Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 and all of its wonderful characters belong to MGM and Syfy.

A/N: Just a little story to celebrate the third Friday the 13th of the year.

Time Frame: Set during Sam's year on Atlantis

Pairings: Practically nonexistent bit of D/V at the end that can easily be read as D/V friendship.

Strange Things Are Happening
By CountryPixie

"Hey, Jackson, what do you know about Friday the 13th?" Cameron asked as he strolled into the doctor's office.

Daniel looked up from the artifact he was analyzing with a confused look on his face. "Why?"

"Well, I'm not superstitious, but my mom is. She called me this morning saying I shouldn't do anything today 'cause she's got a black cat roaming around outside." Daniel only looked more confused, so he added, "Oh, and she saw a ladder yesterday."

"Saw a ladder…?"

"Yep. Her words exactly."

"So you want to know about Friday the 13th because you're afraid of cats and ladders?" Daniel was desperately hoping Mitchell would start making sense soon.

Cam scoffed as if he were offended. "I'm not afraid of cats or ladders. I was just checking to see if there was any basis to her claims. Ya know, make sure our mission to P3X-374 goes okay."

Daniel shook his head as he tried to make sense of the situation. "As far as I know, someone has to walk under a ladder for it to be unlucky, not just see it."

"Forget the ladder!" Cam said, waving his hands around. "What about Friday the 13th?"

"From what I remember, the superstition seems to have originated from an old Norse tale regarding Frigga, the goddess of love and fertility, and the namesake of 'Friday'. When Norse and Germanic tribes converted to Christianity, they labeled her a witch and banished her to a mountaintop. She became very spiteful, and met with eleven witches and the Devil every Friday to plan terrible events for the next week. Thirteen conveners always meeting on Fridays led to the belief that particularly horrible things would happen on Friday the 13th."

Instead of looking reassured, Cam started to look a bit frightened. "Didn't the Asgard impersonate the Norse gods?"

Daniel bobbed his head slightly as he said, "Yeah, but that doesn't really sound like the Asgard, does it?"

"But aren't you the one who's always saying that every myth or legend has some factual basis?"

"Look," Daniel said patiently, "my guess is that when the tribes converted to Christianity, they blamed every bad thing on Frigga because they were afraid they were being punished for deserting her."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm with you, but…have you not noticed the weird things happenin' round here lately?"

"Like what?" Daniel muttered distractedly, returning his attention to the artifact.

Cam glanced over his shoulder to make sure the coast was clear, and then whispered, "When was the last time Vala was in here bothering you?"

Daniel looked at his clock. "About fifteen minutes ago. Why are you whispering?" he asked bewilderedly.

"Oh," Cam said with surprise. "It's nothin'. People on base have been saying she's been…well…" Cam stalled as he tried to find the perfect words. "That she's been on her best behavior."

Once again, Daniel looked up from the artifact with confusion clearly evident on his face.

"Let me get this straight. Your mom says that today is going to be a bad day." Daniel paused and looked for affirmation before continuing, mimicking Cam when he nodded. "You're not superstitious, but you're wondering if Friday the 13th really is unlucky. All because Vala is being good?" he asked.

"Well, no. There's other stuff, too," Cam defended. "But seriously, when's the last time you heard 'Vala' and 'good' used in the same sentence?"

"I hear it all the time," Vala said as she entered the lab. She heaved a contented sigh before saying, "Men just can't help talking about my talents. As you two are proving right now."

"We were not talking about your talents. We were talking about…aw, never mind," Cameron said. "Sorry to bother you, Jackson. The rumors were obviously unfounded." With that, he left the room.

"What rumors?" Vala called after him. When it was clear that she would get no answer from Cameron, she turned on Daniel. "What rumors?"

"Nothing, honestly," Daniel said.

"Daniel, you can't tell me there are rumors floating around and then not tell me what they are."

Daniel let out a huge sigh, longing for just one hour of uninterrupted work. "Vala, seriously, there are no rumors. Mitchell's just superstitious."

A pleased look settled on Vala's face as she said, "Ah, not to worry. I know all about your Friday the 13th. Some of the Marines were telling me about several movies named after the day, so I watched one of them. I thought it was rather comical."

"It's supposed to be scary," Daniel objected.

"Well, the acting, maybe," Vala said with a shiver, "but not the story. Still, the idea that a certain date could bring bad luck intrigued me, so I did some research on your computer. Imagine my disappointment when I learned that it's not true."

"You wanted bad luck?" asked an incredulous Daniel.

"No, I suppose not. But it would have broken the monotony around here."

"We travel to other planets and you think it's monotonous," Daniel said as he flipped through a reference book.

"While interplanetary travel may be relatively new to Earth, not everyone finds it strange."

"Well, Mitchell seems convinced that our mission to P3X-374 is doomed, so that should keep you entertained for a while."

"You know what else would keep me entertained?" Vala asked in a suggestive voice.

Daniel didn't react except to say, "You know the rule, Vala. Behave or leave."

"All right. Have fun with your rock, Daniel." Vala spun around and left his office.

Cam left Daniel's office feeling decidedly more concerned than when he had entered. Debating whether he should go ask Landry to reschedule the mission or warn Carolyn to be prepared for anything upon their return, Cam stood in the hall indecisively. Seeing Teal'c heading down the hall away from him, he thought he should get another original member's opinion before making a decision.

"Hey, Teal'c!" Cam yelled. Teal'c stopped and waited for Cam to reach him.

"Colonel Mitchell," Teal'c acknowledged as the two continued down the hall.

"Teal'c, I got a weird question for ya. You've been on SG-1 for over eleven years now, right?"

"That is correct."

"At any time during those years, did anything happen on Friday the 13th?"

Teal'c raised an eyebrow, and Cam knew he had managed to surprise the Jaffa with his question. He was about to tell Teal'c to forget it, but Teal'c spoke first.

"You are referring to the belief that unusual events occur on the 13th day of a month if it falls on a Friday?" Teal'c asked, making his statement a question.

"Yeah. I mean, you've experienced your fair share of 'em. Do you remember anything specific happenin'?"

"No."

When it was clear that was all Teal'c was going to say on the subject, Cam tried to deflect attention from what he now considered a foolish concern. "Okay, then, buddy. See you at 1500 for our sparring session."

Teal'c bowed his head and left Cam alone with his thoughts. Deciding to just forget the whole experience, Cam felt that a snack would really help. As he made his way to the commissary, he didn't notice Siler obliviously stepping over a puddle of an oil-like substance left by a dripping SG-7. He didn't hear Walter calling in sick, even though the man felt fine. Nor did he see Daniel willingly leave his research to find Vala and ask her to join him for lunch.


A/N: I've never seen any of the Friday the 13th movies, so I have no idea if the acting is horrible or not. Sorry if I offended any fans.

I'm considering writing another chapter that would be about Walter's day off, but I wasn't sure if anyone would be interested, so I'd love to get your opinion.