DISCLAIMER:- STARGATE is a registered trademark of MGM/UA and SHOWTIME-Online. This fanfic is not intended as an infringement to those rights and is written solely for entertainment. No copyright infringement intended. Please e-mail with thoughts, good the bad and the ugly.

SPOILERS:- Set anytime in the series. But has spoilers for The Movie, Children of the Gods, Torment of Tantlus and The Gamekeeper

Family Ties

By Vanessa Gray aka Sam Carter

Sgxf@hotmail.com

"Oh, I almost forgot. Dr. Jackson, Catherine Langford left you message while you were on P34X2. She needs to talk to you." General Hammond informed Daniel after the team had finished its de-briefing.

Puzzled, Daniel looked at the others, "We just saw her before the mission, I wonder what this could be about? I hope everything’s okay." SG-1 visited Catherine and Ernest regularly to keep them acquainted with certain findings. Daniel went over to the phone and pressed several numbers. "Hello, Catherine... Yea... Sure.... Fine..." A slight frown formed on his face when he reached the end of the conversation. He looked up at the others. "Catherine wants me to go to her place."

"So when do we leave?" Sam asked.

"Not we, me. If it's okay, General, I’d like to go now."

"By all means, Dr. Jackson. Just remember to keep your pager on this time." The General said with a smirk.

"Ah…right. Yeah, I’ll make sure, Sir." With that, Daniel rushed off to change into his civilian clothes.

"I wonder what's going on there?" Jack voiced the question aloud that the others were thinking.

"Well, Colonel, Ms. Langford just said she needed to talk and didn't expand on that," General Hammond replied before standing up. He tugged at his shirt around his midriff, nodded at the others and headed for his office.

An hour later, Daniel knocked on the front door of Catherine’s large home and within seconds, the maid answered. "Dr Jackson, if you would just follow me."

Catherine and Ernest were sitting on a sofa facing each other. It looked as though they were in a serious discussion. The maid cleared her throat. Catherine turned to see her guest; a smile came to her face, yet it couldn't hide the fear she had.

Daniel stepped into the living room. "Catherine. Ernest."

It was Ernest who put his hand out to shake Daniel's. "How are you, Daniel?"

Daniel took a seat in one of the armchairs. "Fine. Can I ask what this is about? Why all the mysteries?"

Catherine took a deep breath and turned to her husband. "Something Ernest thought it was about time you knew." Ernest took her hand and gave it a squeeze in support, as she started her story.

"There’s something I neglected to tell you earlier about the time Ernest and I were engaged. We planned to be married shortly; in fact, we had planned to elope in two weeks. But that never happened, because Ernest went through the Stargate and then my father told me had died in an accident. Well, just after that I found out I was pregnant.”

Daniel’s eyebrows rose upwards as his eyes widened from the surprising news. Respecting Catherine’s announcement, he remained silent.

She continued, “I couldn't tell my father…it would bring him such shame, especially back in the ‘40s. Luckily, a couple, who were dear close friends of mine, couldn't have children, so we made this plan that they would raise my child as their own. I would become Auntie Catherine, a family friend. Still saddened over my fiancé’s death, I told my father I was going to Europe. In actuality, I was overjoyed to be carrying Ernest’s child, I had a beautiful baby girl named Claire.” Daniel smiled at the news, but his face contorted when his mind filled with questions. “Whatever happened to—“ Catherine cut him short, “I became more involved in the Stargate program, trying to get it up and running again. I never found another man I loved as much as Ernest, so raising my daughter as my own was out of the question. I studied ancient Egyptian history, especially the language, in order to understand the gate better, but with no luck. I made sure I had time for Claire though. As Claire grew up, I discovered she had mine and Ernest’s spirit of adventure. While at college, she met Melburn, a professor of Anthropology. He took her on digs with him, especially after they married. Soon after, they had a son. Several years later Melburn was offered a job at the New York Museum of Art, of course Claire accompanied him. Their son was around seven, so they wanted him nearby to raise him properly. A tragic accident in the museum killed both of them. I tried to claim their child as my own, but the Courts overruled since I wasn’t a blood relative in the eyes of the law. So, little Danny went to an orphanage until he they found him foster parents. I tried to keep track of him, but I lost contact until two years ago at a seminar in LA, at which I offered him a job on the Stargate project."

Daniel tried to swallow. He just stared at them both. “So…what you’re saying is that I'm your grandson?"

"Just remember, I had my daughter young and she in turn had you young."

"I don’t understand, Catherine. You knew all along and yet you never told me. Why? Why would you keep this from me?"

"I'm so sorry, Daniel. I was just too scared to tell you. I couldn’t jeopardize the Stargate program by telling you two years ago. And then you didn’t return from Abydos until recently…"

Daniel studied her and then took a calming breath. "Somehow, I understand. God knows, but I do. I just need time to figure this out." He turned to Ernest whose proud smile touched Daniel’s soul and eased his anger for a moment. The anger returned and Daniel whipped around to face Catherine. He lowered his eyes, unable to look into hers. Without saying another word, he left.

Catherine turned to Ernest, tears streaming down her face. "Tell me I did the right thing…"

He pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her. "Yes, my love. It's best he knows the truth."

The Sergeant in charge came into the General's office. "General."

"Yes, Sergeant?"

"SG-6 has left on their mission to P3A797. They reported something strange before leaving."

"And what’s that?"

"When the team entered the embarkation room, they found Dr. Jackson sitting beneath the control window just staring at the Stargate. Apparently, he wouldn't even get up when they were leaving for their mission. Seems he’s still there, Sir."

"Call the other members of SG-1 and Dr. Fraiser down there immediately." With that the General rose from his chair and marched down to the gate room. He arrived just before Jack and Sam.

Teal'c and Dr Fraiser whispered to him that Daniel seemed to be suffering from shock. Daniel looked at the General. “You’re a grandfather right?"

"Yes, I have two granddaughters. Why?"

"Would you ever lie to them? I mean about something important, not Easter Bunny or Tooth Fairy type thing?" He looked at the General, waiting for the answer, like it was the meaning of life.

"I would hope not, son."

"That's interesting." Daniel got up he couldn't think with everybody around.

"What's going on, Daniel?" Jack asked him.

Sam continued, "You went to see Catherine and Ernest, and now you’re talking about grandparents. What did she tell you, Daniel?"

Suddenly, it hit her. She looked to Jack and mouthed ‘Catherine.’ Perplexed at first, Jack finally understood.

Daniel figured by the looks on their faces that they knew "Catherine just enlightened me to the fact that she and Ernest were my mother's real parents. All this time, Catherine knew…it was Ernest who thought I should know. I was working on the Stargate with my grandmother. The woman who could have told me things that I don’t know about my parents, something I have always longed for."

Sam noticed Daniel’s lower lip quiver and his eyes dart to the side. She recognized those gestures and sensed his mixed emotions of bitterness and sorrow. "Daniel, Catherine must have had a good reason for not telling you about this sooner."

General Hammond spoke up, "I believe we should move this conversation up to the conference room."

Daniel followed, shuffling his feet while pondering on what Sam had said. Dr. Frasier pardoned herself and headed back to the infirmary, since she wasn't needed and she felt it wasn’t her place to intrude.

By the time they arrived at the conference room, a smile had formed on Daniel’s face. Ernest’s smile and what Sam had said sunk in. Aside from the obvious fear of judgment, if Catherine had told him this two years ago, his feelings might have been different, not knowing her. He could have said no to the project. Maybe in the longrun the right decision had been made. If he stayed angry now, he would never get the chance to find out more about his parents.

The End.