ficpost: "Pizza and Fairy Tales" Sam+Teal'c [backdated]
Title: "Pizza and Fairy Tales"
Fandom: Stargate: SG-1
Featured characters: Sam and Teal'c
Rating: G
Spoilers/Timeline: Between "Cold Lazarus" and "Bloodlines"
Summary: Sam is disgruntled and disillusioned, and the last thing she wants to do is take Teal'c out for dinner. But Jack has other ideas. Gen.
Notes: Written for sage_theory for my birthday.
Words:
Pizza and Fairy Tales
It began like a fairy tale, with a beautiful princess (Sam supposed that was Sha're) and with a wicked enchanter (and Sam supposed that was Ra), and a handsome prince (and anyone with eyes could see that that was Daniel). But there was no place in a fairy tale for a theoretical astrophysicist who didn't know the meaning of the word love except that it was something that interfered with the best-laid plans of men and women. The only mice in Sam's reality were the ones attached to her computer, and they didn't run up clocks or after farmer's wives, not even when Sam had been up all night working. Even then, her computer's mouse didn't talk to her.
So she supposed Colonel O'Neill and Daniel were going to mull over their unhappily ever after. That's what she told herself at least. That she'd gotten "telling Teal'c about earth culture" duty because of something on Abydos that she wasn't privy to, some secret that fairy tale people like Daniel were born knowing but that people like Sam, who had always preferred algebra to fairies, even when she was a little girl, could have no part of. It had nothing to do with her being the token woman. Nothing. She wasn't going to let that happen again, not after all those years at the Pentagon.
She was so glad to be away from that place. She wondered how the Colonel had managed to retire. He'd tasted action, he'd flown so many missions-she'd seen his record, his medals. How could you abandon a career like that to sit on your roof stargazing? She could never do it. She wouldn't, not again. No more sinecures for Sam Carter. No more girly work, either. Explaining Earth to Teal'c was not girly work. It was important, perhaps would even be essential in the long run, if they were going to be an effective team.
Sam was seething.
"You're staying late, right? Why don't you take Teal'c out for dinner when you leave? Tell him about Tau'ri science, or something."
"Actually, sir, I was planning on ordering in."
"I think it would be nice to get Teal'c out of the mountain once in awhile, Captain."
"Yessir."
And that was that. She didn't bother asking what he and Daniel would be doing, and he didn't bother telling her. Hence, the fairy tale explanation. They were reading fairy tales, and Daniel was Cinderella and Jack was Sleeping Beauty and Sam Carter was Unnamed Engineer Number 5 in the credits of a B sci-fi movie.
So she was snippy with her lab assistant when he suggested that she take a break; okay, so she'd been working all day. Did he have a problem with that? The Lieutenant backed off, and Sam sighed. "Okay, I'll take a break. I might be back in a few hours. Keep working at that equation."
"Yes, ma'am."
"Good man." And she strode off in the direction of Teal'c's quarters. She wondered, briefly, what he did all day when they weren't off-world. Did he think of home? She'd leave it to others to wonder whether he thought about Apophis, whether he missed that world. Well, she'd have to keep an eye on him, but they were all still watching each other at this point, testing each other's rhythms and loyalties.
"Captain Doctor Samantha Carter. I belong to the US Air Force, so you don't have to worry about me," she muttered.
"Captain Carter." She hadn't realized she'd arrived, hadn't noticed that the door was open. "O'Neill informed me that I should expect the pleasure of your presence."
She did her best to smile. "Well, here I am. What would you like for dinner?"
"I think it would be wiser for you to choose."
"Okay then… how about pizza. Have you had pizza?"
"I have not. O'Neill has suggested that I would enjoy it, though."
"Pizza it is, then. Um… are you ready to go?"
"One moment," he said, and disappeared into his room for a moment. When he emerged, he was wearing a hat that for all Sam knew had once been in style.
"Let me guess. A present from the Colonel?"
Teal'c nodded.
