SG-1 Fic: A Strange Alien Allure 1/1
Author: lizardbeth_j
Written for: pinch hit for the sg_rarepairings challenge.
Summary: Jonas Quinn returns to the SGC with more bad news, and Cameron Mitchell finds himself... intrigued.
Pairing: Jonas/Cameron
Rating: um, PG-13? boykissing, that's it.
Spoilers: Season 10, before Counterstrike
A/N: For rydra_wong, I hope you enjoy this. You get a bit of angst, a little h/c... but no PrOn. Sorry.
"Incoming wormhole! IDC, Jonas Quinn." Sergeant Davis reported with more than a touch of shock in his voice.
Cam heard and even while he was surprised, he was ranking officer in the control room and ordered quickly, "Open the iris."
As the iris folded out of the way, he picked up the phone to inform Landry.
Landry grunted, "On my way, Colonel. I hope this isn't more bad news."
Cam agreed, but as he hurried down the steps to go to the gateroom, he was sure it would be. So far all their luck had been bad, and he doubted it was going to change any time soon.
He went through the door just in time to see a man tumble through the glimmering event horizon, as though he'd jumped or been thrown through. He hit the ramp with his shoulder and rolled over, legs slamming into the railing. He gave a groan, as the wormhole winked out.
Cam gestured for the SF's to stand down and went up to him, just as he rolled over on his back. "Jonas Quinn?" he asked.
Quinn, if it was him, frowned up at him, either in pain or confusion or both. Then his expression cleared, "Mitchell, right?"
"Right," Cam confirmed, though surprised that Quinn knew his name. They'd never met. But seeing his face was enough to tell Cam that in fact this was Jonas Quinn. His hair was somewhat longer than his personnel file photo and he hadn't shaved in a few days, but it was definitely him. "Lieutenant Colonel Cameron Mitchell. Here, you need a hand?"
Quinn took his outstretched hand and Cam pulled him to his feet. He weighed nothing, and face-to-face with Cam he had deep shadows under his eyes and thin cheeks, as though he'd been under considerable stress.
Quinn kept his hand briefly, shaking it once. "I'm Jonas Quinn, Colonel Mitchell."
"You were on SG-1, that makes you family. Call me Cam," he corrected with a smile that quickly faded away. "Since you look like ten miles of bad road, I'll guess you've got bad news."
Quinn nodded soberly. "Yeah. Is General O'Neill here?"
"Unfortunately, no, General O'Neill got booted upstairs to Washington. General Landry's the CO now. In fact, speak of the devil..." he trailed off as Landry entered.
He ushered Quinn down the ramp and introduced the two to each other.
"So, you've got bad news for us, Mister Quinn?" Landry asked.
"Langara's been attacked by the Ori," he announced. His voice was heavy and slow, and his words seemed to fall like stones into the room. They weren't a surprise, but they hit Cam anyway -- another ally down.
"They -- we -- " Quinn faltered. He shut his eyes and swayed until Cam put a hand on his shoulder to keep him upright. For someone who looked like a stick, he had surprisingly firm muscle under there. "There's a disease," he explained, haltingly. "They're dying ... all over the world, but especially Kelowna. The Prior said it would stop if we capitulated. The prime minister died this morning, and I don't think we can hold out without help. The Prior said he'd be back tonight -- "
Cam frowned. "Why didn't you call us earlier? Not that we could do too much, but --"
But Jonas was already shaking his head. "The Prior did something to the DHD to block outgoing wormholes. It took me two days to figure out how to break it. And I could only manage a forty-five second window." He waved one hand vaguely toward the gate.
Cam exchanged a glance with Landry. That wasn't good - the Priors were learning.
"All right," Landry held up a hand. "That's enough for now. It's a small consolation but Langara's definitely not the first planet and it won't be the last. We'll hear the rest of your story when you've had a chance for medical to look you over. Colonel Mitchell, if you'll escort our guest?"
Since Cam wasn't sure that Quinn could make it under his own power, he thought it was a good idea. "Yes, sir."
Quinn opened his mouth, maybe to protest that he knew the way, but acquiesced with a weary nod. "Thank you, General Landry."
Landry nodded. "We're glad you made it out, and could report to us. Now, get to the infirmary."
Cam pushed on his shoulder to get him to move, and kept a hand on him to direct him when he nearly hit the frame of the door. "When's the last time you slept?" he asked, on their way to the elevator.
"I don't know," Quinn answered after a pause. "Two -- maybe three? -- days. There was too much to do. I didn't get sick."
In the elevator, he slumped against the wall and closed his eyes. Cam was trying to see the man Sam had described as a walking Weeble, but all he saw was a man near his own age, who had just seen his world defeated and crushed.
Cam hung around the infirmary as Sergeant Willis took Quinn's vitals and drew some blood. He tried to smile at her, but the attempt came off rather sickly, and she patted his arm comfortingly after she put a band-aid on him. "Get some rest and food, Jonas. It's good to see you again."
"Thanks, Claire," he murmured.
As she went off to report to Doctor Lam, Cam drew closer to the bed where Jonas was perched like a weary vulture, all hunched with his head hanging. "You know her?" he asked.
"Sure," Jonas shrugged. "I spent plenty of time in the infirmary when I was here. But can I ask? Aren't you a 302 pilot?" He rubbed his forehead as though he had a headache. "I think I saw your picture in the stack of 302 pilots."
"Right. I was," Cam answered, fighting back the instinctive urge to say he still was a pilot. Once a pilot, always a pilot, even if he was grounded now. "I crashed my bird in the fight against Anubis two years ago. I can't fly in combat anymore."
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that," Quinn said, looking up at him with a sorrowful face.
Cam was a little stunned -- despite the horrors Quinn had no doubt seen, he still had sympathy for something so trivial as Cam's lack of flight status. But Cam didn't want the sympathy, not from someone whose planet was another victim of the Ori, and he shrugged. "It turned out okay. O'Neill said if I got better, I could pick my post, so I'm here, on SG-1."
