The Games People Play Chapter 29--The Best Laid Plans
Title: The Best Laid Plans
Author: Lionchilde
Summary: AU Now he, Jack, and Cam were busy trying to get the light display on the outside of the cabin to stop saying Merry Y-Mas
Rating: G
Length: Around 800 words
Category: Humor
Pairings/Charaters: Daniel/Vala, Sam/Jack, team friendship
A/N: Part 29 of The Games People Play. The series follows current cannon to the end of 10x09, Company of Thieves. Takes place a few days before Christmas. Written for fic101, sg_challenges and scifi_five.
The The Best Laid Plans
The team had decided to spend Christmas at Jack's cabin. Vala was still disappointed over the fact that they had been unable to book a trip to Hawaii, but since the idea had not occurred to anyone until Thanksgiving week, the one flight they had been able to find within their price range had only had three available seats. It took Daniel a while to be able to convince her that she couldn't sit on his lap all the way to Hawaii, but in the end she capitulated.
Now he, Jack, and Cam were busy trying to get the light display on the outside of the cabin to stop saying Merry Y-Mas. Teal'c had gone with Sam and Vala to help pick a Christmas Tree, and Daniel was beginning to wish he'd gone with them. He hadn't had a moment's peace all week. Between Vala snooping everywhere in attempt to find out what he was really planning for Christmas morning and Jack's growing anxiety about the ring, he was beginning to think Y-Mas was an apt name for the holiday--as in Why are we doing this again?
He straightened from the power outlet in front of which he'd been kneeling and shoved his head out into the frigid wind. He quickly spotted Mitchell on the lawn, craning his neck to peer up at the roof. "Okay, how's that?" he yelled.
Mitchell gave him a thumbs-down. Daniel grit his teeth and resisted the urge to smack the window sill with the heel of his hand. He bent down again and inspected the various cords in the power-strip, then stood up again.
"You sure…?" he called. "Everything looks good in here."
"Says V-Mas now," Mitchell shook his head.
"V-Mas," Daniel sighed. "Great."
"Oh, wait--there it goes…I think."
"You think?"
"Dang! Lit up for a second, now it says line-Mas," explained Mitchell.
"How can it say line-Mas?" Jack barked, peering over Daniel's shoulder at Cam.
"Well, you know, sir. Like a diagonal line," he said, gesturing with a finger to demonstrate.
"Half of the the X, from one of the top corners down," Daniel said, turning to look at his friend.
"I know, Daniel," Jack sighed. "Mitchell, get back up on the ladder. There's gotta be a dead bulb or something up there!"
"Yessir," Cam let out a sigh of his own, muttering, "Times like this, I wish I had my own wings."
"Jack…? Do you smell that?" Daniel asked, frowning toward the kitchen.
Jack turned, sniffing the air. "Smell what? Oh no--"
"The cookies!" Daniel exclaimed.
***
Vala wriggled uncomfortably in the back seat of Sam's car, trying to find a comfortable position despite being wedged between two very large shopping bags. She leaned over the one on the left, peering slowly into it, and a smile spread across her face. She hadn't been quite sure what to give Teal'c for Christmas until the moment she'd spotted the new Star Wars box-set in the mall. Fortunately, the Jaffa's back had been turned at the time, and there was only one left on display. She'd had to outrun a little old lady and a pimple-faced teenage boy in a Darth Vader t-shirt to get it, but she had managed not only to do so but to stuff the movies under the rest of her purchases before Teal'c had even turned to look at her again.
She, Sam, and Teal'c had conspired to volunteer for tree duty in order to provide a cover for last-minute shopping. Teal'c needed a gift for Mitchell, who had been with him on his previous two shopping excursions. Sam was still searching for the perfect gift for Jack; the sweater and cologne she'd already gotten him apparently weren't enough, and Vala had honestly wanted to find a less beat-up copy of Elizabeth Barrett Browning's The Complete Poetical Works for Daniel, but her real goal had been to find something for Teal'c. She had discovered over the last several weeks that Jaffa were extremely difficult people to shop for.
"Oooooooooh!" she exclaimed, suddenly shoving herself forward to reach for the volume control on the radio.
