Confirming Carter Bk. 03 Changes Ch. 01

He stepped over to a table and picked up a pastry, then came back over to Ronin. "Okay, what kinds of questions are they asking you?"

"Stuff about their schoolwork, or why Tammy and the colonel are hugging and kissing all the time." Ronin said. "I don't know what to tell them."

"The second part is easy. Tell them to ask Tammy. Not the colonel, but Tammy. Let her explain the birds and the bees to them. or in their case, the birds and the birds." O'Neill laughed. "Now as far as their schoolwork goes, do you study with them?"

"I watch them, and sometimes I'll look over their shoulder while they work a puzzle."

"So start asking them questions." Jack smiled. "Or you can get one of those tablets and get them to show you what to do. I used to do that with Charlie all the time. Kids not only have to learn, they need to know how to teach too."

"So you think that might work, asking them questions?"

"For a little while." O'Neill laughed. "Then we'll think of something else to hold them off. They do the same thing with me you know. I just give them something else to do."

He looked at Ronin for a moment. "So, did you volunteer for this job, babysitting the boys, I mean?"

"I don't babysit them." Ronin said, bristling slightly. "I train them. We spend a few hours a day in the gym, then I make sure that they get to whoever has them next. Dr. Samuels offered to help, but she's always busy when I call. Vala and Dr. Jackson spend alot of time with them when I have other things to do."

"I'll talk to Tammy about it. It sounds like we need a schedule of who does what with them, and when." O'Neill said. "You're way too important to have you running in circles trying to figure out what the boys need to learn, and how."

"Why do you say that?" Ronin asked.

"You're the guardian of the realm, charged with protecting the queens." O'Neill said seriously. "And from what I can tell, you're doing a great job. You already have them reined in so they take a security team with them, or call ahead to have one waiting when they leave the suite. And Sheppard tells me that you're working up a strike force along with organizing the household guard. You should ask for a raise."

"I just want to make sure I do it right. Everyone else is smarter than me, so I have to work harder."

"We know more about things you don't need, or aren't interested in." O'Neill said with a smile. "You know a hell of a lot more about fighting, tactics and strategy than any of us, except maybe Caldwell and Bra'tac on the strategy. We all do what we know, and go to someone else for the stuff we don't. You should do the same thing."

Ronin nodded, then looked closely at O'Neill. "Why did you tell me to go to Tammy about things, and not the colonel? They both listen to me, and tell me what I need."

O'Neill just looked at him, then grinned, stepping closer and motioning Ronin to lean forward.

"Sam and I worked together for over ten years, and there was always this...pressure. But we never did anything about it. And after a while, it got...well, it's just more comfortable for me to go through Tammy now."

"I know what you're talking about, and she's over it. She forgave you when you got here." Ronin said. "She needs you here with us. She trusts you, and cares about you. Be straight with her, and you'll be fine."

"What are you two over here whispering about?" Tammy laughed as she came over. She looked up at Ronin and grinned. "You're not keeping him away from us because of what I said earlier, are you?"

"No, I asked him about what to do with the boys when they ask me things I don't know." Ronin told her. "He gave me some good ideas."

"I also told him that it sounds like we need a schedule for them." O'Neill added. "Who do we go to on that?"

"I want to say Andi, but she's got so much on her plate already." Tammy said. "Let me talk to Daniel when he gets back from St Louis. I made him head of the education department. We've got close to twelve hundred kids in the city now, based on the last count I saw. So we need to look at how we're going to train them too."

"What happened to Landry?" O'Neill asked. "I saw him come in, and haven't seen him since."

Tammy laughed and turned around, pointing to a far corner of the room. Landry, Vala, Waleen and Arrin were in a heated discussion.

"Waleen started chatting with Landry, and he called Vala over to make a point, then Waleen called Arrin over, and they've been at it ever since."

"So why didn't you break them up?" O'Neill asked. "I mean, what with disagreeable conversation and all."

"First," Tammy said, "They appear to be enjoying themselves." She pointed at the group again. Vala was hanging on Arrin, both of them laughing hysterically. "Second, they're out of earshot, so I don't care."

"I hope he stays overnight. I'd like to spend some time with him before they go home." O'Neil said.

