[O'Neill] Little R&R
Who: O'Neill, Daniel
Where: Town, Fishing 'hole'
When: Bright and early Sunday morning, after Brookfields' cookout
Status: Complete
The sun hadn't yet put in an appearance when not-quite-so-retired General Jack O'Neill arose from his bed. It was the second 'day off', and Elizabeth was big on weekends actually -being- weekends. And if Dr. Weir was so adamant, who was he to complain?
After all... there were fish to be caught.
Rising slowly, groaning as he did, Jack settled into an upright position first before looking for the aspirin he'd put beside his bed, on the small bureau. Right next to the water.
Once those were downed, more shuffling-- bread that wasn't -too- stale, -for the fish!- was packed.. and for all intents and purposes, the moment he was dressed, he was ready.
With fishing poles in hand, and tacklebox and lunchbox in the other, he paused, blinked at the dark sky around him... and considered... but it was brief. He could get coffee while Danny-boy was getting ready.
Nothing like getting 'stood up', but he understood. The chances were all around better if Carter put the day in at the labs, and he'd just check on her when he returned.
So, it was over to Daniel's tent, and it was with a quick rap, and a less than hushed, "Daniel!" that he identified his newest prey.
"Daniel. Let's go. Fish are biting."
***
Daniel's first thought upon hearing Jack outside of his tent was, 'Fish?' and his second was to wonder if it would be possible to sneak out of the back of his tent without getting caught. He looked down at the notebooks and binders open on his makeshift desk, on his bed, on a stack of crates, and then to the back of the tent flap again. \
'If I'm quiet enough, it just might work...'
***
Now, Jack hadn't yet let himself in. There was always that underlying -threat-, however, as he rapped on the door again.
"Daniel."
Then,
"I know you're in there."
For a moment, the general almost felt a pang of guilt, but got over it quickly. He was hanging out with Teyla and the other Dr. Jackson all night. Not as if he was going to get lucky with either of them-- and Jack didn't notice any of those pre-pubescents getting the once over, so it was pretty safe to assume Danny-boy had gone to bed alone.
"C'mon, Daniel. Don't make me come in there."
Parenting 101?
***
Daniel sighed heavily and gave a long, last wistful look at the work he'd planned to do that morning. He peeked his head out, met Jack's far too smug and happy face and rolled his eyes as he pulled the tent flap aside. "You do know that some of us have work to do? I had plans for this morning, Jack, can't we do the fishing some other time?" He managed to not grimace as he said the world 'fishing' though it was by a narrow margin.
Then Daniel frowned and swung an accusatory gaze back at Jack, "And how'd you know I wasn't alone? I could have had company, you know."
***
Jack entered, though he casted a glance back towards Elizabeth's tent. Unless she slept the sleep of the dead (or the just)... 'didn't we go over this last night'?, he could very well have woken her up. AND Sam.
Daniel's fault, and Jack was quick to lay blame.
"Yeah, and if you answered the door faster, we wouldn't be running the potential of waking Elizabeth or Carter up." How easily that flowed as a hissed, loud whisper.
"And sorry.. there was no way you would'a had company. Not with your fan club following you last night."
Jack completely ignored the fact that Daniel offered complaint, even suggesting that he had work to attend to on a Sunday! "G'head, get your stuff." He looked about the room briefly. "Supposed to be bright and clear, so don't forget your hat. You'll need it."
***
Daniel blushed, as always at mention of the Daniel Jackson Appreciation Society. Elizabeth, Sam, Cassie and even Ami insisted that it was sweet and cute and somehow compared his "fan club" to their teenage crushes and heartthrobs. (Yes, that's going to make me feel so much better about it.) It was better and safer to not let Jack start going down that road.
"You have no idea," Daniel muttered sulkily, half under his breath. All right, petulance wasn't so becoming on him and only Jack could bring out this sort of juvenile behavior in Daniel, especially when his work was interrupted. "You owe me," Daniel added as he turned and began gathering up his gear. "Speaking of Elizabeth and Sam, any reason you're not torturing them instead of me this morning?"
***
Jack meandered around the room, finding random bits of clothes that could help Daniel-- clean... ish t-shirt, long sleeved shirt.. jacket and flinging them at him. He knew about the teasing, and wow... those women had no idea what it did to a guy... He was more than aware, however, and the reactions were just that much better.
Making his way over towards the door, he stopped near one of the side support posts. "Oh.. you'll owe me for a day off. And Sam had work to do, even if she did promise me last night she'd go... and Elizabeth is..." He twisted his head around to glance towards the colony head's tent and finished, "...asleep."
"So, it's just you... and me... and the fish. I have it on good authority that there are actually -fish- in this one."
***
"Oh good," Daniel quipped, "At least that means there might be some distraction other than biting mosquitoes, bad jokes and Simpson quotes." Daniel changed his shirt and vowed that he would take Sam's desertion up with her at a later date. It would probably involve something along the lines of blue jell-o being held hostage, or serenades of 'I am Henry the Eight I am,' outside of her tent. (Or better yet, in her lab.) Of course the last introduced the prospect of annoying Valerie, and Daniel wasn't sure how the little scientist would react to the sort of practical joking that SG-1 enjoyed amongst themselves.
"So is this a catch it and throw it back exercise or not?" Daniel asked when he was finally, unfortunately, dressed for a day on the lake. "Because you know my rule, Jack. I don't clean it. I might not be able to buy it on ice in the local grocery, but we have enough fishers and fishmongers that I still get to draw the line somewhere." Then, just as quickly he shifted subjects again asking with sincerity and genuine friendship, "How are you feeling today? I think -" Daniel stretched his arms over his head and felt a nice either Sam or Ami inflicted shaped bruise on his side, "I'm going to be looking for a hot bath later. And a massuse.
"Oh, yeah, and revenge."
***
"Oh no.. you'll still get those." Jack waited now, his eyes flickering towards the outside, as if he was acting as 'lookout'. In a sense, he was. If they woke up the women?
At Daniel's question, Jack straightened himself up to his full height and looked... stunned.. shocked and amazed even. "No. This is a catch and hang on hooks.. and bring home exercise." Fish cleaning really wasn't up his alley either, but among his circle of friends? Ye-ah. Two PhDs... no, THREE PhDs.
