AUTHOR: Demon Faith
EMAIL: rosabeth@hotmail.com
CATEGORY: Romance, Drama, Angst,
SPOILERS: You need to read the rest of the Charlie series
(Charlie, Revelations, The Dream, Demon Within and Dominion Hex)
and there are other spoilers for: Stargate the Movie, Tok'ra, The
Nox, Thor's Chariot, Legacy, Enigma, Bloodlines, Forever in a
Day, Hathor, Past and Present, Need, Broca Divide, Cold Lazarus,
Fire and Water, Message in a Bottle, and Seth. There is one line
taken from 'Crystal Skull'. Can you spot it?
SEASON / SEQUEL: Wait for #7 and I'll tell you!
RATING: PG-13
CONTENT WARNINGS: Charlie-whumping, Danny-whumping,
Jack-whumping, Tok'ra-whumping, minor character death, language!
(I really am evil, y'know!)
SUMMARY: After eight months of heartache, Charlie returns...
STATUS: Complete
ARCHIVE: Heliopolis
DISCLAIMER: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of
Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko
Productions. We have written this story for entertainment
purposes only and no money whatsoever has exchanged hands. No
copyright infringement is intended. The original characters,
situations, and story are the property of the authors. Not to be
archived without permission of the authors.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: I know I said at the end of 'Dominion Hex' that
the next one was called 'Divine Intervention' but I had a slight
problem. My computer decided to delete that entire story and I
couldn't retrieve it. I gave up on trying to rewrite it, so this
is a totally new plotline, hence the title change.
Thanks go, as always, to Stephali and all my other Stargate
friends and to all the people who so kindly gave me feedback.
Sorry about the cliff-hanger, but I felt the story was getting
too long!
Stargate Command. The first line of defence
for Earth, though very few people were aware of it. And SG1 was
the best in the SGC. Quite surprising really, considering SG1
wasn’t exactly your regular USAF team. Sure, it had
your typical Colonel in command and his 2IC was an Airforce
Major. But the other two members were…slightly unusual. Dr
Daniel Jackson, their rather accident-prone
archaeologist/anthropologist/linguist, who Jack thought was more
trouble then he was worth, and Teal’c, an alien to Earth
with an even stranger alien housed in his stomach, which just
happened to be Earth’s deadliest enemy. Not your
run-of-the-mill team but the best, none the less. The very best.
~
SG1 stepped out of the Gate. The planet
before them was quite barren but the UAV was nowhere in sight.
“P7A 421, sir.”
“Yes, Carter. I know.”
Jack sounded tired and weary; his voice had
lost its life somehow and ever the sarcastic wit had faded. Sam
was worried. Their team was falling apart. It had been eight
months, eight long months, since Charlie had left. Things had
gone downhill from there.
“What is your assessment, Major
Carter?”
Good old, Teal’c. The Jaffa came up
beside her, keeping his voice low. Jack was some way off, so Sam
felt safe to answer.
“Definitely blue. On both fronts.”
Sam inclined her head towards Daniel and
Teal’c nodded gravely. They had set up a system over the
last few months, coding Jack and Daniel’s moods into six
categories: blue, red, green, yellow, purple and black. Black
meant total despair, purple meant relative calm, yellow meant
anxiety, green meant sorrow, red meant anger and blue, the
commonest of the six, meant depression.
Daniel was trailing behind again. His brow
had become furrowed in a permanent frown recently and the shadows
beneath his eyes had become deeper. During the night, he tossed
and turned and Sam had taken to sleeping on the couch. The
atmosphere was strained between them, everyone silently blaming
everyone else. Except for Daniel, who was blaming himself: he
should’ve noticed, he should’ve fought her, he
should’ve stopped her. Gradually, he had retreated into his
own little world, blocking everyone’s attempts to help him.
Jack was very much the same; he never went out anymore and spent
more and more time in his office, writing. No one knew what
flowed beneath his pen but it kept him up all night. Any attempts
to find out had been greeted by red, followed instantly by green.
Sam suddenly stopped, causing Daniel to walk
straight into her. She began to realise what she’d done. She
had started treating her friends like psychiatric patients,
unstable time-bombs that could go off at any moment. What kind of
friend was she?
Daniel also had a realisation. He picked up
his glasses and turned to study Sam’s face. He looped an arm
around her shoulder and she jumped at the contact.
“Y’alright?”
Sam smiled wearily. Between keeping
her team together and taking care of Daniel, she had let herself
slip. She had one meal a day, two if she was off-world, and
snatched an hour or two of sleep when she could. She had started
re-typing Jack’s reports and lengthening Daniel’s
observation notes. She was a proud woman and wouldn’t let
her team fall apart just because they had lost a friend; a child;
a lover.
