hathor_girl | Other Possibilities, R, 10/?

A/N: Time for Sam to hear what has happened while she has been gone. The timeline and the missions for SG-1 has been a little different.

10.

It is time for the debriefing, and I am waiting in the meeting room, a couple guards just inside the door. I ignore them and try to think about what to say - I will not tell anything that betray the Tok'ra or endanger them in any way. I wonder if there is any chance of convincing the others that we should try to talk to the Tok'ra again, and maybe get an alliance with them. I'm not very confident that will ever happen, though.

I think about what happened to my dad. No one's told me anything. I've been gone for more than 4 1/2 months - it's now late February 1999, so I am certain he is dead. Did they tell him? If so, what?

The door opens and Hammond and my team-mates enter. They great me.

"Captain Carter."

"Carter."

"Sam."

"Hi, guys." I try to smile. They look very guarded.

"So, let's get this meeting started."

We begin, and they ask me lots and lots of question. Some of them I answer, others not. They believe me when I say the Tok'ra didn't let me see the symbols for their new home world. Then, finally, they finish interrogating me, seemingly satisfied.

"It would seem you are you. Welcome home, Carter." O'Neill smile at me.

"Yeah, we've missed you, Sam." Daniel says.

"Indeed. Welcome back." Teal'c adds.

I feel much relieved. My friends trust me again! "Um, thanks guys!" I smile. "There are a few things I'd like to ask now, if it's OK?"

"Sure. We have some things to tell you too. Some things that I think you may like."

"Yes?" My heart beats faster. "Is my father still alive?"

"He is." O'Neill says. "Not sure if you'll like how, or maybe you will, since it was your idea originally. Living with the snakes for as long may have changed your mind on it, though you sound like you trust them. He's actually been a great help to us - or his little friend has."

"I do. What happened?" I feel really confused. Dad's little friend. Do they mean...?

"The Tok'ra we brought back home, Selmak. She desperately needed a host and after some discussions, we got orders to find her one, since we don't know enough to be able to keep one alive without a host - and she would have useful information. Jacob volunteered, and it was decided to let him chance it, since he would be dead otherwise." Hammond explained. "They both survived the blending I think it's called."

"Where are they? Can I see them?" I say, elated.

"They spent some time being interrogated by the NID, as you can well imagine, and then some further time in prison, but they are currently allowed to move around on the base here, though followed by a guard. We have gotten some useful information from this Selmak, though the symbiote won't tell us much about the Tok'ra. Saved us, actually, when Apophis came knocking."

"My dad's here?" I look stupid at them. "Wait, Apophis?"

Hammond nods. "Yes, you'll get to meet Jacob later today. However, you'll likely be taken to be interrogated by the NID tomorrow, and I'm afraid it will probably be a while before they will let you go, as you have lived with some people who are the same species as our enemy, for 4 1/2 months. As for Apophis - it's a long story. He tried to get asylum here, and we considered it, but Selmak warned us against it. In the end we followed her advice, and that was good, because the people we left to keep an eye on the planet said Sokar returned for him shortly after. We'd have been wiped out if we had taken Apophis here."

"Wow!" I don't know how to take all this. "The NID - yeah, I was afraid of that. What about my suggestion about trying to meet with the Tok'ra and try to make some sort of treaty with them? The Tok'ra seem interested, and I think they could be a very valuable ally - as you said, Selmak warned you."

"I thought we didn't have anything they wanted?"

"Well, now they can get Selmak back! I'm sure that will make them happier and more positive towards talking to us! Also, I've gotten to know some of them." I say, really wanting to convince them.

"We'll see about it when you come back."

"Anything else important happened?" I ask, curious.

"Oh, yeah, Jack lost the ability to speak English - then started building weird stuff." Daniel says.

"Come again?"

"I stuck my head in some alien doohickey and it download crap in my brain - I'm OK again, though - those Asgard fellas fixed me."

"The Asgard? Thor's people? How did you contact them."

"That's what the building part did." Daniel tells me. "Jack made some sort of extra energy module for the 'gate, and it dialed another galaxy! Found the Asgard there!"

