Daniel & Adrienne #66 - From the Inside

It was bad enough that the base had actually become a military hell, but to feed them this swill was ridiculous. 

Cassie sat at the cafeteria table, alone, in the mostly empty room, stirring her grilled cheese into a bowl of warm tomato soup. Sure, she was thankful that she had gotten to keep her job, knowing full well that Jack had used her mother as the reason for Cassie being retained to assist Carolyn. With the gate closed and the iris shut now, for good, the teams having all returned weeks ago, Cassie wasn’t sure why Carolyn was here either. She wasn’t going to say a word, Jennifer and Rodney had left two weeks ago, Jennifer bound for Johns Hopkins and Rodney fielding offers from Georgetown, Johns Hopkins as well, and a number of others. 

Jen had been texting her the annoying Rodney brag by brag all week. 

Carson, as everyone had expected, had left with John, hell nearly the entire Atlantis crew had left with John. The commander had assured them all that his brother could find a job for each of them back at his home estate. She knew the crew didn't care about money, but what they did care about was staying together, except for Ronon who had run off with Vala. Apparently they were an item now. 

She hadn’t seen THAT coming. 

Everyone else however had stayed local for the most part, everyone except for Teal’c. She’d tried her best not the cry as the one person who made her not fear Jaffa when she was so small, hugged Sam, Jack and Daniel in the gateroom, whisking himself through the wormhole to never return. 

It was getting too depressing to stay here. 

Maybe she’d call Daniel. 

He knew she was upset, he’d been worried about her and had been trying to get her to come over and help them set up the nursery, come over and help Adrienne out, who evidently was equally as depressed. She wanted to, she really liked Addy, she was good for Daniel, but it was just a little more than she could handle right now. 

Pushing back from the table, Cassie stood, heading for the line again, hoping at the very least they had brewed some iced tea. 

*****

“And that is the final planet?” 

“Yes Teal’c, we have checked them all. Anubis has managed to confine himself to Langara,” the young woman reported, her Hak’tyl sisters behind her. 

“Thank you Syn’ac, that will be all for now. Please thank Ishta and tell her I will return as soon as I am able,” he said from behind the table, Brat’ac’s wise eyes already cutting at him. 

Teal’c could read his words without them even being spoken. 

As he’d expected, Brat’ac waited to speak, his presence imposing enough where even Ry’ac remained quiet. 

The door to the ceremonial room closed, the same room that eighteen short months ago had been a huge part of Teal’c becoming a grandfather, the three men sitting crossed legged on the floor with candles. 

“The Taur’i have abandoned the galaxy Teal’c and it seems that Anubis has as little power as their superiors believed. It is a poor use of Ishta’s tribe to send them on this fool’s mission into space,” his old teacher’s words were harsh, as Teal’c expected, his head already shaking in disagreement. 

“The Taur’i have not abandoned us Master Bra’tac. I can say with certainty that O’Neill and DanielJackson are working on a solution as we remain here, doing nothing,” he shot back, his response disrespectful he knew, but no longer caring. 

“We have our own problems. Just yesterday we’ve heard of yet another exodus of warriors, flocking under the banner of yet another savior. They follow one after another, and it does not matter who this savior might be, it is the fact that our people are choosing to follow any other path than the council,” Bra’tac explained without scolding, Teal’c knowing his words to be true. 

This latest leader was one of their own, Yat’Yir, who had always been a problem Teal’c knew, he just never thought he would walk out of the council and take half of it with him. He hadn’t supposed their elected president, a Hak’ytl woman by the name of Nictal, who much to Teal’c’s surprise had really stepped up to be a major part of the government would cause such a problem. She had been a good choice, she was neutral to old conflicts, well-spoken and well educated, as Ishta has made sure all of her women were. 

And therein laid the problem.

She was a woman. 

Some things never change.  

His son looking at him for answers that he didn’t have, Teal’c stood, walking over to the table to secure his robe. 

He needed to meditate. Alone. 

*****

Jonas had been on the phone all morning, one IOA bureaucrat after another trying to regain control of his assets. He didn’t have much, he knew that, but he’d accumulated enough working here for the short time that he did get paid here, again, and he knew it was enough for at least a deposit, if they’d give it to him. 

Three hours later he had a total, scrawled on a legal pad and nowhere to send it. He’d turned down an Earth identity, something he was now regretting, and the finance department refused to transfer one red cent into the Jackson bank account. 

Why was this so difficult?

He had appreciated Daniel and Adrienne’s hospitality, he could never thank them enough, but what had seemed like such a large living space was growing smaller by the minute. His bed had arrived two weeks quicker than he had expected, but with the lab in place in Daniel’s office, Adrienne’s office housing the nursery, Jonas had nowhere to sleep but in the corner of the living room. Not only did he have no personal space whatsoever but with things looking up and Adrienne not sulking around as much he was started to regret agreeing to live with a married couple, a happily married couple no less. 

There were some things he just didn’t want to hear. 

He would have never said anything to them, but it was just slightly awkward and embarrassing and he was certain that they had no idea he heard anything because they would have been as equally as mortified as he was having heard them. So, it was back to finding a way to get his money and get out of here. 

“Jonas, do you want coffee?” he heard Daniel shouting from the kitchen, the smell of that strong brew the two of them were addicted to floating out to greet him, something else he was getting tired of. That fancy machine Addy had could make individual cups of tea, but no amount of tea in the world could make up for the fact that the entire place smelled like a Colombian plantation. 

Or so he imagined. 

“No thanks!’ he shouted back, covering the phone receiver, his eyes looking back at the page, the pen listlessly circling the total. There was a click on the other end, Jonas hoping he was be connected to Jack, finally, when loud rap music started to blast through the living room. 

He’d forgotten; it was cleaning day and how in the world a nearly thirty four week pregnant woman was dancing around the house like she was was indeed a marvel of science itself. 

“Ja-wer!! Turn it down!!” Daniel ordered from the kitchen but Jonas knew Adrienne wasn’t going to listen. She would just shout something smart back at Daniel, which he would counter, sarcastically, and the music level would stay the same. He could point out to Addy that he was on the phone, but then she’d feel bad that she hadn’t noticed and she’d be apologizing for nearly an hour, so instead, he stood from the table, grabbing the legal pad, his cell phone tucked under his ear, heading for the back deck. 

“ - clean underwear!!!” he heard Adrienne’s voice screaming back at Daniel as he pulled the large glass door closed, taking a seat at the wrought iron porch table. 

He loved his friends, he did, but he really needed out of the Jackson household, sooner rather than later. 

*****

He was glad Sam had explained the buzzing noise, because Jack had almost made the error of calling Woolsey to cuss him out concerning the poor shape of the phone system, but that was just the charging sound, the PPS rocking another ZPM to life. 

“Honey, Cam can’t get another one out, RatFace is getting wise,” Jack said into the receiver the moment Sam shut the machine off, just in time to hear his wife sighing into the phone. 

“I guess that’s fine,” she grumbled from the other line, a few more pops and clicks accompanying her response, “I’m not sure if Rodney really fixed the fracture in this one anyway; it won’t seem to hold a charge past 33%.” 

Jack wasn’t sure how much 33% of a ZPM could actually power, but he knew it wasn’t a hundred percent and Sam seemed disappointed, so that information was enough.

“I’ll keep working on it; see if we can get one out by the end of the week. It helped that they’re letting Ann Mardsen keep records; she’d been good about fiddling with numbers and had even borrowed some toys from her nephew that she made look just like broken ZPMs. 

He had to hand it to her, he wouldn’t have thought of that. 

“How’s your day going?” he asked, scanning his emails, looking for something he would want to do, which was nothing. 

“Other than that and well, this, it’s fine. Things are so exciting spending my time with daytime soaps as I try not to get electrocuted by alien technology,” she attempted to joke, Jack chuckling at the attempt. He was about to offer to skip out an hour early, bring her some take-out home when his call waiting clicked in, making him roll his eyes. 

“Gotta go. Duty that’s still paying our bills calls. Love you,” Jack groaned into the phone, a small part of him wishing that he would be fired too. 

“O’Neill,” he growled into the mouthpiece, turning his chair back to face his desk. 