“I suppose I’m a
little…over-worked. Nothing to worry about, really.”
Daniel spun Sam round to face him and
looking deeply into her eyes.
“I’m sorry, Sam. You’ve been
doing too much. I’ll…do Jack’s next report and I
think I can cope with a little archaeological survey.”
Sam smiled gratefully. He had noticed.
Teal’c fell back to join them.
“Do you believe it would be wise to
volunteer for…duties?”
Sam knew instantly what he was talking about
but Daniel had no clue whatsoever. The team had grown apart and
Sam had to fix it. She glanced at her wandering CO, fighting back
tears.
“What’s that, Teal’c?”
“It might be prudent, Daniel Jackson,
to attempt some of O’Neill’s duties. It has become
tiresome fixing his reports.”
Daniel’s eyes went wide.
“You too!”
“Yes indeed, Daniel. In fact, if you
could help…”
Sam stifled a giggle, which caused Jack to
turn around. He frowned slightly at the sight of his team
whispering behind him. But did it really matter? Did anything
matter? With a sigh, he turned back to the path, searching for
the UAV. He felt a tap on the shoulder and saw Daniel at his
side.
“Hey.”
Jack didn’t even bother to reply.
“If you don’t mind me saying, you
seem a little tired. Got anything planned tonight?”
“Reports. Seven of them.”
Daniel moved in for the kill.
“How about you let me do them? You
could catch an early night.”
Jack seemed to be considering it. It was a
mark of how far things had gone when Jack, smart-ass colonel, was
considering help from a civilian, especially Daniel. Finally, he
nodded. Daniel smiled, then fell back to the others.
“Seven reports; all ours for the
taking.”
~
That night, Daniel’s office was a hive
of activity, as fingers drummed steadily across the keyboards.
Daniel was at his own desk, Teal’c was at Charlie’s and
Sam was lying on the floor, with her laptop in front of her.
“So, who wants the threat
assessments?”
Sam was doling out assignments to everyone.
Teal’c volunteered for those, raising an eyebrow.
“Threat assessments of the Tok’ra,
the Asgard and the Nox?”
Sam blinked in surprise and snatched the
sheet back.
“I think I’ll do the Tok’ra.
Why the heck are we evaluating the good guys?”
Daniel shrugged, before turning back to his
computer. He had three archaeology reports to get done, before he
even started helping the others. Janet was passing by but stopped
short at the sight of three-quarters of SG1, apparently engrossed
in reports.
“Report for Mackenzie on SG1’s
psychological health? They get the Colonel to write these things?
No wonder we get so much stick!”
Janet’s eyes widened. They were writing
Jack’s reports! Was he ill? Sam saw her standing in the
doorway and grinned.
“I think that one’s for you, if
you’re helping.”
Janet stepped gingerly into the room,
carefully avoiding the sheets of paper littered all over the
floor. It turned out that Jack’s ‘seven’ reports
were actually about 25, with the seven being the ones needed for
the next day. Janet took the piece of paper wordlessly and then
began to berate them.
“What the hell are you doing? This is
top secret documentation! Jack will lose his job…”
“Janet, if we don’t do the
reports, his job is gone anyway. I’ve been editing them for
the last month; I doubt any extra will the harm the
government.”
Janet gaped like a goldfish before
disappearing out of the door. She returned a few minutes later
with her laptop. She laid it on the floor beside Sam’s and
started writing up the report.
“Finally! Stupid artefact notes!
Anyway, what have I got?”
Sam flicked through some sheets and gave a
couple to Daniel.
“Recommendations for promotion? Can I
put you on it?”
Sam laughed.
“If you do, make it realistic.
What’s the other?”
“The rumour mill of the SGC! The
General wants a report on how far it’s progressed!”
They all burst into hopeless giggles. Daniel
turned around and started to type. The room fell silent as Sam
examined the last sheet. She let out a great guffaw of laughter
before passing the sheet to Daniel, who looked totally shocked.
“This is outrageous! ‘Define your
relationship with Daniel Jackson’! How the hell are you
going to write that?”
Sam smiled innocently.
“Just as easily as you are going to
recommend my promotion!”
Daniel shook his head and handed the sheet
back to her.
It took them until four in the morning to
finish all his reports. Sam dumped the whole pile on General
Hammond’s desk before heading for some sleep. Daniel decided
he needed to eat, so Teal’c, Janet and him headed for the
canteen. They drank coffee and ate chocolate cake until seven
o’clock, when they were due for a briefing.
