Daniel waited patiently as Nicola closed and locked the door to her car. He was not sure what the time was, but it was late. He and Nicola had completely lost track of time in the laboratory, not that he really minded though. His stomach had protested, however, by growling in hunger. Having had suggested taking a break and raiding the commissary, Nicola had stifled a yawn and thought it best to leave the base in order to get food from her favourite late night pizza place. Daniel had not objected so they now both stood outside of her apartment block with pizza in hand. Daniel followed her into the building and elevator in silence. It was as the elevator ascended that it dawned on him that he had never been in her apartment before. When Sam and Jack had lived separately, group nights had alternated between everybody’s homes. Janet’s was only used for early nights because of Cassie and now that Jack and Sam had Daniella, the group tended to go to their house for daytime barbeques. Daniel’s apartment had become the more popular choice for later timed get-togethers.
“Nicola, I’ve never been to your apartment before. Why is that?”
“Because I don’t really socialise with all of you,” she answered simply and truthfully. “This is my floor.” She exited the elevator and Daniel followed.
“Why don’t you socialise with us though? I mean, don’t you like us?” His tone was light, but his questions were important to him.
She smiled politely as she opened the door to her apartment. “I like you,” she answered, closing the door once Daniel was inside.
“What about the others?”
“Let’s eat on the couch, yeah?” she asked and he nodded. Once they were both seated and eating, Nicola answered his question without being prompted. “I don’t know the others.”
“And you don’t want to?” He took another bite of his meaty pizza.
She sighed and set her slice of pizza on the box. “I don’t agree with the Colonel’s ‘we must socialise’ attitude. All the people in my life, friends and family, are Air Force. They know the meaning of top secret. I don’t need a friend from the SGC to talk to and discuss missions with. That’s what I have MacKenzie for.”
“Doctor MacKenzie?” he asked in shock. He was amazed that someone actually spoke to the consultant psychiatrist to the SGC. Everyone had to for routine purposes, but Nicola sounded as if she had sought MacKenzie out on her own accord. Daniel could still remember the last time he had major contact with the psychiatrist was when he had been driven insane by Machello’s invention.
Nicola nodded and then said, “And I talk to you.” She picked up her pizza again.
“But why not the others?” he asked out of curiosity. He had wanted to ask her these questions for months now, but had never known how to. “We fight together every day, depend on each other for our very lives and you hardly know anything about the others, or them about you.”
“Colonel O’Neill’s my commanding officer,” she answered. “I don’t want to be friends with my C.O. or other people with whom I need to have professional relationships with. Look at what happened to Major Carter when she did. Anyway, do I need to know their favourite food or TV show to be able to fight alongside them or expect them to save by skin?”
“What does that mean? What about Sam and Jack?” Daniel asked, shocked by her tone regarding his best friends despite the fact that he was well aware of the difficulties their ‘relationship’ had caused and the issues surrounding them.
“It means,” Nicola explained, “that attachments to other officers can interfere with your work. If Major Carter hadn’t have become close to Colonel O’Neill then she would still be full time on SG-1.”
“Yeah, but she and Jack wouldn’t have Daniella.” Even without the toddler, nothing at Stargate Command was that simple because of the stress that everyone went through and the inability to have any sense of a personal life.
“It’s just a personal preference, Daniel,” she replied as if knowing it was something that they could never see eye-to-eye on. “My personal preference. It’s complicated and goes a long way back.” A cloud crossed her features, one that Daniel decided it was best not to pursue. “I don’t socialise with my C.O. and both of them are that at different points.” She paused for a moment. “That’s not a problem is it because it doesn’t affect my work?”
He considered it for a moment knowing that he would like her to get to know all of his friends and become one of the family, but he was not sure why it was so important. “I guess not,” he finally answered. “I just like everyone to get on. SG-1 is the closest thing I’ve ever had to a real family, except on Abydos. And they’re all gone now.” Despite how much he enjoyed Nicola’s company on missions, he missed the normal dynamic which SG-1 no longer fully ever had. Maybe if Nicola joined in a bit more some of that old magic would return.
“Just because I don’t socialise with the family it doesn’t mean I can’t be a part of it, does it? Can’t I be the second cousin twice removed who visits occasionally?”
“Or the stroppy teenager who hides in her room all day because she finds all of her family highly embarrassing?” He grinned because he liked it when he could tease her.
She glared at him over her slice of pizza. “I’d throw this slice at you if it wasn’t the best pizza in town.”
SG – SG – SG
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