Collateral Damage (sam/jack/daniel)
For fanfic100. Another dark little ficlet. Effed up, but come on... how effed up would it be to see this from the outside? Pete has a bad, bad day.
By Jennghis Kahn
**
Title: Collateral Damage
Fandom: Stargate SG-1
Characters: Samantha Carter/Daniel Jackson/Jack O’Neill
Prompt: Orange
Word Count: 1550
Rating: Teen
Author's Notes: Thanks, Courser! I may show a different angle to this story later on. Sorry, Rowan! I know you like Pete. ;)
**
Pete Shanahan wasn’t a stupid man.
Sure, maybe he used stupid jokes to diffuse awkward situations more often than he should, but he’d been around the block plenty of times. He knew the score.
He knew as he drove to her house on an early Thursday morning that Samantha Carter was a lucky break for him. He knew he’d walked into a landfall of beauty and intelligence that he’d have never found if it weren’t for her brother, Mark. He knew he might still never have had a chance if the woman wasn’t just a little… off. Not like she was nuts or anything, but there were aspects to her personality, all those brains, that sort of made her a misfit. And her job…
He understood now why she hadn’t been taken when he’d arrived on the scene. While women seemed to deem it their duty to wait at home for men on deployment, men often took a different view of the situation. Sometimes Pete was tempted himself, but he could accept coming second to her job if it meant he got to stick around.
Sometimes he wondered if he’d pushed the issue too quickly with her. Maybe he’d forced her to make a decision before she’d gotten to know him well enough. Maybe before he’d gotten to know her well enough. Still… she’d let him into her circle and told him things that he knew no other man in her life knew about her. That counted for a lot.
Except… she was still holding out on him. He was a cop. He could feel things like that. The first six months it had been great. Then she started balking a bit. It was scaring him. He couldn’t figure out what he was doing wrong.
He’d thought about trying to talk to her teammates about it, except… he couldn’t quite figure them all out either. Sam had spoke in glowing terms about all of them. The cop part in him had recognized that affection and that bond. They faced danger together. They shared experiences that no one else could understand. He got that. He really did. It was one of the reasons he’d thought he had a good shot at her right off the bat. Cops marrying civilians had such a high divorce rate it was insane. Cops marrying other cops? Well, they actually did pretty well. He thought he could squeeze Sam into a cop-shaped mold similar to his. She didn’t fit exactly, but…
He pulled into her driveway and turned off the car then sat there for a moment staring at her house. The wooden siding glowed orange in the sunrise. It was quiet and calm and even the birds hadn’t started singing yet.
He’d met the rest of SG-1 at his and Sam’s engagement party. He’d been both nervous and excited. He’d expected a little protectiveness, maybe a prick or two of jealousy on his part. He’d been sure he’d win them over in the end though. After all, he knew what it was like to risk your life for a job.
They’d been polite to him. Nice even. He’d had no reason to complain, but…
He wondered at all of the incomplete thoughts he was having. Why so many ‘buts’?
He hadn’t seen much of the famous biting wit the General was known for. O’Neill had greeted him perfunctorily and moved off. He had a piercing gaze that Pete had felt from across the room, but every time Pete had looked up, the General looked away.
Daniel had been friendly, if a little distant. He’d been willing to make small talk when Pete had cornered him, but that’s all it had been. Pete had been a little concerned then because Sam had always talked about how open Daniel was. How eager he was to make friends.
Instead, it was the alien warrior, Teal’c, who’d been the most friendly. He’d greeted Pete with a broad smile and a nod of the head, and it had been genuine. Later on though, when they’d stood in the kitchen and had a short conversation, he’d made a cryptic comment about how love was self-sacrificing and how sometimes people didn’t see what was best for them.
Pete had nodded thoughtfully and glanced around for an escape.
That was 2 months ago though. Now he could see what Teal’c was alluding to. He needed to push Sam a bit. She was apprehensive and scared and holding things in. He’d be the one to free her.