Sam wasn't sure why she was so sulky on the drive. It wasn't like eating with Lieutenant Simmons offered any great opportunities for conversation. It wasn't like Teal'c was a bad person to eat with. She just wished she could shake the feeling that she was being manipulated. That the Colonel had some agenda that he wasn't telling her because he didn't trust her enough. She shook her head vigorously and parked the car a bit more violently than usual. "Is something bothering you, Captain Carter?"
"No. I'm fine. Nothing wrong."
Teal'c said nothing.
Sam ordered for them, vegetable supreme for her, one slice of plain and one of pepperoni for Teal'c (only because she suspected Colonel O'Neill would insist that pepperoni was one of the cultural icons that Teal'c couldn't do without), while Teal'c found a booth.
She slid into the bench across from him. "So." She waited. "So… what do you know about fairy tales, Teal'c?"
"I have not heard that phrase before."
"What sort of legends do you have on y-where you come from?"
"We have stories of brave Jaffa who served their masters well and lived long and happy lives."
"What about love stories?" Sam pressed. "Stories about people growing up, falling in love, getting married?"
Sam couldn't tell, but she thought the pause was a little long, even for Teal'c. "Such things are not important to Jaffa."
Well, that was something else they had in common, she thought. Love and romance weren't exactly topmost on her list of priorities at the moment. Explore the universe, unravel its mysteries, destroy its villains, and start a family. Which of these things doesn't belong? Which of these is not going to be part of Sam Carter's life? Sam offered the audience a hint in the form of a name. "Meredith Carter." Once upon a time, Meredith Harkins fell in love with a Jacob Carter. This was something that would never happen to Sam.
"You are preoccupied," said Teal'c.
"I'm just thinking about children. When I was a girl, everyone assumed I'd grow up, get married, have children."
"Do you not want children, Captain Carter?"
"I don't think so, Teal'c. Not now. Not now that we've got the-not now. This is what I've always wanted to do. This is my dream."
"Yet you are not happy."
Okay, so Teal'c was perceptive. Well, she was just on pins and needles tonight because of Colonel O'Neill, and because of the ridiculous fairy tale idea.
"I don't think I fit on SG-1."
"Why is that?"
"You're all…" she struggled for the word. "You've got something that sets you apart. Something that only you can do. I'm just a scientist. We're a dime a dozen over in Washington. I wouldn't give up the team for the world-not for anything-but I don't think the Colonel wants me there."
"I have never observed O'Neill to do anything he does not desire for any sustained period of time." Sam sputtered a short, bitter laugh, and they lapsed into silence again. A harried teenager dropped four slices of pizza onto their table, and Sam gratefully began to eat. Teal'c examined the pizza with a puzzled expression.
Finally she said, "I don't know who I'm fighting for." Teal'c waited. "Daniel is fighting for Sha're. Every breath he takes, he takes for her. And the Colonel is fighting for his wife, I suppose, and for the Abydonians. And you're fighting for freedom for all Jaffa. It's all so noble. You're knights on white horses, and I'm…"
"Horses?" Teal'c looked lost.
"It's a long story. But what I mean… it's an adventure for me. Not a quest. Not a tragedy. Not a fairy story."
"I have learned that it is rarely wise to bemoan a lack of tragedy."
Sam smiled at him. "I'm sorry. I'm just in a bad mood tonight."
She didn't expect a response (one rarely expected responses from Teal'c) but after a moment he said, "Perhaps you do have something to fight for, Captain Carter."
"Oh?"
"Your comrades in arms."
"My friends?"
"Indeed."
Sam looked at the demolished pizza and at Teal'c's clear, unsmiling face, and she couldn't remember the equation she'd left her lab assistant slaving over an hour ago. She considered going home, or back to the lab, but instead she said, "Would you like me to tell you the story of Cinderella?"
"I would be most gratified to hear your legends."
"Once upon a time, there was a beautiful girl whose mother died when she was just a little girl, so she had to make her own way in the world. Her father remarried, but her stepsisters were cruel to her …"
"What is a stepsister?" asked Teal'c, face the picture of innocence.
"It's going to be a long night, isn't it?" asked Sam. No response. Of course. She would get revenge on Colonel O'Neill one day. "When a man's wife dies…."
