A Life Less Ordinary - Chapter Five
Title: A Life Less Ordinary - Chapter Five
Author: spazmeister
Pairing: S/J
Season: Nine
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Uh... AU, S/J ship, RepliCarter revisiting
A/N: Spoilers for everything up until the latter half of Season Eight. Everything from there is extreme AU Season Nine.
Sam stood at the back of the room, nervous and antsy. The doctors had told her, Teal’c and Daniel that Jack was in a coma - a deep coma that he apparently had no intentions of coming out of anytime soon.
General Landry was 30 minutes away from the Mountain, and apparently was… less than pleased. The doctors had determined that Jack had had a stroke, a concept which had been completely foreign to them all until now.
Never before would she have thought that Jack was susceptible, but Dr. Lam and Dr. Blane chocked it up to severe stress and poor sleeping and eating habits. Apparently his blood pressure was constantly through the roof.
Sam was skeptical. Sure, Jack didn’t sleep well, but neither did Hammond and certainly Landry didn’t nowadays. And Jack had always been stressed out. Who wouldn’t be, considering where they worked?
Dr. Lam had reminded Sam of Jack’s age, and she had winced self-consciously. No, Jack was not exactly in his prime any longer. None of them were.
At any rate, the doctors believed that the stroke had affected the parts of Jack’s brain that controlled motor functions. The effects were similar to what had happened to her five years prior during her encounter with the alien entity hell-bent on revenge. Still, something didn’t seem to add up. The Alternate Carter’s presence was random as was Jack’s sudden episode. The two didn’t seem connected on the surface, but no one would have been surprised if they were somehow related. When her room had been checked, she’d been found to be sleeping in her bed, sound asleep. Almost too soundly…
General Landry had demanded that no one come in contact with her counterpart until his arrival, which meant that she would have no opportunity to manhandle or interrogate the woman herself.
Teal’c stood not five feet away from Sam, and watched as the cogs in her mind continued to churn. He knew that her thoughts were traveling along the same path as his, and that she too suspected Other Carter.
Teal’c knew that Sam would stop at nothing to figure out the cause of this. He also knew that, if she were to find out that the doctors’ diagnosis was accurate, she would no longer pursue her charge against the other woman. And he felt the same.
Daniel had been silent the whole time, also affected by Jack’s illness. It had, indeed, been sudden, and quite devastating in its effects. Daniel had wanted to believe that Jack would pull out of it, as they always had, however it’d been several hours, and his condition had not improved.
As it was, this other version of Samantha Carter was not trusted, nor was she cleared from any present or future accusations. Though Teal’c wanted to believe that this was a coincidence and that Jack had a chance of surviving, the doctors did not believe that Jack would ever regain proper use of his motor skills again.
He could see in the set of Sam’s jaw that she didn’t want to believe it, could see in Daniel’s posture that he knew it was possible. Teal’c remembered when Samantha Carter and Daniel Jackson had once been the team’s optimists, always looking for the best in any person and any given situation. Mostly, it had been Daniel who had been patient. Even Sam had had her limits and boundaries set within military and scientific principles. Still, out of the three of them, she could almost always be trusted to side with Daniel on certain issues, even if she agreed with Jack’s decisions as well. She had been an officer of the military and an ally of science and the greater good, and he had always respected her for her ease in mixing the two. Now, he watched as the woman and friend warred with the seasoned officer for control.
Daniel knew that she wanted to scream. Her posture was ramrod straight, and she had grown very still.
Samantha Carter wanted to take a step closer to Jack, wanted to hold his hand to make sure that he was alive.
Colonel Sam Carter wanted to demand more answers from the medical staff, wanted to interrogate the crap out of this other woman whom she distrusted.
Daniel had never known the frustration of having dual personalities, besides the many moments in SG-1’s history where an alien had been involved. He always knew that Jack O’Neill was marginally different from Colonel/General Jack O’Neill. He always knew that Samantha Carter was different from Captain/Major/Colonel Carter, and that “Carter” was even more different from Dr. Carter, Astrophysicist.