They'll be cleaning fish.
Right.
Jack settled once more, particularly as the conversation took a more personal path. Not one to linger long there, however, the general nodded, then shrugged offhandedly. "Got some aspirin. Should help some. That little archaeologist you've got packs a serious punch. 'Course, it's war now." It was the one thing, however, that he could easily agree with his best friend on. "Oh, yeah."
Jack switched tracks for a moment as his brows raised and his tones set to hopeful. "There's a masseuse here? Really?"
He wasn't going to dwell there. Best leave that as conversation to the hole in question. That way, he can get out if she was cute or not, how old, hair color... All the things that could possibly pertain to the job, of course.
***
"There are several as well as physical therapists and ... " Daniel trailed off as he stacked the last of his gear and turned to the older man. "You still don't read the reports, do you? There are dozens of demographic reports and colony forecasts available that tell you just this sort of thing, Jack." Daniel pushed his glasses up on his nose. "I thought you might have learned something from your time spent as - oh, I don't know, *head* of the SGC - about reading reports. Sam and I won't always be around to give you the Cliff's Notes.
"And she's not an archaeologist, she's an socio-cultural anthropologist with a minor concentration in archeology -" Daniel stopped again, not surprised to see the look on Jack's face that said that there really wasn't any difference between the two. Of course, given that Daniel had Ph.Ds in both fields and Jack was used to working with Daniel, it only made sense. What Jack didn't know was that the combination of both fields were a rarity, making Daniel an exception, and it was the reason that Daniel felt such a kinship with Ami. With a firm shake of his head, Daniel chose not to explain any of that to Jack and continued, "Also, as you so not subtly implied and pointed out, she's hardly mine."
Jack also didn't know that Daniel and Ami had tried it initially. Once all the dust settled and the star gate was buried beneath a pile of rubble, courtesy of the meteor storm. They worked well together, they had a lot in common, and though they truly enjoyed one another's company, there just hadn't been *that* sort of chemistry there. No spark beyond the basics of he was male, she was female and neither of them had gotten laid in a particularly long time; a few days later, and mutual choruses of "thanks for the good night," "just friends" and "Oh thank god, you feel that way too?" put them back on safe, solid ground and without that particular stress hanging over their heads.
"Are we ready to go fishing now?" Daniel didn't hide the grimace on the last word so well this time.
***
Jack shrugged off-handedly at the question regarding whether or not he read reports. Never did, and never liked writing them either. "Um... colony forecasts. We covered that in a meeting. That whole," he waved the hand holding the poles airily, ".3 kid thing?" That last bit was given with the classic sound of non-comprehension, but then again... who knew when it came to him? "Tell me... did that make sense to you?"
"And, while you ARE around, I'm a firm believer in using all available assets."
No, Jack had no idea about their trysts. He was busy in his own right, working until exhaustion took over, and he'd slept. It was the only way he could be assured some semblance of slumber-- work until you couldn't anymore. If he'd had the energy at the time, he'd have been a little envious.
Protect the colony at all costs.
It's why he knew, deep down, that he'd never be able to retire. He was needed; even when the
police force was in place, and a 'secondary' military force was in place-- he'd still be around as a makeshift 'General Hammond'. Hard shoes to fill.
That fact, too, made -any- relationship problematic.
Opening the door for egress, Jack nodded his acknowledgment. The sky outside was still dark, the lights of the colony still on energy-saver mode; the 'streets' were dimly lit, but soon enough, there'd be no need with the sun's rise.
"Yeah. Let's go. And don't wake up the women. They need their beauty sleep."
***
"I need my beauty sleep," Daniel grumbled, though he followed his friend out into the deserted pre-dawn "streets." Not that he would have been sleeping, but it was the principle of the matter.
They walked through "Colorado Town," as the area which housed the military and former sGC personnel had come to be dubbed, keeping their voices low - which meant talking of innocous things instead of more substantial matters - to avoid waking anyone who was trying to sleep in after the night of partying and celebration. Even those who hadn't been at the Bakerfield's had probably taken the night off, enjoyed a little of the "local" beer and some of the even more local "moonshine," while relaxing. Saturdays were notorious for "down-time," and Sundays for sleeing off hang overs which is why Daniel looked forward to those days to get work done that didn't include rebuilding and shaping out a future.
Once they were free and clear of the "town" as a whole, Daniel returned to Jack's earlier prompt. "That's the rate that the colony would need to grow to maintain a stable population and growth rate."
"Huh?" Jack asked and Daniel couldn't help but wondering if the man did it on purpose.
No, actually, I know that he does.
Daniel sighed and frowned, hating to repeat himself but knowing that he would anyway. "It's an average, Jack. It doesn't mean that someone's going to have a partial child, you know that right?"
Jack gave him a "well-duh" look, and Daniel continued on. "It means that one family might have one child, one might have two, one might have four, but in the end, the average child per family size will be 2.3. That equates steady growth, stability and eventually, long term self-sufficiency because self-sufficiency is dependent on a population capable of performing all required tasks with efficiency."
Daniel drew a breath and added with a sly grin, "It means people have to shack up and have babies."
***
Jack was good at walking the pathways silently, making their way through 'Colorado Town'. It was his bastion; that place where he felt most at ease. He'd been in the military since he was 18, and after living a life where most of his work would be redacted, living out in the civilian sectors would be a little difficult. For him, it was here... or that sweet little cabin he's building. Having built, but to his specifications.
As the pair took to the 'streets' out of town, the sun was beginning to peek up, giving a glow to the dark sky. The lights of the settlement took notice, and the streetlamps began their fade.
The conversation, of course, returned to procreation rates, and as Daniel talked, Jack did give the man the glassy-eyed, 'Sure, whatever you say' look, adding only the occasional noise of acknowledgement as they walked. His attention was more on the path before them, dark eyes searched for that footpath in to the little lake that he'd 'claimed' as his own.
"So, yeah. Need more of those 'mixers' then." For the others. He casted a glance to his friend, a flickering of emotion going rapidly past, behind dark eyes. He was eyes front again as he gestured towards the opening, "Over there," and he turned towards it, falling quiet again; a sure sign that he was thinking about the conversation-- or trying to forget it completely. Hints usually came with whatever he came out with later. Branches had to be ducked, shifted out of their path (which really wasn't much of one. More a game foot-path, really.) The sun was rising a little further, bringing light to the canopy above, filtering down.
