"Do you believe that two large baskets of fruit will suffice, Daniel? It does not seem enough to feed a crowd of this size."
Daniel hefted the basket in his arms and glanced at the woman walking beside him. "You're not feeding the entire crowd. What you're bringing - "
"We are bringing. You helped me to gather it. It is only fair that you share the credit."
"What we're bringing," Daniel corrected himself, earning a gentle smile from his companion, "Is only meant to supplement the meal. There'll be plenty of food."
"I am afraid that I am merely going through the motions. I do not quite understand the meaning behind this . . . potluck."
"Well, you see a pot -" Daniel stopped a glanced at her again. Though her face was neutral, there was a mischeivous glint in her eyes. "You're messing with me."
At his realization, Teyla Emmagen's face blossomed into a bright smile. The Athosian woman smiled and nodded her head, "General O'Neill informed me that it is good for you if I ... keep on your toes?"
"Yeah, well, remind me to thank Jack for that insight."
He was glad that Teyla had chosen today to be back at Gamma Prime. The Athosian woman usually spent her time at Gamma Two. She claimed that the main site was too loud, too noisy and crowded and yet somehow impersonal. The in congruency did not sit well with her. Daniel didn't really blame her; the numbers of her people were small and being hunted by the Wraith made them a close group. The walls that could spring up between this many people was an alien concept for Teyla. No pun intended.
"He is there," Teyla indicated direction with a slight inclination of her head, "Would you like to thank him now?"
"Okay, you are spending way too much time away from home, young lady. I think those friends of yours are a bad influence." Daniel followed her gaze to where Jack stood with Darien by the grill. (Why am I not surprised?)
"I really hope he didn't add his secret ingredient," Daniel murmured as they changed direction and headed that way.
"What is his secret ingredient?" Teyla prompted.
Daniel leaned down and whispered, "It's beer. But no one is supposed to know that."
"I have tasted your beer. It is perhaps better if it remains a secret."
As Sam made her way towards the grill, Jack reached over to pull the skewered meat off and hand it to her, juices dripping just the way they should be-- down the stick. His own request was only now being put on, the hissing of the fat as it met hot grill a sound that was hardcoded into his psyche... for every man, it was music... what Beethoven must have heard when he created his most successful... whatever that was. 9th? 10th? 5th? symphony?
"Yours, yeah. Mine'll take a little..." Jack paused, his neck craning briefly as he raised a finger in the air, "Hold that thought. Right back." Turning around, the civilian-attired general padded off into the direction where the new, proud homeowner had tread, and joined the man for a couple of steps, his head ducked in conversation. He returned... empty handed, and a little disappointed. Undoubtedly, his friends would later hear of the injustice of no beer.
"Ah-- iced-- tea. How refreshing. Great." Did that sound genuine? "Thank you, Dr. Jackson." For that last bit, he had to raise his voice somewhat, but the sound would probably carry easily.
"Sam-- How is it?" Could be a genuine question, could be one of those 'food tester' questions that can only be answered by her continued survival in the next few moments. Only the gleam in his dark eyes could give the answer there.
Jack had to wait a couple of minutes, but his would be rare... or rather, rarer than those already on the grill. At the approach of Daniel and the lovely Miss Emmagen, the general raised his voice once more, though his tones were filled with good humor. His brows rose theatrically as he greeted first his friend and former teammate, "A little out of your league, isn't she?"
Turning to Teyla, his head cants, his brows crease slightly before he steps to her and looks down, allowing for a natural inclination, "It's been many days." Then, once the formalities are finished, Jack is more than happy to twist around to gesture at the grill... "You kids hungry?"
"Thanks." Sam took the dripping skewer from Jack with a smile, inverting it so that the excess juice dripped onto the grass and not all over her fingers. "Smells great."
She started to suck on the end piece of meat, a fingertip against the end of the skewer, when the others approached. "Tastes pretty good, too," she added, licking her lips to clean them. Straightening some -- it's impossible to eat a dripping skewer standing entirely erect -- she flashed a smile at the newcomers. "Welcome to the party."
"Jealous?" Daniel threw back at Jack. He winked at Teyla who affected the very earthly response of rolling her eyes. That response made Daniel grin and he offered greetings to Ami and Maureen; the former smiled demurely while the latter gave him a lascivious look that made his face warm.
