Cheeseburger in Paradise
Finally with the briefing complete SG-1's three day long mission filled with negotiations and varying weather was behind them. With the post-mission check-ups already out of the way the four members of SG-1 found nothing better to do but to congregate in Daniel's office. It was Friday night, nine o'clock to be exact, and the tradition still stands. The tradition being drowning all their weariness left over from the previous mission with greasy food and ice cream.
General Hammond had bid them all goodbye as they left the briefing room earlier before heading home. Now left at their devices SG-1 knew of only one more thing left to do. Watching O'Neill putting the finishing touches on his latest report they all had to wonder how much trouble it would get them in. But that was a story for another day, they had made a compromise to finish, or mostly finish, the mission reports before starting their tradition.
Now almost ten thirty they were officially brain dead except for Daniel, and possibly Teal'c, as the archeologist continued to catalogue the un-translated passages found in some of the caves on their most recent mission. Jack just had to roll his eyes, even after three days of hard work Daniel was like the energizer bunny but then again that could be the product of the three cups of coffee he drunk earlier during the briefing. But Jack knew that wasn't going to last long especially when he pulled his next trick out of his bag of many.
"So who's springin' for food this time?" Jack asked aloud as he pushed the completed report away from him.
That got his attention, Jack thought as he watched amused as Daniel suddenly sat up and looked away from his translation.
"I got it last time," Daniel stated quickly.
"I believe I assisted Daniel Jackson last time," Teal'c added.
All eyes turned to Carter, "Oh come on…..Fine".
There it was settle, now in due time they would all have the food they most craved. The three men in the room smiled as Sam released a sigh as she slid from her stool. Grabbing her bag she watched as the money pool started on Daniel's desk. A few dollars from each created a small pile that she promptly scooped up and shoved into her purse. For a moment before leaving she looked down at her attire before compromising, she had no need to change. Her patches had been taken off, kept in her locker for safekeeping. Her BDU's looked nothing more than the standard Air Force uniform commonly seen in this area so there was no need to change. She would just leave her shirt in the car, the black T-shirt and blue BDU pants wouldn't turn any eyes. Besides they all knew her at the selected place anyways being that it had become a Friday night tradition for the past three years.
"Okay, I'll be back in a bit," Sam nodded sharply before turning on her heel and walking from the office.
"See ya Sam," Daniel called out the door.
"Hurry up Carter," Jack added.
"Drive carefully Major Carter," Teal'c added for good measure.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah" Sam's voice drifted off as she made her way down the corridor.
With Sam gone to get food the three of them were left to sit in the lab. Daniel went back to work, no surprise there, while Jack aimlessly picked up various small artifacts littering the desk. Teal'c took a more reasonable choice by lowering himself to the ground, folding his legs, as he sunk into kel'no'reem. Now all they had to do was wait patiently, patiently, for Sam to return.
Pulling up to the Burger Station Sam was happy to see only two cars in the lot. It wasn't unusual at this time of night but considering the place stayed open 24 hours it had become their haven of sorts. Car parked she got out grabbing her wallet that sat in the passengers seat and throwing her BDU shirt to replace it in its place. Okay time to order the feast fit for four pigs.
Stepping through the front door she was immediately assaulted with the smell of fried food combined with a hint of burger. Hearing the sizzle of the flat top griddle she was already hungry. Okay make this fast. She didn't even have to introduce herself to the young girl at the front counter, they all knew who she was. The little dive in town serving nothing more than burgers, shakes, and fries had become SG-1's restaurant of choice, next to O'Malley's until they were thrown out.
"Hey Sam, the usual?" the young girl, no more than eighteen, greeted.
"Yeah Amy, how'd you guess," Sam smiled.
She already knew the order but for good measure she glanced up at the short and simple menu displayed above the front counter. Daniel's and Teal'c's were easy, she already had what looked good in her eyes, and Jack settled for his usual greasy fare. Yeah, she was ready. Better to hurry up and get the food back before a riot broke out in Daniel's office, or until a phone call came on her cell.