That had never been a question in his mind, but as he watched Sam watch Jack, and watched Teal’c watch Sam, he knew that something would have to give soon. This Other Carter was either an innocent or extremely dangerous.
She was in guarded quarters, but perhaps they had underestimated her abilities. They always did. They trusted Sam when it counted, but they tended to forget to FEAR Sam when that counted just as much.
Daniel wanted to believe with all of his heart that Jack would pull through. He had never seen him in such a state before - especially something as terrestrial as a stroke. Within the first few hours of his stay in the infirmary, Jack’s condition had declined. Yes, Daniel knew that Jack was under a lot of stress, but he never thought that it would get to him in such a powerful way! If this Alternate Sam was not responsible for Jack’s sudden stroke, then that was one less obstacle to worry about, yes. But what about Jack? What about his life? Would he survive? Would he pull through?
Daniel began to doubt.
He hated doubting.
*******
Light.
Dark.
Hot.
Cold.
Soft.
Kisses…
Images of times Jack couldn’t pinpoint were being thrown at him at lightning speed. He couldn’t hope to catch up, but somehow each memory brought him closer to where he needed to be. He began to welcome the images, the memories, the intense feelings that came with each passing moment. Was he dreaming, imagining the times that had been described to him? Or was he remembering the things that he had really always known?
His wedding to Carter - Sam… Joy, happiness, peace…
Finding Charlie on PZY-6203, sad and sick and alone… Bringing him home to Sam…
Jacob being born soon after Sam’s dad died of cancer… Holding Sam as she grieved…
Goa’uld… Pain… Death… Torture… Loss…
Gracie being born… Sam almost dying… Fear…
Teal’c and Daniel playing poker with crazy hats on… Absurdity…
Andrew being born… Sam fighting with a Tok’ra inside… Anger…
His own head imploding… Heart stopping… Starting… Stopping… Intense pain…
Everything… Backwards… Out of place… Out of order… Out of sync… Wrong…
Not understanding why.
Jack woke up with a start, his heart pounding, his head throbbing, and his skin sweaty. He felt Sam at his side, and knew that she was concerned without even looking at her.
“You OK?” Sam asked groggily.
Jack only nodded.
“Was it a nightmare?”
He was confused.
“No.”
Jack was scared.
“You sure?”
It didn’t make sense.
“Yeah.”
Sam was safe.
“Are you sure you’re OK?”
Sam was home.
“I will be…”
This was right.
*******
The next morning at the kitchen table, Jack saw a unique form of domestic chaos. He had truly underestimated the power of four kids and a dog. He had slept in this morning, something not out of the ordinary.
As he stood in the doorway of the kitchen, Jack felt his heart swell with something akin to bliss. He had felt something like that before. When Daniel, Teal’c, and Sam had all finally come up to the cabin with him two weeks after Jacob had died.
Wait…
That wasn’t right. Where did that come from?
Sure, Daniel, Teal’c, and Sam had come to the cabin with him, but it had been long before Jacob had died of cancer.
Weird.
Jack looked up from his query and again felt his stomach flutter. Sam was on one side of the sink, packing lunches for Jake, Grace and Andrew. Charlie was on the other side, making breakfast at the stove. Every once in a while, he would say something and she would either laugh or slap him on the arm playfully.
Behind them, Grace was reading a book, Jake was playing with some video game, and Andrew was playing with the dog.
The whole scene screamed of “Kodak moment,” but Jack didn’t remember ever being a mushy person who was full of hugs, kisses, and a naïve view of the world.
Still, watching everyone go about their daily routine put some things in perspective for him.
He had a great family, and he was going to do whatever he could to protect it. No matter how much medication Doc gave him; no matter how many “exercises” Sam and Daniel forced upon him; no matter how many times Teal’c gave him that subtle, non-threatening, but rather forceful look, he would do what he needed to do to make his family work again. To make it the way it was supposed to be. He owed them that much.
