New Friends for shadownashira
New Friends
By PaBurke
Disclaimer: I own none of the characters, no money made, no copyright infringement intended.
Spoilers: none, let’s just say that ‘Sleep Tight’ ended differently for Angel. Oh, and ignore ‘Heroes.’
Doctor Janet Fraiser looked around the crowded mess hall with disappointment. She was hungry and wanting company, but the choices weren’t great.
SG1 was still off-planet on some mission or another. SG13 was tucked into one corner making too much noise -Marines. Felger and some other scientists took up two tables as they debated their latest theories and experiments. The tower of food they were using as a visual looked about ready to fall. Janet didn’t want to have to change clothes again and that tower was going to make a mess. The Russian team was huddled together and speaking Russian, so she couldn’t join them for lunch. SG8 was huddled together and looking serious. Hammond had warmed her that Team 8 was having some personnel/communication problems, so she wasn’t about to butt in there either.
Off in the corner sitting alone, a man played with the food on his plate. He looked a little dejected and a lot tired. Janet knew the face as one of the new linguists Daniel had recruited, but had never been introduced. She wondered who had done his preliminary physical and decided to check after lunch. Janet grabbed a cup of coffee and a ham sandwich and wound around the tables, ‘till she reached the loner.
“Dr. Pryce?” she guessed at his name
He looked up and offered a wry smile. “Wyndham-Pryce,” he corrected with a British accent. “So you might as well call me Wesley.
In a place that consistently used last names, hyphenated names were a hassle. Janet was surprised that he hadn’t shortened it to one or the other. The more that she thought about it, the more she was sure that ‘Pryce’ was the only last name on his paperwork. Why shorten it legally and not use it in real life? “I’m Janet,” she finally offered. “I’m the CMO.”
Wesley wasn’t military and it showed as he thought through the abbreviation. “Dr. Fraiser?"
Janet nodded. “May I join you?”
Wesley stood and waved a hand at the chair across from his, “Please do.”
Janet sat and smiled at the old-fashioned manners. “We don’t get a lot of that around here.”
Wesley flushed slightly and sat down with a plop. “It’s to the point where you’ll only see it from me when I’m tired.”
Janet grinned. “You’re not trying to keep on Daniel’s schedule, are you? Daniel doesn’t keep to his schedule.”
The scholar tilted his head to the side. “That’s not the problem at all; Dr. Jackson has been most understanding.”
“He’s said many good things about you too. He likes how you translate and how fast you translate and how many languages you know.”
Wesley brushed off the compliment, “Just trying to keep up.”
“I’m surprised one of the SG teams hasn’t tried to grab you yet. You look quite physically fit among your other accomplishments.”
Wesley shook his head and looked even more tired. “I can’t. I have an infant son at home.”
“Oh,” that was news to Janet. “And his mother?”
“Deceased.”
“I’m sorry.”
Wesley shrugged off the condolences as well. “Don’t be. Dying was the first decent thing Darla ever did in her life.”
Ouch. It seemed like his venom was reserved for his son’s mother and not all female kind. That relieved her mind some; too many of the men had broken families to show for their time at the SGC. Secrets were hard on marriages and the Stargate absorbed time that could have been better spent with family. “So, nanny?” Janet guessed.
Wesley nodded, “But she’s returning to England in a week and I haven’t found a replacement.” He paused and sighed. “Connor’s also teething and not sleeping through the night.”
Janet winced in sympathy and was again glad she had gained Cassie after all that. “I don’t know if you’d be interested, but my daughter, Cassandra, is looking for a summer job and she is very responsible. She just turned sixteen and is looking for a way to pay for her car insurance. She could help out until you found another permanent nanny.”
Wesley thought about it. “I would pay her,” he assured Janet. “And my apartment complex has excellent security, so you wouldn’t have to worry about her. I would have to see her with Connor first.”
Janet nodded. “I’ll call Cassie and see if she’s interested. If so, may I give her your number?”
Wesley nodded.
“Good.”
Wesley opened his mouth, but just then the PA system announced, “Security to the Gate Room. Medical Team to the Gate Room.”
