The Games People Play Chapter 34--Because I Asked You To
Title: Because I Asked You To
Author: Lionchilde
Summary: AU The team tries to convince Landry that they need a mascot.
Rating: PG
Length: Around 1400 words
Category: Humor/Romance
Pairings/Characters: D/V. S/J and Cam/Carolyn. Team friendship.
A/N: Part 34 of The Games People Play. The series follows current canon to the end of 10x09, Company of Thieves. After that we kind of skip ahead and assume a resolution to the Ori conflict since I hadn't seen any of the second half of s10 when I started it. Written for fic101. 10hugs and sg_15_fic.
Because I Asked You To
Carolyn looked up from her clipboard, smiling at the sight of Cam in her office doorway. He stood leaning on the doorframe and offered a tight smile in return. She frowned at the expression, realizing that it probably meant the meeting between SG-1 and her father about Spike's future on the base hadn't gone well.
"Bad news?" she asked.
He nodded. "SG Teams don't have mascots."
Carolyn sighed softly. "What are you going to do?"
"Well, replied Cam, pushing himself lazily off the wall. He crossed the room and perched on the edge of her desk, offering her a winning grin. "That's why I'm here."
"Huh?" she asked. "Oh, no, Cam. You want me to talk to him?"
"Why not? You're his daughter," Cam said.
"Yeah, but you know we're not like that," she shook her head. "I can't go asking him for favors."
"Wouldn't have to be that way," Cam shook his head. "I just thought he might listen to you. Figured it was worth a shot."
Carolyn bit her lip reluctantly. "Well, I don't know…"
"S'ok," Cam shrugged. "Won't take Vala long to decide to try and annoy him into submission anyway."
"Well, this way might be a little more pleasant for the rest of us," Carolyn admitted.
"That's what I'm thinkin'," nodded Cam.
"Okay," she agreed, pushing back her chair. "I'll give it a shot, but I'm not making any promises."
"Fair enough," Cam said, sliding to his feet as she walked around the desk. She started for the door, but his hand suddenly shot out to catch her sleeve. "Hey, Doc?"
She felt herself flush slightly and turned back to face him. "You know I hate being called Doc."
"Sorry," he grinned unrepentantly.
"You look it," she shook her head fondly.
"So, you wanna catch a movie this weekend?" he asked.
"Yeah," she smiled, then pulled her arm free and headed out the door.
She strode briskly through the main infirmary and into the hall. Once there, she took a moment to catch her breath, hoping he hadn't actually seen her blush, and then hurried toward her father's office. The base was still festooned with Christmas decorations, and she nodded to several Airmen at work removing garland and strings of lights.
She found her father sitting at his desk with his eyes closed, pinching the bridge of his nose with two fingers. He quickly pulled his hand away from his face as she came in, and his eyes popped open. He smiled a greeting, but she crossed her arms.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing," he shook his head. "Tension headache. SG-1 was just in here."
"Uh, yeah. I heard," she said, slowly letting her arms fall to her sides.
"Come on, Carolyn! Don't tell me you're in on this too!" he sighed.
"I just think it would be good for morale," she attempted.
"Right," he closed his eyes.
"Especially for Vala," Carolyn continued.
"Oh?" he raised an eyebrow.
"Think about it. When she's not offworld with SG-1, she's stuck here. How would you like it?" she asked.
"I wouldn't," he admitted. "But how exactly is a puppy supposed to fix that?"
"Well, it won't, I guess. But it would give her something else to focus on. Something positive," Carolyn replied. "Besides, if Teal'c wanted a dog, you'd let him have it."
"I would not," he shook his head.
"Oh, come on! You would too!" she insisted.
"Even if I would, Carolyn, Teal'c has earned it. He's been here more than ten years."
"Vala's paid her dues this year," Carolyn crossed her arms again. "Don't say she hasn't."
