Story: A New Normal, Part III
It was an odd thing to have Hammond over for dinner, because the meal was an awkward mix of business and pleasure the evening before his official ‘confidence visit.’ The general took in the decorations once he sat in the living room. Daniel’s statues were out, and there was the picture of Jack and Daniel on vacation in Australia that had found its way on display between a picture of Charlie and a picture of SG-1 offworld taken shortly before the battle over Antarctica. A couple of Daniel’s Egyptology books were out as well, mixed in with Jack’s adventure tales. Anyone could see this was their home together.
Jack hoped his predecessor was okay with this.
“How has it been this last week?” asked Hammond.
“The good, the bad, the ugly, and the indifferent,” replied Daniel, using Sam’s words. “Honestly, nobody seems to be as surprised about me.”
“Jack?”
He shrugged. “Fine. Nobody wonders why I retired anymore. Apparently, I’m ‘court-martial proof.’ I’m sure the Pentagon isn’t happy.”
“There have been phone calls,” admitted Hammond. “I’m not going to lie: there are people who want you gone, Jack. You may be a civilian, but you still command an Air Force base.”
“I know. And if that’s what’s best for the program, I’ll retire quietly.”
“As will I,” said Daniel.
“Not my idea,” protested Jack. He understood Daniel’s reasoning, but he needed Hammond to know it wasn’t a power play.
“I’m not trying to blackmail anybody,” Daniel told the general. “But I refuse to live a life where I can’t tell Jack what’s going on or ask his opinion or even work at home because his security clearance has been revoked. I won’t do it.”
Hammond nodded. “Fair enough, son. As it stands, the President has made up his mind. Jack, your contributions to the program are too important. We need you. Both of you. What you do on your own time is your business. If you’re willing to work in a hostile environment, your jobs are secure.” He paused, then continued, “I’m an old man, but I’ve seen a lot of change in the last decade. Besides your invaluable contributions, I’m honored to consider you friends. So you can be sure I’ll enjoy hearing how you continue to prove everyone wrong.”
Jack gave a relieved smile to George Hammond - his predecessor, his boss, his friend. “Thanks, George.”
“Thank you,” echoed Daniel. “I do think that, considering what we do and see, SGC personnel are a bit more open-minded than you might expect on a military base. Of course, there’s still a great deal of prejudice, but it’s not as bad as it was.”
None of them delved into the question of just how Daniel knew how bad the prejudice used to be. Fortunately, they were saved by the doorbell.
Jack answered the door, finding Sam and Teal’c as expected. Daniel and Hammond were right behind him.
“General,” said Sam.
Hammond shook his head slightly. “Not tonight.”
“Wait till you try her cheesecake.” Pointing to the dessert Sam was holding, Jack elaborated, “You won’t believe what we missed out on all those years.”
*****
The praise for Carter’s cheesecake was all well-deserved. George had eaten more than he probably should have because it was just so good. “You’re a woman of many talents,” he told Carter.
“Thank you, sir.”
It was a nice dinner. George had already adjusted to the idea of Jack and Daniel as a couple back when Jack had confessed it was the reason he retired from the Air Force. And he certainly hadn’t maintained command of a galactic travel base for seven years by being closed-minded. It made sense, somehow, among all the crazy things that happened at SGC, that those two men who had given so much of themselves had found happiness together. George had long ago decided to go with his gut when something made sense. Jack and Daniel just fit, like maybe they’d been moving towards being a couple since they first met and nobody had realized it.
He knew of two loud and well-placed generals who were clamoring for Jack to lose his job. It seemed that their biggest fear in doing so was Thor showing up and insisting on the end of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. That rumor was certainly not George’s idea, but he’d done nothing to disabuse it. Jack O’Neill was the right man for the job.
“So Teal’c, how’s your family?” Unlike Carter, who had already filled him in on Cassandra, Teal’c had to be asked directly about such things.
The Jaffa’s expression turned to one of fatherly pride which seemed to be a universal constant. “Rya’c continues to learn under the tutelage of Master Bra’tac. I believe that one day his skills will surpass my own. Kar’yn is demonstrating a talent for the organizational duties of the Free Jaffa. Ishta remains, as I, a servant of our people’s freedom.”
He mentioned Ishta with family. That was interesting.
A phone rang, and Jack said, “Excuse me.” Then he pulled out his cell phone and frowned at it. “Daniel, isn’t this Asgard?”
Daniel took one look at the phone and confirmed, “Thor’s calling.”
Jack stood up and moved a few feet away. “O’Neill. Hi Thor… no, it’s fine. General Hammond’s here.” Jack pulled the phone away a bit and addressed George. “Thor sends his greetings.”
“Give him my regards.”
“He heard. So, what’s up, Thor?”
“You know,” noted George, “I read the report, but there’s still something a little surreal about getting a phone call from the Supreme Commander of the Asgard Fleet.”
“Better than getting beamed out of your living room without any warning,” said Daniel.
Jack was meanwhile insisted to Thor, “No clones… okay. If you really think it’ll help. But no clones… right… hey Thor, Daniel’s been wondering about your culture… I know… uh, sort of? No, don’t send it to the phone. That will overload my phone, and you wouldn’t believe the hassle to get a secure phone… you probably don’t have email, huh?”
