Notes: A big thank you to all those whom were kind enough to let me know what they thought of each chapter of this story, and to all those who took the time to read it. I do need to offer my sincerest apologies as I realise I have left this story abandoned for almost a year to the day of the last chapter, but I hope that the fact of putting up last chapter might make amends for this. I apologise for it being unusally short but I felt I needed to at least end the story, no matter how short the chapter might be. And as a special reward for anyone whom has been following this story, or any of mine for that matter, I am announcing here that I will be putting up a story that deals with what it might hav been like had O'Neill and Carter met in the timeline of Continuum, with him as a Colonel in the USAF and her as a Mission Commander in Nasa. Enjoy.

Chapter Eleven

As she made her way back into the building, Ashley walked the familiar path up to her room which just so happened to go past her mother's office. Noticing a light coming room under the door, Ashley frowned in puzzlement as to what her mum would be doing up at this hour given she herself had only just got back in the knowledge it was quarter to three in the morning. Needing to know the answer to the questions running through her head, Ashley approached the door and knocked gently before receiving a "come in." invitation from the occupier of the room in question and proceeded to go inside.

Popping her head round the door, Ashley smiled warmly at her mum as she turned from staring at the fireplace and looked up at her daughter and said.

"Hi Mum, what's up?"

Frowning slightly, Helen replied quietly.

"Funny, I was going to ask you the very same thing."

Chuckling at her mother's response, Ashley retorted softly.

"Well shouldn't I be asking you that, after all it is quarter to three in the morning and you're still awake?"

Raising her eyebrows at this information, Helen glanced down quickly at her watch to confirm this, before looking back up again her daughter and adding surprised.

"Crikey, would you look at that, so it is. You should be getting to bed."

Raising an elegant eyebrow at her mother's attempts to dodge her question, Ashley sighed softly as she injected.

"Nice try, Mum, but I won't be fooled that easily by changing the subject. What's with the late hour? Is something wrong?"

Closing her eyes in resignation of the fact that there was no way to out-talk her daughter from this one, Helen opened her eyes again and proceeded over to sit on the sofa as she replied tiredly.

"Nothing's wrong, sweetheart...well, not entirely." At the confused expression Ashley held when she looked up at her once more, Helen added quietly. "It's complicated."

Noting the sheer look of exhaustion in her mother's eyes as she spoke, Ashley took up the seat next to her mum and asked timidly, as she knew it would be a delicate subject, if they're last argument involving talking about Colonel Jack O'Neill had been anything to go by.

"Something happened didn't it...with Colonel O'Neill?"

Not entirely surprised, but a bit more than worried that her daughter could pin-point what was bothering her just by looking her, Helen nodded gently as she replied softly.

"Yes...something definitely happened." At her daughter's smirk she could see from the corner of her eye, Helen nudged her in good humour in an attempt to wipe the smirk off her face when she added sadly. "I just don't know what to do."

Knowing her mum's opinion and stance with getting involved with your work, Ashley considered her response for a moment before retorting softly.

"Do what your heart tells you."

Shocked at the deepness of empathy she could hear in her daughter's voice, Helen snapped her eyes up from looking at the floor to see true earnest shinning out of Ashley's. Smiling warmly at her daughter in thanks, Helen engulfed her in a warm and grateful embrace before being shooed non-verbally by Ashley and started to make her way out of her office and down towards the gym where she knew he would be.

Feeling very pleased with herself for being able to help her mother with an emotional crisis for a change, Ashley smiled happily to herself before at but bouncing out of her mother's office and up the stairs towards her room.

Coming to a halt in the gym's doorway, Helen allowed herself a moment to drink in the sight of an, as yet, unaware Colonel Jack O'Neill floating his way up towards a basketball hoop with ball in hand. Just as he neared the very edge of the basket, Helen injected amusedly.

"You know, in some cultures, I believe that's called cheating."

Upon hearing her voice, Jack lapsed momentarily in his concentration and fell ungracefully back down to earth with a thud. Turning his head round to see her, Jack glared her from the floor as proceeded to get up and dusted himself off as he retorted.

"And in some cultures, I believe that's called using all your natural assets."

Coming to stand a few inches away from him, Helen couldn't help the smile that broke out across her face whenever he was near as she bit her lip before saying quietly.

"I've been thinking-"

At these words, Jack injected comically.

-"You...thinking...I'm shocked, Doctor."

Smiling even more at his antics, Helen asked nervously.

"You remember when I implied you that I wasn't sure what I wanted?"

Smirking a little at her choice of words, Jack replied amusedly.

"Yeah."

Swallowing the lump which had formed in her throat, Helen looked him square in the eyes as she added with more determination than she felt in her voice.

"I was wrong...I know what I want."

Raising an eyebrow in interest, Jack retorted whilst closing the remaining few inches gap as he spoke softly so as not to scare her off.

"Is that right? And what might that be, I wonder?"

Ducking her head to hide a smirk, Helen looked back up as she said just as softly.

"Oh, I think you know what, Colonel."

Returning her smirk with one of his own at the warmth she stressed around his rank, Jack leaned in just a little bit as he added quietly enough so that only she could hear, making sure to stress her title with the same warmth of feeling.

"Well then, by all means, Doctor, I think it best we test this theory of yours."

Noting the mixture of playfulness and passion laying just beneath the surface of his eyes as he said this, Helen nodded in agreement as she leaned and met him half way in what was to become the first of many 'experimental' kisses to follow for the rest of their lives.

THE END