"Go join them. I doubt if they'd mind." Tammy said. "And they are staying the night. But let me warn you Jack, we already told Landry we wouldn't ask anything that might put him at risk, or cause him a problem. So that means you can ask him how he's been lately. Nothing about Earth or the SGC."

* * * * *

"I don't know what's wrong with him." Sam said, cuddling Jacob and making soothing noises. "His diaper is dry."

"He's probably hungry. Babies need to eat every few hours." Tammy said, reaching over and taking him from her. She sat down at the head of the table. "Are there any bottles in that bag we brought over?"

"I don't know, I'll have to look." Sam said as she sat next to her.

"Send someone." Tammy told her. "In the mean time, let's try this."

She unbuttoned her vest and drew him closer. His mouth found her nipple, and he began suckling hungrily.

"I thought it might be something like that." She said softly.

"I doubt if you're lactating yet, Tammy." Andi said a moment later, holding out a small baby bottle. "But that is so beautiful."

"Give Sam the bottle, she's going to feed him." Tammy said as she drew him away from her breast. Jacob's face screwed up in protest, and he began crying again. Tammy laughed as she handed him to Sam.

Sam took him, cradling him in her arms as she leaned back in her chair. Bringing the bottle up to his mouth, she ran the nipple over his lips until he took it in and began sucking on it.

Tammy leaned closer, smiling gently as she watched. She reached over and held the bottle as she looked up at her. "Give him your breast now, Sam. Alternate them. We want him to think he's being breast fed."

Sam looked at her, then unbuttoned her vest. Tammy pulled the bottle away gently, and Sam guided his mouth to her breast before he could protest again.

"Oh...ohhhhhhh." She cried softly, her eyes going wide.

"I know, I felt the same thing." Tammy whispered. "It's okay. It's natural, and we need to practice anyway."

"He...he's biting me! Well, more like gumming me." Sam laughed. "I don't think he cares that there's no milk, he just wants something in his mouth."

"No, he wants to eat." Tammy said, easing his head away from her breast and replacing it with the bottle. Jacob began sucking again, and Sam held the bottle as she rocked him slowly.

It only took a few minutes for him to finish half the bottle. He turned his head and forced the nipple out of his mouth, his breath coming in soft pants.

"You need to burp him now." Tammy said as she slid out of her chair and knelt in front of them.

"You're going to want a towel for that." O'Neill said from behind them.

"What? " Tammy asked, looking up at him.

"Take my word for it. At that age, half of what he ate is going to come right back up. Put a towel over her shoulder."

Tammy reached up and grabbed a napkin off the table, shaking it out and holding it out to him. "Show me."

O'Neill took the napkin and laid it across Sam's shoulder, then squatted beside her chair.

"Have you ever done this?" He asked her.

Sam shook her head, and Tammy reached up and lifted Jacob from her arms, handing him to O'Neill. "Show us, Jack. You seem to know what you're talking about."

O'Neill took him and stood up. Sam put the napkin on his shoulder, and he laid Jacob across his chest.

"You want to hold him like this, your forearm under his butt, your other hand behind his back to support him. You have to do several things at once, so pay attention." He grinned at them as they watched him carefully.

"Go ahead, Jack. What do we do next?" Sam asked.

"Use the arm under his butt to jiggle him, gently, just enough to get the stuff in his stomach moving around a little." He said as he started bouncing Jacob lightly. "Then you want to alternate patting him on the back, then rubbing him."

He had only gotten in a few pats when Jacob made a gurgling noise as a gush of milk came from his mouth, soaking the napkin.

"Wipe his mouth with the edge of the napkin, he's not done yet." O'Neill laughed.

Tammy wiped around the outside of his mouth with the napkin, laughing as he turned his head, and let out a long, quiet belch.

"Oh my god! That smells awful." She said as she backed away, waving her hand in front on her face.

"You should have smelled what came out of the other end when I changed his diaper." O'Neill grinned. "But you get used to it. You don't even notice it after a while."

He looked over at Sam. "You can move the towel now, I think he's done." He looked back and forth between them as Jacob laid his head on his chest and drifted off to sleep. "If you don't mind, he looks like he's comfortable. And I kind of like holding him. It's been a while, ya know?"

