Small, barely-there mention of S1 E09, Brief Candle.
For a humorous short take on MacGyver and the perils of barbecue, see Ch. 2 of Tattoos of Memories ("well done, with ketchup") in my Domestic Adventures AU on AO3 as written by my collaborator, deepandlovelydark.
There are few things so pleasant as a picnic eaten in perfect comfort.
- W. Somerset Maugham
-Gateway Settlement, New Earth. Midsummer's Eve, Year 10-
It's rather hard work, ensuing the survival of future generations by keeping the settlement going through reforged alliances and trade agreements with the Asgard and other interstellar allies both old and new. But at long last a respite after their struggles has been achieved. Now it's time to relax for a bit, rest on their collective laurels.
Or at least until the next crisis comes along, anyway.
The extended family SG-1 has become reclines on blankets in the soft Midsummer twilight, enjoying each other's company, the easy give and take of conversation before preparing for a lazy alfresco picnic on a gentle ridge overlooking the settlement, complete with a fishing pond behind them closer to the treeline and a covered shelter built by the guys last year.
A delicious smell of meat cooking wafts over from a makeshift grill and Jack's home-brewed beer sweats in ceramic bottles on the rustic table. It could almost be summer back on Old Earth, save for the twin crescent moons rising far off to the east and the slightly cyan shade of the grass (amazing how one can take even the colors of photosynthesis for granted).
"You know, it's the strangest thing," Becky muses, idly running her fingers through Jack's silvered hair as he rests his head on her lap. "You and Uncle Mac are the same age-"
"More or less," he lazily replies. "There was a time when I'd been prematurely aged by those damn nanites, though. Still not convinced they're entirely out of my system."
"-and yet there's lots more gray in your hair than his. Why is that?"
"Oh, that's easy. Though I'm loath to spill any of our family's deepest, darkest secrets-"
MacGyver throws his twin an irritated glare, which is blithely ignored. Jack's in the mood to wax dramatic and there's no stopping him.
"-and at the great risk of knocking my brother off the high pedestal you've placed him on, o beloved niece of ours-"
"The same one you're on, dear Uncle General-Governor-" Becky quips, playfully tweaking his nose.
"-I'm afraid I must confess that my own dear brother Angus-"
Mac groans. "Knock it off already, willya?"
"-dyes his hair blond!" Jack finishes triumphantly. "That's why his hair's less gray than mine."
Mac automatically lifts a hand towards his shaggy locks, thinks better of it. Beside him Janet bites her lower lip, valiantly holding back laughter.
Becky snorts, gives a dismissive wave. "Is that all? Figured it out years ago."
Jack raises an eyebrow. "Oh, really? How?"
"Easy. The funny chemical smell in the bathroom every few months was a dead giveaway. Not to mention the boxes of product that were never completely concealed in the trash."
Mac looks at her with dismay. "Hold on. You mean you already knew?"
"Fraid so, Unc."
Jack chortles.
The troubleshooter rolls his eyes. "Oh, for crying out loud."
"Mac, relax. You know he's just teasing you," Janet chides her partner, running a calming hand down his back.
"I know that Jan, but gosh darn it, he knows exactly how to get under my skin. Never been able to get the upper hand with him."
"Well then, how about next time he needs a medical exam I'll break out the big needles, hmm? He always starts sweating when I do that." Her smile is impish.
Mac grins and kisses her. "Now I know why I love you, doc. You got all the best dirt on my brother."
"Why'd you think you had to keep it secret, anyway? Was coloring your hair really so embarrassing?"
He squirms uncomfortably. "My body's already complained enough about getting old. Didn't want to be reminded of it every time I looked in the mirror."
"I hear you, brother," Jack says with feeling, raising his bottle of homemade beer in salute. "Old age sucks. Just ask my poor knees."
Becky chuckles. "It's simply one of those quirks I've learned to accept about you guys, Unc. Like your fondness for hockey, banana pancakes and Westerns. And," gently poking Jack's shoulder, "your inexplicable appreciation of opera, The Simpsons and fishing in ponds which contain absolutely no fish."
He spreads his hands wide in an elaborate shrug. "Hey, a man's gotta have a hobby."
"And hair dye aside, I'm not buying that as the reason you've got so much gray. C'mon, I want the truth."
"No way, Beck. You can't handle the truth."
She pokes him again, harder. "Don't deflect by quoting A Few Good Men at me. Besides, you're Air Force, not Marines."
"Details, details," he quips, eyes twinkling.
"They seem to enjoy verbally sparring with each other," Janet dryly observes to Mac, who's grinning at the banter between his brother and niece.
"Oh, yeah," he agrees. "Always fun when there's a full head of steam going between them."
"So c'mon, Uncle Jack, spill. Or do you want to be tickled to death?" Becky swiftly runs her fingers over a certain spot on his left side (where she knows his brother is equally sensitive).
He bites his lip to hide his giggles, then sits up with a mock sigh of annoyance. "Oh, all right. You wanna know the real reason?" He glances behind her and smirks. "It's him. All his fault."