Teal'c's hand swooped down to cover hers before she reached it, and he turned to level a long, silent glare on her. She smiled brightly. His brow creased in a glower, and she sighed, reluctantly falling back against the seat again.
"You have already subjected ColonelCarter and myself to the CD version six times," Teal'c grumbled.
"Well, I have no control over what the radio stations air, do I?" Vala pointed out.
"I am no longer certain," Teal'c replied.
"Come on, Teal'c," Sam laughed from the driver's seat. "It's Christmas time."
"I am aware of the season, ColonelCarter," said the Jaffa flatly.
"Just think. In a few days you won't have to hear Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer for a whole year," Sam reminded him.
"It will not be long enough," he said.
"Scrooge!" Vala declared.
Teal'c turned to her again and raised an eyebrow. "I am not a Scrooge."
"Oh?" challenged Vala. "Tell me something then."
Teal'c stared stoically.
Vala leaned forward again, giving him a conspiratorial wink. "You know what Daniel is really giving me for Christmas, don't you?"
"Indeed," rumbled the Jaffa.
"Well?" Vala prompted eagerly.
"I have answered your question," Teal'c said.
"Well!" huffed Vala. "You're not really going to sit there and not tell me, are you?"
"Indeed," Teal'c repeated.
Before Vala could respond, the banter was interrupted by a loud buzz, and she glanced over Teal'c's shoulder to see Sam's cell phone vibrate its way across the dashboard. The Lieutenant Colonel reached out to snatch it before it skittered onto the floor.
"Carter," she said, and Vala briefly saw a smile reflected in the mirror. Seconds later, it became a concerned frown. "We're on the way back now. We had to stop at the mall. Teal'c needed something. What's the matter…"
She listened for a few moments, and the frown faded. She rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Okay, sir. I can handle the lights, but I think you're on your own with the cookies."
Vala shared a smirk with Teal'c over the fact that their friends were still referring to one another as Sir and Carter, then asked, "What's going on now?"
"The cookies look like coal, and the sign on the roof says Merry line-Mas," she sighed.
Author: Lionchilde
Summary: AU Now he, Jack, and Cam were busy trying to get the light display on the outside of the cabin to stop saying Merry Y-Mas
Rating: G
Length: Around 800 words
Category: Humor
Pairings/Charaters: Daniel/Vala, Sam/Jack, team friendship
A/N: Part 29 of The Games People Play. The series follows current cannon to the end of 10x09, Company of Thieves. Takes place a few days before Christmas. Written for fic101, sg_challenges and scifi_five.
The The Best Laid Plans
The team had decided to spend Christmas at Jack's cabin. Vala was still disappointed over the fact that they had been unable to book a trip to Hawaii, but since the idea had not occurred to anyone until Thanksgiving week, the one flight they had been able to find within their price range had only had three available seats. It took Daniel a while to be able to convince her that she couldn't sit on his lap all the way to Hawaii, but in the end she capitulated.
Now he, Jack, and Cam were busy trying to get the light display on the outside of the cabin to stop saying Merry Y-Mas. Teal'c had gone with Sam and Vala to help pick a Christmas Tree, and Daniel was beginning to wish he'd gone with them. He hadn't had a moment's peace all week. Between Vala snooping everywhere in attempt to find out what he was really planning for Christmas morning and Jack's growing anxiety about the ring, he was beginning to think Y-Mas was an apt name for the holiday--as in Why are we doing this again?
He straightened from the power outlet in front of which he'd been kneeling and shoved his head out into the frigid wind. He quickly spotted Mitchell on the lawn, craning his neck to peer up at the roof. "Okay, how's that?" he yelled.
Mitchell gave him a thumbs-down. Daniel grit his teeth and resisted the urge to smack the window sill with the heel of his hand. He bent down again and inspected the various cords in the power-strip, then stood up again.
"You sure…?" he called. "Everything looks good in here."
"Says V-Mas now," Mitchell shook his head.
"V-Mas," Daniel sighed. "Great."
"Oh, wait--there it goes…I think."
"You think?"
