Graceful Encore

Summary: MiniJack is all grown up and running the SGC. His life is content until a certain person enters his life and turns it upside down.

Disclaimer: Stargate is not mine. I make no money from this and do it for entertainment purposes only.

a/n: The episode Fragile Balance, is being moved around for this story. Instead of taking place at the beginning of season 7, it took place at the end, right after Janet dies. So, miniJack has all the knowledge of Janet's death, all the knowledge of Sam dating Pete, and all the knowledge of pretty much everything that happened in season 7 up until sometime after Janet's death but before Jack gets the ancient download.

This is a Sam/Jack story all the way. It might not be obvious at first, but trust me.

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Chapter One:

Grace Shanahan walked into her parents' two-story colonial in Denver. She was humming, excitement flooding every nerve ending in her body. Closing the door behind her, the smell of lasagna drifted through the air and her stomach growled in response.

Seeing her youngest sister sprawled out in her dad's lazy boy, reading a vanity magazine, Grace picked up one of the dog's stuffed toys laying on the floor and flung it on her sister's lap.

"Eww, Grace! That's gross!" Brooklyn complained in disgust, pinching the wet, grungy toy with two fingers and flinging it back to the floor.

Grace laughed in amusement. "Where's mom and dad?"

"In the kitchen," Brooklyn replied, indignantly.

Grace ignored her teenage sister's attitude and continued through the house to the kitchen.

"Grace, you're back!" her step mom, Renee, announced when she saw the blue-eyed blonde enter the kitchen.

"Yeah, I'm back," Grace beamed, a smile donning her face from ear-to-ear.

"Soooooo, how'd it go?" Renee pressed, anxious to find out about the meeting in DC that she had been mysteriously whisked away to a few days before.

"I met the president!" Grace squealed, barely restraining herself from jumping up and down.

"Of the United States?" Renee asked in surprise.

"Uh-huh!" Grace eagerly replied, nodding her head quickly in excitement.

"What did he want?"

"He offered me a job."

"Really? In DC?"

"No, right here in Colorado! Colorado Springs, actually. He wants me to work where my mom worked!" Grace exploded in glee, unable to contain herself, and jumping up and down in girly-squeeness.

"There's no way in hell!" her dad's voice sounded out angrily from behind them. Pete Shanahan walked in the room and slammed the back door shut. "You ARE NOT working at Cheyenne Mountain! Absolutely not!"

"Dad!" Grace whined.

"That is the place that killed your mother, Grace! Is that really where you want to work? They killed her! They took everything from her and then they killed her!" he raged, his voice getting higher and higher.

"Pete," Renee said, her voice calm but raised, trying to get through to her husband.

"Dad!" Grace yelled in anger. "I WANT to work there!"

"NO!" he yelled back.

"I'm 25 years old! I can work wherever the hell I choose, dad! Stop trying to run my life!"

"You are not working there!"

"Yes I am," she said in a low, controlled voice, defiance shining in her eyes. "You refused to let me join the military, claiming it wrecked my mother's life, now you're refusing to let me join a program the PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES has asked me to join. I'm sorry dad, I know you've always blamed my mother's job for taking her death, but there is no way I'm passing this up."

"Grace!" Pete barked.

"Dad!" Grace cut off. "I'm going to do this, whether you like it or not! This is something I can do that might bring me closer to my mother. It was what she did, what she loved, and if I can follow in her footsteps, then maybe I can finally find peace with her death."

"You don't want to follow in her footsteps, Gracie! Your mom loved her job, so much so that it took priority over everything. EVERYTHING! Including me and you! Your mom died for her job, not even caring that she had a 2 year old daughter she was leaving motherless. If it weren't for Renee, who knows how we would've ended up! I'm sorry, Grace, but I'm not going to watch you make the same mistakes your mom did. If you take this job, you're no longer welcome here."

Grace gasped at her father's words.

"Pete!" Renee shouted at her husband in anger. Then she turned to Grace with pleading eyes, "Grace."

Grace looked from her dad to her step mom and shook her head. "I'm sorry, mom, I guess I won't be here for dinner," she announced with venom and then stormed out of the room.

"Grace!" Renee yelled after her, then turned back to her husband. "Don't let her leave, Pete! What are you doing?"

"Don't get into this, Renee," he barked at her and flung open the backdoor.

Just then, 20-year old Chelsea came running into the kitchen. "What's wrong with Grace?" she asked worriedly.

"Grace and dad got into a fight," Brooklyn supplied, having heard and witnessed most of the argument herself.

"About what?" Chelsea asked, slightly out of breath.