"After that show, you can hold him as long as you want, Jack." Sam laughed, reaching out to stroke Jacob lightly.

"Kewl. and since you're done feeding him, would you mind putting those away?" He said. "They're kind of distracting."

Sam looked down and saw that her breast was still hanging out of her vest. She colored slightly as she closed her vest and buttoned it.

Tammy laughed as she adjusted her clothes, then stepped over and kissed him softly on the cheek.

"Well, Uncle Jack, what do you think of our little princeling? He's a cutie, ain't he?"

"All babies are cute, Tammy." He said softly, running his hand lightly up and down over Jacob's back. "Ask me again in six months."

Interior-Living Room

2230 Hours

"What was Sam like as a baby, Jacob?" Tammy asked. She was stretched out on a couch with Jacob laying on her chest.

"Terrible!" Jacob laughed. "She was colicky all the time, and would cry for days on end! And it didn't get any better when she got older, let me tell you. She went right from crying to whining, and her mother..."

"Lies. Lies, damn lies, and fabrications." Sam said as she came from the bedroom. "Do not listen to anything this man tells you about me, you'll get a different story every time."

"Jacob reports accurately in this case." Selmac said, taking control. "Samantha had a difficult childhood. She was sickly as an infant, and her parents feared she might not survive her first year of life."

"I never knew that." Sam said as she sat on the end of the couch, lifting Tammy's feet into her lap. "All Dad would ever say was that I was a beautiful baby, and everyone loved me."

"This was not a memory your father shared easily." Selmac said. "We had been together for almost a year before he would speak of it. He has the same issues with your brother." He paused, closing his eyes for a moment.

Sam thought that her father was going to come back, but when he spoke again, Selmac was still in control.

"This is not what I meant to speak of." He said. "When we heard that you had taken control of Atlantis, then declared your independence, the High Council discussed how we..."

"No." Sam and Tammy said at the same time. Tammy waved at Sam, signaling her to continue.

"We've established relations with the Jaffa, and intend on beginning trade with them as soon as we get the city geared up for that. We're thinking that we should be ready inside a year." Sam told him. "But we've also informed them that we will not welcome the Jaffa into Pegasus, not as immigrants. And when we get to that level of the discussions, we're going to tell Earth the same thing."

She paused, giving him a chance to respond. When he said nothing, she continued.

"The Pegasus galaxy has enough problems without importing more, even if I happen to be friends with some of them. The Jaffa are a warrior race, they're bred for it, and we have few worlds here that would stand up to a small force of Jaffa warriors, much less a heavy influx. The same goes for Earth. We're going to bring in small groups of people with skills we need for what we want to get done. But we're not going to let them dump their excess population on us. There's room in the Milky Way for that. And it's safer for them there anyway."

"It would appear that you have considered this issue already." Selmac said.

"We have, but to be honest, we never considered the Tok'Ra. We didn't think you would have any interest in Pegasus." Sam said. "Why would the High Council want to come here?"

Selmac was silent for a long moment.

"The Council has concerns about you and your people being mature enough to be trusted with the ancient technologies you have taken possession of." He said. "They have discussed the situation with the Asgard, who do not share their misgivings. But they believe that you may cause harm if allowed to continue unsupervised."

"What did the Asgard have to say? Were you present for the talks?" Tammy asked.

"We were, though Jacob spoke for us, being more familiar with the parties involved." Selmac said, a smile crossing his face for the first time. "The Asgard think highly of humans, and believe you to be what they call, the Fifth Race. They believe that your recent actions will speed up your evolution, to the benefit of many races."

"Wow, that's high praise from them." Sam said

"The Asgard made it clear, that had it been anyone besides you, Samantha, they would have stepped in and taken action already." Selmac told her. "They believe that based on their history with you, you can be trusted to act responsibly."

"What were you and my father doing on Earth, Selmac?" Sam asked him, watching him closely.

"We were discussing this subject with General Landry." Selmac replied. "He also has faith in you, and has reviewed your plans for what you wish to accomplish here in the Pegasus galaxy. We have read the materials your people provided to the SGC, and when I return to the Council, I will also tell them of my belief that you be allowed to proceed, without interference."

"I do however, have one cause for concern, that I just became aware of." He said after a moment.