“Honey, don’t forget that Daniel, Sarah, Teal’c, Ishta and the kids are coming over tonight,” Sam called without turning around.
How did she do that?
“Huh?” Jack frowned. “What?”
“Barbecue?” Sam stated as she shot him an incredulous look, as if that explained everything. “The one you’ve been bellowing about for two weeks?”
“Oh? Oh… Right. That’s tonight?”
Jack was nothing, if not smooth.
“Yeah, Dad,” Charlie said with a snort. His voice and presence ran chills down Jack’s spine, and he didn’t know why.
“Dad?” Jake called, his eyes wide. “Hello?”
“What’s up, Kid?” Jack asked as he leaned against the counter and crossed his arms.
“Didn’t you hear? When Charlie said he had a date to Homecoming, he didn’t say he was going with Addison!”
“Addison?” For a brief moment, Jack drew a blank, and then, almost immediately his mind was filled with the necessary information.
Daniel and Sarah had three kids: Twins, Addison and Matthew, who were both 17-year-old seniors, and Gregory, who was 10.
Hmmm… Cozy.
“Well, that’s nice, Charlie,” Jack finally said. “You guys get on well enough. I mean you’ve known each other for years!”
Charlie simply rolled his eyes.
“The funny thing is,” Grace began behind her book, “is that Uncle Daniel doesn’t know yet.”
“Well, I’m sure he’ll get over it,” Sam said as she placed a plate of food in front of Andrew.
“Yeah!” Charlie said, suddenly and emphatically annoyed. “Matt and Layna have been going out since the fifth grade!”
Huh? Jack frowned.
Layna… Layna…
Layna, 17, Fiona, 12, and Gia, 10…
And Ry’ac.
Teal’c lived in a house full of women, unless Ry’ac visited - and even then he brought his wife.
Teal’c lived near the base. Not on the base.
Somehow, Jack found that odd…
“Layna and Matt are different from you and Addy,” Grace continued.
“And how so?” Charlie demanded, his brown eye shining.
“You guys are more like Mom and Dad,” Grace said innocently. “Whereas Layna and Matt are more like Uncle Daniel and Aunt Sarah… Considering you’re the one like Dad, Uncle Daniel probably has good cause to worry.”
“She’s got you there,” Jake pointed out as he took a bite of eggs.
Sam attempted to suppress a smirk. And failed.
“Hey!” Jack cried once he finally got the comment. “I resent that!”
“Yeah!” Charlie cried. “Me, too!”
“Sam,” Jack found himself nearly whining.
“Mom,” Charlie said at the same time.
“Don’t involve me in this… little tiff,” Sam warned as she backed away.
“What do you think, Mom?” Jake asked, ignoring her statement.
“Yeah, what DO you think?” Charlie challenged.
“Well…” She surreptitiously shot Jack a glance, before looking back down at the counter. “I’d have to say that you’re both pretty… deviant.”
“What?” Charlie demanded. “Come on!
“Hey!” Jack cried. “Deviant’s a bit strong, don’t you think?”
“Well, the first word that came to mind was much worse,” Sam qualified with a wince.
Grace giggled at that.
“What were you REALLY gonna say?” Jake inquired.
“Wild or extreme, right Mom?” Grace filled in with a grin.
Sam didn’t respond, but she was looking worriedly between an agape Charlie and grinning Jack. He couldn’t help it. He was grinning. Sam was totally ranking him, but he couldn’t help but grin like a madman.
Oddly, it felt like he hadn’t smiled this way in a long time.
*******
After General Landry made it back to the base to assess the current problems at hand, Sam reluctantly agreed to retire to her assigned quarters until further notice. Daniel and Teal’c had been just as reluctant. Nevertheless, it had taken Sam a good hour before she was lost in a restless sleep.
*******
Once again, the security had failed this pitiful base, and she had been able to elude capture. Her abilities, even in human form, had proven to be both unanticipated and practical. She didn’t know how much time she had before Oma made her move, but she was almost positive that Oma would not take the subtle route this time around. That left her with little time to finish her plan.