~
General Hammond couldn’t quite believe
what he was seeing. The massive pile of paper on his desk seemed
to all be from Jack. He leafed through it and was amazed at the
neat precision of his writing. Then it hit him. He rung the main
gates and they told him that the Colonel hadn’t even checked
in that morning. The general put the phone down and smiled
uneasily. If the rest of SG1 were typing Jack’s reports,
then Jack must be in one of his blue moods. Even the General
hadn’t failed to hear of the ‘mood system’; it had
spread pretty quickly through the SGC. Truth be told, the reports
were excellent, far better then any he had received from Jack in
the last few months. And now that he knew who had written them,
he picked up the little hints that told him who had written each
report. In the end, he decided they could be accepted but that
the briefing this morning would not contain any mission
details…
~
At half-past seven there was still no sign
of Jack, so the General started the meeting without him.
“We are not here to discuss the
mission. We are here to discuss reports.”
At his remark, everyone seated lowered their
faces to the table.
“I know that you’ve been writing
Jack’s reports but would like to know who wrote what.”
Sam was the first to raise her hand.
“Threat assessment of the Tok’ra,
sir. And Daniel’s relationship with the Colonel.”
“I have written threat assessments of
the Asgard and the Nox, General Hammond.”
“I wrote the promotion list, General.
And the rumour mill report.”
“I wrote the psychological evaluation,
sir.”
“And the rest?”
“Mission reports? We did a few of those
each.”
The general sighed. They had shown teamwork
without their CO and had shouldered all his responsibilities.
Someone had even said they had seen them inspecting the locker
rooms, something the Colonel had specially requested. They
obviously knew they shouldn’t have but had done them all the
same. It was the best piece of teamwork he had seen in a while.
Everyone had been affected by Charlie’s leaving and, eight
months on, with no word from her or the Tok’ra, the base had
settled into grieving. Jack was taking it the worst, barely
acknowledging her existence, yet alone his own grief. And now
this. It was Jack who had him worried. There was one question he
had to ask before he called Mackenzie, which he knew SG1 would be
against, considering what had happened last time.
“Off-world, who leads your
missions?”
Sam and Daniel glanced at each other
nervously. How could they tell him of Jack’s depressive
moods, attempted suicide and Sam’s consequential decision to
lead SG1? Jack hadn’t even objected, only told her to have
fun. Now, he was just ‘along for the ride’, making
practically no contribution to the missions.
“General Hammond, I believe my friends
feel unable to speak. I, however, feel it necessary to inform you
of Colonel O’Neill’s current psychological state.”
It was a long speech for the usually
succinct Jaffa. General Hammond nodded for him to continue.
“Colonel O’Neill has
been…distracted and easily angered of late. On one mission,
to P7A 949…”
Sam and Daniel both stood up at once.
“You can’t tell them that!”
“We made a promise, Teal’c.”
General Hammond stared at the team in shock.
What had they been keeping from him?
“Please continue, Teal’c.”
The Jaffa nodded, giving his colleagues a
stern look. They both sat down.
“On P7A 989, Colonel O’Neill was
separated from us. Daniel Jackson found him, holding his own gun
to his head. With much persuasion, he surrendered to us and
informed Major Carter that she was in command. We vowed to never
speak of the matter again. I am sorry.”
Teal’c nodded to his friends, who were
determined not to meet his eye. General Hammond sucked in a
breath, not quite believing what he had heard. Jack was suicidal!
He quickly stood up.
“Teal’c, Sam, Daniel; I want you
to go to Jack’s house. Bring him here. I’m phoning
Mackenzie…”
“No sir!”
“You can’t do that!”
“Are you questioning me, Major?
Doctor?”
They both turned sullenly towards the door.
The general reached for his phone before he realised Teal’c
and Janet were still behind him.
“Yes?”
“It would be inadvisable to include
Mackenzie in this situation.”
“I agree with him, sir.”
“Reasons?”
“He’ll send him to rehab, sir. He
doesn’t need that right now. What he needs if for his damn
girlfriend to come back through the flipping Gate!”
The general had never seen Janet so angry.
Teal’c was also pretty mad.
“I concur, General. Could we not
contact the Tok’ra?”
“How Teal’c? Tell me that!”
“The Tollan communicator, sir.”
The general raised an eyebrow. He had
forgotten that!
“Get Major Carter and Doctor Jackson
back here! You two, go to Jack’s and bring him here.
Go!”
They ran out of the door. The general
sighed. Why was life so complicated?
~
Janet pulled into Jack’s drive. All the
curtains were closed and the post lay on the doorstep.