"Hey Sam," Daniel looked away from Maureen to his former teammate who did her best to maintain dignity while eating skewered meat. The score was currently Meat - 1, Sam - 0.
"I would much like to partake of … barbeque," Teyla gave that polite inclination of her head. With a smile at Jack and Sam, she glided around them and after carefully selecting a skewer, placed it on the grill with a demure smile of her own at Darien. "I would prefer it rare, please."
"So, Jack, did you get to add your secret ingredient?" Daniel asked.
Ami looked up, "You have a secret ingredient, General? What would that be?"
Daniel made a tsking sound. "You should know better. If he told you, it wouldn't be secret anymore."
Sam actually looked like she was enjoying herself, messy food aside. Jack watched as the first bites were taken, and deftly dodged, his expression relaxed. This is the most 'vacation' he's had since getting here, and it felt good. Couldn't dodge the little niggling feeling, however, that this might be it.
No sense thinking about that now, however.
Reaching over the cooking surface of the grill, Jack rolled his own skewer, pulling his hand away at the last moment as a lick of yellow flame teased through the openings. His would be properly seared... It only would be a moment before the general reached for it once more, the juices 'locked in', if for the moment. Once he bit into it, all bets were off however.
Shifting such that he was standing a little more shoulder to shoulder, as much as one could, with Carter, he was in a position where he could talk to everyone. That casual 'cookout' shmooze that dealt with nothing more than sports scores or the last visit to a gun range; mixed company, however, made that a touch more problematic.
"Jealous? Me? Nah." Jack shook his head, his expression shifting to that look that broadcasted that the target was about to receive something of the general's wit. "Might as well give you a day." He looked at Teyla, his features softening. "See, usually it's the slimy snakes that find him irresistable. Must be the glasses." He glanced back to Daniel and mouthed, 'Snakes' at him before giving a hint of a smile and stepping back.
At the question of his secret ingredient, however, his face took to the theatric straight-face, and dark eyes narrowed as he glanced beside him to Sam. "You told. See... now I have to kill you all, just for knowing about it." Shaking his head sadly, he grimaced, his gaze landing finally on Ami. "And I was getting to like you, too."
Checking on his skewer, Jack flickered a look towards Sam again, and her progress with her 'meat on a stick', before rubbing the fingers of his free hand together and reaching to pull a block of meat off the top, and popped it into his mouth. "Oh..." Jack chewed a couple of times, and finished swallowing the first piece before continuing. "Day off. It's 'Jack'."
Sam took a moment to snatch a cloth to wipe juice from her lips and then straightened properly, setting the empty skewer aside. "Kill us?" she said, looking at Jack, overtly ignoring the comment she should drop the 'sir'. (Ten years of habit, and a whole career of indoctrination... whaddya want?) "You can't do that. You still need us. Besides. I didn't tell; he did." She flipped her hand easily at Daniel, glancing to the others as she did. The smile on her face bespoke the ease she felt among her former team mates.
Even so, she knew the truth of her words. Alien threats looming overhead, unknown challenges still to be discovered on the ground, and the reality of the irreplaceable resources lost over the last year made it quite clear they'd need every clever mind they had access to going forward. Still, a beautiful day like this, with its sunshine and gentle breezes, had a way of allaying such concerns. And Carter wasn't a woman given to lingering morbidity or angst. In her experience, barring whatever it was that had happened to Earth, most things tended to work out in the end. Somehow. That hope had always pulled her through before. She had no reason to assume it wouldn't now.
As juice from Jack's own skewer fell to the earth, however, a tumble of little yapping bodies made it clear that the new puppies had found a distraction more powerful than the pull of children racing through meadow grasses. Carter looked down and laughed as a pair of them braced paws against Jack's legs and barked up at him. She stepped back to give them room.
"Look, sir." Half a beat. "Jack. You actually do have friends." Blue eyes sparkled as she grinned at him, a bit of sass in the cant of her tousled blond head. "Even without your secret ingredient."
[Ami, Daniel, NPC Teyla]fikgirlMarch 26 2008, 13:56:54 UTC
Everyone laughed at the antics of the puppies.
"I didn't tell," Daniel objected immediately, throwing his hands up in surrender. Something about the twinkle in his eyes made Ami think that he had told someone something somewhere along the line, but he wasn't confessing to it.
