Title: Balance Point Author: Alice S aka Carter Rating: PG-13 Archive: Anywhere just drop a line.
Disclaimer: Not mine that's all you need to know! Chapter 1 Like most days lately Jesse woke up to an alarm clock and Jonas. She stopped the alarm clock and revisited the urge to throw it settling for resting her head on Jonas's bare chest. He opened his green eyes and stared into Jesse's brown ones for a bit before going down for a kiss. After a bit they parted and Jesse made a move to get out of bed. Jonas pulled her arm back in and kissed her again. "Jonas." She said before he kissed her. "Jessica." He said after stopping. "As much as I'd love to stay here all day." "We have to go to the base." "Exactly." "I need to go back to Kelwona today too." Jesse frowned. "I know." "Lets get changed." Jonas said to break the tension his departure would create. Jesse nodded and got out of bed. ~~~~~~~~~` Daniel cleared his throat as he entered the elevator causing Jesse and Jonas to break apart. "Playing tongue tango in the morning is about as safe as drinking soda for breakfast." Daniel said with a straight face without turning back to look at them. "Mostly not safe for Jonas." Daniel said with a grin thinking about what could have if Jack knew about Jonas and Jesse. "Does Jack know?" "Have you told him?" asked Jesse. "No." "Then he doesn't know." "He should know." "I know." Jonas was thoroughly confused with the conversation but didn't show it. Later the ride to the SGC was quiet. They had both decided to keep Jack and Sam from finding out about them and now Daniel knew or at least better informed. When they reached the SGC they went their separate ways. ~~~~~~~~~~~` "I'm leaving in a half hour." Said Jonas catching up with her after a briefing. "Aw." She said. "I know. You're going to see me off right." "Of course we got the kissing part over with at my apartment." She grinned. He grinned too. Then his expression turned sad. "I'm really sorry I won't be there for the graduation, Jessica." Said Jonas. "Its okay Jonas you've stayed away from home for long enough. They need you more than I need you right now." "I glad you understand." "Why wouldn't I? There'll be plenty of pictures. Don't worry you'll hear so much you'd think you were there." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~` A half an hour later Jonas was still a bit guilty missing Jesse's graduation from the academy and promotion. "Bye Jonas." Jesse said on the ramp hugging and giving him a peck on the cheek. "Good luck." "Bye Jessica and thanks." Jesse nodded and stepped off the ramp. Chapter 2 "Well, Lt. O'Neill, how do you feel?" Jack asked his daughter after the ceremony. "Like I've just been promoted." Jesse responded hugging her father and mother both dressed in their dress blues like her. "Congratulations Jess." Said Sam. "I'm very proud." "Thanks mom." Jesse responded. "No parties nor celebrations of any kind, right?" asked Jesse with a serous face. Jack sadly said, "Yeah." "Good." Said Jesse. "I couldn't stand having to go to a party tonight." No one asked questions. This graduation fell one year after Bryan's ascension. Jesse put her mind away from that as she hugged Daniel and planted a peak on his cheek. ~~~~~~~~~~` Jesse was about to get into her car when a voice behind her said, "I need your help, Lt. O'Neill." She turned around shocked at who she had seen behind her in the mirror. "You." "Me." "What are you doing here, Maybourne?" she asked. "You know where he is." Said Harry Maybourne. "Who?" Jesse asked. "Bryan." "He's dead." "Not in this universe." Jesse gulped and turned around. "Get in the car." She ordered. ~~~~~~~~~~~~` "I'm glad I got your attention." He said after they drove to an empty parking lot. "What do you want?" Jesse asked. "I need you to enlist the SGC in helping me locate my son." "Do you know where he is?" "No but you do. He'd be about 21 now." "Just graduating I take it." "Just like you but he hasn't even entered the academy yet." "Why don't you know where he is?" "A few months after I got involved with the NID someone tipped me off that my family was in danger. The NID felt that the work I was doing could be compromised by my family, namely Diana and Bryan." "Diana, your wife, Diana." Harry nodded. "They were going to kill them but I made them go into hiding and change their last name. I don't even know what it is." "So you two divorced and you never saw either of them again. But, now since Bryan will most likely join with the military and Diana can't provide an alibi for him about you." Harry cut her off. "How did you know she couldn't?" "She's dead right?" asked Jesse. "How'd you know that?" "Because knowing you, you would have made it fairly easy for you to find Diana and if you knew where she was you could find Bryan but you didn't think that she would die so you had no back up. You thought that the only opinion left was to ask me." "How do you know all this?" Jesse smiled. "Lucky guess." "Will you help me?" "No." Jesse said