A Christmas to Belong Read online

  "So basically, Jack's stuck all day with people who could be his children or younger, speaking a language he might not fully understand. Add in that he can't really say what his background is, and doesn't have the same perspective..."

  "It would be hard," Janet admitted. "But he seems to be adjusting."

  "Yeah, but that still brings us to his 'getting sick and not telling anyone'." Mac made a decision. "Let me run something by you."

  * * *

  Mini-Jack looked tired but more upbeat when Mac entered his room. Mac noted that there was now a big card, a teddy bear wearing a hockey jersey and skates, and a balloon saying 'Get Well Soon' on it. Smiling, he set the small duffle down next to the bed. "You doing okay?"

  "I'm cool," the 'kid' replied.

  Mac reached down and pulled out his robe. "In case you need it later."

  "Sweet."

  Mac examined his face again as he sat down, wondering if this was a good time to bring up the topic he wanted to discuss. The original Jack could be both touchy and contrary, so his clone was probably the same. He had to present this just right to get him to agree.

  "Spill."

  Mac blinked. "What?"

  "You want to say something." From Jack's face, he obviously didn't think it would be good.

  Mac leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees. "Janet and I were talking." Seeing the blank look appear on Jack's face, he continued, "She says you want out of here."

  Jack snorted, then coughed. "You bet I want out of here. I hate hospitals."

  "But it's not a good idea for you to be on your own yet."

  Mac could feel the anger boiling out of Jack's gaze. "Just because I look like a kid doesn't mean I can't take care of myself." A few more hard coughs did nothing to lessen the anger, though it did seem to contradict his statement.

  Mac calmly pointed out, "This has nothing to do with your age, Jack. Janet's worried that your immune system might not be all it needs to be."

  Silence reigned for a moment, then Jack coughed again. Mac reached over to pour a cup of water, replaced the lid with the straw, and handed it to the 'kid'. Jack sipped, then sighed. "God, I hate this."

  Mac nodded. "Yeah, I can see that. But I do have an idea."

  Lifting an eyebrow, Jack waited.

  "How about you stay with me and the family in L.A. for a little while? At least until you're over this crud."

  "You want me to stay with you?"

  "Yep."

  "I'm not a kid."

  "I know that."

  "I'm just a duplicate of the Jack you know."

  "I know that, too."

  Tiredly, Jack closed eyes briefly, then opened them again. "Then why?"

  "Because no matter how you got here, you're family. I don't have a lot of family, and so I tend to get a little protective of the few I do have. I don't like the idea of you getting sick again without anyone to drive you to the hospital if you need it. Even if you don't want to admit it, you need help right now. So let me help."

  From the vulnerable look in his eyes, Mac could tell the offer meant a lot. "What about Sam and Ian? And doesn't Cory live with you, too?"

  Mac shrugged. "There's a spare room at the firehouse, so you won't be putting anyone out. Ian will enjoy having someone else to play with. Besides, he's very good about sharing germs, so he may help you build up your immunity. Sam and Cory have clearance, and you will have the chance to talk with someone over the age of 18 for a change." A teasing light entered Mac's eyes. "In fact, I bet Cory'll help you with your homework."

  "Ah hell, did you have to bring up homework?"

  "It was your idea to go back to school."

  Jack coughed again. The 'kid' looked even more tired than before. Mac reached over to gently squeeze his toes. "Why don't you get some rest and think about it?"

  "You'll be back?"

  "Tomorrow around lunch."

  * * *

  So Janet was worried about his immune system. Did it have something to do with being a clone? It would explain all her trips to Denver to check on him. The lady was busy between her duties at the SGC and raising Cassie. He had wondered why she was taking so much time out of her life to make the drive from the Springs.

  A life that no longer included him.

  He hadn't realized how much it would hurt to see her again. Most of the time, he simply didn't allow himself to think about the life he had lost, or more accurately, the life he remembered but never had. Denial and compartmentalization had always been his key coping mechanisms. This was no different. He focused on what he had to do and moved on.

