Title: Change of Plans
Author: Aqualegia
Rating: G
Word Count: 813
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: Not Mine!
Summary: John trying to decide whether to go to Atlantis, or not.
Notes: written for
mcsheplets Prompt #90 Change of Plans &
Hewligan_100 Prompt #43 Thought
John looked up as the door to his cousin's office opened and Vincent beckoned him in. "It's good to see you, John!" Vincent exclaimed, giving him a big, happy grin. "I wasn't expecting you until next week."
John gave a wry chuckle. "Thanks for seeing me at such short notice," he replied with a slight grimace. "Do you remember the distance learning course I was telling you about when we had dinner together last year?" When Vincent nodded, he went on, "Well, this morning I went to the college and defended the dissertation for it, and it was accepted." He opened the briefcase he'd been carrying and handed over a pile of papers nearly two inches thick. "The degree paperwork, I'd like you to put with all the other important papers you're holding for me. The rest of the papers also need putting in the vault, but separated out in to those fancy sealed envelopes you use. They are certified copies of some very important papers I need kept safe."
Vincent flipped through the paperwork, and nodded. Without further ado, he reached over to the shelf behind his desk, and grabbed a handful of the specially made, reinforced envelopes. Between them, the cousins stuffed each batch of papers in an envelope, John wrote the details on the outside which Vincent sealed and notarized, providing John with a separate certificate for each one. When they had finished, they took all the paperwork down to the basement and filed them away in the appropriate places.
While they were going back upstairs, Vincent asked, "Are you staying in the city long?"
"Unfortunately not. I've been reassigned to a classified project, so I have to get on a plane back to Peterson AFB the day after tomorrow, and get ready to ship out. That's still the point of contact for letters and stuff, but you may not get a reply for quite a while." John handed over another envelope from his case. "These are the contact details for the professor I have been working with. I may have to send you paperwork to pass on to him."
"Okay. More cloak and dagger stuff?"
"Nah, I just want you to keep a copy of everything that goes back and forth between us. If anything does...." He shrugged. "As I said, I may be out of contact for some time, so it may not be necessary for us to correspond at all."
"I'll keep everything safe for you, John. You have my word on that."
John nodded, "I know, Vince. We've always kept each others' secrets and I don't see that stopping.... Ever!"
"Grandma Áinne's boys always stand together!"
"Yeah. You, me and Brendan, against the world."
They shared a knowing smile.
"Come on, John, let me take you home to dinner, at least, and tell me what you can about what you've been doing for the past year."
John put his arm around Vincent's shoulders. "You're on!" he said with a laugh.
~~~
Two days later, on his way back to Colorado, John stared out of the plane's window in a very pensive mood, thinking about the few days he'd spent in Pasadena with his cousin, and the decision he'd made tossing a coin before going in to the college buildings to meet up with his professor.
In a way General O'Neill was right, he muttered to himself, suddenly glad that he had bumped his ticket up to first class. I was marking time at McMurdo waiting for the Air Force to chuck me out. He was, however, wrong about one thing. I did have plans for the future... and that's why I was sitting on a hillside flipping a coin.
He grimaced at his reflection in the window: It was a choice he was still rather ambivalent about; and he knew that today was his last chance to alter that decision, so he let his mind drift through the pros and cons again....
I've got two choices really; resign and follow the dream of designing, and maybe getting to test, my own aircraft -- or I can do what O'Neill wants and step through this Stargate thingy as part of the military contingent serving under Colonel Sumner.
And there was the catch! The big drawback with the second option: Colonel Sumner. He really doesn't like me, and I was glad that O'Neill let me leave the mountain for the chance to collect my degree which I was able to earn with the help of the distance learning program.
The 'fasten your seat belts' light came on and the pilot announced that they would be landing very soon.
John took one last look as the plane tilted down towards the Earth and realized what had really been bothering him all along... he couldn't let Rodney McKay go through the gate to Atlantis without him.
end.