"Look, if I let one team have a mascot, they're all gonna want one," he argued. "I can't have twenty-six beagles running around. This is a military base!" he insisted.
"So, make him the SGC's mascot and assign him to SG-1," she said.
"What?" his eyes widened in disbelief.
"Why not?" she challenged.
"You want me to assign a dog to an SG Team?" he asked.
"Yes. It's not like he'd ever really go through the 'Gate," she said.
"Carolyn, she can get a plant--or a hobby. Give me one good reason--"
"Because I asked you to!" the words were out of her mouth before she realized she'd spoken them.
Her father stared back at her for a long minute. Then he slowly nodded. "All right. But if the IOA finds out, I'm sending them to you, Doctor."
"Understood, sir," she agreed.
***
Vala flopped onto the couch in her quarters, still holding the puppy. Daniel sank down on her right side, slipping his arm around her again. Teal'c took the other side, while Sam perched on the edge of the coffee table. Vala looked down at Spike with a drawn out sigh.
"Well, boy. It looks like you'll have to stay with your Daddy after all," she said.
He smiled wanly, this time offering no objection to the title. He knew, of course, that he would also have to accept Teal'c and Mitchell's moniker of "DoggyDaddy", but he couldn't complain about it now. He really had hoped that they would be able to convince Landry, though, and not only because the alternative was for him to acquire a canine roommate.
"Perhaps ColonelMitchell's plan will be successful," Teal'c spoke up.
"We don't even know what his plan is," Vala pointed out.
"It would not be the first time," said Teal'c.
"I suppose you have a point," Vala admitted.
Spike wriggled out of her grasp, springing onto the floor, and the team watched him wander around Vala's quarters for a few minutes, exploring the various pieces of furniture and interesting corners and crevices to crawl into. Then, Vala leaned forward and picked up the remote control from the table beside Sam. She flipped the channels for a while, finding nothing of interest, and finally settled on the TV Guide channel.
After a few moments of idly watching the listings roll up the screen, Daniel suggested, "D'you wanna watch Charlie Brown?"
"No, it's too depressing," Vala replied.
"Vala, you can see him at Daniel's whenever you want," Sam said, resting a hand on her friend's knee.
"I know, but it's not the same," said Vala.
"I'm sorry, honey, I guess I shouldn't have--" Daniel broke off at the sound of a knock at the door. Spike turned toward the door as well, barking a warning.
"Spike, hush. It's all right, Daniel," Vala told him, getting to her feet.
She crossed the room and opened the door to reveal a grinning Cam and Carolyn. Sam, Daniel, and Teal'c all exchanged smiles as well, guessing which string their CO had managed to pull. Vala stepped back to let them inside, looking from one to the other hesitantly. It couldn't have been hard for her to figure out what the pair were so happy about, but she also wasn't used to having friends who were willing to go out on a limb for her. Daniel's smile softened a bit as he watched them.
"Well," Mitchell said, still grinning. "Looks like Vala won't have to say goodbye to Spike."
"Really?" Vala asked excitedly.
"The SGC has a new mascot," Carolyn explained.
"Landry's gonna officially assign Spike to SG-1 next week," added Mitchell.
"Mitchell, you're genius!" cried Vala.
"Don't thank me," he shook his head. "Carolyn did all the work."
Impulsively, Vala sprang forward, throwing an arm around both of their necks. The couple froze for a second, startled by the show of affection, then each wrapped an arm around her in return. Spike took the opportunity to dart for the open door, apparently bored with exploring Vala's quarters, but Daniel dove off the couch to catch the puppy before he could make his escape.
"Oh, no, you don't, little guy!" he said. Sam snickered softly, and he turned to face her. "What…?"
"DoggyDaddy," she laughed.
"Oh, come on, Sa--"
"Indeed," Teal'c interrupted.
"Teal'c!" Daniel cried.
"Face it, darling," Vala said as she, Cam and Carolyn broke their hug to join the rest of the group. "The have joint custody of a puppy."