The Marines emptied out of the mess hall with Janet on their heels. The doctor turned back and mouthed that she wouldn’t forget their agreement.
Wesley nodded his thanks and returned his attention to the unappetizing meal in front of him. He was still tired, but not nearly as dejected as before. Making a new friend had lifted his spirits immensely.
*
New Friends II
Disclaimer: I own none of the characters, no money made, no copyright infringement intended.
Wesley recognized the whistling and so didn’t bother to lift his head as the newcomer entered Jackson’s messy office. “Dr. Jackson just stepped out for coffee, Colonel O’Neill.”
The whistling stopped and so did the light-hearted tread. Wesley almost winced; maybe he shouldn’t have revealed how situationally aware he had trained himself to be.
“I know,” O’Neill said, “Was looking for you.”
This time, Wesley did lift his head. “Oh?”
“No less than three different SG leaders have asked about you. Right now, I’m surprised it hasn’t been more. It’d be nice to have a geek who doesn’t lose himself in the rocks.” O’Neill shook one such artifact in Wesley’s face.
Wesley calmly snagged the artifact away and set it out of O’Neill’s reach. O’Neill grinned as he recognized the move.
The colonel resumed the conversation. “Daniel said that you can talk all sorts of languages and tend to be more diplomatic than most which would keep some of our teams out of trouble.”
“I can’t,” Wesley interrupted.
“I know,” said O’Neill and his dark eyes showed even more sympathy. “Doc told me, but I want to know why you kept this job after you found out how dangerous it was under this mountain. It is better than out there,” he waved toward outerspace, “but it’s not as safe as a cushy job I’m sure you could get in the civilian world.”
Wesley sat in his chair and considered how to answer. “Connor’s mother was… not a nice person and her family was-is worse. They tend to be obsessive and controlling, powerful and dangerous. I need the hazardous pay and the connections here to keep Connor safe and secret. Plus, they would not look for me in the American Air Force.”
“That explains all the security things you’re making Cassie do.”
Wesley shrugged. He should have expected Cassie to talk to someone; he just hadn’t expected it to be Colonel O’Neill.
“If they find you, will they hurt Cassie to get to your son?”
Wesley shook his head. “I highly doubt it. They would be more likely to truss her up and leave her for me to find. Once they get their hands on Connor, it will be nearly impossible for me to get him back legally or otherwise and he-they know that.”
O’Neill grunted.
Wesley waited.
“You should think about joining one of the teams.”
Wesley blinked. Why would the colonel say that?
“Hear me out,” O’Neill forestalled any comments. “We could put you on one of the very low risk teams, many of whom nothing happens to them -unless Daniel is with them. It’d still be more money and you’d have a team both on base and off to watch your six.”
“…I’ll think about it,” Wesley promised.
O’Neill grinned. “Great. I’ll tell two of the CO’s that they can talk to you, so expect that you’ll be making a lot of friends soon. You’ll get to pick which team you want to join.”
“If I want to join a team.” Wesley wanted a way out. He didn’t know if he really wanted to be part of a team again. There was always a chance at betrayal, his or theirs.
O’Neill grinned and shrugged. “That’s between you and them.”
O’Neill left the same way he came in: whistling.
*
New Friends III
Prompt/Summary: New Friends. Wesley encounters Rodney or John while they're at the SGC, and one of them attempts to recruit him for Atlantis.
Disclaimer: I own none of the characters, no money made, no copyright infringement intended.
For shadownashira
The newly minted Colonel John Sheppard stood next to the wall of the SGC gym watching the Marines play. Most of the men knew each other from before being separated between the SGC and Atlantis and now, newly reunited, they were competing over every silly and stupid thing. John knew that his presence would keep it from getting too out of hand. Next to him, Dr. Rodney McKay was going on and on about some co-worker of Dr. Jackson that he wanted to steal for the Pegasus Galaxy.
John was only half way listening to him. Finally McKay paused and John said, “You don’t like anyone from the soft sciences.”
“True,” Rodney admitted. “But Dr. Wyndham-Pryce is just as good as Jackson and the SGC shouldn’t hog all the good people. Translators can be useful in the real sciences too.”