"It is true, he did not." The newcomer, whom Ami had seen around a few times, typically in the company of stargate personnel defended Daniel as she managed to make grabbing hot skewers and holding on to them look like a simple task. Her accent marked her as not-American, but it wasn't an accent that Ami could place. "I asked him, but he said that -" she paused and frowned, a look of concentration covering her pretty face, however Ami could clearly detect her bemusement and teasing, "Undomesticated equines could not drag it out of him?"
Daniel chuckled, "You've been saving that one, haven't you?"
Maureen frowned. "Why -"
Though Maureen was a hard worker and friendly, the petite, curvy, buxom brunette was not always socially or culturally aware. Ami cut her off easily, presenting a hand to the new woman, then retracting it with embarrassment as the woman took a bite from the meat. "I don't believe we've met. I'm Ami Jackson. And this is Maureen Dees."
"Teyla Emmagen. I am pleased to meet you both." The name gave Ami no point of reference in figuring out the woman's origins. Teyla tilted her head, her gaze sliding from Ami to Daniel and then back to Ami. "Jackson, then is a common family name or -" Teyla's eyes slid back to Daniel, the corners of her mouth quirking in a smile, "have you been keeping secrets, Daniel?"
"Yes, I have a small harem, not just among the Goa'uld," Daniel said in reference to Jack's last remark. "It's the glasses. And the brains over brawn." That was his turn to take a jab at his former CO and best friend.
Ami giggled. She always enjoyed the ease that the SGC personnel seemed to share with one another. It reminded her of the comfort and camaraderie she shared back on earth with . . .
(No, not going there,) Ami firmly pushed the thought aside. A majority of the Tomorrow People were relocated off-world, and to various sites, with a few here even, but it didn't lessen the longing for earth.
"As long as we're on the subject, Jack," Ami put special emphasis on the general's name to make certain she had his attention, "I'm going to have to insist that you call me Ami, then. If I can't be formal, neither can you."
"You never have to be formal," Daniel said in a stage whisper.
The yapping pups made Jack shift so their paws would simply hit thigh as they stood on hind-paws. (He's had experience with dogs over the years, and he wasn't taking any chances.) "Hey, hey.. get down. Mine. Dogs get that yummy kibble... and pizza crust." Reasoning with Puppies, 101? "I don't have either, so shoo!" Jack was amused, regardless, as he raised his skewer just a little higher, just in case. He wasn't above teasing the animals, however, taking one more savored bit, pulling it off before popping it into his mouth. "Nope. None for you."
Chewing quickly once more, the off-duty general was more than relaxed in the company of good friends; people who'd give anything and everything for each other, and 'the mission'. Jack always believed it was the -bad guys- job to do that, mind... and in the end, they usually did.
"It's true, Carter. I do need you still. You fill such an important role... like, oh... giving me a reason to double up on the dose of aspirin I need for the day." He's teasing. How many times had she made his head spin with explanations? Still, he couldn't really imagine life without knowing she was there; a thousand miles away, or just feet away-- it didn't matter. Daniel, pretty much the same... only... different.
"Can we not discuss that which will not be mentioned again, because it's secret? Sheesh. Talk about security leaks." His tones took a theatric turn, the sound frustrated. "Who let you guys work with me anyway? Must have been a real idiot."
Clearing his throat, Jack did take the moment to lean from his spot and extend his hand to the newly introduced Maureen, his voice lowering slightly in the greeting. "Miss Dees. Jack O'Neill. A pleasure."
Jack had to pause to stare at Teyla's comment, a look of amused bemusement appearing on his face. "Daniel. I think it's a cross-cultural relationship we may want to consider avoiding after that comment? Next thing we know, we'll be up to our necks in requests for doughnuts."
There was only one more bit of meat on his skewer, and pulling it, doing the 'avoid the puppy-paws' dance once more, Jack dispatched it quickly and replaced the spear before taking a step away from the grill. "Okay, brains. Let's see how much it helps out there.. on the soccer field. Kids look like they set it up. Ami?" If it's to be 'Ami' for the day? "Miss Dees? Sam? Teyla? Show the kids how the game is played?"
"Oooh, Shredded singed animal flesh. Give 'em here." Molly bounded to the grill. Although she looked far too young for coneheads referances. TVland could be blamed for so much these days.
She grabbed a plate.