Quinn rubbed his face with both hands. "So many changes. No Doctor Frasier, no O'Neill... What about the rest of them?"
"Sam, Daniel, and Teal'c are still here. I'm sure you'll see them at the debrief, if they're not already on their way here to see you," Cam reassured him.
He was right -- Sam flew into the infirmary to hug Jonas only a few minutes later.
"General Landry told me. I'm so glad you got away," she said. He rested his head on her shoulder for just a moment before pulling back.
His expression was very earnest. "Sam. I'm immune to the plague the Prior gave to Langara. We don't have the technical knowledge, but I was hoping that you -- something about my blood --"
"Jonas," she interrupted his eager, desperate babble softly. "You're immune because it's very similar to what we caught from Ayiana. When she healed us, she made us immune to that type of disease."
"Oh," he slumped and looked away. "So there's nothing you can do."
"Now, that's not entirely true," Cam broke in. "We have a vaccine."
He ignored the warning look Sam gave him behind Quinn's back. It wasn't an unreasonable hope that their vaccine would work against the Langaran outbreak. And Quinn needed something. The promise was worth it when a light came into Quinn's eyes and he straightened, giving Cam a smile of such relief that Cam couldn't help smiling back.
In the briefing room, Daniel and Teal'c were waiting. Teal'c and Quinn clasped forearms, and Teal'c bowed his head to Jonas. "It is good to see you again, Jonas Quinn."
"You too, Teal'c," he said.
Daniel was friendly and sympathetic. "We'll do what we can to help," he promised. "Though we're not doing so great against the Priors ourselves."
"Come on, Jackson, we're still alive," Cam insisted. "That's something."
Landry entered, with Doctor Lam at his heels, and they got the full story from Quinn. It was pretty much the same one they'd heard before: the Prior had come to Langara, announced Origin, the Langara Council had told him to get lost, and the Prior had unleashed the plague to force them to surrender.
"If I can't bring back some help," he finished, "the governments will surrender." He chuckled bitterly. "It'll be the first time they speak with one voice." He sighed and looked down at his hands. "There were eight thousand dead in Kelowna alone, when I left, and though some would fight, we can't fight a lethal plague the way we could an army."
Landry nodded. "We understand. Believe me, we've seen it before. It almost happened here. Doctor, what about that vaccine?"
Doctor Lam shook her head a little. "It might work. But I have to caution that ours is designed specifically to work against a plague created by a different Prior." She glanced at Jonas, who was watching her anxiously, and her expression softened. "But it's certainly worth a try. And even if it doesn't work, the attempt may teach us enough to make a real one."
"All right," Landry nodded. "We'll do our best, Mister Quinn. Colonel Mitchell, since your team has the experience -- not to mention immunity to the disease -- I'd like you --"
Quinn interrupted. "General, I appreciate it. But I think I should take the supplies alone. If the Prior blocks the Stargate again, the others might be trapped there."
"We have a ship, Jonas," Sam reminded him. "We won't get stuck."
He just shook his head, adamant. "No. I won't risk you. Not for this. Just teach me what to do, give me the equipment, and I'll do it by myself."
"It's not a simple thing --" Lam objected.
Quinn's smile was a bright baring of his teeth. "I'm a quick study."
A little over an hour later, SG-1 was gathered in the Gateroom. There was a FRED loaded with supplies and equipment, and Sergeant Siler held onto the remote control, ready to direct it up the ramp when the Gate opened. Quinn stood near the FRED, with a sample case at his feet, containing several vials of prepared vaccine.
The other members of SG-1 wished him well, and Cam shook his hand. "Wish we could've met under less dire circumstances."
"You too, Colonel." Then he corrected himself with a small smile. "Cam." He turned his head to wave at the control room where Landry was waiting behind Davis.
The Gate began spinning and as the chevrons locked, Cam watched Quinn. He had never wavered from his determination to go back alone, and Cam thought it took some serious guts, not to mention attachment to his old friends.
The Gate was still spinning and Davis' voice broke into his musings, "Chevron Seven will not lock."
Sam's head swiveled to look up at the control room, in alarm, and she raced out of the room.
Only Cam saw Quinn's eyes close, and his face sort of crumple. He put out a hand instinctively to Quinn's shoulder. "It could be just a glitch, Jonas. Some gravity well between us and Langara."
Cam didn't believe his own words and wasn't surprised when the other man ignored him completely. "The Prior came back early," Jonas whispered.
"I'm too late."
==========
Cam and the rest of SG-1 stayed with Jonas as Sam tried her wizardry, but it was all futile. "I'm sorry," she said finally. "There's nothing more I can try. It just won't connect. The Langaran gate is shut down, one way or another. We'll try again tomorrow. And if that doesn't work, we can send a ship or one of our allies to check it out and see what's going on." She folded her hand around his. "We'll find out, Jonas. I promise."
He nodded his head, looking so weary and bereft that a breeze might blow him over.
"In the meantime," Cam offered, "we've got a bed assigned to you."
"I don't think I can sleep."
"Maybe not," Cam said. "But if you fake it really well, your body might even think you did. Come on, I'll show you the way."
"No, that's all right, I don't want to put you to any trouble --"
"My Grandma would be ashamed of me if I didn't show you some hospitality," Cam interrupted the polite protests, ignoring Teal'c's eyebrow of curiosity. "This way."
Leaning against the wall in a particularly boneless-looking way, Jonas said in the elevator, "I'm not quite sure why you're taking such an interest in a stranger but I appreciate it, Cam."
"You're not a stranger," Cam insisted. "I read all your reports. They were a lot more in depth than O'Neill's and less technical than Sam's. I got to know you pretty well through them, I think."
"Oh," Jonas said, taking a few seconds to process that, and he nodded. "Then I should read yours. Get to know you. Especially if I'm going to be stuck here awhile."
He said the last part with his head turned to study the plain painted metal walls of the elevator.