"You thinking about settling down here?" After all, it was probably easiest for the archaeologist. He'd done it before. "Not that there are a lot of options open to us, sure." But, it really was the difference between 'evacuation site' and 'colony'. "Settle down, raise your 2.3 kids. Find that desperate girl whose biological clock is ringing off the hook..."
***
Daniel stopped himself in the nick of time before rising to Jack's bait. Lack of coffee had him slightly off his game, but he congratulated himself on not falling into Jack's little trap. He kept moving forward down the path, with determined strides, more curious than he would admit to see where and what Jack found as his new "fishing hole."
The path wound and twisted downward at an angle, the smell of water and wet grass and rocks growing stronger as they walked. A familiar sort of dampness was in the air.
"I've thought about it, more than once," Daniel confessed pushing a large branch up enough to duck beneath it. He was kind enough to keep holding it for Jack. "More than I thought about it on earth actually. There was always the stargate and the security of the program. Plus, spending so much time off-world didn't make for good, stable relationships. Lovers, yes, relationships no."
Daniel navigated around a large hole, dug by an animal and once again startled at the fact that several squirrel like creatures clustered off the path and overhead branches, barking and yelping, keeping their distance, but not running away in mad fear. It raised numerous questions about nature and nuture and virginal lands, but Daniel shelved them quickly, forcing his thoughts back on track.
"You? Daniel? You dog." Jack's teasing came as expected, but it wasn't as though his friend didn't know that Daniel had occassional dalliances. Daniel was discrete and quiet, and believed that a gentleman didn't kiss and tell, but sometimes things slipped through the cracks.
Though his face reddened a bit - Daniel really hated that he blushed even when he wasn't overwhelmingly embarrassed, Daniel pressed on. "That's different here. The stargate is a known factor, and off-world exploration is to be expected. Settling into a relationship with a woman who understands all of that would be easy, I think. *If* I found the right woman. Though, there are plenty of available, intelligent, attractive women here that I could chose from."
Daniel tossed his arm casually to the left, "But I've heard the queue for desperate, semi-cute and can deal with grouchy old men, starts somewhere over there."
***
"Well, yeah. This makes it easier." For Daniel, at least. For Jack, not so much. Not until--
Yeah.
"I think we all pretty much figured that out. Phone calls in the middle of the night, and out the door in five pretty much would put the kebosh on any sort of long term, meaningful relationship." Jack had a marriage under his belt already, even if it hadn't collapsed under the weight of his responsibilities.
Now, Jack, too, had always been discrete. All the others, well... if not directly told (Sam and Pete), he always found out in little ways, little clues. Couldn't make this game, that cookout, wasn't available to go out to dinner. Daniel was guilty of that, even Teal'c. As for his own relationships? There was only one in the years at the SGC that anyone could point to... and that happened to come AFTER the discovery of Sam 'moving ahead with her life' and dating Pete. And, the end of that one happened around the same time that Pete and Sam had broken up... and Jacob died.
Jack nodded his thanks as he ducked under random branches, his stride as certain as ever in his direction. He was greeted with the shifting of the landscape; the moss, the familiar, earthy scents of a water source nearby. The chattering of the wildlife was catalogued and shelved, dark eyes always scanning the landscape. He'd brought his pistol, but for the most part it signaled nothing other than, well, Jack was being Jack. A lifetime of carrying one made it familiar territory.
He slowed at Daniel's retort, his brows rising in askance, and pausing in his step, did a rather theatric sweep around, searching. "I can see the mad rush." He raised his voice as he called into the still, humid morning air, "Ladies, ladies... no pushing. You'll all get your chance."
Returning to his path, Jack gained the water's edge, and put his equipment down; tacklebox, some food in a small cooler.. and the poles he leaned against an available tree. "Here we are. -The- best place. That I've found, mind. I'm planning on sending up another geological team to do more surveys. Never know if there's better out there."
***
They settled down, once again falling back on inconsequential talk, the abundance of wildlife, grudging admissions that the colony site was peaceful and beautiful, even with all the trees, and places that Jack might send the geological survey team. The last inevitably led to commentary regarding the high number of disappointed women there would be if they were deprived of the sight of Keivaghn. Daniel was a pragmatist and secure enough in his heterosexuality to admit when he was clearly outclassed and a man could be considered beautiful.
"You'll be the villain for weeks if you send him away," Daniel noted as they settled in for what was apt to be a long day. "Unless, you made Elizabeth do it. And of course, having him out of the way would open up a lot of opportunities to the remaining numbers of us unattached males."
"So, what about you?" Daniel asked, turning serious again. "Have you thought about settling down here? All teasing aside, there are plenty of interested and available women here." Daniel didn't bring up Sam's name, but figured there was no need. Partly, he didn't want to open that can of worms, but also because he wasn't sure that was what either of his best friends needed to hear. He thought, once regulations were eased and the colony became colony and not a standby evacuation site, that they would naturally gravitate toward one another. Daniel wished Jack and Sam all the best, but he worried that they might find that they'd been wanting and idealizing something for so long that once they got it, it wouldn't be quite what they dreamed.
He loved them both and didn't want to see his family hurt or disappointed in any way.
***
Jack grabbed the poles once more, assembled them completely, baited them.. and handed one off before settling down. His boots shifted the rocks such that he had a good heel-hold... and sat down for what he expected would be the day.
He glanced sideways, his expression one of contrived innocence. "I'd never consider sending him away to do his job." Of course he knew it would open up the playing field for the others. The man is good at his job, which was, oddly enough, tactics. It was just a matter of what sort of venue his skills could be utilized...
The line was casted, once... twice... each with quick flips of his wrist, landing at about the area in the middle-distance before him. With a jerk on the line, Jack was finally happy with his placement.
After Daniel's question, Jack remained silent, his gaze settled over the water. From years of watching the man's body language, however, there was no question that he was taking the not-so-unexpected shift of topic seriously... and that whatever answer he gave would be seriously considered.
"Haven't had the time." That was the truth, for both Jack -and- Sam. Jack was playing the role of not only Joint Chief of the Air Force, but also Hammond, and Police Commissioner. Sam, too, had her hands full... as did Daniel. The teammates had their hands fuller now than ever before. And, remarkably enough, what they had on their plates was nothing like Elizabeth had.