Teal’c strode up the garden path and rung the doorbell. They
waited for several minutes before ringing again. There was a
hushed curse but still no one came to the door. Teal’c
looked at Janet and she nodded her assent. He shouldered the
door, knocking it open. They went in cautiously, shocked at what
greeted them. Jack was sprawled on the sofa, absently flicking
through TV channels. There was a strong stench of alcohol and
several cigarette ends lay in the ashtray on the table.
Janet’s eyes widened. Jack hadn’t smoked since the
Abydos mission. Teal’c was also surprised. Janet whispered
to him softly.
“I’ll wait outside. Try and get
him to come. Don’t start a fight.”
Teal’c nodded and Janet fled, closing
the front door behind her. Teal’c moved slowly to the sofa.
Jack looked up with blood-shot eyes. He sat up slightly, and
patted the seat next to him. Teal’c took it. Jack passed him
a bottle of beer, popping the lid with his thumb. Teal’c
drank the whole bottle in one go and held out his hand for
another. Jack smiled drunkenly and gave him a wine bottle.
“Thank you, O’Neill. I must ask
you; why are you inebriated?”
“It…helps, Teal’c. It shuts
away the pain.”
“I’ve tried many a practice
myself, O’Neill. They do not work.”
Jack sighed and put down his beer.
Teal’c took a swig from his and then did likewise.
“It doesn’t, does it?”
He paused for a moment before continuing. He
seemed to have sobered up as well, for which Teal’c was
glad.
“She was beautiful, wasn’t she?
Now I know how Daniel feels. To have your love stolen by the
Gourld, to not know whether she was alive or dead.
It’s…not fair.”
Jack broke down at his own words, burying
his face in his hands. Teal’c patted his back, unsure how to
help his friend further. Then he found it.
“I knew not the fate of Drey’ac,
O’Neill. My wife was taken from her home for my betrayal, as
was my son. We have all suffered by the Goa’uld, my friend.
All of us.”
Jack nodded slowly and wiped his eyes.
“Sorry about that. Don’t know what
came over me.”
“You were a little green,
O’Neill.”
Jack raised an eyebrow. Teal’c smiled.
“I will explain later, O’Neill.
Now we have more pressing matters. The General requires your
presence at the SGC.”
Jack nodded and stood up, swaying slightly.
Teal’c supported him as they went outside, into the
sunlight.
~
“Well, it still works. Whether the
Tok’ra come, is another matter.”
Sam sighed and Daniel sat back on his hands.
They were at the top of Cheyenne Mountain, setting off the little
device.
“What, exactly, does it send, Sam? Can
we send a message?”
“No idea. You were the one who saw it
working.”
Daniel picked up the little box and
inspected the glyphs. He pressed some of them, one by one, and
they lit up. The top flew open and his message appeared on the
screen. He pressed another glyph and the ray of light sped up
into the sky. Sam looked at him, obviously impressed.
“Cuneiform. Very useful
sometimes.”
Sam smiled. She started to get up but Daniel
pulled her down.
“Sam, I have something to say to
you.”
Sam looked at him inquiringly, but
didn’t say anything.
“I think we should get a divorce.”
Sam’s eyes widened. She knew it was
only a convenience marriage but divorce? It hurt her so much and
she couldn’t work out why.
“Why…Daniel?”
Daniel swallowed.
“I think it’s unnecessary. We have
Charlie but she might not want us anymore, Sam. I think
she’ll be different and I think we are too.”
Sam couldn’t believe what she was
hearing. Then it hit her. There was a reason why she didn’t
want a divorce. It was more than just a convenience marriage; it
was love. She was in love with Daniel and he wanted a divorce!
“It may…be a convenience marriage
to you Daniel but it’s become…so much more to me. You
bastard, leaving me now.”
Sam stood up and strode off, ignoring the
pleading calls behind her.
~
Jack staggered into the Briefing Room. Janet
helped him into a chair while the General just stared. Sam strode
in behind him, looking extremely angry. Jack looked up at her,
eyes wide.
“What’s up, Sam?”
She snarled at him and pulled up a chair,
backwards so that her chin was resting on the back.
“Daniel’s a bastard.”
Jack eyed her carefully, working out
whether she was serious. She most definitely was. The General
decided to ignore the remark and continued with the issue at
hand.
“Did you send it?”
“Yes, we did.”
Jack’s interest was peaked now. Send
what? To who?”
“Sir?”
The General was about to answer him when the
Gate began to dial. He stood up and ran down the stairs, Sam hot
on his heels. Teal’c and Janet helped Jack to his feet and
took him down the stairs. Janet muttered something about
anti-intoxicants and dashed to the infirmary.
