Fic: Wayward Angel 2/11
Title: Wayward Angel
By: Polgara (melindoranightsilver@hotmail.com)
Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: I own none of the recognizable characters. They belong to their respective creators and distributors. Alec Colson’s dialogue comes directly from the Stargate Episode 8.8 Covenant.
Distribution: My site - Worlds of Possibilities, ff.net, Wormhole Crossing, and TtH.
Spoilers: For Buffy everything is game, for Stargate SG-1 direct spoilers for season 8 episode 8 - Covenant - and anything before that.
Setting: Takes place several years after Chosen and starts during SG-1 episode 8.8 - Covenant.
Summary: Life is filled with moments. The decision in each of these defining times shapes who we are and who we will become. They push us forward and back, an intricate dance.
A/N: Chapter titles and lyrics at the beginning of each come from Kasey Chamber’s cd - Wayward Angel. Music was used as an inspiration for the entire piece.
A/N2: Super shout out to Ava for being my personal cheerleader through writing this. Seriously, without her, this may have never been finished.
A/N3: Much thanks goes to Copper, my wonderful beta!
This fic has already been completed. I will be posting every Sunday.
Any and all artwork linked within this fic was created by the lovely Ava.
As the boy became a man
The child inside remained
High on life with wide eyes open
A smile that could dry up the rain
A name that would now ring true
Like a sun on a sky of blue
~Follow You Home
Buffy had to bite the side of her cheek to keep from laughing. It was fairly obvious that Jack O’Neill was not your normal, run-of-the-mill Air Force General. The man had a wicked sense of humor and took almost a childlike glee in torturing others with it.
His current plan centered on introducing her to her new team, which just happened to be his former team before his recent promotion. He knew that they weren’t exactly open to a new member and he wanted to play on that. She understood his reasoning and went along with it. The prank probably wouldn’t endear her to the team in the beginning, but she wanted to show them that they could have ended up with worse.
She sat in Jack’s office with the blinds pulled and the door to the briefing room open just enough for her to hear. She concentrated on the voices in the next room.
“What’s wrong, Jack?” Asked a male voice.
“Does something have to be wrong, Daniel?” Jack asked innocently enough. Buffy could just picture his wide eyes.
“Well… yes. We’re not due to go off-world for another week and this is a fairly impromptu meeting,” said the same male voice who she assumed was Daniel. “So what’s wrong?”
She could hear chairs moving and she guessed that they were sitting down. Once the noise stopped, Jack answered the question.
“I’ve called you here to meet your new teammate.”
“Sir, I though we were operating fine without a fourth,” a woman said. Buffy figured that must be Lt. Col. Samantha Carter, the female leader of the team.
“Indeed,” came another male voice only this one was deeper than the first. Since the others had been identified she reasoned that it was Teal’c, the final member.
“Oh, you are,” Jack assured her. “But the higher-ups kinda insisted. But never fear…”
“How high up?” Daniel asked.
“Up… Somewhere higher,” Jack said vaguely.
“Couldn’t you have done something?” Samantha asked.
“I did,” he said proudly. She had unwittingly given him a clear opening. “I pulled some strings and got a top-notch addition.”
“Really?” Samantha asked with interest. “Who is he?”
“Carter, I’m ashamed of you. I would have thought that you, of all people, wouldn’t have assumed that they would be male,” Jack admonished.
Buffy placed her hand over her mouth to muffle her giggles. Jack had given her a brief personal view of her new teammates and had mentioned that Samantha was a bit of a feminist. He knew exactly which buttons to push with his friends.
“Sorry, sir. Who is she?”
“She has some special skills that I think are aptly suited to our needs here. She came with the highest recommendations.” Buffy could just hear the shit-eating grin on his face.
“Where is she transferring from?” Daniel asked.
“That’s on a highly top-secret, entirely need to know basis,” Jack said glibly, drumming his hands lightly on the table.
“Shouldn’t we know, sir?” Samantha asked. “She’ll be a member of our team and I need to know….”
“Need to know only, Carter,” Jack interrupted. “I know the basics and that will just have to do.”
“Yes, sir.”