He got out of the car and walked to her front door, searching through his key ring for her house key.
He stood in the silence of her foyer and slipped his shoes off. She’d returned from a mission only last night, but for the past few months they’d had a standing agreement that he stayed away on that first night. She was just too tired. Soon enough, he’d be here every night anyway.
He padded softly down her hall, smiling when he heard her sigh through the half-open door. Maybe she was awake already and he wouldn’t have to surprise her. He pushed the door open slowly.
“Sam.”
It had taken his mind long moments to process what he was seeing. He’d recognized immediately that she wasn’t alone, but he’d blinked in confusion, suspended in that moment between blissful ignorance and the impending kick to the chest that hit only a moment later.
As Pete had said her name, Daniel had turned in her arms, jerking his mouth from her breast, and looked at him in surprise. Pete almost hadn’t recognized him without his glasses. Sam had lain on her side, fingers still sliding across Daniel’s chest as he pulled away, and looked at him too, but not in surprise. In regret. In resignation.
And then his world had taken a surreal jump as another body levered up behind Sam. The silver hair threaded through the brown clicked immediately in Pete’s mind. The dark, piercing gaze confirmed it. O’Neill came up immediately off the bed, naked and intense and moving far quicker than a man his age should.
Pete stepped back, tripping over his own numb legs. The General stopped in the middle of the floor and waited. Waited for what? Did he think Pete was going to go nuts?
He realized O’Neill would expect him to be carrying.
“Pete… “ Sam was pulling the sheet up around her breasts, sliding to the edge of the bed.
Pete bolted.
“Pete!”
He strode quickly for the front door, hearing his own breath harsh in his ears. His heart was hammering and his mouth was dry and there was a ball of pressure building in his chest that made him want to scream.
Stupid, stupid, stupid…
“Shanahan.”
Pete stopped at the door. It wasn’t Sam’s voice that drew him up. It was O’Neill’s. Pete gripped the doorknob so hard his fingers felt numb. “What?” he growled, feeling his tenuous hold on his temper slip a bit with the act of speaking.
“This has nothing to do with you,” O’Neill said, voice low. “You’re just… “ He hesitated, voice softening. “… Collateral damage.”
Pete shook his head and then wrenched it around to look at them. O’Neill still stood naked in the hallway, silhouette washed in the dim and meager light of an orange dawn, eyes shadowed. Sam stood next to him, wrapped in the sheet, covering herself. Covering herself not for them… but for him. How fucked up was that? As fucked up as finding your fiancé in bed with 2 of her co-workers? He blinked away tears.
Daniel stood behind her, and Pete’s eyes were drawn to the dark smudges on his shoulder and the side of his chest. He knew them for what they were. Had seen them on his own skin morning after morning. It had felt good, like she was marking him.
He snorted with disbelieving laughter. “You are one fucked up bunch of people.”
“I’m sorry, Pete.” Sam took a step forward, and Pete aimed a glare of warning toward her. She hesitated. “I didn’t mean for you to see this. I thought it was over… “
“It is,” Pete stated. He pulled open the door and nearly flung himself out and down the steps. He heard O’Neill calling something behind him, but he didn’t stop. He didn’t think the General had quite enough balls to stroll naked into Sam’s front yard, but he wouldn’t have put money on it. He climbed into his car and pulled out quickly, realizing as his foot hit the gas pedal that he’d left his shoes inside.
It didn’t matter. He didn’t want them.
It occurred to him as he drove away that he could cause a lot of trouble for the three of them. He could drive a wedge into their hearts that equaled the pain in his. One phone call. The Air Force would take care of the rest.
He gripped the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white.
Pete Shanahan might not be the world’s smartest man, but he was a good man. He was honest, mostly. And he did what was right.
He would walk away not because she deserved it, but because the Earth deserved it. SG-1 protected Earth from the universe. Pete Shanahan wondered who protected Earth from SG-1?
