Jonny entered the conference room, carrying a laptop and his specialty coffee mug. He sat at the head of the table, set up his laptop and pulled up some translations he was working on to pass the time while everyone arrived.
Chuck followed Jonny into the room. Officially, he didn't need to be in this meeting - but his skills had been useful once, and Jonny had said they might be again, and he was one of the few that knew what had been going on. Mostly by the accident of having been the one on duty when Dr. Jackson came looking for someone to tell about Astarte, but still.
He set up his own laptop - at least he could take notes, let the others get carried away in whatever ideas they came up with and not need to worry about getting them written down.
Rachel entered the conference room and was glad to see only two people there so far. She seemed neat enough on first look, with her clean uniform and hair pinned up... But the circles under her eyes belied long hours working (even after Rodney's admonition), bolstered by the huge cup of coffee in one hand and tablet in the other. Not to mention the slight look of distraction as she greeted them. "O'Neil, Chuck... Good morning." Glancing at the conference table, Rachel chose a chair in the far corner, trying to be unobtrusive and non-threatening.
Jonny glanced up at Rae as she entered, frowning worriedly at her appearance. "Dr. MacGregor. How are you recovering?" He wants to say he knows what it's like getting snaked, but the snake Hathor put in him never really got a chance to take control before he was put in cryo-freeze.
She shrugs, smiling half-heartedly to try to deflect his concern. "Well as can be expected, I suppose. She left a lot of work undone, arrogant bitch." Rae rubs unconsciously at the nape of her neck, echoing moves O'Neil knows all too well.
He seems to be watching out for someone every waking moment these past few days--whether it's checking in on Rae to make sure she's eating and sleeping--and finding she's not. Or keeping his eye on Radek to make sure Morena's still sleeping and he's not lost all the warmth in in his eyes.
The latter is his current concern--Radek's face is pale, dark circles under his tired blue eyes. John has one steadying hand on his husband's elbow, but what he'd really like to do is just forget this meeting alltogether and tuck them both in somewhere safe and warm for a while.
The door to the conference room is half-open and he can hear the murmur of voices already.
Radek is clutching his tablet to his chest protectively, though his demeanor is listless. He follows where John leads, but that's it. He scans the room, but upon seeing Rae starts to hyperventilate and tugging his arm in John's grip to get away from the room. He's muttering softly, though he doesn't realize it. "No...nononononono...out...must get out..."
John freezes as Radek starts to struggle, and he meets Rae's eyes over his husband's head, apology on his lips and in his gaze, though he makes no sound besides a soft, comforting "shhh" in Radek's ear. He doesn't let Radek back away, stands firmly behind him, turning him around in place and cupping his cheeks, making him lift his eyes to look at him.
"Radek....Radek, listen...yes...yes, we're going in there, I'll be beside you the entire time...look, there's a space for you and I at the end. I'll be right with you. We need to get a plan going here..we have to, or Ba'al will get the drop on us...please..listen..."
Radek focuses on John, though it takes a lot of effort. He gets his breathing under control and some part of rationality back. "No leaving? Planning. Yes. Yes. He must pay. Okay." He closes his eyes and leans against John, whispering. [It hurts...I see her and I see that thing...but you are right. Meeting must happen.]
He visibly pulls himself together and follows John to their seats. It's obviously, however, when he makes John take the seat between himself and Rae's end of the table.
Steven trailed into the room behind Daniel, suddenly nervous. It was all very well to say he'd make a stand against Ba'al, but actually doing it? And sitting in a room with all these people looking at him, knowing what he'd done, doubting him? Suddenly, he wasn't quite so sure.
He grabbed Daniel's hand and led him to a seat as far away from everyone else as possible. This had to be done. It had to. He just wished O'Neil weren't looking at him like something he'd scraped off his shoe...
Jonny looked up when Daniel entered, smiling at his friend, but his smile dimmed considerably when he saw Steven. Eyes narrowed, he glares at the Egyptologist, silently promising dark consequences if he did something to hurt Danny.
