Confirming Carter Bk. 03 Changes Ch. 01

"Your friend Tammy called Landry, and I was at the SGC, so we decided to come on through." Jacob said. "She met us at the gate a few minutes ago."

"Us?" Sam asked, looking at him quizzically.

"Landry came with me. We have to go back tonight, tomorrow at the latest." He laughed. "Apparently relations between Earth and Atlantis are kind of rocky right now? It wouldn't be good to have it look like you were holding hostages."

"Where is he? And where's Tammy?" Sam said quickly, taking his hand and leading him toward the door.

"I don't know. She pointed me in there, and took Hank off into another room." Jacob said as she dragged him across the living room and down the hall toward the kitchen.

Sam let go of his hand and ran across the kitchen, throwing her arms around Tammy and began planting kisses all over her face. "I love you so much!" she smiled as she reached down and took her hand, then turned to face her father.

"Dad, this is Tammy Ford, my sister queen. And my wife. Or she will be, once we make it official."

"I kinda thought we'd just go with girlfriend for a while, you know, to see if we're compatible and all that." Tammy said, trying not to smile.

"Yeah, like that's gonna happen." Jennifer muttered. "You two were made for each other."

"Wife?" Jacob said tightly, his face clouding over. He looked over at Tammy. "Can I speak to you? Privately?"

"Sure Dad, but I..."

"Not you. Tammy." He said, then turned and walked out of the room.

Jacob was pacing back and forth in front of the porter when she came into the living room. She stopped next to him, and waited for him to speak.

"Do you love my daughter?" He asked suddenly, stopping and facing her.

"With all my heart." Tammy said, looking at him steadily. "Neither of us expected it, but circumstances put us together when we needed to be, and we fell in love."

"How long has she been a lesbian?" He asked. "There's been talk for yea..."

"She's not a lesbian, and neither am I." Tammy laughed. "So if that's all that's bothering you, you can relax. And let me tell you, I'm a lot better catch than the last guy she was talking about marrying!"

"We're both basically heterosexual, but because of what happened to Sam, we were put in a position where we had to be sexual. Our love didn't come out of that, it came out of what we went through together."

She related what had happened, beginning with Sam's initial exposure to the korathis, their first meeting, then each event leading up to where they were now. It took her almost half an hour, and Jacob listened spellbound as she stepped through their short relationship.

"Good god!" Jacob said softly when she finished. He stared at her for a moment, then stepped forward and put his arms around her. "Welcome to the family." He said. "Anyone that would go though what you have, is worth having as a daughter!"

He stepped back, smiling warmly at her. "I need a moment, Selmac wants to say something."

"Who's Selmac?" Tammy asked, then her eyes went wide as his eyes glowed briefly and his face changed subtly.

"I am Selmac." He said, his voice taking on a deeper timbre. "I am Tok'Ra. Jacob is my host, and I am his symbiote. Samantha made it possible for us to meet, then blend, an act which saved both of our lives. I will let Jacob give his own blessing, but wished to share my good wishes. I also wish to say that I believe that she will make an excellent queen for your people, as will you."

"Thank you. I didn't know that Jacob was Tok'Ra. Sam never told me." Tammy said. "It looks like I'm marrying into an interesting family."

"The Carter's have done much for their world, the Tok'Ra, and all that they meet. They have a selflessness about them that makes them stand apart from other beings. I have enjoyed the time I have spent with Jacob."

"Dad? How long are you going to keep Tammy ou...? Sam began as she stepped into the room. She stopped when he looked up at her, his eyes glowing briefly. "Selmac? Is everything okay? What's..."

"I was sharing my good wishes with your sister queen, and telling her about our relationship." Selmac said. "I will allow Jacob to return."

His eyes glowed again, and his features softened as he shook his head. He held up his hand as she opened her mouth to speak again.

"Tammy just spent the last little while telling me what you've been up to, and if you don't marry her, I'll disown you." He laughed. "My little girl is queen of an ancient city, and is going to reshape a galaxy. That wasn't on my wish list, but I guess it beats being an astronaut."

"Co-queen, and we're shooting for two galaxies." Tammy laughed. She looked over her shoulder at Sam, and held out her hand. "I promise to take good care of your little girl Jacob. And I know that she's going to take care of me. And we're going to do good things together."