*****

Carolyn rubbed her head, staring down at the folder.  The cure worked, it did, but at the scale Bennett and the other members of the Defense Committee wanted it was going to take much more manpower and a lot less mouth. Granted, she hadn’t had any injuries to deal with, in fact, she felt more like a boutique doctor lately then a true medical professional, but she still had a job and that was all that mattered. 

She was just about to make a note, adjusting the amount of naquadah in the original dose, wondering how without the ability to contact their allies the IOA planned on getting this naquadah when she heard footsteps behind her. 

“How’s it going down here?” the voice asked, a voice that made her smile every time she heard it. It was Sam’s job, she understood that, but something about Cameron Mitchell working the post made her feel secure. 

“It’s going. I’m not sure if that’s what they want but we’ll see. I can start tests on mice by the end of the week if this goes as I thought; I have the supply ready,” she replied, setting down the pen and leaning against the table. 

“Well that’s something at least,” he answered with a grin, keeping his gentlemanly distance as he always did, making her stomach flutter. She’d refused to let this happen to her, like it seemed to happen to everyone, but it just had, and she couldn’t stop the feeling no matter how hard she tried. 

“What’s your day look like?” he asked next, smiling still, despite the confidence on his face expecting the answer, the rejection, the same response day after day. 

“I have a few personnel coming in shortly, general complaints, mostly from being overworked, but no one will listen. Addy’s coming in at three, just her weekly check-up, everything’s fine, but after that, nothing...” she led, leaving it open for the first time.

Hell, if work was gonna suck so bad she might as well have a personal life. 

“I have a meeting at the Senate office at four and then Woolsey’s taking night shift, he’ll be here at six to change over at seven, he likes to loom over me as I shut down the day staff, so, I didn’t know if you’d want to -” Cam started, rambling off his calendar, Carolyn shooting up her hand to halt his awkward invitation. 

“Yes, yes I’d love to. How about I meet you in the parking lot at seven thirty?” she answered with a smile, a look of sheer disbelief spreading across his face. 

“Carolyn, it’s grilled cheese again, for nearly every meal it seems,” Cassie said from doorway, Cam straightening up and as if he had been doing something other than just asking Carolyn to dinner. 

“See,” the doctor whispered to him with a smile, “it’s fate. I hated grilled cheese.” And with that, left his side, walking over to where Cassie was pulling patient files. 

Still stunned Cameron Mitchell left the infirmary headed to Sam’s office, as Carolyn peeped over her shoulder, blushing. 

*****

“Dammit Indy leave it up!” Adrienne shouted from the laundry room, switching the last load from the washer to the dryer. She needed that today, she needed the distraction of hard-core gangstas, Nicky’s swift kicks reminding her exactly why. 

“Does it have to be so damn loud!?!” she heard him yell in return, Adrienne slamming the door to the dryer trying not to be angry. There was a forceful crash deep in her belly and she winced, holding onto the appliance, hearing footsteps behind her. 

“Ja-wer!” he started fussing already, reaching out for her but she shooed him away. 

“He’s just dropping, and my back hurts. It’s ok, no labor,” she assured him, standing again. 

“Ad, go sit down. Stop cleaning, I’ve got this,” Daniel pushed her now to the living room Adrienne wincing again, her palm braced firmly against the wall.

“Go to the bedroom, now,” Daniel’s tone changed, his expression grim, stepping forward to force her if he had to. 

“Why?” she whined. There was so much to be done and she didn’t have time for his worrying.

“Go lie down and slip off your pants. I’m gonna check, see if this is worse than you think,” he answered, his wife turning to glare at him. 

“Don’t look at me like that, I know what I’m doing,” he answered the smart remark he could read in her expression. 

“That’s doesn’t mean I’m gonna let you down there!” she shot back, Daniel now making a smart face of his own. 

“Really? Need I remind you that I’ve...” he started, Adrienne shooting her hand up to his mouth. 

“No, no, no, no, no, no. I have an appointment with Carolyn today and nothing is going to happen between now and then,” she spat, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. 

“Ah m ya usben,” Daniel muttered underneath her hand, the hand that was still there, with no intention of going anywhere. This was silly, he’d seen her in more intimate situations than he could count but she was worried about him checking to see if she was dilating!?!

“Yes, you are. NOT my doctor. That is weird and not normal and no and none of that other stuff that’s coming out of your mouth, got it?” she glared up at him. 

“Gah it,” he replied, hoping she understood that was fine and would stop freaking out over nothing. She glared for a moment longer, slowly pulling the hand away from his mouth. 

“I only worry because I love you,” he said the moment it was away, “and I could ease both of our fears very easily.” 

“My hand is moving back toward your face,” she warned. 

“And because you are a stubborn pain in the ass,” he added, “I worry because of that too,” Adrienne turning on her heels to waddle out of the room. 

“I’ve delivered babies!” he shouted from behind, “three of them.” 

“Not this baby you aren’t!! Go get the keys, we’re heading to the doctor early so she can check; the one that WILL deliver this baby!!” she responded, already in the bedroom. 

“Fine Ad, whatever you say,” Daniel answered but followed, not wanting to argue the silliness of this with her any longer.

*****

Can we get another by Friday?

Standing in the supply closet Ann Mardsen read the message again not knowing how to respond. Sure, the powers that be really didn’t hang out in the storage areas or the closed labs, but they weren’t so stupid as the believe that the flood of people who had dedicated their lives to the program would just step away. 

It was her job to make sure that was exactly what they believed. 

She’d done her best to ransack the Jacksons’ lab after receiving word that the Furlings had aided them in securing their items. That had been her first challenge, but with some paper boxes of trash, some cardboard containers of broken tiles and a few computers from recycling, she made it look like she was using the space for storage as things continued to be downsized. 

That had worked, much to her shock. 

Her next task had been to begin stealing ZPM’s, which were located in two places. The ones in storage, the broken devices were easy. She’d even fashioned some look-a-likes from old toys, resembling the crystals enough so someone casually glancing at the shelves would think the fragments were just as they had been left by Rodney. 

Rodney’s lab was the hardest. Unlike Daniel and Adrienne, he didn’t keep much in there, and it was very sparse save for the ZPMs. There were three there, one at full power that SG-1 had recovered some time ago and two from Atlantis base, in perfect working order but completely drained. She had yet to get those out and that was what Colonel Mitchell wanted now. 

It looked like Sam was going to get her battle station powered. 

Ann hoped so. She was sick of pushing paper, sick of assisting in battle plans, sick of trying to reconstruct pieces of the Asgard database that were “left” in the computer that had “crashed” when she knew the real one was at the Jacksons’ house. When she had first been offered the opportunity right out of Airmen’s Academy she couldn’t believe it, a literal dream come true. 

A dream that was now paper and what she’d joined the Air Force to avoid. 

I’ll have it to you by Thursday. 

She texted back, determination in her face. There seemed to be only one way to get this back and if that meant her job so be it. Either Sam would hire her back once things were back to normal or it would be the swift kick in the ass that she needed to move on. 

Anything was better than this. 

*****

This day really couldn’t get any better, which wasn’t saying much considering Cameron was now in his dear friend’s job, had been for nearly two months now, expected to build a defensive system against a foe he wasn’t even allowed to understand. Now, he had a message on his phone that he wanted to see and a dinner date tonight he’d only dreamed of having. 

It was definitely a good day. 

Hell, maybe he would get totally lucky and Jack would call telling him that Sam had activated all of the ZPM’s, that she was going to come marching back into the SGC on a figurative white horse, save him from a desk job and let him get back into his element. 

Sure, there was a small part of Cameron Mitchell that was grateful that he had been selected to head the SGC, in a shared position with Robert Woolsey, especially since it was almost a clear indicator that he was being considered for a promotion to general. 

GENERAL Mitchell. 

It sounded cool, sure, but not if general meant this paperwork and red tape of hell. 

Custer had the right idea; go down with your men. 

Thanks. Keep me informed. 

He texted back, heading over to his desk, no Sam’s desk, this was gonna work, sitting down to cue up his email. It was the same nonsense, a list of questions and meetings, things that the staff the IOA had so casually laid off would be able to answer, but they weren’t here, and ergo it was left up to him. Frustrated, he checked his phone instead hoping to kill time before his off-base meeting where he had already planned to stop and get one of those fast foot roast beef sandwiches, since he was getting sick of cafeteria food. There was nothing in his house, not that he liked to cook anyway, but some decent food once in a while would be great. 