First, to destroy her original.
Slowly she advanced on the one person who had angered her most, more than Daniel Jackson, more than Oma Desala, and more than Fifth. Her original, the bane of her existence, yet the very reason for it, had caused her more trouble than she deserved. It was because of her original that she was the way she was, proving her original’s true underlying power. Her original would be a threat, a hindrance, and an annoying reminder of the abomination she had been made to be. Time was of the essence. She had to be eliminated.
Though Sam was exhausted, she was still full of energy. Like a wire about to snap, her nerves were overwrought with tension. As it was, though she was sleeping, Sam sensed her counterpart before she fully grasped that she was in danger. It didn’t matter anyway. Sam was overtaken by the time she opened her eyes. She didn’t stand a chance.
*******
In the quiet of his quarters, Teal’c felt a disturbance in the air, as if someone were with him, sitting right at his side. He was not asleep, nor was he meditating. Quickly, Teal’c opened his eyes. Looking around the room, he realized that it had just been the wind. He was alone.
Still, he could not shake the feeling that something was amiss. Something was not right. His instincts had rarely failed him in the past, and his friends - his family - had learned to trust their lives with them. Through his training as a Jaffa and his experience on Earth, Teal’c knew that trusting one’s instincts was imperative to one’s survival.
Slowly, he stood up, unsure of his footing for a moment, and chilled with the cold of dread.
He had to find Daniel Jackson. Teal’c didn’t know why, but he had to find Daniel.
With more force than necessary, Teal’c crossed the small distance between his bed and the door and opened it - only to find Daniel in front of it, ready to knock.
“Teal’c,” Daniel said, his breath heavy, his eyes wide. “Something’s wrong.”
*******
“Dad, do you think you can cook anything besides ‘really, really well-done?’” Jake quipped as he plopped a blackened steak on his own plate.
“Yeah. Charred is more like it,” Charlie muttered as he took one for himself.
Jack shot his sons dirty looks. “You have two hands, Charlie. If you want a Salmonella-filled, rare steak, be my guest.”
“Dad,” Grace whined from behind Charlie, her face scrunched up in disgust.
“What?” Jack demanded, his eyes wide. “I’m just saying…”
“I totally understand where they’re coming from,” Daniel stated as he came up to the grill. “Oddly enough, we all want to be able to TASTE the meat.”
“Listen, Daniel,” Jack began, “I NEVER see you with anything but a fork and knife in your hands when we get together like this. So, unless you’re willing to wield a spatula, you can just cram it and grab your seconds like everybody else.”
For the first time in Jack’s life, he realized, he had rendered Daniel speechless.
“Wow, Jack,” Daniel deadpanned. “I’m hurt.”
“And I’m hungry!” Andrew cried. “I don’t care if the steak is BLUE!”
“You should, darling,” Sarah said from Daniel’s side. “Though that really IS only a problem if Daniel is cooking.”
“Hey!” Daniel cried. “That is so not true!”
“Daniel, your specialty is coffee,” Jack said, sending a knowing grin to Sarah. “Now, if only you had thought of banking on that before Starbuck’s had…”
“Who says I didn’t?” Daniel grumbled as he walked away, two steaks in hand.
“I think you’re a great chef, Uncle Jack,” Greg said as he walked away.
“I would not eat a steak any other way,” Teal’c agreed as he, Ishta, and Sam approached the grill with Fiona and Gia in tow.
Jack grinned. “Thanks, T. That means a lot coming from you!”
“Is that because Teal’c is such a picky eater?” Ishta retorted with a chuckle of her own.
Jack shrugged lightly, still grinning, and turned to Sam.
She was looking around as if she didn’t know where she was.
Odd.
“Hey, Sam!” Jack called to get her attention. “What’ll it be? Hotdogs or world-famous steaks?”
Slowly, she looked up from her reverie, her eyes full of confusion and concern.