The Gate had only reached its third chevron
when Daniel burst in, obviously flustered. He tried to catch
Sam’s eye but she turned away.
“I think we have a problem.”
Everyone turned to him, with the exception
of Sam, who was far more interested in the Gate. He seemed
extremely hurt but didn’t elaborate.
“I think the Gourld may have
intercepted our signal. If they did, the Tok’ra will be
under attack, sir.”
The General absorbed this information,
eyeing the Gate carefully.
“Shut the iris, until we receive a GDO
signal.”
The technician nodded and the iris rolled
over the Gate. The seventh chevron locked and blue light danced
over the back wall.
“Tok’ra GDO, sir.”
“Open the iris!”
The General ran down the next flight of
steps, followed by SG1. Janet appeared at the bottom and jabbed a
needle into Jack’s arm. He immediately felt his head clear
and he ran with the rest of his team. They arrived in the doorway
just in time.
Several Tok’ra spilled into the room,
but none they recognised. Guns were instantly raised. One
clutched the GDO limply while another supported him. Most of them
were injured but everyone’s eyes were still fixed on the
Gate.
There was a massive flash of light from the
Gate and the Tok’ra backed away. Someone flew out of the
Gate and hit the wall. Two more figures stumbled out behind,
instantly rolling to their knees. It was Martouf and Selmak! Sam,
Jack and Daniel ran over to the two familiar faces but
Teal’c was more concerned with the person who had hit the
wall. He knelt beside the figure and slowly turned them over. Her
long black hair tumbled out of her hood and her tanned face
sported many bruises but she was unmistakable: Charlie.
Teal’c shouted to the others but they weren’t
listening. Martouf and Selmak were now unconscious and many of
the other Tok’ra were clattering to the floor. Teal’c
picked up Charlie, cradling her gently in his arms.
“Janet! Help me, please!”
The Doctor turned and half-screamed. That
got their attention! Janet ran over to Teal’c, checking
Charlie for a pulse. She nodded and then indicated the door. They
both ran for the infirmary.
Jack, Sam and Daniel still hadn’t
realised who Teal’c was carrying and, in all the excitement,
had forgotten why the Tok’ra were there in the first place.
Several medics had arrived and were transporting the unconscious
Tok’ra to the infirmary. The rest of SG1 decided to follow.
~
Teal’c laid Charlie on the bed, moving
away so that Janet could look her over. She seemed to have
changed greatly; her hair was extremely long and her youthful
face was creased with lines of worry and weariness. Teal’c
thought she looked pale, even paler than when she had left the
SGC all those months ago. Several new patients arrived but Janet
kept up her examination.
“Well, she came through the Gate at
tremendous speed, it’s surprising she’s still here. It
seems she put out her arms to stop herself and hit her head
before bouncing off. One arm is broken, the other sprained. She
has a massive concussion; maybe a haemorrhage, possible subdural
haematoma…”
Teal’c could only understand a few
words of Janet’s speech but realised it was bad. Janet
tucked Charlie’s hair back into her head and examined her
scalp carefully.
“I think we’ll need an MRI scan at
least, and several x-rays. Stay with her, Teal’c and inform
the General and the rest of SG1. If she arrests, call for
help.”
Teal’c nodded. He had been in the
infirmary enough to know what she was saying. Then the rest of
SG1 walked in.
“Where’d you go,
Teal’c?”
“Yeah, who was with you?”
Teal’c couldn’t believe their
blindness. He pointed slowly to Charlie, lying unconscious on the
bed. They all turned and gasped. They stood perfectly still,
unmoving in the face of a nightmare. Jack was the first to move,
pulling up a chair to sit beside her. He took her hand carefully,
clasping it tightly. Sam and Daniel slowly came to their senses
and moved beside her as well, careful to sit on opposite sides of
the bed. Teal’c still stood protectively at her head,
watching over her as if she were his own child. Janet walked in
on the scene and had to physically drag Daniel away to reach her
patient. Teal’c stepped aside to let her pass, his face
grave. Everyone had suffered during Charlie’s absence, and
Janet and Teal’c had stopped seeing each other only last
week.
Across the room, Martouf stirred. Sam stood
up slowly and moved beside him, carefully avoiding the pain in
Daniel’s eyes.
“Martouf, what happened?”
The Tok’ra’s eyes slowly came into
focus and he smiled painfully.
“The Goa’uld intercepted your
signal. They attacked. Selmak, Charlene and I were shot many
times. Just as Charlene entered the chapa’ai, a death glider
shot her. You must check her…”
Jack felt anger rise at the sound of more
than just concern in Martouf’s voice. He would have to have
words with Mr snaky-butt Tok’ra. Jack could feel his old
strength returning and his delight at Charlie’s return.