Cam said, "We'll get you home, Jonas."
Jonas didn't answer, but Cam saw the doubt written in his face, amid the weariness. He wanted to prove it wrong.
============
"All in," Cam declared and pushed his chips to the center of the table.
Sam eyed both Cam and Jonas, who were the only ones left in the hand. "One of you has something. I'm out." She threw her cards down.
Cam stared into Jonas' eyes, willing him to believe: 'I have a full house. I have a full house. You can't beat it. Fold. Fold.'
Jonas stared back and then his lips twitched into a smile. "You're bluffing," he declared. "Call." He pushed all his chips into the center.
Vala gave a delighted squeal and leaned forward eagerly. "Come on, show us. Who wins?"
Cam told himself that he was glad he had invited Jonas to the game. It had been his idea to try to integrate Jonas back into the SGC, in case the Odyssey came back with bad news about Langara. That was until Jonas called his bluff and wiped him out, though. "Crap," Cam sighed and threw his cards in the center. "One pair."
"You had a pair of nines?" Sam asked, sounding outraged and a bit amused. "I folded with two jacks, over your pair of nines? I thought you had something!"
Jonas turned his cards over. He had a straight, ten-high. And he grinned at Cam, the first honest grin Cam had seen in the week since he'd been at the SGC. It was amazing - it made Cam feel that losing wasn't so bad after all.
For a moment, he couldn't look away, until Jonas dropped his gaze and started to rake in his chips. Cam felt oddly awkward. "Well, I'm out," he said and stood up. "I've got a report to look at before tomorrow, so I'll say good night."
They all wished him a good night back. He turned at the door to watch as Sam dealt the next hand. Jonas took his cards and then glanced toward the door. Cameron couldn't meet his eyes and fumbled at the door knob in his haste to get out and look as though he weren't hurrying at all.
In the hallway he took a deep breath, trying to calm his suddenly thumping heartbeat, and shook his head to clear it. It was the beer he'd had; Jonas' unexpected skill at poker and that rather stunningly bright smile. He was just feeling a little strange tonight. That was all.
=================
Another week passed, until the day the Odyssey was due at Langara.
Cam knocked on the frame of the open doorway of Jonas' small office. "Hey."
Jonas glanced up from the books covering the desk. "Cam. Come in. Any news?"
Cam shook his head and wandered inside. "No, not yet. Soon I'm sure." He had to shake his head again when he saw that the television in the corner was on, though the sound was muted. "The Weather Channel? I heard about this obsession of yours from Sam. What's with that?"
Jonas shrugged. "Nothing."
"So." Since that conversational gambit was going nowhere, Cam shifted topics. "I came to see if you were up for lunch."
"Sure." Jonas stood up with a bounce that would've been funny in other circumstances.
"Jackson's work that tedious?" he asked, teasing only a little. Those Ancient translations couldn't be all that exciting, not really. But Jonas was one of the few people Daniel trusted to do it, and he'd been grateful for the help, even if he wound up correcting some of it. Cameron thought Jonas would mind the corrections, but Jonas had shrugged and admitted he was no linguist -- he'd memorized words and their meanings out of Daniel's handmade dictionary, that was all. He'd talked about it as though it wasn't anything special. Cameron wasn't sure if Jonas really had no ego, or it was carefully under wraps while he was a refugee.
"Well..." Jonas trailed off, not quite willing to admit it was boring as hell. "I can't concentrate today."
"No kidding. Let's go get some grub." Cam expected the slang to throw him, as it did Vala and still Teal'c sometimes, but Jonas didn't even lift his eyebrows.
As they went to the cafeteria and grabbed some food, Cam watched Jonas. If he was anxious about the news or lack of it, he didn't show it, except perhaps by his silence.
Jonas was an intriguing fellow, Cam had decided. He knew science, so he could talk to Sam at something approaching her level; but he was also familiar with Daniel's work. He had an interest in politics, and talked to Cam and Teal'c about their views on the Earth and Jaffa situation.
He was still a bit withdrawn, even around his friends, but Cam figured it was about all they could expect while Jonas was stuck not knowing the final fate of his planet.
Cameron was eating his sandwich, watching Jonas stir around his yogurt, when the PA came on. "Colonel Mitchell, Jonas Quinn, come to the control room."
Jonas was at the door before Cam had even stood up. He ran after but didn't manage to catch up, since Jonas was running down the stairs two at a time. It made Cam watch anxiously, sure that Jonas was going to miss a step and take a tumble. "Slow down!" he called. "They'll wait until you get there!"
Jonas stopped and waited for him. "Yes, of course," he said, hardly breathless at all, even though he'd just run down four flights. "Sorry. I'm just anxious."
"I know, but man, if I let you break your neck on the stairs, Teal'c would kill me," Cam slapped him on the back. "Come on, let's go hear."
In the control room, Sam and Landry were waiting. Landry gave Jonas a nod then said, a little too loudly, "Go ahead, Colonel Emerson. We're all present."
Emerson's voice was overlaid with some static, but perfectly understandable. "Yes, sir. I'm sorry, General, Mister Quinn, to be the bearer of such bad news. There were four Ori ships in orbit around the planet."
Jonas stared at the Stargate blankly before inhaling a shuddering breath and managing to say in a tight voice, "Colonel? This is Jonas Quinn. Could you scan the surface? The cities? Was there any damage?"
"We could only stay a very short time," Emerson said, "and we didn't scan the surface. So all I can say for sure is that the planet is still life-sustaining. I'm sorry, Mister Quinn, I wish I had better news for you."
"It is good news," Jonas said, and he didn't even sound as if he was lying. "Thank you, Colonel." He turned away, not meeting anyone's eyes, and said, "And thank you for sending the Odyssey, sir. If you'll excuse me."
He left, and when Cam shifted to go after him, he waited only long enough for Landry to give him a nod before going.
Teal'c's wise gaze looked a little too knowing as Cam passed, but Cam ignored it, to pursue his quarry.
