Fic Archive Post: Minutiae, Sam/Jack
Archive post of the results of my temporary obsession with drabbles. Originally posted over here in the order I wrote them, but for this post I've rearranged them into chronological order.
Title: Minutiae
Rating: Teen
Pairing: Sam/Jack
Summary: Lives are built out of the tiniest of moments. Drabbles.
I. Perspective
They’d been working to set up camp as the sun set. Having finished his share of the work, Jack straightened up and stretched, looking up at the night sky. His brow furrowed.
“Captain,” he said over his shoulder, “would that by any chance be the Crab Nebula?”
She came to stand just behind him. “Yes, sir. Little bit larger here, isn’t it?”
“That is …” he trailed off, unable to find the right word.
“Yes, sir.”
“We are a seriously long way from home.” He turned to look at her and was caught by her bright smile.
“Yes, sir, we are.”
II. Intuition
What your mind doesn't know, your heart fills in. Narim’s words had stayed with her, persistent. They occupied her mind, along with concern for his fate and that of his people.
“A cat?” Colonel O’Neill’s voice broke the silence in her lab, startling her.
“Sir?”
“Didn’t know you had a cat.”
Sam didn’t mention that it was by chance that she’d learned he had a family. “It made more sense when I worked in D.C.”
“You all right? I thought you might miss … the cat.”
His gesture surprised her less, perhaps, than it should have. “I’m okay. Thank you, sir.”
III. Red
Most men thought red looked fantastic on just about any woman. Having seen more than most men, he’d learned to hate red on anyone, but he found it particularly unattractive on this woman.
It wasn’t serious, he was fairly sure; she’d remained conscious, and, really, head wounds always bled like this. He applied pressure, thankful the rock fall hadn’t been two seconds later.
“It’s okay, sir,” she said, her hand hovering over his. “I can -”
“I got it, Carter,” he responded. She brushed the back of his hand with her fingertips before dropping her own hand back into her lap.
IV. Memoriam
She watched the colonel as he stood alone on Daniel’s balcony. Turning her head, she caught Daniel’s eye where he played chess with Cassie. He nodded. Sam grabbed two bottles of beer and headed out to join her CO, leaning against the railing next to him.
He plucked one of the bottles from her hand as he spoke. “Those were good men, Carter. I am so tired of losing good men.”
“We all know the risks, sir.”
“Doesn’t matter.”
She raised her bottle toward him. “To fallen heroes?”
“Yeah.” He touched her bottle with his own, and they drank together.
V. Goodbyes
It ought to be raining.
She was supposed to be saying goodbye. Instead, that was all she could think, standing at her father’s graveside, a crowd of people milling around her. There was too much sun today.
She felt a hand on her shoulder; knowing its owner without looking, she leaned into the touch.
“Okay?” he asked softly.
She couldn’t decide what to say, so she hummed, noncommittal.
“It rained when we buried Charlie.”
She looked up at him, surprised at the admission. “It ought to be raining today.”
His hand tightened on her shoulder, and she looked away again.
VI. Smiling
This was his third day at Nellis, attending meetings at Area 51 and elsewhere on base. Although she’d seen him earlier, she couldn’t help but smile when he came to her office that evening.
He closed the door unexpectedly, pulling her into his arms and kissing her.
“Hi,” he said when he finally released her.
She blinked. “I’m not complaining, but what was that for?”
“You smiled at me.”
“You can’t kiss me like that every time I smile at you, sir. Seriously, the Air Force might self-destruct.”
“Fringe benefit,” he said, and when she smiled, he kissed her again.
VII. Toys
All she’d done was ask him about his day. He scowled anyway.
“Well, I just sat through a thirty minute briefing with some Tech Sergeant in which the major point was, I think, why we need to upgrade the web browsers on Atlantis. They need web browsers?”
She snorted.
“Seriously, Carter, how did this become my life?”
“On the other hand, you’re writing the book on how to operate a space fleet.”
“I joined the Air Force, you know, not the Navy.”
She looked at him steadily, and, eventually, he grinned. “Not buying it?”
She rolled her eyes. “No, sir.”
VIII. Win
He watched her over the top of the report they both knew he wasn’t reading. Occasionally she looked up from the mess of wires in front of her to scowl at him; he always managed to glance down before she caught him.
He could tell she was cross, always losing at his game. She poked a finger at the device she was testing; suddenly, with a yelp, she pulled her hand back and stuck her finger in her mouth. He stared.
“It bit me,” she said around her finger.
He groaned, burying his face in his hands, and she laughed.
IX. Reverberation
Jack was furious. It was how he dealt with situations beyond his control, but Sam would not let him stand there and break SG-1 any more than this had already broken them.
“Jack.”
She’d never abused their relationship on duty, and the others stared as he turned on her. “Do you people grasp that I can’t always protect you from the damned IOA?”
At least, she thought, she’d deflected him from Teal’c. “Protecting us is General Landry’s job.”