However, something else haunted his thoughts: memories of losing
her, the vulnerability, and the hopelessness of it all. She
stirred, moaning softly before sinking back into unconsciousness.
Then Jack noticed something. Clutched tightly beneath her
fingers, a small shoot of brown was visible. Jack gently opened
her fingers and gasped. Daniel bent over his shoulder and a
solitary tear rolled down his cheek. Jack lifted up the fragile
flower and held it to the light. There was no question: it was a
rose. His rose.
Daniel couldn’t quite believe his eyes.
For eight months, Charlie had kept the dead rose with her,
reminding herself of her friends and her loves back on Earth.
Then Daniel noticed something else. He lifted her collar and
fingered the necklace beneath. Charlene forever. The
ribbon was dirty and frayed but the golden disk remained as
beautiful as ever. Daniel remembered it well; he had got Sergeant
Siler to engrave the cartouche onto the disk for Charlie’s
birthday, which they were due to celebrate the weekend after she
left them.
Sam had been particularly quiet that
day. Daniel couldn’t believe he had missed it. Now it was
too late. He gazed over at his wife as she talked to Martouf. A
spike of jealously pierced his heart and he tried to suppress it.
He had not been entirely truthful with Sam. Yes, he was afraid
Charlie would have changed, but the truth was that he
couldn’t cope. His feelings for Sam had gone beyond mere
friendship, as they had tried to pretend, and he couldn’t
face it again. He still grieved for Sha’re and had found his
salvation in Sam. Now he had to let go. He tore his eyes away
from his beautiful wife and turned back to his daughter. Why
was it always the innocent? Why did they have to suffer the pain?
He held Charlie’s hand as Jack whispered softly to her,
words of comfort and affection, pleading and desire. Daniel stood
up and walked away. There was still too much heartache.
Sam watched her husband leave. Why was he so
desperate for a divorce? Couldn’t he see that she loved him?
Sam excused herself and headed for the door. She was going to
knock some sense into her blind husband if it was the last thing
she did!
~
Hot, numbingly hot. Hotter than the
Tok’ra tunnels, hotter than the painful Kunja’lo:
Charlie fought her way to consciousness. She had to know, she had
to be sure: was she in the SGC? Her eyes flew open as the pain
coursed through her. She spoke the first word that came to mind.
“Jack…?”
A soothing hand was laid across her
forehead, its chill penetrating her brain. Her eyes slowly came
into focus and she saw Jack leaning over her, a worried frown
across his face.
“I’m here, Charlie. Don’t
worry now, you’re safe.”
Safe? She had been safe with Dakatte, with
Anja, with Martouf but now? Now she was protected. Jack called to
someone across the room. Janet swam into view, brandishing a
syringe. The needle pierced her skin and the heat died and her
senses awakened.
“Mum? Dad?”
Her mouth was dry and her words were no more
than a gasp. Jack held a straw to her lips and the trickle of
water was like a desert kiss. She licked her lips and repeated
her questions.
“ They’re well. No idea where they
are, though. They seemed pretty mad at each other.”
“Why?”
Jack lowered his head and he flushed red,
biting down on his bottom lip. Charlie pulled herself up and
tilted his chin with her hand. He was crying. Charlie was
concerned now. She raised her fingers to his eyes and brushed
away his tears, pressing her hand to his face. He mirrored her
action and she relaxed against his palm. She looked him in the
eye.
“Tell me Jack. I need to know.”
“No you don’t Charlie. You’ll
just get upset…”
“I won’t.”
Her voice was firm compared to his hushed
tones. He looked up and met her eyes, glinting steel behind those
dark orbs.
“Tell me.”
So Jack began his story of the past eight
months. As Charlie listened, her heart sank. They cared so much
and she had offered them so little. When he retold the mission to
P7A 989, Charlie was horrified.
“Oh Jack, no! Suicide…but
why?”
Jack’s reply was simple.
“Because I couldn’t live without
you.”
He got up slowly and left to get some air,
Charlie gazing after him. It was then that Teal’c sat beside
Charlie, laying a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him and
smiled.
“Hello Teal’c.”
She wanted to continue, she wanted to tell
him her troubles but she was unsure. Teal’c seemed to
understand.
“I am Ka’rec, Charlene. You may
trust me.”
Charlie smiled as a tear escaped her eye.
Her lip quivered and she leaned against Teal’c, sobbing into
his jacket.