When he got to the corridor, Jonas was nowhere in sight. It wasn't difficult to find him, though, since the SF's had tracked his progress through the base. Cam knocked on the door to Jonas' quarters and when he heard nothing, turned the knob and pushed the door open when he found it unlocked.
"Jonas?" he poked his head through the crack.
It was too dark to see anything. Cam let the door swing open all the way so the hall light would stream inside. Jonas was a curled silhouette sitting on the bed.
He flinched when the door opened, and his voice was a cracked mockery of its usual assurance, "Please... leave me alone, Cam."
Cam shut the door behind him and locked it. "No, I'm not going to do that," he murmured. As he spoke his eyes adjusted to the red light of the exit sign hanging over the door, and he could see well enough in the warm glow spread through the room. He approached the bed. "I think you're already feeling pretty damn alone, right?"
Perching on the edge of the bed, next to Jonas, they sat in silence for a moment and Cam waited.
"Do you know the worst part?" Jonas murmured into his knees. "I don't even like Langara very much. You can't imagine how many times I've wanted all of them gone -- the prime minister, the Andari, all of them."
He paused and then chuckled bitterly. "Got my wish, didn't I?"
Cam put a tentative hand on Jonas' upper back, and relaxed the touch when Jonas didn't flinch or move away, spreading his fingers across the spine beneath his shoulder blades. "It's gonna be okay. We will defeat the Ori someday, Jonas. I don't know when and I sure as hell don't know how, not yet, but we will. You just gotta hang on."
He slowly pulled his hand down the sharp bumps of the spine and the cords of muscle on either side before rubbing upward, offering what comfort he could.
Jonas let him rub his back twice more before asking, "Do you believe that?"
"Yeah. I do." Cam let his hand roam upward and his fingers liked the feel of the shoulders quite a lot. He was wiry, was Jonas, but stronger than he looked.
Jonas stayed in his huddle, even when Cam's fingers rubbed the back of his neck and toyed with the soft hair. His stillness allowed Cam to continue exploring along the top of his shoulders and his neck beneath his ear. Cam let instinct guide him, feeling that everything was slightly surreal in the odd lighting.
"Cam?" Jonas asked, very softly. "What are you doing?"
It wasn't an accusation and it sounded honestly curious. But Cam stopped, the spell broken, as the question hit him in the gut. What was he doing?
In the moment while words wouldn't come, Jonas unfolded and faced him. His face seemed very pale in the orange light and his eyes were deep and dark, looking into Cam's. "Among my people, doing what you're doing is," he hesitated, "more than friendly. But I know that's not what you're offering. So I don't understand what you're doing."
Cam swallowed, unsure about what he was doing and what he wanted. "What if --" he started and had to lick his lips. "What if I was offering?"
Jonas' brows shot up in surprise, but his voice stayed calm. "Then I'd ask what you were offering. Because I know there is a certain prejudice and a risk to you, and I'd want to make sure you understood."
Cam could hardly breathe or blink. "But you wouldn't say no?"
Jonas shook his head once, not looking away. "I don't want to be alone," he murmured. "I don't think I would ever say no to you anyway."
Cam had to clear his throat as the words sent a thrill all through him. "You're not, uh, bothered?"
"No. It's not our way." Jonas gave a little shrug and a smile that warmed all the places that had frozen in Cam's chest. "Alien," he added as if that explained it.
And maybe it did, Cam thought. Maybe it explained everything.
He barely had to lean at all and he was there, body against Jonas' solid and warm. His hand returned to Jonas' shoulder, fingers sliding down his arm, from the soft cotton of his t-shirt to the downy skin of his arm. His body wasn't as delicate as a woman, and touching the curves of his shoulders and biceps sent a shock down Cam's body that was as unexpected as it was pleasant.
His eyes couldn't stop fixing on Jonas' mouth, wondering what it would feel like. A little voice in the back of his head gibbered, 'Am I going to do this? Am I insane? What am I doing?'
A different thought intruded, 'Guy just lost his planet. We could lose the Earth tomorrow. And if we all die I don't want this kind of regret.'
The touch of those lips on his silenced the wandering thoughts.
The kiss wasn't Earth shattering; it wasn't spectacular. But it was very nice. Jonas wasn't hesitant and he seemed to know what he was doing. Kissing him was certainly not as strange as he had braced himself to expect.
Jonas pulled back and looked at him, head cocked. "You okay?" he asked in a murmur. "You want to stop?"
"Stop?" Cam repeated blankly, and couldn't help a laugh. "Are you nuts? That must be some alien thing, thinking we stop at first base like a couple of teenagers scared that their momma's going to come in."
"Kissing is second base," Jonas corrected and took his hand. "This is first base."
Cam couldn't argue, since Jonas was right. Jonas was pretty much always right -- Cam had figured that out two weeks ago. But he had Jonas' hand in his, those slender fingers sliding between Cam's own. A shiver went down his back and he glanced at the door as if he were doing something naughty. Which, in a way, he was. But the door was locked. And he had the suspicion that Teal'c would cover for them anyway.
More importantly, when he looked at Jonas' face -- his calm expression just a mask over a deep ocean of loss -- Cam knew he couldn't leave, even if he'd wanted to. He couldn't add to the pain; he could barely stand seeing what was there already. Jonas had drawn him in from the first moment, and Cam might not know why, but resisting it felt petty.
So why resist, especially when surrendering to it might be the best thing to ever happen to him?
"First base is boring. Let's keep going." Cam pulled Jonas close with their joined hands, and their mouths met again.
This time it was better. The third time was better still, and Cam let himself go in the deep reaches of his mouth, with one hand in Jonas' newly bristly hair to keep him still. The breathless gasps he was hearing made him smug and eager, and when Jonas clutched at his thigh, it sent sharp arrows of heat through his nerves, burning away the last lingering doubt.
As he was helping take off Jonas' shirt, he realized that he didn't always have to go through the Stargate. There was one alien lifeform he was eager to explore, right here.