"Okay….I want two plain cheeseburgers, two bacon cheeseburgers, six large orders of fries, two chocolate milkshakes, one vanilla, and one mint chocolate chip. Oh and add a diet Coke too," Sam listed off as the girl wrote it all down.
"That all," Amy responded casually, any other employee would have stared at Sam with disbelief but here it was natural to order half the menu with extra to spare.
"Actually also add in four fried pies," Sam added.
"Will do, the total is 32 even," Amy rung up.
Cheap and good, just the way they liked it. "Thanks".
Handing Amy the money Sam put the change and two extra dollars in the tip jar on the counter while she waited. Standing back she leaned up against the wall watching as the cooks behind the countered prepared the massive order. The smell was tantalizing, her stomach too empty from the mission. The mission where the food looked as if it could to fight back. She was still reeling from the thought when Daniel had translated that the bowl put in front of them at the high council contained entrails. But then again she had eaten Asgard food by mistake so actually smelling the food wasn't so bad.
"Order 21," the man behind the counter shouted.
"That's me," Sam raised her hand a bit, stepping up to the counter as the man pushed several greasy bags of food towards her.
"Two plain cheeseburgers, two bacon cheeseburgers with everything, six orders of fries, four fried pies, and four shakes: two chocolate, one vanilla, and one mint chocolate chip. And one diet Coke," the man listed off the ticket.
"That's all of it, thanks," Sam smiled as the man leaned down under the counter to get a small cardboard box.
She helped him place all the bags and cups into the box as he threw in packets of ketchup, salt, straws, and spoons. Her teams neatly packed box of greasy goodness was ready for transport. Carefully lifting sliding the box from the counter into her arms she was ready to go. She shouted a 'bye' as she backed out of the door while Amy waved from behind the counter. Getting to her car she strategically balanced the box between hip and car as she opened the door. With the food secured on the passengers' seat she backed out of the space but not before her phone rang.
"Major Carter," she answered
"Yeah you almost back yet….hungry," there was no mistaking Jack's voice on the other end.
"Yeah pulling out now," Sam rolled her eyes.
"Okay, hurry back. We're gettin' antsy," Jack reinforced.
Snapping the phone closed she threw it in the cup holder before backing out. Turning onto the main road she drove off on the familiar route to take her back to the mountain. Antsy, of course Colonel O'Neill would call her with that important information. She could already see Jack pacing Daniel's office probably annoying the archeologist. Oh well, they would have to wait just a few minutes more.
At the base antsy couldn't even describe what Jack felt. Starved was more like it, he wanted food now. He resisted the urge to dial Sam's mobile number again as he set himself to his new task: annoy Daniel. Taking up his new position he stood right behind the archeologist leaning over his hunched form to study the translation that made absolutely no sense to him. Daniel, with his patience, looked up at him several times but kept his mouth shut until….
"Jack would you stop breathing on my head, its distracting," Daniel sighed.
"Yeah, oops. Hungry Danny Boy?" Jack asked in return ruffling Daniel's hair.
"Yes Jack, I'm hungry….very hungry….where is Sam anyways?" now it was Daniel's turn to get antsy.
"She said she was leaving," Jack informed him.
"I believe her journey should take approximately ten minutes," Teal'c spoke up.
"Don't care, want food now," Daniel was beginning to sound like an unruly teenager.
Five minutes later Daniel could no longer concentrate. Throwing his pen down on his notebook he left the translation for another time to take up watching the clock with Jack. If possible the seconds seemed to have gotten longer as they passed by or maybe it was just his mind playing tricks on him since he was so hungry. Jack was now reduced to pacing from one end of his office to the other while Teal'c remained in his kel'no'reem. Daniel kept busy ordering the messy stack of papers on his desk that would just be out of order by tomorrow morning.
"Damn it Carter where are you?" Jack asked no one.
"I don't know, but I'm going to call her again," Daniel suggested.
"Be patient Danny Boy, she's coming," Jack amended.