Buffy could hear the tightness in Samantha’s voice and knew she wasn’t pleased with the answer Jack gave her. Had their positions been reversed, Buffy knew she wouldn’t have let the issue drop there.
Jack stood and went over to his office door. Opening it and popping his head in, he said, “We’re ready for you Miss Summers.” He winked mischievously at her.
She grinned back at him before schooling her features. It was time for her to play her part. She made sure enough of her mid-riff was showing between her baby-tee and short jean skirt before opening a lollipop and popping it into her mouth. “Ready.”
Jack grinned and stepped out of the doorway. He looked at the others and said, “Meet your newest teammate, Buffy Summers.”
Buffy practically bounced into the room with wide eyes and let her former cheerleader personality shine through. “Oh my god, it’s so cool to finally meet you guys! Jackie here has just told me so much about you that I feel like I totally know you already. Isn’t it awesome that we’ll be working together?”
The three just stared at her in various stages of disbelief. Samantha’s jaw hung slightly open, Daniel looked as if he was trying to decipher what she had said, and Teal’c had raised an eyebrow.
“Buffy, this is Lt. Col. Samantha Carter, your CO, Dr. Daniel Jackson, and Teal’c.”
She pulled the sucker out of her mouth with a loud, audible pop. “You’re like an alien, right? That’s just…. Wow. I never thought that all that crazy space alieny talk from when I was a kid could be true. But, like, here you are and it’s just so cool!” Then she popped the sucker back into her mouth and continued to study Teal’c.
Samantha leaned over to Jack and murmured, “You’re joking, right?”
“Nope,” he said with a grin, his eyes following Buffy as she continued to gush over Teal‘c. “Isn’t she great?”
She sent her CO a scathing glare. “What is wrong with you?”
“Nothing. She’s a lovely girl.”
“That is clearly a civilian. How did she get clearance into the program?” Samantha asked, her voice a harsh whisper.
“Carter, you’re gonna love her.”
“Sir -”
“What’s wrong?” Buffy interrupted. She used the stick to twirl the lollipop in her mouth once before removing it.
Samantha looked at her and placed a fake smile on her face. “Nothing. Why would you think that?”
“You’re whispering. That’s kind of rude,” Buffy said, one hand holding the lollipop, the other on her hip.
With an amused look on his face, Jack turned to Samantha. “It is kind of rude, isn’t it?”
She shot him another glare before looking back at Buffy. “I’m sorry. I was just questioning the General.”
Buffy smiled and let her entire demeanor shift. “No, he’s not joking, he does think I’m great, there’s nothing wrong with him, and you wouldn‘t believe where I got my clearance from.”
“We were whispering while you were talking on the other side of the room. How did you hear us?” Samantha asked in surprise.
“It’s a gift,” Buffy said with a shrug. Then she tossed the half-eaten sucker into the trashcan on the far side of the room before readjusting her clothes so she was a little more decent.
“Nice shot,” Jack said.
She grinned and shrugged again. “It was nothing.”
Daniel laughed as he caught on. “Jack set you up to this?”
“Moi?” Jack asked Daniel. His innocent expression was marred by the smile that was threatening to break out over his face.
“It was a most clever deception,” Teal’c said. “I was greatly concerned.”
XXXXXXXX
Buffy knocked lightly on the open door. Colonel Carter looked up from her computer and gave her a half smile. “Can I come in?” Buffy asked.
“Sure.”
“Sorry about before,” Buffy said, referring to the earlier meeting. “Jack just thought… Well, he kind of… I’m sorry.”
Samantha smiled fully and said, “It’s okay. The General has a strange sense of humor.”
“I’ve noticed.”
“You’ll get used to it,” Samantha assured her, turning back to the computer.
Buffy bit back a sigh. She wondered if this was how Tara or Anya felt when trying to enter the closeness of the Scooby gang. SG-1 was obviously a tight-knit group and she completely understood why. People couldn’t depend on each other to stay alive like that and not form a close bond. Hell, she’d been there, done that. But now seeing it from the outside, it was very intimidating.
She hopped up on the stool next to Samantha. “Whatcha’ working on?”