There was a beep in the dial tone, only one slow methodical tone, so he must only have a single message. 

Maybe it was Sam. 

He keyed in his access code, Sam’s access code, a familiar voice on the other line. 

Cam, hey it’s Jonas. Listen, I’ve hit a hang up, again, with my pay and Jack said I have to talk to you. I’m sorry to be such a pest about it but I really need my money soon. 

Cam was already jotting himself a note to look into Jonas’ pay when there was a loud bang and a second voice in the message, yet another he knew all too well. 

Jonas, oh, hey, you’re on the phone, I’m sorry, hang on, Indy DAMMIT don’t touch the dryer, I have my sweaters in there!!!!!

The colonel couldn’t help but laugh, it was too funny, he couldn’t imagine life with the pair of them. 

Cam, please. Please help me; I just. Call me when you get this message. 

Ok, so evidently Jonas couldn’t handle life with the Jacksons either. He couldn’t help but feel for the guy, how many times in a person’s life did they have to move and under such circumstances? Well, Daniel moved an awful lot but Jonas had to be a close second. 

Sighing, but preferring tracking down Jonas’ money over IOA bullshit, Cam hung up the phone, reaching for his desk directory to figure out who he needed to call. 

*****

“Hey Addy!” Cassie greeted happily, thankful to take a break from filing. The cajun woman was smiling, leaning back slightly to counter balance her large abdomen. 

“Shamu has arrived!” she joked, headed straight for the sink, after water Cassie knew, since Carolyn would ask for a urine sample first thing. For as much trouble as Adrienne caused, accidentally, the woman was sure good about her own health. She’d taken every vitamin Carolyn had requested, kept up with her medication, drank plenty of water, and had almost entirely eliminated caffeine. 

She really was the ideal patient. 

“You’re early, is everything alright?” Cassie asked, now noting the time, which was only a few minutes after one when Adrienne smiled, rolling her eyes playfully.

“Yep, Daniel just worrying like he does,” she answered, her husband nowhere to be seen.

“Adrienne I need -” Carolyn started, their smiling patient waving her hand as she chugged down the small plastic cup. 

“On it!” she replied as she swallowed. 

“Where’s Daniel?” she asked, peeking at the infirmary doors, looking for him to be trailing behind. 

“According to Indy? Visiting Cam. According to me? Snooping,” she smiled, tossing the cup into a trash can and waddling to the bathroom.  

“I’m right here smartass, Cam’s not in his office,” his voice laughed behind her, teasing, walking right over, reaching out for her. 

“No squeezing sha, that will result in peeing and not in a cup,” Adrienne joked, pushing him aside on her way to the bathroom. Cassie couldn’t help but smile as she watched the normally athletic frame make her way slowly and carefully to the facilities. 

“Daniel we got so lucky with all of this, that given everything, Addy’s body didn’t reject the baby. I hope you know that,” Carolyn’s voice broke her stare, making her peer back at the pair, Daniel already nodding in agreement.  

“I know. Adrienne does too and I can’t thank you enough for taking such good care of her,” he replied, Carolyn taking a step closer. 

“If she’s thinning today, I want to induce. There’s every indicator that the baby is just fine, thirty four weeks is safe, we have the facilities to take care of a preemie and he really wouldn’t even be that much of a preemie. I want you to understand, because I get this feeling that Addy’s gonna fight me on it if it comes to that,” she explained as Daniel closed his eyes taking a breath. 

“I’ll try, but she’s been working on a birthing plan, which includes every organic hippie treatment, no nightmare, every organic hippie nightmare that you could imagine,” he replied, his eyes on the bathroom door waiting for his wife, “but she’ll listen to you. She informed me, in no uncertain terms, that you will be the only person delivering this baby.” 

Cassie giggled, the two friends turning to look at her. Daniel had delivered babies, as had Carson and she thought Jennifer had, she wasn’t sure. She was pretty sure she could see a smile on Carolyn’s face because for as stubborn as Addy was, she did listen to Carolyn and took her advice to heart. 

There was more conversation ahead, but the young doctor felt as if she was eavesdropping, so she slipped way, back to her patients, giving them the privacy they deserved. 

A click sounded behind her, Cassie peering over her shoulder to see Adrienne walking from the bathroom, cup of yellowish fluid in hand, heading in her direction not Carolyn’s. 

“For the record,” the cajun started, Cassie always able to hear her southern accent even when she was trying so hard to hide it, “I think it sucks you get pee pee duty every time,” she joked as she handed over the warm cup. Cassandra Frasier had to agree, urine duty was not fun, but with the fears of losing the Jackson baby, Cassie would prefer to be running pee any day.  

It wasn’t that Adrienne herself had been at any risk, it was the variety of factors, most of which Carolyn reminded everyone, were Daniel’s fault. Adrienne herself was perfectly healthy; save for some scarring that Adrienne couldn’t explain but didn’t have to. Carolyn had talked to Cassie about it, although the archaeologist herself had admitted nothing, it was clear that she had suffered a vicious and somewhat violent attack, leading to minor damage that was clearly never treated. 

Cassie wanted to ask, but didn’t want to pry because if considering Adrienne’s obsession with health she still didn’t inform her doctors, than it was something that she never wanted to discuss again.

On top of that, Adrienne still carried slight traces of trinium in her spinal column, which could leak into her bloodstream at any moment but it was the dopamine healing that concerned the doctors the most. Would Adrienne’s body reject the baby, seeing it as an injury? Carolyn herself had said she couldn’t believe that Adrienne had even conceived, much less that the baby survived her captivity, but for the child to be carried to term...

It was a medical miracle and no one was taking any chances. 

“No sign yet,”  Carolyn announced from under the sheet, Adrienne shrugging from the opposite end of the table. 

“Am I the only person who wants this to go on time? I mean really Indy, if you are so gung ho about Nicky making an appearance you’d think the crib would be constructed already,” she teased from the table, Daniel rolling his eyes. 

Cassie couldn’t help but wonder if Daniel knew how to put together a crib.

“I take it that’s my task for the afternoon?” he took the hint, again, Cassie suppressing a chuckle. They were so cute together she really couldn’t be upset anymore like she was in the beginning. It wasn’t like Daniel could be expected to never see anyone else, ever again. She knew that Vala mess wouldn’t work out, that was so bizarre in the first place, but there was a part of Cassie that had always hoped...

“Hey Cassie, can you get me another cup of water?” Adrienne was asking from the table, Cassie happily standing to fulfill her request. She heard more movement, Daniel helping Adrienne to her feet so sweetly as the cajun continued to joke about Daniel’s nursery furniture construction skills. 

“Sure thing!” she answered cheerily, standing herself, rubbing her temples as she did. Stupid headache, she needed to stop staying up that late reading. Grabbing the ibuprofen bottle as she went to the sink, Cassie filled up a cup for herself, downing the meds before taking Adrienne her request. 

*****

“Jonas?” finally he called back, the Langaran happy for the interruption to his silence. 

His dear happily married joyously bickering friends had left a few hours ago, the townhouse dropping to silence the moment Daniel pulled the door closed behind him. He had sat on the sofa, reading a true crime novel, almost allowing himself to doze off when the phone rang loudly beside him. 

“Cam, thank you so much for calling me back. I take it you got my message?”  Jonas asked, sitting up, rubbing his face with his hand. 

“Yeah, I wanted to check into a few things before calling you back so sorry about the delay,” the colonel answered, Jonas not minding in the least. A delay was good; it meant that maybe something had gotten accomplished...

“We can get you the money...” 

See, something accomplished....

“But it’s gonna take about eight weeks...” 

“Fuck!” 

Oops, that was out loud. 

“Man, I’m sorry, that’s the best I can do,” Cam apologized quickly, not present to see Jonas stand from the sofa, unable to miss his bed, his poor excuse for a room shoved in the corner of the living area. 

“No, thanks, at least I can get it. I’ll just need to be patient,” Jonas sighed out, trudging to the kitchen hoping he had some eggplant. Ratatouille would be great meal, simple, satisfy his frustration cutting vegetables...

“Patient? Dude, don’t tell me that you’re trying to get some damn sports car like Vala. Hell, with her and Dex gone, the Miata’s here in storage, I could probably get that out quicker than your funds,” he answered, Jonas shaking his head. 

