Crossover Fic: Interference Well Met (4/17) BtVS/Stargate SG-1
** See Part 1 for full disclaimers and story details
PART 4 NOTES: To the great readers who sent so many wonderful thoughts and conjectures for Part 3-y'all rock! They were great to see, even if you didn't quite agree with me. That's one of the things that makes fanfiction so much fun! (vbg) Cheers and hugs go to Lynette, my awesome beta. She nearly shot me when I left her hanging with only a portion of this section. So sorry, my dear! Any remaining mistakes are purely mine as I tend to fiddle up until the last possible moment. (g) As always, any and all feedback is appreciated.
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Part Four
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The night was chilly, their breaths small puffs of moisture in the clear air. Jack leaned back against the low wall, hands tucked into his pockets for warmth, and watched Faith quietly. Her fascination with the stars had matched his the instant she'd looked through the telescope, a new world opened to her starving mind. He'd brought her up to the roof despite the chilly weather with the hope it would ease some of the pain she was holding onto. One week after the disaster with Daniel and she was still hurting. He would bet a good deal of his paycheck she'd say nothing was bothering her, but he knew her better than that. There was a skittishness about her he hadn't felt since their first date and every now and then he'd catch her staring off into the distance as if her brain were running a million thoughts a second. Once again he damned Daniel for sticking his nose where it had no business being. The man was a born busybody, but there were some lines a man should never cross. Daniel was truly lucky Faith hadn't left him over it. He didn't know what he would have done to the other man if she had. Now, he watched as she carefully twisted a knob, adjusting the focus slightly, and his chest ached with the simple joy of her presence.
“Marry me.”
If he hadn't been so surprised himself, he would have laughed at the way she snapped around to look at him. He hadn't consciously thought about the concept. The two of them had never even come close to talking about it. They lived in the same house, though she still maintained a lease for her apartment. He couldn't remember the last time either of them had even been to the place. Most of her small wardrobe had already moved in and she didn't own any furniture of her own. So where the thought came from he wasn't sure, but once the words were out he didn't wish them unspoken.
She stared at him across the short distance, eyes wide, face grown pale. “Are you serious?”
Not quite the reaction he was hoping for, but her expression was almost worth the sudden thumping of his heart. “Yeah. I'm sure.”
“Why? Why do you want to marry me?”
“Well, you already live here anyway. Why not?”
“Jack, stop joking around. Why?” She stepped toward him, telescope forgotten.
He met her halfway, one hand reaching to cup her jaw, the other sliding down her arm to clasp her hand. His fingers curled around her neck, tilting her face up. For a long breath he could say nothing, momentarily stunned by her moonlit features. “Because I'm happy, for the first time in longer than I care to remember. Because I can't see a future without you next to me anymore.” Despite the pounding of his heart, he was perfectly calm. This was what he wanted. He had no doubt in his mind. “Marry me.”
“I would love to marry you, Jack.”
The carefully worded response sent a worm of uneasiness to wind its way into his chest. He wasn't sure what he thought she'd say, but that wasn't it. “That wasn't yes.”
A smile that was in no way happy took over her face. “There are some things I need to tell you about my past before I can answer yes. Things you need to know.” She swallowed visibly, her hand actually trembling where it rested against his chest. “If you don't want to hear them, we can just go on like we are. I'm okay like we are.”
The fragile hope in her voice, the shine of her eyes in the moonlight, they swamped him, somehow keeping anger and suspicion away. The little worm wasn't doubt, he realized. It was nerves. While at the same time it wasn't even that. In the back of his mind he knew he should be upset, worried even, but he trusted Faith, trusted in their feelings. If she had things she needed to say, he would listen. And then he would get the answer he wanted. “I've got nothing but time.”
This time the smile was relieved as she stretched up to kiss him. “Thank you.” He wasn't quite sure what she was thanking him for, but he didn't interrupt. Stepping back, Faith squeezed his arm once then stepped back to settle against the wall, drawing him with her. “It all started long before humans roamed the Earth...”
Jack listened in silence, the chill of the night forgotten, equally stunned and fascinated by the story she wove around him. Demons, monsters, vampires, slayers, the stuff of nightmares and fairy tales. She spoke of each with a factual, straightforward tone, no hesitation or stuttering. And even though he'd had no indication in the four months he'd known her that she'd experienced such out of the world things, he believed her. After years of battling alien parasites on far distant planets, it wasn't too far a stretch to wrap his brain around horrors more close to home. He was actually a little surprised he hadn't heard of anything before this, The National Enquirer excepted.
The moon had crossed half of the night sky before she was finished, the incredible destruction of a whole town by a supernatural phenomenon somehow easier to accept than the story Jack had read in the newspaper. He stared across the short distance to where she sat waiting, face anxious. “So you're a slayer?” She nodded once, sharp and stiff. “Stronger, faster than a normal human? Harder to hurt?” At each question another one of those stilted nods. "And all those years ago when we first met, you were running from something."
"Yes. A very old vampire who killed my Watcher in front of me." Her hands were cold in his, held carefully still. "He followed me to Sunnydale. He didn't kill another Watcher." It was as if she were daring him to shrink from her, to turn from her in disgust or disbelief.
Taking a careful moment, he searched deep inside for any change in his feelings. Nothing she'd said made a material difference to what really mattered. So she was more than human. Well, so was one of his most trusted allies. So she'd held a large part of her back from him. Wasn't he doing the same with her? The uneasiness he'd felt when she'd started her story evaporated completely, leaving only a confidence he had no wish to question. “So are you going to marry me or what?”
