"Coniferous Trees and Brooding Archaeologists Always Get Me Down"

Babylon tag


Hanging up the phone, Jack sighed and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his desk.

"Damnit" he hissed into his hands as he scrubbed them down his face. Something was wrong. He knew it. Something was bothering his archaeologist, but he didn't know what. And yes, he was still his archaeologist.

They had gotten Mitchell back alive, if not somewhat frayed. And they had the prospects of gaining a new ally. Things should be looking up...shouldn't they? So what could it be? He guessed with Daniel, it could be anything.

Jack had asked him if he was okay, but his friend claimed that he was just busy and ascribed to that excuse by bringing the conversation to an abrupt end, telling Jack that he'd call him later.

Yup, Daniel Jackson evasive maneuver number three. Still, Jack knew better. His YAB-AR (Your Archaeologist is Brooding-Again Radar) was in full swing.

Now, normally when this would happen, Jack would just storm up to said archaeologist's office and annoy it out of him. But he no longer had that luxury. Rapping his knuckles anxiously against the desk, Jack decided that it was time to initiate "Operation Tattle-Tale." He may not be able to find out straight from the horses mouth, but he still had Carter and Teal'c.

Grinning, Jack picked up the phone.


Frowning, Jack hung up the phone.

"Tarter sauce," he cursed, defeated, resting his chin in his hand. Both Carter and Teal'c also noticed that their friend was "off" but they too had been given the "busy and distracted" speech.

What now?

Glaring at the stack of paperwork that threatened to buckle the legs of his desk, Jack took a pen and using it...pushed the mountainous pile away from him as if carried the bubonic plague; his eyebrows shooting up when the utensil bent and retaliated against the force by catapulting itself out of the situation and across the office...to hit the poorly timed entrance of Jack's assistant right in the forehead.

"Edmund!" Jack greeted, grabbing another pen and sitting back in his chair, pretending he hadn't noticed. "What brings you to these parts?"

Lance Corporal Edmund Johnson blinked hard and scrunched up his forehead, trying to work out the sting. "Uh, sir, I work in these parts."

Jack's face fell. Poor kid still had no idea who he was working for. "Ah, no, corporal, that...I was just..." Shaking his head, Jack's hand came up to cut himself off. "You know what, never mind. What can I do for you? Bring some more paperwork for me, did ya?" he quipped with mocked enthusiasm, playing with the pen in his hands as he sat further back in his chair and brought his feet up to rest on his desk.

"Uh, yes, sir." Johnson replied, bringing the stack that he had been casually holding behind his back to the front.

Jack's face fell again.


Three hours and one file later, Jack sat staring at the phone. It's funny. He did that a lot nowadays. He didn't like to consider himself a worry-wart...he was a general in the U.S. air force, for cryin' out loud! But the truth was...that he was. In fact, he was the granny of all worry-warts…especially when it came to his kids.

...especially when it came to a certain archaeologist.

It wasn't until Daniel came along that Jack realized he had heartstrings. Because it became abundantly clear, rather fast, that these were what his friend enthusiastically swung from…all. the. time.

Jack didn't know what it was about the man that brought out his most primitive need to protect. It was in his heart and blood to do everything in his power...and more to protect his team…but when it came to Daniel…it was in his soul.

Maybe it had something to do with Daniel's childlike curiosity and the way he'd get so easily distracted…course, he could almost say the same about Carter. Though Carter did have faster reflexes than the archaeologist. Still, Daniel was just as good now at defending himself in the field as any experienced soldier and he'd probably saved more people's lives than the entire SGC personnel combined.

So what? What was it ? Why did he still feel like he had to protect the younger man so much?

After thinking hard on it for a few more minutes and not coming up with any specific answers...none that he'd admit to anyway, Jack decided, "Screw it." He just did. Plain and simple, he would always feel the need to protect his younger friend and that's that...even if only for the sake of his own waning sanity.

Nodding his satisfaction, Jack's thoughts came back to the present where he realized...life was sucking.

He was on the wrong side of the country, in an office where the paperwork could literally double as furniture and he currently had no means to find out what was bothering his friend. Sure, Daniel was a big boy, he could handle his own problem. He could also come to Jack if, or whenever he wanted. ...but remember that 'over-protective' thing we were just talking about? Right. So back to staring at the phone. And doing just that, Jack wondered how he ended up getting wrapped around Daniel's little finger. It was probably bleeding, he thought idly and jumped when his phone finally rang.

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The end...for now.

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ducks out of the way of flying rotten food. Oh, come on! We'll find out what was bothering our boy. LOL eg Actually, just click over into the next chapter. bg Thanks for reading!