Author: Lionchilde
Summary: AU The team tries to convince Landry that they need a mascot.
Rating: PG
Length: Around 1400 words
Category: Humor/Romance
Pairings/Characters: D/V. S/J and Cam/Carolyn. Team friendship.
A/N: Part 34 of The Games People Play. The series follows current canon to the end of 10x09, Company of Thieves. After that we kind of skip ahead and assume a resolution to the Ori conflict since I hadn't seen any of the second half of s10 when I started it. Written for fic101. 10hugs and sg_15_fic.
Because I Asked You To
Carolyn looked up from her clipboard, smiling at the sight of Cam in her office doorway. He stood leaning on the doorframe and offered a tight smile in return. She frowned at the expression, realizing that it probably meant the meeting between SG-1 and her father about Spike's future on the base hadn't gone well.
"Bad news?" she asked.
He nodded. "SG Teams don't have mascots."
Carolyn sighed softly. "What are you going to do?"
"Well, replied Cam, pushing himself lazily off the wall. He crossed the room and perched on the edge of her desk, offering her a winning grin. "That's why I'm here."
"Huh?" she asked. "Oh, no, Cam. You want me to talk to him?"
"Why not? You're his daughter," Cam said.
"Yeah, but you know we're not like that," she shook her head. "I can't go asking him for favors."
"Wouldn't have to be that way," Cam shook his head. "I just thought he might listen to you. Figured it was worth a shot."
Carolyn bit her lip reluctantly. "Well, I don't know…"
"S'ok," Cam shrugged. "Won't take Vala long to decide to try and annoy him into submission anyway."
"Well, this way might be a little more pleasant for the rest of us," Carolyn admitted.
"That's what I'm thinkin'," nodded Cam.
"Okay," she agreed, pushing back her chair. "I'll give it a shot, but I'm not making any promises."
"Fair enough," Cam said, sliding to his feet as she walked around the desk. She started for the door, but his hand suddenly shot out to catch her sleeve. "Hey, Doc?"
She felt herself flush slightly and turned back to face him. "You know I hate being called Doc."
"Sorry," he grinned unrepentantly.
"You look it," she shook her head fondly.
"So, you wanna catch a movie this weekend?" he asked.
"Yeah," she smiled, then pulled her arm free and headed out the door.
She strode briskly through the main infirmary and into the hall. Once there, she took a moment to catch her breath, hoping he hadn't actually seen her blush, and then hurried toward her father's office. The base was still festooned with Christmas decorations, and she nodded to several Airmen at work removing garland and strings of lights.
She found her father sitting at his desk with his eyes closed, pinching the bridge of his nose with two fingers. He quickly pulled his hand away from his face as she came in, and his eyes popped open. He smiled a greeting, but she crossed her arms.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing," he shook his head. "Tension headache. SG-1 was just in here."
"Uh, yeah. I heard," she said, slowly letting her arms fall to her sides.
"Come on, Carolyn! Don't tell me you're in on this too!" he sighed.
"I just think it would be good for morale," she attempted.
"Right," he closed his eyes.
"Especially for Vala," Carolyn continued.
"Oh?" he raised an eyebrow.
"Think about it. When she's not offworld with SG-1, she's stuck here. How would you like it?" she asked.
"I wouldn't," he admitted. "But how exactly is a puppy supposed to fix that?"
"Well, it won't, I guess. But it would give her something else to focus on. Something positive," Carolyn replied. "Besides, if Teal'c wanted a dog, you'd let him have it."
"I would not," he shook his head.
"Oh, come on! You would too!" she insisted.
"Even if I would, Carolyn, Teal'c has earned it. He's been here more than ten years."
"Vala's paid her dues this year," Carolyn crossed her arms again. "Don't say she hasn't."
"Look, if I let one team have a mascot, they're all gonna want one," he argued. "I can't have twenty-six beagles running around. This is a military base!" he insisted.