Daniel heaves a long-suffering sigh as he sets the salad bowl on the table. "What did I do wrong this time, Jack?"
"It's your fault I have more gray hairs than my brother. All that stress every time you've gotten us into trouble on one mission or another."
"That's not fair," Becky chimes in. "You've caused your fair share of trouble too, don't forget."
Jack snorts. "What, you think you have to defend this guy just because you're married to him, or something?"
"Hey, I've read the reports. I pay attention. And yeah, as a matter of fact..." as she and Daniel share a loving, heated glance.
"Becky does have a point, Sir," Sam laughs, setting out a stack of plates and eating utensils.
Jack shakes his head. "Not the way I remember it, Carter."
It's kinda cute they're still doing the "Sir/Carter" thing, even after being married for several years. Though now more out of genuine affection for each other than any regard for military protocol.
"Face it, Danny-boy, you're too curious for your own good. Just can't help poking into things. I swear, every gray hair on my head is caused by worrying about you."
"So by that logic," Becky notes with a wry smile, "I should've gotten a ton of gray hairs over the years, every time either of you were on dangerous missions. Heck, I oughta be full-on silver by now, given how much I've worried about you guys."
Mac actually chuckles as he helps Janet up. "She's got a point there, Jack."
"Yeah, sure, you betcha," he concedes with an affectionate ruffle of his niece's hair before loping to the the makeshift grill, expertly turning slices of meat.
Mac cranes his neck to peer over his brother's shoulder. "Don't leave them too long. Are you sure I can't help...?"
"Absolutely not!" Jack and Becky exclaim at the same time, with a mutual shudder.
"Okay, okay. Sheesh! I was only asking."
"I thought Mac had degrees in chemistry and engineering," Daniel remarks to Becky.
"He does," she agrees ruefully. "But get him anywhere near a barbecue and utter disaster follows. I'm talking fireballs fifteen feet high." She lifts her hands to demonstrate. "That's the real reason why he's mostly a vegetarian."
"He almost set the coffee shop on fire when we were kids one Fourth of July," Jack confides to Janet. "So I'd think twice if I were you before asking him to cook meat at your place. "
"I'll have the first-aid kit ready, then," she says, lips twitching. "And a fire extinguisher."
"Hey!" Mac glares at his brother. Jack merely smirks in reply.
"Actually," Becky pipes in, "Mom told me it was because of the homemade fireworks you guys made that year. They were sitting too close to the grill and a stray spark set them off. Not the first time the Mission City Fire Department had to visit because of their shenanigans though, let me tell you."
Sam stifles a laugh, nudges her. "You realize you now have to tell us more about your uncles' childhood, don't you?"
"Definitely," Janet chimes in eagerly.
"Oh, don't worry. I got a ton of stories to share," Becky says with a conspiratorial wink to her aunts. "Perfect blackmail material. Just you wait."
Both brothers roll their eyes.
"I confess to not understanding why Tau'ri are so preoccupied with the appearance of old age," Teal'c observes while neatly slicing two large loaves of bread, fresh from the refectory ovens. "Master Bra'tac has many gray hairs, and is highly esteemed for his wisdom as well as his bravery in battle. I hope to become as respected as he is one day, should I attain elder status among my people."
Jack beams. "I like your thinking, T. They're not gray hairs, they're wisdom highlights!" He spears a piece, holds it out to the Jaffa. "Speaking of wisdom, how about checking this out for me? I don't trust my brother to tell me if it's done."
He takes it, chews meditatively. "Indeed it is."
Mac scowls but snags the second piece. He pretends to be grudging about his agreement with Teal'c.
"Come and get it, campers!" Jack announces, and everyone converges like kids on a puppy, filling plates with delicious food.
"How's the cake?" Sam gazes at Jack's plate wistfully.
"Not bad, considering. Here." He holds up his plate, handing her his fork. When she's about to refuse he says, "No, seriously. You're the one who's pregnant, and our kid could use all the cake he or she can get."
She snorts. "That's not how it works, and you know it." But she takes the fork and shaves a little off, with a morsel of frosting.
"Oh, come on."
"I wouldn't want you to go hungry." Her deadpan's a beautiful thing. She takes a bite. "Mmm. On the other hand it could be bad for you. I might need to confiscate this, do some further investigating."
"Don't even think about it," he chuckles. "Come on, we'll get you your own piece."
Becky feels absurdly pleased, watching her extended family lounging on blankets, enjoying her contribution to the picnic. Jack and Sam feeding each other cake, Mac whispering in Janet's ear (Cassie's staying overnight at a friend's house), Teal'c perfectly content to observe everything with his usual aplomb. Daniel beside her, making appreciative noises over his own piece that set her insides quaking. Everyone laughing, talking and eating.
Perfect.
Also somewhat frightening, considering the challenges they've endured to get to this place and time in one piece. She wishes for a photographic memory, to take a mental snapshot. Keeping this moment in her mind and heart, forever.
Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we may die.
As long as everyone's together, things will be okay. Or so Becky hopes.