simply but firmly with the smile gone. "It would destroy my life and many others I can't know where Bryan is." "Yeah it would really crush the relationship between you and the alien." "Among other things." "That's very selfish of you." "Never stopped you from doing lots of things." "Its not only for me this time." "I won't look for him. End of discussion." Jesse said. "I just can't." Harry made his way out of the car and when he was out Jesse drove off. Chapter 3 "Hey Jesse." Daniel said as he entered his apartment. He didn't even have to look up to notice her. "Hey Danny." Jesse said. She looked worn out with good reason. For the past few days she'd been at simulations to test if she was good enough to be with the SGC. Today it had ended with the foothold at the SGC. She had done very well but wasn't going to be put in a field team yet. Daniel sat on the couch next to her and stared. Jesse started getting very self-conscious under his stare. "What are you looking at?" Jesse asked. "I'm just thinking." "About?" "You and Jonas and what I saw in the elevator." "Oh." Jesse put down the book she was reading. "Are you sleeping with him?" Jesse choked on the air she was breathing. "Excuse me?" Jesse asked when she regained her speech. "Are you sleeping with Jonas?" "Yes and no." Daniel raised his eyebrows. "Care to explain?" "Same bed with clothes." Jesse explained clearing her throat. "Oh." He said. He'd expected a worst answer. "Why'd you what to know?" "You seemed very intimate in the elevator." "Yeah I should go now." "Bye." He said as she left his apartment without another word. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~` "Lt. O'Neill, you and Corp. David Tanner will meet up at a pre-designated site and will discuss in detail the information he has gathered." Said General Hammond. "Is that understood?" "Yes sir." Said Jesse. "So we finally have a mole in the NID." "Yes, and you will be responsible for these meetings until the time at you are assigned to an SG team." "Yes, sir." "Dismissed." Jesse nodded and picked up her file folder. ~~~~~~~~~~~~` "No I'm not telling you where I going, how I'm going to get there, who I'm meeting, how long I'm going to be there for or if I'm making any side trips." She said as her father entered her office. "Come Jesse throw me a bone." He said. "Dad its top secret and I'm sure you understand what that means." "Jesse." Jack said with a glare. "Dad, please." He went up to him with supplies in and planted a kiss on his cheek. He did the same to her. "Be careful." "Will." "Only talk to your contact." "Don't worry." "Make sure it'll the right person." Jesse didn't respond. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~` "Corporal David Tanner is your contact." Said an informant on the plane. "He's been working with the NID for about a year now." "As a mole?" asked Jesse. "For the SGC he's been providing important information about plans against the SGC and missions to destroy some of our allies." "So my job is to get the information he has." "Right." Jesse looked out the window as the plane touched down. "Lets go." She said after the plane came to a stop. ~~~~~~~~~~` "Corporal Tanner I presume." Jesse said. "No I'm Lt. Barite, but it's a pleasure." He extended out his hand and Jesse shook it. She smiled and turned to look at his companion. "Major Davis." She said a bit surprised. "Don't be so shock Lt. O'Neill." He said. "I'm not but I am impatient I was under the impression I would be meeting Corp. Tanner here." "You will." Said Barite. "Follow me." Jesse followed him into a warehouse. "Are you sure this place isn't bugged?" "Positive." "Good." "Through that door you'll find the corporal, Lt. O'Neill, Maj. Davis. I wish you the best." "Thank you." They both said in unison. They entered the small room. "I was wondering when you were going to get here." Said Corp. Tanner. He had a very familiar voice. Jesse lifted her head from staring at the floor. "Oh my god." Was the first thing that she said. Chapter 4 "What's wrong?" asked Major Davis. "He's." Jesse couldn't believe what she was seeing. "You're." "Lieutenant, you're not making an sense." "Bryan." Corporal Tanner head came up in a shocked motion but he hid it quickly. "What are you talking about, Lieutenant?" he asked. "You're Bryan Maybourne." Jesse said. "I don't know what you're talking about," Tanner said. "You even know he's been looking for you." Jesse said not quite knowing how she knew this. "Who?" "Your father." "I'm here to give you important information on the NID not to be hounded by this kind of talk, Lieutenant." "That's enough." Davis told the both of them. "Lt. O'Neill if you can't handle this." "You knew." "I had to." "And you didn't warn me!" Jesse angrily told Davis. "Please I have no idea what's going on but I need to be at an NID meeting an hour so and it'll look very shady if I'm late." Said Tanner. Jesse reluctantly sat down to discuss the information. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~` "Maybe you're not the best person to do this." "You know I am." Jesse turned angrily around to Major Davis. "I will be able to pick up this information very easily and remember it." "Professionally, yes you are a good person for the job but." "But nothing." Then suddenly she realized that she was talking to a superior officer. "Sorry sir." She said with an air of dignity and respect that wasn't in her voice before. "I can handle it, sir. It's not like I haven't handled keeping business and personal affairs apart before." She gave the shocked Major a slight smile and waited for her next order. "Okay." Said Major Davis with a renewed confidence in the woman's ability to do the job. "Lets go." He said and started walking forward placing his hat on his head. Jesse silently followed after. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~` **Two weeks later** "Lt. O'Neill." Called out a voice behind her. A chill ran up Jesse's spine and butterflies formed in her stomach as she recognized the voice instantly. "Bryan-I mean Corporal Tanner." She said unconsciously pulling the loose hairs on the top of her head back in. "What can I do for you?" she asked trying to keep her voice professional and steady. "Nothing much I just wanted to discuss with you about what you said to me the day we met." "I'm sorry for that. I must have mistaken you for someone else." She lied. If he thought she was brushing it off as a mistake and not as the truth she knew then maybe they could have a good working relationship to get the job done. "A mistake?" he asked with a bit too much condensation in his voice. "Yes a mistake." Jesse said. "Unless you have something to tell me." She amended with a slight smile. "Actually before I say anything else I know your lying." "Was I trying too hard?" she asked with the same smile on her face. "Maybe not enough. You know who I am." He said. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~' "So, Bryan." she said his name slowly as if testing how it rolled off her tongue. "Yeah." He responded. "What's with David Tanner?" "A guy I knew died a few years back right after we got promoted to Corporal." He said as if remembering the time in his mind. "After my mom died." If he was saddened by the event he didn't show it. "My dad tried his hardest to find who shot her, in secret of course. When he found out it was the very people he worked for he knew I was the next target." "So he set it up so that you could take Tanner's identity?" asked Jesse disbelieving. Bryan nodded. "But it doesn't add up." "What?" asked Bryan confused. It was Jesse's turn to look condescending. She edged closer to him over the coffee shop table. "About three weeks ago your father came to me about finding you. He didn't know where you were and I could follow and guess most of his story because of my ability to." She stopped herself not knowing of he knew about her. Over Bryan face passed a confused expression before an understanding one. "I know." He said. "Go on." "Okay, well I turned your father down because if I found you it would seriously make things complicated." "Because of your involvement with the me in your universe?" "Yeah." "Go on." "Well from his story of events he didn't know you were even in the military. Let alone in contact with a corporal or a corporal yourself." "Its sounds very sneaky." "Why would he try to find you anyway?" "Well I can tell you it's not a father's wish to see his son." "I figured that since he wasn't exactly using a desperate need to see his son as his platform for convincing me." "Be shocked if he did." Jesse allowed herself a smile and just stared at him for a bit. When he noticed he turned away. "What's wrong?" he said noticing her smile disappear. "Its just." She looked down. When she came back up she looked recovered. "Nothing." "Its something." "I saw you die." Jesse said hiding every pained emotion very well. "Or at least ascend to a higher plain of existence or some crap like that." "It wasn't me. It was him." Bryan said understanding her pain. "I know." Jesse said slowly and softly fascinated by the rim of the coffee cup. Soon she found herself standing up. "Well, Corporal Tanner." She said once again reminding herself whom she was talking to. "I have to be going." "You know Jesse." He looked at her for permission to use her first name. She nodded. "I know I'll always be Bryan Maybourne to you." "Yeah lets hope no one else does, Bye." She said. "Yeah, bye." Bryan said taking a sip of his coffee. Chapter 5 Jesse was sleeping on Daniel's couch when he walked in the next morning. In his half asleep half awake mentally he didn't noticed her until he almost sat on her. "Daniel." She surprised as he jumped off of her. "Jesse, you have your own apartment. Seven doors away from mine and you still see the need to sleep over here for lack of a better term." "Nice to know you missed me all that time Jonas was here." Jesse said with a smug grin taking the cup Daniel had just started to drink. After drinking a bit she said, "Sorry." Daniel sighed and ran his hands though his hair. It had been the same way for the past year except for the times that Jonas was here. If they weren't working they were in her apartment. It was a safe haven with a private bedroom. Daniel looked back at the young almost-20 year old woman. He was probably thinking too much about it. He was probably being over critical of Jonas and Jesse's relationship. He was over-thinking it. That's what he kept telling himself. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~` Jesse looked over at Daniel feeling very natural under his obvious stare. It was probably the fact that most of her energy was being used to not read into his mind by moving object around the room short distances. She touched the back of her neck where the Goa'uld entry scar was still there. Dr. Frasier offered to remove it but Jesse declined. Somehow she felt she would need it. She looked back at Daniel and noticed the concern marring his handsome face. Ever since the incident with her walking she was seeing him in a new light. More than just her father's best friend that she had known her whole life but as a man that was also her friend. "Bye Daniel." she said as she slipped out the door. She heard a faint reply back. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~` Jesse looked engrossed in a book from the perspective of her father who sat across the mess hall. In truth she was engrossed in her mind. Had he been closer to her he would have noticed the glazed look in her eyes. Everything was hitting her so hard at the time. She knew what she needed. She needed Jonas to come back to Earth. It was a good thing for her it wouldn't be long. She hated feeling so needy. Jack decided to come over to his daughter as he noticed that the book she was reading was upside down. "Jesse." He said. "Um." She responded looking up at him. "Where are you?" "What do you mean where am I? I'm right here." "Physically yeah but what about up here." He said pointing to his head. "Dad I'm fine." Jesse said catching what his concern was about. "Jesse I can be concerned can't I. I mean after everything." "I know dad but really I'm fine." She said faking a good smile even with everything going on in her mind. "Everything's fine." ~~~~~~~~~` It was cold and break. The moon was shining and you could see most of the stars. Jesse and Bryan were running with NID agents hot on their trail. The moon outlined their shadows more than they wanted it to. "Come on." Bryan yelled. Jesse ran behind him and they hid behind boxes. "We have to find a way out of here." He said in a slow motion. "Come on." He yelled again and he got up and ran. Half way to a door NID agents showed up and Bryan started firing. Jesse followed until she heard a gaunt from Bryan and a thump on the ground. Jesse turned to look at him and all she saw was blood. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~` Jesse jumped into a sitting position screaming, 'No!' over and over again. She was shaking and moving her head around in frantic motions. "Jesse." Daniel said wrapping his arms around her to stop her shaking and her head, which was threatening to snap off her shoulders if she continued to move it the way she was. "Shhh, Jesse calm down." He said rubbing the back of her head. Her dirty blonde hair was shaking in a 'no' motion and burying itself into his chest. "No, No, No." she kept mumbling to his shirt. She kept crying and yelling but soon the sound got softer until Daniel couldn't hear it anymore. When he lifted her head up he saw that she was sleeping again. He pressed his left cheek into her head and soon he fell asleep with Jesse. ~~~~~~~~~~~` Jesse woke up the next morning on top of Daniel who seemed content in a reclining position on the couch. She quietly slipped his hand from her head and out of his comforting embrace trying to figure out how she got there. All of a sudden the image of a blood soaked Bryan brought it all back. She turned her head to the side and moved to the kitchen to make coffee. "Morning." Daniel said. "Sorry about that." He said realizing he had fallen asleep. "Its okay." Jesse said. "Thank you." She said now remembering the shaking and screaming. "No problem." Jesse didn't say anything else and Daniel's apartment had an eerie quiet with just the coffee machine making coffee the source of any noise. He hadn't heard that since well since Jesse started sleeping there. Daniel stood up and stretched. A cracking noise told him that Jesse hugged him to tight and now his back was sore. "Sorry." She said. "No." he said. "Its okay." AN: Okay a bit of a warning in this chapter. There's a bit of sexual content. Nothing graphic at all and not very complete but I thought I'd warn you. The whole way it happens and where may seem a bit stupid but there's a reason behind it. Please tell me what you think. Chapter 6 "Is everything in place for the next visit?" asked Barite. "Yes, sir." Said the agent. "And may I add you set this up