"Mostly her mom and her new job, I think," Brooklyn returned, walking over and checking on the lasagna after seeing her mom chase after her dad who had fled back out to the backyard.

Grace hopped into her car and sped out of the neighborhood. Hot tears streaking down her flaming cheeks. How could he? How could he still treat her like a child? Like a possession? She didn't blame her mother for never wanting to spend time with him! If he had been that controlling with her, then she completely understood.

Sometimes, Grace really hated her dad. She loved him. He had been a devoted, loving father, but still, she found herself resenting him often growing up, and even more now as an adult. He had insisted on controlling her life. He picked out the private schools she attended. He picked out what boys were appropriate for her to date. He chose the university she attended. He chose the company that she presently worked for. He had refused to let her join the military, something her heart had longed for. He even refused to let her date anyone in the military!

He controlled her life! And, if it wasn't for Renee, he probably would have been even worse. Renee and her dad were married before he ever met her mom. They had fought about his job and how rarely he was ever home, and after a few years, decided on a divorce. It was a short time after that her mom and dad met. A set-up by her Uncle Mark, who she had only met a few times.

Apparently, they had hit it off well, and before they knew it, Grace had been conceived. They got married before Grace was born and, for two years, were a family.

Grace didn't remember her mom. She had only been two when she died. Apparently, she had gone on a mission and never returned. All that was left of her mother was a box in the attic filled with photos, awards, including the purple heart, and various other knick-knacks and memorabilia her mother had.

After her mother's death, her dad was left with a toddler, constantly asking when her mommy was coming home. Not knowing who else to turn to, and refusing help from his wife's friends, Pete moved back to Denver and asked Renee for help.

Renee helped Pete with Grace, and eventually, the two realized how much they still loved each other. They remarried, and when Grace was five, her sister, Chelsea joined the family. Three years later, Madison was born and three years after that, to everyone's surprise, Brooklyn arrived.

The three girls looked very similar, with dark hair and green eyes. Chelsea and Brooklyn looked almost identical to their mother, who was an attractive woman in her day. Madison had her dad's stockiness, but still held her mom's feminine looks.

Which really made Grace stand out growing up with her 5'9" frame, blonde hair and brilliantly bright blue eyes. Grace looked absolutely nothing like her dad. So, she assumed she looked like her mother, and looking at the limited photographs she had of her mother, she couldn't deny the claim. She really did look exactly like her mother. It was one thing that connected her to her mother, and she relished in it.

Grace arrived at her small apartment and made her way inside. She locked her door behind her and continued on to the kitchen, her stomach still growling for food. After searching her cupboards, and finding a box of cheez-its, Grace plopped down in her favorite chair and ate half the box for dinner.

She was still angry at her dad, and she knew she had the right to be. A part of her, a large part of her in fact, felt relief at being disowned by her dad. She could never remember a time where she felt as though she fit in with her family. She didn't look like them, she didn't act like them, she didn't like any of the same things they liked. She had been the odd-ball of the family her whole life. Her dad had forced her to do the things he wanted her to do, and she did, but she never liked them. Her sisters always did. Her sisters were into make-up and dating, they were all three solid C-students, and they knew the names of all the characters on all the daytime soap operas.

Grace, on the other hand, wore minimal make-up, rarely dated, she had loved school, even skipped two grades, was the valedictorian, she loved to watch educational shows like the Discovery Channel and National Geographic. She loved being outdoors, swimming, hiking, rock-climbing. She was a complete contrast to her family. When she went off to school, she had plans on moving far away from them so she wouldn't be reminded everyday at how different she was from them, but her dad had other plans. And, Grace hated upsetting anyone, so she relented to her dad, and continued to let him run her life.

She never expected him to control it for so long.

And now, she had had enough. This was her life, damn it! And, she was taking this job. She wanted this job.

Tossing the box of cheez-its on to the coffee table, Grace stood up, swept her hand over her clothes to knock off the crumbs and started packing. A smile sweeping across her face as she felt a heavy burden finally lift off her chest.

She was finally starting her own life.

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General Jack O'Neill strolled down the corridors of the SGC on the way to his office. He was itching to get out of his dress blues, but Hailey had hired a new scientist for the SGC and he wanted to make a good impression on her first day. Why? He had no idea, but Hailey had insisted she was brilliant and would be a huge asset to the program.

Ever since General Hailey had taken over the realms of Homeworld Security, they had been looking for a competent scientist to take her place at the SGC. She had run the base, and overseen research and development for five years, but when Mitchell decided to retire from his position as the leader of Homeworld Security, the president insisted Hailey take his place.

Which was a great decision on the president's part, but still left the SGC with a hole in its program. Jack had been promoted to general and put in charge of the SGC, but he was a far cry from the scientist they were looking for to cover the other half of Hailey's responsibilities.

