The Games People Play Chapter 36--Disappointments
Title: Disappointments
Author: Lionchilde
Summary: AU SGC gets a new mascot.
Rating: PG
Length: Around 900 words
Category: Humor/Romance
Pairings/Characters: D/V. S/J and Cam/Carolyn. Team friendship.
A/N: Part 36 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. Thanks to aruna7 for helping me figure out what movies were playing in January. Written for fic101. 10hugs and sg_15_fic.
Disappointments
Cam boosted himself onto the edge of Carolyn's desk, leaning on his elbow to study the movie listings. Most of what was playing were either hardcore action flicks or heavy romance, both of which presented a problem. Blood and guts didn't strike him as the kind of thing to take a girl to see on the first date--especially a doctor--and while he had no objection to a little real romance, it was a bit too soon to suggest a movie so overtly oriented to couples. Carolyn was carefully avoiding those as well, which left them two choices.
"I liked Freedom Writers, but I don't think I'd see it again," she said.
"Yeah, I'm not too hot on seein' it at all," he agreed.
"What about Charlotte's Web?" she asked.
"You gotta be kidding me," he replied.
"What?" she looked up with a frown.
"It's a kids' movie," he sighed.
"The book is a classic," she argued. "I read it a million times when I as a kid. I had this beat up old copy of it that I used to take everywhere."
"You're kidding me," he blinked.
"Nope," she shook her head with an ironic smile.
He rubbed his eyes. "Well, all right. Ain't nothing better playing anyway."
"Good," she grinned. "Looks like showtimes are 6:15 and 8:30."
He glanced at his watch. "If we leave now, we can catch the 6:15"
"Okay," she agreed, pushing back her chair to get to her feet. As she walked around to the other side of the desk, a familiar figure appeared in her office door.
Cam leapt off the desk, coming to rigid attention at the sight of the general. There was no way Landry hadn't seen him making himself at home on the desk, though, and he could only hope that his face wasn't as red as it felt. Carolyn shot him a sidelong glance and rolled her eyes. The general himself smiled in faint amusement and waved a hand.
"At ease, loverboy," he chuckled.
Carolyn ran a hand over her face and rubbed her forehead. "Was there something you wanted, sir?"
"That Tylenol you gave me last week doesn't seem to be working," he replied.
Cam arched an eyebrow. Carolyn hadn't said anything about her father needing painkillers the other day. He supposed it was none of his business, but word tended to get around when something was wrong with the general.
"All right," said Carolyn with a brisk nod. "Tomorrow morning, I'm booking you for a full physical with Dr. Alvarez. For now, I'm driving you home."
"Carolyn, I'm fine," he said with a sigh.
"Yeah, and you're going to stay that way. Go get your coat," she told him.
He rolled his eyes and gave his head an exasperated shake, but turned around without argument and walked back through the main infirmary. Cam started to laugh, but his amusement melted at the worried frown on Carolyn's face. She folded her arms, bit her lower lip, and looked awkwardly between him and the door where her father had disappeared.
"Sorry, I guess the movie's off," she said.
"It's okay," Cam shook his head. "You all right?"
"I'm worried about him," she confessed. "He's had a headache for three days."
"Listen," Cam smiled, laying his hands supportively on her shoulders. "If I had a dime for every week-long headache I got in this job, I'd be set for life. Don't worry so much."
"Yeah," she nodded uncertainly, shifting her gaze to the floor between them.
"I know," he said quietly, tilting her chin back up with the tip of his index finger. "He's your Dad."
She gave another nod and swallowed hard. Cam smiled again. Whatever problems Carolyn had with her father, it didn't change who they were, and despite the tensions in their relationship, he knew how much they meant to each other. He drew her gently against his chest, giving her a light, reassuring hug, then slipped his hands back up to her shoulders and caught her gaze again.
"Look, go on, take him home. I'll hang out here--watch TV with Jackson and Vala or something. Maybe we can still catch the 8:30 show," he said.
***
Vala slipped into Daniel's office, followed closely by Spike. She had planned to sneak up on the archaeologist, who predictably enough was bent over the worktable, leaning on his elbow with one end of his glasses held between his teeth. The sound of scrabbling puppy toenails, which seemed to follow her everywhere these days, made stealth rather impossible.
Daniel turned to look over his shoulder as they came in, and he pulled the glasses out of his mouth to offer her a smile before returning his attention to the mess on the table. "Hey, you two."