Their eyes locked; eventually, he relented. “I could fire you all.”
“Please?” Daniel asked. Sam stopped holding her breath at Jack’s half-smile.
X. Speechless
At some point, rendering Carter speechless had become one of Jack’s favorite pastimes. This, however, was something special.
She’d met the President before, but standing in the Oval Office seemed to have shut off her brain entirely; when he welcomed her to the White House, she didn’t respond. Fortunately, President Hayes possessed a healthy sense of humor, because disregarding a direct address from the President of the United States was usually considered more than a bit insulting.
“Carter,” Jack said softly.
“Yes, sir,” she answered; while it wasn’t entirely clear to whom she was speaking, it would do for form.
XI. Games
Anxious for news, Jack isolated Daniel and Vala as soon as possible after their return from Atlantis. “So, how’s Sam?”
“Well, I come bearing … a message.” Vala smiled, batting her eyelashes in a disturbing fashion. “Samantha actually wanted Daniel to deliver it, but he wasn’t having any of it.”
“Vala,” Daniel said loudly, “Sam was-”
Jack’s brain shut off from shock as Vala threw herself at him, kissing him enthusiastically; it took longer than it should have for him to recover and push her away.
“-joking,” Daniel finished.
Jack closed his eyes, beginning a detailed contemplation of intergalactic revenge scenarios.
XII. Girl Talk
“They’re going to write books about you and that rather spectacular general of yours, you know,” Vala said, flopping into a chair.
Sam sat down across from her. “I sincerely hope we’re all dead and gone before anyone’s writing books about the Stargate.”
“Hmm. That’s only likely if this planet is completely populated by the totally unobservant. But I meant,” Vala continued, waving her hand, “the steamy kind. With lots of sex. Movies, too. Historically inaccurate romances. Everyone loves a love story, Samantha.”
“Oh, God,” Sam said, smothering her laughter. “Never mention this again, Vala, or my marriage is doomed.”
XIII. Unfulfilled
When Jack yanked the clipboard out of Sam’s hands, tossing it aside, he could tell she was annoyed; he kissed her, effectively silencing her protest. There in the Gateroom, beneath the control room window, his hands roamed her body shamelessly, and she responded, eager. For him, though, the experience was falling flat. Regretfully, he pushed her away.
Sam immediately doubled over, laughing.
“Carter!”
She straightened, grinning. “Disappointed, Jack?”
“It was lacking something.”
“I’d think so. It isn’t exactly kissing in the Gateroom when we’ve closed the base and relocated the Stargate.”
“See, I told you that was a bad idea.”
Title: Minutiae
Rating: Teen
Pairing: Sam/Jack
Summary: Lives are built out of the tiniest of moments. Drabbles.
I. Perspective
They’d been working to set up camp as the sun set. Having finished his share of the work, Jack straightened up and stretched, looking up at the night sky. His brow furrowed.
“Captain,” he said over his shoulder, “would that by any chance be the Crab Nebula?”
She came to stand just behind him. “Yes, sir. Little bit larger here, isn’t it?”
“That is …” he trailed off, unable to find the right word.
“Yes, sir.”
“We are a seriously long way from home.” He turned to look at her and was caught by her bright smile.
“Yes, sir, we are.”
II. Intuition
What your mind doesn't know, your heart fills in. Narim’s words had stayed with her, persistent. They occupied her mind, along with concern for his fate and that of his people.
“A cat?” Colonel O’Neill’s voice broke the silence in her lab, startling her.
“Sir?”
“Didn’t know you had a cat.”
Sam didn’t mention that it was by chance that she’d learned he had a family. “It made more sense when I worked in D.C.”
“You all right? I thought you might miss … the cat.”
His gesture surprised her less, perhaps, than it should have. “I’m okay. Thank you, sir.”
III. Red
Most men thought red looked fantastic on just about any woman. Having seen more than most men, he’d learned to hate red on anyone, but he found it particularly unattractive on this woman.
It wasn’t serious, he was fairly sure; she’d remained conscious, and, really, head wounds always bled like this. He applied pressure, thankful the rock fall hadn’t been two seconds later.
“It’s okay, sir,” she said, her hand hovering over his. “I can -”
“I got it, Carter,” he responded. She brushed the back of his hand with her fingertips before dropping her own hand back into her lap.
IV. Memoriam
She watched the colonel as he stood alone on Daniel’s balcony. Turning her head, she caught Daniel’s eye where he played chess with Cassie. He nodded. Sam grabbed two bottles of beer and headed out to join her CO, leaning against the railing next to him.
He plucked one of the bottles from her hand as he spoke. “Those were good men, Carter. I am so tired of losing good men.”
“We all know the risks, sir.”
“Doesn’t matter.”
She raised her bottle toward him. “To fallen heroes?”
“Yeah.” He touched her bottle with his own, and they drank together.
V. Goodbyes
It ought to be raining.