  It had been challenging, looking like a kid and having to make a new life. He still had six months to wait before he could get a driver's license; he'd been forced to bike everywhere and in all types of weather. School had changed, too, though the social cliques were still going strong. He had some acquaintances, especially on the hockey team, but no close friends. Yet staying on the edges didn't hurt like it might have when he really was a teen; he knew that such petty divisions were meaningless once he got to the Academy. In less than four years, he'd be in the Air Force, flying again and working his way back to the Stargate. So when he grew tired of the mindless chattering of teenagers, he told himself it was an undercover assignment. Then he told himself it could be worse. He could be listening to Daniel's lectures on rocks and the meaning of life stuff.

  The problem was that he'd almost kill to hear Danny talk about rocks again.

  Damn Loki. Why couldn't he have kept his lousy cloning techniques to himself? And now Janet's worried the Asgard did something wrong? It would have been nice if she had told him. Of course, he'd been pretty sick. He'd never had the flu hit him so hard. At first, he figured he just needed sleep, cold medicine, and chicken soup. It wasn't until he couldn't even stand up in the grocery store that he got a tiny bit scared.

  Then MacGyver had been there. He definitely hadn't expected that. In fact, he never expected to see Gus again. Then he figured Gus would be like everyone else and ignore the clone. He wasn't the real O'Neill, after all. They had a Jack; they didn't need another one.

  He should have known that MacGyver would go against the flow. Gus didn't treat him like a clone or a teenager. Gus treated him with more respect than Jack had received since waking up and finding out that none of his clothes fit.

  Did he want to stay with Gus in L.A.? He hadn't lived with anyone since Sara... and Charlie. Ian would be a constant reminder of Charlie, yet it would be nice to receive another of the little guy's hugs. How would it feel to see Sam again? Would it hurt too much? Or would he find a place where he might fit in?

  Sometimes you had to take a big risk to gain something. He might as well give L.A. a shot. If it backfired, he still had his apartment in Denver.

  * * *

  December 17, Jefferson County airfield, CO

  Resting his head against the door, Jack dozed in Fraiser's car. In spite of his jacket and the blanket MacGyver had wrapped around him, he still felt cold. Maybe it was the drugs that the docs kept forcing on him. He certainly felt dopey. Hopefully, he could convince Gus he didn't need to take all those pills and sprays and what-have-yous.

  He opened his eyes when Janet stopped the car. A sleek Lear jet sat on the runway, a hefty man in a bomber jacket walking towards them. "That our ride?" he asked.

  "Yep. That's my friend, Jack Dalton. He'll fly us out." Mac stepped out of the car.

  "Hey, Mac!" Dalton called out. "You and your guest ready to go?"

  "Yeah, just help me with the bags."

  As Mac and Dalton pulled out the suitcases and duffel bag, Dr. Fraiser turned around in her seat. "You ready for this?"

  Mini-Jack gave her a sleepy smile. "I'm too dopey to object right now. Maybe once we get to California."

  Janet chuckled, then turned serious. "Just remember that you've been really sick, Jack. Take it easy, and if you have any problems, give me a call."

  "Thanks," Jack replied. He briefly wondered if she was
happy the troublesome clone was out of her hair. But that wasn't fair to Janet.

  "I've placed your medical charts, minus the unusual stuff, in your bag for that doctor Mac mentioned. Oh, and the Colonel wanted me to give you this."

  Frowning, Jack opened the small box. Inside was a fishing lure and a note.

  Mini-me,

  Thought ole Bess would like to entice the fish in California for a change. Say hi to Sam for me.

  O'Neill.

  Jack was touched. Ole Bess was his, and the original Jack's, favorite bait. He closed the box and looked at Janet. "Tell him thanks."

  "Ready, Jack?" Mac called out.

  "Keep your shirt on," Jack returned as he stepped out of the car. For a moment, he felt like he was being watched. The clone glanced around, but didn't see anyone. The drugs must be making him paranoid.

  Jack Dalton glanced at Mini-Jack, did a double take, then glanced at Mac. Mac shook his head, then rested a hand on Jack's shoulder. "Let's get you out of this chilly air."

  "I'm not an invalid," Jack snapped.

  Not the least bit intimidated, Mac continued to lead him to the plane. "Maybe not right now, but you were last week, so let's try to keep the streak going, okay?"