“It’s a computer simulation on the feasibility of using a naquadah generator to…” She paused. “No clue what I’m saying, huh?”
“None whatsoever. You lost me at simulation. Sounds cool though,” Buffy replied. “Willow would understand it.”
“Willow?”
“A friend. She’s super-smart and is good with computers. When we had career day at school I was off learning about stupid jobs and she was being recruited by big software companies.”
“In high school?” Samantha asked in surprise.
“Yup,” Buffy said, slightly swiveling the top of the stool back and forth. “She keeps saying that I’m smart enough to learn that stuff but… Well, it doesn’t interest me.”
“I can see where that would hinder you.”
“Can I ask you a question?” Buffy asked, ceasing her swiveling motion.
“Sure,” she replied, turning away from the computer to concentrate her attention on Buffy.
“How am I supposed to address you?”
“What do you mean?” Samantha frowned.
“Well, Jack calls you Carter or Colonel, Dr. Jackson calls you Sam, Teal’c calls you Colonel Carter. I’m just not sure what I’m supposed to call you. Am I supposed to use the military stuff or…”
“You can call me Sam,” she said, a little bemused. She hesitated before asking, “I know you can’t tell me exactly what you did before this, but could you give me the nature of your previous post?”
Buffy frowned slightly as she tried to figure out the best way to explain without giving anything away. “I was sort of like the fixer of problems. I didn’t usually come up with how to do it, but I was the one who carried the idea out. I’m pretty good at sneaking around, too.”
“So kind of like covert ops?”
“I guess so,” she said.
After a moment Sam asked, “Do you know how to use a gun?”
“Never had to before.”
“I’ll take you to the range before we leave for our next mission. You probably won’t be a great shot, but at least you won’t shoot yourself or any of us.”
“Sounds like fun,” Buffy said with false cheer. There was the possibility that her slayer instincts would kick in with the gun, plus all the years she had practice lining up shots with her crossbow. She began planning a fake progression of shooting skills so Sam wouldn’t be suspicious. Normal people weren’t excellent shots on their first try. Maybe she could play it off as a misspent youth playing video games.
XXXXXXXX
“Mind if I join you?” Buffy asked, walking into the gym that Teal’c was in.
“Please do, Buffy Summers,” he said with a slight inclination of his head.
“You were like the head guy of Apache’s army right?”
“Apache?”
She pointed at the tattoo on his forehead. “That fake god guy.”
“Apophis,” he corrected.
“Yes, Apophis. Sorry, I’m horrible with names. So you were like his right hand guy?”
“I was,” he said tensing slightly, unsure where she was heading with the conversation.
“So that means you’re a good fighter?”
“Indeed,” he said, one eyebrow raising in what she hoped was a quizzical manner.
“Hand to hand kind of stuff?”
“Yes.”
She smiled hopefully up at his towering figure. “Could you teach me what you know?”
His expression never changed, but Buffy got the distinct impression that he was surprised by her request. It was hard to tell. The man was rather stoic and his emotions never seemed to really manifest in his body language or his facial expressions.
After a moment, he bowed his head. “It would be my honor, Buffy Summers. May I ask why you wish to learn?”
“Several reasons actually. It helps to know what your enemy knows, that way I can hopefully have an edge over them. Plus, I like learning different fighting techniques. You never know when that one move can mean the difference between living and that other thing.”
“Sound thinking.”
“I thought so.”
He looked her over. “Your size may present a problem.”
“I’m stronger than I look.” She grinned up at him. “It also makes my opponents underestimate me.”
“It would at that,” he agreed.
XXXXXXXX
“Whoa, tweed heaven.”
Dr. Jackson looked up from the tablet he was translating to see Buffy standing in his doorway. “Huh?”
“Oh, it’s just that you’ve got a lot of old stuff in here. Makes me think of tweed. Not that there’s anything wrong with that,” she added hastily. “My mentor is tweed loving. As a matter of fact, his office looks a lot like this. Hence the tweed reference.”
He smiled as he watched her walk around, carefully touching the artifacts. “Does that mean I can trust you not to break any of them?”
“Totally,” she said. “Did all of these come from other planets?”
“Mostly.”