He could cause a lot of trouble, but he wouldn’t. Not yet.
~end~
By Jennghis Kahn
**
Title: Collateral Damage
Fandom: Stargate SG-1
Characters: Samantha Carter/Daniel Jackson/Jack O’Neill
Prompt: Orange
Word Count: 1550
Rating: Teen
Author's Notes: Thanks, Courser! I may show a different angle to this story later on. Sorry, Rowan! I know you like Pete. ;)
**
Pete Shanahan wasn’t a stupid man.
Sure, maybe he used stupid jokes to diffuse awkward situations more often than he should, but he’d been around the block plenty of times. He knew the score.
He knew as he drove to her house on an early Thursday morning that Samantha Carter was a lucky break for him. He knew he’d walked into a landfall of beauty and intelligence that he’d have never found if it weren’t for her brother, Mark. He knew he might still never have had a chance if the woman wasn’t just a little… off. Not like she was nuts or anything, but there were aspects to her personality, all those brains, that sort of made her a misfit. And her job…
He understood now why she hadn’t been taken when he’d arrived on the scene. While women seemed to deem it their duty to wait at home for men on deployment, men often took a different view of the situation. Sometimes Pete was tempted himself, but he could accept coming second to her job if it meant he got to stick around.
Sometimes he wondered if he’d pushed the issue too quickly with her. Maybe he’d forced her to make a decision before she’d gotten to know him well enough. Maybe before he’d gotten to know her well enough. Still… she’d let him into her circle and told him things that he knew no other man in her life knew about her. That counted for a lot.
Except… she was still holding out on him. He was a cop. He could feel things like that. The first six months it had been great. Then she started balking a bit. It was scaring him. He couldn’t figure out what he was doing wrong.
He’d thought about trying to talk to her teammates about it, except… he couldn’t quite figure them all out either. Sam had spoke in glowing terms about all of them. The cop part in him had recognized that affection and that bond. They faced danger together. They shared experiences that no one else could understand. He got that. He really did. It was one of the reasons he’d thought he had a good shot at her right off the bat. Cops marrying civilians had such a high divorce rate it was insane. Cops marrying other cops? Well, they actually did pretty well. He thought he could squeeze Sam into a cop-shaped mold similar to his. She didn’t fit exactly, but…
He pulled into her driveway and turned off the car then sat there for a moment staring at her house. The wooden siding glowed orange in the sunrise. It was quiet and calm and even the birds hadn’t started singing yet.
He’d met the rest of SG-1 at his and Sam’s engagement party. He’d been both nervous and excited. He’d expected a little protectiveness, maybe a prick or two of jealousy on his part. He’d been sure he’d win them over in the end though. After all, he knew what it was like to risk your life for a job.
They’d been polite to him. Nice even. He’d had no reason to complain, but…
He wondered at all of the incomplete thoughts he was having. Why so many ‘buts’?
He hadn’t seen much of the famous biting wit the General was known for. O’Neill had greeted him perfunctorily and moved off. He had a piercing gaze that Pete had felt from across the room, but every time Pete had looked up, the General looked away.
Daniel had been friendly, if a little distant. He’d been willing to make small talk when Pete had cornered him, but that’s all it had been. Pete had been a little concerned then because Sam had always talked about how open Daniel was. How eager he was to make friends.
Instead, it was the alien warrior, Teal’c, who’d been the most friendly. He’d greeted Pete with a broad smile and a nod of the head, and it had been genuine. Later on though, when they’d stood in the kitchen and had a short conversation, he’d made a cryptic comment about how love was self-sacrificing and how sometimes people didn’t see what was best for them.
Pete had nodded thoughtfully and glanced around for an escape.
That was 2 months ago though. Now he could see what Teal’c was alluding to. He needed to push Sam a bit. She was apprehensive and scared and holding things in. He’d be the one to free her.
He got out of the car and walked to her front door, searching through his key ring for her house key.