very nicely." "Thank you." "I give praise only where it is due sir." The agent said with a smile. "Well that's good." Responded Barite. ~~~~~~~~~~~~` Jesse walked through the SGC and into her office. She was looking down at informational papers in her arms when a person came from the shadows of her desk. She dropped all her papers in surprise until he came over and put his arms around her. "Jonas." She said happily before she was cut off by his kiss. She grinned happily as she deepened their kiss. After several moments she pulled away. "I needed that." He said. "Me too." Jesse replied. Then she sighed and closed the door to the room. "So, whatcha doing here?" she asked as he grabbed her right-hand and kissed its knuckles. "Do I need an excuse to come see my girlfriend?" he said letting the word roll off his tongue teasingly and in his eyes he looked her for approval. "No." she said with a smile. "Not from me anyway but since I need a reason to see my boyfriend on his home planet." She looked up to the ceiling in a bit of amazement. "Then I was thinking you needed one to see me." She kissed him again not really realizing how much she missed him. "I missed you." She said changing the subject and wrapping her arms around his waist. "I missed you too." He said kissing the top of her head and bringing her closer to him. They stayed like that for a little while until Jesse brought her head up from his chest and kissed him very deeply. He deepened the kiss and led them to sit on her cot. Jonas slipped his hand under her shirt and messaged her shoulder blades softly and seductively. She moaned his name in sign of pleasure, which only served to motivate him. She moved so that she could lie on top of him when she started to push him into a lying position. "Jessica." He moaned slightly against her lips as they stopped for oxygen before she retook his lips. She started pulling on his shirt so that it would subtly go up and he started to do that to her too. She kicked her and his boots off in a passing manner and raised her head up from her position kissing him. They stared into each other's eyes in an affectionately and with passion before he pulled her back down using her dog tags. Just as they slipped off each other's shirts Daniel showed up. "Um---Jesse I was wondering if--- oh god!" he said looking up and seeing Jesse and Jonas. They pulled apart at the sound of his voice but Jonas was still hugging Jesse very close to him. "Um." Was all Jesse could manage and it only got worse as her parents walked in. Her expression was turned into one of utter disbelief and belief in self-stupidity. She turned slowly to her parents and Daniel. Her mother looked nervous and trying to understand but failing. Her father looked murderous. Daniel looked--- well it was hard to tell he looked like someone had punched him in the stomach for no reason. Pained, confused, but mostly pained were things she could put with his expression. Jonas was staring at Jack and looked very frightened. Daniel turned on his heel and left the room very quickly after Jack said, "Well, Jonas we have a debriefing in 5 minutes but it seems like you're already taking care of that." "Jonas for your own personal safety you should let go of me." Said Jesse very softly. 'I'm scared.' Jonas' voice reverberated in her head. 'I know.' Jesse countered. Regardless, of how he felt Jonas let go of Jesse and she reached for the discarded shirts on the floor. Her eyes never left her parents. She aimlessly tossed Jonas his shirt and stood up after putting her own on. "So." Sam was the first to say anything. "Well Jonas does actually have something important to do here on Earth." "Like what?" Jack growled. "Like I don't know but I am 20 years old and that makes me a grown woman. I can make love to any man I want to." She said her voice filled with a confidence she didn't really feel. Sam was a bit surprised at her daughter's bluntness but didn't say anything. Noticing the uncomfortable silence Jesse added, "I'll give you that the SGC isn't the best place to part take in these activities but I've had a bad week and I've missed him. I was in the moment." She felt like a teenager caught in the backseat of her boyfriend's truck making out. She knew the feeling all to well. She also knew she was wording herself completely wrong. "Jonas!" said Jack loudly and suddenly. "Briefing room now and put on your shoes." Jack was staring at the floor in what seemed like deep thought and a bit of sorrow. She also turned on his heel and left the room. Jonas soon followed bravely pecking Jesse's cheek briefing. Right after he left Jesse sat down on the cot and put her head in her hands. "Jess." Said Sam who had been mostly quiet though everything. "Daniel looked in pain, and dad--- he looked so disappointed." Said Jesse. "Daniel has no right to be surprised. He knew this was happening. How will I never be able to face daddy---" Jesse cut herself off. All Sam could do was put a supportive arm around her daughter.