"Great things." Sam said, coming over to take her hand and stand beside her. "But that's not why we asked you to come here, Dad. Something's happened, and I...I just needed you."

"You said something in your bedroom, but I didn't know what you were talking about." Jacob said. "You said someone died, and something about being a mother?"

"If you'll excuse me." Tammy said as she let go of Sam's hand and started for the kitchen.

"You don't have to leave, Tammy." Jacob said.

"I'll be back. I need to speak to Jennifer. There's someone else we'll need to help you understand what's going on. Sam, wait a few minutes, okay?"

Sam nodded, taking her father's hands. "So catch me up. How did you get here so fast. I had just asked Tammy if we could ask Landry to find you, and there you were."

* * * * *

"Jennifer, would you call the infirmary and ask them to send our little friend over?" Tammy said as she walked into the kitchen. "And let's start calling people. We have honored guests, so we might as well have a party!"

Interior-Office

1310 Hours

"He's here, Sam." Jennifer said from the door. "Tammy said to go ahead and start, and she'll bring him in in a few minutes. And she said to tell you that we'll be doing dinner in the formal dining room. Andi already has things going on that."

"Thank you, Jennifer." Sam said. "But I'd like to eat in the kitchen. I..."

"Not gonna happen, Sam." Jennifer laughed. "Tammy says we have guests, so we're gonna have a party. With the court and the knights, we won't have enough seats. But I think she's inviting some other guests too."

"Okay." Sam said, turning to her father. She sighed as she took his hand. "A woman came through the gate this morning, Dad. She shouldn't have been able to, because the shield was up on the gate, but we know how it happened now."

She paused, gathering herself before she continued. "Have you been briefed on my Space Time Matter bridge research?" She asked. He nodded, not saying anything. "Good, that saves me some time. What happened is, my STM bridge touched her universe as she was going through the event horizon, and somehow, the matter stream was redirected here."

Tears welled up in her eyes as she remembered the woman in the gateroom. Jacob squeezed her hand, smiling softly at her. "its okay, Sam. Take your time."

"She was in bad shape when she came through the gate. She had been stabbed repeatedly, and had eleven arrows in her back and legs. She died a few minutes after she came through." She stopped again, throwing her head back and taking a deep breath. "She...she was another Samantha Carter, Dad. She was me."

"She wasn't you, Sam. You're here with me right now. But are you thinking that if something like that could happen to her, it could happen to you?" Jacob asked her softly.

"Oh god, no!" Sam said, managing a laugh. "No, what I haven't told you yet, is that she had just given birth. And she had the baby with her."

"He's right here if you'd like to meet him, Jacob." Tammy said from the door. She stepped into the room.

"His name is Jacob too." Sam said as she held her arms out. Tammy laid the baby in her arms, and she held him to her gently.

"You're gonna do just fine as a mom." Tammy whispered. Sam smiled up at her, then looked down at the baby.

"I'm going to raise him, Dad. And I'm going to make him my heir. He's the first child born of my line, and he may succeed me someday."

"He's not your child, Sam." Jacob said. "I don't know about succession or any of that, but he's someone else's baby, alternate universe or not." He paused for a moment, then smiled. "Selmac says that it doesn't matter where the child came from. He's family, and we should take care of him. He said to tell you that he's proud of you. I guess I should be too."

"Oh god." Sam said, bursting into tears. She handed the baby to Jacob, then stood up and buried her face in Tammy's shoulder.

"It's okay, Sam." Tammy said softly, stroking her back lightly. "We're going to get through this, and we're going to raise him right." She eased Sam away from her, lifting her chin with her fingers. "You still have to have a baby with me. This doesn't get you off the hook."

Interior-Dining Room, North Tower

1900 Hours

"Ladies and gentlemen, the queens of Atlantis, Col. Samantha Carter and Lady Tammy Ford, accompanied by Jacob Carter and Selmac of the Tok'Ra, and Gen. Hank Landry of Stargate Command." Ronin said as he stepped into the room. He went over and stood behind Geraan and Phinnar, resting a hand on their shoulders.

"Thank you, please be seated. We'll be eating shortly, but before we do, we'd like to introduce a new addition to the family, Sam's and my family." Tammy said as she walked over to stand behind her chair.

Sam stopped at the head of the table, cradling Jacob in her arms. She smiled at the people seated at the table. "This morning, a unique event occurred. One of my experiments intercepted the matter stream from a stargate in an alternate reality, and brought the traveler here, to Atlantis."

