Chip was running late. Who knew that the tiny city of Colorado Springs would have so bloody many cars? Pulling up to the 'intimate' (read tiny) venue with a scant eight minutes to spare Chip rushed inside. He stopped dead a few feet into the playroom staring at a man sitting in the corner surrounded by other men. The man Chip was looking at was supposed to be on stage!
John couldn't believe he had let Lauren talk him into this. A comedy show? No, it was worse than that: an improv show. The two were only at the SGC for a week before they had to return to Atlantis floating in the San Francisco bay and Lauren had, somehow, convinced John to see something called 'Whose Live Anyway?' He had settled into the booth in the corner and barely a moment later some nut job came running into the room. Two of the performers (out of four, there was a fifth empty seat on stage) looked up at the man's blustering entrance. John's eyes flicked quickly back to the odd little man. He was approaching the colonel's table.
"Jeff! What are you doing down here? You should be on stage." John was right confused. This weirdo thought he was one of the improvisers.
Lauren rose slightly, a murmur of 'sir' on his lips. John gestured subtly for him to sit, "I'm sorry you have the wrong guy, I'm not Jeff." The odd man was having none of it. John was just thinking of having one of the employees drag the man out when one of the men from the stage tapped the stranger on the shoulder.
"Chip," the player started, "You're late. Talking to your lover will have to wait 'til after the show." John wasn't given a chance to be outraged before the man glanced at him, did a bit of a double take, and continued, "That's not Jeff kitten, Jeff's on stage already. Come on Chippy." The bespectacled man smiled apologetically at John before practically pulling the flustered 'Chip' towards the stage.
His curiosity got the better of John and he spent the rest of the evening watching Jeff, Chip, Glasses (who he learned was named Greg), Ryan, and Colin closely. Jeff really did look a fair bit like John but that man was much funnier. Near the end of the show Jeff and Chip sang a song together called 'Dust Storm.' He could tell from the interactions that the two were good friends. John's eyes also noted how the players played more to each other than to the audience: they were trying to make each other laugh.
The show ended and the military men decided to wait and leave after the melee. While they were waiting for the bottleneck at the door to pass three of the five players strolled over to their table: Greg, Chip and Jeff. In the raised lights of the house John could see them better. Chip looked sheepish in the middle, head slightly bent and the faintest hint of colour on his cheeks. Greg looked every bit the Jewish father bringing his son over to apologise for picking his neighbour's flowers. Jeff just looked curious.
Chip hesitated a moment too long for Greg's liking so the middle-aged man stuck his hand toward John with a smile, "Greg Proops, these are Charles Esten and Jeffery Davis. Chip here wanted to apologise and Jeff wanted to get the name of his doppelganger." He smiled around the table as he shook their hands. Chip and Jeff followed suit.
It was Lauren who introduced the table as he too grew tired of John's hesitation, "I'm Major Lauren, these are Sargents Samuels and Harriman, and Jeff's silent double is Colonel John Sheppard." John watched Chip's eyes go wide.
"I am so sorry Colonel, I was running late and freaking out a little bit when I came in and saw you I just reacted." The poor man quieted down as John insisted it was fine. The seven spoke for a few more minutes before the airmen (and Lauren) begged off sighting a base curfew that didn't exist. John would never think of improv the same way again. Baring the odd beginning it was a very fun night.
Three weeks later Rodney walked in to John's rooms to find him laughing at yet another old improv video on YouTube, sighed, and walked back out of the room.