“No,” he said, stopping the shaking that Cam wasn’t there for either, “it’s not that. I don’t need a car; the transit here is just fine. It’s, well, it’s just...” he paused, feeling terrible.  After everything they had done for him, everything, here he was, busting his ass to get out. They weren’t that bad to live with, he could deal with the music, the banter, the cuddling, the...

“I’ve got to get out of here,” he spat without thinking, Cameron erupting into laughter on the other line. 

“I bet. I heard Addy’s a screamer,” Cam replied, Jonas clearing his throat. 

“Other way around.” 

Cam shut up. 

“So I take it that you need money for an apartment?” Cam chose instead, desperately trying to dispel the nightmare of images forming in his mind. 

“Yeah and soon. My bed is in the living room Cam, the living room,” Jonas just couldn’t contain it any longer, letting it all pour out, “and that music she listens too, it is so bad, Daniel must really love her to not want to puncture his ears every time she turns it on! And they are at it non-stop, not just the sex, but the bickering, constantly, back and forth, over and over, and her mood swings and Daniel, wow, he’s got this whiney brat side that she just tolerates, she coddles the hell out of him when she’s not swearing at him in that redneck speak of hers and I just can’t take it anymore!” 

There was a pause at the other end. 

“You better?” Cam finally spoke, counting to thirty before he did. 

“Yeah,” Jonas muttered, “I feel like a complete and total ass but yeah.” 

“Don’t,” this time the answer was quick, “just because they work together doesn’t mean that you have to work with them, well, in a living together sort of way.” 

The colonel was correct, Jonas knew this in his heart, but he still felt terrible guilt over all of this. The Langaran stood at the kitchen counter, leaning back, phone to his ear, wondering if he could make it eight more weeks. Cam was silent on the other line, Jonas hearing some clicking in the background. He was about to thank the colonel for his effort and hang up when there was throat clearing.

“You know, I’ve got an extra room, just a few boxes of crap in there now,” Cam offered. 

Wait? Is he offering me to move in with him? 

“And I can assure you that there is no screaming sex going on in my apartment,” he continued, Jonas not able to help but laugh. 

“Are you serious?” he asked, wanting Cam to really be serious and not just pitying him. 

“Yeah. I’d have gotten a roommate already but it’s kinda hard being that I work at a job that doesn’t exist and all,” he joked, Jonas knowing he had a point.  There really was no way to find a roommate that would understand exactly what in the world, no, the universe that they did for a living. Stepping back from the counter, Jonas scanned the kitchen, the baby bottle boxes ready to go, the vitamins taking up an entire shelf, the notes on the fridge in different languages his two current roommates left for one another, most of which involved some disgusting declaration of eternal love, everything that reminded him that he was a third wheel that just didn’t belong. 

“When can I move in?” Jonas asked, opening the fridge. 

“Ha, ok, I’ll take that as a yes. Let me get a few things in order and yeah, maybe this weekend. Would that work?” he was serious, this isn’t a joke, relief washing over Jonas. 

“That sounds perfect. Thanks Cam, thank you, and as soon as I start getting my money, and, well, get a job, I’ll pay half of the rent, I promise,” Jonas said, and he meant it, hoping that Cam knew he did. 

“No problem. Look, I’ll make a deal with you. You bring all of that cooking stuff that you’ve acquired there and cook so I don’t have to endure the shit here any longer and we’ll be good to go.” 

*****

The IV was secure in the Lt. Tuey’s arm, Cassie taking a step back and cracking her shoulders. 

“Got that Cass?” Carolyn asked, the young doctor taking a step in her direction. She faltered in her step, a brief spell of dizziness making her shake her head. 

“Damn flu,” she swore, taking a breath before continuing your step. 

“Are you feeling it now too?” Carolyn asked, concerned, Cassie waving a hand in protest. 

“Little bit, or I’m feeling something. Maybe it’s just stress. It seems that everyone coming in all day is showing flu symptoms,” she complained, Carolyn shrugging. 

“CDC has labeled the entire East Coast as a hot bed for the mess this season. I even told Addy to cut her meds to every other day just to insure that everything is alright. Keep her from getting it. Poor thing doesn’t need to feel any worse,” her boss answered and Cassie couldn’t help but agree. 

“Was she complaining of anything?” she asked, curious, considering that Adrienne had seemed very happy when she came. 

“Not this time, but that’s a big baby. She was sick for so long, she’s had terrible mood swings, her hips have been a mess most of the time but I can tell. She’s just not comfortable,” Carolyn replied, genuine concern in her voice. It was sweet, Carolyn worried about Adrienne and Cassie would have smiled, were it not for the pain in her head making the use of any facial muscles. 

“Cass, speaking of ok, you don’t look well, maybe you should lie down,” Carolyn suggested, taking a step from the lab work that she was running, walking over to her intern. With a frown on her face she placed her hand to her forehead, shaking her head. 

“I’ve got it, don’t I?” 

“Looks like it. To bed with you, now. Maybe if you take some meds and get some sleep you can fight this because if flu is ripping through this base I’m gonna need you,” Carolyn added, Cassie understanding. 

She was right, with Jenn and Carson gone, it would just be the two of them dealing with that disgustingly strong strain of the flu she had been reading about. Nodding, Cassie turned to go to her quarters not bothering with taking any of her stuff back to her room, a caring voice shouting behind her. 

“Lots of fluids!!!” 

*****

“Samantha, you missed THIS crack,” Rodney was quick to correct, proudly, as Sam knew he would. Normally it would have really pissed her off but she was so desperate for a second opinion on the matter that she blew off the remark. 

“So, it should work now,” she clarified approaching him, ready to activate the PPS as soon as he was certain.  

“Positive,” he replied as he directed her attention to the area in question, using the small hand device to seal the break. That had been a great find in the ancient lab, one that had absolutely no use until the PPS was brought to Earth. 

The general shrugged, reaching in front to cue the power source and let it work its magic. 

She knew Rodney wanted to do it himself, and she probably could let him, but she felt like a small child on Christmas morning. Three, she only needed three to work, the one that Jack and Addy had recovered, the one she was able to charge from the original set on Atlantis and this one that was obtained by Ronon and Cam. The other two sitting in the lab that she had been begging Ann to smuggle wouldn’t even matter if they could do it with these three.

Three, the magic number, and this was that third. 

Stepping back, Sam reached out her hands taking the ZPM in one and the PPS in another, bringing them together slowly to touch the tops. There was a faint clink of crystal, a small spark inside the PPS and the machine whirred to life with vibration. The blank lines in the PPS were pulsating, moving, thin beams of energy floating out of them.  Her heart raced, this had to work because if it worked then it was the break they needed, that she needed. 

In silence the two scientists let their eyes scan the meter, watching the numbers climb...

34 

57

78

91

100

“It worked,” Rodney breathed out, Sam smiling and not saying a word, “we have three fully powered ZPM’s. We can...” 

“Return to Pegasus, yes, we can. And we can face Anubis. Pass me my communicator,” she said, extending her hand. His eyes still wide with amazement, he did as she asked, his gaze not breaking from that beautiful number. 

*****

Cassie wasn’t answering the phone in her room. Pain rocketed through Carolyn’s head as she glanced back at the blood work, unable to believe her eyes since technically this was supposed to be an urban legend but she knew it wasn’t. 

She knew this was exactly what it looked like and who was responsible. 

You didn’t need to be an Egyptologist to figure it out, she watched enough movies. It was Anubis, it was clearly Anubis because in every film she had ever seen he was the god of the afterlife, of embalming and would know this. 

Nausea raced through her and she would have vomited were there enough contents in her stomach to vomit.  She needed help but they needed someone who would be unaffected, someone who wouldn’t catch this if it was airborne, someone who could fight it off regardless.

She needed Daniel. It was early enough, she had them both take their medication at night. All she had to do was send him a message and stay awake long enough to tell him what to do, but she was so dizzy, she needed to check the IV’s of the personnel in the infirmary, she needed to check on Cassie, get her down here and on fluids, she needed to try the only idea she had. 

The same idea she had been working on all day.