"Hello," Vala planted her chin on his shoulder, threading her arms around his waist. She blew a slow stream of air along the side of his neck, and he shivered at the contact, then tried to wave her away.
"C'mon, Vala, I gotta finish these translations," he reminded her.
"Daniel, that's what you said an hour ago. It's after hours. I thought we were going to watch Star Wars tonight."
"I know," he sighed. "But SG-15 really needs this done."
"Well, why can't their archaeologist do it?" she pouted.
"He's got the chicken pox," Daniel explained.
"The what?" she asked.
"Chicken pox," he explained. "It's a virus that gives you small, red, very itchy bumps. And they spread if you scratch them. "
"Is it contagious?" she asked, eyes widening.
"Yes, but you can only get it once, and I've had it," Daniel explained. "Most people get it in childhood."
"Oh, you must have looked adorable!" she grinned.
"What!" he turned his head in surprise.
Vala pointed at his face, still smiling, "With little red bumps all over your face."
"I was miserable!" Daniel sighed. "It was one of the worst experiences of my life!"
"Which would have made you even more adorable," she told him.
"Right," he turned back to the table again.
"How close are you?" Vala asked.
"Not very," he said absently.
"Oh. So, I should leave you alone, shouldn't I?" she asked.
"Mmm-hmm."
"All right," she said, letting her hands drop to her sides. She started for the door again, gesturing for the puppy to follow. "Come, Spike. I guess I'll just have to cuddle with you again."
"Very funny…" Daniel called after them.
She closed the door softly behind her, then frowned as she caught sight of Mitchell coming from direction of the infirmary. The team was well aware that their CO had a movie date scheduled for this evening, and the slump-shouldered posture didn't bode well. Vala quickly assumed a bright smile and bounded into his path.
"Hi there!"
"Hi," he replied, lips twitching slightly.
"No movie tonight?" she asked.
"Maybe later," he said, crouching to pet Spike. "Carolyn had to take her dad home."
"Is he all right?" Vala asked.
"Yeah, just a headache," Cam assured her as he straightened again.
"Well, in that case, Daniel is still busy with those translations for SG-15, Sam is trying to prod Jack into helping her choose flower arrangements, and Teal'c is offworld someplace with Bra'tac. Which means that I have no one to watch Star Wars with me tonight. How about you?"
"All right," Cam nodded. "Sounds like a plan."
Author: Lionchilde
Summary: AU SGC gets a new mascot.
Rating: PG
Length: Around 900 words
Category: Humor/Romance
Pairings/Characters: D/V. S/J and Cam/Carolyn. Team friendship.
A/N: Part 36 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. Thanks to aruna7 for helping me figure out what movies were playing in January. Written for fic101. 10hugs and sg_15_fic.
Disappointments
Cam boosted himself onto the edge of Carolyn's desk, leaning on his elbow to study the movie listings. Most of what was playing were either hardcore action flicks or heavy romance, both of which presented a problem. Blood and guts didn't strike him as the kind of thing to take a girl to see on the first date--especially a doctor--and while he had no objection to a little real romance, it was a bit too soon to suggest a movie so overtly oriented to couples. Carolyn was carefully avoiding those as well, which left them two choices.
"I liked Freedom Writers, but I don't think I'd see it again," she said.
"Yeah, I'm not too hot on seein' it at all," he agreed.
"What about Charlotte's Web?" she asked.
"You gotta be kidding me," he replied.
"What?" she looked up with a frown.
"It's a kids' movie," he sighed.
"The book is a classic," she argued. "I read it a million times when I as a kid. I had this beat up old copy of it that I used to take everywhere."
"You're kidding me," he blinked.
"Nope," she shook her head with an ironic smile.
He rubbed his eyes. "Well, all right. Ain't nothing better playing anyway."
"Good," she grinned. "Looks like showtimes are 6:15 and 8:30."
He glanced at his watch. "If we leave now, we can catch the 6:15"
"Okay," she agreed, pushing back her chair to get to her feet. As she walked around to the other side of the desk, a familiar figure appeared in her office door.
Cam leapt off the desk, coming to rigid attention at the sight of the general. There was no way Landry hadn't seen him making himself at home on the desk, though, and he could only hope that his face wasn't as red as it felt. Carolyn shot him a sidelong glance and rolled her eyes. The general himself smiled in faint amusement and waved a hand.
"At ease, loverboy," he chuckled.
Carolyn ran a hand over her face and rubbed her forehead. "Was there something you wanted, sir?"
"That Tylenol you gave me last week doesn't seem to be working," he replied.
