A Fine Milky Way Morning
This is a short Jack/Daniel friendship scene inspired by the first scene in Prometheus Unbound, which had me in stitches. Tag for Prometheus Unbound. In honour of RDA’s imminent return in the Shroud :D
A Fine Milky Way Morning
“I didn’t let you go in the first place, what makes you think I’ll let you go this time?” Jack asked Daniel, who was following him closely and talking very quickly.
“Because-” Daniel answered, stopping.
“‘Because’?!” Jack said sarcastically. “Can you try to come up with something better than that?”
“Because,” Daniel replied angrily, taking a deep breath, “I’ll quit.”
Jack stopped and looked at him. “Why don’t you try holding your breath? You haven’t done that in a while.”
X
Two weeks later
Daniel walked through the security checks into Cheyenne Mountain, planning how he would handle this.
He would walk into the mountain, take the elevator, go to his locker and then straight to his office. No detours or short cuts and if anyone asked, yes, he was in a hurry and they could drop by his office later with that shiny fragment they wanted him to look at.
Then he would proceed to work all day, having a short break for coffee and lunch, making his way through the inevitable backlog after quickly writing up the mission report from the Prometheus by ten o’clock. He couldn’t spend long on it, since that would be a waste of time and the photographs from SG-13’s aerial survey of PS4 593 were apparently on his desk and waiting. As were photographs of various ruins inscribed with suspected Ancient writings and other new toys. He had more important things to think about than an annoying, infuriating and immature thief and how he could come out of this looking less than pathetic. So he would just sit down and type the damn thing. The mission report.
Besides, it wasn’t as if he was purposefully avoiding Jack and the ‘I Told You So’ he’d probably had strung in neon lights and hung around his neck just in case he saw him. And it wasn’t like Jack had any real reason to say ‘I Told You So.’ He just would. With accompanying obligatory ‘I’m Just Lucky That Way’ grin. Daniel just had… other things … to do. Things that, although they had waited patiently for two weeks, had suddenly become priorities. Urgent matters to be dealt with immediately. Like that mission report.
The mission report he fully intended to march briskly up to the control room with in a business-like and professional manner to deliver by hand … to Harriman.
Then, as per usual, Jack shot a massive hole in all his calmly laid plans by being in his office when he walked in.
Or rather, Daniel thought it was Jack sitting at his desk. The sheer wattage of the grin made it difficult to see who it was without his sunglasses.
“Back so soon, Spacemonkey?” He said brightly. “And we missed you terribly. Something in the … ambience just wasn’t right without you.”
“Is that coffee?” Daniel asked sharply, looking at the cups on his desk. So not ‘I Told You So.’ He should have known Jack had a wider vocabulary than that. Slightly.
“Why, yes it is. It’s even warm. My, aren’t you cranky this fine Milky Way morning,” Jack replied, pushing a cup towards him. Daniel looked at him suspiciously, waiting for it and knowing that one comment just wasn’t enough this time. “One for you,” Jack continued, his smirk almost unbearably smug, “And one in honour of a little lady I have to thank someday.”
Daniel nodded, rolling his eyes. “I wondered how long you could resist bringing that up.” He looked at his watch. “Look at that, I have my answer. Ten seconds.”
“What, that you got beaten up by a girl? Can’t wait for this mission report, Danny-boy,” Jack answered. “I might even read it.”
“I’m so happy for you,” Daniel answered sourly. “And for your information, she was wearing armour from a super-soldier. It wasn’t exactly a fair fight.” He failed to mention that when they had actually fought his back had ended up on the floor. That could wait for the mission report, when he was far away in ancient-artefact land and didn’t have to hear him laughing.
“Was she hot?” Jack asked, drinking his coffee. “Because you know, super hero women who can kick ass are usually hot. At least in films.”
“She was a thief, Jack,” Daniel retorted, “Trying to steal a ship worth millions. Our ship. What makes you think I even noticed if she was attractive or not?”
Jack looked at him, raising an eyebrow in his best Teal’c impression.
“Okay, she was hot,” Daniel admitted with a grin.
“Oh, really?” Jack said. “Blonde?”
“Dark hair, actually,” Daniel answered, unpacking the bag he’d brought back from the Prometheus.
“Kate Beckinsale?” Jack asked.
“More Claudia Black. But younger, more annoying and talked a lot,” Daniel replied. To Jack’s blank look he answered, “Aeryn Sun? Farscape?”
“Ah,” Jack winced, “You know how I feel about sci-fi. Hot, though.”
Daniel nodded and waved it off.
“Hmm, person of her skills might be a useful ally. We should try to -” Jack began, stopping when Daniel looked at him. “What?”
“Jack, my worst nightmare just became you, me and Vala in a room together,” Daniel replied then grinned. “And you just want to see if she’s hot.”
“Well, yes,” Jack said as if it were obvious. “And why? Meeting anyone who can irritate you as much as she clearly did has to be fun,” He gave him an evil grin, “At least for me.”
“My point exactly,” Daniel retorted dryly. “I think you’d get on far too well for my blood pressure and your favourite game would involve a lot of laughing at me.”
Jack thought about it and nodded, then drained the last of his coffee. Turning as he reached the door, he smirked again. “I’m going to need that report on my desk by lunch, Daniel.”
Daniel looked at him, amused. “Why? Boring briefing this afternoon?”
“Science brief with Felger at two,” Jack replied, looking faintly irritated he hadn’t found a way out of it or someone else to put it on.
“Sam’s off world?” Daniel asked, biting back a smirk.
“PX4 731… Shiny … not a space gun thing,” He said, rolling his eyes and waving his hands. “And Harriman’s doing something … vital … to a sensor panel in the control room.” His eyes lit up suddenly. “Don’t suppose-”
“Not a chance,” Daniel replied quickly. “I have that report to do for lunch, remember? And then I have to get started on this lot. SG-9 brought back a fragment that might have-”
Jack’s eyes started to glaze over and he held up a hand in surrender. “By lunch,” He repeated, flashing him a grin with a wave and leaving.
“Works every time,” Daniel said under his breath.
Muttering about how it wasn’t fair and Sam got weeks for her reports because she was special, Daniel turned back to his unpacking. He conveniently forgot that Sam usually had her reports in before he did and he also got weeks for his most of the time.
Taking a drink of his coffee, he smiled. It was good to be home.
X
This is shorter than my usual, but I liked the idea so much I had to write it.
Hope you liked it!
Kay x