Written for: pinch hit for the sg_rarepairings challenge.
Summary: Jonas Quinn returns to the SGC with more bad news, and Cameron Mitchell finds himself... intrigued.
Pairing: Jonas/Cameron
Rating: um, PG-13? boykissing, that's it.
Spoilers: Season 10, before Counterstrike
A/N: For rydra_wong, I hope you enjoy this. You get a bit of angst, a little h/c... but no PrOn. Sorry.
"Incoming wormhole! IDC, Jonas Quinn." Sergeant Davis reported with more than a touch of shock in his voice.
Cam heard and even while he was surprised, he was ranking officer in the control room and ordered quickly, "Open the iris."
As the iris folded out of the way, he picked up the phone to inform Landry.
Landry grunted, "On my way, Colonel. I hope this isn't more bad news."
Cam agreed, but as he hurried down the steps to go to the gateroom, he was sure it would be. So far all their luck had been bad, and he doubted it was going to change any time soon.
He went through the door just in time to see a man tumble through the glimmering event horizon, as though he'd jumped or been thrown through. He hit the ramp with his shoulder and rolled over, legs slamming into the railing. He gave a groan, as the wormhole winked out.
Cam gestured for the SF's to stand down and went up to him, just as he rolled over on his back. "Jonas Quinn?" he asked.
Quinn, if it was him, frowned up at him, either in pain or confusion or both. Then his expression cleared, "Mitchell, right?"
"Right," Cam confirmed, though surprised that Quinn knew his name. They'd never met. But seeing his face was enough to tell Cam that in fact this was Jonas Quinn. His hair was somewhat longer than his personnel file photo and he hadn't shaved in a few days, but it was definitely him. "Lieutenant Colonel Cameron Mitchell. Here, you need a hand?"
Quinn took his outstretched hand and Cam pulled him to his feet. He weighed nothing, and face-to-face with Cam he had deep shadows under his eyes and thin cheeks, as though he'd been under considerable stress.
Quinn kept his hand briefly, shaking it once. "I'm Jonas Quinn, Colonel Mitchell."
"You were on SG-1, that makes you family. Call me Cam," he corrected with a smile that quickly faded away. "Since you look like ten miles of bad road, I'll guess you've got bad news."
Quinn nodded soberly. "Yeah. Is General O'Neill here?"
"Unfortunately, no, General O'Neill got booted upstairs to Washington. General Landry's the CO now. In fact, speak of the devil..." he trailed off as Landry entered.
He ushered Quinn down the ramp and introduced the two to each other.
"So, you've got bad news for us, Mister Quinn?" Landry asked.
"Langara's been attacked by the Ori," he announced. His voice was heavy and slow, and his words seemed to fall like stones into the room. They weren't a surprise, but they hit Cam anyway -- another ally down.
"They -- we -- " Quinn faltered. He shut his eyes and swayed until Cam put a hand on his shoulder to keep him upright. For someone who looked like a stick, he had surprisingly firm muscle under there. "There's a disease," he explained, haltingly. "They're dying ... all over the world, but especially Kelowna. The Prior said it would stop if we capitulated. The prime minister died this morning, and I don't think we can hold out without help. The Prior said he'd be back tonight -- "
Cam frowned. "Why didn't you call us earlier? Not that we could do too much, but --"
But Jonas was already shaking his head. "The Prior did something to the DHD to block outgoing wormholes. It took me two days to figure out how to break it. And I could only manage a forty-five second window." He waved one hand vaguely toward the gate.
Cam exchanged a glance with Landry. That wasn't good - the Priors were learning.
"All right," Landry held up a hand. "That's enough for now. It's a small consolation but Langara's definitely not the first planet and it won't be the last. We'll hear the rest of your story when you've had a chance for medical to look you over. Colonel Mitchell, if you'll escort our guest?"
Since Cam wasn't sure that Quinn could make it under his own power, he thought it was a good idea. "Yes, sir."
Quinn opened his mouth, maybe to protest that he knew the way, but acquiesced with a weary nod. "Thank you, General Landry."
Landry nodded. "We're glad you made it out, and could report to us. Now, get to the infirmary."
Cam pushed on his shoulder to get him to move, and kept a hand on him to direct him when he nearly hit the frame of the door. "When's the last time you slept?" he asked, on their way to the elevator.
"I don't know," Quinn answered after a pause. "Two -- maybe three? -- days. There was too much to do. I didn't get sick."
In the elevator, he slumped against the wall and closed his eyes. Cam was trying to see the man Sam had described as a walking Weeble, but all he saw was a man near his own age, who had just seen his world defeated and crushed.
Cam hung around the infirmary as Sergeant Willis took Quinn's vitals and drew some blood. He tried to smile at her, but the attempt came off rather sickly, and she patted his arm comfortingly after she put a band-aid on him. "Get some rest and food, Jonas. It's good to see you again."
"Thanks, Claire," he murmured.
As she went off to report to Doctor Lam, Cam drew closer to the bed where Jonas was perched like a weary vulture, all hunched with his head hanging. "You know her?" he asked.
"Sure," Jonas shrugged. "I spent plenty of time in the infirmary when I was here. But can I ask? Aren't you a 302 pilot?" He rubbed his forehead as though he had a headache. "I think I saw your picture in the stack of 302 pilots."
"Right. I was," Cam answered, fighting back the instinctive urge to say he still was a pilot. Once a pilot, always a pilot, even if he was grounded now. "I crashed my bird in the fight against Anubis two years ago. I can't fly in combat anymore."
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that," Quinn said, looking up at him with a sorrowful face.
Cam was a little stunned -- despite the horrors Quinn had no doubt seen, he still had sympathy for something so trivial as Cam's lack of flight status. But Cam didn't want the sympathy, not from someone whose planet was another victim of the Ori, and he shrugged. "It turned out okay. O'Neill said if I got better, I could pick my post, so I'm here, on SG-1."