Taking a deep breath, Carolyn Lam made her way slowly and carefully to the walk-in, phone in hand, typing the message with her thumb. She stopped her message mid-explanation to key herself into the locked storage, shivering as the cold blasted around her. 

She saw what she needed, stored in the far corner on a bottom shelf, labeled in her code, a lame code she was certain by the standards of her friends, but in code that Woolsey and the rest of the IOA would never figure out. Resuming her typing she took a step forward, the dizziness back, the world spinning, a fast rushing spiral of metal racing to meet her face. 

****

His phone buzzed in his pocket as he watched Adrienne re-read the directions. They had been at this for two hours and at this point had a base with wheels. Somehow it seemed just wrong that two people with a genius level IQ couldn’t put a crib together. 

He was convinced this was some Mensa graduate’s cruel joke. 

“Ok, it looks like we were supposed to do the back side first, attach that to the base and work from there,” she muttered, not looking up, a frown on her face that he knew she had picked up from him. He tried not to laugh, especially since he’d been picking his fingernails throughout this entire process, but some things he just noticed more the closer they were to being parents. 

He wondered what habits Nicky would pick up. 

“Indy, are you listening to me? You have to READ the directions,” she teased, kicking him lightly. He would have read the directions but she had stolen them the moment he opened the box not leaving him a lot of choice. He decided to overlook that as well, glancing up with a smile as she balanced the booklet on her enormous stomach. It made him wince; the size that she was he KNEW that labor was gonna hurt, a lot. 

“DANIEL HELLO??” she said his name as if she had been repeating it, which she might have, as he was lost in this thoughts. He had been doing that a lot again lately, all of his fears coming to fruition, the top of that list being a parent. 

His pocket buzzed again, but it was a hand reaching into it that really brought him back from his flood of worry. 

“Oh shit,” she said as she sat back on her knees, her eyes wide, her face panic stricken. Shaking his head, Daniel reached out, taking the phone as he peered up at his wife. 

“Oh shit what?” he asked, peeking at the screen to see it was Carolyn Lam that had texted him. More worries, more panic, he quickly slide his thumb across the screen, activating the device to read the text. 

Please let everything be alright, please...

The screen flickered to life and Daniel made a face at the message, one that made no sense at all for about a minute. 

We’re being embalmed alive. Help. It won’t affect you. Skip your meds. 

Embalmed? 

How?

Skip meds? 

“Sha, what’s wrong. He’s been kicking the snot outta me all day, he’s fine right? Everything’s fine, please say everything’s fine,” Adrienne was tearing up, shaking, her hand on her belly as Daniel shook his head, his jaw dropping. 

“It’s Anubis, he’s killing them,” he said slowly, not standing, just freezing, unsure as to what he should do. He couldn't leave Addy alone, if Anubis had made his way to base killing his wife and child would be his very next goal, and Jonas, Jonas had left a note that he had some errands to take care of and he didn’t have a car, he took the metro, there would be no quick way to get him back here even if he called him and what was on base, why didn’t Carolyn call, who was hurt, he knew Sam was headed in, Jack was there, where was Cam, was Vala still in orbit or were she and Dex there too and here he was worried about crib instructions when his friends could already be dead...

“Get up!” Adrienne was over him, ordering, her hand extended to help, a hand he didn’t take as he stood. 

“We’ve gotta go, go get your shoes,” she continued, the directions tossed aside, determination in her waddle as she went to do as she was ordering. 

“No, Ad, we, no I need to figure out where to hi -” he started and stopped, sensing her reaction in her halt. 

“Hide me? Like that worked before. Look, I’m coming with you and we’re gonna help like Carolyn asked. Period. Don’t argue with the woman carrying your child,” she shot back quickly, Daniel preparing to argue, hormonal tears or not. 

“Adrienne, no, if this is some virus, some infection, I can’t risk both you and Nicholas,” he continued, her eyes rolling wildly. 

“READ, Daniel, you are really off your game today. She clearly said ‘skip your meds’,” she reminded, Daniel sighing out. 

“Your son is my personal dopamine factory. Let’s move,” she added with a smile. 

Daniel knew better than to argue. 

*****

“Vala, you in the mood for a little breaking and entering?” Sam kept it brief, Rodney beginning to pack ZPM’s into canvas bags. 

“Always, where this time?” she answered quickly, Sam hoping that they were close enough to beam them up safely and quietly. She should call Jack but he was at the White House all day and she didn’t want to bother him until she knew. 

Or Daniel. 

Because if this worked, she needed to sit down and talk to Daniel, really talk to Daniel. 

“Atlantis base, we’ve got three ZPM’s ready to go,” Sam whispered as if someone would hear but maybe it was just in that saying it out loud she was afraid this would all fall apart...

“Hey sexy, you ready to break into your home?” Sam heard Vala shout to Ronon, his deep voice replying only with ‘when.’

This was happening, she thought, we’re gonna power it up. 

“Sam, we can beam you up now,” Vala answered; the general turning to give Rodney a thumbs up.  

“Give us five minutes. It’ll be myself, Rodney and three bags,” Sam requested, turning to face her companion. 

“I want to go back. I just want to say that now before anything else happens. I’m not sure about Jenn, I’m not so sure about, and I don’t want to, but, well, I want to go. I want to go back,” Rodney stammered out, Sam nodding in understanding. 

“Let’s go one step at a time,” she answered kindly, grabbing a few things before they were beamed away. 

*****

There was no one to let them in at the base back entrance and Daniel no longer had the credentials to go strolling through the front door of the Pentagon.

Luckily, he was married to a computer hacker. 

Kneeling at the front door, reaching around her belly she typed a few things into the keypad, shoving a safety pin into the side, swearing in cajun until the light turned green. 

“Gonna make it dat damn easy, whataa pain pee po,” Adrienne muttered as she stood, Daniel helping her to her feet. 

“No alarms?” he asked, concerned as his wife stood, brushing pavement dirt from her knees. 

“No, and it’s just damn sad that we can get in this easily, especially since they KNOW about the various threats,” she replied, reaching for the door knob, the pair dashing inside, or trying to, Daniel nearly tripping on the obstruction at his feet. 

It was a body, an airman, Daniel halting Adrienne’s advance to kneel and check his pulse. 

“Is he?” she asked, fearful, no longer as confident as she was on the ride over. 

“He’s dead, come on,” he grabbed her hand, pulling her along as he raced to the elevators. 

Bodies littered the floor, more than Daniel had expected; each and every one of them a sunken in face, devoid of color, mouths opens and eyes ash. 

“Don’t look,” he ordered her, needlessly, Adrienne was strong, but with her hormones he wasn’t sure she could handle it. 

“They’re mummies, minus the wrapping, but they’re mummies. How in the hell did he do it? How is that even possible?” she rambled, fear in her voice, but soldiered on, their destination in sight. He let go of her hand, running to the doors, to the button, slamming it down and waiting. There were some personnel he recognized, one of the men that had worked down with Satterfield, he didn’t even know any of part of the staff that was left, one woman from SG-6, another...

The doors opening, Daniel shoved Adrienne into their safety without thought, his finger on the door close button before she could scold. 

“As soon as this door opens you are to go straight to the gate room, understood?” 

“What? I’m not leaving you,” Adrienne protested immediately. 

“Ad, I have no idea what we’re walking into and we can’t do this alone. I’m going to go find Carolyn and you need to get that Iris open and that gate active,” Daniel said as he watched the numbers decrease taking them to the bottom floor. 

“Active? I’ve never activated the gate before,” she stammered, worried, Daniel reached our for her shoulders. 

“I have FULL faith in you ja-wer,” he whispered, kissing her head, knowing that she could do it; if anyone in his life could do it it was Adrienne. 

“Indy that tech, it’s way above me, I just, I have no clue,” she continued rambling as Daniel shook his head. 

“You CAN Ad, I know you can, it’s hooked up to a computer. Hack into it. I need you to,” he repeated, his plan coming together in his mind, a plan that would keep her safe...

“Daniel what if that door opens to a bunch of clones ready to blast us away?” she changed her worries, her eyes at the elevators doors and descending numbers, not even thinking she would make it to the gate. 

“It won’t trust me,” he answered with full faith that the statement was true. 

“How do you know?” her voice was quiet, scared in a way he wasn’t used to with her. 

Remember, he reminded himself, you said that you would never lie to her again. 