  It did feel good to be in a plane again, even if he wasn't doing the flying. Sitting down, he asked, "Phoenix jet?"

  Mac nodded. "I told Nicki you were from the Stargate program and needed a new location for a while. She knows not to ask too many questions." Glancing around, Mac asked, "Do you need anything? There's a bar with soft drinks in the corner for when we're airborne."

  "No beer?" Jack asked, then smirked at MacGyver's glare. "I'm cool, Gus. Thanks. For everything."

  "Gus?" Dalton asked as he passed by. He chuckled. "You mean someone dares to use a variation of the dreaded name, Mac?"

  "Just fly the plane, Jack," Mac retorted. He followed him to the cockpit and sat in the co-pilot's seat.

  Once they were on their way, Mac glanced back through the door. Dalton asked, "How's he doing?"

  "Asleep." Mac turned back.

  Dalton then quipped, "So, Jack, eh?"

  "He's named after his uncle," Mac replied, sticking to the cover story he and O'Neill had put together.

  "Uncle?" Jack asked with a big smile as he raised an eyebrow.

  "Not you," Mac replied, exasperated.

  "He looks a lot like you did back when we were in high school."

  "I know. His uncle's a distant cousin who looks a lot like me."

  Jack glanced at his old friend. "I didn't think you had any family besides your boys."

  "Neither did I, until Blair ran into O'Neill a while back. Blair thought he was me at first glance. We've talked, and we think there's a connection back to Harry's grandpa."

  Jack whistled. "Now that's distant. And 'Gus'?"

  "It's what O'Neill calls me."

  "I'm going to have to meet this O'Neill. So why do you have his nephew?"

  "The kid's been living on his own for the past few months."

  "On his own? The kid's what, thirteen, fourteen?"

  "Fifteen."

  "But what about his folks?"

  "Mom's dead. His father's on a covert assignment and can't be reached. And while Jack's pretty mature for his age, we're worried he might get sick again. He caught that flu going around and ended up in the hospital with pneumonia. O'Neill's too busy to keep an eye on him, so I invited him to stay at the firehouse."

  Dalton nodded. "Sounds like you, Mac. You've always been a sucker for a sob story."

  "Kid's had it rough," Mac replied defensively. "He lost just about all his possessions a few months ago, and had to start from scratch in a new location. Plus his eating habits are worse than Sam's. I'm hoping that with a little good food and some people who care about how he's doing, his health will improve."

  "It should, as long as you don't serve your tofu casserole."

  "What's wrong with my tofu casserole?"

  * * *

  Los Angeles County, CA

  Sam sat on the hood of his Subaru as he watched the traffic in and out of the airfield. To say that his curiosity was piqued would be an understatement. His father had said that he was bringing a 'guest' and requested that the spare room be ready. When Sam had pressed him for more details, MacGyver would only say that it was too complicated to discuss over the phone. Cory suspected that it was probably classified. Add in that his father was a few days overdue and had apparently told Nicki that it was related to the Stargate program, Sam's journalistic instincts were going wild with speculation.

  He had always regretted that they couldn't have worked more with Jack O'Neill and the SGC. But Cory's sensitive head along with his heightened senses made gate travel painful for his sentinel. Sam couldn't justify exploring new worlds at the expense of his friend unless the circumstances overwhelmingly demanded it. Still, he had thoroughly enjoyed reading the classified reports before their one near disaster through the gate. It made him wonder if his father was bringing home an alien, and if he'd be allowed to ask about the alien's planet.

  The Phoenix jet finally appeared, making a smooth landing. Sam hopped off his car and walked over to the hanger. Jack Dalton gave him a vigorous wave, making Sam smile. He liked Jack Dalton, though he knew the friendship made his father nervous. He jogged over to help Jack with the suitcase he knew was his father's, and another suitcase and duffel.

  "Thanks," Dalton greeted him, handing off the two suitcases.

  Sam was rolling his eyes at getting the heaviest load when he spotted his father with a teenager. Sam's first thought was that the kid seemed familiar. His second thought was that the kid looked like he'd been sick. The eyes in the pale face were framed with dark circles. Sam's internal speculation kicked up another notch. Outwardly, he gave the kid a warm smile. "Hi."