“Really?”
If it hadn't sounded more like a plea than a question he would have laughed. As it was, all he could do was squeeze her hands, absurdly happy the only thing standing between them was an Earthly boogeyman. She'd truly thought he'd change his mind after learning the whole story. Her surprise only reinforced his decision. Nodding, he felt his heart stutter just a little at her uncertainty. “How long are you going to leave me hanging here?”
“Yes! God, yes!” She was in his arms even as he registered her words. She gripped him so tightly he heard a rib creak in protest. Ignoring the slight discomfort, he wrapped her close and breathed in her scent. She kissed his neck, a warm touch to combat the night, then whispered once more, “Yes, Jack O'Neill, I will marry you.”
Satisfaction filled him, warming every cell as much as her body pressed against him did. He threaded his fingers into her hair and kissed her, sinking himself into the heady sensation. Tomorrow he could deal with vampires, Stargates and Daniel. Tonight? Tonight he wanted nothing but his fiancee.
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“Enter.”
Wiping his moist palm down his leg, Jack stepped into the office, his other hand shutting the door gently behind him. Hammond's eyebrows raised in response, but he didn't say anything, merely waited for Jack to cross the room.
He had gone over exactly what he should say, how he'd phrase the request, roughly a hundred times since his proposal last Saturday night. He'd used all of the remaining time of his well deserved Christmas leave to work on it. Suddenly it didn't seem like enough practice. “Sir, I, uh...” And his throat simply stopped working. A small shudder traced its way down his legs. What the hell was he doing thinking he could get away with a request this insane? He'd pulled some wild stunts in his time, but this one had to rule for audacity alone.
“Colonel, is everything all right?” A faint smile covered Hammond's face. Clearly he was having a trouble free morning. Jack hated to ruin it, but since he was in the office already...
Just get it out and let the questions get started, he ordered himself, not quite going to attention before the desk. “Sir, Faith and I are getting married.”
The smile instantly doubled in size as he stood, rounding the desk with a couple of quick strides. “Congratulations, Jack. I'm happy for both of you.”
“Thank you, sir,” he responded automatically, taking the outstretched hand. The general had taken an instant liking to Faith when he'd met her a little over a month ago. Jack hadn't been able to pin down exactly why. There was nothing in particular he could see to draw them together, but it was there nonetheless. He was about to shamelessly use that knowledge for all he was worth. Unfortunately, he simply didn't know how to start except to just say it.
“Everything's all right, isn't it, Colonel?”
“I want Faith to have need to know clearance.”
“Colonel, you know how this works-”
He didn't let Hammond get any farther. “Every time I walk through that gate we both know there's a very good possibility I won't come back. I watched Sara go through hell every time I went out and that was here on Earth. I can't do that to Faith. I won't. If something does happen to me, she deserves to know the truth.” Jack watched objections and reminders build up behind Hammond's eyes, each already an argument he'd fought with himself. The secrets of whys and wherefores didn't matter anymore--this was too important to back down.
Leaning back against his desk, Hammond held his gaze, face filled with a compassionate understanding. “I know why you want this and in a lot of ways I agree. But I can't request clearance for someone with a justification of 'because she's engaged to one of my officers.' You know that as well as I do.”
“Then hire her as a civilian consultant, like Daniel. She's a martial arts and self-defense instructor. Tell me we can't use some new blood down here to shake up the marines.”
Hammond's lips pursed slightly, one hand coming up to rub over his jaw in an uncharacteristic display of uneasiness. “We have excellent hand-to-hand instructors assigned here already, Colonel.”
“Not like Faith, we don't. Let me bring her down, set up a sparring session with Teal'c. I guarantee you'll be impressed.” His stomach twisting itself into knots, he tried to keep his expression as non-confrontational as possible. Hammond's face didn't change, the small frown creasing his forehead and wrinkling between his eyebrows. Jack hadn't allowed himself to think of failure over the weekend. He'd focused on his reasons and the knowledge that he couldn't fail. “General, I have given everything I have for this world and never asked for anything in return.” He straightened imperceptibly, hands fisting unconsciously at his sides. “I'm asking now.”
When Hammond sighed and dropped his gaze, Jack knew he'd gotten through the importance of his request. “Bring her in tomorrow. If Teal'c can add his endorsement-” he held one hand up, a finger pointed toward the ceiling, “-I said 'if,' Colonel--with Teal'c's endorsement I'll forward a request for a position and clearance for her.”
“She won't disappoint, General. Trust me.” He felt a grin split his face, the tension leaking from his gut in an almost painful rush.
“It's not me she has to impress, Colonel, it's Teal'c.” Moving back around the desk, Hammond sank down into his chair. “Anything else, Colonel?” At the shake of Jack's head, the general tugged a blue folder from the top of a small stack off to one side of his desk and used it to gesture toward the door. “Then get out of my office. I have work to do.” The smile took the sting from the words as Jack crossed the room.
One hand on the knob, he turned back and caught Hammond's eye. “General? Thank you.” Without waiting for acknowledgment this time, Jack opened the door and stepped through. A smile tinged with a slightly sadistic overtone lifted his lips. Poor Teal'c. He had no idea what Jack had just volunteered him for.
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continued in Part 5
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Thanks for reading!
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