Set early season 5... some spoilers for most of those seasons.
The story deviates just a bit from Canon, especially at the end, so I'll consider it as AU.
Warnings: Character death, a bit of violence and some bad language.
Original character will not be mary-sue-ish. (she's just a means to an end)
Please review. Let me know anything you like or don't like. There is a reason for Jack being so not-Jack. It will get worse as the story goes, just to warn you.
P3x-881
SG-1 emerged from the gate and were met with cold rain. Not as cold as Antarctica, thought Jack O'Neill, but still damn cold. "Whadaya got, Carter?" He looked at rolling hills. Not much else, just rolling hills.
Carter squinted her eyes as she looked up at him. "Nothing much, but the UAV showed some EM emissions to the west. Maybe I'll get something if we head in that direction. And there seemed to be some man-made structures that way, so it's possible there might be some life-forms- or at least their remains."
"OK, kids. Let's make sure we stay close; I don't want to have to go looking for anyone. Daniel?" Jack tilted his head.
"Jack?" Daniel didn't look at Jack. He knew if he did, all he'd see would be faint disgust and a bit of coldness in Jack's face. Did he need to see it? No, he didn't. Because what he didn't see couldn't hurt him.
"Don't run off anywhere. And for cryin out loud, don't touch anything!" Jack turned to Teal'c. "Take point, T. We'll head west until we hit the top of the second hill then make camp. All right, move out!"
The ground underneath their feet was soft and slippery from rain, so it took them most of the day to reach the site. They quickly made a fire and set up the tents. Since there was nothing more to do, they sat just inside their tents quietly talking for a while. Jack directed most of his comments to Sam and Teal'c, and Daniel remained uncharacteristically silent. No one seemed to notice, or they pretended not to notice the increasing distance between these two men who had been so close before.
"Alright, campers, time to get some shut-eye. I'll take first watch, then Carter, Teal'c and lastly, Daniel. That way he can make his own coffee." Jack cringed a bit at the tone his voice took, especially since Carter gave him a surprised and disapproving glance. Deliberately narrowing his eyes, his face told her to mind her own business.
Jack listened as the sounds of his team settling in faded into the sounds of the night. Slowly, he became aware of the familiar sounds of Daniel having a nightmare. The whisper of his sleeping bag against his clothing, the occasional gasp, a choking noise. At one time, Jack would have woken Daniel, but not any more. Now, he just sat and stared into the fire as Daniel lived- or relived- some horror. Hands clenched in front of him, he looked at the ground, then at the sky. He could hear Daniel crying in his sleep, saying, "No!", "Shar'e" and something in another language that Jack would translate as "I'm in hell, please let me die." He almost went to wake his friend, but he heard Teal'c stirring.
"O'Neill,are you not disturbed by DanielJackson's nightmare?" Teal'c tilted his head in that oh-so-Teal'c way. His head slowly angled towards Daniel's tent.
"Yeah, I am. And you know what? I'm not his mother. I can't wake him up and hold his hand every time he has a bad dream." Jack silenced the small voice that whispered, But you almost saw him as a son.
"Since DanielJackson's parents are dead and you are a male, I am aware of that fact." Teal'c returned his gaze to Jack. "However, I did believe you were his friend. I will wake him, for I am indeed his friend."
Jack grimaced. Teal'c was a master at stating the obvious, but meaning something altogether different. He knew the team didn't understand what was happening between the two men. He could hear Teal'c speaking softly and Daniel answering with his standard "I'm fine, thanks."
Within minutes, Carter was crawling out of her tent. Yawning, she moved closer to the fire. "What's going on, Colonel?"
Jack felt his face twitch, but thought he managed to keep it pretty cool. "Just another one of Daniel's late night drama fests." Inwardly, he slapped his own head. When had he become so damn callous?
"Sir, what-" Carter's voice was full of disbelief and anger.
"Carter, it's about time for you to take watch. I'm gonna get some sleep." He didn't want to talk about it. He didn't want to talk to her about it. Hell, to be honest, he didn't want to even think about it.
Three days later, after listening to Daniel babble about the ruins they'd found, and Carter rambling about the weird little device- one that wouldn't serve any military function- he was ready to go home. There hadn't been anything to do other than walk around and look at the very boring scenery. Hills that went for miles. And he had searched for something else to see, besides that damn pile of rocks. Thankfully, this was one mission where he didn't have to find the missing archaeologist, rescue the captured archaeologist or save the dying archaeologist He was tired of having to be Daniel's parent- chasing after his little kid all day and making sure he ate, slept and washed behind his ears. After all, his real son was dead.
8888888888
When they came through the gate, General Hammond was waiting in the control room. "SG-1, I'm glad you made it back. I take it the mission was uneventful?"
"Yeah, just rocks and junk. Same old, same old." Jack removed his cap and slapped it on his thigh. He tilted his head. "Except not really. No aliens tried to kill us."
Hammond nodded. "Head to the infirmary for your post mission physical. We'll debrief in one hour."
Janet went through the routine, asking Jack to wait. When they were alone, she turned a direct- and very piercing look to Jack. "What is going on with you and Daniel?" Yep, direct and to the point.
"Nothing at all, Doctor." He'd be damned if he'd say anything. What was going on between them was between them. No, it wasn't anyone's business at all.
The doctor sighed. "Colonel, you know that if I see something that I think is detrimental to the team's ability to complete a mission, I have to report it to the General. And I'm seeing some kind of friction between you and Daniel." She stared at him, seeing him take her point. "If this continues, I'm going to recommend that both of you talk to the base psychiatrist. Dr. Mackenzie might be able to help."
"Macintire. That rat! I won't talk to him, and neither will Daniel. Hell, Daniel would need a real psychiatrist if you made him talk to him." Memories of Daniel in that padded room, apologizing for being "such a headcase" would haunt him forever. He shook off the memory.