Daniel was distractedly mumbling to himself--a soft chorus of words in ancient and english, half-translated and unintelligible to most. He peered intently at the tablet PC he'd procured thanks to Dr. Mckay's "generous nature" and obvious adoration for all things caffeinated. Line upon line of goa'uld and acient scroll by, side-by-side, two texts being translated simultaneously.
He nearly stumbles as they enter the conference room and Steven takes his hand, the tablet wobbling precariously. A glance up shows Jon glaring openly at Steven, and Dr. Macgregor sitting beside him, looking very uncomfortable.
He returns Jon's glare with a worried frown of his own, his fingers tightening on Stevens in what he hopes is a comforting gesture. His nose stays buried in his tablet, however, as he settles them both at the opposite end of the table.
Rachel saw John and Radek enter. Gods, he looked thin and exhausted... But still... She focused on only letting love and joy at seeing him come through, and kept quiet. She shrank a little further in the chair, trying to seem completely unintimidating. Gods, she'd missed him so much...
John met everone's eyes, except the quietly -muttering Jackson, who still had his nose buried in a tablet--gauging the mood, expectation, doing his best to determine how to proceed with this. After settling Radek into a chair at the other end of the table, he made his way over to Rae and bent to give her a quick kiss on the cheek, whispering quietly, ready to slip back to Radek's side at a moment's notice.
Rae smiled as John came over and kissed him back. "Well as can be expected, love. I'll be fine, you get back to Radek. He'll need to feel protected. Love you."
John smiled, a slow, sweet dawning of adoration on his face--she was more worried about Radek--didn't even realize how tired and worn she looked herself.
He held his thumb to her lower lip a moment after the kiss and nodded to himself, glancing over his shoulder at Radek.
"you tell me if you need me, Ok? There are three of us...plenty for you to have a husband or two of your own down here. You need me, you call--promise."
With that, he returned to Radek's side, gripping his husband's hand under the table, breathing deeply and closing his eyes for a moment, concentrating on calm and confident thoughts.
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He set up his own laptop - at least he could take notes, let the others get carried away in whatever ideas they came up with and not need to worry about getting them written down.
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The latter is his current concern--Radek's face is pale, dark circles under his tired blue eyes. John has one steadying hand on his husband's elbow, but what he'd really like to do is just forget this meeting alltogether and tuck them both in somewhere safe and warm for a while.
The door to the conference room is half-open and he can hear the murmur of voices already.
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"Radek....Radek, listen...yes...yes, we're going in there, I'll be beside you the entire time...look, there's a space for you and I at the end. I'll be right with you. We need to get a plan going here..we have to, or Ba'al will get the drop on us...please..listen..."
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He visibly pulls himself together and follows John to their seats. It's obviously, however, when he makes John take the seat between himself and Rae's end of the table.
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He grabbed Daniel's hand and led him to a seat as far away from everyone else as possible. This had to be done. It had to. He just wished O'Neil weren't looking at him like something he'd scraped off his shoe...
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He nearly stumbles as they enter the conference room and Steven takes his hand, the tablet wobbling precariously. A glance up shows Jon glaring openly at Steven, and Dr. Macgregor sitting beside him, looking very uncomfortable.
He returns Jon's glare with a worried frown of his own, his fingers tightening on Stevens in what he hopes is a comforting gesture. His nose stays buried in his tablet, however, as he settles them both at the opposite end of the table.
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"how're you doing, sweetheart?"
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He held his thumb to her lower lip a moment after the kiss and nodded to himself, glancing over his shoulder at Radek.
"you tell me if you need me, Ok? There are three of us...plenty for you to have a husband or two of your own down here. You need me, you call--promise."
With that, he returned to Radek's side, gripping his husband's hand under the table, breathing deeply and closing his eyes for a moment, concentrating on calm and confident thoughts.
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