This was one of the more interesting phone conversations George had sat in on in a while.
“Sure, if you can… of course you can. Appreciate it. You too.”
Jack titled his head, and the others seemed to take that as a signal to adjourn to the living room. George followed. “That was a courtesy call to get my permission for the Asgard to study my DNA, since it’s apparently sitting around tempting them. No clones. Thor promised.”
“Asgard culture?” prompted Daniel.
“Thor’s sending their most highly respected epic poem to the main computer on base. I’m supposed to warn you that the epic poems you might be familiar with are considered quite short by Asgard standards.” Daniel looked like he was tempted to run to the mountain before Jack even finished the statement.
Anyone sitting down in that living room would’ve said that the Asgard poem could provide insight into their valuable allies. They also would’ve known it was a far second to Jack’s real motivation: pleasing the man he loved.
*****
As soon as Dr. Brightman let SG-2 out of their post-mission physicals, Warren headed off to find General Hammond. The general had been there all morning already, and no doubt had heard some unsavory comments about O’Neill and Jackson.
He found SGC’s former commander in Carter’s lab examining one of her latest projects: recreating material SG-2 had found that looked like long underwear but protected from staff blasts. “The lifesaving implications of this are incredible, Colonel.”
“It’s not perfect, sir. The material can only absorb the energy from one staff blast before it’s compromised.” The material would certainly give them better chances, since being able to take one direct hit from a staff blast was one more than they could before. Warren was aware from painful personal experience that the staff blast still left an ugly, painful bruise that took forever to heal. (Also, he had a heck of a time trying to explain it to his wife.) However, since he’d been alive, he hadn’t complained about the bruise. Much.
“Still,” said Hammond. Warren wondered if the general was thinking of Dr. Fraiser. He knew for a fact that Carter was, since the two women had been good friends.
“Excuse me,” he interrupted. “General Hammond, if you have a moment, I’d appreciate a word, sir.”
“Certainly.”
Carter smoothly supplied, “I need coffee. Anyone else?”
“No thank you.”
“No thanks.”
She left the room with a crisp, “Sirs.”
“Good to see you, Colonel,” said the general when they were alone.
“Thank you, sir. You as well. Permission to speak freely?”
“Go ahead.”
“No doubt you’ve heard a lot of negative reactions to news of General O’Neill and Dr. Jackson’s relationship.”
The general nodded, and Warren had served under his command long enough to know he wasn’t pleased about it. “Unfortunately, you’re correct. I’ve been approached my several officers.” And of course he’d gotten wind of what the enlisted personnel were saying, even if they didn’t dare approach him. Warren’s best bet was that Walter filled the general in.
“For the record, I think Jack O’Neill is the best man for the job. When you were promoted, sir, we lost a good commander. We were lucky enough to get another one. He’s retired so the regs don’t apply. Dr. Jackson hardly ever goes through the gate anymore, which takes care of concerns about bias so far as I’m concerned. The last decade has changed everything we know, and we need good people. To be blunt, General, I’m not willing to bet on second-best when the planet is at stake.”
Hammond smiled, and Warren was relieved he’d finally gotten that little speech over with. “That’s good to hear, Colonel. And I’ve heard from others who feel the same way. Jack is perfectly willing to retire in ignominy if it’s what’s best for this program. That’s just the kind of men the President - and the Pentagon, some more reluctantly than others - want running SGC: a man who puts the program above his career. Not to mention the IOC. I assure you, Jack’s sticking around.”
“Glad to hear it, sir.” Warren knew it would blow over in a month or so anyway. People would see that nothing had really changed, someone would come back a mermaid or some other crazy, only-at-SGC sort of thing, and O’Neill and Jackson would be old news. Sure, there would be the die-hard homophobes, but in a job that changed everything you knew about the universe, most people developed an open mind after a while, so Warren wasn’t too worried.
*****
Daniel was sprawled out on the couch with Jack watching the national news when the doorbell rang. When he opened the door, Cassie was standing on the porch.
“Hi Daniel.”
He stepped aside, wordlessly inviting her in. “How are you?”
“Hey,” said Jack. “Good to see you.”
Cassie smiled cautiously. “As much as I like to see you guys, I have to ask a favor,” she said. “I’m taking Relationships and the Family for my second psych requirement, and we have to talk to a married couple about their first date.”
Daniel knew Jack wasn’t going to like this. “Uh, Cassie, you know we’re not mar-”
“I won’t use your real names. You’re the closest I’ve got. And the two of you are all but married. Hey, maybe you should go to Massachusetts…”
Jack groaned and headed for the fridge. “I’m gonna need a beer for this.”
Cassie knew they’d caved. But then, when it came to her, caving was hardly ever in question. “Thanks!”
“Thirsty?” called Jack while Daniel and Cassie went into the living room.
“No, thanks.”
“Bring me a water, will you?” asked Daniel as he turned off the television.
Cassie pulled out a notebook and pen. When Jack came in, he reluctantly asked, “So what does this assignment involve?”