"And you folks need to learn the fine art of mingling when your dobne with your game. Clustering in your little clique doesn't count as 'getting out there'." She chided. "At least the General was playing with the kids."
It was spring, and to make things more fun there were a group actually erecting a maypole. Instruments were being brought out up near the house. There would be dancing later.
And a couple of older teens and very young adults had already taken off into the woods. No doubt sowing thier wild oats. Or celebrating spring in the more traditional fashion.
"People are gonna sleep better tonight."
The fear and worry, were pushed aside in favor of more pleasurable pursuits for now. Small groups may still whisper of their intersteller visitor, but not many wanted to hear it today. Tomorrow they could go back to such things.
Captain Carter leant forward on the mahogany briefing table, doggedly meeting Colonel O'Neill's eyes. "I'm an Air Force officer just like you are, Colonel. And just because my reproductive organs are on the inside instead of the outside, doesn't mean I can't handle whatever you can handle."
O'Neill lowered himself into his chair. "Oh, this has nothing to do with you being a woman. I like women. I've just got a little problem with scientists."
The young captain resisted the urge to snirk, shooting back, instead, "Colonel, I logged over 100 hours in enemy airspace during the Gulf War. Is that tough enough for you? Or are we going to have to arm wrestle?"
END FLASHBACK ~~~
...she knew it was actually George Hammond that insisted she become part of Jack's team. Admittedly, Jack did decide to keep her afterward ("Oh, I guess you can stay..."), but even so... General Hammond was more rightly the 'idiot' the now-General O'Neill referenced. So, she held her quip -- this time.
Instead, she gave a light nod of her head, including all the others surrounding them in her attention and smile. "You're on," she told him, picking up on the suggestion of the game. She pointed to the far end of the field where a few of the smaller kids had gathered amidst the rest. "But, I'm on their team."
She glanced over, now, specifically at Molly, who made her presence known with the forwardness of a field sergeant, and flashed a grin. Mingling wasn't her strong suit, really, but she got the point. Daniel did the whole mingling thing better than either she or Jack. Even so... "Oh, c'mon," she chided lightly, a relaxed set to her shoulders. "We haven't been here that long. Care to come play?" She pointed to Jack. "We're gonna beat the pants off him."
"Allow me a moment to give meaning to this cow's noble sacrifice, and I'll be right there." Molly took her meat on a stick and blew gently on it. "Yeah, I'm on whatever team these unathletic doofusses aren't."
The laughter in her blue eyes took any sting out of her words. "A retired general and a geek, ought to be easy enough to defeat."
Gauntlet thrown.
After all, her tendency to open her mouth when she should keep it nailed shut got her running around gathering inventory and planning possible trade.
Molly bit delicately into her meat. She was no more successful in containing the juices than anyone else.
"Daniel. You're playing." Jack cut him off smoothly. He looked ... yes, the older man looked positively happy with the idea of playing a little soccer.
(Soccer?) Daniel thought again.
"That sounds brilliant," Ami enthused. "I think that maybe I'll play with Daniel and Gen - Jack. They might need a little extra help, yeah?"
"No, I don't think we do," Daniel objected, surprised by the woman's words and demeanor. Then again he seldom encountered Ami outside of 'work,' so he had no way to judge how she would behave in these sorts of situations. "Do we, Jack?"
When Ami chimed in, echoing Sam and the Sarge, Jack's brows rose a little higher. His head canted as his eyes narrowed, and taking in the three women, nudged Daniel and gestured with his head. "C'mon, Daniel."
"No, of course we don't. Boys against the girls. Shirts versus skins." His tones were light, almost anticipatory. "I think we can handle it, thank you... wouldn't want you to be considered a turn-coat to your gender, though I can understand why you'd want to be on the winning side." Posturing was always part of it.
Pulling out a handkerchief from his pocket, Jack stepped forward briefly and handed it to the struggling Molly, ostensibly to allow her to wipe the juices from her chin from the perfectly cooked meat. "Keep it as a white flag..." He looked to Carter now, his eyes gleaming, "...when you lose."
Carter's brows rose at the implication they were going to lose this match. She met O'Neill's eyes steadily, challenge glinting in them. "We call 'shirts'," she said evenly. Better make that clear right now. Then, a smug little smile touched her lips. "And, don't count your goals until they're scored. I've seen you kick."
