TV Shows » Stargate: SG-1 » Hockey Night At the Springs B s : A A A

Author: Stargate Fan

Fiction Rated: T - English - Humor - Reviews: 7 - Published: 03-12-06 - Updated: 03-12-06 id:2841215

Hockey Night In The Springs

Jack arrived at Daniel's house carrying a couple of 8 packs of beer and a grocery sack full of munchies. The gang was getting together for their weekly movie night. Well, weekly as long as they weren't off-world. He started to hang up his jacket in the closet when he noticed something that completely surprised him. "Daniel, what's this?"

A disembodied voice coming from somewhere in the living room said, "What are you talking about, Jack?" Jack walked towards the voice and saw Daniel was sitting sprawled on the couch flipping channels with the TV remote in one hand and rifling through a bag of corn chips with the other.

"There's hockey equipment in your closet! You told me hockey wasn't' your thing." Jack came in holding a hockey stick and a helmet. He stood the stick by the entertainment center but tossed the helmet onto the love seat.

"So what?" Daniel said as he flipped from one channel to the next, searching in vain for something worth watching until everyone else arrived.

Jack turned back towards the closet and said, "I thought you didn't like hockey. I clearly remember you telling me that you didn't understand the game." Out came the skates and Jack dumped them on the recliner chair. He returned to rummaging in the closet.

"I said it wasn't my game. But I never said I didn't play."" Daniel called sarcastically over his shoulder. He took a drink from the bottle of beer and then turned and peered over the rims of his eyeglasses, watching Jack with caution.

"Very funny! This is a practical joke, isn't it?" Jack threw out Daniel's jock strap. It sailed through the air like a fruit bat and landed on the boom box antenna, bouncing up and down.

"No, Jack. I'm not joking. Hey, good shot by the way. Now, could you put all that stuff back where it belongs?"

"Not yet." There was silence for a moment and then Jack said, "Well, I'll be damned… I didn't think you had it in you, Jackson," Shoulder pads went zinging past Daniel's head and landed in a heap by the patio door.

"Hey, watch it!" Daniel jumped off the couch and grabbed the pads, obviously upset with Jack's behavior.

"You actually lied to me." Jack sounded angry and that was starting to make Daniel nervous.

"Didn't."

"Did."

"Didn't"

"Did" With Jack's flawless logic and single-syllable debate technique, Daniel found it hard to keep up.

"I Didn't! Jack I never lied to you! You just never asked!"

Jack came into the living room, waggling an accusatory finger, "Daniel, 'Don't Ask - Don't Tell,' applies to the military. You're a civilian, for cryin' out loud! And, we're talking about hockey! Not… that other stuff…!"

Jack punctuated his point by flinging shin guards over Daniel's head. They landed in front of the fireplace with a THUNK.

Daniel ducked at the shin guards flew overhead. "JACK! Cut it out!"

"Okay, you're right. I didn't ask. But, you should have told me. Instead you've led me to believe you didn't know anything about hockey!" It got quiet for a few seconds and then Jack said, "So, where did you learn to skate, Daniel?"

Daniel was confused by Jack's quieter tone, and wondered if the tantrum was over. "In New York. I was fostered for a whole winter with the Bauer's. Mr. Bauer was a peewee hockey coach. He had four sons that were older than me and they taught me and insisted I keep up, so I learned."

Daniel's cup landed on the couch and he jumped out of the way as it bounced onto the floor. 'Nope, I guess it was too much to hope for.' "Would you quit, already? You're making a mess!" Daniel grabbed the cup and set it on the couch.

"How old were you when you learned, Daniel? Come on, out with it!" Hockey pants landed on the back of the couch.

"I was eleven."

"ELEVEN?" Jack came in the living room, flipping a puck up in the air and catching it, repeatedly. A threatening gesture if Daniel ever saw one. Daniel only hoped he didn't have a bulls-eye painted on his forehead.

"Yeah," Daniel said. "The surprising thing is, I'm not clumsy at all when I'm on the ice." Daniel backed around the far end of the couch and said, "I took to it like a duck to water. Well, frozen water, really. And maybe more like a penguin, but ... The Bauers said I was a natural. Go figure."

Jack glared at him as he advanced while still flipping the puck menacingly.

"So, you're actually a closet hockey jock!" Jack started towards Daniel, intent on getting answers.

"I'd prefer you keep the closet out of this." Daniel was circling the couch and moving towards the front door.

"And I take it that there's equipment in your closet because you actually play hockey?" Jack kept flipping the puck in the air and catching it as he watched his friend look towards the doorway to the kitchen.

Daniel tried to watch Jack and look for an escape route at the same time. His eyes never left the puck. Up and down. Up and down. He was getting dizzy watching the thing flip in the air. Finally, he pulled his eyes away to look Jack in the eyes and said, "On occasion."

"You're pulling my leg, aren't you Daniel? Come on, you put that equipment in there as a joke, knowing that I would find it, right?" He quickly threw the puck at Daniel.