"So, make him the SGC's mascot and assign him to SG-1," she said.
"What?" his eyes widened in disbelief.
"Why not?" she challenged.
"You want me to assign a dog to an SG Team?" he asked.
"Yes. It's not like he'd ever really go through the 'Gate," she said.
"Carolyn, she can get a plant--or a hobby. Give me one good reason--"
"Because I asked you to!" the words were out of her mouth before she realized she'd spoken them.
Her father stared back at her for a long minute. Then he slowly nodded. "All right. But if the IOA finds out, I'm sending them to you, Doctor."
"Understood, sir," she agreed.
***
Vala flopped onto the couch in her quarters, still holding the puppy. Daniel sank down on her right side, slipping his arm around her again. Teal'c took the other side, while Sam perched on the edge of the coffee table. Vala looked down at Spike with a drawn out sigh.
"Well, boy. It looks like you'll have to stay with your Daddy after all," she said.
He smiled wanly, this time offering no objection to the title. He knew, of course, that he would also have to accept Teal'c and Mitchell's moniker of "DoggyDaddy", but he couldn't complain about it now. He really had hoped that they would be able to convince Landry, though, and not only because the alternative was for him to acquire a canine roommate.
"Perhaps ColonelMitchell's plan will be successful," Teal'c spoke up.
"We don't even know what his plan is," Vala pointed out.
"It would not be the first time," said Teal'c.
"I suppose you have a point," Vala admitted.
Spike wriggled out of her grasp, springing onto the floor, and the team watched him wander around Vala's quarters for a few minutes, exploring the various pieces of furniture and interesting corners and crevices to crawl into. Then, Vala leaned forward and picked up the remote control from the table beside Sam. She flipped the channels for a while, finding nothing of interest, and finally settled on the TV Guide channel.
After a few moments of idly watching the listings roll up the screen, Daniel suggested, "D'you wanna watch Charlie Brown?"
"No, it's too depressing," Vala replied.
"Vala, you can see him at Daniel's whenever you want," Sam said, resting a hand on her friend's knee.
"I know, but it's not the same," said Vala.
"I'm sorry, honey, I guess I shouldn't have--" Daniel broke off at the sound of a knock at the door. Spike turned toward the door as well, barking a warning.
"Spike, hush. It's all right, Daniel," Vala told him, getting to her feet.
She crossed the room and opened the door to reveal a grinning Cam and Carolyn. Sam, Daniel, and Teal'c all exchanged smiles as well, guessing which string their CO had managed to pull. Vala stepped back to let them inside, looking from one to the other hesitantly. It couldn't have been hard for her to figure out what the pair were so happy about, but she also wasn't used to having friends who were willing to go out on a limb for her. Daniel's smile softened a bit as he watched them.
"Well," Mitchell said, still grinning. "Looks like Vala won't have to say goodbye to Spike."
"Really?" Vala asked excitedly.
"The SGC has a new mascot," Carolyn explained.
"Landry's gonna officially assign Spike to SG-1 next week," added Mitchell.
"Mitchell, you're genius!" cried Vala.
"Don't thank me," he shook his head. "Carolyn did all the work."
Impulsively, Vala sprang forward, throwing an arm around both of their necks. The couple froze for a second, startled by the show of affection, then each wrapped an arm around her in return. Spike took the opportunity to dart for the open door, apparently bored with exploring Vala's quarters, but Daniel dove off the couch to catch the puppy before he could make his escape.
"Oh, no, you don't, little guy!" he said. Sam snickered softly, and he turned to face her. "What…?"
"DoggyDaddy," she laughed.
"Oh, come on, Sa--"
"Indeed," Teal'c interrupted.
"Teal'c!" Daniel cried.
"Face it, darling," Vala said as she, Cam and Carolyn broke their hug to join the rest of the group. "The have joint custody of a puppy."