Fade to black.
Fandom: Stargate: SG-1
Featured characters: Sam and Teal'c
Rating: G
Spoilers/Timeline: Between "Cold Lazarus" and "Bloodlines"
Summary: Sam is disgruntled and disillusioned, and the last thing she wants to do is take Teal'c out for dinner. But Jack has other ideas. Gen.
Notes: Written for sage_theory for my birthday.
Words:
Pizza and Fairy Tales
It began like a fairy tale, with a beautiful princess (Sam supposed that was Sha're) and with a wicked enchanter (and Sam supposed that was Ra), and a handsome prince (and anyone with eyes could see that that was Daniel). But there was no place in a fairy tale for a theoretical astrophysicist who didn't know the meaning of the word love except that it was something that interfered with the best-laid plans of men and women. The only mice in Sam's reality were the ones attached to her computer, and they didn't run up clocks or after farmer's wives, not even when Sam had been up all night working. Even then, her computer's mouse didn't talk to her.
So she supposed Colonel O'Neill and Daniel were going to mull over their unhappily ever after. That's what she told herself at least. That she'd gotten "telling Teal'c about earth culture" duty because of something on Abydos that she wasn't privy to, some secret that fairy tale people like Daniel were born knowing but that people like Sam, who had always preferred algebra to fairies, even when she was a little girl, could have no part of. It had nothing to do with her being the token woman. Nothing. She wasn't going to let that happen again, not after all those years at the Pentagon.
She was so glad to be away from that place. She wondered how the Colonel had managed to retire. He'd tasted action, he'd flown so many missions-she'd seen his record, his medals. How could you abandon a career like that to sit on your roof stargazing? She could never do it. She wouldn't, not again. No more sinecures for Sam Carter. No more girly work, either. Explaining Earth to Teal'c was not girly work. It was important, perhaps would even be essential in the long run, if they were going to be an effective team.
Sam was seething.
"You're staying late, right? Why don't you take Teal'c out for dinner when you leave? Tell him about Tau'ri science, or something."
"Actually, sir, I was planning on ordering in."
"I think it would be nice to get Teal'c out of the mountain once in awhile, Captain."
"Yessir."
And that was that. She didn't bother asking what he and Daniel would be doing, and he didn't bother telling her. Hence, the fairy tale explanation. They were reading fairy tales, and Daniel was Cinderella and Jack was Sleeping Beauty and Sam Carter was Unnamed Engineer Number 5 in the credits of a B sci-fi movie.
So she was snippy with her lab assistant when he suggested that she take a break; okay, so she'd been working all day. Did he have a problem with that? The Lieutenant backed off, and Sam sighed. "Okay, I'll take a break. I might be back in a few hours. Keep working at that equation."
"Yes, ma'am."
"Good man." And she strode off in the direction of Teal'c's quarters. She wondered, briefly, what he did all day when they weren't off-world. Did he think of home? She'd leave it to others to wonder whether he thought about Apophis, whether he missed that world. Well, she'd have to keep an eye on him, but they were all still watching each other at this point, testing each other's rhythms and loyalties.
"Captain Doctor Samantha Carter. I belong to the US Air Force, so you don't have to worry about me," she muttered.
"Captain Carter." She hadn't realized she'd arrived, hadn't noticed that the door was open. "O'Neill informed me that I should expect the pleasure of your presence."
She did her best to smile. "Well, here I am. What would you like for dinner?"
"I think it would be wiser for you to choose."
"Okay then… how about pizza. Have you had pizza?"
"I have not. O'Neill has suggested that I would enjoy it, though."
"Pizza it is, then. Um… are you ready to go?"
"One moment," he said, and disappeared into his room for a moment. When he emerged, he was wearing a hat that for all Sam knew had once been in style.
"Let me guess. A present from the Colonel?"
Teal'c nodded.