“Wow, they look like they could have come from Earth.” She delicately picked up a vase and studied it. Her fingers ran lightly over the intricate carvings.
“That’s the fascinating part,” he said eagerly. “We can see how different civilizations on Earth could have developed without the interference of other cultures and in turn learn more about our own past.”
“So that’s why,” she murmured.
“Why what?”
“Huh?” She asked, turning away from the vase to look at him.
“You just said, ‘so that’s why’. I was just wondering why what,” he said.
Buffy blushed slightly and placed the vase back in its spot. “Sorry, didn’t mean to say that out loud. I had just figured something out is all.”
“What?” He asked, adjusting his glasses.
She turned back to him and was momentarily distracted by his bright blue eyes. Her mouth moved without any sound a couple of times before she found her voice again. “Why you do this. I mean, I read your file and I know you started working here to find you wife, and stayed after her death to find the kid. But I couldn’t figure out why you stayed after that.”
“And the reason is…” He prompted, curious to see how she viewed him.
“You enjoy learning,” she said simply. “You’re the type of person who’s happiest when faced with a new experience or when you’ve found that missing piece of the puzzle. Plus, I think you just like to help people ‘cause you’re a nice guy.”
It was Daniel’s turn to blush slightly and he busied himself by arranging some papers on his desk. “Umm, thank you.”
“Welcome,” she said, returning to her perusal of the room.
“Why are you doing this?” He suddenly asked. “I mean, you’re not military, your background has nothing to do with any of our research here, and as far as I’m aware of, you don’t have a personal vendetta against the Goa’uld.”
“Been digging around?” Buffy asked in return.
“Sam did… a little,” he confessed. “She said there was a lot of red tape on your file and she couldn’t get around it.”
“I’m not surprised,” Buffy said with a shrug.
“So why?”
Buffy forced her features to remain neutral. This was definitely an inquisitive bunch. She might entrust them with her secret one day, but not any time soon. “Let’s just say that I have a gift and I like to use it to save the world.” He frowned and opened his mouth as if to ask another question, but she stopped him. “That’s all I’m going to say.”
“Okay,” he said and Buffy swore he was damn near pouting. In effort to distract herself from its pull, she turned to one of his bookshelves and was startled when she read one of the titles.
“Mystical Legends and Myths of the Ancient World? Strange book for an archaeologist.”
“Not really,” he said. “Most legends have their roots in fact. Knowing what we know now, it is possible that some of the great feats or ‘magic’ were actually Goa’uld technology.”
“Which helps to give you an insight on the enemy,” Buffy said, seeing the logic.
“Exactly,” he said with a smile. His eyes widened slightly as she took the book off the shelf, sat down on an empty chair, and began reading. “Ummm, Buffy. What are you doing?”
She looked up. “Sorry, thought I might read a little. I kind of miss doing research. I can leave if this bothers you.”
“No, no. You’re fine,” he assured her.
Daniel went back to his translation and Buffy to her book. Neither noticed the other occasionally sending furtive looks in the other’s direction.
XXXXXXXX
The following morning Jack smiled at his former teammates as they sat in his office. “Well?”
“I like her,” Daniel said.
“As do I,” Teal’c said.
“Carter?”
“I’m concerned, sir,” she answered.
“Oh? How so?”
Sam‘s brow creased as she mulled over her answer. “I’m concerned about how she’ll handle a combat situation and her high school file suggests a problem with authority. I don’t want to be in the field and have her contradict an order.”
Jack smirked. “Gee, I don’t know anyone like that.”
Daniel and Sam at least had the decency to look slightly embarrassed.
“I don’t think it’ll be a problem. Just make sure you at least listen to her if she argues. She’s got good instincts.”
“Sir?”
Teal‘c spoke up. “O’Neill is correct. Buffy Summers and I trained for a good deal of time yesterday. She showed exceptional observation skills and was proficient in hand to hand. I believe she will be fine.”
“That’s a glowing report if I’ve ever heard one,” Jack said. “Look, he’s damn near beaming.” Jack said, pointing to Teal’c’s impassive face.
“Fine, sir. It’s just… I was wondering…”
“No, Carter. I can’t tell you. Just trust me. She’ll be fine.”
