Disclaimer: I don't own any part of SG-1, I just play in the sandbox from time to time. Stargate and all subsequent works are owned by Gekko, RDA, and a whole bunch of other people.
Title: P is for Photo Album
Series: FigNewton's Hammond Alphabet Soup (At her LiveJournal)
Author: samantilles
Word Count: 1301
Category: Friendship, Family, warmfuzzyness (which should totally be a category here on !)
This fic was originally submitted as part of a tribute to Don Davis in August, hosted by FigNewton on LiveJournal.
Seven years of photos resided in the oversized volume that now sat in a cardboard box. Major General Hammond wasn't sure if it was his to take; it was as much the property of the SGC as it was his. But surely these photos weren't the only copies. The base archive had to have them. George had to have this photo album.
George pulled the volume from the box and gently swept the cover with a white cloth. Normally Hammond was efficient in his duties; the rest of the office was packed and labeled for transport to Washington, DC. He landed softly in his leather chair and delicately opened the large tome. His military profile photo graced the front page, along with the President and Secretary of Defense. These photos were never of interest to him, and so he brushed past a few more pages to the team photos. Each year, Photo Day was more chaotic than when any of his teams seemed to come in hot from a mission. It seemed that no one on base wanted their photograph taken; the scientists and civilians seemed to generally shy away from being objects of notice and the military figured they had better things to do than pose for pictures. General Hammond should have never had to order cooperation, but the Marines were about to commit mutiny otherwise.
"SG-3, if you do not settle down and allow the Lieutenant to take this picture, so help me I'll lock you up until your next mission!" Hammond growled to Colonel Makepeace and his team. The team immediately stood still, and before they knew it, the photo had been taken. "Now Colonel, you and your men will get in full dress uniform and report to the Briefing room in thirty minutes for individual file photos. Dismissed!"
The men and women in those photographs looked so young compared to what they looked like now; years of fighting the Goa'uld had taken its toll. That toll, however, was one that seemed too high a price to pay. SG-2's picture was somber that first year. Major Kawalsky's photo rested to the side of the team's. As with the first SG team casualty, Hammond made a point of remembering all the team members, not just those present that one day of the year. Each team member made an impression on the group dynamic, and each deserved to be recognized for the team's achievement. George had to hunt down an older photo of Major Kawalsky to add to the album.
General Hammond sat quietly in his office, chuckling and sighing in turn as he flipped through the pages. Candid shots of base life, intriguing photos of new technology, and memorial pages of those who passed on filled the pages he turned with careless wonder and silent reverie. Each year the team members looked a little more like what they did now, or as they did until they were on the memorial pages.
George hitched his breath for a moment when he found himself looking at last year's photo of SG-1. That day had hit harder than most the terrible loss of Dr. Jackson to the entire base. The team would have to accept the fact that Daniel was gone, Hammond had thought back then. But the team proved him wrong.
"Come on Quinn, you're part of the team now, so get your ass over here and get in the damned picture!" O'Neill shouted as he pulled at Jonas' jacket, forcing the new team member to his knees right in front of Jack. "Carter, move your left a bit!"
Sam didn't know why the Colonel had requested the move, it just created a hole between herself and the kneeling Jonas. "Sir, shouldn't we scrunch in a bit? It will look awkward to have a hole here!"
"Carter, so help me! Just move to the left, willya?" For whatever reason, Jack wanted a hole.
"What is the reason for this, O'Neill?" Teal'c stoically questioned, and Hammond had now become interested in the reason himself.
"Just because, okay? I want the damned hole!" The captain taking the photo just stood there flabbergasted. If anyone continued arguing, the Colonel will be bursting at the seams, she thought. General Hammond did not press the issue though; He just took his customary spot to the right of the group, standing next to O'Neill as the flash popped and the image captured for all eternity.
"O'Neill, in my office, please, when you finish changing for your individuals!" When O'Neill reported as ordered twenty minutes later, George was determined to know why he had made such a scene during the photo shoot. "Explain to me what happened downstairs in the Embarkation room today with the photograph session, Colonel!" Jack hung his head low, but his testiness came out in his expression.
"Sir, that spot is Daniel's. He's still part of this team, and I won't let anyone take that spot away from him." George looked at him incredulously; the entire range of emotions concerning Dr. Jackson flowed through him simultaneously. Grief was followed by awe, respect came with memories of impatience towards the young archaeologist.
"Daniel's not dead, sir," Jack mumbled out to break the awkward silence. George thought the team had moved on; they had taken Jonas in and accepted him as a member of the team. But as brilliant as Jonas was, he could never replace Dr. Daniel Jackson. George thought he had finally learned to live with Daniel's leaving, just like he had when his best friend didn't return from Vietnam, adhering to the advice he gave Major Carter just after Daniel's ascension. George's heart never got used to the clench it felt whenever one of his team bucked against the new status quo.
General Hammond sat in silence for a moment regarding Colonel O'Neill before speaking. "Find me a picture of Dr. Jackson for the memorial pages, Colonel. Since we didn't have a memorial, we have no recent photos to use." Before Colonel O'Neill had a chance to respond, General Hammond blurted out his final order. "Dismissed."
This year's photo was the opposite from the year previous. Jack's smile was a bit larger than it had been in any of the previous photos, and a little more genuine. The clutch of Teal'c hand on Daniel's shoulder betrayed Teal'c normal appearance of indifference. Major Carter had positioned her right arm on Daniel's knee, as if she was anchoring him to this world forever. The hole from the previous year was filled to the team's satisfaction, and the look on their faces showed it. The General's grin reflected the joy from his team's faces as he gazed at the photo. Only Dr. Jackson could be on a memorial page one year and in a team photo the next. "If only the same thing could be said for Janet," George thought as this time one of the memorial pages was dedicated to his former chief medical officer. A single tear glistened in his eye, but George refused to allow his emotions to betray him. After all, anyone could walk into this office in a heartbeat, or the klaxon could sound off unexpectedly.
George spent the rest of the hour glancing through the rest of the fat volume before slapping the back cover shut. George didn't put the album back in the cardboard box though. Instead he pulled out his briefcase and placed it gently in. When the lid didn't shut easily, General Hammond pushed down until a quiet click indicated he had latched the briefcase closed. This was too important to trust to a cardboard box and a couple of sergeants to manhandle while in transit. No, this album belonged somewhere else. These people in this album were his family and they belonged at home with him.