“Because when Anubis comes for me, when he comes for us, it won’t be that easy. It’ll be a nightmare,” the honest words crossed his lips, Adrienne standing in front of him in silence. She knew, he didn’t have to tell her, but saying it confirmed the truth of their situation, that they were now a unit that Anubis was determined to rip apart.

“Where do you want me to dial?” she was herself again, not the emotional mess that he was starting to lead out in the elevator, but Adrienne, his strong-willed partner for life. 

“Chulac, get Teal’c and the Jaffa, bring them here. The tretonin will keep them safe from exposure and they can help us round up the survivors,” he started to explain his plan, Adrienne nodding in that way that she did, her brain processing the orders. 

The elevator jerked and halted, coming to a rest of the basement level, the doors sliding open once more. There was a body lying in the hallway, a woman, looked to be a senate staffer or something, her tablet computer cracked beside her lifeless body. 

“Please don’t do anything heroic, Please,” Adrienne begged at she pulled him by the shirt to face her, her hand slipping up to his cheek. 

“I won’t,” he lied, “go get Teal’c.” 

Breathing in, she turned to race away, Daniel shouting behind her. 

“I love you!!!” he wanted to say one last time, just in case he was wrong. 

*****

“The chapa’i is active!!!” the screams were loud enough to be heard miles away even if Teal’c had not been standing outside of his home. He turned, looking to the horizon, wondering who might be coming through since he wasn’t aware of any scheduled visits. 

There were no shots fired, no other indicators of a problem, so Teal’c simply turned to head back inside and see what he should prepare for the evening meal. 

“It’s the TAURI!!!!!” the crier was louder this time, his words making Teal’c freeze, glancing over his shoulder to see Ishta powering her way to the gate. 

She would beat him there, she was faster, but he turned nonetheless to chase her. 

His friends has returned.

*****

When she heard the scream she didn’t even stop to think because she knew it would happen. From what she knew of their friends on Earth, they would have never just disappeared; they would have found a way back to their alliance.  She heard the crier shout again, what sounded like “Jackson” and ran faster, knowing it was one of her mate’s closest comrades returning. 

The young boy came into view and he was standing in front of a woman, a pregnant woman, in tears, and instantly Ishta knew she had anticipated the wrong member of that coupling. 

“AdrienneJackson!” she shouted out, racing onward, catching the woman as she was about to fall. 

“Anubis, Ishta, he’s attacked da base, it’s awful, so many dead, all ova da ‘alls, da gate room, I cud na get Walter ta wake up, ‘ee’s barely breathin’, it’s jus me ahn Daniel, ‘ee’s gone ta find Carolyn, she messaged us, we donna know what’s going on fo sho...” she was blabbering, shaking, Ishta holding her in her arms. 

“Have the ships arrived? I’ll have Teal’c summon the Ha’tak’s, we will fight,” but Adrienne was shaking her head, sucking in tears, clearing her words. 

“No, it’s a poison or illness or sumdin, it’s internal, da Tretonin, ya’ll shouldn’t be affected,” she choked out, holding her belly. 

“Does the child come?” the worried stricken Jaffa asked, Adrienne shaking her head. 

“No, he just likes torturing me. Must be genetic,” she tried to joke, letting the warrior help her stand as Teal’c came to a stop at her side. 

“What has happened?” he asked, his own eyes scanning his friend for injury. 

“He’s embalming us, them, we don’t know how...” the cajun sobbed out, “and I left Daniel, he made me come and get you.” 

“Take her to Kar’yn,” he ordered his counterpart, Adrienne shaking her head. 

“I’m not leaving Daniel,” she countered, sniffing in and collected herself so that she could speak clearly. 

“AdrienneJackson you already have,” he answered in reply. 

“To get you. I’m not hiding out while that asshole goes after my husband. So are you gonna help or what?” she said as she straightened, Teal’c unable to muster any other reaction than a smile at her perseverance. 

“Ishta, please go find Ry’ac and the others. I must help my friends,” Teal’c requested, the beautiful blond woman nodding in reply, turning, dashing back to town as the Jaffa looked down at teammate.  

“You realize that DanielJackson most likely sent you through to keep you safe from this threat thinking that I would force you to stay?” Teal’c noted, Adrienne smiling. 

“Yep,” she answered. 

“And he will be very upset when you come back through, putting yourself in danger for him once more?” he continued, Adrienne nodding.

“Without a doubt. I’ll dial and do you have an extra staff weapon? I left Eric at home,” she asked with a wink as her hands made quick work of the DHD. 

Shaking his head as there was no convincing her to do otherwise, Teal’c stood back, watching the wormhole take shape in front of him. 

*****

The infirmary was packed, these personnel still alive it seemed, but Dr. Lam was nowhere in sight. His head darting left and right, Daniel scanned the room, looking for any sign of an intruder, any sign of anything, but there was nothing, the entire room frighteningly still. 

“Where are you?” he shouted to someone that he was certain wouldn’t answer, his eyes doing a second scan when he noted the cold storage was open. Without hesitation he ran for the partially open door, throwing it back to find the doctor lying on the floor, phone still in hand. Her other was reaching out for a small cardboard box on the bottom shelf, a box labeled ‘Q’ . 

He paused now, staring down at her, wanting to help but trying to figure out what she had been attempting to do in those final moments of consciousness. Clearly she had been sending him a message, the text now making sense since she probably had a better chance of a signal with words rather than a voice call, but what was she in here for. Kneeling, crawling over to her quickly, he pulled the box on the shelf, reaching inside, finding vials and vials of a liquid also labeled ‘Q’.

“What in the hell is ‘Q’? he asked, turning the vial over in his fingers when he noticed a familiar blue dot. 

“Qtesh,” he whispered, “Vala and Adrienne’s damn Goa’uld juice,” he hissed, a small part of him finally thankful that his love had indeed been a part of concocting this potion. 

Pocketing some of the vials, Daniel raced around the container, looking for a syringe but finding none. He grunted, leaning down to grab the doctor, lifting Carolyn into his arms to carry her back to the one empty bed in the corner. There was an empty syringe on a side metal table, Daniel quickly filling the needle with the concoction, leaning over to inject it into her arm. There was no movement, he’d been hoping for some miracle, but there was nothing. Remembering the people in the hall and her message, he dashed back to the cooler, pulling some sterile saline from the storage containers to start an IV line.  It took him a few moments, but soon she was lying on the bed, peacefully, the fluid slipping into her body. 

He needed to be patient, give this time, give Addy time to get to Chulac, so he reached in his pocket, hoping to reach Sam at home. 

It rang and rang, Sam’s voice on the message announcing that the O’Neills were not home, Daniel swearing, in cajun of all things, before hanging up to dial again, her cell phone. 

Again, there was no answer.

“Pic kee,” he swore out again, wondering what Adrienne would say if she were here to hear that, setting the phone onto the side table to redirect his attention to his patient. 

“Carolyn, wake up, are you alright?” Daniel asked, pulling the doctor upright, hoping her hunch had been right that those vials of Vala juice as Adrienne called them would afford Carolyn the protection she needed, that they would work as they had before.

“Daniel,” she stirred, her eyes still partially shut, “you got my message...” 

“Yea and I gave you a dose of the Goa’uld DNA cocktail, you were right, that seems to be working,” he informed her, her face brighter already. 

“What is it Carolyn? What did he do?” he pushed further, not wanting to rush her but having no choice. 

“I’m not sure, it’s poisoning, Natron poisoning it looks like, I just don’t know how...” she whispered, her voice hoarse and pained, “Give me another injection.” 

“No, that’s too risky,” he argued, the doctor’s hand at his waist, reaching for the vial that was inching its way out of his pocket. 

“I need to make sure, give me another injection,” she said as she fumbled, nearly dropping the small glass container onto the hard infirmary floor. 

There was no sign of Adrienne, no sign of anything and Daniel would never be able to figure out what was going on and people were dying. 

Hoping again that brilliant doctor was correct, Daniel prepped a fresh needle for a second injection.

****

“There,” Ronon pointed to the image on the screen, Sam, Rodney, and Vala leaning over to see where he was talking about. He knew that Sam and Rodney might remember the location, but Vala had only been on Atlantis once and spent that entire time attached to Daniel’s hip. 