By: Polgara (melindoranightsilver@hotmail.com)
Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: I own none of the recognizable characters. They belong to their respective creators and distributors. Alec Colson’s dialogue comes directly from the Stargate Episode 8.8 Covenant.
Distribution: My site - Worlds of Possibilities, ff.net, Wormhole Crossing, and TtH.
Spoilers: For Buffy everything is game, for Stargate SG-1 direct spoilers for season 8 episode 8 - Covenant - and anything before that.
Setting: Takes place several years after Chosen and starts during SG-1 episode 8.8 - Covenant.
Summary: Life is filled with moments. The decision in each of these defining times shapes who we are and who we will become. They push us forward and back, an intricate dance.
A/N: Chapter titles and lyrics at the beginning of each come from Kasey Chamber’s cd - Wayward Angel. Music was used as an inspiration for the entire piece.
A/N2: Super shout out to Ava for being my personal cheerleader through writing this. Seriously, without her, this may have never been finished.
A/N3: Much thanks goes to Copper, my wonderful beta!
This fic has already been completed. I will be posting every Sunday.
Any and all artwork linked within this fic was created by the lovely Ava.
As the boy became a man
The child inside remained
High on life with wide eyes open
A smile that could dry up the rain
A name that would now ring true
Like a sun on a sky of blue
~Follow You Home
Buffy had to bite the side of her cheek to keep from laughing. It was fairly obvious that Jack O’Neill was not your normal, run-of-the-mill Air Force General. The man had a wicked sense of humor and took almost a childlike glee in torturing others with it.
His current plan centered on introducing her to her new team, which just happened to be his former team before his recent promotion. He knew that they weren’t exactly open to a new member and he wanted to play on that. She understood his reasoning and went along with it. The prank probably wouldn’t endear her to the team in the beginning, but she wanted to show them that they could have ended up with worse.
She sat in Jack’s office with the blinds pulled and the door to the briefing room open just enough for her to hear. She concentrated on the voices in the next room.
“What’s wrong, Jack?” Asked a male voice.
“Does something have to be wrong, Daniel?” Jack asked innocently enough. Buffy could just picture his wide eyes.
“Well… yes. We’re not due to go off-world for another week and this is a fairly impromptu meeting,” said the same male voice who she assumed was Daniel. “So what’s wrong?”
She could hear chairs moving and she guessed that they were sitting down. Once the noise stopped, Jack answered the question.
“I’ve called you here to meet your new teammate.”
“Sir, I though we were operating fine without a fourth,” a woman said. Buffy figured that must be Lt. Col. Samantha Carter, the female leader of the team.
“Indeed,” came another male voice only this one was deeper than the first. Since the others had been identified she reasoned that it was Teal’c, the final member.
“Oh, you are,” Jack assured her. “But the higher-ups kinda insisted. But never fear…”
“How high up?” Daniel asked.
“Up… Somewhere higher,” Jack said vaguely.
“Couldn’t you have done something?” Samantha asked.
“I did,” he said proudly. She had unwittingly given him a clear opening. “I pulled some strings and got a top-notch addition.”
“Really?” Samantha asked with interest. “Who is he?”
“Carter, I’m ashamed of you. I would have thought that you, of all people, wouldn’t have assumed that they would be male,” Jack admonished.
Buffy placed her hand over her mouth to muffle her giggles. Jack had given her a brief personal view of her new teammates and had mentioned that Samantha was a bit of a feminist. He knew exactly which buttons to push with his friends.
“Sorry, sir. Who is she?”
“She has some special skills that I think are aptly suited to our needs here. She came with the highest recommendations.” Buffy could just hear the shit-eating grin on his face.
“Where is she transferring from?” Daniel asked.
“That’s on a highly top-secret, entirely need to know basis,” Jack said glibly, drumming his hands lightly on the table.
“Shouldn’t we know, sir?” Samantha asked. “She’ll be a member of our team and I need to know….”
“Need to know only, Carter,” Jack interrupted. “I know the basics and that will just have to do.”
“Yes, sir.”