All delegated to the best of their abilities, too... and to the best of the abilities of the others. But, they all took their responsibilities seriously.
"Not the first thing that comes to mind, actually." He looked at Daniel, his expression one of sober seriousness. "And I'm not ready to give up on the chance that we'll make contact with Earth." Only when that happens will he truly believe that this is 'home'. "If and when that comes, fine... I'll find a nice girl, settle down, and have our 2.3 kids." Maybe.
Neither he nor Sam were getting any younger... assuming the 'no frat' rules were loosened.
Their relationship, the two officers, has been the same on Gamma as it had been back on Earth. Easy. Comfortable. Once could point to it and say 'good friends', while another watching could say, 'just waiting for opportunity'. Would it change after? He honestly didn't think so, but he'd never gotten the chance to see. And if it didn't 'work out'?
After 10 years, no harm, no foul.
"Does one work? You know... adding 2/3s more, just as a boost?"
***
Daniel chuckled and watched the line disappearing into the nearly still, clear water. The place was swimming with fish, no pun intended, and Daniel knew that it wouldn't be long before either of them got a bite. "And how exactly do you intend to add 2/3s more, Jack? Figure you'll pick up a few spare parts and play build-a-kid?"
This was one conversation that Daniel never really thought they'd be having. Oh sure, there were plenty of alcohol induced, deep meaning of life types of conversations between them on days off, or even bizarre philosophical meanderings off-world when there was nothing to do but wait. Here, however, it was different. Admitting to anything here and saying it aloud felt something akin to setting it in stone. He knew Jack well enough to know that while the man may have had the chisel in his hand, he still wasn't ready to pay close attention to any of the nearby blocks.
The "secret" cabin that Jack was having built was a testament to that. The man was settling in ... but not.
"Then again, I guess you would have to use that cabin for something once it's built. Makes a nice little love shack, I guess," Daniel teased gently. "Who's on your short list, Jack? Elaine McInnes, the nurse? Or, is it the high school librarian, Maggie ... oh, what's her name again? You know the one? Red head, divorced, has really large ... earrings?"
***
"Bah.. if Frankenstein could do it..." Jack let his voice trail off in favor of tugging on the line to tease the fish with the bait. He hadn't yet gotten any fish off this spot, even though it was teeming. Not with worms, bugs, or an old boot. Literally. The stale bread was actually one of those 'worse case' baits. Could be these fish ate something else?
"Dammit. I knew I should have actually read those marine biologist reports," he muttered as he made a face at the water. There was a difference. Home, he had no expectations as there were no fish... Here? "Did you catch anything across your desk?"
As if the entire conversation hadn't ever existed.
Oh, Jack was mulling over it, chewing it carefully-- and at his comment, he turned his head towards his friend, his brows rising. "Excuse me?" It was a prelude to, "You know about--" Then, "Wait.. how did you find--"
Jack sighed and pressed his lips together, setting his pole into the dirt before him, shoring it all up with rocks. "Beverly?" And he knew her name!
"Nah... not her. I like a little more spunk, a little less... earring. I'd be afraid that if I started to say something at dinner, she'd *shush* me. And you know me. I don't like to be *shushed*."
He twisted around to get at the lunch bag already, and pulled out some cheese and not-quite-stale bread, offering once he'd taken some. "Daniel?" Returning to the lack of duty at hand, he retook his fishing pole and teased the end out of the water, the empty hook swinging back to him.
As he attended to the re-baiting, with cheese and bread, he kept his focus on what he was doing, but asked, "You? Getting something a little more permanant than tent poles stuck 3 feet into the ground?"
***
Now it was Daniel's turn for some quiet introspection. He felt more "settled" here than either of his teammates did, he knew that. So it was ironic that he wasn't the one seeking a bride and trying to put down some more permanent roots. Then again, Daniel easily felt settled anywhere. It came from spending his formative years as the child of an archaeologist, and later his own global wanderings. For Daniel, home really was where the heart was; right now it was here, on Gamma Site with Jack and Sam, and his more extended "family" of Elizabeth and Teyla. The only person missing was Teal'c.
"I haven't really thought about it, honestly," Daniel confessed. "I'm used to tents. All those digs with my parents, Abydos, when you found me after I - um, un-Ascended. I've never been one to really do the whole -" Daniel waved his hand around, for once at a loss for words, "real estate thing."
"You had a house."
"Yes, because my stuff was taking up space at the SGC."
"That was just George's way of getting you back out into the world at large."
A fond smile twisted his lips at the thought of General Hammond, followed by a pang of loss. General Hammond had been at Beta site. They had to hope for the best and he wasn't going to let particularly negative thoughts bring him down. He shifted a bit, giving a light tug on the line, and not really surprised that nothing was biting. Daniel personally and secretly thought the fish sometimes avoided Jack just because they could. "I suppose that could all change if I met that special someone, that could change, but I haven't found her yet.
"Then again, I'm not looking that hard." Daniel took a moment to carefully perch his fishing rod, then exchanged his glasses for his sunglasses. "Figure I can always borrow your cabin if I do need a little getaway." His smile betrayed the teasing in his words.
***
Jack nodded, glancing over to where Daniel's line was teasing, watching the silver, the pinks, the reds darting. "Yeah. Me neither."
Exhaling in another sigh, he pushed the end of the pole back into the dirt and piled a couple of rocks before deciding that he wanted some of the cheese and bread for himself. He pulled a piece of bread off the large loaf, followed by some cheese, cut by a knife he dug into his pocket for on his pants leg. Cleaning the small knife off with a sweep across his pants once more, he closed and replaced it.
As he worked, he glanced over at his friend, nodded, and pulled his own shades out. The aviator ones.. as opposed to the sand goggles. "As long as you clean up after your parties. And before you ask, no you can't have the keys to the car." He had no doubt that Daniel would find someone, settle down, have those kids. Out of all of them, he had the best chance.
With bread and cheese taken care of, and the fishing in 'full swing', Jack was more than ready for a day off, doing nothing more than sitting on the bank... and fishing. "You know... I've only caught a few of them. Over the past year, that is. Did you say whether you read those reports? The... ones on sealife..."