“Ha! I remember that, good work Ronon,” Rodney cheered, the Sateadan making a face at him. While so many staff members longed for Rodney to be nice and pleasant for once, when he actually did it just creeped Ronon out. 

“Yeah, the door is easily breached, won’t set off any alarms because I’m assuming they’ve rigged the place,” he noted, his eyes cutting up to Sam. 

“Jack said they had, but since none of us were involved, the extent of that system remains unknown,” she answered honestly, Ronon nodding his head. Perfect, he thought, this is exactly what he’d hoped, reaching down for his blaster. 

“Vala, come here,” he ordered, his prize, yes she was his ultimate prize, rushing to his side. He’d always wanted a partner, a real companion, and there was really none better.  He probably should take the time to tell her what she meant to him, but she said she hated ‘sappy shit.’

“Beam me there,” he said as she was at his side, eying where his finger was pointing. She nodded, slipping into the seat that he had previously occupied, his hand gripping the holster of his gun, tucking it into the strap on his leg. 

“I’m gonna get in, send a signal when it’s safe,” he continued as he stepped back for Vala to beam him down. 

“Wait!” she couldn’t contain herself, leaping from her seat to join him in the area, “I want to go.” 

Both Rodney and Vala glanced at each other as Samantha O’Neill rushed over like an excited little girl, strapping a backpack to her and passing Ronon the other two. 

“None of this multistep mess,” she added, “I want this done.” 

Nodding with a smile Vala waited until both the general and Ronon were ready to depart before activating the beaming device. 

No one noticed the phone buzzing on Sam’s seat.  

*****

As fast as she could run Adrienne raced down the hall from the gateroom, shouting for Teal’c to keep going ahead of her. There were no new bodies, but the old ones were still there, the cajun pausing at each one to check for vitals. These people in the hall were still alive, very very ill but alive, so she sat up as many of them as she could, trying to comfort them, assuring them that she would be back, hoping it was a promise that she could keep. 

Shouts echoed from the hallway ahead of her, Teal’c in search of Daniel and finally an answer, a blissful answer, his voice calm and collected and Adrienne rose, dashing to meet him. 

“Daniel, help me up,” Adrienne heard another voice as she came around the corner, Carolyn, Adrienne breathing another sigh of relief. 

I’m worried about Dr. Grumpypants, wonders never cease. 

“Carolyn, are you sure?” he asked as Adrienne could see he was doing as he was told, holding her by her elbow, upright and careful. 

“Yes, I need to run my blood work; I need to make sure it is what I think it is and find the source,” she choked out to Daniel as he assisted her to the lab table when she stopped, turning to face her new visitors her eyes widening at someone Adrienne could not see. 

“Father, Ishta requested that we search the base and I found Dr. Frasier in the stairwell,”  Ry’ac’s voice was clear, the cajun whipping her head around to see Cassie limp in Ry’ac’s arms. 

She started to walk forward to help, the best she could in her condition but Daniel was there before she could even move, there muttering under his breath ‘no, no, no...’

For a moment Adrienne didn’t understand, didn’t remember, her entire world so consumed with herself and Anubis and the baby and her own problems, that she hadn’t stopped to think about the others, about their pasts. She stood in shocked silence as her husband took the petite blond woman from Ry’ac’s arms, tears streaming down his face, living a flashback Adrienne knew, a flashback to someone he had cared about so very much. 

“Cass, Cassie, it’s me, it’s Daniel, please wake up,” he begged, laying her on the bed that Carolyn had just vacated, peering over into her face. 

“Cass, please, wake up, you have to be alright. I promised, I promised her when we buried her, please Cass,” he was babbling, clearly upset as he stood, pinching his nose,  collecting himself, leaving her side only to get an IV bag from the fridge, working quickly to start a line. 

There was a pain in her abdomen, as if the small being growing inside of Adrienne knew  something was wrong, kicking and wriggling fiercely. She let herself stand there for a moment, taking in the scene as she willed her child quiet, willed herself not to go into labor here and now. 

Carolyn was working feverishly at the station faster than the sick woman should have been moving, Teal’c and Ishta checking bodies to see who was alive and dead, Ry’ac and some of his friends bringing in more of the ill, lining them on the floor, on blankets taking vitals. Daniel was barking directions, his gaze torn between checking on Adrienne to see if she was alright and between his own patient, the young medical intern now hooked up to machines and IV drips. 

She breathed in deeply, stepping over the disaster of the infirmary to join Daniel. 

“Ja-wer,” he spun around instantly sensing her approach, reaching for her shoulders, “are you alright?” 

“I’m fine, how’s...” she didn’t even want to say the name, to acknowledge that biological or not, the only thing that connected Janet Frasier to any of them was lying there, barely holding on to life.

“I don’t know,” he choked out, pulling a chair from the side and taking a seat. She didn’t know what else to do other than reach forward, placing her hands gently on his shoulders. She didn’t say a word, even when he slipped his hand to quickly rub hers before reaching to take Cassie’s into his own. 

Daniel I want to take all of the pain away...

Adrienne felt so helpless. She had no medical training to know what to do right now, although Carolyn with the help of the Jaffa seemed to have things somewhat under control, now injecting the afflicted with Vala’s DNA concoction. An idea flashing in her head, Adrienne scanned around the hospital bed to see that he had indeed given Cassandra an injection, two of them, but she was clearly not having the positive response that Carolyn was. 

“I’m sorry Cassie,” he was apologizing, swallowing strongly, “I’m sorry I let them send you away to your aunt, but I was a single man, you deserved better than being stuck with me. I didn’t know how to be a father.” 

Adrienne’s heart was breaking. She knew, he had told her about Janet, he had told her everything about his past, but he had never told her this, he had never told her that he felt responsible...

“Yea, I’m terrified, absolutely terrified about having to be one now to be honest, and Addy’s standing right behind me hearing all of this, see, look, I get to look like a complete doof and it’s all your fault,” he continued, Adrienne walking to get a chair, pulling it up behind him to straddle his back the best she could, wrapping her arms around his waist and laying her head on his back, still not saying a word.

Please feel me here, I can’t fix this but I’m here for you...

“Your step brother needs you Cass,” Daniel now said, Adrienne trying not to let him feel the tears beginning to leak out of her eyes. He was reliving Janet all over again, on a different level, begging her daughter, a child that may have been his own, to stay alive and there was nothing anyone could do. 

The monitors blipped, Adrienne cutting her eyes over at them to see the slight change in heart rate, the dip down, the lost pregnant woman feeling her husband convulsing in her arms. 

“I’m sorry Cassie. I’m sorry I let you down. I’m sorry I couldn’t protect your mom and that I couldn’t protect you. I’m so sorry...” he wept, Adrienne not knowing what to do other than hold him tighter. 

“You did pay for college, so that was kinda cool,” a weak voice spoke, Adrienne’s head darting up and over his shoulder. 

She was awake. 

“Cassie,” he was standing himself now, the small doctor smiling slightly from the bed. 

“I feel sick,” she whined now, Daniel reaching for a tray for her to throw up in, helping to turn her onto her side to be ill. 

“Carolyn!” Daniel yelled for help as Cassandra Frasier dry heaved into a pan. 

“I’ve got her Daniel, back up,” Carolyn said, staggering over, shoving the stethoscope ends into her ears. He wasn’t moving, frozen in time and this time Adrienne did interfere, clasping his arm and pulling him to her. 

“Give her space to work sha,” Adrienne whispered sweetly into his ear and he came, her voice breaking his trance. He didn’t speak, just nodded, turning around to take her into his arms when there was a buzzing, one that she could feel coming from his pocket. He stood there, holding her, glancing back at Cassie, ignoring it, but Adrienne was curious, slipping her fingers into his pocket. 

“I don’t care who it is,” he whispered, holding on to her, but she pushed him back slightly to see for sure. No call to be taken, Adrienne saw only a simple text message lighting up the screen. 

Sorry I missed your call. Too busy turning on the lights again. 

*****

Daniel scanned the table at the briefing room, a table that was not as full as he had expected. He knew that Carolyn was still dealing with the fall out of the poisoning as she had determined it was. According to her explanation and the subsequent investigation by himself and the rather large contingent of Jaffa that had come to their aide, Anubis had infiltrated the water supply, a water supply that included a 10 mile radius of the Pentagon. 