Buffy could hear the tightness in Samantha’s voice and knew she wasn’t pleased with the answer Jack gave her. Had their positions been reversed, Buffy knew she wouldn’t have let the issue drop there.
Jack stood and went over to his office door. Opening it and popping his head in, he said, “We’re ready for you Miss Summers.” He winked mischievously at her.
She grinned back at him before schooling her features. It was time for her to play her part. She made sure enough of her mid-riff was showing between her baby-tee and short jean skirt before opening a lollipop and popping it into her mouth. “Ready.”
Jack grinned and stepped out of the doorway. He looked at the others and said, “Meet your newest teammate, Buffy Summers.”
Buffy practically bounced into the room with wide eyes and let her former cheerleader personality shine through. “Oh my god, it’s so cool to finally meet you guys! Jackie here has just told me so much about you that I feel like I totally know you already. Isn’t it awesome that we’ll be working together?”
The three just stared at her in various stages of disbelief. Samantha’s jaw hung slightly open, Daniel looked as if he was trying to decipher what she had said, and Teal’c had raised an eyebrow.
“Buffy, this is Lt. Col. Samantha Carter, your CO, Dr. Daniel Jackson, and Teal’c.”
She pulled the sucker out of her mouth with a loud, audible pop. “You’re like an alien, right? That’s just…. Wow. I never thought that all that crazy space alieny talk from when I was a kid could be true. But, like, here you are and it’s just so cool!” Then she popped the sucker back into her mouth and continued to study Teal’c.
Samantha leaned over to Jack and murmured, “You’re joking, right?”
“Nope,” he said with a grin, his eyes following Buffy as she continued to gush over Teal‘c. “Isn’t she great?”
She sent her CO a scathing glare. “What is wrong with you?”
“Nothing. She’s a lovely girl.”
“That is clearly a civilian. How did she get clearance into the program?” Samantha asked, her voice a harsh whisper.
“Carter, you’re gonna love her.”
“Sir -”
“What’s wrong?” Buffy interrupted. She used the stick to twirl the lollipop in her mouth once before removing it.
Samantha looked at her and placed a fake smile on her face. “Nothing. Why would you think that?”
“You’re whispering. That’s kind of rude,” Buffy said, one hand holding the lollipop, the other on her hip.
With an amused look on his face, Jack turned to Samantha. “It is kind of rude, isn’t it?”
She shot him another glare before looking back at Buffy. “I’m sorry. I was just questioning the General.”
Buffy smiled and let her entire demeanor shift. “No, he’s not joking, he does think I’m great, there’s nothing wrong with him, and you wouldn‘t believe where I got my clearance from.”
“We were whispering while you were talking on the other side of the room. How did you hear us?” Samantha asked in surprise.
“It’s a gift,” Buffy said with a shrug. Then she tossed the half-eaten sucker into the trashcan on the far side of the room before readjusting her clothes so she was a little more decent.
“Nice shot,” Jack said.
She grinned and shrugged again. “It was nothing.”
Daniel laughed as he caught on. “Jack set you up to this?”
“Moi?” Jack asked Daniel. His innocent expression was marred by the smile that was threatening to break out over his face.
“It was a most clever deception,” Teal’c said. “I was greatly concerned.”
XXXXXXXX
Buffy knocked lightly on the open door. Colonel Carter looked up from her computer and gave her a half smile. “Can I come in?” Buffy asked.
“Sure.”
“Sorry about before,” Buffy said, referring to the earlier meeting. “Jack just thought… Well, he kind of… I’m sorry.”
Samantha smiled fully and said, “It’s okay. The General has a strange sense of humor.”
“I’ve noticed.”
“You’ll get used to it,” Samantha assured her, turning back to the computer.
Buffy bit back a sigh. She wondered if this was how Tara or Anya felt when trying to enter the closeness of the Scooby gang. SG-1 was obviously a tight-knit group and she completely understood why. People couldn’t depend on each other to stay alive like that and not form a close bond. Hell, she’d been there, done that. But now seeing it from the outside, it was very intimidating.
She hopped up on the stool next to Samantha. “Whatcha’ working on?”
“It’s a computer simulation on the feasibility of using a naquadah generator to…” She paused. “No clue what I’m saying, huh?”
