Another round of ficamnesty...
Here's a cracky glimpse at Jack and Sam's life I set up in Let The World Spin, because someone asked "What happened next?" and my muse took it as a challenge. I have no other explanation for this.
Fourteen Years in Paradise
Jack and Sam’s house sits slightly apart from the rest of the village, nestled further back into the surrounding forest. It has a permanent feeling of chaos to it, mostly due to Jack’s continual string of projects. He’s always adding a new room or remodeling or just fiddling. Sam encourages him in this as much as possible. Life is always smoother when Jack has something to do, even if their house looks more and more like an Escher drawing as each year passes.
Having found herself stuck on a planet where the light bulb is a technological wonder beyond the imagination of even the most forward-thinking of inhabitants, Sam has similarly forged a new occupation to focus her intellect on for fear of going stir crazy. She claims being a naturalist is practically the same as being a physicist, just with a focus slightly closer to home.
If any of her companions can’t quite see the similarity between stellar bodies and birds, they never say as much.
Of course, there was also the unexpected and not completely welcome appearance of Nathan, which offered more than enough distraction for everyone for years to come. What an explosion of drama that event had been, almost four years into their stay on the planet. Luckily Daniel’s most recent companion, Triya, had just vacated his place the week before, because Jack ended up sleeping on his floor for three weeks while Sam went a bit around the bend. More than once could she be heard to publicly disparage the specific part of Jack’s anatomy that had gotten her into the situation in the first place.
She even tried to fix the DHD again.
Eventually, though, she calmed down and they both settled into the role of parents, which they, of course, practice with all the irreverent aplomb one might expect of them.
At ten years of age, their son already shows signs of the unholy marriage of intellect, nerves of steel, and a general disregard for Daniel’s sanity, which is what brings Daniel to the residence of his friends this fine day in the first month of spring, nearly fourteen years since they first found themselves stranded off world.
“Nate was up on my roof again,” Daniel informs them, certain that his parents would want to hear about his continuing and dangerous obsession with heights.
Sam looks up from her journal, eying her son. “What were you doing up there?”
“There’s an Aroothi nest,” he replies as if the most logical explanation ever.
Sam’s eyes widen. “Were there any chicks?”
“Three,” he confirms.
She actually claps her hands in glee. “Did you do a sketch?”
Daniel turns to Jack for help as mother and son lean over the scrap of paper Nate produces from his pocket, any inkling of his misbehavior already forgotten.
“Nate,” Jack finally says, having received the evil eye from Daniel. “What have I told you about breaking the rules?”
Nate looks up, his expression sober as if recalling his lessons. “Only do it when you’re sure you won’t get caught?”
Jack smiles proudly. “Exactly. Be more careful next time.”
“Sorry, Dad,” Nate says sincerely, turning his attention back to the papers on Sam’s desk.
“Whoever decided to let you two procreate has a lot to answer for,” Daniel complains, abandoning the misshapen house and leaving the family unit to enjoy their eccentricities in privacy.
Which they do. Immensely.
Fourteen Years in Paradise
Jack and Sam’s house sits slightly apart from the rest of the village, nestled further back into the surrounding forest. It has a permanent feeling of chaos to it, mostly due to Jack’s continual string of projects. He’s always adding a new room or remodeling or just fiddling. Sam encourages him in this as much as possible. Life is always smoother when Jack has something to do, even if their house looks more and more like an Escher drawing as each year passes.
Having found herself stuck on a planet where the light bulb is a technological wonder beyond the imagination of even the most forward-thinking of inhabitants, Sam has similarly forged a new occupation to focus her intellect on for fear of going stir crazy. She claims being a naturalist is practically the same as being a physicist, just with a focus slightly closer to home.
If any of her companions can’t quite see the similarity between stellar bodies and birds, they never say as much.
Of course, there was also the unexpected and not completely welcome appearance of Nathan, which offered more than enough distraction for everyone for years to come. What an explosion of drama that event had been, almost four years into their stay on the planet. Luckily Daniel’s most recent companion, Triya, had just vacated his place the week before, because Jack ended up sleeping on his floor for three weeks while Sam went a bit around the bend. More than once could she be heard to publicly disparage the specific part of Jack’s anatomy that had gotten her into the situation in the first place.
She even tried to fix the DHD again.
Eventually, though, she calmed down and they both settled into the role of parents, which they, of course, practice with all the irreverent aplomb one might expect of them.
At ten years of age, their son already shows signs of the unholy marriage of intellect, nerves of steel, and a general disregard for Daniel’s sanity, which is what brings Daniel to the residence of his friends this fine day in the first month of spring, nearly fourteen years since they first found themselves stranded off world.
“Nate was up on my roof again,” Daniel informs them, certain that his parents would want to hear about his continuing and dangerous obsession with heights.
Sam looks up from her journal, eying her son. “What were you doing up there?”
“There’s an Aroothi nest,” he replies as if the most logical explanation ever.
Sam’s eyes widen. “Were there any chicks?”
“Three,” he confirms.
She actually claps her hands in glee. “Did you do a sketch?”
Daniel turns to Jack for help as mother and son lean over the scrap of paper Nate produces from his pocket, any inkling of his misbehavior already forgotten.
“Nate,” Jack finally says, having received the evil eye from Daniel. “What have I told you about breaking the rules?”
Nate looks up, his expression sober as if recalling his lessons. “Only do it when you’re sure you won’t get caught?”
Jack smiles proudly. “Exactly. Be more careful next time.”
“Sorry, Dad,” Nate says sincerely, turning his attention back to the papers on Sam’s desk.
“Whoever decided to let you two procreate has a lot to answer for,” Daniel complains, abandoning the misshapen house and leaving the family unit to enjoy their eccentricities in privacy.
Which they do. Immensely.