Keep It Together - Prologue
Keep It Together
Author: enigmaticblue
Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: I don’t own these characters; too bad, so sad.Pairings/Characters: John/Rodney, Evan Lorne/OMC, Sam/Jack, Daniel/Vala
Spoilers: Through SG-1 S9/SGA S2; sequel to If All Else Fails and Tenacity.
Word Count: ~73,000
Summary: As Atlantis begins to solidify its position in the Pegasus Galaxy, it’s threatened by enemies old and new. The addition of new SGC personnel threatens to destabilize the fragile balance on the city, and Atlantis must face the question of what to do about Earth.
A/N: Title from the Guster song by the same name. This fic is complete with 10 chapters, plus the prologue and epilogue. I'll post a chapter every other day until it's all up.
Prologue
“Once Teal’c and company rescued me, the priority became finding some way to get to Atlantis. We all knew how tough it would be for the SGC teams to get there, and we’d stashed a few naquadah generators just in case, but every team had orders to avoid those stashes if possible in order to avoid giving away the locations. We didn’t know how much the Goa’uld knew about Atlantis, but we figured it was plenty. So, we took a ship because we had one available, and we didn’t want to risk walking into a trap. It seemed like the best option we had, even though it took a little longer to get where we were going.”
~Interview with Jack O’Neill
Jack stood outside the small hut they’d been using for his recovery, looking up at the planet shadowing the horizon. The moon they were staying on was temperate, even pleasant, and it didn’t have a gate, so they didn’t have to worry about someone showing up unannounced. Bra’tac had insisted that this place was safe, that very few people knew about it, and that Jack could recover in peace.
Bra’tac hadn’t been able to stay, but he’d dropped them off with a promise to be back in a month, when Jack had recovered.
Cassie appeared at his side, snaking an arm around his waist. “Hey.”
“Hey, kiddo,” Jack said, draping his arm across her shoulders.
“You should be in bed,” she insisted. “You’re not going to recover if you don’t rest.”
“I’m fine,” he insisted. “Where’s the clone?”
“You could call him by his name, you know,” Cassie said with some asperity.
Jack sighed. “Fine. Where’s Jon?”
“He went hunting with Teal’c.”
“I wish I could go hunting,” Jack said, chafing at the inactivity.
Cassie sighed. “I know this sucks, Jack, but-seriously, deal with it.”
“Suck it up, buttercup?” he suggested.
Cassie grinned. “Yeah, something like that.”
“I hate not being able to do anything,” he confessed.
“You and me both,” Cassie muttered. “I hate not knowing what’s going on back on Earth.”
Jack could guess. He was fairly certain that Ba’al was behind this mess; he was just devious enough to fuck with all of them. From what Jack had witnessed, anybody who wasn’t implanted with a snake was either dead or on a most-wanted list.
“He’s going to work it so that he’s in control of the important people,” Jack said quietly. “The people he can’t control, he’ll either kill or move into positions where they can’t do much.”
Cassie pulled away. “Do you know who’s in control of all of this?”
“I have my suspicions,” Jack admitted. “But I don’t have proof.”
“Who do you suspect?” Cassie demanded. “I want to know.”
“I think it’s Ba’al,” Jack admitted. “He’s a crafty bastard, and I think he’s working behind the scenes to get what he wants.”
“What does he want?” Cassie asked.
“Earth under his control,” Jack mused. “He’s probably going to use the Ori as an external threat to unify Earth.”
Cassie made a face. “Okay, that sucks, especially because it will probably work.”
“It usually does,” Jack admitted. “Unfortunately, the people most likely to stop him are either compromised, in hiding, or off-world.”
Cassie swallowed. “Like us.”
“Like us,” Jack confirmed.
Cassie tipped her head back to look at the planet that hung above them. “It’s hard to believe that I was in class a couple of weeks ago, taking notes on the Roman empire.”
Jack sighed. He hated the fact that Cassie wasn’t in class right now.
“And don’t start,” Cassie insisted. “I chose to come, Jack. I’d much rather be here.”
“Your mom would have been so pissed off about this,” Jack murmured. “She hated it when people abused their power.” Jack took a deep breath. “She would have wanted you to finish college.”
“Not if I was going to be doing it in a police state,” Cassie shot back. “Like I told Teal’c, I felt like someone was following me before he showed up. Maybe they would have left me alone, but maybe not.”
“I’d rather be safe than sorry,” Jack said quietly.
“Exactly,” Cassie said. “Besides, who says I can’t be a doctor?” she asked. “There are doctors on Atlantis, right? Maybe it just means I serve as an apprentice and learn everything I can that way.”
“You shouldn’t give up on school just yet,” Jack insisted. “You can still go back.”
Cassie laughed, but there was a little bitterness in the sound. “Come on, Jack. Get real. Even if we retake Earth, it’s not going to happen tomorrow. There’s no telling when I’ll be able to go back to school, if ever. I’m making contingency plans.”
“It’s always good to have a backup plan,” Jack acknowledged. “I just didn’t want you to have to use it.”