“I didn’t expect it to be like
this, Teal’c. I have hurt them, Jack to the point of
suicide. Oh Teal’c, he was going to kill himself because of
me! And now Mum and Dad are fighting and I’m the reason! Why
did it turn out this way?”
Teal’c listened to her talk but answers
were not forthcoming. What could he say? That she was right?
Offer hollow reassurances? Teal’c settled for the truth.
“Fate is unfair, Charlene. This is not
your fault. The Goa’uld are evil, my to’var. We must
fight their influence.”
Charlie looked up at his words, puzzled by
what he had said. What did the Goa’uld have to do with this?
“The Goa’uld? But, Teal’c,
what has this…”
“Everything, to’var. The
Goa’uld enslaved you and took you away from us. They kept
you away so long that we suffered. I do not blame the
Tok’ra, they are our friends, but the Tok’sokar and the
System Lords are to blame.”
Charlie considered his words and found
that they had merit. She settled against him and relaxed in his
arms.
Janet was jealous. Teal’c talked
patiently to Charlie, as she cried in his arms and Janet watched
as she felt him leave her. She knew she was being selfish,
Charlie needed him a lot more than she did, but it just felt
wrong to see him with another. She swallowed hard and turned
away.
~
Sam knew where she would find him. He always
escaped there when things got too tough. Not that it was much of
an escape. There was always someone in the locker rooms but it
had become Daniel’s refuge lately. Sam slipped through the
door and observed him silently. He had taken off his shirt and
was staring at something in his lap. Suddenly he looked up, his
eyes hard.
“Why did you come here?”
Sam was quite taken aback.
“Free country, Daniel. Since when did
you hide from me?”
“Since you stopped caring!”
Daniel leapt to his feet, eyes blazing with
rage. Sam was on the verge of tears but she swallowed them down.
“I stopped caring? Since when were you
so economical with your love Daniel Jackson? I mean, you
gave it to Kira, Shyla-even Hathor, for God’s
sake!”
No matter how angry she was, Sam would never
bring Sha’re into the argument. Daniel, however, was past
caring.
“You forgot one Sam. Sha’re, my true
wife! You’re not a substitute Sam: you’re a
convenience!”
He knew he had hurt her now and she let the
tears flow freely.
“How can you be so cruel? If you
don’t love me, then at least think of Charlie!”
Daniel stopped then. Their argument had
carried them within mere inches of each other and the proximity
was making him shiver. He couldn’t quite believe what she
had said.
“You…you…you love me?”
Sam looked at him in pity.
“You didn’t notice. You
didn’t even notice.”
He voice was a whisper, a ghost of her
clear, strong voice. Daniel stepped forward and placed his hands
on her shoulders. She flinched and tried to get away.
Daniel’s face spread into a smile.
“I love you too, Samantha
Jackson.”
Sam’s eyes widened in surprise. Daniel
bent closer and their lips met. Sam replied with passion and
pushed him against the lockers, her hand cupping his head. He
grasped her neck tightly and she pressed herself against him.
There was a low whistle from behind them but
they ignored it. Eventually, Sam’s curiosity got the better
of her and she eased herself off Daniel, to face the
‘intruder’. Daniel coughed nervously and Sam gave an
awkward smile. Jack O’Neill stood in the door, one eyebrow
raised in an unconscious impression of Teal’c.
“Well, it took you long enough!”
Daniel blinked in surprise. Of all the
reactions he was expecting, that wasn’t one of them. Jack
smiled casually and walked into the room.
“Now that you’re
finished…”
Sam could feel her face reddening and
glanced up. Daniel’s was the same.
“Your daughter just woke up. She’s
asking for you.”
Sam made her way towards the door and Daniel
started to put his shirt on. When Sam was clear, Jack eyed Daniel
carefully.
“I take it that’s a new
occurrence?”
Daniel smiled faintly and followed his wife.
Jack chuckled to himself and went out as well.
~
“So Brian was reassigned? And
Graham’s still here? How about Lou? Y’know,
Ferretti?”
“Lou Ferretti still commands SG2,
Charlene.”
“For heaven’s sake Teal’c!
Call me Charlie.”
“That’s what I’ve been trying
to tell him.”
Charlie looked up and smiled.
“Dad…”
Daniel came over and hugged her tightly. Sam
looped an arm around her shoulder and Charlie felt happier than
she had felt for a long time. When she was free of her parents,
she turned to Jack, who was standing in the doorway.
“Come here, you idiot!”