Quinn rubbed his face with both hands. "So many changes. No Doctor Frasier, no O'Neill... What about the rest of them?"
"Sam, Daniel, and Teal'c are still here. I'm sure you'll see them at the debrief, if they're not already on their way here to see you," Cam reassured him.
He was right -- Sam flew into the infirmary to hug Jonas only a few minutes later.
"General Landry told me. I'm so glad you got away," she said. He rested his head on her shoulder for just a moment before pulling back.
His expression was very earnest. "Sam. I'm immune to the plague the Prior gave to Langara. We don't have the technical knowledge, but I was hoping that you -- something about my blood --"
"Jonas," she interrupted his eager, desperate babble softly. "You're immune because it's very similar to what we caught from Ayiana. When she healed us, she made us immune to that type of disease."
"Oh," he slumped and looked away. "So there's nothing you can do."
"Now, that's not entirely true," Cam broke in. "We have a vaccine."
He ignored the warning look Sam gave him behind Quinn's back. It wasn't an unreasonable hope that their vaccine would work against the Langaran outbreak. And Quinn needed something. The promise was worth it when a light came into Quinn's eyes and he straightened, giving Cam a smile of such relief that Cam couldn't help smiling back.
In the briefing room, Daniel and Teal'c were waiting. Teal'c and Quinn clasped forearms, and Teal'c bowed his head to Jonas. "It is good to see you again, Jonas Quinn."
"You too, Teal'c," he said.
Daniel was friendly and sympathetic. "We'll do what we can to help," he promised. "Though we're not doing so great against the Priors ourselves."
"Come on, Jackson, we're still alive," Cam insisted. "That's something."
Landry entered, with Doctor Lam at his heels, and they got the full story from Quinn. It was pretty much the same one they'd heard before: the Prior had come to Langara, announced Origin, the Langara Council had told him to get lost, and the Prior had unleashed the plague to force them to surrender.
"If I can't bring back some help," he finished, "the governments will surrender." He chuckled bitterly. "It'll be the first time they speak with one voice." He sighed and looked down at his hands. "There were eight thousand dead in Kelowna alone, when I left, and though some would fight, we can't fight a lethal plague the way we could an army."
Landry nodded. "We understand. Believe me, we've seen it before. It almost happened here. Doctor, what about that vaccine?"
Doctor Lam shook her head a little. "It might work. But I have to caution that ours is designed specifically to work against a plague created by a different Prior." She glanced at Jonas, who was watching her anxiously, and her expression softened. "But it's certainly worth a try. And even if it doesn't work, the attempt may teach us enough to make a real one."
"All right," Landry nodded. "We'll do our best, Mister Quinn. Colonel Mitchell, since your team has the experience -- not to mention immunity to the disease -- I'd like you --"
Quinn interrupted. "General, I appreciate it. But I think I should take the supplies alone. If the Prior blocks the Stargate again, the others might be trapped there."
"We have a ship, Jonas," Sam reminded him. "We won't get stuck."
He just shook his head, adamant. "No. I won't risk you. Not for this. Just teach me what to do, give me the equipment, and I'll do it by myself."
"It's not a simple thing --" Lam objected.
Quinn's smile was a bright baring of his teeth. "I'm a quick study."
A little over an hour later, SG-1 was gathered in the Gateroom. There was a FRED loaded with supplies and equipment, and Sergeant Siler held onto the remote control, ready to direct it up the ramp when the Gate opened. Quinn stood near the FRED, with a sample case at his feet, containing several vials of prepared vaccine.
The other members of SG-1 wished him well, and Cam shook his hand. "Wish we could've met under less dire circumstances."
"You too, Colonel." Then he corrected himself with a small smile. "Cam." He turned his head to wave at the control room where Landry was waiting behind Davis.
The Gate began spinning and as the chevrons locked, Cam watched Quinn. He had never wavered from his determination to go back alone, and Cam thought it took some serious guts, not to mention attachment to his old friends.
The Gate was still spinning and Davis' voice broke into his musings, "Chevron Seven will not lock."
Sam's head swiveled to look up at the control room, in alarm, and she raced out of the room.
Only Cam saw Quinn's eyes close, and his face sort of crumple. He put out a hand instinctively to Quinn's shoulder. "It could be just a glitch, Jonas. Some gravity well between us and Langara."
Cam didn't believe his own words and wasn't surprised when the other man ignored him completely. "The Prior came back early," Jonas whispered.
"I'm too late."
==========
Cam and the rest of SG-1 stayed with Jonas as Sam tried her wizardry, but it was all futile. "I'm sorry," she said finally. "There's nothing more I can try. It just won't connect. The Langaran gate is shut down, one way or another. We'll try again tomorrow. And if that doesn't work, we can send a ship or one of our allies to check it out and see what's going on." She folded her hand around his. "We'll find out, Jonas. I promise."
He nodded his head, looking so weary and bereft that a breeze might blow him over.
"In the meantime," Cam offered, "we've got a bed assigned to you."
"I don't think I can sleep."
"Maybe not," Cam said. "But if you fake it really well, your body might even think you did. Come on, I'll show you the way."
"No, that's all right, I don't want to put you to any trouble --"
"My Grandma would be ashamed of me if I didn't show you some hospitality," Cam interrupted the polite protests, ignoring Teal'c's eyebrow of curiosity. "This way."
Leaning against the wall in a particularly boneless-looking way, Jonas said in the elevator, "I'm not quite sure why you're taking such an interest in a stranger but I appreciate it, Cam."
"You're not a stranger," Cam insisted. "I read all your reports. They were a lot more in depth than O'Neill's and less technical than Sam's. I got to know you pretty well through them, I think."
"Oh," Jonas said, taking a few seconds to process that, and he nodded. "Then I should read yours. Get to know you. Especially if I'm going to be stuck here awhile."
He said the last part with his head turned to study the plain painted metal walls of the elevator.
Cam said, "We'll get you home, Jonas."