“None whatsoever. You lost me at simulation. Sounds cool though,” Buffy replied. “Willow would understand it.”
“Willow?”
“A friend. She’s super-smart and is good with computers. When we had career day at school I was off learning about stupid jobs and she was being recruited by big software companies.”
“In high school?” Samantha asked in surprise.
“Yup,” Buffy said, slightly swiveling the top of the stool back and forth. “She keeps saying that I’m smart enough to learn that stuff but… Well, it doesn’t interest me.”
“I can see where that would hinder you.”
“Can I ask you a question?” Buffy asked, ceasing her swiveling motion.
“Sure,” she replied, turning away from the computer to concentrate her attention on Buffy.
“How am I supposed to address you?”
“What do you mean?” Samantha frowned.
“Well, Jack calls you Carter or Colonel, Dr. Jackson calls you Sam, Teal’c calls you Colonel Carter. I’m just not sure what I’m supposed to call you. Am I supposed to use the military stuff or…”
“You can call me Sam,” she said, a little bemused. She hesitated before asking, “I know you can’t tell me exactly what you did before this, but could you give me the nature of your previous post?”
Buffy frowned slightly as she tried to figure out the best way to explain without giving anything away. “I was sort of like the fixer of problems. I didn’t usually come up with how to do it, but I was the one who carried the idea out. I’m pretty good at sneaking around, too.”
“So kind of like covert ops?”
“I guess so,” she said.
After a moment Sam asked, “Do you know how to use a gun?”
“Never had to before.”
“I’ll take you to the range before we leave for our next mission. You probably won’t be a great shot, but at least you won’t shoot yourself or any of us.”
“Sounds like fun,” Buffy said with false cheer. There was the possibility that her slayer instincts would kick in with the gun, plus all the years she had practice lining up shots with her crossbow. She began planning a fake progression of shooting skills so Sam wouldn’t be suspicious. Normal people weren’t excellent shots on their first try. Maybe she could play it off as a misspent youth playing video games.
XXXXXXXX
“Mind if I join you?” Buffy asked, walking into the gym that Teal’c was in.
“Please do, Buffy Summers,” he said with a slight inclination of his head.
“You were like the head guy of Apache’s army right?”
“Apache?”
She pointed at the tattoo on his forehead. “That fake god guy.”
“Apophis,” he corrected.
“Yes, Apophis. Sorry, I’m horrible with names. So you were like his right hand guy?”
“I was,” he said tensing slightly, unsure where she was heading with the conversation.
“So that means you’re a good fighter?”
“Indeed,” he said, one eyebrow raising in what she hoped was a quizzical manner.
“Hand to hand kind of stuff?”
“Yes.”
She smiled hopefully up at his towering figure. “Could you teach me what you know?”
His expression never changed, but Buffy got the distinct impression that he was surprised by her request. It was hard to tell. The man was rather stoic and his emotions never seemed to really manifest in his body language or his facial expressions.
After a moment, he bowed his head. “It would be my honor, Buffy Summers. May I ask why you wish to learn?”
“Several reasons actually. It helps to know what your enemy knows, that way I can hopefully have an edge over them. Plus, I like learning different fighting techniques. You never know when that one move can mean the difference between living and that other thing.”
“Sound thinking.”
“I thought so.”
He looked her over. “Your size may present a problem.”
“I’m stronger than I look.” She grinned up at him. “It also makes my opponents underestimate me.”
“It would at that,” he agreed.
XXXXXXXX
“Whoa, tweed heaven.”
Dr. Jackson looked up from the tablet he was translating to see Buffy standing in his doorway. “Huh?”
“Oh, it’s just that you’ve got a lot of old stuff in here. Makes me think of tweed. Not that there’s anything wrong with that,” she added hastily. “My mentor is tweed loving. As a matter of fact, his office looks a lot like this. Hence the tweed reference.”
He smiled as he watched her walk around, carefully touching the artifacts. “Does that mean I can trust you not to break any of them?”
“Totally,” she said. “Did all of these come from other planets?”
“Mostly.”