Daniel caught it and said, "No, Jack. I really do play hockey. I even scored a hat trick once." Daniel's right hand stung from the quick catch.

Jack's eyebrows rose to his hairline. "Get outta town! A hat trick? Now I know you're lying! No, wait, I get it. Halloween is in a couple of weeks and you got this costume together to go trick-or-treating with the neighbor kids. Right? I knew it!" Jack started laughing and he closed in on his friend.

Daniel held his left hand up to keep Jack at a distance and said "Jack, if I invite you to the next game, will you believe me?"

Jack drew closer and stood very close to Daniel and said, "I don't know, Daniel. Why should I believe you? I just found out you've been lying to me for years!"

Daniel backed up and hid the puck behind him.

Just then, Sam and Teal'c arrived bearing pizza and beer. Jack turned and went to the door to help them with their coats and food.

'Perfect timing,' Daniel thought as he felt relief flood through him. 'Saved by the buzzer!'

"Hi, guys!" Sam called. "Daniel, why is your house trashed?" Sam was looking around in amazement at all the hockey equipment scattered about the room. The bag of corn chips had upended onto the coffee table and the beer bottle had spilled it's entire contents into the carpet.

"It wasn't trashed until Jack got here. I distinctly remember cleaning my house this afternoon." Daniel grabbed the cup and shoved it under the couch. He then grabbed a kitchen towel and tried to absorb the beer.

"You two will never believe me but Daniel's been holding out on us!" Jack was holding up Daniel's jersey. "Look at this!"

Teal'c stared at the jersey for a moment and said "It appears to be a football jersey, O'Neill." He turned and tried to find a clean spot to set the pizza boxes on.

Jack tossed the shirt at Sam and said, "No, Teal'c. It's a hockey jersey. Hockey. You know, a big guy in front of the net blocking the goal? Lots of action?"

"Aren't you referring to soccer, O'Neill? I understand that sport is very popular in Europe and Canada."

"NO TEAL'C! I'm definitely talking hockey, here. A sport that until now I thought Daniel hated. He's been watching games with me on TV for years and he never told me he was a hockey player! He usually falls asleep in front of the TV when a game's on." Jack looked really angry.

"It's boring on TV, Jack. It's a lot more fun to play." Daniel continued walking around the room gathering his things. 'Geez, he's like a little kid having a temper tantrum. I wish he'd quit, already!'

"THAT'S IT! This has gone on long enough! I can't believe you've been lying to me all these years!" Jack marched across the room and stood right in front of Daniel. "Okay, smart guy! What's the name of your team? Hmmm?"

"The Blackhawks." Daniel was backed up against the snack bar, arms full of gear.

"As in Chicago Blackhawks?" Jack asked. 'If that's really true, I'm impressed. I've always liked that team.'

Sam turned toward the boom box and noticed Daniel's jock strap, bouncing up and down on the tip of the antenna. She picked it off, held it up and turned it around in her hands a few times, stretching it back and forth.

"Hey, give me that!" Daniel turned as red as Bob the Tomato and made a grab for it and dropped the shin guards.

Sam turned her back to him so that he couldn't have it and said, "Is this the right size? It looks kinda small."

"Sam!" Daniel was mortified and thought, 'This has gone way too far!'

Teal'c reached out and took the strap from Sam to examine it. "Is this some sort of head gear, Daniel Jackson?" Teal'c's one eyebrow was rising like a full moon.

Jack snorted, "Yeah, you could call it that, Teal'c." He started laughing really hard and quickly sat down on the arm of the couch.

Daniel dropped everything and ran out the front door. He jumped into his Jeep and sped off.

"Was it something I said?" Jack looked confused.

"Don't you think we went a little too far, Jack? I mean, the whole jockstrap thing was a little over the top. I shouldn't have done that." Sam said as she went to the door and saw Daniel's car disappear around the curve down the street.

"Oh yeah, probably. I don't think he's even wearing shoes! Like I said earlier, I found out at the base today that he plays hockey." Jack started picking up Daniel's stuff and putting it back in the closet. "One of the airmen was talking about it in the locker room. They play on the same team. I had to see for myself if it was true. I asked you two to play along to try to teach him a lesson but I think it backfired."

"Ya think?" Sam said.

"What's a 'jock strap,' O'Neill?" Teal'c asked.

Jack raised an eyebrow, then opened his mouth to speak. "Ask Sam. She can explain it better."

He turned on his heels and headed for the door, leaving Teal'c staring at Sam.

0 0 0

The next day, Daniel was grinning as he approached McMurray in the hall on level 19 and said, "Ian, you owe me fifty bucks."

"No way! I thought he was smarter than that! You mean he actually fell for it?"

"'Hook, line and puck.'"

Danny grinned as the money exchanged hands and said, "I'll return your stuff tonight after work!" Daniel headed for his lab, a smile on his face knowing the old adage was true--revenge is sweet!

The End