She looked at the women gathered in the group. She didn't know much about Ami. But, Molly had spirit, obviously. And if Teyla did decide to play, too... Well, this had the making of a very interesting game. She almost felt sorry for Daniel.
Almost, but not quite.
After all, Teal'c wasn't here to upset the odds.
She grinned to her teammates. "C'mon. Let's play."
Between the horde of puppies and a dozen people descending on the grill at once Darien had only been half-listening to the conversation. "Wait, what? Play what?"
"Football," Ami replied.
"She means soccer," Maureen smirked, elbowing her friend.
Darien nodded. "Once I find a replacement cook, count me in." Then he looked around and raised his voice. "Hey! Someone tag me out here!"
Garth Brookfield rose to the challenge. "Go play," he quipped, reaching for the tongs.
Darien happily handed them over. "Thanks, man." To the supposed soccer players he asked, "So, teams? And what are we using for goals?"
Pippin Kline was taking a breather from playing with the kids... or rather the kids were taking a breather from playing with Pip. One minute the man was standing there minding his own business and the next minute he was flat on his back, having been tackled by none other then Dr. Klein.
Normally Summer was a very put together sort of woman. She wore her hair in a bun and had a very calm, complacent composure, so it might come as a shock to many to see her barreling into someone and tackling them to the ground, but that was exactly what she did.
Summer tackled Pip to the ground, pinning him there before giving any indication as to why she might have done such a thing, "Give. It. Back." Each word was clearly enunciated, with a pause between each, though she seems unwilling to actually tell what it may be.
Daniel hefted the basket in his arms and glanced at the woman walking beside him. "You're not feeding the entire crowd. What you're bringing - "
"We are bringing. You helped me to gather it. It is only fair that you share the credit."
"What we're bringing," Daniel corrected himself, earning a gentle smile from his companion, "Is only meant to supplement the meal. There'll be plenty of food."
"I am afraid that I am merely going through the motions. I do not quite understand the meaning behind this . . . potluck."
"Well, you see a pot -" Daniel stopped a glanced at her again. Though her face was neutral, there was a mischeivous glint in her eyes. "You're messing with me."
At his realization, Teyla Emmagen's face blossomed into a bright smile. The Athosian woman smiled and nodded her head, "General O'Neill informed me that it is good for you if I ... keep on your toes?"
"Yeah, well, remind me to thank Jack for that insight."
He was glad that Teyla had chosen today to be back at Gamma Prime. The Athosian woman usually spent her time at Gamma Two. She claimed that the main site was too loud, too noisy and crowded and yet somehow impersonal. The in congruency did not sit well with her. Daniel didn't really blame her; the numbers of her people were small and being hunted by the Wraith made them a close group. The walls that could spring up between this many people was an alien concept for Teyla. No pun intended.
"He is there," Teyla indicated direction with a slight inclination of her head, "Would you like to thank him now?"
"Okay, you are spending way too much time away from home, young lady. I think those friends of yours are a bad influence." Daniel followed her gaze to where Jack stood with Darien by the grill. (Why am I not surprised?)
"I really hope he didn't add his secret ingredient," Daniel murmured as they changed direction and headed that way.
"What is his secret ingredient?" Teyla prompted.
Daniel leaned down and whispered, "It's beer. But no one is supposed to know that."
"I have tasted your beer. It is perhaps better if it remains a secret."
Reply
"Yours, yeah. Mine'll take a little..." Jack paused, his neck craning briefly as he raised a finger in the air, "Hold that thought. Right back." Turning around, the civilian-attired general padded off into the direction where the new, proud homeowner had tread, and joined the man for a couple of steps, his head ducked in conversation. He returned... empty handed, and a little disappointed. Undoubtedly, his friends would later hear of the injustice of no beer.
"Ah-- iced-- tea. How refreshing. Great." Did that sound genuine? "Thank you, Dr. Jackson." For that last bit, he had to raise his voice somewhat, but the sound would probably carry easily.
"Sam-- How is it?" Could be a genuine question, could be one of those 'food tester' questions that can only be answered by her continued survival in the next few moments. Only the gleam in his dark eyes could give the answer there.
Jack had to wait a couple of minutes, but his would be rare... or rather, rarer than those already on the grill. At the approach of Daniel and the lovely Miss Emmagen, the general raised his voice once more, though his tones were filled with good humor. His brows rose theatrically as he greeted first his friend and former teammate, "A little out of your league, isn't she?"