“Wow, they look like they could have come from Earth.” She delicately picked up a vase and studied it. Her fingers ran lightly over the intricate carvings.
“That’s the fascinating part,” he said eagerly. “We can see how different civilizations on Earth could have developed without the interference of other cultures and in turn learn more about our own past.”
“So that’s why,” she murmured.
“Why what?”
“Huh?” She asked, turning away from the vase to look at him.
“You just said, ‘so that’s why’. I was just wondering why what,” he said.
Buffy blushed slightly and placed the vase back in its spot. “Sorry, didn’t mean to say that out loud. I had just figured something out is all.”
“What?” He asked, adjusting his glasses.
She turned back to him and was momentarily distracted by his bright blue eyes. Her mouth moved without any sound a couple of times before she found her voice again. “Why you do this. I mean, I read your file and I know you started working here to find you wife, and stayed after her death to find the kid. But I couldn’t figure out why you stayed after that.”
“And the reason is…” He prompted, curious to see how she viewed him.
“You enjoy learning,” she said simply. “You’re the type of person who’s happiest when faced with a new experience or when you’ve found that missing piece of the puzzle. Plus, I think you just like to help people ‘cause you’re a nice guy.”
It was Daniel’s turn to blush slightly and he busied himself by arranging some papers on his desk. “Umm, thank you.”
“Welcome,” she said, returning to her perusal of the room.
“Why are you doing this?” He suddenly asked. “I mean, you’re not military, your background has nothing to do with any of our research here, and as far as I’m aware of, you don’t have a personal vendetta against the Goa’uld.”
“Been digging around?” Buffy asked in return.
“Sam did… a little,” he confessed. “She said there was a lot of red tape on your file and she couldn’t get around it.”
“I’m not surprised,” Buffy said with a shrug.
“So why?”
Buffy forced her features to remain neutral. This was definitely an inquisitive bunch. She might entrust them with her secret one day, but not any time soon. “Let’s just say that I have a gift and I like to use it to save the world.” He frowned and opened his mouth as if to ask another question, but she stopped him. “That’s all I’m going to say.”
“Okay,” he said and Buffy swore he was damn near pouting. In effort to distract herself from its pull, she turned to one of his bookshelves and was startled when she read one of the titles.
“Mystical Legends and Myths of the Ancient World? Strange book for an archaeologist.”
“Not really,” he said. “Most legends have their roots in fact. Knowing what we know now, it is possible that some of the great feats or ‘magic’ were actually Goa’uld technology.”
“Which helps to give you an insight on the enemy,” Buffy said, seeing the logic.
“Exactly,” he said with a smile. His eyes widened slightly as she took the book off the shelf, sat down on an empty chair, and began reading. “Ummm, Buffy. What are you doing?”
She looked up. “Sorry, thought I might read a little. I kind of miss doing research. I can leave if this bothers you.”
“No, no. You’re fine,” he assured her.
Daniel went back to his translation and Buffy to her book. Neither noticed the other occasionally sending furtive looks in the other’s direction.
XXXXXXXX
The following morning Jack smiled at his former teammates as they sat in his office. “Well?”
“I like her,” Daniel said.
“As do I,” Teal’c said.
“Carter?”
“I’m concerned, sir,” she answered.
“Oh? How so?”
Sam‘s brow creased as she mulled over her answer. “I’m concerned about how she’ll handle a combat situation and her high school file suggests a problem with authority. I don’t want to be in the field and have her contradict an order.”
Jack smirked. “Gee, I don’t know anyone like that.”
Daniel and Sam at least had the decency to look slightly embarrassed.
“I don’t think it’ll be a problem. Just make sure you at least listen to her if she argues. She’s got good instincts.”
“Sir?”
Teal‘c spoke up. “O’Neill is correct. Buffy Summers and I trained for a good deal of time yesterday. She showed exceptional observation skills and was proficient in hand to hand. I believe she will be fine.”
“That’s a glowing report if I’ve ever heard one,” Jack said. “Look, he’s damn near beaming.” Jack said, pointing to Teal’c’s impassive face.
“Fine, sir. It’s just… I was wondering…”
“No, Carter. I can’t tell you. Just trust me. She’ll be fine.”