Cassie sighed. “Without my family, Earth is just another planet. I’m not from there, and pretending otherwise is really hard when I’m alone.”
“Pretending anything is hard over the long term,” Jack agreed.
“As long as you guys were around, I knew there were people who knew who I was, and where I came from,” Cassie said. “I’d rather be with you than trying to live some sort of fake life on Earth.”
Jack knew he’d feel the same in her shoes, and he couldn’t argue with her. “Fair enough.”
“How are we going to get to Atlantis?” Cassie asked.
“I’m hoping we can convince Bra’tac to lend us a ship,” Jack admitted. “There are a few naquadah generators hidden around the Milky Way, but the rule is that SGC personnel are to avoid those planets if they can to avoid giving us away.”
“If we can’t get a ship, then we find a generator,” Cassie said. “It’s a plan.”
Jack smiled. “It’s some kind of plan.”
“Hey, guys!” Jon called. He was carrying a couple of plump birds by the feet, and Teal’c had a couple of rabbit-type creatures. “Look like we’ve got dinner.”
Jack sighed.
“Be nice,” Cassie warned him in an undertone. “He did help save your life.”
“I like being the only Jack O’Neill,” he grumbled, but he knew Cassie was right, and he knew that Jon was a different person now. He wasn’t Jack at age eighteen-he’d become someone else entirely.
And right now, they’re stuck together. “Good job,” Jack managed. “I’m starving.”
Jon handed the birds to Cassie and took Teal’c’s burden. “We’ll get started on these,” he said, leading the way inside the small, cramped hut.
Jack met Teal’c’s eyes. “How did it go?”
“Quite well, O’Neill,” Teal’c replied. “You seem to be feeling better.”
Jack hitched the shoulder that didn’t hurt quite so much. “Yeah, I’m better. I’ll be fine.”
“I had no doubt,” Teal’c replied solemnly.
“Do you think we’ll be able to find a ship?” Jack asked.
“Bra’tac knows what you require,” Teal’c said. “If he can find a ship, you will have one.”
“And if we can’t, we’ll give him the generator after we use it to dial in to Atlantis,” Jack said, although he suspected that they’d get a ship. Bra’tac was nothing if not resourceful.
Teal’c put a gentle hand on Jack’s shoulder. “You should rest.”
Jack hated his current weakness, but he knew Teal’c was right. He was beginning to think that he might not bounce back from this. Jack had accepted a desk job for a reason, and now it looked like he’d be back in the middle of the fray.
Jack only hoped he was up for the challenge.
Chapter 1
Author: enigmaticblue
Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: I don’t own these characters; too bad, so sad.Pairings/Characters: John/Rodney, Evan Lorne/OMC, Sam/Jack, Daniel/Vala
Spoilers: Through SG-1 S9/SGA S2; sequel to If All Else Fails and Tenacity.
Word Count: ~73,000
Summary: As Atlantis begins to solidify its position in the Pegasus Galaxy, it’s threatened by enemies old and new. The addition of new SGC personnel threatens to destabilize the fragile balance on the city, and Atlantis must face the question of what to do about Earth.
A/N: Title from the Guster song by the same name. This fic is complete with 10 chapters, plus the prologue and epilogue. I'll post a chapter every other day until it's all up.
Prologue
“Once Teal’c and company rescued me, the priority became finding some way to get to Atlantis. We all knew how tough it would be for the SGC teams to get there, and we’d stashed a few naquadah generators just in case, but every team had orders to avoid those stashes if possible in order to avoid giving away the locations. We didn’t know how much the Goa’uld knew about Atlantis, but we figured it was plenty. So, we took a ship because we had one available, and we didn’t want to risk walking into a trap. It seemed like the best option we had, even though it took a little longer to get where we were going.”
~Interview with Jack O’Neill
Jack stood outside the small hut they’d been using for his recovery, looking up at the planet shadowing the horizon. The moon they were staying on was temperate, even pleasant, and it didn’t have a gate, so they didn’t have to worry about someone showing up unannounced. Bra’tac had insisted that this place was safe, that very few people knew about it, and that Jack could recover in peace.
Bra’tac hadn’t been able to stay, but he’d dropped them off with a promise to be back in a month, when Jack had recovered.
Cassie appeared at his side, snaking an arm around his waist. “Hey.”
“Hey, kiddo,” Jack said, draping his arm across her shoulders.
“You should be in bed,” she insisted. “You’re not going to recover if you don’t rest.”
“I’m fine,” he insisted. “Where’s the clone?”
“You could call him by his name, you know,” Cassie said with some asperity.
Jack sighed. “Fine. Where’s Jon?”
“He went hunting with Teal’c.”
“I wish I could go hunting,” Jack said, chafing at the inactivity.
Cassie sighed. “I know this sucks, Jack, but-seriously, deal with it.”
“Suck it up, buttercup?” he suggested.
Cassie grinned. “Yeah, something like that.”
“I hate not being able to do anything,” he confessed.
“You and me both,” Cassie muttered. “I hate not knowing what’s going on back on Earth.”