She paused, looking down at Jacob, then glanced over at Tammy.

"While such an occurrence is unusual in itself, what makes it extraordinary, is that the woman that came through the stargate, was another Samantha Carter. Sadly, she died shortly after her arrival from injuries she had received in her universe."

Tammy looked over at Sam, who picked up the narration.

"She did not come through the gate alone. She had recently given birth, and she brought her child with her." She held the baby up so everyone could see. "His name is Jacob, after my...her, father. We do not know what her, or the father's last names were, so he will be known simply as Jacob, the only name we were given. And I am making him my heir."

Caldwell stood up at the other end of the table, clapping his hands. "Long live Prince Jacob!" He said, looking around at his peers. Sheppard grinned and got to his feet, joining him in his applause. In moments, everyone in the room was on their feet, smiling and applauding as Sam walked around the table showing off baby Jacob to everyone.

Interior-Dining Room, North Tower

1940 Hours

"You do not do anything small, do you, Samantha?" Arrin said with a smile. "In the short time I have known you, I have come to expect certain grandeur, but this..."

"It is unusual, I have to admit." Sam laughed. She had Jacob cradled in her arms, and he was sleeping peacefully. "I just hope my own children are as beautiful, and that I raise him as well as his mother would have."

"You will be a wonderful mother." Arrin said. "I can see it in you already. As to how they will look, we take what we can get, and love them anyway."

"Ronin introduced three people when you entered." Waleen said as he came over, "But only two entered, your father, and Gen. Landry. Will this Selmac not be joining us this evening?"

"He's been with us all evening, he just hasn't had anything to say." Sam smiled. "Let me get him over here, and introduce you."

She waved Jacob and Tammy over, then turned, looking for Pharris, waving her over as well. "I really wish that Larrin had come, she'd love this!" She laughed.

"Dad, our Traveler friends would like to meet Selmac. I hear he hasn't put in an appearance yet." She said to Jacob as he came over.

Jacob looked at her for a moment, then turned to the Travelers, his eyes glowing briefly, and his voice deepened as he spoke. "Do not be alarmed," He said as they stepped back. "Jacob and I have a symbiotic relationship, he shares his body with me, and I give him good health and long life in return. We share many common traits, not the least of which, is pride in his daughter."

"Ar...are you one of the false gods, Bra'tac spoke of? A Guld?" Waleen asked.

"No, The Tok'Ra are different from the Goa'uld. We share common ancestry and form, but that is all. The Goa'uld take hosts by force, without their consent, while the Tok'Ra share with the host, to the benefit of both."

"If you will excuse me, I need to speak to Dr. Samuels." Arrin said, looking slightly queasy. He started toward Samuels, then darted out the door.

"We need to have someone check on him in a few minutes." Sam said lightly. She looked over at Tammy. "Would you say something to Andi, or better yet, John, he can go in the men's room."

"Andi can too." Tammy laughed, "But I'll send John."

"My apologies, Selmac." Pharris said. "Our people are not used to such occurrences. But tell me, how long have you been...inhabiting, Jacob? Do you get along? I mean, do you have arguments, or disagreements? And how do you handle them?"

"We disagree frequently, but rarely argue anymore." Selmac said. "Jacob is quite young, less than sixty of his years old, and can be childish at times."

"How old are you, and have you had other...what do you call the people you inhabit, hosts?"

"I am almost two thousand earth years old, and have had thirteen prior hosts. And we blend with our hosts, we do not inhabit them." Selmac replied.

"I'm sorry, I just think it's fascinating that such a union could be possible." Pharris said, stepping closer and examining Jacob closely.

"You will not be able to see me, if that is what you are trying to do." Selmac said.

"Oh no, I was looking at his face." Pharris said. "His skin tone is much better than you would expect of a man sixty years old. This is delightful." She said, reaching up to touch Jacob's face.

"Please don't do that." Jacob said, reaching up and taking her wrist between his fingers. "Both of us think its annoying, and rude."

"I'm sorry, this is just so interesting." Pharris said. "But tell me, what made you decide to join with Selmac? You are Jacob Carter again, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am." Jacob said tightly. "I had terminal cancer, and was going to die soon, I had weeks, if not days to live. Selmac's host was dying of old age, she was over two hundred years old. What started as a marriage of convenience, has become a true friendship."