“Jack? What’s going on?”
Author: spazmeister
Pairing: S/J
Season: Nine
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Uh... AU, S/J ship, RepliCarter revisiting
A/N: Spoilers for everything up until the latter half of Season Eight. Everything from there is extreme AU Season Nine.
Sam stood at the back of the room, nervous and antsy. The doctors had told her, Teal’c and Daniel that Jack was in a coma - a deep coma that he apparently had no intentions of coming out of anytime soon.
General Landry was 30 minutes away from the Mountain, and apparently was… less than pleased. The doctors had determined that Jack had had a stroke, a concept which had been completely foreign to them all until now.
Never before would she have thought that Jack was susceptible, but Dr. Lam and Dr. Blane chocked it up to severe stress and poor sleeping and eating habits. Apparently his blood pressure was constantly through the roof.
Sam was skeptical. Sure, Jack didn’t sleep well, but neither did Hammond and certainly Landry didn’t nowadays. And Jack had always been stressed out. Who wouldn’t be, considering where they worked?
Dr. Lam had reminded Sam of Jack’s age, and she had winced self-consciously. No, Jack was not exactly in his prime any longer. None of them were.
At any rate, the doctors believed that the stroke had affected the parts of Jack’s brain that controlled motor functions. The effects were similar to what had happened to her five years prior during her encounter with the alien entity hell-bent on revenge. Still, something didn’t seem to add up. The Alternate Carter’s presence was random as was Jack’s sudden episode. The two didn’t seem connected on the surface, but no one would have been surprised if they were somehow related. When her room had been checked, she’d been found to be sleeping in her bed, sound asleep. Almost too soundly…
General Landry had demanded that no one come in contact with her counterpart until his arrival, which meant that she would have no opportunity to manhandle or interrogate the woman herself.
Teal’c stood not five feet away from Sam, and watched as the cogs in her mind continued to churn. He knew that her thoughts were traveling along the same path as his, and that she too suspected Other Carter.
Teal’c knew that Sam would stop at nothing to figure out the cause of this. He also knew that, if she were to find out that the doctors’ diagnosis was accurate, she would no longer pursue her charge against the other woman. And he felt the same.
Daniel had been silent the whole time, also affected by Jack’s illness. It had, indeed, been sudden, and quite devastating in its effects. Daniel had wanted to believe that Jack would pull out of it, as they always had, however it’d been several hours, and his condition had not improved.
As it was, this other version of Samantha Carter was not trusted, nor was she cleared from any present or future accusations. Though Teal’c wanted to believe that this was a coincidence and that Jack had a chance of surviving, the doctors did not believe that Jack would ever regain proper use of his motor skills again.
He could see in the set of Sam’s jaw that she didn’t want to believe it, could see in Daniel’s posture that he knew it was possible. Teal’c remembered when Samantha Carter and Daniel Jackson had once been the team’s optimists, always looking for the best in any person and any given situation. Mostly, it had been Daniel who had been patient. Even Sam had had her limits and boundaries set within military and scientific principles. Still, out of the three of them, she could almost always be trusted to side with Daniel on certain issues, even if she agreed with Jack’s decisions as well. She had been an officer of the military and an ally of science and the greater good, and he had always respected her for her ease in mixing the two. Now, he watched as the woman and friend warred with the seasoned officer for control.
Daniel knew that she wanted to scream. Her posture was ramrod straight, and she had grown very still.
Samantha Carter wanted to take a step closer to Jack, wanted to hold his hand to make sure that he was alive.
Colonel Sam Carter wanted to demand more answers from the medical staff, wanted to interrogate the crap out of this other woman whom she distrusted.
Daniel had never known the frustration of having dual personalities, besides the many moments in SG-1’s history where an alien had been involved. He always knew that Jack O’Neill was marginally different from Colonel/General Jack O’Neill. He always knew that Samantha Carter was different from Captain/Major/Colonel Carter, and that “Carter” was even more different from Dr. Carter, Astrophysicist.