“Just some basic questions about your first date. I’ve got a list.”
“Yay.” Jack took a swig of his beer. “Okay, shoot.”
She looked at the list. “How long had you known each other before you decided to date?”
“Eight years,” said Jack.
“Nine,” corrected Daniel.
“You were on another planet.”
“The question was how long we’ve known each other, not how long we’ve seen each other all the time.”
Cassie chuckled. “Nine years. Okay. Since you knew each other for years before dating, the next question is: what changed?”
Jack groaned. “I hate psychology.”
“We changed, Cassie,” supplied Daniel. “We aren’t the same people we were when we met.” That was completely true, on more levels than they would discuss. Oh, their fundamental natures hadn’t changed, but years of gate travel had its effects. Quite aside from their respective marriages, they understood each other in a way the hard-assed Colonel O’Neill and largely naïve Dr. Jackson who first went to Abydos never could have.
“Who asked out whom?”
“Jack asked me.” He decided to leave out the part where he’d first kissed Jack. That was between the two of them.
“Were you worried that dating might change your friendship?”
“I think it’s obvious you’ve gone beyond friendship if it’s a date,” pointed out Jack.
“You mean if it didn’t work out?” When Cassie nodded, Daniel continued, “No.”
“Why not?”
“I just knew it wouldn’t be an issue.” Not after everything they’d been through together.
“If we hadn’t killed each other by then,” said Jack, “I figured we had a pretty good friendship.”
Apparently that made sense, because she continued, “Where did you go?”
“Applebee’s.”
“Applebee’s?” asked Cassie incredulously. “That doesn’t seem like a very romantic place to go.”
“That was the idea,” Jack said. “Clandestine and technically illegal relationship, remember?”
“Oh. Right. Did you pick Daniel up?”
“Yes. And after we went to one of the little coffee shops he likes so much.”
“At the time, did it feel different than other dates? Dates where the relationship didn’t last?”
“It was different because we already knew each other so well.” Daniel sipped his water before continuing, “We didn’t ask about favorite books and movies or dream vacations. There were no awkward silences and I already knew how he was going to order his steak. It was different because I already had considerable feelings for him.”
Cassie didn’t even look up from her note-taking. “How about you, Jack? Anything to add?”
“That pretty much covers it.”
“Did you decide on a second date then and there?”
“I asked Jack to come with me to see The Wizard of Oz shown to Dark Side of the Moon.” Daniel had put a good deal of thought into that one. Luckily he’d heard about the fundraising event for the local theater group.
“Obviously I said yes.”
She finally looked up. “The thing is, you guys aren’t like most people. I mean, some of these questions don’t apply. Maybe I’m making assumptions here, but since this started before you retired, Jack, it seems that you had to know the relationship had long-term potential if you were willing to take the risk.”
Jack agreed. “True.”
“And this one: did you picture yourselves having a future together?”
“Yes,” they answered almost simultaneously.
“How did the date end?”
“I dropped him off at his apartment.”
She prodded, “No kiss goodbye?”
“I really hate psychology.”
“Yes,” Daniel answered.
“Last question: what did you think after the date?”
“It was good,” said Jack.
“I was looking forward to the next one.” Daniel had also been thinking Jack was a bit too gentlemanly with the kiss, but they’d agreed not to rush into a physical relationship. That wasn’t information Cassie needed, however.
“Thanks. I appreciate this.” She put her notebook away in her backpack. “So, how’s it going on base? Sam told me you were outed.”
Jack nodded. “Big time.”
“The mountain is sometimes like high school. Right now we’re the big news. Soon it will be something else.” He actually had read some interesting anthropological works on gossip in communities, but figured neither Jack nor Cassie really wanted to hear about it.
“Ouch,” said Cassie. “Don’t insult base personnel like that.”
Jack was quick to agree. “Yeah. You’re making me sound like a principal, and that’s just wrong.”
At that mental image, all three of them laughed.
*****
Jack sat on the couch and put his feet up. “That was one heck of a birthday dinner.”
“I’m glad,” said Daniel.
“I haven’t had steak and lobster in years.” More years than he cared to remember, actually.
“And you didn’t mind…” Daniel trailed off, doing his I-know-you-probably-don’t-want-to-talk-about-it-but-I-need-to-know thing.
“No.” He really hadn’t. So there’d been a group of Marines out celebrating a promotion, and they’d given him and Daniel strange looks. Jack wasn’t going to let a few jarheads ruin his birthday. He so rarely had a birthday where some kind of crisis didn’t come up, and if he had to get older, he might as well get a nice meal out of it.
“Be right back.”
When Daniel reappeared, he was holding a neatly wrapped gift, which he handed to Jack before sliding down next to him on the couch. “Happy birthday, Jack.”
“It’s already happy.” He was full of steak and lobster, plus there was hot birthday sex to look forward to. How could it not be a happy birthday?
He ripped the wrapping paper in the corner and revealed a frame. Never one to unwrap gifts carefully, he yanked off the paper. Daniel had given him a neatly framed paper covered in large, handwritten Ancient. It was obvious that he’d put time and effort into the writing. “What’s it say?”