A water supply that included their home. 

Jonas had passed out at the mall in his errands, taken to Johns Hopkins where Jennifer was talking to Carolyn concerning treatment. Jack had been at the White House in conference with the president, the entire executive branch complex on a different water system and unaffected. Once Daniel was able to get a hold of him the National Guard was dispatched the help the civilians in the affected areas, each government doctor carrying Carolyn’s orders until they could get more “Q” to the hospitals. Revived, Walter was already dialing up allies trying to obtain the needed naquada for the cure.

As far as the total number affected, Daniel had turned off the emergency radio in Sam’s office as the rising death toll made him sick. 

Jack had returned now for the briefing, and they were joined by Carolyn via speakerphone, Cameron who had been found getting a late lunch after his meeting downtown, Teal’c and of course Adrienne, who Daniel was determined not to let out of his sight. 

“General,” Woolsey was more subdued as he entered, staggering, ill himself but still going forward, determined, his orders in his head. 

“Robert,” Jack answered, not bothering to stand and greet him. Walking very slowly the IOA representative took a seat at the opposite end of the table, his manner more reserved than usual. 

“We lost Bennett,” he said as he sat, Jack nodding slowly in reply. Daniel had wanted Bennett out of the picture, out of the SGC, but dying wasn’t what he had in mind. 

Death toll plus one and again nausea flooded his body. 

“I’m sorry,” Jack answered professionally. 

“I’ve spoken with the board and the senate committee and they’ve agreed that we would like Samantha to be reinstated to the head of the SGC as soon as possible,” Woolsey continued, looking down on the table, “they feel that military leadership is needed on all shifts. Colonel Mitchell will run the night shift until we can make a final decision concerning the new schedule of operations.” 

Daniel cut his eyes over at Cam, noting his friend didn’t disagree and a part of him hoped that this meant a promotion for him as well. 

“She’s gonna request the rest of her staff,” Jack interjected immediately, “Anubis isn’t playing with bombs and guns Robert. He’s going in an entirely different direction, one that means we’re going to need a full science staff to combat him.” 

Woolsey let out a sigh. 

“We agree, but the staff will be a point of discussion. We want Drs. McKay, Keller and Beckett to return immediately, as well as the remainder of the Atlantis contingent and Mr. Quinn...” Woolsey started to list, Jack throwing up his hands. 

“And Daniel and Adrienne, because newsflash if they hadn’t shown up Robert, Bennett wouldn’t have been the IOA’s only loss.” 

There was a sigh again, a look on Woolsey’s face that Daniel didn’t want to see and a squeeze at his leg. 

“We appreciate Dr. Jackson’s willingness to assist in this matter, but the IOA feels as if his presence here will only cause more harm than good,” he answered, carefully. 

“Harm than good? You mean he keeps saving your ass and making you look bad,” Jack was at the ready, Daniel ready to speak up himself when that sweet soothing rubbing hand was gone, a chair being pushed back, his wife coming to stand beside him, moving away. 

“General, it’s clear that part of the reason Anubis keeps targeting our world is that Dr. Jackson is the object of his vengeance and the IOA feels that -” 

Daniel had been looking at Woolsey, respectfully, but it wasn’t until that very instant that he realized Adrienne hadn’t stood to go to the restroom because her hand was in the air, on the other side of Woolsey’s face, the loud slap of her palm to his cheek halting his words, the noise echoing through the briefing room. 

“How dare you!” she shouted, glaring down at him. No one said a word, moved a muscle, as the very pregnant cajun woman stared down at the thin wesley man.  

“How dare you say Daniel causes more harm than good. How dare you not only not give him his job back but how dare you NOT reward him with a slew of damn medals. How dare you! Well you know what? THIS is Jack’s base right? If we’ve gone all military and the senate is backing the fuck off, then, well, you can, no, wait. Get out. Do you hear me? Get the hell out of here and we’ll let YOU know if we need you. GET THE FUCK OUT!!” 

Without a word of protest Robert Woolsey stood, fixing his glasses, racing out of the room as every member present stared in shock at Dr. Adrienne Jackson, who was wincing and holding her massive belly. 

“I’ve already been fired, what else could he do?” she said as she shrugged, Daniel’s jaw to the floor. 

“Daniel, you’re rehired, and so’s Dr. Perky,” Jack started, standing looking down at Daniel who was blocking his path to the head of the table, “now move.” 

“Why?” he asked, but did as he was told, Jack shuffling by. 

“Because I’m gonna go kiss your wife.” 

“Did I miss something?” Sam was standing at the doorway, staring at the scene in front of her, Jack looking around as if he were caught. 

“Or mine, I can kiss mine. Regardless that little damn worm is out of here!” he declared, taking Woolsey’s seat and not kissing anyone. 

“We’ve been reinstated,” Daniel explained as she entered, not taking a seat herself but heading straight for the whiteboard. 

“Perfect, because we need to talk. Addy can you please get the Smartboard going while I load this information?” Sam requested, flashing a tablet computer of her own. Smiling, back to work already, Adrienne dashed over to board. 

“I got your job back honey,” Jack said with a grin, sitting back to hear what this was all about. 

“And I got Atlantis back. Rodney’s there now powering up the systems and Ronon and Vala are doing a sweep to make sure nothing has been taken or destroyed,” Sam answered, both her computer and the board willing to life. 

“Wait? What do you mean ‘got it back’?” Jack clarified, Sam happily pointing to the image on the board. It wasn’t still image at all but Rodney, Ronon and Vala waving from the main control room of the Atlantis base, all of the lights on, every single colored bulb at every panel, the normally grumpy scientist grinning from ear to ear. 

“That kinda of ‘got it back’.” 

*****

“Ad, pass me that piece?” Daniel asked from his kneeling position on the floor, Adrienne resisting the urge to make a comment about having to talk to his butt, again, as he crawled around on the nursery floor. 

“Are you sure?” she questioned with uncertainty. Not that there wasn’t another piece that she could hand him, but something about the shape of the furniture in front of her just didn’t sit right, but he had followed the directions. Not that she could do much better, when it came to things not associated with computers Adrienne herself was all thumbs, but regardless, something just wasn’t right. 

“Yea, see, it’s labeled in the diagram, piece YY?” he answered without looking, a finger pointed at the open booklet. 

“Ok, ok, I believe you,” she relented, passing it over as requested before sitting back down, crossing her legs yoga style while she waited. There was grunting from the direction of the crib, cursing, one word she could have SWORN was cajun slang, but she just giggled and kept her mouth shut allowing him to finish. 

“Done!” he declared, sitting back on his heels looking over at Adrienne for her approval. 

There weren’t any visible flaws in the project, not one, but it just didn’t look right...

“Why are you looking at it like that?” his eyes were on her, frowning, reading her face. 

Damn Daniel and his damn face reading. 

“No reason,” she half lied, standing to walk to the kitchen.

“Where are you going?” he asked, worried, Adrienne stopping in the doorway to peek back at him. 

“Nowhere.” 

Ok, that was a total lie, but she couldn’t very well tell him that Nicholas wasn’t going to spend a hot minute in that accident waiting to happen that he had constructed. Confused, Daniel stood to follow, watching her waddle to the kitchen straight to the cordless phone on the counter, picking up the receiver. 

“Adrienne who are you calling? Jonas is fine; he’s not upset and he’s not moving out because he’s upset. It’s gonna get crowded here real soon and trust me, the last thing a single man wants to hear day in and day out is a crying baby,” Daniel tried to joke, knowing that Adrienne had been upset about Jonas’ announcement when he got home from the hospital, worried that it was her fault. Why exactly it would be her fault he had no idea, but she assured him it was Southern guilt and nothing more. 

“I’m not calling Jonas, I’m, uh, calling Jack,” she stammered, no eye contact, intentionally he could tell. 

“Why?” he asked, trailing the end, trying to feel her out but she didn’t turn around, just started dialing, slowly. 

“Because he said he was good at putting cribs together,” she said in barely a whisper.

“Ad, I did it, see finished, come back and look it over,” he urged reaching for the phone where there was a crack behind him, the unmistakable sound of wood and a loud crash. 

I never get a break...

“You call Jack,” Daniel changed his tune quickly, walking to find his cell phone, “I’ll go order some Greek food.”