Where: Town, Fishing 'hole'
When: Bright and early Sunday morning, after Brookfields' cookout
Status: Complete
The sun hadn't yet put in an appearance when not-quite-so-retired General Jack O'Neill arose from his bed. It was the second 'day off', and Elizabeth was big on weekends actually -being- weekends. And if Dr. Weir was so adamant, who was he to complain?
After all... there were fish to be caught.
Rising slowly, groaning as he did, Jack settled into an upright position first before looking for the aspirin he'd put beside his bed, on the small bureau. Right next to the water.
Once those were downed, more shuffling-- bread that wasn't -too- stale, -for the fish!- was packed.. and for all intents and purposes, the moment he was dressed, he was ready.
With fishing poles in hand, and tacklebox and lunchbox in the other, he paused, blinked at the dark sky around him... and considered... but it was brief. He could get coffee while Danny-boy was getting ready.
Nothing like getting 'stood up', but he understood. The chances were all around better if Carter put the day in at the labs, and he'd just check on her when he returned.
So, it was over to Daniel's tent, and it was with a quick rap, and a less than hushed, "Daniel!" that he identified his newest prey.
"Daniel. Let's go. Fish are biting."
***
Daniel's first thought upon hearing Jack outside of his tent was, 'Fish?' and his second was to wonder if it would be possible to sneak out of the back of his tent without getting caught. He looked down at the notebooks and binders open on his makeshift desk, on his bed, on a stack of crates, and then to the back of the tent flap again. \
'If I'm quiet enough, it just might work...'
***
Now, Jack hadn't yet let himself in. There was always that underlying -threat-, however, as he rapped on the door again.
"Daniel."
Then,
"I know you're in there."
For a moment, the general almost felt a pang of guilt, but got over it quickly. He was hanging out with Teyla and the other Dr. Jackson all night. Not as if he was going to get lucky with either of them-- and Jack didn't notice any of those pre-pubescents getting the once over, so it was pretty safe to assume Danny-boy had gone to bed alone.
"C'mon, Daniel. Don't make me come in there."
Parenting 101?
***
Daniel sighed heavily and gave a long, last wistful look at the work he'd planned to do that morning. He peeked his head out, met Jack's far too smug and happy face and rolled his eyes as he pulled the tent flap aside. "You do know that some of us have work to do? I had plans for this morning, Jack, can't we do the fishing some other time?" He managed to not grimace as he said the world 'fishing' though it was by a narrow margin.
Then Daniel frowned and swung an accusatory gaze back at Jack, "And how'd you know I wasn't alone? I could have had company, you know."
***
Jack entered, though he casted a glance back towards Elizabeth's tent. Unless she slept the sleep of the dead (or the just)... 'didn't we go over this last night'?, he could very well have woken her up. AND Sam.
Daniel's fault, and Jack was quick to lay blame.
"Yeah, and if you answered the door faster, we wouldn't be running the potential of waking Elizabeth or Carter up." How easily that flowed as a hissed, loud whisper.
"And sorry.. there was no way you would'a had company. Not with your fan club following you last night."
Jack completely ignored the fact that Daniel offered complaint, even suggesting that he had work to attend to on a Sunday! "G'head, get your stuff." He looked about the room briefly. "Supposed to be bright and clear, so don't forget your hat. You'll need it."
***
Daniel blushed, as always at mention of the Daniel Jackson Appreciation Society. Elizabeth, Sam, Cassie and even Ami insisted that it was sweet and cute and somehow compared his "fan club" to their teenage crushes and heartthrobs. (Yes, that's going to make me feel so much better about it.) It was better and safer to not let Jack start going down that road.
"You have no idea," Daniel muttered sulkily, half under his breath. All right, petulance wasn't so becoming on him and only Jack could bring out this sort of juvenile behavior in Daniel, especially when his work was interrupted. "You owe me," Daniel added as he turned and began gathering up his gear. "Speaking of Elizabeth and Sam, any reason you're not torturing them instead of me this morning?"
***
Jack meandered around the room, finding random bits of clothes that could help Daniel-- clean... ish t-shirt, long sleeved shirt.. jacket and flinging them at him. He knew about the teasing, and wow... those women had no idea what it did to a guy... He was more than aware, however, and the reactions were just that much better.
Making his way over towards the door, he stopped near one of the side support posts. "Oh.. you'll owe me for a day off. And Sam had work to do, even if she did promise me last night she'd go... and Elizabeth is..." He twisted his head around to glance towards the colony head's tent and finished, "...asleep."
"So, it's just you... and me... and the fish. I have it on good authority that there are actually -fish- in this one."
***
"Oh good," Daniel quipped, "At least that means there might be some distraction other than biting mosquitoes, bad jokes and Simpson quotes." Daniel changed his shirt and vowed that he would take Sam's desertion up with her at a later date. It would probably involve something along the lines of blue jell-o being held hostage, or serenades of 'I am Henry the Eight I am,' outside of her tent. (Or better yet, in her lab.) Of course the last introduced the prospect of annoying Valerie, and Daniel wasn't sure how the little scientist would react to the sort of practical joking that SG-1 enjoyed amongst themselves.
"So is this a catch it and throw it back exercise or not?" Daniel asked when he was finally, unfortunately, dressed for a day on the lake. "Because you know my rule, Jack. I don't clean it. I might not be able to buy it on ice in the local grocery, but we have enough fishers and fishmongers that I still get to draw the line somewhere." Then, just as quickly he shifted subjects again asking with sincerity and genuine friendship, "How are you feeling today? I think -" Daniel stretched his arms over his head and felt a nice either Sam or Ami inflicted shaped bruise on his side, "I'm going to be looking for a hot bath later. And a massuse.
"Oh, yeah, and revenge."
***
"Oh no.. you'll still get those." Jack waited now, his eyes flickering towards the outside, as if he was acting as 'lookout'. In a sense, he was. If they woke up the women?
At Daniel's question, Jack straightened himself up to his full height and looked... stunned.. shocked and amazed even. "No. This is a catch and hang on hooks.. and bring home exercise." Fish cleaning really wasn't up his alley either, but among his circle of friends? Ye-ah. Two PhDs... no, THREE PhDs.
They'll be cleaning fish.