Jonas didn't answer, but Cam saw the doubt written in his face, amid the weariness. He wanted to prove it wrong.
============
"All in," Cam declared and pushed his chips to the center of the table.
Sam eyed both Cam and Jonas, who were the only ones left in the hand. "One of you has something. I'm out." She threw her cards down.
Cam stared into Jonas' eyes, willing him to believe: 'I have a full house. I have a full house. You can't beat it. Fold. Fold.'
Jonas stared back and then his lips twitched into a smile. "You're bluffing," he declared. "Call." He pushed all his chips into the center.
Vala gave a delighted squeal and leaned forward eagerly. "Come on, show us. Who wins?"
Cam told himself that he was glad he had invited Jonas to the game. It had been his idea to try to integrate Jonas back into the SGC, in case the Odyssey came back with bad news about Langara. That was until Jonas called his bluff and wiped him out, though. "Crap," Cam sighed and threw his cards in the center. "One pair."
"You had a pair of nines?" Sam asked, sounding outraged and a bit amused. "I folded with two jacks, over your pair of nines? I thought you had something!"
Jonas turned his cards over. He had a straight, ten-high. And he grinned at Cam, the first honest grin Cam had seen in the week since he'd been at the SGC. It was amazing - it made Cam feel that losing wasn't so bad after all.
For a moment, he couldn't look away, until Jonas dropped his gaze and started to rake in his chips. Cam felt oddly awkward. "Well, I'm out," he said and stood up. "I've got a report to look at before tomorrow, so I'll say good night."
They all wished him a good night back. He turned at the door to watch as Sam dealt the next hand. Jonas took his cards and then glanced toward the door. Cameron couldn't meet his eyes and fumbled at the door knob in his haste to get out and look as though he weren't hurrying at all.
In the hallway he took a deep breath, trying to calm his suddenly thumping heartbeat, and shook his head to clear it. It was the beer he'd had; Jonas' unexpected skill at poker and that rather stunningly bright smile. He was just feeling a little strange tonight. That was all.
=================
Another week passed, until the day the Odyssey was due at Langara.
Cam knocked on the frame of the open doorway of Jonas' small office. "Hey."
Jonas glanced up from the books covering the desk. "Cam. Come in. Any news?"
Cam shook his head and wandered inside. "No, not yet. Soon I'm sure." He had to shake his head again when he saw that the television in the corner was on, though the sound was muted. "The Weather Channel? I heard about this obsession of yours from Sam. What's with that?"
Jonas shrugged. "Nothing."
"So." Since that conversational gambit was going nowhere, Cam shifted topics. "I came to see if you were up for lunch."
"Sure." Jonas stood up with a bounce that would've been funny in other circumstances.
"Jackson's work that tedious?" he asked, teasing only a little. Those Ancient translations couldn't be all that exciting, not really. But Jonas was one of the few people Daniel trusted to do it, and he'd been grateful for the help, even if he wound up correcting some of it. Cameron thought Jonas would mind the corrections, but Jonas had shrugged and admitted he was no linguist -- he'd memorized words and their meanings out of Daniel's handmade dictionary, that was all. He'd talked about it as though it wasn't anything special. Cameron wasn't sure if Jonas really had no ego, or it was carefully under wraps while he was a refugee.
"Well..." Jonas trailed off, not quite willing to admit it was boring as hell. "I can't concentrate today."
"No kidding. Let's go get some grub." Cam expected the slang to throw him, as it did Vala and still Teal'c sometimes, but Jonas didn't even lift his eyebrows.
As they went to the cafeteria and grabbed some food, Cam watched Jonas. If he was anxious about the news or lack of it, he didn't show it, except perhaps by his silence.
Jonas was an intriguing fellow, Cam had decided. He knew science, so he could talk to Sam at something approaching her level; but he was also familiar with Daniel's work. He had an interest in politics, and talked to Cam and Teal'c about their views on the Earth and Jaffa situation.
He was still a bit withdrawn, even around his friends, but Cam figured it was about all they could expect while Jonas was stuck not knowing the final fate of his planet.
Cameron was eating his sandwich, watching Jonas stir around his yogurt, when the PA came on. "Colonel Mitchell, Jonas Quinn, come to the control room."
Jonas was at the door before Cam had even stood up. He ran after but didn't manage to catch up, since Jonas was running down the stairs two at a time. It made Cam watch anxiously, sure that Jonas was going to miss a step and take a tumble. "Slow down!" he called. "They'll wait until you get there!"
Jonas stopped and waited for him. "Yes, of course," he said, hardly breathless at all, even though he'd just run down four flights. "Sorry. I'm just anxious."
"I know, but man, if I let you break your neck on the stairs, Teal'c would kill me," Cam slapped him on the back. "Come on, let's go hear."
In the control room, Sam and Landry were waiting. Landry gave Jonas a nod then said, a little too loudly, "Go ahead, Colonel Emerson. We're all present."
Emerson's voice was overlaid with some static, but perfectly understandable. "Yes, sir. I'm sorry, General, Mister Quinn, to be the bearer of such bad news. There were four Ori ships in orbit around the planet."
Jonas stared at the Stargate blankly before inhaling a shuddering breath and managing to say in a tight voice, "Colonel? This is Jonas Quinn. Could you scan the surface? The cities? Was there any damage?"
"We could only stay a very short time," Emerson said, "and we didn't scan the surface. So all I can say for sure is that the planet is still life-sustaining. I'm sorry, Mister Quinn, I wish I had better news for you."
"It is good news," Jonas said, and he didn't even sound as if he was lying. "Thank you, Colonel." He turned away, not meeting anyone's eyes, and said, "And thank you for sending the Odyssey, sir. If you'll excuse me."
He left, and when Cam shifted to go after him, he waited only long enough for Landry to give him a nod before going.
Teal'c's wise gaze looked a little too knowing as Cam passed, but Cam ignored it, to pursue his quarry.