Daniel traced his finger over the glass. “To boldly go where no man has gone before.”
Jack laughed. “This is going in my office. It’s great, Daniel. Don’t think I’ll tell the brass what it really says, though, except Hammond.”
His boyfriend smiled happily. Daniel put a lot of thought into his gifts and was always glad when they were appreciated.
“Thanks, cariad.” Jack carefully set his gift down, propped up against the side of the coffee table. Then he pulled Daniel in for a kiss before adding, “I like it when you indulge my sense of humor.” This he followed up with another lingering kiss.
“You like it when I indulge you, period.”
“Well, yeah.”
Daniel had a particular talent for playing with Jack’s bottom lip that somehow involved both of his own lips and, if Jack was very lucky, tongue. For the life of him Jack couldn’t figure out what his lover did, but damn if it didn’t get him every time.
“Good thing I like indulging you,” whispered Daniel, right into Jack’s mouth.
“I’m a lucky man.”
Before going back to kissing, Daniel murmured, “And sexy.”
Sure, carrying on a conversation between kisses could be awkward, but it was working just fine so Jack went with it. “Stroking my ego for my birthday?”
“Your ego’s not the only think I’m planning to stroke.”
Okay, after that one Jack didn’t have a response. Well, not a verbal response.
“Jack,” more kisses, “the way you were eating that lobster,” and there Jack finally got the tongue he’d been hoping for, “was positively indecent.”
He pulled Daniel on top of him, which upped the game considerably. Then, taking advantage of Daniel’s momentary disorientation, he set about deepening the kiss.
Daniel had other ideas. “Not so fast. I had to wait while you sucked butter off lobster. Payback’s a bitch.”
Except it wasn’t really, in this case. Not even close.
*****
As Daniel Jackson was attending a conference, Teal’c was unsurprised to find O’Neill in his office past regular hours. “Hey, T.”
“Are you once again catching up on your paperwork?”
“Yeah. I could go for a break, though. Hungry?”
“That is the purpose of my visit.” He had suspected that, with Daniel Jackson out of town, O’Neill would be working late as part of his ongoing attempt to achieve the elusive goal of being caught up on paperwork.
“Have you heard from Daniel Jackson?” he asked as they left O’Neill’s office.
“He’s having a great time at the conference,” replied O’Neill. “Yesterday he had a whole new perspective on the divergence of the two branches of Gaelic.”
Teal’c did not understand that, but he was fairly certain he was not intended to.
“He’ll be back tomorrow, so you can ask him all about it Thursday.”
“I do not believe I require extensive knowledge of Gaelic.” In fact, he did not know anything at all about Gaelic, but he was content with that state of affairs.
O’Neill merely smirked and pressed the elevator button. “How’s the debit card working out?”
“I have established an Amazon.com account.” He used very little of his pay, since his needs were few. “I am considering ‘iTunes’ for a study of music. However, I still do not understand why my debit card could not have my name on it.” The name on his card was ‘T. Murray,’ because the Air Force was evidently concerned about an unusual name associated with an address at Cheyenne Mountain. For reasons unknown to him, they considered it a matter of security.
“A piece of advice: don’t try to understand bureaucrats. It just gives you a headache.”
Teal’c took the opportunity to ask, “Have you ever owned a pet rodent?”
“Nope. I’m a dog person.”
“Sergeant Bilder has a picture of his son with a pet hamster. He was most offended when I congratulated him on his son’s successful hunt.”
O’Neill smirked again. “I imagine he was.”
The Tau’ri concept of pets was foreign to Teal’c. Some of them grew emotionally attached to animals in a way that he would never understand. He had no problem grasping the keeping of canines, which could be useful to defend those who were less than able to defend themselves. Felines, too, had their uses: they would be valuable in places with an overabundance of rodents, and Dr. Fraiser had once told him that their purring was quite therapeutic. Jonas Quinn had found fish meditative to watch. Rodents, however, were another story. Teal’c simply could not fathom why any sane individual would wish to share their home with a rodent.
“I do not see the benefits to a pet rodent.”
“Maybe he has allergies,” suggested O’Neill.
“It is a rodent. Rodents are by nature destructive, as well as unsanitary.”
“Pets teach kids responsibility.”
“Surely there are other means.” Although it was preferable to instilling fear of a false god, at least.
“Really, pets are great for teaching responsibility. Dogs are better, of course, but the idea’s the same. There’s another living creature relying on the kid for all its needs. It’s a great way for kids to learn.”
“That would seem counterproductive with a rodent, since while certain rodents are cared for, others are exterminated.”
“Again, I’m a dog person. I’ve never had a hamster and never wanted one. But I guess for some kids it’s better than nothing.”
“Your world is a strange place, O’Neill.”
“Teal’c, the whole universe is a strange place.”
That was a point he had to concede. O’Neill then added, “Have you heard of pet tarantulas?”
“What is a tarantula?”
“A big hairy spider.”
He had not, and could not begin to imagine why such a creature would be deemed an appropriate pet. “The entire universe may indeed be strange, but I suspect the Tau’ri have taken it upon themselves to find new and inventive methods of demonstrating this characteristic.”