"Cool." I say, not sure what else to say.

After a while longer I am allowed to go see my dad. It's weird that I have guards and he have guards. I ignore the oddity of it as I see him. I am just happy he is alive - and I hope this is my second chance to get to become better friends with him - and now I can even tell him all about the things I had to hide before, since he obviously have clearance. Having Selmak in his head kinda makes it hard to hide the Stargate project and the existance of aliens for him!

"Dad!" I smile and hurry to him, hugging him.

"Sammie!" He hugs me back. "It's so good to see you. Selmak convinced me the Tok'ra would never have harmed you, but the others didn't really believe us. Well, I think maybe Teal'c did."

"You look great!"

"I feel good. So, you've lived with the Tok'ra for 4 1/2 months. Do you think I'd like it there? Selmak would like to go home of we're ever allowed to, and I can't say I enjoy these guards they insist on having following me here."

"Yeah, I can understand that! And I think you'll like it there - not too many creature comforts, but neither are there here, so."

"Well, that might be just perfect for an old soldier like me - and Selmak thinks I'll like going on missions. She's looking forward to that again - she hasn't done it much for a very long time."

We talk for a little while, then Selmak comes forward to say hi.

"Hello, Samantha."

"Hi, Selmak. It's good to see you're well. I'm happy my dad is your host."

"Thank you. Samantha...do you know of any way to contact the Tok'ra? You mentioned that the Council is considering talking to the Tau'ri about a treaty, surprisingly enough, so you must have some way of contacting them."

"Yeah, I do." Since the guards have gone, I tell Selmak, having her promise not to tell it to the SGC, which she of course would never consider. She is of course less likely to betray the Tok'ra than me, so I can tell her. Besides, she can't get to use the Stargate, and none of us wish to risk making Earth any more jittery about the Tok'ra than they already are. Selmak will wait and see if they can convince Earth to negotiate with the Tok'ra.

After some time, the guards show up again and tell me it is time to go, and I hug my dad and Selmak, then are taken to my room, where they serve my dinner. It's almost like being back in the Tok'ra holding cell, just without a force shield.

The next day the NID shows up to pick me up and I am taken to their lair in Washington, for interrogation. They treat me reasonably well, but they keep asking me about things I don't want to tell them, and I keep saying I don't know.

Fortunately, they are very willing to believe the Tok'ra are paranoid, after talking to Selmak. I am angry at Maybourne who is in charge of the interrogation, and who also interrogated my dad and Selmak. I have been told they had several medical experiments done on them, to see how Tok'ra reacted to various things. Fortunately, Selmak could handle it all, and she and my dad are fine. That doesn't mean I am ready to forgive Maybourne anytime soon.

I end up being there for well more than a month, but what I tell them apparently makes a difference. Together with the information they got from Selmak, their and out leaders decide it might actually be a good idea to talk to the Tok'ra again. They seem to have been convinced they are actually good guys, which makes me happy. Maybe I will get to see Martouf and Lantash again!

When I return to the SGC, my dad and Selmak have been released, and sent to meet with the Tok'ra, as a gesture of good faith - especially after having helped SGC yet again, this time against some baddies called the Retou. I hear it was touch and go there for a while, but they succeeded - using the hand device I got on Cimmeria at first, then quickly constructing some sort of technology that would show things that were phase-shifted.

The Tok'ra sure are ahead of us technologically! I realy hope we will get to ally with them - and not just to see Martouf and my dad again.

I wish I had gotten to talk to my dad again before he left, but at least it seems to be going towards a talk with the Tok'ra Council. Now we have to wait and see for the Tok'ra to make the next move.

I managed to avoid the NID discovering I am pregnant, which I am sure is good. I am certain Maybourne would have decided my child would make a good experiment. The pregnancy doesn't show yet, but I know it will soon, so it will not be long before everyone knows. I wonder if I can make them believe I got knocked up after I came back from the Tok'ra? Doubtful, I suppose.

Chapter 11