When he got to the corridor, Jonas was nowhere in sight. It wasn't difficult to find him, though, since the SF's had tracked his progress through the base. Cam knocked on the door to Jonas' quarters and when he heard nothing, turned the knob and pushed the door open when he found it unlocked.
"Jonas?" he poked his head through the crack.
It was too dark to see anything. Cam let the door swing open all the way so the hall light would stream inside. Jonas was a curled silhouette sitting on the bed.
He flinched when the door opened, and his voice was a cracked mockery of its usual assurance, "Please... leave me alone, Cam."
Cam shut the door behind him and locked it. "No, I'm not going to do that," he murmured. As he spoke his eyes adjusted to the red light of the exit sign hanging over the door, and he could see well enough in the warm glow spread through the room. He approached the bed. "I think you're already feeling pretty damn alone, right?"
Perching on the edge of the bed, next to Jonas, they sat in silence for a moment and Cam waited.
"Do you know the worst part?" Jonas murmured into his knees. "I don't even like Langara very much. You can't imagine how many times I've wanted all of them gone -- the prime minister, the Andari, all of them."
He paused and then chuckled bitterly. "Got my wish, didn't I?"
Cam put a tentative hand on Jonas' upper back, and relaxed the touch when Jonas didn't flinch or move away, spreading his fingers across the spine beneath his shoulder blades. "It's gonna be okay. We will defeat the Ori someday, Jonas. I don't know when and I sure as hell don't know how, not yet, but we will. You just gotta hang on."
He slowly pulled his hand down the sharp bumps of the spine and the cords of muscle on either side before rubbing upward, offering what comfort he could.
Jonas let him rub his back twice more before asking, "Do you believe that?"
"Yeah. I do." Cam let his hand roam upward and his fingers liked the feel of the shoulders quite a lot. He was wiry, was Jonas, but stronger than he looked.
Jonas stayed in his huddle, even when Cam's fingers rubbed the back of his neck and toyed with the soft hair. His stillness allowed Cam to continue exploring along the top of his shoulders and his neck beneath his ear. Cam let instinct guide him, feeling that everything was slightly surreal in the odd lighting.
"Cam?" Jonas asked, very softly. "What are you doing?"
It wasn't an accusation and it sounded honestly curious. But Cam stopped, the spell broken, as the question hit him in the gut. What was he doing?
In the moment while words wouldn't come, Jonas unfolded and faced him. His face seemed very pale in the orange light and his eyes were deep and dark, looking into Cam's. "Among my people, doing what you're doing is," he hesitated, "more than friendly. But I know that's not what you're offering. So I don't understand what you're doing."
Cam swallowed, unsure about what he was doing and what he wanted. "What if --" he started and had to lick his lips. "What if I was offering?"
Jonas' brows shot up in surprise, but his voice stayed calm. "Then I'd ask what you were offering. Because I know there is a certain prejudice and a risk to you, and I'd want to make sure you understood."
Cam could hardly breathe or blink. "But you wouldn't say no?"
Jonas shook his head once, not looking away. "I don't want to be alone," he murmured. "I don't think I would ever say no to you anyway."
Cam had to clear his throat as the words sent a thrill all through him. "You're not, uh, bothered?"
"No. It's not our way." Jonas gave a little shrug and a smile that warmed all the places that had frozen in Cam's chest. "Alien," he added as if that explained it.
And maybe it did, Cam thought. Maybe it explained everything.
He barely had to lean at all and he was there, body against Jonas' solid and warm. His hand returned to Jonas' shoulder, fingers sliding down his arm, from the soft cotton of his t-shirt to the downy skin of his arm. His body wasn't as delicate as a woman, and touching the curves of his shoulders and biceps sent a shock down Cam's body that was as unexpected as it was pleasant.
His eyes couldn't stop fixing on Jonas' mouth, wondering what it would feel like. A little voice in the back of his head gibbered, 'Am I going to do this? Am I insane? What am I doing?'
A different thought intruded, 'Guy just lost his planet. We could lose the Earth tomorrow. And if we all die I don't want this kind of regret.'
The touch of those lips on his silenced the wandering thoughts.
The kiss wasn't Earth shattering; it wasn't spectacular. But it was very nice. Jonas wasn't hesitant and he seemed to know what he was doing. Kissing him was certainly not as strange as he had braced himself to expect.
Jonas pulled back and looked at him, head cocked. "You okay?" he asked in a murmur. "You want to stop?"
"Stop?" Cam repeated blankly, and couldn't help a laugh. "Are you nuts? That must be some alien thing, thinking we stop at first base like a couple of teenagers scared that their momma's going to come in."
"Kissing is second base," Jonas corrected and took his hand. "This is first base."
Cam couldn't argue, since Jonas was right. Jonas was pretty much always right -- Cam had figured that out two weeks ago. But he had Jonas' hand in his, those slender fingers sliding between Cam's own. A shiver went down his back and he glanced at the door as if he were doing something naughty. Which, in a way, he was. But the door was locked. And he had the suspicion that Teal'c would cover for them anyway.
More importantly, when he looked at Jonas' face -- his calm expression just a mask over a deep ocean of loss -- Cam knew he couldn't leave, even if he'd wanted to. He couldn't add to the pain; he could barely stand seeing what was there already. Jonas had drawn him in from the first moment, and Cam might not know why, but resisting it felt petty.
So why resist, especially when surrendering to it might be the best thing to ever happen to him?
"First base is boring. Let's keep going." Cam pulled Jonas close with their joined hands, and their mouths met again.
This time it was better. The third time was better still, and Cam let himself go in the deep reaches of his mouth, with one hand in Jonas' newly bristly hair to keep him still. The breathless gasps he was hearing made him smug and eager, and when Jonas clutched at his thigh, it sent sharp arrows of heat through his nerves, burning away the last lingering doubt.
As he was helping take off Jonas' shirt, he realized that he didn't always have to go through the Stargate. There was one alien lifeform he was eager to explore, right here.