“Why be normal when you can be a little crazy? It’s a lot more fun.”
Teal’c had a deep respect for the Tau’ri, particularly those with whom he worked and even more so the few he considered friends. However, there were aspects of them which he would never understand.
Continued: ent-alter-ego.livejournal.com/10841.html
Jack hoped his predecessor was okay with this.
“How has it been this last week?” asked Hammond.
“The good, the bad, the ugly, and the indifferent,” replied Daniel, using Sam’s words. “Honestly, nobody seems to be as surprised about me.”
“Jack?”
He shrugged. “Fine. Nobody wonders why I retired anymore. Apparently, I’m ‘court-martial proof.’ I’m sure the Pentagon isn’t happy.”
“There have been phone calls,” admitted Hammond. “I’m not going to lie: there are people who want you gone, Jack. You may be a civilian, but you still command an Air Force base.”
“I know. And if that’s what’s best for the program, I’ll retire quietly.”
“As will I,” said Daniel.
“Not my idea,” protested Jack. He understood Daniel’s reasoning, but he needed Hammond to know it wasn’t a power play.
“I’m not trying to blackmail anybody,” Daniel told the general. “But I refuse to live a life where I can’t tell Jack what’s going on or ask his opinion or even work at home because his security clearance has been revoked. I won’t do it.”
Hammond nodded. “Fair enough, son. As it stands, the President has made up his mind. Jack, your contributions to the program are too important. We need you. Both of you. What you do on your own time is your business. If you’re willing to work in a hostile environment, your jobs are secure.” He paused, then continued, “I’m an old man, but I’ve seen a lot of change in the last decade. Besides your invaluable contributions, I’m honored to consider you friends. So you can be sure I’ll enjoy hearing how you continue to prove everyone wrong.”
Jack gave a relieved smile to George Hammond - his predecessor, his boss, his friend. “Thanks, George.”
“Thank you,” echoed Daniel. “I do think that, considering what we do and see, SGC personnel are a bit more open-minded than you might expect on a military base. Of course, there’s still a great deal of prejudice, but it’s not as bad as it was.”
None of them delved into the question of just how Daniel knew how bad the prejudice used to be. Fortunately, they were saved by the doorbell.
Jack answered the door, finding Sam and Teal’c as expected. Daniel and Hammond were right behind him.
“General,” said Sam.
Hammond shook his head slightly. “Not tonight.”
“Wait till you try her cheesecake.” Pointing to the dessert Sam was holding, Jack elaborated, “You won’t believe what we missed out on all those years.”
*****
The praise for Carter’s cheesecake was all well-deserved. George had eaten more than he probably should have because it was just so good. “You’re a woman of many talents,” he told Carter.
“Thank you, sir.”
It was a nice dinner. George had already adjusted to the idea of Jack and Daniel as a couple back when Jack had confessed it was the reason he retired from the Air Force. And he certainly hadn’t maintained command of a galactic travel base for seven years by being closed-minded. It made sense, somehow, among all the crazy things that happened at SGC, that those two men who had given so much of themselves had found happiness together. George had long ago decided to go with his gut when something made sense. Jack and Daniel just fit, like maybe they’d been moving towards being a couple since they first met and nobody had realized it.
He knew of two loud and well-placed generals who were clamoring for Jack to lose his job. It seemed that their biggest fear in doing so was Thor showing up and insisting on the end of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. That rumor was certainly not George’s idea, but he’d done nothing to disabuse it. Jack O’Neill was the right man for the job.
“So Teal’c, how’s your family?” Unlike Carter, who had already filled him in on Cassandra, Teal’c had to be asked directly about such things.
The Jaffa’s expression turned to one of fatherly pride which seemed to be a universal constant. “Rya’c continues to learn under the tutelage of Master Bra’tac. I believe that one day his skills will surpass my own. Kar’yn is demonstrating a talent for the organizational duties of the Free Jaffa. Ishta remains, as I, a servant of our people’s freedom.”
He mentioned Ishta with family. That was interesting.
A phone rang, and Jack said, “Excuse me.” Then he pulled out his cell phone and frowned at it. “Daniel, isn’t this Asgard?”
Daniel took one look at the phone and confirmed, “Thor’s calling.”
Jack stood up and moved a few feet away. “O’Neill. Hi Thor… no, it’s fine. General Hammond’s here.” Jack pulled the phone away a bit and addressed George. “Thor sends his greetings.”
“Give him my regards.”
“He heard. So, what’s up, Thor?”
“You know,” noted George, “I read the report, but there’s still something a little surreal about getting a phone call from the Supreme Commander of the Asgard Fleet.”
“Better than getting beamed out of your living room without any warning,” said Daniel.
Jack was meanwhile insisted to Thor, “No clones… okay. If you really think it’ll help. But no clones… right… hey Thor, Daniel’s been wondering about your culture… I know… uh, sort of? No, don’t send it to the phone. That will overload my phone, and you wouldn’t believe the hassle to get a secure phone… you probably don’t have email, huh?”
This was one of the more interesting phone conversations George had sat in on in a while.
“Sure, if you can… of course you can. Appreciate it. You too.”