Cam arched an eyebrow. Carolyn hadn't said anything about her father needing painkillers the other day. He supposed it was none of his business, but word tended to get around when something was wrong with the general.
"All right," said Carolyn with a brisk nod. "Tomorrow morning, I'm booking you for a full physical with Dr. Alvarez. For now, I'm driving you home."
"Carolyn, I'm fine," he said with a sigh.
"Yeah, and you're going to stay that way. Go get your coat," she told him.
He rolled his eyes and gave his head an exasperated shake, but turned around without argument and walked back through the main infirmary. Cam started to laugh, but his amusement melted at the worried frown on Carolyn's face. She folded her arms, bit her lower lip, and looked awkwardly between him and the door where her father had disappeared.
"Sorry, I guess the movie's off," she said.
"It's okay," Cam shook his head. "You all right?"
"I'm worried about him," she confessed. "He's had a headache for three days."
"Listen," Cam smiled, laying his hands supportively on her shoulders. "If I had a dime for every week-long headache I got in this job, I'd be set for life. Don't worry so much."
"Yeah," she nodded uncertainly, shifting her gaze to the floor between them.
"I know," he said quietly, tilting her chin back up with the tip of his index finger. "He's your Dad."
She gave another nod and swallowed hard. Cam smiled again. Whatever problems Carolyn had with her father, it didn't change who they were, and despite the tensions in their relationship, he knew how much they meant to each other. He drew her gently against his chest, giving her a light, reassuring hug, then slipped his hands back up to her shoulders and caught her gaze again.
"Look, go on, take him home. I'll hang out here--watch TV with Jackson and Vala or something. Maybe we can still catch the 8:30 show," he said.
***
Vala slipped into Daniel's office, followed closely by Spike. She had planned to sneak up on the archaeologist, who predictably enough was bent over the worktable, leaning on his elbow with one end of his glasses held between his teeth. The sound of scrabbling puppy toenails, which seemed to follow her everywhere these days, made stealth rather impossible.
Daniel turned to look over his shoulder as they came in, and he pulled the glasses out of his mouth to offer her a smile before returning his attention to the mess on the table. "Hey, you two."
"Hello," Vala planted her chin on his shoulder, threading her arms around his waist. She blew a slow stream of air along the side of his neck, and he shivered at the contact, then tried to wave her away.
"C'mon, Vala, I gotta finish these translations," he reminded her.
"Daniel, that's what you said an hour ago. It's after hours. I thought we were going to watch Star Wars tonight."
"I know," he sighed. "But SG-15 really needs this done."
"Well, why can't their archaeologist do it?" she pouted.
"He's got the chicken pox," Daniel explained.
"The what?" she asked.
"Chicken pox," he explained. "It's a virus that gives you small, red, very itchy bumps. And they spread if you scratch them. "
"Is it contagious?" she asked, eyes widening.
"Yes, but you can only get it once, and I've had it," Daniel explained. "Most people get it in childhood."
"Oh, you must have looked adorable!" she grinned.
"What!" he turned his head in surprise.
Vala pointed at his face, still smiling, "With little red bumps all over your face."
"I was miserable!" Daniel sighed. "It was one of the worst experiences of my life!"
"Which would have made you even more adorable," she told him.
"Right," he turned back to the table again.
"How close are you?" Vala asked.
"Not very," he said absently.
"Oh. So, I should leave you alone, shouldn't I?" she asked.
"Mmm-hmm."
"All right," she said, letting her hands drop to her sides. She started for the door again, gesturing for the puppy to follow. "Come, Spike. I guess I'll just have to cuddle with you again."
"Very funny…" Daniel called after them.
She closed the door softly behind her, then frowned as she caught sight of Mitchell coming from direction of the infirmary. The team was well aware that their CO had a movie date scheduled for this evening, and the slump-shouldered posture didn't bode well. Vala quickly assumed a bright smile and bounded into his path.
"Hi there!"
"Hi," he replied, lips twitching slightly.
"No movie tonight?" she asked.
"Maybe later," he said, crouching to pet Spike. "Carolyn had to take her dad home."
"Is he all right?" Vala asked.
"Yeah, just a headache," Cam assured her as he straightened again.
"Well, in that case, Daniel is still busy with those translations for SG-15, Sam is trying to prod Jack into helping her choose flower arrangements, and Teal'c is offworld someplace with Bra'tac. Which means that I have no one to watch Star Wars with me tonight. How about you?"
"All right," Cam nodded. "Sounds like a plan."