The Simple Things in Life
By Mickey
Status: Completed 04/27/2009
Word Count: 996
Author's Notes: Written for the stargatedrabbles list's April 25th 2009 charity challenge. Use one or all of the following in a fic: an open journal, a sharpened tip, intimidating tower of stacked papers, late night inspiration, a blip on the screen. Not sure this was entirely what they had in mind for some of the phases, but I did manage to work them all in!
Jack O'Neill sighed as he looked at the intimidating tower of stacked papers. No use delaying the inevitable, he thought. He picked up a pen and began his arduous task. An hour later, it barely looked like he'd even put a dent in the pile. Of course, it didn't help when people kept adding to it. He gave Walter a withering glare as the 'gate technician dropped a few sheets onto the pile.
As he started on the newest requisition forms, Jack began to get restless. His feet fidgeted under the table, occasionally rapping against the side of his desk. He played with his pen, pinched between two fingers and his thumb, flipping it around. It kinda reminded him of an airplane propeller. Nearly thirty minutes later, he was still staring blankly at the same form. Frustrated, and bored out of his skull, he let the pen fall to his desk and pushed his chair out. The hell with it, they're already late anyway, what's one more day? he mused as left his office.
Struck by a late night inspiration, Jack smiled as he set off down to Daniel's lab, intent on asking his friend to join him at O'Malley's for a beer. Smiling, he thought about the funny things Daniel had said the last, and only other, time Jack had gotten him drunk. In no time, he reached Daniel's lab. He stepped into the room, practically bouncing like an excited child, and stopped mid-thought as he looked at his friend. Daniel had fallen asleep at his desk . . . again.
Sighing, Jack made his way over to the desk. A few inches away from Daniel's right elbow was a half-drunk, ice-cold cup of coffee. Jack couldn't believe anyone could drink as much coffee as Daniel did -all caffeinated, none of that decaf stuff for his friend-, and yet still fall a sleep so easily. Half sticking out from under his arms, which he was using as a pillow, was an open journal. A pencil, a sharpened tip at one end and a half used eraser at the other, hung precariously off the edge of the desk, ready to fall at even the slightest movement.
Jack couldn't help but smile fondly. As he watched his friend sleep, he was struck by a memory of a brown haired boy, in much the same position as Daniel only with a history book open under his folded arms, having fallen asleep doing his homework. It surprised him to realize just how much Daniel reminded him of Charlie. While their interests were vastly different, the two were very much alike. Both had the same zest for life, the same eagerness and ability to greet each new day with exuberance. They both bounced around like a crazed Energizer Bunny when they found something new and exciting.
The only difference between Daniel and Charlie had been the objects of desire. For Daniel it was ancient rocks, languages, and all things relating to people who had died long before he'd been born. For Charlie, it had been baseball and jet planes -what made them work and the history behind them- and anything pertaining to animals or dinosaurs. In both his son and his friend, their faces lit up when tackling a new problem. They both thrived on the challenge of discovering the secrets of something.
Fondly, Jack remembered a few years before Charlie's . . . death, he'd taken his hyped up kid to some science museum that had a new dinosaur exhibit. The six year-old had been so excited, Jack had practically had to tie him down just to be able to seatbelt him into his booster seat. His boy had chattered non-stop about the hands-on exhibit. To be honest, Jack was pretty excited himself. He'd loved dinosaurs as a kid. The museum had set up an area for the kids to "dig up" real dinosaur bones to keep. Of course, the bones were ones that had been damaged during excavation and weren't really suitable for displaying, but the kids hadn't cared. Charlie had been so proud when he "found" his. He'd jumped around excitedly, after leaving the excavation area, and waved his prized possession around. Very much the way Daniel was when he discovered something new.
As he watched his friend sleep, Jack marveled at just how much Daniel had come to mean to him over the past year or so. In a way, he'd almost become like a son to him, or a younger brother, at least. He realized just how protective he'd become of the rock loving geek. He frowned as he remembered just how close he'd come to loosing Daniel on Apophis' mother ship not even a week ago. It also occurred to him just how miserably he'd failed to protect Daniel, just like he had Charlie.
Charlie's life hadn't been much more than a blip on the screen, so to speak, here and gone in way too short a time. Watching his friend sleep, Jack vowed to himself to watch over Daniel more closely. He'd have to be discrete. Daniel would not be happy about being babysat, as he was sure to see it. He could do discrete when he had to. Resolved to keeping his friend safe, Jack decided to add self-defense to Daniel's training schedule. Whether he liked it or not, he'd also be taking hand-to-hand combat lessons with himself and Carter. Maybe they could also, somehow, drill into him the importance of ducking.
He was still standing there, lost in thought, when Daniel looked up at him. Groggily, he asked, "Why are you standing there looking at me like that, Jack?"
Grinning, Jack replied, "No reason." Reaching out, he closed Daniel's journal and said, "Come on, I'll drive you home. You're going to need a good night's sleep before starting your new training program tomorrow."
Letting himself be lifted to his feet, Daniel sleepily asked, "What new training program?"
Grinning, Jack said, "You'll see. You'll see."
THE END