Jack titled his head, and the others seemed to take that as a signal to adjourn to the living room. George followed. “That was a courtesy call to get my permission for the Asgard to study my DNA, since it’s apparently sitting around tempting them. No clones. Thor promised.”
“Asgard culture?” prompted Daniel.
“Thor’s sending their most highly respected epic poem to the main computer on base. I’m supposed to warn you that the epic poems you might be familiar with are considered quite short by Asgard standards.” Daniel looked like he was tempted to run to the mountain before Jack even finished the statement.
Anyone sitting down in that living room would’ve said that the Asgard poem could provide insight into their valuable allies. They also would’ve known it was a far second to Jack’s real motivation: pleasing the man he loved.
*****
As soon as Dr. Brightman let SG-2 out of their post-mission physicals, Warren headed off to find General Hammond. The general had been there all morning already, and no doubt had heard some unsavory comments about O’Neill and Jackson.
He found SGC’s former commander in Carter’s lab examining one of her latest projects: recreating material SG-2 had found that looked like long underwear but protected from staff blasts. “The lifesaving implications of this are incredible, Colonel.”
“It’s not perfect, sir. The material can only absorb the energy from one staff blast before it’s compromised.” The material would certainly give them better chances, since being able to take one direct hit from a staff blast was one more than they could before. Warren was aware from painful personal experience that the staff blast still left an ugly, painful bruise that took forever to heal. (Also, he had a heck of a time trying to explain it to his wife.) However, since he’d been alive, he hadn’t complained about the bruise. Much.
“Still,” said Hammond. Warren wondered if the general was thinking of Dr. Fraiser. He knew for a fact that Carter was, since the two women had been good friends.
“Excuse me,” he interrupted. “General Hammond, if you have a moment, I’d appreciate a word, sir.”
“Certainly.”
Carter smoothly supplied, “I need coffee. Anyone else?”
“No thank you.”
“No thanks.”
She left the room with a crisp, “Sirs.”
“Good to see you, Colonel,” said the general when they were alone.
“Thank you, sir. You as well. Permission to speak freely?”
“Go ahead.”
“No doubt you’ve heard a lot of negative reactions to news of General O’Neill and Dr. Jackson’s relationship.”
The general nodded, and Warren had served under his command long enough to know he wasn’t pleased about it. “Unfortunately, you’re correct. I’ve been approached my several officers.” And of course he’d gotten wind of what the enlisted personnel were saying, even if they didn’t dare approach him. Warren’s best bet was that Walter filled the general in.
“For the record, I think Jack O’Neill is the best man for the job. When you were promoted, sir, we lost a good commander. We were lucky enough to get another one. He’s retired so the regs don’t apply. Dr. Jackson hardly ever goes through the gate anymore, which takes care of concerns about bias so far as I’m concerned. The last decade has changed everything we know, and we need good people. To be blunt, General, I’m not willing to bet on second-best when the planet is at stake.”
Hammond smiled, and Warren was relieved he’d finally gotten that little speech over with. “That’s good to hear, Colonel. And I’ve heard from others who feel the same way. Jack is perfectly willing to retire in ignominy if it’s what’s best for this program. That’s just the kind of men the President - and the Pentagon, some more reluctantly than others - want running SGC: a man who puts the program above his career. Not to mention the IOC. I assure you, Jack’s sticking around.”
“Glad to hear it, sir.” Warren knew it would blow over in a month or so anyway. People would see that nothing had really changed, someone would come back a mermaid or some other crazy, only-at-SGC sort of thing, and O’Neill and Jackson would be old news. Sure, there would be the die-hard homophobes, but in a job that changed everything you knew about the universe, most people developed an open mind after a while, so Warren wasn’t too worried.
*****
Daniel was sprawled out on the couch with Jack watching the national news when the doorbell rang. When he opened the door, Cassie was standing on the porch.
“Hi Daniel.”
He stepped aside, wordlessly inviting her in. “How are you?”
“Hey,” said Jack. “Good to see you.”
Cassie smiled cautiously. “As much as I like to see you guys, I have to ask a favor,” she said. “I’m taking Relationships and the Family for my second psych requirement, and we have to talk to a married couple about their first date.”
Daniel knew Jack wasn’t going to like this. “Uh, Cassie, you know we’re not mar-”
“I won’t use your real names. You’re the closest I’ve got. And the two of you are all but married. Hey, maybe you should go to Massachusetts…”
Jack groaned and headed for the fridge. “I’m gonna need a beer for this.”
Cassie knew they’d caved. But then, when it came to her, caving was hardly ever in question. “Thanks!”
“Thirsty?” called Jack while Daniel and Cassie went into the living room.
“No, thanks.”
“Bring me a water, will you?” asked Daniel as he turned off the television.
Cassie pulled out a notebook and pen. When Jack came in, he reluctantly asked, “So what does this assignment involve?”
“Just some basic questions about your first date. I’ve got a list.”
“Yay.” Jack took a swig of his beer. “Okay, shoot.”
She looked at the list. “How long had you known each other before you decided to date?”
“Eight years,” said Jack.
“Nine,” corrected Daniel.
“You were on another planet.”
