The Tegan Chronicles

Never Routine 1

"Welcome back to unrestricted duty." Jack smiled as Tegan came into the gate room.

"Thank you sir." She grinned.

"Are you alright Kiser?"

"Yes sir, why do you ask?"

"I don't know you've got this weird glow about you." He gestured with his hand as his eyebrows wiggled, a sign the light bulb had just flashed. "Oh, never mind."

"Yes sir." She tried not to laugh as she turned to Sam.

"It's good to have you back." Sam's megawatt smile flashed brighter as the wormhole engaged.

"Indeed." Teal'c added his welcome with a small tilt of his head and shoulders.

"It's good to be back."

"Daniel, lead the way." Jack pointed up the ramp.

"Welcome back SG1." General Hammond spoke into the microphone from the control room.

"Thank you sir." Jack responded as Tegan unhooked her p-90 and handed it off to a waiting SF.

"How'd it go?"

"Boring sir." Jack turned to his team. "Though Daniel found some artifacts he thinks are interesting."

"We'll debrief in an hour."

"Yes sir."

"Hey." Dana stepped around the privacy curtain.

"Hey?" Tegan's brow quirked in quizzical fashion.

"Janet's letting me do your post."

"Does she have a fever or something?"

"She's perfectly capable of doing your post." Janet announced from the other side of the curtain. "I'm going to do Daniel's, so try and behave yourself."

"I always do," Tegan mumbled as she heard Janet's retreating footfall. She knew this would be an eventual thing. Dana was after all a very competent doctor, and one she probably couldn't just bat her long eye lashes at and get to melt in her hands.

"Did you have any encounters with a hand ribbon device on this mission?" Dana deftly open Tegan's chart.

"Man you're good." She grinned lightly.

"Are you avoiding the question?"

"Of course not." Tegan's grin grew. "And no, no Goa'uld on this mission."

"Any injures, cuts, bruises, twisted joints, bug bites, pulled muscles?"

Tegan's gaze narrowed and she wasn't sure if she was going to like Dr. Scully after all. "No."

"Any dizziness, chest pain, palpitations, shortness of breath?" She continued to quiz.

"What is this, twenty questions?"

"Yes." Dana's mouth pulled up a little at the right corner.

"I think you got the rules mixed up, you're supposed to ask 'animal, vegetable or mineral'."

"Would you answer the question?"

"No, I'm fine."

"Any nose bleeds or headaches?"

"No."

Dana smiled at the irritation in her voice. "Would you look over there for me?"

Tegan looked in the direction she'd pointed as Dana shone a pen light in her eyes.

"Pupils are clear, equal and reactive to light." She pocketed the pen and retrieved her stethoscope. "Deep breath."

After she finished listening to Tegan's chest she started feeling the back of her neck.

"I can't be infiltrated…"

"Not by the Goa'uld." Dana cleared her throat, as she saw the green eyes regarding her. It almost threw her off center, but she caught her self before falling into the whirlpool. "Any encounters with any humans, or other alien life forms?"

"If you would have listened to Colonel O'Neill when you did his post you would know the answers to those questions."

"I'm just doing my job."

"Yes, and a little too well I might add."

"There's no such thing Kiser." Jack spoke from the other side of the curtain.

"Sir?"

"Just let her do her job, so you won't be late to the debriefing."

"Yes sir." She glared at Dana for a second.

"I'm just letting you know it won't be so easy for you to pull the wool over my eyes." She cleared her throat again. "Now, I need to get some labs and –"

"Airman Copley already drew a CBC and lytes." She interrupted realizing this could be a fun little game, even if would be hard for her to get the upper hand in it.

"Fine, you're free to go, assuming you'll be on base for the next couple hours should your labs come back out of range."

"Of course." She smiled.

"You passed Dr. Scully's post?" Jack grinned as Tegan glared at him.

"Of course, sir." She forced a snide smile.

Jack shifted uncomfortably in his chair remembering as a medical officer Tegan had the ability to make his life hell should she so choose. He looked at Sam reminding himself both women were equally professional.

"What?" Sam gave him a half smile as she tilted her head.

"Nothing." Jack lifted an eyebrow as he stood. "General."

"As you were." General Hammond waved his hand over the table. "I see Dr. Scully cleared you Major Kiser."

"Yes sir." She looked curiously at the General.

He wasn't about to mention he'd walked through and heard her complaining about the twenty questions. He thought Dr. Scully had handled the situation well on her own. "So how was the mission?"

"It was most uninteresting." Teal'c folded his arms on the table in front of him.

"Speak for yourself." Daniel straightened his glasses. "We found some ruins."

"Any inhabitants?"