She was supposed to be saying goodbye. Instead, that was all she could think, standing at her father’s graveside, a crowd of people milling around her. There was too much sun today.
She felt a hand on her shoulder; knowing its owner without looking, she leaned into the touch.
“Okay?” he asked softly.
She couldn’t decide what to say, so she hummed, noncommittal.
“It rained when we buried Charlie.”
She looked up at him, surprised at the admission. “It ought to be raining today.”
His hand tightened on her shoulder, and she looked away again.
VI. Smiling
This was his third day at Nellis, attending meetings at Area 51 and elsewhere on base. Although she’d seen him earlier, she couldn’t help but smile when he came to her office that evening.
He closed the door unexpectedly, pulling her into his arms and kissing her.
“Hi,” he said when he finally released her.
She blinked. “I’m not complaining, but what was that for?”
“You smiled at me.”
“You can’t kiss me like that every time I smile at you, sir. Seriously, the Air Force might self-destruct.”
“Fringe benefit,” he said, and when she smiled, he kissed her again.
VII. Toys
All she’d done was ask him about his day. He scowled anyway.
“Well, I just sat through a thirty minute briefing with some Tech Sergeant in which the major point was, I think, why we need to upgrade the web browsers on Atlantis. They need web browsers?”
She snorted.
“Seriously, Carter, how did this become my life?”
“On the other hand, you’re writing the book on how to operate a space fleet.”
“I joined the Air Force, you know, not the Navy.”
She looked at him steadily, and, eventually, he grinned. “Not buying it?”
She rolled her eyes. “No, sir.”
VIII. Win
He watched her over the top of the report they both knew he wasn’t reading. Occasionally she looked up from the mess of wires in front of her to scowl at him; he always managed to glance down before she caught him.
He could tell she was cross, always losing at his game. She poked a finger at the device she was testing; suddenly, with a yelp, she pulled her hand back and stuck her finger in her mouth. He stared.
“It bit me,” she said around her finger.
He groaned, burying his face in his hands, and she laughed.
IX. Reverberation
Jack was furious. It was how he dealt with situations beyond his control, but Sam would not let him stand there and break SG-1 any more than this had already broken them.
“Jack.”
She’d never abused their relationship on duty, and the others stared as he turned on her. “Do you people grasp that I can’t always protect you from the damned IOA?”
At least, she thought, she’d deflected him from Teal’c. “Protecting us is General Landry’s job.”
Their eyes locked; eventually, he relented. “I could fire you all.”
“Please?” Daniel asked. Sam stopped holding her breath at Jack’s half-smile.
X. Speechless
At some point, rendering Carter speechless had become one of Jack’s favorite pastimes. This, however, was something special.
She’d met the President before, but standing in the Oval Office seemed to have shut off her brain entirely; when he welcomed her to the White House, she didn’t respond. Fortunately, President Hayes possessed a healthy sense of humor, because disregarding a direct address from the President of the United States was usually considered more than a bit insulting.
“Carter,” Jack said softly.
“Yes, sir,” she answered; while it wasn’t entirely clear to whom she was speaking, it would do for form.
XI. Games
Anxious for news, Jack isolated Daniel and Vala as soon as possible after their return from Atlantis. “So, how’s Sam?”
“Well, I come bearing … a message.” Vala smiled, batting her eyelashes in a disturbing fashion. “Samantha actually wanted Daniel to deliver it, but he wasn’t having any of it.”
“Vala,” Daniel said loudly, “Sam was-”
Jack’s brain shut off from shock as Vala threw herself at him, kissing him enthusiastically; it took longer than it should have for him to recover and push her away.
“-joking,” Daniel finished.
Jack closed his eyes, beginning a detailed contemplation of intergalactic revenge scenarios.
XII. Girl Talk
“They’re going to write books about you and that rather spectacular general of yours, you know,” Vala said, flopping into a chair.
Sam sat down across from her. “I sincerely hope we’re all dead and gone before anyone’s writing books about the Stargate.”
“Hmm. That’s only likely if this planet is completely populated by the totally unobservant. But I meant,” Vala continued, waving her hand, “the steamy kind. With lots of sex. Movies, too. Historically inaccurate romances. Everyone loves a love story, Samantha.”
“Oh, God,” Sam said, smothering her laughter. “Never mention this again, Vala, or my marriage is doomed.”
XIII. Unfulfilled
When Jack yanked the clipboard out of Sam’s hands, tossing it aside, he could tell she was annoyed; he kissed her, effectively silencing her protest. There in the Gateroom, beneath the control room window, his hands roamed her body shamelessly, and she responded, eager. For him, though, the experience was falling flat. Regretfully, he pushed her away.
Sam immediately doubled over, laughing.
“Carter!”
She straightened, grinning. “Disappointed, Jack?”
“It was lacking something.”
“I’d think so. It isn’t exactly kissing in the Gateroom when we’ve closed the base and relocated the Stargate.”
“See, I told you that was a bad idea.”