He stood in the silence of her foyer and slipped his shoes off. She’d returned from a mission only last night, but for the past few months they’d had a standing agreement that he stayed away on that first night. She was just too tired. Soon enough, he’d be here every night anyway.
He padded softly down her hall, smiling when he heard her sigh through the half-open door. Maybe she was awake already and he wouldn’t have to surprise her. He pushed the door open slowly.
“Sam.”
It had taken his mind long moments to process what he was seeing. He’d recognized immediately that she wasn’t alone, but he’d blinked in confusion, suspended in that moment between blissful ignorance and the impending kick to the chest that hit only a moment later.
As Pete had said her name, Daniel had turned in her arms, jerking his mouth from her breast, and looked at him in surprise. Pete almost hadn’t recognized him without his glasses. Sam had lain on her side, fingers still sliding across Daniel’s chest as he pulled away, and looked at him too, but not in surprise. In regret. In resignation.
And then his world had taken a surreal jump as another body levered up behind Sam. The silver hair threaded through the brown clicked immediately in Pete’s mind. The dark, piercing gaze confirmed it. O’Neill came up immediately off the bed, naked and intense and moving far quicker than a man his age should.
Pete stepped back, tripping over his own numb legs. The General stopped in the middle of the floor and waited. Waited for what? Did he think Pete was going to go nuts?
He realized O’Neill would expect him to be carrying.
“Pete… “ Sam was pulling the sheet up around her breasts, sliding to the edge of the bed.
Pete bolted.
“Pete!”
He strode quickly for the front door, hearing his own breath harsh in his ears. His heart was hammering and his mouth was dry and there was a ball of pressure building in his chest that made him want to scream.
Stupid, stupid, stupid…
“Shanahan.”
Pete stopped at the door. It wasn’t Sam’s voice that drew him up. It was O’Neill’s. Pete gripped the doorknob so hard his fingers felt numb. “What?” he growled, feeling his tenuous hold on his temper slip a bit with the act of speaking.
“This has nothing to do with you,” O’Neill said, voice low. “You’re just… “ He hesitated, voice softening. “… Collateral damage.”
Pete shook his head and then wrenched it around to look at them. O’Neill still stood naked in the hallway, silhouette washed in the dim and meager light of an orange dawn, eyes shadowed. Sam stood next to him, wrapped in the sheet, covering herself. Covering herself not for them… but for him. How fucked up was that? As fucked up as finding your fiancé in bed with 2 of her co-workers? He blinked away tears.
Daniel stood behind her, and Pete’s eyes were drawn to the dark smudges on his shoulder and the side of his chest. He knew them for what they were. Had seen them on his own skin morning after morning. It had felt good, like she was marking him.
He snorted with disbelieving laughter. “You are one fucked up bunch of people.”
“I’m sorry, Pete.” Sam took a step forward, and Pete aimed a glare of warning toward her. She hesitated. “I didn’t mean for you to see this. I thought it was over… “
“It is,” Pete stated. He pulled open the door and nearly flung himself out and down the steps. He heard O’Neill calling something behind him, but he didn’t stop. He didn’t think the General had quite enough balls to stroll naked into Sam’s front yard, but he wouldn’t have put money on it. He climbed into his car and pulled out quickly, realizing as his foot hit the gas pedal that he’d left his shoes inside.
It didn’t matter. He didn’t want them.
It occurred to him as he drove away that he could cause a lot of trouble for the three of them. He could drive a wedge into their hearts that equaled the pain in his. One phone call. The Air Force would take care of the rest.
He gripped the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white.
Pete Shanahan might not be the world’s smartest man, but he was a good man. He was honest, mostly. And he did what was right.
He would walk away not because she deserved it, but because the Earth deserved it. SG-1 protected Earth from the universe. Pete Shanahan wondered who protected Earth from SG-1?
He could cause a lot of trouble, but he wouldn’t. Not yet.
~end~