Sam wasn't sure why she was so sulky on the drive. It wasn't like eating with Lieutenant Simmons offered any great opportunities for conversation. It wasn't like Teal'c was a bad person to eat with. She just wished she could shake the feeling that she was being manipulated. That the Colonel had some agenda that he wasn't telling her because he didn't trust her enough. She shook her head vigorously and parked the car a bit more violently than usual. "Is something bothering you, Captain Carter?"
"No. I'm fine. Nothing wrong."
Teal'c said nothing.
Sam ordered for them, vegetable supreme for her, one slice of plain and one of pepperoni for Teal'c (only because she suspected Colonel O'Neill would insist that pepperoni was one of the cultural icons that Teal'c couldn't do without), while Teal'c found a booth.
She slid into the bench across from him. "So." She waited. "So… what do you know about fairy tales, Teal'c?"
"I have not heard that phrase before."
"What sort of legends do you have on y-where you come from?"
"We have stories of brave Jaffa who served their masters well and lived long and happy lives."
"What about love stories?" Sam pressed. "Stories about people growing up, falling in love, getting married?"
Sam couldn't tell, but she thought the pause was a little long, even for Teal'c. "Such things are not important to Jaffa."
Well, that was something else they had in common, she thought. Love and romance weren't exactly topmost on her list of priorities at the moment. Explore the universe, unravel its mysteries, destroy its villains, and start a family. Which of these things doesn't belong? Which of these is not going to be part of Sam Carter's life? Sam offered the audience a hint in the form of a name. "Meredith Carter." Once upon a time, Meredith Harkins fell in love with a Jacob Carter. This was something that would never happen to Sam.
"You are preoccupied," said Teal'c.
"I'm just thinking about children. When I was a girl, everyone assumed I'd grow up, get married, have children."
"Do you not want children, Captain Carter?"
"I don't think so, Teal'c. Not now. Not now that we've got the-not now. This is what I've always wanted to do. This is my dream."
"Yet you are not happy."
Okay, so Teal'c was perceptive. Well, she was just on pins and needles tonight because of Colonel O'Neill, and because of the ridiculous fairy tale idea.
"I don't think I fit on SG-1."
"Why is that?"
"You're all…" she struggled for the word. "You've got something that sets you apart. Something that only you can do. I'm just a scientist. We're a dime a dozen over in Washington. I wouldn't give up the team for the world-not for anything-but I don't think the Colonel wants me there."
"I have never observed O'Neill to do anything he does not desire for any sustained period of time." Sam sputtered a short, bitter laugh, and they lapsed into silence again. A harried teenager dropped four slices of pizza onto their table, and Sam gratefully began to eat. Teal'c examined the pizza with a puzzled expression.
Finally she said, "I don't know who I'm fighting for." Teal'c waited. "Daniel is fighting for Sha're. Every breath he takes, he takes for her. And the Colonel is fighting for his wife, I suppose, and for the Abydonians. And you're fighting for freedom for all Jaffa. It's all so noble. You're knights on white horses, and I'm…"
"Horses?" Teal'c looked lost.
"It's a long story. But what I mean… it's an adventure for me. Not a quest. Not a tragedy. Not a fairy story."
"I have learned that it is rarely wise to bemoan a lack of tragedy."
Sam smiled at him. "I'm sorry. I'm just in a bad mood tonight."
She didn't expect a response (one rarely expected responses from Teal'c) but after a moment he said, "Perhaps you do have something to fight for, Captain Carter."
"Oh?"
"Your comrades in arms."
"My friends?"
"Indeed."
Sam looked at the demolished pizza and at Teal'c's clear, unsmiling face, and she couldn't remember the equation she'd left her lab assistant slaving over an hour ago. She considered going home, or back to the lab, but instead she said, "Would you like me to tell you the story of Cinderella?"
"I would be most gratified to hear your legends."
"Once upon a time, there was a beautiful girl whose mother died when she was just a little girl, so she had to make her own way in the world. Her father remarried, but her stepsisters were cruel to her …"
"What is a stepsister?" asked Teal'c, face the picture of innocence.
"It's going to be a long night, isn't it?" asked Sam. No response. Of course. She would get revenge on Colonel O'Neill one day. "When a man's wife dies…."
Fade to black.