Right.
Jack settled once more, particularly as the conversation took a more personal path. Not one to linger long there, however, the general nodded, then shrugged offhandedly. "Got some aspirin. Should help some. That little archaeologist you've got packs a serious punch. 'Course, it's war now." It was the one thing, however, that he could easily agree with his best friend on. "Oh, yeah."
Jack switched tracks for a moment as his brows raised and his tones set to hopeful. "There's a masseuse here? Really?"
He wasn't going to dwell there. Best leave that as conversation to the hole in question. That way, he can get out if she was cute or not, how old, hair color... All the things that could possibly pertain to the job, of course.
***
"There are several as well as physical therapists and ... " Daniel trailed off as he stacked the last of his gear and turned to the older man. "You still don't read the reports, do you? There are dozens of demographic reports and colony forecasts available that tell you just this sort of thing, Jack." Daniel pushed his glasses up on his nose. "I thought you might have learned something from your time spent as - oh, I don't know, *head* of the SGC - about reading reports. Sam and I won't always be around to give you the Cliff's Notes.
"And she's not an archaeologist, she's an socio-cultural anthropologist with a minor concentration in archeology -" Daniel stopped again, not surprised to see the look on Jack's face that said that there really wasn't any difference between the two. Of course, given that Daniel had Ph.Ds in both fields and Jack was used to working with Daniel, it only made sense. What Jack didn't know was that the combination of both fields were a rarity, making Daniel an exception, and it was the reason that Daniel felt such a kinship with Ami. With a firm shake of his head, Daniel chose not to explain any of that to Jack and continued, "Also, as you so not subtly implied and pointed out, she's hardly mine."
Jack also didn't know that Daniel and Ami had tried it initially. Once all the dust settled and the star gate was buried beneath a pile of rubble, courtesy of the meteor storm. They worked well together, they had a lot in common, and though they truly enjoyed one another's company, there just hadn't been *that* sort of chemistry there. No spark beyond the basics of he was male, she was female and neither of them had gotten laid in a particularly long time; a few days later, and mutual choruses of "thanks for the good night," "just friends" and "Oh thank god, you feel that way too?" put them back on safe, solid ground and without that particular stress hanging over their heads.
"Are we ready to go fishing now?" Daniel didn't hide the grimace on the last word so well this time.
***
Jack shrugged off-handedly at the question regarding whether or not he read reports. Never did, and never liked writing them either. "Um... colony forecasts. We covered that in a meeting. That whole," he waved the hand holding the poles airily, ".3 kid thing?" That last bit was given with the classic sound of non-comprehension, but then again... who knew when it came to him? "Tell me... did that make sense to you?"
"And, while you ARE around, I'm a firm believer in using all available assets."
No, Jack had no idea about their trysts. He was busy in his own right, working until exhaustion took over, and he'd slept. It was the only way he could be assured some semblance of slumber-- work until you couldn't anymore. If he'd had the energy at the time, he'd have been a little envious.
Protect the colony at all costs.
It's why he knew, deep down, that he'd never be able to retire. He was needed; even when the
police force was in place, and a 'secondary' military force was in place-- he'd still be around as a makeshift 'General Hammond'. Hard shoes to fill.
That fact, too, made -any- relationship problematic.
Opening the door for egress, Jack nodded his acknowledgment. The sky outside was still dark, the lights of the colony still on energy-saver mode; the 'streets' were dimly lit, but soon enough, there'd be no need with the sun's rise.
"Yeah. Let's go. And don't wake up the women. They need their beauty sleep."
***
"I need my beauty sleep," Daniel grumbled, though he followed his friend out into the deserted pre-dawn "streets." Not that he would have been sleeping, but it was the principle of the matter.
They walked through "Colorado Town," as the area which housed the military and former sGC personnel had come to be dubbed, keeping their voices low - which meant talking of innocous things instead of more substantial matters - to avoid waking anyone who was trying to sleep in after the night of partying and celebration. Even those who hadn't been at the Bakerfield's had probably taken the night off, enjoyed a little of the "local" beer and some of the even more local "moonshine," while relaxing. Saturdays were notorious for "down-time," and Sundays for sleeing off hang overs which is why Daniel looked forward to those days to get work done that didn't include rebuilding and shaping out a future.
Once they were free and clear of the "town" as a whole, Daniel returned to Jack's earlier prompt. "That's the rate that the colony would need to grow to maintain a stable population and growth rate."
"Huh?" Jack asked and Daniel couldn't help but wondering if the man did it on purpose.
No, actually, I know that he does.
Daniel sighed and frowned, hating to repeat himself but knowing that he would anyway. "It's an average, Jack. It doesn't mean that someone's going to have a partial child, you know that right?"
Jack gave him a "well-duh" look, and Daniel continued on. "It means that one family might have one child, one might have two, one might have four, but in the end, the average child per family size will be 2.3. That equates steady growth, stability and eventually, long term self-sufficiency because self-sufficiency is dependent on a population capable of performing all required tasks with efficiency."
Daniel drew a breath and added with a sly grin, "It means people have to shack up and have babies."
***
Jack was good at walking the pathways silently, making their way through 'Colorado Town'. It was his bastion; that place where he felt most at ease. He'd been in the military since he was 18, and after living a life where most of his work would be redacted, living out in the civilian sectors would be a little difficult. For him, it was here... or that sweet little cabin he's building. Having built, but to his specifications.
As the pair took to the 'streets' out of town, the sun was beginning to peek up, giving a glow to the dark sky. The lights of the settlement took notice, and the streetlamps began their fade.
The conversation, of course, returned to procreation rates, and as Daniel talked, Jack did give the man the glassy-eyed, 'Sure, whatever you say' look, adding only the occasional noise of acknowledgement as they walked. His attention was more on the path before them, dark eyes searched for that footpath in to the little lake that he'd 'claimed' as his own.
"So, yeah. Need more of those 'mixers' then." For the others. He casted a glance to his friend, a flickering of emotion going rapidly past, behind dark eyes. He was eyes front again as he gestured towards the opening, "Over there," and he turned towards it, falling quiet again; a sure sign that he was thinking about the conversation-- or trying to forget it completely. Hints usually came with whatever he came out with later. Branches had to be ducked, shifted out of their path (which really wasn't much of one. More a game foot-path, really.) The sun was rising a little further, bringing light to the canopy above, filtering down.