"Not for some time, sir." Sam responded glancing at Tegan who nodded.

"Alright, I'll send SG14 in to check out the ruins further."

"But, General-"

"I'm not going to change your mission schedule Dr. Jackson."

"Why would I expect otherwise." He grumbled.

"Excuse me son?"

"Nothing General."

"That's what I thought." General Hammond looked around the table. "Dismissed."

"Hey?" Tegan looked up from her desk where she was working on her field report.

"Did you have to give Dana such a hard time?"

"Me? Give her a hard time?" Tegan rolled her eyes. "I think you missed the whole interaction."

"Actually…"

Tegan narrowed her gaze and took a deep breath. "At least she didn't resign."

There had been one doctor, a green female Lieutenant who'd quit after dealing with Tegan in the infirmary. Of course there had been some sort of alien virus involved, and she would never have made it in the long term. Then there was also the fact she'd been stationed there at the request of Senator McKinsey.

"She's tougher than that."

"You think?"

Janet nodded changing the subject. "Want to go grab lunch?"

"I'm actually working through lunch today, so I can take off a little early." She glanced down at her watch.

"Hot date?"

"You'd know if it were."

Janet blushed lightly remembering their last date, before Tegan's previous mission.

"We'll have to do that again sometime."

"And maybe skip straight to dessert." Janet smiled at the thought of Tegan's body cover in chocolate, caramel and whipped cream. She could still taste it. "So when's your next mission?"

"Didn't General Hammond tell you?" She paused while Janet shook her head no. "Tomorrow, today's posts are being used as pres for it."

"What's the rush?"

"I think an unnamed Senator is breathing down his neck. Something about the lack of finding any technology we can use against the Goa'uld."

"Great."

"It's routine, we shouldn't be gone for more than six hours."

"We'll if you're back in time for Thanksgiving;" Janet knew how those routine missions could go. "We're having dinner at my place seventeen-hundred hours. I'm inviting all of SG1."

"Want me to come early and help with the Turkey?"

Janet nodded.

"What else can I do to help?"

"Sam's doing mashed potatoes. Dana's doing the cranberry salad and sweet potatoes. Daniel and Teal'c are bringing the bread and Colonel O'Neill's got drinks covered."

"So that leaves pies. I'll make pumpkin and pecan."

"Looks like all I'm doing is starting the Turkey and opening a can of peas." Janet grinned.

"Cass setting the table?"

"I am, I thought I'd let her clean it all up."

"Oh, you are the evil adoptive mother of the west." Tegan winked. "I've heard stories about you, you know."

"The only stories you've heard are about how I make grown men tremble in their combat boots, and have nothing to do with my parenting skills."

"Well, we all know that Dr. Fraiser rules with an iron fist." Sam spoke from behind Janet.

"Hey Sam." Janet looked back at her briefly. "We were just talking about Thanksgiving."

"I can't wait." Sam smiled. "I stopped by to see if anyone wanted to go to lunch."

Tegan pointed at her computer screen.

"I'll take you up on the offer. Major Workaholic is working through lunch today."

"Again?" Sam raised an eyebrow.

Tegan cleared her throat as a warning. "I'm taking off early today."

"Just don't stay out with Doc too late." Jack showed up. "We've got an early departure in the morning."

"I'll be here with bells on." She didn't point out she wasn't going out with Janet.

"Boots Kiser, boots on."

"Whatever." She grumbled.

"Lunch ladies? I'm starving, and they're serving meat loaf."

"Ouch!" It was more of a knee jerk reaction as she pulled her hand away from the hot roasting pan.

"What?" Dana turned to look at her.

"Nothing." Tegan turned on the cold waster and ran her fingers under it for a second deciding she hadn't really burnt them.

"Awwwww – did da widdle soul ja girl get a booboo?" Dana asked in baby talk.

Tegan reached for the spoon in the mashed potatoes and flicked her wrist sending a glob of the white starchy vegetable flying across the room where it landed, with marksmen like precision, with a splat on Dana's check.

"AH!" She stood there in shock for a second before reaching up and wiping the congealed mass off.

"Girls!" Janet's tone warned. "I just cleaned the kitchen, grow up."

"Sorry." Tegan directed to Janet before looking at Dana. "And it's an owie."

"Darn the difference."

"A booboo requires assistance, an owie is just something that makes you say 'ow'." She turned her attention back to the turkey that still needed plated and carved, while Dana went into the freezer.

"Do you know what's good for burns?"

"No." Tegan answered absently as she sat the turkey on the meat platter.

"Ice," Dana said as her hand snaked expertly down Tegan's shirt depositing a cube of frozen water inside her bra.