That had never been a question in his mind, but as he watched Sam watch Jack, and watched Teal’c watch Sam, he knew that something would have to give soon. This Other Carter was either an innocent or extremely dangerous.
She was in guarded quarters, but perhaps they had underestimated her abilities. They always did. They trusted Sam when it counted, but they tended to forget to FEAR Sam when that counted just as much.
Daniel wanted to believe with all of his heart that Jack would pull through. He had never seen him in such a state before - especially something as terrestrial as a stroke. Within the first few hours of his stay in the infirmary, Jack’s condition had declined. Yes, Daniel knew that Jack was under a lot of stress, but he never thought that it would get to him in such a powerful way! If this Alternate Sam was not responsible for Jack’s sudden stroke, then that was one less obstacle to worry about, yes. But what about Jack? What about his life? Would he survive? Would he pull through?
Daniel began to doubt.
He hated doubting.
*******
Light.
Dark.
Hot.
Cold.
Soft.
Kisses…
Images of times Jack couldn’t pinpoint were being thrown at him at lightning speed. He couldn’t hope to catch up, but somehow each memory brought him closer to where he needed to be. He began to welcome the images, the memories, the intense feelings that came with each passing moment. Was he dreaming, imagining the times that had been described to him? Or was he remembering the things that he had really always known?
His wedding to Carter - Sam… Joy, happiness, peace…
Finding Charlie on PZY-6203, sad and sick and alone… Bringing him home to Sam…
Jacob being born soon after Sam’s dad died of cancer… Holding Sam as she grieved…
Goa’uld… Pain… Death… Torture… Loss…
Gracie being born… Sam almost dying… Fear…
Teal’c and Daniel playing poker with crazy hats on… Absurdity…
Andrew being born… Sam fighting with a Tok’ra inside… Anger…
His own head imploding… Heart stopping… Starting… Stopping… Intense pain…
Everything… Backwards… Out of place… Out of order… Out of sync… Wrong…
Not understanding why.
Jack woke up with a start, his heart pounding, his head throbbing, and his skin sweaty. He felt Sam at his side, and knew that she was concerned without even looking at her.
“You OK?” Sam asked groggily.
Jack only nodded.
“Was it a nightmare?”
He was confused.
“No.”
Jack was scared.
“You sure?”
It didn’t make sense.
“Yeah.”
Sam was safe.
“Are you sure you’re OK?”
Sam was home.
“I will be…”
This was right.
*******
The next morning at the kitchen table, Jack saw a unique form of domestic chaos. He had truly underestimated the power of four kids and a dog. He had slept in this morning, something not out of the ordinary.
As he stood in the doorway of the kitchen, Jack felt his heart swell with something akin to bliss. He had felt something like that before. When Daniel, Teal’c, and Sam had all finally come up to the cabin with him two weeks after Jacob had died.
Wait…
That wasn’t right. Where did that come from?
Sure, Daniel, Teal’c, and Sam had come to the cabin with him, but it had been long before Jacob had died of cancer.
Weird.
Jack looked up from his query and again felt his stomach flutter. Sam was on one side of the sink, packing lunches for Jake, Grace and Andrew. Charlie was on the other side, making breakfast at the stove. Every once in a while, he would say something and she would either laugh or slap him on the arm playfully.
Behind them, Grace was reading a book, Jake was playing with some video game, and Andrew was playing with the dog.
The whole scene screamed of “Kodak moment,” but Jack didn’t remember ever being a mushy person who was full of hugs, kisses, and a naïve view of the world.
Still, watching everyone go about their daily routine put some things in perspective for him.
He had a great family, and he was going to do whatever he could to protect it. No matter how much medication Doc gave him; no matter how many “exercises” Sam and Daniel forced upon him; no matter how many times Teal’c gave him that subtle, non-threatening, but rather forceful look, he would do what he needed to do to make his family work again. To make it the way it was supposed to be. He owed them that much.
