AN: Random one that popped up after watching the referenced ep. Not much more than a drabble really...
Summary: It's hard to beat a good enemy. Jack contemplates on the fact that, while he would never admit it he kinda likes Maybourne...in an annoying, I'm glad I got to shoot you kind of way. J. O'Neill internal monologue with a little third party perspective. Set a short time after S8:E13 'It's good to be king'.
IT'S HARD TO BEAT A GOOD ENEMY
The man was infuriating, he was conniving, he was untrustworthy and way, way to melodramatic but Harry Maybourne was not someone to be underestimated. The man had a way about him, some kind of inverted streak of leadership that drew people to him and that was...confusing and confusing was bad. Jack did not like confusing things...apart from Carter, she had always been a conundrum to him...but he was not thinking about that now...
He set his pen down, his mission report could wait, he needed to clear his head so he took himself of for a run. As he tracked around the perimeter Harry Maybourne tugged at the back of his mind. What was it about the guy that got him stuck in his head so much. Jack O'Neill did not want to think about Harry Maybourne, Harry Maybourne was a creep who chewed with his mouth open, Jack hated that...more than anything else about him he hated seeing half chew hotdogs in Maybourne's overly large gob.
But that was not going to be a problem so much anymore he surmised. He didn't suppose there were much in the way of hotdogs on Maybourne's latest home planet. King Arkhan the First...give me a break! Jack stopped running and leaned against a tree. "And wives too!" he muttered to himself. "As in more than one...wives!" I mean wasn't Harry living every man's dream? King of your own planet and multiple wives? He shook his head, man how did it end up that way. Maybourne should be languishing in jail for what he did, not lording it up and creating overly played out reunion parties...gee god!
Jack shrugged and pushed back off the tree. On the plus side he never had to see him again if he didn't want to. Harry was happy to stay put and so long as he wasn't hurting anybody Jack was happy to let him. It had really taken him by surprise that he had stepped up and stepped down...wait that didn't sound right. He was surprised that Harry had had the moral fibre to do the right thing and resign from his 'throne'. Even in his mind that word had air quotes. It was more than a little frustrating though that the locals had not threw him in the fire pit of tied him to a stake or anything but hey, you couldn't have everything! He had got to shoot the rat bastard. A smug grin passed over Jack's face as he rounded the last corner of the track.
Yeah for a stinking, rotten, no good ex-NID butt kissing little weasel he was alright. As enemies went Harry Maybourne was impossible to beat when it came to the cheese factor and with his plots not actually being that hard to figure out Jack had to admit he really loved the simple sport of foiling Hutchy Harry's evil plans.
FIN
AN: He he, silly Jack and his wacky thoughts...any of your own about this one? I'm intrigued to know what you think of my take on the Harry/Jack dynamic...