"Argh, I'm going to get you for that."

"I was just getting you back for the mashed potatoes."

Janet sighed and rolled her eyes. She couldn't help but smile at the fun they were having. It was nice to see Tegan so relaxed.

"What's taking so long?" Jack walked into the kitchen.

"It's almost done."

Tegan followed Jack's stare to wet spot on her shirt, her nipple standing at attention under the cold wet fabric. "I – uh."

"You ok Kiser? You look a bit flushed." Jack smiled.

"Would you like to carve the bird sir? I need to go take care of something."

"Sure." He smiled.

"I'm going to kill you," Tegan grumbled playfully under her breath as she passed Dana.

"You forget I grew up with two older brothers, I sleep with one eye open."

"I'm not sure who'd I'd place my money on." Jack looked between the two women before Tegan stomped off to the upstairs bathroom to find Janet's blow dryer.

Tegan looked around the living room after saying good night to Cassie who'd just disappeared up the stairs. She stretched her arms over her head and yawned. "I should get out of here, I've got an early morning."

"I thought you were off until Monday?" Janet tucked a strand of unruly hair behind her ear.

"I am, baring the need to save the planet." She rolled her eyes.

"I didn't take you for the black Friday shopper." Dana said off handedly.

"I'm not. I do most of my holiday shopping via the world wide web. I've just got plans."

"So I guess going up to Vail is out of the question?"

Tegan looked at Janet, who she knew wouldn't get on a board and probably wouldn't ski either. "I thought you didn't want me on a snowboard til next month?"

"Who said anything about snowboards?"

"What else am I going to do at Vail?" Tegan grinned. "Seriously I've got a full weekend ahead of me, not even the lure of fresh powder can pull me away."

"Anything I can help you with?"

"Afraid not." Tegan clicked her tongue and looked at her watch as she stood. "I'll see you ladies on base."

"Night." Scully waved.

"Call me when you get in."

"You worry too much Janet." Tegan nodded letting her know she would.

"So did you get everything done you needed to this weekend?" Janet asked as she came in to do Tegan's pre-mission physical.

"It's a big project."

"In other words I shouldn't keep asking?"

"Something like that." She smiled trying to ease any worries Janet might have.

"So, routine mission?"

"Yup, should be back in four hours."

"Let's hope."

"You know, I hate to jinx us or anything, but the missions have been boring lately."

"You didn't just say that?"

"I know, I know better. I'm just saying."

Janet was standing in the gate room when SG1 returned six hours later.

"Colonel, you're late." General Hammond spoke from the command center.

"Poor visibility sir."

Tegan shook her head sending droplets of water from her sopping hair flying. "I think I've got water in my ears."

"I know I do." Daniel mumbled.

"Report to the infirmary. Unless there's something important we'll debrief at 0800 tomorrow."

"No sir, tomorrow is fine sir." Jack unclipped his P-90 and poured water out of the barrel before handing it off to one of the SFs.

"I thought maybe…" Janet walked behind Tegan in the hall.

"What?" She turned to look at Janet. "I didn't hear you."

Janet shook her head as Tegan tilted hers and bounced up and down in and attempt to get the water to drain from her ear canal. "I've got some drops for that."

"Do you have any drops for this?" Tegan looked at Sam who was grinning. "What?"

"Nothing."

"How'd you manage to keep your ears dry?" Tegan asked.

"My hood stayed on." She smiled bigger.

"Whatever."

Wednesday morning Jack, Janet, Tegan, and Sam sat around the conference table in the debriefing room. General Hammond was seated at the head of the oval table with his hands clasped in front of him. "Normally I wouldn't even suggest it, but according to SG17 the planet is unremarkable. There are no recent signs of inhabitants, and aside from the flourishing plant life the planet is dead. I thought maybe the three of you would like a chance to get away."

"To catalogue and collect fauna." Jack interjected, reminding them it was still a mission.

It was SG7's assessment of things, along with Sam's that had persuaded General Hammond to allow his three best female officers to gate back to P39-782 without the distraction of testosterone laden men. "And Major Carter will be in charge."

Tegan tried not to look disappointed, after all she was the biology expert among them, and while both Sam and Janet were older than her, they were barely of senior rank. In fact when it came down to time, Tegan had been a Major longer than Janet. The fact Sam had been a Major a month longer shouldn't matter. Still when it came right down to it, she really didn't want the responsibilities of being in charge.

"When do we leave sir?" Sam was eager for the opportunity to go off world without 'the guys' hanging around.

"0900 tomorrow." General Hammond glanced around the table. "Any other questions?"

Tegan shook her head.

"Alright, dismissed."