Turning to Teyla, his head cants, his brows crease slightly before he steps to her and looks down, allowing for a natural inclination, "It's been many days." Then, once the formalities are finished, Jack is more than happy to twist around to gesture at the grill... "You kids hungry?"
Reply
She started to suck on the end piece of meat, a fingertip against the end of the skewer, when the others approached. "Tastes pretty good, too," she added, licking her lips to clean them. Straightening some -- it's impossible to eat a dripping skewer standing entirely erect -- she flashed a smile at the newcomers. "Welcome to the party."
Reply
"Hey Sam," Daniel looked away from Maureen to his former teammate who did her best to maintain dignity while eating skewered meat. The score was currently Meat - 1, Sam - 0.
"I would much like to partake of … barbeque," Teyla gave that polite inclination of her head. With a smile at Jack and Sam, she glided around them and after carefully selecting a skewer, placed it on the grill with a demure smile of her own at Darien. "I would prefer it rare, please."
"So, Jack, did you get to add your secret ingredient?" Daniel asked.
Ami looked up, "You have a secret ingredient, General? What would that be?"
Daniel made a tsking sound. "You should know better. If he told you, it wouldn't be secret anymore."
Reply
No sense thinking about that now, however.
Reaching over the cooking surface of the grill, Jack rolled his own skewer, pulling his hand away at the last moment as a lick of yellow flame teased through the openings. His would be properly seared... It only would be a moment before the general reached for it once more, the juices 'locked in', if for the moment. Once he bit into it, all bets were off however.
Shifting such that he was standing a little more shoulder to shoulder, as much as one could, with Carter, he was in a position where he could talk to everyone. That casual 'cookout' shmooze that dealt with nothing more than sports scores or the last visit to a gun range; mixed company, however, made that a touch more problematic.
"Jealous? Me? Nah." Jack shook his head, his expression shifting to that look that broadcasted that the target was about to receive something of the general's wit. "Might as well give you a day." He looked at Teyla, his features softening. "See, usually it's the slimy snakes that find him irresistable. Must be the glasses." He glanced back to Daniel and mouthed, 'Snakes' at him before giving a hint of a smile and stepping back.
At the question of his secret ingredient, however, his face took to the theatric straight-face, and dark eyes narrowed as he glanced beside him to Sam. "You told. See... now I have to kill you all, just for knowing about it." Shaking his head sadly, he grimaced, his gaze landing finally on Ami. "And I was getting to like you, too."
Checking on his skewer, Jack flickered a look towards Sam again, and her progress with her 'meat on a stick', before rubbing the fingers of his free hand together and reaching to pull a block of meat off the top, and popped it into his mouth. "Oh..." Jack chewed a couple of times, and finished swallowing the first piece before continuing. "Day off. It's 'Jack'."
Reply
Even so, she knew the truth of her words. Alien threats looming overhead, unknown challenges still to be discovered on the ground, and the reality of the irreplaceable resources lost over the last year made it quite clear they'd need every clever mind they had access to going forward. Still, a beautiful day like this, with its sunshine and gentle breezes, had a way of allaying such concerns. And Carter wasn't a woman given to lingering morbidity or angst. In her experience, barring whatever it was that had happened to Earth, most things tended to work out in the end. Somehow. That hope had always pulled her through before. She had no reason to assume it wouldn't now.
As juice from Jack's own skewer fell to the earth, however, a tumble of little yapping bodies made it clear that the new puppies had found a distraction more powerful than the pull of children racing through meadow grasses. Carter looked down and laughed as a pair of them braced paws against Jack's legs and barked up at him. She stepped back to give them room.
"Look, sir." Half a beat. "Jack. You actually do have friends." Blue eyes sparkled as she grinned at him, a bit of sass in the cant of her tousled blond head. "Even without your secret ingredient."
Reply
"I didn't tell," Daniel objected immediately, throwing his hands up in surrender. Something about the twinkle in his eyes made Ami think that he had told someone something somewhere along the line, but he wasn't confessing to it.