Sam and Daniel turned to Jack, expecting a
red reaction. Instead, he smiled and walked over. Charlie sat up
higher and held out her arms. Jack stepped into them and lifted
her out of the bed. She was still in her Tok’ra robes and
her hood slipped. A mass of long, black hair flew out and hit
Jack in the face. He was amazed.
“Wow! Nice hair.”
Charlie smiled and Sam laughed. Jack put her
back down and she grimaced. She had forgotten her broken arm!
Janet came up now with a plaster mixture for her arm. Jack
muttered apologies but Charlie shrugged.
“Don’t worry. It’ll
heal.”
Across the room, someone listened. They felt
their host protest but silenced it. Silently, they moved from the
room.
~
“A murder?”
“One of the Tok’ra was found dead
in the corridor. Doctor Frasier’s performing an
autopsy.”
“Who was it?”
Charlie was up and about now but her arm was
still in plaster. She had opted for fatigues over her robes and
her hair was braided into a neat plait. She had been invited to
this briefing, along with the rest of SG1 and now voiced her
concerns.
“Martouf said he was called
Dakatte.”
Charlie’s eyes widened. Dakatte! Oh,
Hermione wouldn’t like tha…Charlie stopped herself. The
memories were still painful and she wasn’t planning to
resurrect any demons right now. Metaphorically, of course.
Suddenly a thought struck her. Was the Goa’uld still intact?
She was about to raise her question but something stopped her. Something.
“You knew him, Charlie?”
Jack had noticed her reaction and was
surprised when she shook her head.
“Selmak mentioned him once, that’s
all.”
Jack studied her face for a moment and was
sure he had seen a flicker in those expressive eyes. Expressive.
Well, they used to be expressive. Now, they were just a tool for
her, something to use, not revel in. Jack remembered gazing at
those eyes, knowing exactly what she was thinking, feeling,
contemplating. But that emotion was gone. All that remained was
dull, lifeless orbs, looking but not seeing. She worried
Jack with her sense of detachment, from him and the rest of
reality. Maybe they were strangers now. There hadn’t been a
moment during those eight months that Jack had not thought of
her. But was it the same for her?
“Well, sir, is that all? I have hockey
to watch.”
The General smiled. He could see the fire in
Jack’s eyes, the revival of hope and spirit. However,
Charlie really wasn’t herself. If they could’ve even
guess at ‘herself’. Sam and Daniel were also different,
more alive and a little dopier as well. He had agreed to their
marriage in the hope that it was strictly professional. Yeah
right, George, who were you kidding? It was obvious that they had
decided to bring love into the equation and the General
couldn’t think of two people who deserved it more. Except
perhaps, Jack and Charlie. That was another point: their
relationship had disappeared. Even the rumour mill had ignored
it, except to speculate as to why it had stopped. It was either a
deep secret or purely non-existent. Unfortunately, the General
leaned toward the latter, wondering himself. He dismissed his
premier team and their ‘appendage’. Why wasn’t
anything simple anymore?
~
Charlie headed for her office. She knew her
dad would be with her mum somewhere and the office always had a
lock. She slipped through the door, turned quickly to lock the
door and then closed down the blinds. She turned to sit in her
chair. Trouble was, there was already someone in it.
“Lucy, I’m home!”
Charlie raised an eyebrow. Teal’c had
once told her about that particular quote and she had savoured
the thought of Jack in a holding cell, primeval instinct running
through his veins. Charlie smiled now.
“Last time you quoted that was when you
were recovering from a pre-Broca throw-back. You trying to tell
me something?”
Jack’s lips twitched but he held his
calm expression.
“I have a bone to pick with you.”
Charlie almost laughed. She would bet any
money that Jack hadn’t realised the pun of his words.
Talking about cavemen, bones…oh please! Charlie shook her
head, shoulders shaking with self-restraint.
“What’s so funny?”
Charlie’s shoulders shook even more and
Jack wondered whether she was having a seizure. He had decided to
find out what was up with her, see what he could do. She looked
up now and he gasped. Her eyes were sparkling, light radiating
from those mystic jewels. She moved slowly towards him and began
to circle the chair. Jack tried to ignore her and concentrated on
looking straight ahead.
“You wanted to talk? So, talk.”
Jack licked his lips and then launched into
his speech.
“Charlie, I don’t know what
you’re feeling but you’re being very distant. Please,
let me in, okay? I want to be part of you, Charlie, know you, but
I can’t do that if you push me away.”
He noted that she had stopped circling him but couldn’t quite work out where she was. Suddenly a hand appeared on his neck, sending shivers down his spine. He turned the chair ever so slowly and one singular sixteen-year-old slid provocatively into his lap. He gazed at her, wondering yet again how he could be so lucky. He was 45, for cryin