"It's still creepy, having that snake in your head." O'Neill said as he walked up.

"You can't judge the Tok'Ra by your short experience, Jack." Jacob said, glaring at him. "Most of them are decent beings. But like every species, you get some that break the rules. And they have been fighting for their lives, which gives them a different perspective than yours. They're getting better, now that the Goa'uld threat has been eliminated."

"You have been blended as well, O'Neill?" Pharris asked. "Why did you not keep the...I'm sorry, what is Selmac called again?"

"It's called a symbiote, and I didn't keep mine because he used me as cheap transportation, and dumped me when things got too hot for him." O'Neill said. "And I didn't do it willingly. I was in a coma, and it was done without my knowledge or consent."

"And you're still alive because of it." Jacob said.

"I'm alive because Ba'al kept putting me in a sarcophagus every time I died, so he could torture me some more. The snake didn't have anything to do with it."

"I agree that Kanan's actions were inexcusable O'Neill, but I also know that you have always distrusted the Tok'Ra, and disliked our methods." Selmac said, taking control. "Your attitude has been one reason we deal with you the way we do."

"That's a crock and you know it, Selmac." O'Neill said, shaking his head. "You people were playing fast and loose long before we ever stumbled across you. Our first encounter with the Tok'Ra was when Jolinar took over Carter here. Without her consent, I might add. And it almost got her killed."

"I think that's enough on this subject for the evening, considering that neither of you is going to change your minds." Carter said. "So why don't you two find different sides of the room, and see if you can be nice to people?"

"I wanted to see the baby." O'Neill said. "I haven't got to hold him yet."

"Okay." Carter laughed, handing Jacob over to him. "And while you've got him, his diaper needs to be changed. You remember how to do that, don't you Jack?"

"Yeah, I remember how to do it." He said, walking over and picking up a bag near the door. Carter watched as he sat Jacob down on a table in the lobby and started unwrapping him.

"Why does he have to be..."

"I said we were going to change the subject, Dad." Sam said lightly. "And if you won't be nice for the daughter you haven't seen in over a year, do it for your host, the queen of Atlantis."

"Either way, you're going to do it." Tammy said. She turned and looked around the room. "Knights of Atlantis, stand forward to defend your queen!"

In seconds, the five knights stood before her.

"Gentlemen, we would like you to make it your goal for the remainder of the evening that no disagreeable conversation take place near, or around your queens." She said seriously. "Should you hear something that you feel would make either of us uncomfortable, please remove the offending party to another part of the room. Politely, and discreetly of course."

"Yes, my queen." they said in unison, then fanned out in a small circle, each of them making sure to stay in earshot of the queens.

"That really wasn't necessary." Jacob said. "All I meant was that..."

"Excuse me, Jacob." Sheppard said, taking his arm and leading him away. "But I've been meaning to ask you about the colonel when she was younger. Did she have any pets, or favorite activities?"

"What? Wait! I was..." Jacob sputtered, trying to pull away.

Ronin came up on his other side and gripped his arm, and together, they moved him over by the windows.

"Very impressive!" Pharris laughed.

"Nah, they should have thought of it on their own." O'Neill said as he came over. He held Jacob so his head laid on his shoulder, his hand supporting his bottom. "And they've always got to be..."

"Isn't he a cutie." Lorne said as he stepped over and picked Jacob up off of O'Neill's shoulder. "He's going to look just like his mom, you can see it already." He said as he handed him to Tammy.

He turned back to O'Neill. "I've been going over the specs on the Apollo, general, and I was wondering if you could help me figure something out."

"Oh no, don't you try tha..."

"We really do need to talk about the manning on the Daedalus, general." Caldwell said as he came up behind him and slipped his arm around his shoulders. "I think we can talk better in that corner across the room."

Pharris burst out laughing as they led him away.

* * * * *

"The colonel said you had a son." Ronin said quietly as he walked over next to O'Neill.

"What? Yes, I had a son. He died along time ago." O'Neill said, his face coloring. "Why would you ask me something like that?"

"I spend a lot of time with the boys." Ronin said. "When we're in the gym, or Amelia gives them something to do, they're fine. But sometimes, they ask me questions, and I don't know how to answer them."

"Welcome to being a parent." O'Neill laughed. He looked at Ronin, flinching when he saw him glaring at him. "Oh, you were being serious. Okay, I can do that."