“The question was how long we’ve known each other, not how long we’ve seen each other all the time.”
Cassie chuckled. “Nine years. Okay. Since you knew each other for years before dating, the next question is: what changed?”
Jack groaned. “I hate psychology.”
“We changed, Cassie,” supplied Daniel. “We aren’t the same people we were when we met.” That was completely true, on more levels than they would discuss. Oh, their fundamental natures hadn’t changed, but years of gate travel had its effects. Quite aside from their respective marriages, they understood each other in a way the hard-assed Colonel O’Neill and largely naïve Dr. Jackson who first went to Abydos never could have.
“Who asked out whom?”
“Jack asked me.” He decided to leave out the part where he’d first kissed Jack. That was between the two of them.
“Were you worried that dating might change your friendship?”
“I think it’s obvious you’ve gone beyond friendship if it’s a date,” pointed out Jack.
“You mean if it didn’t work out?” When Cassie nodded, Daniel continued, “No.”
“Why not?”
“I just knew it wouldn’t be an issue.” Not after everything they’d been through together.
“If we hadn’t killed each other by then,” said Jack, “I figured we had a pretty good friendship.”
Apparently that made sense, because she continued, “Where did you go?”
“Applebee’s.”
“Applebee’s?” asked Cassie incredulously. “That doesn’t seem like a very romantic place to go.”
“That was the idea,” Jack said. “Clandestine and technically illegal relationship, remember?”
“Oh. Right. Did you pick Daniel up?”
“Yes. And after we went to one of the little coffee shops he likes so much.”
“At the time, did it feel different than other dates? Dates where the relationship didn’t last?”
“It was different because we already knew each other so well.” Daniel sipped his water before continuing, “We didn’t ask about favorite books and movies or dream vacations. There were no awkward silences and I already knew how he was going to order his steak. It was different because I already had considerable feelings for him.”
Cassie didn’t even look up from her note-taking. “How about you, Jack? Anything to add?”
“That pretty much covers it.”
“Did you decide on a second date then and there?”
“I asked Jack to come with me to see The Wizard of Oz shown to Dark Side of the Moon.” Daniel had put a good deal of thought into that one. Luckily he’d heard about the fundraising event for the local theater group.
“Obviously I said yes.”
She finally looked up. “The thing is, you guys aren’t like most people. I mean, some of these questions don’t apply. Maybe I’m making assumptions here, but since this started before you retired, Jack, it seems that you had to know the relationship had long-term potential if you were willing to take the risk.”
Jack agreed. “True.”
“And this one: did you picture yourselves having a future together?”
“Yes,” they answered almost simultaneously.
“How did the date end?”
“I dropped him off at his apartment.”
She prodded, “No kiss goodbye?”
“I really hate psychology.”
“Yes,” Daniel answered.
“Last question: what did you think after the date?”
“It was good,” said Jack.
“I was looking forward to the next one.” Daniel had also been thinking Jack was a bit too gentlemanly with the kiss, but they’d agreed not to rush into a physical relationship. That wasn’t information Cassie needed, however.
“Thanks. I appreciate this.” She put her notebook away in her backpack. “So, how’s it going on base? Sam told me you were outed.”
Jack nodded. “Big time.”
“The mountain is sometimes like high school. Right now we’re the big news. Soon it will be something else.” He actually had read some interesting anthropological works on gossip in communities, but figured neither Jack nor Cassie really wanted to hear about it.
“Ouch,” said Cassie. “Don’t insult base personnel like that.”
Jack was quick to agree. “Yeah. You’re making me sound like a principal, and that’s just wrong.”
At that mental image, all three of them laughed.
*****
Jack sat on the couch and put his feet up. “That was one heck of a birthday dinner.”
“I’m glad,” said Daniel.
“I haven’t had steak and lobster in years.” More years than he cared to remember, actually.
“And you didn’t mind…” Daniel trailed off, doing his I-know-you-probably-don’t-want-to-talk-about-it-but-I-need-to-know thing.
“No.” He really hadn’t. So there’d been a group of Marines out celebrating a promotion, and they’d given him and Daniel strange looks. Jack wasn’t going to let a few jarheads ruin his birthday. He so rarely had a birthday where some kind of crisis didn’t come up, and if he had to get older, he might as well get a nice meal out of it.
“Be right back.”
When Daniel reappeared, he was holding a neatly wrapped gift, which he handed to Jack before sliding down next to him on the couch. “Happy birthday, Jack.”
“It’s already happy.” He was full of steak and lobster, plus there was hot birthday sex to look forward to. How could it not be a happy birthday?
He ripped the wrapping paper in the corner and revealed a frame. Never one to unwrap gifts carefully, he yanked off the paper. Daniel had given him a neatly framed paper covered in large, handwritten Ancient. It was obvious that he’d put time and effort into the writing. “What’s it say?”
Daniel traced his finger over the glass. “To boldly go where no man has gone before.”
Jack laughed. “This is going in my office. It’s great, Daniel. Don’t think I’ll tell the brass what it really says, though, except Hammond.”
His boyfriend smiled happily. Daniel put a lot of thought into his gifts and was always glad when they were appreciated.