"Dang! Lit up for a second, now it says line-Mas," explained Mitchell.
"How can it say line-Mas?" Jack barked, peering over Daniel's shoulder at Cam.
"Well, you know, sir. Like a diagonal line," he said, gesturing with a finger to demonstrate.
"Half of the the X, from one of the top corners down," Daniel said, turning to look at his friend.
"I know, Daniel," Jack sighed. "Mitchell, get back up on the ladder. There's gotta be a dead bulb or something up there!"
"Yessir," Cam let out a sigh of his own, muttering, "Times like this, I wish I had my own wings."
"Jack…? Do you smell that?" Daniel asked, frowning toward the kitchen.
Jack turned, sniffing the air. "Smell what? Oh no--"
"The cookies!" Daniel exclaimed.
***
Vala wriggled uncomfortably in the back seat of Sam's car, trying to find a comfortable position despite being wedged between two very large shopping bags. She leaned over the one on the left, peering slowly into it, and a smile spread across her face. She hadn't been quite sure what to give Teal'c for Christmas until the moment she'd spotted the new Star Wars box-set in the mall. Fortunately, the Jaffa's back had been turned at the time, and there was only one left on display. She'd had to outrun a little old lady and a pimple-faced teenage boy in a Darth Vader t-shirt to get it, but she had managed not only to do so but to stuff the movies under the rest of her purchases before Teal'c had even turned to look at her again.
She, Sam, and Teal'c had conspired to volunteer for tree duty in order to provide a cover for last-minute shopping. Teal'c needed a gift for Mitchell, who had been with him on his previous two shopping excursions. Sam was still searching for the perfect gift for Jack; the sweater and cologne she'd already gotten him apparently weren't enough, and Vala had honestly wanted to find a less beat-up copy of Elizabeth Barrett Browning's The Complete Poetical Works for Daniel, but her real goal had been to find something for Teal'c. She had discovered over the last several weeks that Jaffa were extremely difficult people to shop for.
"Oooooooooh!" she exclaimed, suddenly shoving herself forward to reach for the volume control on the radio.
Teal'c's hand swooped down to cover hers before she reached it, and he turned to level a long, silent glare on her. She smiled brightly. His brow creased in a glower, and she sighed, reluctantly falling back against the seat again.
"You have already subjected ColonelCarter and myself to the CD version six times," Teal'c grumbled.
"Well, I have no control over what the radio stations air, do I?" Vala pointed out.
"I am no longer certain," Teal'c replied.
"Come on, Teal'c," Sam laughed from the driver's seat. "It's Christmas time."
"I am aware of the season, ColonelCarter," said the Jaffa flatly.
"Just think. In a few days you won't have to hear Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer for a whole year," Sam reminded him.
"It will not be long enough," he said.
"Scrooge!" Vala declared.
Teal'c turned to her again and raised an eyebrow. "I am not a Scrooge."
"Oh?" challenged Vala. "Tell me something then."
Teal'c stared stoically.
Vala leaned forward again, giving him a conspiratorial wink. "You know what Daniel is really giving me for Christmas, don't you?"
"Indeed," rumbled the Jaffa.
"Well?" Vala prompted eagerly.
"I have answered your question," Teal'c said.
"Well!" huffed Vala. "You're not really going to sit there and not tell me, are you?"
"Indeed," Teal'c repeated.
Before Vala could respond, the banter was interrupted by a loud buzz, and she glanced over Teal'c's shoulder to see Sam's cell phone vibrate its way across the dashboard. The Lieutenant Colonel reached out to snatch it before it skittered onto the floor.
"Carter," she said, and Vala briefly saw a smile reflected in the mirror. Seconds later, it became a concerned frown. "We're on the way back now. We had to stop at the mall. Teal'c needed something. What's the matter…"
She listened for a few moments, and the frown faded. She rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Okay, sir. I can handle the lights, but I think you're on your own with the cookies."
Vala shared a smirk with Teal'c over the fact that their friends were still referring to one another as Sir and Carter, then asked, "What's going on now?"
"The cookies look like coal, and the sign on the roof says Merry line-Mas," she sighed.