After the meals they had to endure on the last mission food took on a whole new meaning. Even Daniel, who usually appreciated off-world cuisine and had an iron stomach, had to detest what they were served. The stewed entrails and organ meat of some nameless animal threw them all off. For Daniel it became a question of how much he could eat without it all coming back up due to the smell. A cheeseburger never sounded so good right now.
Thankfully they no longer had to wait as their pleads were answered. The office door opened in a rush and in walked Sam carrying the golden box of food. Teal'c got up from the floor and walked towards Sam as she entered to render assistance while Jack and Daniel joined him. Bumping the door closed with her hip they were officially alone, no threat of any tantalizing smells wafting down the hall to attract the night shift.
"About time Carter," Jack taunted.
"It's called a speed limit Colonel," Sam shot back.
"Whatever, it doesn't matter lets eat" Daniel mediated.
"Let me be of assistance Major Carter," Teal'c said taking the box from Sam's hands.
The box on Daniel's hastily cleared off desk Sam set to the task of dishing out items. Two bags contained fries while the other three contained the burgers and pies. She left the pies in the box for now, to save for later after everything else was eaten and chose to hand out the shakes after they all had burgers and side items. Now for the fun part.
"Plain cheeseburger: me, another plain cheeseburger: Daniel, Bacon cheeseburger for you sir, and last but not least bacon cheeseburger for you Teal'c" with the burgers handed out she turned to the shakes. "Vanilla for me, chocolate for Jack and Daniel, and mint chocolate chip for Teal'c".
"Always have to be different T," Jack pointed out as he took the proffered shake and stuck a straw through the lid.
"I merely enjoy the combination of flavors O'Neill," Teal'c countered as he did the same.
"Are you sure that's your burger Danny," Jack turned to Daniel.
"Yeah, it has a D for Daniel on the sticker," Daniel pointed out.
"A D for Daniel," Jack mocked.
"Shut up Jack," Daniel shot back.
They had gone to the same restaurant for so long Amy had taken to labeling the individual burgers by name. Besides Jack's and Teal'c's burgers were special and far bigger than his ordinary cheeseburger. Any more of Jack's taunts went on deaf ears as Daniel reached over to pull a bag of French fries towards him. He took one order out handing it to Sam before stuffing three of his own in his mouth. He sighed happily taking in salty, greasy goodness. Oh this was the life, enjoying heart attack creating food with his team after yet another long mission. He followed his fries with a large sip from the thick milkshake loving every ounce of its chocolaty goodness.
Sam had to smile at the divine look on Daniel's face. It was as if he was eating the first meal of his life, was like this every time. Then as she took a large bite of her cheeseburger she knew exactly why. She couldn't help release a happy sigh as the essence of perfectly cooked juicy meat and gooey melted cheese filled up her taste buds. She chased the bite with a few fries and a drink before gazing at Jack, who was in the process of making a mess of his face with the overly stuffed burger.
"There is nothing like biting into a cheeseburger after a long mission," Daniel admitted as he took his first bite, taking on a much similar expression as Sam had.
"Know what you mean Danny, just don't tell Doc she'd kill me," Jack added chomping into his own bacon cheeseburger.
"I take delight in this tradition, while I still do not understand some of the ways of the Tau'ri, I do however appreciate the Tau'ri cuisine," Teal'c explained as he continued to eat.
"Nothin' like greasy food worthy of a heart attack T," Jack quipped.
"I agree with your greasy food and raise you chocolaty goodness," Daniel added taking another sip from his shake.
"Forgot about that, milkshakes definitely make the world go 'round," Jack agreed.
"We need to never stop this tradition," Sam suggested.
"It's been going on for four years, don't think its stopping yet," Jack said around a bite of fries.
"Never….," Daniel said with a shake of his head shifting as he procured the second order of fries from the bag.
If there was one enigma in the room it was Daniel Jackson. The archeologist could put a lot of food away for such a skinny man. And while he rarely ate three square meals at regular times Daniel had a way of eating his weight when the time was right. Now was definitely the right time, and the food he was eating was pure comfort. Pushing the final bite of burger in his mouth his next focus was on the fries. It was tradition, two orders for both he and Jack but what many didn't know was that they always ate half and gave the remaining half to Sam and Teal'c respectively.
