Prologue
“This is the last of them, sir.”
Jack looked up to find an open file folder floating in the air a few inches from his nose. Sitting straighter in his too-comfortable chair, he met the eyes of Lieutenant Cunningham, a bright and efficient young airman who had the strange ability to materialize in Jack’s office without making a sound.
Jack grabbed the file folder with a sigh. “It’s about time! I’ve been looking forward to this vacation for weeks.” He looked the file over quickly, skimming over the contents, and then applied his signature before returning it to his assistant’s hands.
Cunningham was biting his lips in a way that Jack recognized as him trying to hold his tongue.
“What?”
“Nothing, sir. It’s just, well, you’ve actually only been here for a few weeks. Sir.”
Oh, the kid would get along with Daniel, Jack thought. “Your point?”
Cunningham smiled a little. “Enjoy your vacation, sir,” he said demurely. Smart kid.
“Thank you,” Jack replied as he stood and grabbed his duffel bag. He was all packed and ready to go, he didn’t even need to stop at the house. He could already picture the blue skies, and taste of the cold one he’d open once settled down by the pond. “You ever been to Minnesota, Cunningham?”
“No sir. But I used to visit my uncle in Wisconsin every summer when I was a kid. From what I hear it’s not all that different.”
“Hmm. Well, I’m going fishing, so I probably won’t be reachable for a few days.”
“Understood, sir,” Cunningham replied as he handed Jack his briefcase. Jack didn’t need to check its content, he was pretty sure everything was in order, and probably in order of priority too. Jack often wondered about the young officer ending up at the Pentagon as an aide-de-camp. Surely other divisions or programs could make use of someone with such skills? The SGC, for one.
“But if there’s anything urgent,” Jack continued, “or anything from Cheyenne Mountain that comes across your desk, you can call my-”
A bright light suddenly blinded him, and before Jack knew it, he felt the push and pull of an Asgard beam hit his body. He barely saw Cunningham’s shock before he blinked against the brightness.
When Jack opened his eyes again, he was definitely no longer in the middle of his Pentagon office, but standing awkwardly in the middle of an Asgard cargo hold.
***
Story Notes: *Spoilers for Season 9*: In “Avalon Part 1†(s09e01), I’ve always been intrigued by Sam’s comment to Mitchell about her “having her reasons" for wanting the Area 51 job. Aside from the fact that AT was on maternity leave for the first few months of season 9, I’ve always liked to believe that in terms of the characters’ storylines, this was another innuendo about Sam’s relationship with Jack. So this story takes on how they might have come to an “understanding†in the months between seasons 8 and 9.
Set before the season 9 opener “Avalon." Note that in this timeline, Sam’s been at Area 51 for a little bit longer than just a week (something like 3 or 4 weeks) and Jack’s been at the Pentagon for a little bit longer than that (say a couple of months).
Set before the season 9 opener “Avalon." Note that in this timeline, Sam’s been at Area 51 for a little bit longer than just a week (something like 3 or 4 weeks) and Jack’s been at the Pentagon for a little bit longer than that (say a couple of months).
DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognisable characters, settings, etc, are the property of their respective owners. Any original characters and plots are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended. ... [ read more ]