  "Hi, Sam," the kid replied with a weary smile.

  Sam blinked. Before he could ask how the kid knew his name, his father quickly interjected, "Sam, this is Jack Nielsen. He's going to be staying with us for a while."

  So the kid who knew his name was the mystery guest. "Welcome to L.A., Jack. Let's get you home." He lugged the suitcases to his car and placed them in the back. Then he turned back to his father, who had followed with the duffel bag. Jack Nielsen was trailing behind them. Mac gave Sam a big hug. "Missed you."

  "Me, too." Sam stepped back. "It's good to have you home." They both waved at Dalton, who was preparing the jet for a trip to Vancouver.

  "Where's Cory and Ian?"

  Sam turned to unlock the car doors. "Cory's finishing up, and Ian's at the Coltons' for the afternoon. Mama Colton said she'd drop him off later." He opened the door to the back passenger's seat. "You guys hungry?"

  "Kinda," the kid replied as he climbed in. "Mostly still sleepy."

  Mac frowned as he studied him. "We can pull together something when we get home." As the kid shut the door, Sam lifted an eyebrow at his father. Mac quietly replied, "He got hit hard with the flu and pneumonia. He just got out of the hospital."

  "Gotcha." That did explain some, but not the whole deal. Sam climbed into the car and started up the engine. Knowing that his father wasn't going to satisfy his curiosity until they got back, Sam caught him up on what had happened on the homefront during his trip. As they talked, Sam glanced through the rearview mirror at their guest. The kid was leaning against the door with his eyes closed.

  Soon they were at the firehouse. The guest took one look, and turned to Mac. "You mean, it really IS a firehouse?"

  "It was," Mac returned. "I'm remodeling it."

  "You're remodeling a firehouse? Next you'll be telling me it still has the pole."

  Mac shrugged, slightly embarrassed. "It does."

  "Unbelievable," the kid declared.

  Sam took in the conversation with a slight frown. The tone felt wrong. Sam mentally scurried around for an explanation as he carried the bags, but came up empty.

  As his father took the guest back to get settled, Sam pu
lled out the ice tea pitcher still trying to sort out what seemed off. The kid wasn't treating his father like teens normally treated adults. It was more of a conversation between long time friends then an adult and a kid who had recently met. But that didn't make sense.

  The door to the garage opened. Cory waved at the pitcher as he entered. "Can I have some of that?"

  "Sure." Sam was still thinking hard.

  Cory tilted his head, studying his partner. "You picked up your dad and the mystery guest, right?"

  "Yep."

  "What's up?"

  Before Sam could explain his thoughts, Mac and Jack entered from the bedrooms. Cory took a breath, then suddenly smiled. Turning, he started, "Hi Col--" Then he stopped, staring at the teen next to MacGyver.

  "Cory, this is Jack--"

  "O'Neill?" Cory finished, grabbing Sam's attention. The sentinel turned to his guide. "Someone shrunk O'Neill?"

  "O'Neill?" Sam returned, astonished. "You sure?"

  "Guys..." Mac tried to interrupt.

  "He smells like O'Neill."

  Sam glanced between his partner and the teen, wide-eyed. "A relative?"

  "Guys..."

  "He smells exactly like the Colonel, and I mean exactly. Someone shrunk O'Neill!"

  "HEY!"

  They all turned to the kid, who shuffled his feet. "I'm not the original O'Neill," he quietly explained. "I'm the reduced Xerox copy."

  Both Sam and Cory blinked. "You're the what?" Sam exclaimed.

  Eyes blank as if in preparation for a bad reaction, the kid expanded, "Reduced Xerox copy. I'm a clone."

  Cory frowned. "We can do that?"

  "Not us," Mac assured him. "Some alien."

  "Loki," Jack nearly spat out the name. "A renegade Asgard."

  "Oh, Thor's race." Sam nodded.

  "Thor, God of Thunder?" Mac asked.

  "The little skinny green guys who look like they came straight from Roswell?" Cory asked thoughtfully, trying to remember.

  "The God of Thunder is green?" Mac gasped.

  "Gray," Sam and Jack corrected together. Jack continued, "Short, gray guys who like to make my life complicated."