"It is true, he did not." The newcomer, whom Ami had seen around a few times, typically in the company of stargate personnel defended Daniel as she managed to make grabbing hot skewers and holding on to them look like a simple task. Her accent marked her as not-American, but it wasn't an accent that Ami could place. "I asked him, but he said that -" she paused and frowned, a look of concentration covering her pretty face, however Ami could clearly detect her bemusement and teasing, "Undomesticated equines could not drag it out of him?"
Daniel chuckled, "You've been saving that one, haven't you?"
Maureen frowned. "Why -"
Though Maureen was a hard worker and friendly, the petite, curvy, buxom brunette was not always socially or culturally aware. Ami cut her off easily, presenting a hand to the new woman, then retracting it with embarrassment as the woman took a bite from the meat. "I don't believe we've met. I'm Ami Jackson. And this is Maureen Dees."
"Teyla Emmagen. I am pleased to meet you both." The name gave Ami no point of reference in figuring out the woman's origins. Teyla tilted her head, her gaze sliding from Ami to Daniel and then back to Ami. "Jackson, then is a common family name or -" Teyla's eyes slid back to Daniel, the corners of her mouth quirking in a smile, "have you been keeping secrets, Daniel?"
"Yes, I have a small harem, not just among the Goa'uld," Daniel said in reference to Jack's last remark. "It's the glasses. And the brains over brawn." That was his turn to take a jab at his former CO and best friend.
Ami giggled. She always enjoyed the ease that the SGC personnel seemed to share with one another. It reminded her of the comfort and camaraderie she shared back on earth with . . .
(No, not going there,) Ami firmly pushed the thought aside. A majority of the Tomorrow People were relocated off-world, and to various sites, with a few here even, but it didn't lessen the longing for earth.
"As long as we're on the subject, Jack," Ami put special emphasis on the general's name to make certain she had his attention, "I'm going to have to insist that you call me Ami, then. If I can't be formal, neither can you."
"You never have to be formal," Daniel said in a stage whisper.
Reply
Chewing quickly once more, the off-duty general was more than relaxed in the company of good friends; people who'd give anything and everything for each other, and 'the mission'. Jack always believed it was the -bad guys- job to do that, mind... and in the end, they usually did.
"It's true, Carter. I do need you still. You fill such an important role... like, oh... giving me a reason to double up on the dose of aspirin I need for the day." He's teasing. How many times had she made his head spin with explanations? Still, he couldn't really imagine life without knowing she was there; a thousand miles away, or just feet away-- it didn't matter. Daniel, pretty much the same... only... different.
"Can we not discuss that which will not be mentioned again, because it's secret? Sheesh. Talk about security leaks." His tones took a theatric turn, the sound frustrated. "Who let you guys work with me anyway? Must have been a real idiot."
Clearing his throat, Jack did take the moment to lean from his spot and extend his hand to the newly introduced Maureen, his voice lowering slightly in the greeting. "Miss Dees. Jack O'Neill. A pleasure."
Jack had to pause to stare at Teyla's comment, a look of amused bemusement appearing on his face. "Daniel. I think it's a cross-cultural relationship we may want to consider avoiding after that comment? Next thing we know, we'll be up to our necks in requests for doughnuts."
There was only one more bit of meat on his skewer, and pulling it, doing the 'avoid the puppy-paws' dance once more, Jack dispatched it quickly and replaced the spear before taking a step away from the grill. "Okay, brains. Let's see how much it helps out there.. on the soccer field. Kids look like they set it up. Ami?" If it's to be 'Ami' for the day? "Miss Dees? Sam? Teyla? Show the kids how the game is played?"
Reply
She grabbed a plate.
"And you folks need to learn the fine art of mingling when your dobne with your game. Clustering in your little clique doesn't count as 'getting out there'." She chided. "At least the General was playing with the kids."
It was spring, and to make things more fun there were a group actually erecting a maypole. Instruments were being brought out up near the house. There would be dancing later.
And a couple of older teens and very young adults had already taken off into the woods. No doubt sowing thier wild oats. Or celebrating spring in the more traditional fashion.
"People are gonna sleep better tonight."
The fear and worry, were pushed aside in favor of more pleasurable pursuits for now. Small groups may still whisper of their intersteller visitor, but not many wanted to hear it today. Tomorrow they could go back to such things.
Reply
Captain Carter leant forward on the mahogany briefing table, doggedly meeting Colonel O'Neill's eyes. "I'm an Air Force officer just like you are, Colonel. And just because my reproductive organs are on the inside instead of the outside, doesn't mean I can't handle whatever you can handle."