“Honey, don’t forget that Daniel, Sarah, Teal’c, Ishta and the kids are coming over tonight,” Sam called without turning around.
How did she do that?
“Huh?” Jack frowned. “What?”
“Barbecue?” Sam stated as she shot him an incredulous look, as if that explained everything. “The one you’ve been bellowing about for two weeks?”
“Oh? Oh… Right. That’s tonight?”
Jack was nothing, if not smooth.
“Yeah, Dad,” Charlie said with a snort. His voice and presence ran chills down Jack’s spine, and he didn’t know why.
“Dad?” Jake called, his eyes wide. “Hello?”
“What’s up, Kid?” Jack asked as he leaned against the counter and crossed his arms.
“Didn’t you hear? When Charlie said he had a date to Homecoming, he didn’t say he was going with Addison!”
“Addison?” For a brief moment, Jack drew a blank, and then, almost immediately his mind was filled with the necessary information.
Daniel and Sarah had three kids: Twins, Addison and Matthew, who were both 17-year-old seniors, and Gregory, who was 10.
Hmmm… Cozy.
“Well, that’s nice, Charlie,” Jack finally said. “You guys get on well enough. I mean you’ve known each other for years!”
Charlie simply rolled his eyes.
“The funny thing is,” Grace began behind her book, “is that Uncle Daniel doesn’t know yet.”
“Well, I’m sure he’ll get over it,” Sam said as she placed a plate of food in front of Andrew.
“Yeah!” Charlie said, suddenly and emphatically annoyed. “Matt and Layna have been going out since the fifth grade!”
Huh? Jack frowned.
Layna… Layna…
Layna, 17, Fiona, 12, and Gia, 10…
And Ry’ac.
Teal’c lived in a house full of women, unless Ry’ac visited - and even then he brought his wife.
Teal’c lived near the base. Not on the base.
Somehow, Jack found that odd…
“Layna and Matt are different from you and Addy,” Grace continued.
“And how so?” Charlie demanded, his brown eye shining.
“You guys are more like Mom and Dad,” Grace said innocently. “Whereas Layna and Matt are more like Uncle Daniel and Aunt Sarah… Considering you’re the one like Dad, Uncle Daniel probably has good cause to worry.”
“She’s got you there,” Jake pointed out as he took a bite of eggs.
Sam attempted to suppress a smirk. And failed.
“Hey!” Jack cried once he finally got the comment. “I resent that!”
“Yeah!” Charlie cried. “Me, too!”
“Sam,” Jack found himself nearly whining.
“Mom,” Charlie said at the same time.
“Don’t involve me in this… little tiff,” Sam warned as she backed away.
“What do you think, Mom?” Jake asked, ignoring her statement.
“Yeah, what DO you think?” Charlie challenged.
“Well…” She surreptitiously shot Jack a glance, before looking back down at the counter. “I’d have to say that you’re both pretty… deviant.”
“What?” Charlie demanded. “Come on!
“Hey!” Jack cried. “Deviant’s a bit strong, don’t you think?”
“Well, the first word that came to mind was much worse,” Sam qualified with a wince.
Grace giggled at that.
“What were you REALLY gonna say?” Jake inquired.
“Wild or extreme, right Mom?” Grace filled in with a grin.
Sam didn’t respond, but she was looking worriedly between an agape Charlie and grinning Jack. He couldn’t help it. He was grinning. Sam was totally ranking him, but he couldn’t help but grin like a madman.
Oddly, it felt like he hadn’t smiled this way in a long time.
*******
After General Landry made it back to the base to assess the current problems at hand, Sam reluctantly agreed to retire to her assigned quarters until further notice. Daniel and Teal’c had been just as reluctant. Nevertheless, it had taken Sam a good hour before she was lost in a restless sleep.
*******
Once again, the security had failed this pitiful base, and she had been able to elude capture. Her abilities, even in human form, had proven to be both unanticipated and practical. She didn’t know how much time she had before Oma made her move, but she was almost positive that Oma would not take the subtle route this time around. That left her with little time to finish her plan.