"O'Neill?" Tammy asked. "It's pretty obvious that he doesn't like you people."

"Yes. He has never understood, or cared for our methods. And his distaste for us makes many uncomfortable." Selmac said.

"He has good reason to feel the way he does, Selmac." Sam said quietly. "You know as well as I do, that the Tok'Ra haven't exactly dealt with us as equals over the years. You've dealt with us because you had to, and we got results when you couldn't."

"While this may be true, the fact that he is here, and has influence over you, will not sit well with the Council."

"Well, all I can say to that is, that's just too damned bad." Sam said tightly. "Jack is one of our senior counsels, Master Bra'tac is the other. I chose them because I know and trust them, and they have proven themselves over the years."

She paused, taking a deep breath to calm herself. "We are Atlantis, Tammy and I. We act as co-queens, elected by vote, and acclimation. Our people told us that this is how they wanted us to run our city after we took possession of it. They said that they wanted a monarchy, with me as it's head. I asked them to let Tammy join me in this, and they consented."

"I was not aware how you came to be in the position you were in." Selmac said. "We assumed that you had simply taken charge after taking control. This will be well received by the council."

"Let's go back to O'Neill." Sam said. "We chose our court and advisors based on what they could do for our city, and our people. You can tell the council that we do not care what they think, believe, or imagine, because it is none of their concern. What we do with the technologies here in Atlantis is our business, and the business of the Pegasus galaxy, no one else's."

"You met Pharris, Waleen, and Arrin of the Travelers." Tammy said as she sat up and handed the baby to Sam. "They are the ruling council of the Travelers, one of the most technologically advanced races in this galaxy, after the Wraith, of course."

Selmac nodded, trying not to smile. "I found the woman, Pharris, to be most unpleasant. While her acceptance of us was welcome, her incessant questioning was not."

"Well, they have agreed to be our partners as we try to begin trade, and improve the quality of life for the peoples of this galaxy." She said, leaning forward. "And it may surprise you to know, that they have more ancient technology than we do, and have had it for generations. Will your council feel the need to reach out and interfere with them as well?"

"Please, understand that they only wish to do what is in the best interest for all." Selmac said. "We..."

"No, they want to do what is in the best interest of the Tok'Ra, they've shown that repeatedly over the years." Sam said lightly. "They don't believe that humans are smart enough to do anything without guidance. The problem is, the Tok'Ra haven't offered any guidance. They've just said, do this, this way, because I said so. Humans don't respond well to that kind of treatment."

"Your father is the first host to express his dissatisfaction with our methods. I believe it is because your world had been isolated for thousands of years. Your people have a sense of independence than we find disturbing."

"Well, it's an adjustment the Tok'Ra are going to have to make, because if they don't start expanding off of Earth in the next decade or so, I can guarantee that you'll see outposts from the peoples of the Pegasus galaxy. Either way, you're going to have hordes of independent humans to deal with."

"You would allow the races of the Pegasus galaxy to move into the our home galaxy?" Selmac asked.

"No, we're going to help them." Tammy said. "That was pretty far down on the to do list, call it a hundred years or so, but I don't see any reason why we can't move it up a little. Say, in the next two years?"

"Such an action would be seen as a threat by the Tok'Ra. Other races may feel the same."

"I doubt it." Sam said, lifting Jacob and laying his head on her shoulder. "The Jaffa High Council has already offered to assist us, should we need to relocate people to their worlds. They have also offered to assist in finding uninhabited worlds with stargates, should we decide to go that way."

"Selmac, We've already established relations with more than a third of the races we reached out to since we declared our independence. And we've taken in almost forty thousand refugees from worlds ravaged by the Wraith. All this has taken place in only a few weeks." Tammy said, smiling brightly at him. "The people we take in are tested for the ancient gene, and those that have it are given our gene therapy, which works on roughly eighty percent of them. The ones that it takes on, are offered training with ancient teaching machines. First we teach them ancient, then we teach them how to run the equipment we need to make goods to distribute throughout the galaxy."

"We're doing the same thing with the Travelers, testing and treating their people for the ancient gene, and giving them training on the equipment they think they need. Especially the warships." Sam said, looking over at Tammy. "They really seem to like their warships."