O'Neill lowered himself into his chair. "Oh, this has nothing to do with you being a woman. I like women. I've just got a little problem with scientists."
The young captain resisted the urge to snirk, shooting back, instead, "Colonel, I logged over 100 hours in enemy airspace during the Gulf War. Is that tough enough for you? Or are we going to have to arm wrestle?"
END FLASHBACK ~~~
...she knew it was actually George Hammond that insisted she become part of Jack's team. Admittedly, Jack did decide to keep her afterward ("Oh, I guess you can stay..."), but even so... General Hammond was more rightly the 'idiot' the now-General O'Neill referenced. So, she held her quip -- this time.
Instead, she gave a light nod of her head, including all the others surrounding them in her attention and smile. "You're on," she told him, picking up on the suggestion of the game. She pointed to the far end of the field where a few of the smaller kids had gathered amidst the rest. "But, I'm on their team."
She glanced over, now, specifically at Molly, who made her presence known with the forwardness of a field sergeant, and flashed a grin. Mingling wasn't her strong suit, really, but she got the point. Daniel did the whole mingling thing better than either she or Jack. Even so... "Oh, c'mon," she chided lightly, a relaxed set to her shoulders. "We haven't been here that long. Care to come play?" She pointed to Jack. "We're gonna beat the pants off him."
Reply
The laughter in her blue eyes took any sting out of her words. "A retired general and a geek, ought to be easy enough to defeat."
Gauntlet thrown.
After all, her tendency to open her mouth when she should keep it nailed shut got her running around gathering inventory and planning possible trade.
Molly bit delicately into her meat. She was no more successful in containing the juices than anyone else.
Reply
"Daniel. You're playing." Jack cut him off smoothly. He looked ... yes, the older man looked positively happy with the idea of playing a little soccer.
(Soccer?) Daniel thought again.
"That sounds brilliant," Ami enthused. "I think that maybe I'll play with Daniel and Gen - Jack. They might need a little extra help, yeah?"
"No, I don't think we do," Daniel objected, surprised by the woman's words and demeanor. Then again he seldom encountered Ami outside of 'work,' so he had no way to judge how she would behave in these sorts of situations. "Do we, Jack?"
Reply
When Ami chimed in, echoing Sam and the Sarge, Jack's brows rose a little higher. His head canted as his eyes narrowed, and taking in the three women, nudged Daniel and gestured with his head. "C'mon, Daniel."
"No, of course we don't. Boys against the girls. Shirts versus skins." His tones were light, almost anticipatory. "I think we can handle it, thank you... wouldn't want you to be considered a turn-coat to your gender, though I can understand why you'd want to be on the winning side." Posturing was always part of it.
Pulling out a handkerchief from his pocket, Jack stepped forward briefly and handed it to the struggling Molly, ostensibly to allow her to wipe the juices from her chin from the perfectly cooked meat. "Keep it as a white flag..." He looked to Carter now, his eyes gleaming, "...when you lose."
Reply
She looked at the women gathered in the group. She didn't know much about Ami. But, Molly had spirit, obviously. And if Teyla did decide to play, too... Well, this had the making of a very interesting game. She almost felt sorry for Daniel.
Almost, but not quite.
After all, Teal'c wasn't here to upset the odds.
She grinned to her teammates. "C'mon. Let's play."
Reply
"Football," Ami replied.
"She means soccer," Maureen smirked, elbowing her friend.
Darien nodded. "Once I find a replacement cook, count me in." Then he looked around and raised his voice. "Hey! Someone tag me out here!"
Garth Brookfield rose to the challenge. "Go play," he quipped, reaching for the tongs.
Darien happily handed them over. "Thanks, man." To the supposed soccer players he asked, "So, teams? And what are we using for goals?"
Reply
Normally Summer was a very put together sort of woman. She wore her hair in a bun and had a very calm, complacent composure, so it might come as a shock to many to see her barreling into someone and tackling them to the ground, but that was exactly what she did.
Summer tackled Pip to the ground, pinning him there before giving any indication as to why she might have done such a thing, "Give. It. Back." Each word was clearly enunciated, with a pause between each, though she seems unwilling to actually tell what it may be.
Reply
Leave a comment