First, to destroy her original.
Slowly she advanced on the one person who had angered her most, more than Daniel Jackson, more than Oma Desala, and more than Fifth. Her original, the bane of her existence, yet the very reason for it, had caused her more trouble than she deserved. It was because of her original that she was the way she was, proving her original’s true underlying power. Her original would be a threat, a hindrance, and an annoying reminder of the abomination she had been made to be. Time was of the essence. She had to be eliminated.
Though Sam was exhausted, she was still full of energy. Like a wire about to snap, her nerves were overwrought with tension. As it was, though she was sleeping, Sam sensed her counterpart before she fully grasped that she was in danger. It didn’t matter anyway. Sam was overtaken by the time she opened her eyes. She didn’t stand a chance.
*******
In the quiet of his quarters, Teal’c felt a disturbance in the air, as if someone were with him, sitting right at his side. He was not asleep, nor was he meditating. Quickly, Teal’c opened his eyes. Looking around the room, he realized that it had just been the wind. He was alone.
Still, he could not shake the feeling that something was amiss. Something was not right. His instincts had rarely failed him in the past, and his friends - his family - had learned to trust their lives with them. Through his training as a Jaffa and his experience on Earth, Teal’c knew that trusting one’s instincts was imperative to one’s survival.
Slowly, he stood up, unsure of his footing for a moment, and chilled with the cold of dread.
He had to find Daniel Jackson. Teal’c didn’t know why, but he had to find Daniel.
With more force than necessary, Teal’c crossed the small distance between his bed and the door and opened it - only to find Daniel in front of it, ready to knock.
“Teal’c,” Daniel said, his breath heavy, his eyes wide. “Something’s wrong.”
*******
“Dad, do you think you can cook anything besides ‘really, really well-done?’” Jake quipped as he plopped a blackened steak on his own plate.
“Yeah. Charred is more like it,” Charlie muttered as he took one for himself.
Jack shot his sons dirty looks. “You have two hands, Charlie. If you want a Salmonella-filled, rare steak, be my guest.”
“Dad,” Grace whined from behind Charlie, her face scrunched up in disgust.
“What?” Jack demanded, his eyes wide. “I’m just saying…”
“I totally understand where they’re coming from,” Daniel stated as he came up to the grill. “Oddly enough, we all want to be able to TASTE the meat.”
“Listen, Daniel,” Jack began, “I NEVER see you with anything but a fork and knife in your hands when we get together like this. So, unless you’re willing to wield a spatula, you can just cram it and grab your seconds like everybody else.”
For the first time in Jack’s life, he realized, he had rendered Daniel speechless.
“Wow, Jack,” Daniel deadpanned. “I’m hurt.”
“And I’m hungry!” Andrew cried. “I don’t care if the steak is BLUE!”
“You should, darling,” Sarah said from Daniel’s side. “Though that really IS only a problem if Daniel is cooking.”
“Hey!” Daniel cried. “That is so not true!”
“Daniel, your specialty is coffee,” Jack said, sending a knowing grin to Sarah. “Now, if only you had thought of banking on that before Starbuck’s had…”
“Who says I didn’t?” Daniel grumbled as he walked away, two steaks in hand.
“I think you’re a great chef, Uncle Jack,” Greg said as he walked away.
“I would not eat a steak any other way,” Teal’c agreed as he, Ishta, and Sam approached the grill with Fiona and Gia in tow.
Jack grinned. “Thanks, T. That means a lot coming from you!”
“Is that because Teal’c is such a picky eater?” Ishta retorted with a chuckle of her own.
Jack shrugged lightly, still grinning, and turned to Sam.
She was looking around as if she didn’t know where she was.
Odd.
“Hey, Sam!” Jack called to get her attention. “What’ll it be? Hotdogs or world-famous steaks?”
Slowly, she looked up from her reverie, her eyes full of confusion and concern.
“Jack? What’s going on?”