Jack could guess. He was fairly certain that Ba’al was behind this mess; he was just devious enough to fuck with all of them. From what Jack had witnessed, anybody who wasn’t implanted with a snake was either dead or on a most-wanted list.
“He’s going to work it so that he’s in control of the important people,” Jack said quietly. “The people he can’t control, he’ll either kill or move into positions where they can’t do much.”
Cassie pulled away. “Do you know who’s in control of all of this?”
“I have my suspicions,” Jack admitted. “But I don’t have proof.”
“Who do you suspect?” Cassie demanded. “I want to know.”
“I think it’s Ba’al,” Jack admitted. “He’s a crafty bastard, and I think he’s working behind the scenes to get what he wants.”
“What does he want?” Cassie asked.
“Earth under his control,” Jack mused. “He’s probably going to use the Ori as an external threat to unify Earth.”
Cassie made a face. “Okay, that sucks, especially because it will probably work.”
“It usually does,” Jack admitted. “Unfortunately, the people most likely to stop him are either compromised, in hiding, or off-world.”
Cassie swallowed. “Like us.”
“Like us,” Jack confirmed.
Cassie tipped her head back to look at the planet that hung above them. “It’s hard to believe that I was in class a couple of weeks ago, taking notes on the Roman empire.”
Jack sighed. He hated the fact that Cassie wasn’t in class right now.
“And don’t start,” Cassie insisted. “I chose to come, Jack. I’d much rather be here.”
“Your mom would have been so pissed off about this,” Jack murmured. “She hated it when people abused their power.” Jack took a deep breath. “She would have wanted you to finish college.”
“Not if I was going to be doing it in a police state,” Cassie shot back. “Like I told Teal’c, I felt like someone was following me before he showed up. Maybe they would have left me alone, but maybe not.”
“I’d rather be safe than sorry,” Jack said quietly.
“Exactly,” Cassie said. “Besides, who says I can’t be a doctor?” she asked. “There are doctors on Atlantis, right? Maybe it just means I serve as an apprentice and learn everything I can that way.”
“You shouldn’t give up on school just yet,” Jack insisted. “You can still go back.”
Cassie laughed, but there was a little bitterness in the sound. “Come on, Jack. Get real. Even if we retake Earth, it’s not going to happen tomorrow. There’s no telling when I’ll be able to go back to school, if ever. I’m making contingency plans.”
“It’s always good to have a backup plan,” Jack acknowledged. “I just didn’t want you to have to use it.”
Cassie sighed. “Without my family, Earth is just another planet. I’m not from there, and pretending otherwise is really hard when I’m alone.”
“Pretending anything is hard over the long term,” Jack agreed.
“As long as you guys were around, I knew there were people who knew who I was, and where I came from,” Cassie said. “I’d rather be with you than trying to live some sort of fake life on Earth.”
Jack knew he’d feel the same in her shoes, and he couldn’t argue with her. “Fair enough.”
“How are we going to get to Atlantis?” Cassie asked.
“I’m hoping we can convince Bra’tac to lend us a ship,” Jack admitted. “There are a few naquadah generators hidden around the Milky Way, but the rule is that SGC personnel are to avoid those planets if they can to avoid giving us away.”
“If we can’t get a ship, then we find a generator,” Cassie said. “It’s a plan.”
Jack smiled. “It’s some kind of plan.”
“Hey, guys!” Jon called. He was carrying a couple of plump birds by the feet, and Teal’c had a couple of rabbit-type creatures. “Look like we’ve got dinner.”
Jack sighed.
“Be nice,” Cassie warned him in an undertone. “He did help save your life.”
“I like being the only Jack O’Neill,” he grumbled, but he knew Cassie was right, and he knew that Jon was a different person now. He wasn’t Jack at age eighteen-he’d become someone else entirely.
And right now, they’re stuck together. “Good job,” Jack managed. “I’m starving.”
Jon handed the birds to Cassie and took Teal’c’s burden. “We’ll get started on these,” he said, leading the way inside the small, cramped hut.
Jack met Teal’c’s eyes. “How did it go?”
“Quite well, O’Neill,” Teal’c replied. “You seem to be feeling better.”
Jack hitched the shoulder that didn’t hurt quite so much. “Yeah, I’m better. I’ll be fine.”
“I had no doubt,” Teal’c replied solemnly.
“Do you think we’ll be able to find a ship?” Jack asked.
“Bra’tac knows what you require,” Teal’c said. “If he can find a ship, you will have one.”
“And if we can’t, we’ll give him the generator after we use it to dial in to Atlantis,” Jack said, although he suspected that they’d get a ship. Bra’tac was nothing if not resourceful.
Teal’c put a gentle hand on Jack’s shoulder. “You should rest.”
Jack hated his current weakness, but he knew Teal’c was right. He was beginning to think that he might not bounce back from this. Jack had accepted a desk job for a reason, and now it looked like he’d be back in the middle of the fray.
Jack only hoped he was up for the challenge.
Chapter 1