“So invite him.”
“I did. He turned me down flat. You need to invite him.”
John grunted. He couldn’t argue with Rodney’s reasoning, they could always use more competent translators. He was just distracted right at this instant. The Marine contest had just escalated and the Atlantis Marines had pulled out the throwing axes. Ronon had been teaching them how to use them with various amounts of success.
The SGC Marines were patently not impressed. One of them shrugged as if ax throwing was a common talent. “You gotta do better than that, Markem. Even our geek can throw an ax.” With that, the Marine grabbed one of the axes and tossed it across the gym floor with a careless, “Hey, Doc Wes!”
John pushed himself off the gym wall, intending to intervene before the bespectacled man talking with Teal’c was hurt. John would have yelled for Teal’c to catch the flying ax, but the Jaffa had already seen it. Teal’c did something that John would have never expected: he took a knee. He got out of the way. The ‘geek’ had books in one arm, but didn’t drop them as he smoothly caught the ax. He spun the ax once to get an understanding of its weight and balance and then he threw it at the nearest target.
He hit the bull’s eye.
The gym was dead silent as the Atlantis Marines stared in surprise. Teal’c, of course, had expected Dr. Wyndham-Pryce’s skill.
Rodney elbowed John. “See. I told you that we want Dr. Wyndham-Pryce on Atlantis.”
“Hell yeah,” John told him.
Then a child’s voice derailed all their plans. The three/four year old boy yelled, “Yea! Daddy!”
Dr. Wyndham-Pryce hurriedly handed Teal’c his books and gathered up his son. The gym was still quiet enough that John could hear the chiding English accent say, “You escaped from the base pre-school again, Connor?”
“It was boring. Can I throw an ax now?”
“No.”
“But Daddy!”
“No, Connor.”
John knew two things. One, he wanted Dr. Wyndham-Pryce on Atlantis. Two, Dr. Wyndham-Pryce was responsible for a son and thus would never come.
Rodney really had rotten luck recruiting for them.
*
By PaBurke
Disclaimer: I own none of the characters, no money made, no copyright infringement intended.
Spoilers: none, let’s just say that ‘Sleep Tight’ ended differently for Angel. Oh, and ignore ‘Heroes.’
Doctor Janet Fraiser looked around the crowded mess hall with disappointment. She was hungry and wanting company, but the choices weren’t great.
SG1 was still off-planet on some mission or another. SG13 was tucked into one corner making too much noise -Marines. Felger and some other scientists took up two tables as they debated their latest theories and experiments. The tower of food they were using as a visual looked about ready to fall. Janet didn’t want to have to change clothes again and that tower was going to make a mess. The Russian team was huddled together and speaking Russian, so she couldn’t join them for lunch. SG8 was huddled together and looking serious. Hammond had warmed her that Team 8 was having some personnel/communication problems, so she wasn’t about to butt in there either.
Off in the corner sitting alone, a man played with the food on his plate. He looked a little dejected and a lot tired. Janet knew the face as one of the new linguists Daniel had recruited, but had never been introduced. She wondered who had done his preliminary physical and decided to check after lunch. Janet grabbed a cup of coffee and a ham sandwich and wound around the tables, ‘till she reached the loner.
“Dr. Pryce?” she guessed at his name
He looked up and offered a wry smile. “Wyndham-Pryce,” he corrected with a British accent. “So you might as well call me Wesley.
In a place that consistently used last names, hyphenated names were a hassle. Janet was surprised that he hadn’t shortened it to one or the other. The more that she thought about it, the more she was sure that ‘Pryce’ was the only last name on his paperwork. Why shorten it legally and not use it in real life? “I’m Janet,” she finally offered. “I’m the CMO.”
Wesley wasn’t military and it showed as he thought through the abbreviation. “Dr. Fraiser?"
Janet nodded. “May I join you?”
Wesley stood and waved a hand at the chair across from his, “Please do.”
Janet sat and smiled at the old-fashioned manners. “We don’t get a lot of that around here.”