"You thinking about settling down here?" After all, it was probably easiest for the archaeologist. He'd done it before. "Not that there are a lot of options open to us, sure." But, it really was the difference between 'evacuation site' and 'colony'. "Settle down, raise your 2.3 kids. Find that desperate girl whose biological clock is ringing off the hook..."
***
Daniel stopped himself in the nick of time before rising to Jack's bait. Lack of coffee had him slightly off his game, but he congratulated himself on not falling into Jack's little trap. He kept moving forward down the path, with determined strides, more curious than he would admit to see where and what Jack found as his new "fishing hole."
The path wound and twisted downward at an angle, the smell of water and wet grass and rocks growing stronger as they walked. A familiar sort of dampness was in the air.
"I've thought about it, more than once," Daniel confessed pushing a large branch up enough to duck beneath it. He was kind enough to keep holding it for Jack. "More than I thought about it on earth actually. There was always the stargate and the security of the program. Plus, spending so much time off-world didn't make for good, stable relationships. Lovers, yes, relationships no."
Daniel navigated around a large hole, dug by an animal and once again startled at the fact that several squirrel like creatures clustered off the path and overhead branches, barking and yelping, keeping their distance, but not running away in mad fear. It raised numerous questions about nature and nuture and virginal lands, but Daniel shelved them quickly, forcing his thoughts back on track.
"You? Daniel? You dog." Jack's teasing came as expected, but it wasn't as though his friend didn't know that Daniel had occassional dalliances. Daniel was discrete and quiet, and believed that a gentleman didn't kiss and tell, but sometimes things slipped through the cracks.
Though his face reddened a bit - Daniel really hated that he blushed even when he wasn't overwhelmingly embarrassed, Daniel pressed on. "That's different here. The stargate is a known factor, and off-world exploration is to be expected. Settling into a relationship with a woman who understands all of that would be easy, I think. *If* I found the right woman. Though, there are plenty of available, intelligent, attractive women here that I could chose from."
Daniel tossed his arm casually to the left, "But I've heard the queue for desperate, semi-cute and can deal with grouchy old men, starts somewhere over there."
***
"Well, yeah. This makes it easier." For Daniel, at least. For Jack, not so much. Not until--
Yeah.
"I think we all pretty much figured that out. Phone calls in the middle of the night, and out the door in five pretty much would put the kebosh on any sort of long term, meaningful relationship." Jack had a marriage under his belt already, even if it hadn't collapsed under the weight of his responsibilities.
Now, Jack, too, had always been discrete. All the others, well... if not directly told (Sam and Pete), he always found out in little ways, little clues. Couldn't make this game, that cookout, wasn't available to go out to dinner. Daniel was guilty of that, even Teal'c. As for his own relationships? There was only one in the years at the SGC that anyone could point to... and that happened to come AFTER the discovery of Sam 'moving ahead with her life' and dating Pete. And, the end of that one happened around the same time that Pete and Sam had broken up... and Jacob died.
Jack nodded his thanks as he ducked under random branches, his stride as certain as ever in his direction. He was greeted with the shifting of the landscape; the moss, the familiar, earthy scents of a water source nearby. The chattering of the wildlife was catalogued and shelved, dark eyes always scanning the landscape. He'd brought his pistol, but for the most part it signaled nothing other than, well, Jack was being Jack. A lifetime of carrying one made it familiar territory.
He slowed at Daniel's retort, his brows rising in askance, and pausing in his step, did a rather theatric sweep around, searching. "I can see the mad rush." He raised his voice as he called into the still, humid morning air, "Ladies, ladies... no pushing. You'll all get your chance."
Returning to his path, Jack gained the water's edge, and put his equipment down; tacklebox, some food in a small cooler.. and the poles he leaned against an available tree. "Here we are. -The- best place. That I've found, mind. I'm planning on sending up another geological team to do more surveys. Never know if there's better out there."
***
They settled down, once again falling back on inconsequential talk, the abundance of wildlife, grudging admissions that the colony site was peaceful and beautiful, even with all the trees, and places that Jack might send the geological survey team. The last inevitably led to commentary regarding the high number of disappointed women there would be if they were deprived of the sight of Keivaghn. Daniel was a pragmatist and secure enough in his heterosexuality to admit when he was clearly outclassed and a man could be considered beautiful.
"You'll be the villain for weeks if you send him away," Daniel noted as they settled in for what was apt to be a long day. "Unless, you made Elizabeth do it. And of course, having him out of the way would open up a lot of opportunities to the remaining numbers of us unattached males."
"So, what about you?" Daniel asked, turning serious again. "Have you thought about settling down here? All teasing aside, there are plenty of interested and available women here." Daniel didn't bring up Sam's name, but figured there was no need. Partly, he didn't want to open that can of worms, but also because he wasn't sure that was what either of his best friends needed to hear. He thought, once regulations were eased and the colony became colony and not a standby evacuation site, that they would naturally gravitate toward one another. Daniel wished Jack and Sam all the best, but he worried that they might find that they'd been wanting and idealizing something for so long that once they got it, it wouldn't be quite what they dreamed.
He loved them both and didn't want to see his family hurt or disappointed in any way.
***
Jack grabbed the poles once more, assembled them completely, baited them.. and handed one off before settling down. His boots shifted the rocks such that he had a good heel-hold... and sat down for what he expected would be the day.
He glanced sideways, his expression one of contrived innocence. "I'd never consider sending him away to do his job." Of course he knew it would open up the playing field for the others. The man is good at his job, which was, oddly enough, tactics. It was just a matter of what sort of venue his skills could be utilized...
The line was casted, once... twice... each with quick flips of his wrist, landing at about the area in the middle-distance before him. With a jerk on the line, Jack was finally happy with his placement.
After Daniel's question, Jack remained silent, his gaze settled over the water. From years of watching the man's body language, however, there was no question that he was taking the not-so-unexpected shift of topic seriously... and that whatever answer he gave would be seriously considered.
"Haven't had the time." That was the truth, for both Jack -and- Sam. Jack was playing the role of not only Joint Chief of the Air Force, but also Hammond, and Police Commissioner. Sam, too, had her hands full... as did Daniel. The teammates had their hands fuller now than ever before. And, remarkably enough, what they had on their plates was nothing like Elizabeth had.
