TITLE: I Think I'll Name Him...
AUTHOR: Jsel
EMAIL: blubear5@hotmail.com
CATEGORY: Angst
SPOILERS: None
SEASON / SEQUEL:
RATING: PG
Warning:None
SUMMARY: SG-1 gets a new member
STATUS: Complete
ARCHIVE: Heliopolis
DISCLAIMER: Stargate Sg-1 and its characters are the property of Stargate (II) Productions, Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the author. This story may not be posted elsewhere without the consent of the author.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: Thanks to Ivanova for betaing!!!!
~~~~
General Hammond looked around the table at the very tired members of SG-1. Jack was yawning, Sam was tryin vainly to keep her eyes open, Daniel was holding his head in his hands, which probably meant that he had a headache as well, and even Teal'c was looking worse for wear.
"All right, that's all. Take the rest of the day off, go get some sleep, go home, go anywhere but here." he said.
"Is that an order?" Daniel asked the table, sounding slightly muffled.
"Yes." Hammond said, trying not to crack a smile. "Go away."
"Fine." Jack said, trying to sound hurt but only succeeding in sounding more tired than he already did, "We can tell when we're not wanted."
Hammond just ignored him and left.
"You heard him people, let's go." They all stood up, although it was a close call with Daniel and Sam, who barely managed to muster enough energy to move at all.
"Where to?" Daniel asked as they moved out of the room. Jack closed the door after them and they fell ahead of him a little.
"I was going to go to a movie and crash there for a couple of hours. Want to come?" He heard Sam say.
"A movie? why not just go home and sleep there?" Daniel asked.
"My house seems too quite right now." she said, sounding slightly sheepish. Daniel nodded in understanding.
"Sure, I'll come. Teal'c, Jack?" Teal'c nodded that he would go and Jack caught up with them.
"No, that's all right. I'm just going home." They looked at him in surprise. "No really, I'm fine. I'll just go, sleep, eat, maybe watch some hockey and stuff." he said quickly, then winced. Maybe too quickly. And why did Sam suddenly look like she knew exactly what he was talking about?
"All right." she said, "See you tomorrow."
"Yeah, right." Jack said and peeled away from them to his own car.
"What was that about? Jack normally joins us." Daniel asked to nobody in particular and not really expecting an answer. He got one anyway.
"Pet shop." Sam said.
"What?"
"The pet shop. I'll bet that's where he's going." She said, fumbling for her keys. Teal'c didn't drive and Daniel's car was in the shop.
"And how do you know that?" Daniel asked as the doors unlock with a satisfying chuncking sound. Sam started to turn slightly red in embarresment.
"I- followed him the other day, when we all noticed how unsual he was acting. He was at the pet shop with this adorably little puppy." Daniel grinned.
"Never would have guessed it. I thought he hated everything with four legs."
~~~~
Jack parked, cut the engine and looked suspiciously in the rearview mirror to make sure he didn't recognize anyone. Generaly, he wasn't a big fan of animals, but the other day he had stopped in on impulse and fell in love with this little puppy that nobody seemed to want.
He clambered out of the car and wondered if the sun was allowed to shine so brightly when he himself felt so tired. The little bell on the door jangled with an almost obscene chirpyness as he went into the small shop. It was bright and gave the impression of openness with the smell of animals and the sound of animals. He waved at the woman behind the counter and went over to a rather spacious cage, well more like fenced off corner of the shop, where five balls of fur where wrestling with one another and a sixth was sitting close to where Jack stood. When the puppy saw him he seemed to sit a little straighter and perk up.
Jack leaned over the fence that looked almost exactly like the type that they had used when Charlie had been a toddler and they didn't want him falling down the stairs and scratched the dog's ears. He smiled a bit and picked him up, squatting down low so that if the dog wriggled and fell, he wouldn't fall long before hitting the floor.
The dog squirmed a bit to find a confortable position in Jack's arms then settled. Jack continued to stroke him. It was nice to finally hold something again. The solid little warm body in his arms seemed to bring the world into focus, like Jack was waking up from some terrible dream.
The mission had been hard, with Snakeheads and Jaffa everywhere. They hadn't managed to get any sleep and being on alert constantly had frayed them more than they thougt it would. Jack's responsibility to the safety of his team had taken it's toll on him and he felt about to collapse. Already his internal clock was telling him that it had been more than 5 minutes since he had last seen Daniel and that if he didn't want to find him in little peices or being jumped by a guard, he had better find out where he was _now_.
The puppy kicked a bit and Jack looked down at it to find it asleep. That was what he needed right now. To go home and go to sleep before he fell asleep on the floor of the pet shop. That wouldn't be good at all and besides, the floor was really hard. The thought of the owner finding him asleep on his floor motivated Jack to put the dog down and walk out. Just three more steps to his car...just two...just one. Good thing his house wasn't that far away, Jack doubted his ability to make it before falling asleep - heck, any longer and he might fall unconscious.
Three pairs of eyes watched silently from a car just around a corner.
"I feel bad following him." Sam said
"Why?" Daniel asked, "You've done it before." Sam glared at him.
"So, I didn't like it, but at least I found out what was bugging him." Daniel looked at her, still musing on an idea that had just entered his head.
"You know," he said, "I have an idea..."
~~~~
Jack passed Daniel's room with a surprising jump in his feet. It was amazing what one good sleep could do for you. They all looked better today. Now he was going...somewhere. He didn't actually know where yet, he was just walking and trying to find someone else to walk with him- which was why he was passing Daniel's room. Unfortunatly, the door was closed and it didn't look like he was there. Just as he was walking past, the door suddenly flew open, Daniel came to a skidding halt and Jack whirled around to face him.
"What?" Daniel asked innocently to Jack's glare. "Come on." he continued, beckoning Jack into his room. Slightly confused, Jack followed him.
"Daniel?" came Sam's soft query.
"Yeah don't worry, it's him."
"Good, because I don't know how long I can hold this guy."
"Hold who?" Jack asked.
Suddenly a ball of golden fur was jumping at Jack's legs.
"Him." Sam sighed. "He insists on exercizing his superiority on anything that doesn't move. Daniel's artifacts are cowering in terror."
Jack picked up the small puppy and he barked, which was followed by a chorus of "sshhhhhh" from the other three.
"We weren't exactly sure of the general's reaction to a dog on base." Daniel explained.
"How?" Jack asked. They all suddenly looked anywhere but at him.
"Ah, that would be me." Sam said. "I followed you one day and then yesterday with Teal'c and Daniel, and then Daniel got the idea of getting him for you..."
"Him?"
"It's a him Jack," Daniel said with amusment. "You did know that, didn't you?"
"Me?" Jack said quickly, "Of course I did. So ah, why?"
"Well, you weren't really acting like yourself and I kinda figured, maybe, that this might help..." Jack grinned a them. They all looked so embarressed.
"Thanks guys." he said, putting the puppy down. They watched it as he tryed to chew on Jack's boot while it was still on his foot.
"What are you going to name him?" Sam asked. Jack shrugged. Teal'c rose from his seat and joined the others. The dog crouched and growled at him, but he was so uncoordinated that he fell over. The team laughed.
"Watch out Goa'uld," Jack joked, "He looks like he can do some damage."
"Name him Goa'uld Buster," Daniel quipped.
"I don't know, that has to violate the whole secrecy stuff we have going here."
"Perhaps you should name him Zat." Teal'c intoned.
"Zat?" JAck asked.
"Teams carry Zats offworld, they do considerable damage."
"Right, maybe." Jack moved a little away form the dog and called to him. "Hey Zat!"
The puppy barked in response.