Wesley flushed slightly and sat down with a plop. “It’s to the point where you’ll only see it from me when I’m tired.”
Janet grinned. “You’re not trying to keep on Daniel’s schedule, are you? Daniel doesn’t keep to his schedule.”
The scholar tilted his head to the side. “That’s not the problem at all; Dr. Jackson has been most understanding.”
“He’s said many good things about you too. He likes how you translate and how fast you translate and how many languages you know.”
Wesley brushed off the compliment, “Just trying to keep up.”
“I’m surprised one of the SG teams hasn’t tried to grab you yet. You look quite physically fit among your other accomplishments.”
Wesley shook his head and looked even more tired. “I can’t. I have an infant son at home.”
“Oh,” that was news to Janet. “And his mother?”
“Deceased.”
“I’m sorry.”
Wesley shrugged off the condolences as well. “Don’t be. Dying was the first decent thing Darla ever did in her life.”
Ouch. It seemed like his venom was reserved for his son’s mother and not all female kind. That relieved her mind some; too many of the men had broken families to show for their time at the SGC. Secrets were hard on marriages and the Stargate absorbed time that could have been better spent with family. “So, nanny?” Janet guessed.
Wesley nodded, “But she’s returning to England in a week and I haven’t found a replacement.” He paused and sighed. “Connor’s also teething and not sleeping through the night.”
Janet winced in sympathy and was again glad she had gained Cassie after all that. “I don’t know if you’d be interested, but my daughter, Cassandra, is looking for a summer job and she is very responsible. She just turned sixteen and is looking for a way to pay for her car insurance. She could help out until you found another permanent nanny.”
Wesley thought about it. “I would pay her,” he assured Janet. “And my apartment complex has excellent security, so you wouldn’t have to worry about her. I would have to see her with Connor first.”
Janet nodded. “I’ll call Cassie and see if she’s interested. If so, may I give her your number?”
Wesley nodded.
“Good.”
Wesley opened his mouth, but just then the PA system announced, “Security to the Gate Room. Medical Team to the Gate Room.”
The Marines emptied out of the mess hall with Janet on their heels. The doctor turned back and mouthed that she wouldn’t forget their agreement.
Wesley nodded his thanks and returned his attention to the unappetizing meal in front of him. He was still tired, but not nearly as dejected as before. Making a new friend had lifted his spirits immensely.
*
New Friends II
Disclaimer: I own none of the characters, no money made, no copyright infringement intended.
Wesley recognized the whistling and so didn’t bother to lift his head as the newcomer entered Jackson’s messy office. “Dr. Jackson just stepped out for coffee, Colonel O’Neill.”
The whistling stopped and so did the light-hearted tread. Wesley almost winced; maybe he shouldn’t have revealed how situationally aware he had trained himself to be.
“I know,” O’Neill said, “Was looking for you.”
This time, Wesley did lift his head. “Oh?”
“No less than three different SG leaders have asked about you. Right now, I’m surprised it hasn’t been more. It’d be nice to have a geek who doesn’t lose himself in the rocks.” O’Neill shook one such artifact in Wesley’s face.
Wesley calmly snagged the artifact away and set it out of O’Neill’s reach. O’Neill grinned as he recognized the move.
The colonel resumed the conversation. “Daniel said that you can talk all sorts of languages and tend to be more diplomatic than most which would keep some of our teams out of trouble.”
“I can’t,” Wesley interrupted.
“I know,” said O’Neill and his dark eyes showed even more sympathy. “Doc told me, but I want to know why you kept this job after you found out how dangerous it was under this mountain. It is better than out there,” he waved toward outerspace, “but it’s not as safe as a cushy job I’m sure you could get in the civilian world.”
Wesley sat in his chair and considered how to answer. “Connor’s mother was… not a nice person and her family was-is worse. They tend to be obsessive and controlling, powerful and dangerous. I need the hazardous pay and the connections here to keep Connor safe and secret. Plus, they would not look for me in the American Air Force.”
“That explains all the security things you’re making Cassie do.”
Wesley shrugged. He should have expected Cassie to talk to someone; he just hadn’t expected it to be Colonel O’Neill.