His second time around had involved several science courses, but he had no intention of actually using his knowledge for anything other than understanding the jibberish coming out of the scientists' mouths.

He entered his office, his eyes sweeping the room, the familiar old picture of the original SG-1 catching his eye on the wall. He sighed. He missed them. Even though he had lived the last 26 years as another person, another life, they were still his team, and he missed them.

He had insisted on keeping his name. And, knowing he would grow up to look exactly like himself, the air force had agreed, simply adding a junior to the end of his name and fabricating a birth certificate claiming he was his own son.

It was weird.

When he first considered reliving his life, he was a little excited. But, after two days in high school, the realization that he was the same age Charlie would have been really hit hard, and his excitement was gone. The cute teenage girls he had seen on the front lawn when the original version of himself dropped him off were in a whole new light now. He couldn't date these girls!

It was wrong.

He had been at the school for a couple of months when Molly Johnson had backed him up beside the gym bleachers and kissed him. Molly Johnson! The same Molly Johnson who was on Charlie's t-ball team when they were five years old. Visions of Molly with pig-tails and a lop-sided baseball cap had flooded Jack's mind, and when the memory of her little girly voice rang in his ears, "Mr. Charlie's dad, will you play catch with me," he pushed her away and ran as fast as he could.

He transferred to a different school after that, and went straight to the Air Force Academy after graduation. General Kerrigan was aware of his predicament, and the general was a god-send to Jack. He made sure Jack's second time around didn't feel like a boring re-run and Jack found himself finally back in his element.

As a cadet, he had met an attractive older woman and had dated her for a few weeks. But, when she commented on their relationship and mentioned how it was like the movie, "The Graduate," and she was Mrs. Robinson, Jack abruptly broke it off.

He was nothing like the graduate.

He had been transferred to the SGC immediately following his graduation from the Academy. With all his experience, he climbed the ranks quickly, and it was no surprise when he became general of the SGC at the young age of 39. He deserved it more than anyone. He did, in all honesty, have the most experience and knowledge, most of which was learned in a different body, but it was still his experience and knowledge, nonetheless.

His phone rang loudly in his office and Jack's eyes moved from the SG-1 photo to the ringing annoyance. Walking to his desk, he picked up the receiver. "O'Neill."

"Sir, the new scientist is on her way to your office now."

"Thank you, sergeant," Jack said before hanging up. He adjusted his tie and straightened his jacket, still intent on making a good impression.

A light knock on the door caught his attention and he cleared his voice and called out, "Enter."

The blonde-haired, blue-eyed woman who walked into his office was not at all who he was expecting.

His eyes widened in surprise at the same time his face paled as if he had seen a ghost. And, that was exactly what was running through his mind at that time. She was a ghost!

"C-Carter?" he stuttered in shock.

"Sir?" Carter's voice replied and Jack felt his two perfectly-healthy knees weaken. "Carter," he gasped, his body wanting to crumple to the floor.

Grace couldn't explain it. The moment her eyes met those of the man before her, she felt her whole world shift. It was as though her life had finally clicked into place. This man was important to her. She didn't know why or how or even who he was, but she knew he was important to her

Grace shook her head, as if shaking herself back to reality. "I'm Grace. Dr. Grace Shanahan, I was told to report to you, sir," an unsure voice, sounding just like Carter's cut through the heavy air.

Grace.

Grace……Shanahan.

Shanahan…..Pete.

This was Carter's kid! Holy shit! How could she look so much like Carter? "Grace," Jack repeated, his heart beating painfully hard in his chest. "You, you look just like your mother," he choked out.

"You…..knew my mother?" she quietly asked, her big blue eyes searching Jack's and sending familiar, old pangs of desire through his body.

Jack nodded, trying to recover from the shock of Carter's ghost walking through the door. "Yeah," he coughed out.

"How?" Grace asked. This man couldn't be more than forty and that would mean he was only a kid when her mom died, how could he know her?

Jack sighed. "It's a long story. What do you know about the Stargate so far?"

"Nothing. Just that this is where my mom worked."

"That's it?" Jack asked in disbelief. "They didn't tell you anything else?"

Grace shrugged. "They said I would be informed of everything once I arrived."

Jack groaned. He hated doing the whole…In the 1920's in Giza, Egypt, Dr. Langford….blah, blah, blah speech. After 33 years of hearing and saying the speech, it got really old.

But, nevertheless, it was now his responsibility to fill her in. He guided her to the briefing room, grabbing the file on his desk. As soon as she was debriefed he was calling a certain general and giving her an earful. She could've warned him who the new scientist was!

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