Author: Aelan Greenleaf
Title: Odd Man Out
Category: Angst/General, slight S/J
Summary: Missing scene to "Paradise Lost"
Character: Jonas Quinn
Rating: G
"Weather in Colorado Springs will be sunny throughout the week, with the slight chance of showers on Thursday. Minimal precipitation is expected..."
The Weather Channel continued to predict meteorological patterns and upcoming temperatures, but it did not provide the same soothing comfort as it usually did. Jonas Quinn tried to concentrate on the Furling texts he was deciphering, but to no avail. His mind was too cluttered, filled with too many conflicting thoughts. With a sigh, he set down his work, leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes for a moment.
It'd been three weeks since Colonel O'Neill and Colonel Maybourne had been lost through the gate on the Furling planet. Most of the base had given up any realistic hope about finding the colonels, but Carter- Sam - had been working non-stop to find him. Jonas had read in one of Dr. Jackson's reports about another incident where Colonel O'Neill had been lost, the gate had been buried and it had been thought impossible to find him. Sam had never given up hope when everyone else had moved on. Maybe she would do it this time, too.
He wasn't stupid; he knew that there was more to the relationship between the Colonel and Sam. He could see it every time SG-1 encountered trouble off-world, the way their eyes would track each other, to make sure that they were each okay. He could see it when they'd share a silent laugh. Most of all, he could see it when they thought no one else was looking, the way they'd catch each other's stare and hold it.
Jonas shook his head abruptly and stood up. He wasn't getting anywhere like this. He needed to get out of his room, to move around a bit.
The halls of the SGC were quiet; with a start, Jonas realized that it was almost 2200. He didn't really feel like going to the cafeteria, for once he wasn't hungry. After walking for a while, he'd decided to go back to his quarters and try again to finish deciphering the Furling symbols when he heard the muffled sound of someone crying and the quiet rumbling of someone speaking. Trying not to disturb them, he looked into the room to see if they needed help.
"It feels like we just lost Daniel, and..." Jonas could see Sam and Teal'c sitting on a bench in the women's locker room. Sam had tears in her eyes, and he felt pain for his friend. Not wanting to be an eavesdropper, he moved away from the door just as Sam leaned against Teal'c.
They were a tight-knit team, the three of them. Sam, Teal'c and Jack had been together since the start, and Jonas, while very excited and grateful to be a part of the team, couldn't help but feel unwanted. If only he had moved first, had done what he should have done, he would be the one that would have died, not Dr. Jackson. Then this team could have been complete, like it should be. He knew the way that Colonel O'Neill looked at him, silently wishing that Jonas were dead and his best friends were still alive. He knew how the base personnel stared at him, the strange alien from a distant world. As much as he wanted to call Earth home, he couldn't. Not with the stigma of being SG-1's odd man out.
Feeling a slight stinging in his eyes, he walked quickly back to his quarters. Once inside, he angrily fought the slight dampness in his vision that threatened to fall.
Give it up, Jonas. he thought to himself in annoyance, You can't change the past. But you can help put that team back right.
he thought to himself in annoyance,Ignoring the few tears that had lost their battle and slid down his cheeks, Jonas Quinn picked up the Furling scrolls and tried his best to get Colonel O'Neill back to where he belonged.