“If they find you, will they hurt Cassie to get to your son?”
Wesley shook his head. “I highly doubt it. They would be more likely to truss her up and leave her for me to find. Once they get their hands on Connor, it will be nearly impossible for me to get him back legally or otherwise and he-they know that.”
O’Neill grunted.
Wesley waited.
“You should think about joining one of the teams.”
Wesley blinked. Why would the colonel say that?
“Hear me out,” O’Neill forestalled any comments. “We could put you on one of the very low risk teams, many of whom nothing happens to them -unless Daniel is with them. It’d still be more money and you’d have a team both on base and off to watch your six.”
“…I’ll think about it,” Wesley promised.
O’Neill grinned. “Great. I’ll tell two of the CO’s that they can talk to you, so expect that you’ll be making a lot of friends soon. You’ll get to pick which team you want to join.”
“If I want to join a team.” Wesley wanted a way out. He didn’t know if he really wanted to be part of a team again. There was always a chance at betrayal, his or theirs.
O’Neill grinned and shrugged. “That’s between you and them.”
O’Neill left the same way he came in: whistling.
*
New Friends III
Prompt/Summary: New Friends. Wesley encounters Rodney or John while they're at the SGC, and one of them attempts to recruit him for Atlantis.
Disclaimer: I own none of the characters, no money made, no copyright infringement intended.
For shadownashira
The newly minted Colonel John Sheppard stood next to the wall of the SGC gym watching the Marines play. Most of the men knew each other from before being separated between the SGC and Atlantis and now, newly reunited, they were competing over every silly and stupid thing. John knew that his presence would keep it from getting too out of hand. Next to him, Dr. Rodney McKay was going on and on about some co-worker of Dr. Jackson that he wanted to steal for the Pegasus Galaxy.
John was only half way listening to him. Finally McKay paused and John said, “You don’t like anyone from the soft sciences.”
“True,” Rodney admitted. “But Dr. Wyndham-Pryce is just as good as Jackson and the SGC shouldn’t hog all the good people. Translators can be useful in the real sciences too.”
“So invite him.”
“I did. He turned me down flat. You need to invite him.”
John grunted. He couldn’t argue with Rodney’s reasoning, they could always use more competent translators. He was just distracted right at this instant. The Marine contest had just escalated and the Atlantis Marines had pulled out the throwing axes. Ronon had been teaching them how to use them with various amounts of success.
The SGC Marines were patently not impressed. One of them shrugged as if ax throwing was a common talent. “You gotta do better than that, Markem. Even our geek can throw an ax.” With that, the Marine grabbed one of the axes and tossed it across the gym floor with a careless, “Hey, Doc Wes!”
John pushed himself off the gym wall, intending to intervene before the bespectacled man talking with Teal’c was hurt. John would have yelled for Teal’c to catch the flying ax, but the Jaffa had already seen it. Teal’c did something that John would have never expected: he took a knee. He got out of the way. The ‘geek’ had books in one arm, but didn’t drop them as he smoothly caught the ax. He spun the ax once to get an understanding of its weight and balance and then he threw it at the nearest target.
He hit the bull’s eye.
The gym was dead silent as the Atlantis Marines stared in surprise. Teal’c, of course, had expected Dr. Wyndham-Pryce’s skill.
Rodney elbowed John. “See. I told you that we want Dr. Wyndham-Pryce on Atlantis.”
“Hell yeah,” John told him.
Then a child’s voice derailed all their plans. The three/four year old boy yelled, “Yea! Daddy!”
Dr. Wyndham-Pryce hurriedly handed Teal’c his books and gathered up his son. The gym was still quiet enough that John could hear the chiding English accent say, “You escaped from the base pre-school again, Connor?”
“It was boring. Can I throw an ax now?”
“No.”
“But Daddy!”
“No, Connor.”
John knew two things. One, he wanted Dr. Wyndham-Pryce on Atlantis. Two, Dr. Wyndham-Pryce was responsible for a son and thus would never come.
Rodney really had rotten luck recruiting for them.
*