AN: Random little fic inspired by the World Cup final tonight. Major conratulations to Italy! My second favourite team! (What? I'm half Italian you know?) No flames please, it's just a little drabble.

This and other stories can be viewed at my website: www . geocities . com / Maz Kazama

It was something that hadn't seen daylight for two months now. Something he'd kept hidden away from the Earthlings and from himself. A small, battered piece of cloth with a symbol that caused a spiral of emotions to start in the kelownan's head as he looked down at it. A coat of arms. Kelowna's coat of arms. Jonas' last little reminder of home.

It wasn't a coincidence he'd brought it out from the dusty depths of under his bed today. It had taken him a few hours to work it out but he was sure he'd got the time conversions right. Today, this hour, this very second, Kelowna would be in their first game of Discrod.

Jonas felt tears pricking in his eyes as he stood at the bottom of the metallic ramp – his one means of getting home mere metres away. The maroon cloth crumpled in his hand as the kelownan curled it into a fist. He felt embarrassed at his showing of weakness but couldn't seem to stop the trickle of tears flowing down his cheeks and the Stargate seemed to shimmer and fluctuate as the alien squinted through watery eyes.

Why was he stood here anyway? He was no closer to home. The Stargate couldn't get him home any more than an Earth automobile or aeroplane could. He wasn't allowed home. Jonas could feel one word burning in the back of his mind, haunting his thoughts, the reason he could never return.

…traitor…

His nation had acted despicably; committing heinous war crimes, building a bomb and even framing Doctor Jackson and Jonas knew he'd made the right choice leaving but still…it was ok to feel a little homesick…wasn't it?

He'd given everything to the Tau'ri and he'd been met with the cold shoulder from everyone. How long was it since someone had looked at him with anything other than hate or anger? How long since he had been given the simple pleasure of a hug?

Jonas squeezed his eyes shut as he turned away from the Stargate, just as he had turned away from his country just over 60 days ago. He kept his eyes fixed on the scrap of material in his hands as he walked back to his quarters allowing his unusually depressed mind to wander.

--

The shirt was far too big for the tiny child, it swamped his slight frame and hung down almost to his knees. Yet the child had never felt happier in any other garment.

"It's gonna start soon, isn't it, Daddy?"

He tugged on his father's sleeve and the boy's father turned, scooping the boy up and placing him on his broad shoulder.

"That's right, son."

The boy grinned happily, grabbing a handful of his father's maroon shirt for balance.

"And we're gonna win! Aren't we? Kelowna's gonna win!"

The boy looked around at the crowd. Suspended high on his father's shouder he felt like a giant. Towering above a sea of maroon clad Kelownan's. The boy's eyes, we drawn to a small market stall and his keen eyes easily spotted the Kelownan emblem emblazed onto the baseball caps being sold there.

"Look, Daddy!" The boy's voice was rich with excitement and hope as he exclaimed happily, "Hats, Daddy! Kelowna hats!"

He could feel his father's shoulders heave and he kept one small arm round his father's neck for balance as he pleaded,

"Pleeeeease?"

"Jonas Quinn." The name was accompanied by a deep sigh, "You are going to bankrupt me one day."

The boy's face immediately broke out into a beaming smile which grew impossibly wider as he placed his new hat proudly on his head before turning back to the monitor suspended high on one of Kelowna's red brick skyscrapers.

"You won't be able to spend like this when you're the Chief Minister, young man."

The voice sounded grumpy but Jonas knew his Daddy was joking as the man pulled his own hat onto his head.

"I'm not going to be Chief Minister any more." He replied solemnly, feeling his father's shoulders jerk a little as the man laughed before questioning-

"No?"

"Nope." Jonas responded firmly with a shake of his head. "I'm gonna play Disrod for Kelowna and win the tri nations trophy an' an' I'm gonna be the Captain and I'll be a big star!"

"Oooh. I see." Jonas smiled - he knew his Daddy would understand. "Well son, as long as it makes you happy." That was what his Daddy always said when he picked a new job to do when he was grown up but this time Jonas was definitely sure this was the right one.

"It will Daddy, I'll have a shirt like this but it'll have my name on the back." Jonas pointed to his chest. "An' they'll all clap and cheer when I play and say, 'Jonas Quinn…the greatest Kelownan in the whole Universe!'"

--

Jonas felt the tears form again as he thought of his father, his strong, brave father that had always been there for him, his rock. And of his mother, gentle and caring…what would they think of him now?

The greatest Kelownan in the whole universe? Jonas turned back and took one final look at the Stargate. He was the first Kelownan in space. The first Kelownan to meet an alien species. The first Kelownan to meet the Goa'uld. The first Kelownan to travel through the Stargate…

So he wasn't the Captain of Kelowna's Disrod team…he wasn't the Chief Minister, but he was a Kelownan. He sighed as he raised his eyes to look at the great ring that had brought him so far from home.

The greatest Kelownan in the whole universe…maybe not yet but, Jonas let his thoughts drift to the upcoming mission, he was getting there. The kelownan looked back to the piece of cloth he had cut from his diskrod strip on the day of Kelowna's victory…he was getting there.

AAN: Viva Italia!