. Before we get there, Satterfield stops us and invites us to her table.

We get to her table to see Grogan and another one of her team members...what’s-her-name...um, Tremborini. Yeah, that’s it. 1st Lieutenant Rossi Tremborini. She was recruited the training rotation before us.

Grace introduces us and we exchange pleasantries before sitting down. Rossi and Angela immediately hit it off and before we can stop her, she’s crawled out of her mother’s lap, across the table, and into Tremborini’s. Well, I’ll be damned. She’s just a year-old and Pinky’s already making more friends than me.

After this, Rossi asks about the scene in the ‘Gate room. She’d come in for a mission just an hour before and had been up in the briefing room with Satterfield, Grogan, and the rest of their team. She’d seen the whole thing through the window.

After having what started out as the Reader’s Digest turned long enough to rival the length of “War and Peace” for the book lovers, I cut off the questions.

“Guess who’s comin’ to the SGC tomorrow.” I see Hailey grin out of the corner of my eye.

Grace and Rossi look at us expectantly. We haven’t mentioned the littlest O’Neill yet. Grogan, who is admittedly faster in the head than he’s ever given credit for, claps his hands triumphantly.

“Colonel O’Neill and Major Carter’s daughter, Shaen!” There isn't a chance to ask how he knows about her.

“Colonel O’Neill and whose daughter, Lt.?”calls a voice from behind us. We all turn to see, none other than the notorious Senator Kinsey behind us.

This is great, real freakin’ great. Of everyone it had to be Senator “You’ve Got to Be Kidding Me”.

“He didn’t say anything, sir.” I refuse to bend to his beady-eyed glare. And he knows this.

He stomps out of the commissary, muttering…

“We’ll see about that.”

If things were bad before, they just got a hundred times worse. Who’s comin’ to the SGC tomorrow? Shiann Tabitha O’Neill. Who’s at the SGC now? Senator Robert (Y or N) * “Kick me”* Kinsey.

I turn to hear Hailey curse and say…

“The Shane’s out of the cradle now.” She has been spending way too much time with me. And we may be spending a whole lot of time together in Leavenworth if he has his say.

I really don’t need this. Really.

Guess who’s leaving the SGC. Take a guess. No prizes for getting it right. Oh, man, I really don’t need this. Not today.

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