Start big intro on why I decided to go ahead and post this scene, despite my earlier misgivings…

I reread this fic the other day in hopes of inspiring the muse, and I came across this scene that had been deleted from the "official" story. I wrote it for the beginning of Chapter 20, but it probably would fit better at the end of chapter 19 – which all probably doesn't matter because it's been taken out of the story all together. :)

Anyway, the scene is between General Hammond and Jack O'Neill and was written for my beta, Diane, who wanted to know how the debriefing for the mission went down. But you know? This version would never have happened because there is no way that Sam would admit to any kind of intimacy during a mission, especially when it didn't have any bearings on the mission at all. So I kept it out of the "official" version of the story, and offered it up to those who read the story on my LJ, and for the select few who asked for it. But after going over the story again, I decided, "Why not?" It's the first, and probably only time I've written anything in General Hammond's POV, and I really like how this one went down.

Although I can now see how I could have fixed this so that it would have a possible scene without Sam admitting to anything, I'm not going to. I'm still trying to get the muse to work on current projects.

End intro. Just know that this scene was deleted from the original because it would never have happened.

Tangled Alliances
Deleted Scene

Thirty years of serving with, and commanding Air Force personnel gave General George Hammond an edge when it came to weeding out the occasional bull crap that his subordinates threw at him. Hell, he had been known to "bend" the rules himself when he was younger. But it was his job to wade through the bull and find out the truth, to make sure that all aspects of a situation were covered to avoid any complications.

Still, there were times when he was faced with a situation that demanded his expertise in handling said bull crap, and he steeled himself to face his current position. The amount of crap he was wading through right then made him wish he had thought to bring a shovel in order to brain the man sitting across from him. SG-1 had returned from a mission pretty much the worse for wear and with a story that reeked of suspicions, half-truths and out right lies. But until he got the full story, he was stuck between a rock and a hard place when it came to dealing with the possible pitfalls they all would face.

George was no fool, he knew that there was a very good possibility that he would never hear the full story, but he owed it to himself and his superiors to at least try. With that thought in mind, he sat forward in his chair and clasped his hands together, while staring straight into the eyes of Colonel Jack O'Neill. "I want the truth, Colonel," he said, as he leveled his gaze on the man. "And don't hand me any of that bull that you and your team were trying to feed me during your debriefing."

To his credit, the Colonel managed to look chagrined before turning on his 'charm'. "I'm not sure what it is you want me to say, General. We went to the planet, immediately got forced into slavery, Carter and Daniel had to… well, you know." George had to smile at the Colonel's leer, then remembered that he was supposed to be getting to the bottom of the whole mission. He lost the smile and glared at the man, as the Colonel continued, "Carter conned the ruler into letting her build a radio, and Teal'c was chosen to be a guard because he was big and scary." He shrugged his shoulders, as he grinned cheekily and added, "Then Reynolds showed up and kicked ass and here we are."

This was nothing new to George. They had all gone over the details of the mission, and the subsequent rescue during the team debriefings. No, George had other problems in mind. "Let's talk relationships," he said, as he picked up a report that was sitting on his desk. O'Neill squirmed in his seat, while George made a show of opening the report and looking through it. "Major Carter reported that she was physically assaulted by one of the guards and was forced to participate in a sexual relationship with Doctor Jackson."

"Daniel and Carter didn't have a choice sir," O'Neill interrupted, which caused George to frown as he looked up at the man.

"I realize that Colonel," he said, with a glare. "In fact, all four reports stress that very adamantly. But the fact remains that they did participate in this…" he looked back at the report, then continued after finding the appropriate term, "Breeding project." O'Neill nodded in agreement, but George knew that the man was still going to avoid the main subject at all cost, so he stepped up the pressure and asked point blank, "How is that going to affect you and your team, Colonel O'Neill?"

He had definitely hit a nerve, George thought, as he watched the man in front of him close down. It all happened in a matter of a few seconds. One second Jack O'Neill was sitting there actively thinking of a way to avoid the conversation, then the next second, George found himself facing down a man who knew how to keep his secrets and would defend those secrets with his life. George was usually glad to have this man and his Special Ops talents in his command, but sometimes those talents just got in the way. "Sir?" O'Neill asked warily, and George found himself wondering if there was more to this than his original suspicions.

Better to stick to one thing at a time, George thought, as he stared down the Colonel sitting across from him. "Major Carter and Daniel Jackson spent almost a week as lovers, and although they appear to have overcome their ordeal and remain friends, I have to determine if their relationship while enslaved will affect their performance out in the field and in future missions."