“Thanks, cariad.” Jack carefully set his gift down, propped up against the side of the coffee table. Then he pulled Daniel in for a kiss before adding, “I like it when you indulge my sense of humor.” This he followed up with another lingering kiss.
“You like it when I indulge you, period.”
“Well, yeah.”
Daniel had a particular talent for playing with Jack’s bottom lip that somehow involved both of his own lips and, if Jack was very lucky, tongue. For the life of him Jack couldn’t figure out what his lover did, but damn if it didn’t get him every time.
“Good thing I like indulging you,” whispered Daniel, right into Jack’s mouth.
“I’m a lucky man.”
Before going back to kissing, Daniel murmured, “And sexy.”
Sure, carrying on a conversation between kisses could be awkward, but it was working just fine so Jack went with it. “Stroking my ego for my birthday?”
“Your ego’s not the only think I’m planning to stroke.”
Okay, after that one Jack didn’t have a response. Well, not a verbal response.
“Jack,” more kisses, “the way you were eating that lobster,” and there Jack finally got the tongue he’d been hoping for, “was positively indecent.”
He pulled Daniel on top of him, which upped the game considerably. Then, taking advantage of Daniel’s momentary disorientation, he set about deepening the kiss.
Daniel had other ideas. “Not so fast. I had to wait while you sucked butter off lobster. Payback’s a bitch.”
Except it wasn’t really, in this case. Not even close.
*****
As Daniel Jackson was attending a conference, Teal’c was unsurprised to find O’Neill in his office past regular hours. “Hey, T.”
“Are you once again catching up on your paperwork?”
“Yeah. I could go for a break, though. Hungry?”
“That is the purpose of my visit.” He had suspected that, with Daniel Jackson out of town, O’Neill would be working late as part of his ongoing attempt to achieve the elusive goal of being caught up on paperwork.
“Have you heard from Daniel Jackson?” he asked as they left O’Neill’s office.
“He’s having a great time at the conference,” replied O’Neill. “Yesterday he had a whole new perspective on the divergence of the two branches of Gaelic.”
Teal’c did not understand that, but he was fairly certain he was not intended to.
“He’ll be back tomorrow, so you can ask him all about it Thursday.”
“I do not believe I require extensive knowledge of Gaelic.” In fact, he did not know anything at all about Gaelic, but he was content with that state of affairs.
O’Neill merely smirked and pressed the elevator button. “How’s the debit card working out?”
“I have established an Amazon.com account.” He used very little of his pay, since his needs were few. “I am considering ‘iTunes’ for a study of music. However, I still do not understand why my debit card could not have my name on it.” The name on his card was ‘T. Murray,’ because the Air Force was evidently concerned about an unusual name associated with an address at Cheyenne Mountain. For reasons unknown to him, they considered it a matter of security.
“A piece of advice: don’t try to understand bureaucrats. It just gives you a headache.”
Teal’c took the opportunity to ask, “Have you ever owned a pet rodent?”
“Nope. I’m a dog person.”
“Sergeant Bilder has a picture of his son with a pet hamster. He was most offended when I congratulated him on his son’s successful hunt.”
O’Neill smirked again. “I imagine he was.”
The Tau’ri concept of pets was foreign to Teal’c. Some of them grew emotionally attached to animals in a way that he would never understand. He had no problem grasping the keeping of canines, which could be useful to defend those who were less than able to defend themselves. Felines, too, had their uses: they would be valuable in places with an overabundance of rodents, and Dr. Fraiser had once told him that their purring was quite therapeutic. Jonas Quinn had found fish meditative to watch. Rodents, however, were another story. Teal’c simply could not fathom why any sane individual would wish to share their home with a rodent.
“I do not see the benefits to a pet rodent.”
“Maybe he has allergies,” suggested O’Neill.
“It is a rodent. Rodents are by nature destructive, as well as unsanitary.”
“Pets teach kids responsibility.”
“Surely there are other means.” Although it was preferable to instilling fear of a false god, at least.
“Really, pets are great for teaching responsibility. Dogs are better, of course, but the idea’s the same. There’s another living creature relying on the kid for all its needs. It’s a great way for kids to learn.”
“That would seem counterproductive with a rodent, since while certain rodents are cared for, others are exterminated.”
“Again, I’m a dog person. I’ve never had a hamster and never wanted one. But I guess for some kids it’s better than nothing.”
“Your world is a strange place, O’Neill.”
“Teal’c, the whole universe is a strange place.”
That was a point he had to concede. O’Neill then added, “Have you heard of pet tarantulas?”
“What is a tarantula?”
“A big hairy spider.”
He had not, and could not begin to imagine why such a creature would be deemed an appropriate pet. “The entire universe may indeed be strange, but I suspect the Tau’ri have taken it upon themselves to find new and inventive methods of demonstrating this characteristic.”
“Why be normal when you can be a little crazy? It’s a lot more fun.”
Teal’c had a deep respect for the Tau’ri, particularly those with whom he worked and even more so the few he considered friends. However, there were aspects of them which he would never understand.
Continued: ent-alter-ego.livejournal.com/10841.html