All delegated to the best of their abilities, too... and to the best of the abilities of the others. But, they all took their responsibilities seriously.
"Not the first thing that comes to mind, actually." He looked at Daniel, his expression one of sober seriousness. "And I'm not ready to give up on the chance that we'll make contact with Earth." Only when that happens will he truly believe that this is 'home'. "If and when that comes, fine... I'll find a nice girl, settle down, and have our 2.3 kids." Maybe.
Neither he nor Sam were getting any younger... assuming the 'no frat' rules were loosened.
Their relationship, the two officers, has been the same on Gamma as it had been back on Earth. Easy. Comfortable. Once could point to it and say 'good friends', while another watching could say, 'just waiting for opportunity'. Would it change after? He honestly didn't think so, but he'd never gotten the chance to see. And if it didn't 'work out'?
After 10 years, no harm, no foul.
"Does one work? You know... adding 2/3s more, just as a boost?"
***
Daniel chuckled and watched the line disappearing into the nearly still, clear water. The place was swimming with fish, no pun intended, and Daniel knew that it wouldn't be long before either of them got a bite. "And how exactly do you intend to add 2/3s more, Jack? Figure you'll pick up a few spare parts and play build-a-kid?"
This was one conversation that Daniel never really thought they'd be having. Oh sure, there were plenty of alcohol induced, deep meaning of life types of conversations between them on days off, or even bizarre philosophical meanderings off-world when there was nothing to do but wait. Here, however, it was different. Admitting to anything here and saying it aloud felt something akin to setting it in stone. He knew Jack well enough to know that while the man may have had the chisel in his hand, he still wasn't ready to pay close attention to any of the nearby blocks.
The "secret" cabin that Jack was having built was a testament to that. The man was settling in ... but not.
"Then again, I guess you would have to use that cabin for something once it's built. Makes a nice little love shack, I guess," Daniel teased gently. "Who's on your short list, Jack? Elaine McInnes, the nurse? Or, is it the high school librarian, Maggie ... oh, what's her name again? You know the one? Red head, divorced, has really large ... earrings?"
***
"Bah.. if Frankenstein could do it..." Jack let his voice trail off in favor of tugging on the line to tease the fish with the bait. He hadn't yet gotten any fish off this spot, even though it was teeming. Not with worms, bugs, or an old boot. Literally. The stale bread was actually one of those 'worse case' baits. Could be these fish ate something else?
"Dammit. I knew I should have actually read those marine biologist reports," he muttered as he made a face at the water. There was a difference. Home, he had no expectations as there were no fish... Here? "Did you catch anything across your desk?"
As if the entire conversation hadn't ever existed.
Oh, Jack was mulling over it, chewing it carefully-- and at his comment, he turned his head towards his friend, his brows rising. "Excuse me?" It was a prelude to, "You know about--" Then, "Wait.. how did you find--"
Jack sighed and pressed his lips together, setting his pole into the dirt before him, shoring it all up with rocks. "Beverly?" And he knew her name!
"Nah... not her. I like a little more spunk, a little less... earring. I'd be afraid that if I started to say something at dinner, she'd *shush* me. And you know me. I don't like to be *shushed*."
He twisted around to get at the lunch bag already, and pulled out some cheese and not-quite-stale bread, offering once he'd taken some. "Daniel?" Returning to the lack of duty at hand, he retook his fishing pole and teased the end out of the water, the empty hook swinging back to him.
As he attended to the re-baiting, with cheese and bread, he kept his focus on what he was doing, but asked, "You? Getting something a little more permanant than tent poles stuck 3 feet into the ground?"
***
Now it was Daniel's turn for some quiet introspection. He felt more "settled" here than either of his teammates did, he knew that. So it was ironic that he wasn't the one seeking a bride and trying to put down some more permanent roots. Then again, Daniel easily felt settled anywhere. It came from spending his formative years as the child of an archaeologist, and later his own global wanderings. For Daniel, home really was where the heart was; right now it was here, on Gamma Site with Jack and Sam, and his more extended "family" of Elizabeth and Teyla. The only person missing was Teal'c.
"I haven't really thought about it, honestly," Daniel confessed. "I'm used to tents. All those digs with my parents, Abydos, when you found me after I - um, un-Ascended. I've never been one to really do the whole -" Daniel waved his hand around, for once at a loss for words, "real estate thing."
"You had a house."
"Yes, because my stuff was taking up space at the SGC."
"That was just George's way of getting you back out into the world at large."
A fond smile twisted his lips at the thought of General Hammond, followed by a pang of loss. General Hammond had been at Beta site. They had to hope for the best and he wasn't going to let particularly negative thoughts bring him down. He shifted a bit, giving a light tug on the line, and not really surprised that nothing was biting. Daniel personally and secretly thought the fish sometimes avoided Jack just because they could. "I suppose that could all change if I met that special someone, that could change, but I haven't found her yet.
"Then again, I'm not looking that hard." Daniel took a moment to carefully perch his fishing rod, then exchanged his glasses for his sunglasses. "Figure I can always borrow your cabin if I do need a little getaway." His smile betrayed the teasing in his words.
***
Jack nodded, glancing over to where Daniel's line was teasing, watching the silver, the pinks, the reds darting. "Yeah. Me neither."
Exhaling in another sigh, he pushed the end of the pole back into the dirt and piled a couple of rocks before deciding that he wanted some of the cheese and bread for himself. He pulled a piece of bread off the large loaf, followed by some cheese, cut by a knife he dug into his pocket for on his pants leg. Cleaning the small knife off with a sweep across his pants once more, he closed and replaced it.
As he worked, he glanced over at his friend, nodded, and pulled his own shades out. The aviator ones.. as opposed to the sand goggles. "As long as you clean up after your parties. And before you ask, no you can't have the keys to the car." He had no doubt that Daniel would find someone, settle down, have those kids. Out of all of them, he had the best chance.
With bread and cheese taken care of, and the fishing in 'full swing', Jack was more than ready for a day off, doing nothing more than sitting on the bank... and fishing. "You know... I've only caught a few of them. Over the past year, that is. Did you say whether you read those reports? The... ones on sealife..."