"So did you get dessert?" came Jack's jumbled question.
"Yeah fried pies," Carter responded finishing her burger.
"Apple or chocolate?" Daniel asked stuffing more fries into his mouth.
"Apple Daniel, do you ever think of anything but chocolate?" Sam asked reaching over to steal Daniel's fries.
"Yeah, coffee," Daniel replied bluntly.
How could she not guess, "How did I not know that?" came her sarcastic reply.
"So did you really think those were entrails?" Jack had to bring that up.
"I believe so O'Neill," Teal'c said.
"Oh yeah, they were entrails. It made me miss Abydonian food….and this," Daniel made a gesture to the food in front of him.
"All I know was that it smelled horrible," Sam added for good measure.
"Yeah, not one of our better moments I dare say so myself," Jack drawled.
"You never dare to say that," Daniel countered.
Ten minutes later the bickering tapered off as they finished up. Sam and Daniel were in an official fight over the last few fries until Daniel relented being the gentleman that he was and giving two out of the three to Sam. Jack and Teal'c had no problem with fighting since the Jaffa had grabbed the fries no questions asked before Jack even had a chance to reach. Who knew Teal'c was so protective of his food? Rolling up empty bags and throwing trash into the nearby wastebasket it left only the near gone milkshakes on the desk. Now time for the delicious part…
Daniel grabbed the last fast food bag from the box and opened, reaching in to pass out the four pies to his teammates. Handing each one out carefully he took the last for himself before leaning back in his chair. Looks of complete bliss washed over their faces as they bit into the still warm goodness of a fried pie. The crispy dough and warm gooey filling a perfect end to a delicious tradition.
"This is the life," Daniel leaned back all the way as he ate, a small yawn escaping his mouth.
"Oh yeah," Jack did the same swinging his feet up to rest on the desk.
"I have enjoyed my meal," Teal'c stated.
"That was delicious….I'm stuffed," Sam finished off the last bite of pie to sit back in her chair and place a hand over her stomach.
"You're stuffed? I feel like I'm going to explode," Daniel countered concealing a burp between closed lips.
"I myself feel just fine and satisfied," Jack did nothing to conceal the burp that slipped passed his lips to fill the open air.
"I honestly can't move," Daniel said shaking his head.
"We can just sleep here tonight," Sam suggested.
"Base quarters," Jack corrected.
"Good idea, too tired to go home," Daniel nodded.
Pies now finished they threw away the trash and got up slowly, Daniel and Sam still holding their rebelling stomach's groaning. As usual they had overstuffed themselves with the sinful food. Oh they would sleep like babies tonight. Daniel cleaned up the work he was doing as he waited for Sam before walking back to the table to retrieve his shake. Teal'c was already at the door, drink in hand, waiting as Sam stood up. All with cups in hand they made their way out of Daniel's office, Daniel shutting off the light and locking the door on the way out to congregate in the hall.
"See ya all tomorrow, goodbye and good night," Jack said with all the hand motions to match.
"I will indeed retire, have a pleasant night," Teal'c smiled.
"Yeah, 'night. See you tomorrow," Daniel slurred tiredly.
"Goodnight all," Sam waved.
After all was said and done they departed, going separate directions to their respective on-base quarters. Their tradition had never wavered during the four years SG-1 had been a team. It was just another reason why they had been a family. Like a weekly family dinner to enjoy each other's company and good food. For all of them they vowed that even if they were to be separated at different posts that the tradition would still stand somehow. That every Friday night, whether after a mission or before, SG-1 would make their weekly journey to The Burger Station to indulge in greasy comfort food in the confines of Daniel's office.
The End
Disclaimer: Stargate is property of its producers, I don't own anything except The Burger Station and Amy.
AN: This came after eating at The Varsity for dinner, lots of greasy fried pies, French fries and hamburgers but very good.