"I have every bit of confidence in their abilities, sir," O'Neill said stiffly. "In fact, Carter took over command when Reynolds and I were hit by that thought process thingy and Daniel was out in the middle of all that shooting. She didn't lose it then, and I know for a fact she won't in the future. She is one of the best out there."

George nodded, knowing that was what he was going to hear, but he needed more. "What about Doctor Jackson?"

"Well sir," O'Neill responded, as he looked down for a moment and squirmed a little in his chair. "Daniel can be a little… um… compassionate," he continued, the Special Ops mask replaced by a grin. "He has no biases toward anyone. He will always be a problem."

George couldn't help the small chuckle that rumbled from his lips. From the moment Doctor Daniel Jackson had stepped through the Stargate and demanded to be allowed to go out to find his wife, the man had been a hindrance, as well as a tremendous asset to the Stargate program. "A problem you wouldn't change for the world now would you son?"

"No sir." The cocky grin turned into a sober look, as he added, "Every last member of my team are valuable assets, and if anything, that forced relationship strengthened the bond of friendship Daniel and Carter shared before we went there." He shrugged then said, "This has made us stronger."

This eased George's mind considerably and was glad that he pushed for a resolution. "No possible complications?"

"No complications." O'Neill stopped and seemed to think about it, then said, "Well, besides cocky Goa'uld, crooked politicians, and metallic little bugs," this was said, as he wiggled his fingers in front of him to illustrate bugs, "No problems at all."

"Well, that's good," George responded with a laugh. "I admit that I was a little worried."

"Understandable sir."

Standard military response, George thought, as he prepared for the next battle. He shifted through the folders on his desk and pulled out another one, composing his next words in his mind, as he did so. "We need to talk about the boy," he said, as he looked up from his desk. The smile dropped from O'Neill's face, and he sat forward as he went into attack mode.

"Joseph."

"Joseph," George acceded, realizing that he had already started out on the wrong foot on this subject. "He has permission to stay on this planet, provided a proper home is found for him to live out his life."

"He's a very well-mannered child," O'Neill said, gearing up to have things go his way. It was clearly obvious to everybody and their brother that Jack O'Neill had taken a special interest in the child, much like he had with Cassandra Fraiser. Unfortunately, the feeling was strongly mutual, as O'Neill had a hard time separating himself from the child once he had been released from the infirmary. The boy pitched a fit every single time. George was well aware of the background between the man and the boy, and what had made the connection so strong, but he and O'Neill both agreed that the child would be better off placed with a family that was on a more stationary routine. George had come up with a reasonable placement, but he wasn't sure how O'Neill would take it.

"Several people have offered to adopt him," George began, hoping to soften the news a little. "Carol Ramsey from the infirmary has two children of her own, and she tells me that her belief in the Christian faith coincides with the beliefs that Joseph had grown up with." O'Neill nodded, and started to speak, but George decided to give him all the options before hearing what the man had to say. "Captain Evans' wife just lost a baby, and they are considering giving Joseph a home with them." O'Neill frowned at that news, but George kept on going, "And then there's…"

"Don't say it!" The demand coming from a subordinate gave George pause, and he looked up in shock to face a contrite Colonel. "Sorry sir," O'Neill said, with a guilty smile. "I was just worried there for a minute that I was gonna end up owing Daniel and Teal'c some money." The hopeful look he had on his face confused George even more.

"Colonel O'Neill," he said, deciding to ask instead of trying to figure out what was going on. "Do you want to clue me in here?"

"Well sir," he began, with a look that spoke volumes on what the man was feeling at the moment. "It's just that Daniel keeps insisting that… you know." George shook his head, and waited patiently to be told. O'Neill sighed then said, "Daniel has this idea that because the only other person Joseph hunts down when I'm unavailable is Siler, he thinks that Siler would make a great father for him. According to Daniel, the kid relates to me and Siler because we both must look like his father." George smiled inwardly, thinking it was nice to have the upper hand again. Colonel O'Neill, on the other hand, was still on his indignant spiel. "I mean, look at him. Why would Joseph relate to Siler? He's not like me at all, and he doesn't even look like me." He fumed for a moment, then waved his hand about in dismissal. "No matter what Daniel and Carter say, just because we are the same height and build, we're not all that similar."

George just sat there and grinned. It wasn't every day he had something over on Colonel O'Neill.