"Well, it's up to you, Colonel. You either fix this, or I will have to do something about it. This kind of tension could lead to some real problems in the field. I don't want to have to go over your head, but for your own well-being, I will." That mulish set to her face told Jack that Dr. Frasier meant it.
"OK, I'll, um talk to him."
He walked to the briefing room, expecting that his team would be waiting for him with General Hammond. And they were, along with someone else. A spit shined marine stood at attention as the General spoke softly to her. She was pretty short for a marine, he thought. His next thought was that she had the same kind of expressive face as Teal'c. In a word, expressionless. He thought she might be kinda pretty, with light brown hair pulled up into some kind of twist and a decent bit of curve (he was a man, as well as a soldier, and he couldn't help seeing things like that). Yeah, not too bad- if she wasn't made of stone.
Taking his seat, with his feet propped on the chair next to him, he said, "General" and sent a pointed look at the stranger in the room.
Hammond made the introductions, then indicated the marine should sit. He watched her move to the closest seat, the one next to Daniel. He studied her, noting that she didn't relax, making her stand out all the more. The members of his team were tired, and it showed in their slumped postures. Something seemed familiar about her, but he couldn't remember what. He shrugged it off.
They went through the usual debriefing. Daniel criticized his lack of interest. Carter was enthusiastic about backward engineering her doodad, and he yawned and made digs at the Doctors. Teal'c more or less just listened. He seemed to be studying the marine. Jack kept shooting curious looks at the stranger, wondering what she was doing there. His best guess was that she worked with another organization bent on 'investigating' the SGC.
"SG-1, I am assigning Major Anna Baker to your unit. Temporarily. I will send each of you a copy of her file, but wanted to introduce you all before you have some down time. Maybe you all could get to know each other a little before your fist mission." Hammond stared at Jack. "Understood, Colonel?"
Not in any mood for this, or actually anything but his couch and a beer, Jack didn't bother trying to be polite. "General, please. A four man team works just fine."
"Colonel, I was asking if you understood your orders, not if you agreed with them"
"Yeah, well, sir, she's a marine, first of all, and second, well, she's a girl." He closed his eyes as he felt Carter's gaze bore into his forehead. "I mean, we already have one-" Oh, wonderful job Jack, why not just mention PMS and crying while you're digging your hole. "Does she specialize in anything? Can she do anything for a first contact team?"
"Jack! My decision is final, and 'she' is standing in the room with us. I would like your behavior to reflect well upon the uniform you're wearing." Hammond had such a nice way of making you feel like dirt. "Dismissed." He disappeared into his office.
"Yes, sir." Not addressing the new member of the crew, he turned and asked Teal'c if he was still on for fishing this weekend.
"Indeed, I am, O'Neill. I will meet you in one hour in your office." Teal'c inclined his head to each person in the room, including the new guy, er, gal. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Major."
"Thank you, sir." The marine, Major Baker, whatever, was calling Teal'c sir. Ha, see, she was already showing she didn't fit in. He smirked, waiting for Teal'c to deliver his usual subtle insult.
"Major Baker, I do not prefer to be addressed as 'sir'. I am called Teal'c." He tilted his head at her and his lips twitched in a small smile. Jack let his feet hit the floor. His jaw dropped at his friend's next words and the slightly disapproving look he sent him. "I do, however, welcome you to SG-1, for however long you are assigned." Jack watched the Jaffa leave the room.
"Well, sir, Daniel, Major, I'm going to visit my brother, so I'll see you all on Monday. Nice meeting you." Carter rose and walked to the door. She smiled down at the outsider. Oh, he knew what she was doing- making a quick get-away. "I'll try to talk to you before the briefing. See you!" And she was gone.
Leaving Jack with Daniel, who'd been uncharacteristically silent since the introduction, and the Other Girl. He didn't' have anything against marines, but he didn't have to like having a new member assigned to his team without George talking it over with him before hand. He wanted to find out what the hell was going on. He got up, muttered a "See ya later" and made a beeline for Hammond's office. His hand was on the doorknob when he got it.
"The Mechanical Marine!" He jabbed a finger in her direction. "I know who you are, Ferretti pointed you out to me one time. Great!" Flinging open the door, he stomped into the office. The remaining two people could hear indistinct voices. Daniel was shocked at just how rude Jack was being. Treating him badly was one thing, but... well, it wasn't right.
Daniel sat for a minute, then turned to the newest member of his team. "Uh, don't take it personally, Jack just doesn't do change very well. Well, he really doesn't do people very well, most of the time either, so if he has to do both..." his voice trailed off. Biting his lip, he looked at the woman. She was staring at him with no expression on her face, except for her eyes. There was a good bit of irritation and some hurt . "Um, ok, I have to ask. Mechanical Marine? Are you an artificial life form?"
Anna stared at him for a second. She blinked. Anywhere else in the world... But here, the question might actually be serious. She just didn't know. Her mouth curved very slightly. "Uh, no, I'm human, Dr. Jackson."
He shot her a smile. "Just kidding. Well, I think if we're going to be on the same team you should call me Daniel. I really don't go for the whole-" he waved his hand- "formal military thing. No offense, of course." He blinked at her from behind his glasses.
"Alright, then, Daniel. Thanks." She stood. "I guess I'll see you Monday." He watched her leave the briefing room, wondering what Jack's problem was. Daniel had the feeling she was as much an outsider as he had been- or was still, depending on Jack's mood. He got the sense she was used to being alone and isolated, something he could relate to. And though she seemed to lack all emotion, he had seen her eyes blazing green intensity while she discretely observed them all in turn. He thought it might be interesting to see what happened next.