Author's Note: I redid a lot of the earlier chapters, so you may want to go back and reread them.
These next few chapters bounce around between Jack's work, Daniel in the 'glow-zone', and the SGC. But this one is mostly about the SGC dealing without either men being around. And it has some Jonas Quinn. Not a lot, but he does get talked about and shows up. Given what happens to Daniel, there will most likely be a quick recap of what's happened in these chapters. Hope that won't bore people. Decided that I needed to deal with what happened at the SGC. So, the chapter that was here previously has been moved to another spot, further back.
The nitpicker: Made the suggested correction. Now had the label Alternate Universe.
6
Earth-after Jack's leave taking.
Major Samantha Carter sat in her office, miles of paperwork before her. Her head sunk down onto the little space of polished black that showed and groaned. As the newly appointed leader of SG-1, she had much to catch up on. Because of this prominent position, she was also expected to serve as the second in command under General Hammond. That was a third of the problem.
Another third went to her science department. With the exception of Haley, the new recruits were not adept at adapting their Earth based knowledge to other planets. It seemed impossible for them to grasp that, while the location of the work may be light years away, the principles remained the same.
Or may be she was being overly critical.
And then there was the final piece of the pie-Daniel's departments. Departments. Plural-as in more than one.
The archaeology, linguistic, and anthropology departments all fell under her rule now that he was gone and Dr. Rothman refused it outright. Though more than capable, he didn't want that burden on his shoulders.
Besides, that was the same pattern established by Colonel O'Neill when Daniel had been called away on missions without SG-1. But the colonel and Daniel had a well-choreographed pattern prepared so that he knew what was needed and most necessary. She didn't have that luxury.
On her desk lay some of the top specialists in each of the fields-each of them young enough to accept the reality of alien life, with the energy to keep up with the demands placed before them.
And each approved of by Daniel himself, some of them he'd recommended as covers for him while he was away for any length of time. Nyan, while he had an excellent grasp on things, needed citizenship before the government considered him as a potential to receive the job.
Sighing, her head rocked back and forth on the desk. Daniel. A fresh sob tore from her heart. Even now, it was hard to accept that her mental equal, the other half of the "wonder twins" legend was gone.
And the Colonel as well.
She missed her siblings with an ache that always seemed hollow, never filling with anything more than more sorrow. Teal'c and she spent more time together now, being the only two original members of SG-1 left. Though both found this to be more pain than pleasure for the memories it evoked.
A few people had tried to replace Daniel on the team. Others with his linguistic capabilities and anthropological viewpoints.
But everyone knew the truth-he was irreplaceable.
No one even came close to his way of thinking outside the military box and applying that thinking in ways that those in charge had no choice but to accept it as the best way.
For now, Martouf helped them out, though he could only do so much. Many races recognized him as one of the Tok'Ra and were wary of him. It made them distrust him and her because of their symbiotes. What they needed was someone like Daniel.
No, not like Daniel.
That would be too painful, to horrifying to handle. He was living lightening in a bottle-and there was no way to duplicate that. But they needed someone who could inspire trust the way Daniel did. Someone with a non-military perspective. One who had the courage to speak up and call them on their behavior.
Until then, SG-1 was on stand-down.
Teal'c spent his time between the SGC and her, being with Drey'ac, and helping the Jaffa rebellion. At the moment, General Hammond was trying to find an innocuous place around the mountain for them to move into so that he didn't have to keep traveling away to see his wife, son, and soon to be born babies.
Though excited for them, she wondered how Drey'ac was going to handle having two little ones without having Teal'c to help her adjust to Earth life. Teal'c had had a hard time and he had them to help. But Drey'ac really didn't know them, so she would really be left to her own devices.
Everyone hesitated to mention the house shared by Daniel and the Colonel, though Janet looked anxious to try. Teal'c wouldn't think of moving in to the house permanently. But they might persuade him to be the caretaker of it.
And that was another bone of contention.
The Colonel had given Janet power of attorney, merely requesting that she hang onto the place for five years for Daniel. She stubbornly refused to break her unspoken promise to him. Both seemed to agree that, although Daniel had the fortitude and talent to join the higher beings, he would not remain ascended.
If not for Orlin's words, she would have been angered by their lack of faith in him. But she knew him as they did. He would watch until his heart told him to act.
As it was, she could only hope that he'd stay long enough to learn something of significance to their fight.
Though, again through Orlin, she knew that such knowledge would be taken from him if he was returned to the mortal plain.
"Major Carter," Jonas spoke hesitantly from the door. Blue eyes looked wearily at him, the face frozen into an expression of polite interest. "General Hammond wishes to see you," he hurriedly explained.
"Did he say why?"
"Something about the Russians," he shrugged. Though it hurt, he knew that he was far from being accepted into the family that was the SGC. He was willing to put up with it for he felt it was worth it. "I don't think he wanted to tell me even that much but he wants you to be prepared."
She nodded, "thank you." Rising to her feet tiredly, she shuffled the papers to the side. It took her a moment to realize that he waited patiently at the door. "Was there something more?" she asked.
"Would you like some help with this?" he timidly asked her. The state of disarray around her had to be troublesome and if he could relieve that, even a little bit, may be she would be more open to helping him. "I'm no Dr. Jackson, nor would I claim to understand half of what you do but perhaps I could…never mind. It's a dumb idea."
"Could what?" she sharply asked, refraining only barely from snapping at him. Sam didn't know why she was encouraging the Kelownan but something was urging her behavior. Not being an oblivious fool of what went on, she knew how most of the base had been treating him in the two months since he'd come to stay with them. But she felt something while standing there, looking at him.
Almost like Daniel was with her, trying to tell her something. There was a little laugh in her mind, a familiar laugh. Listen to him, Sam. He could become a great human being if given the chance.
"Try to organize this," he finished in a rush. "May be do some of the paperwork. Or do some pre-work and call around to set up appointments for interviews with new department heads for the leaderless departments."
"How do you know of that?" she gazed at him, eyes narrowed suspiciously.
With a self-conscious grin, he explained. "Nyan and I were talking about it. He's been great about explaining things to me, like JELL-O and telly-vision."
"Television," she tiredly corrected.
Give him a chance, Sam.
There it was again, that persistent voice that sounded like Daniel getting them to see another way. "Do you think you could make the calls without revealing classified information?"
Again, he nodded at her enthusiastically. Idly, she wondered if his head would fall off if he really got going.
"Can't reveal what I don't know, can I? Besides, I worked in secret for years, recruiting and stuff. My first job was as a personal assistant for…"
"Okay," she interrupted, checking her watch. "I will give you a shot. Remember, nothing is to be said of the Stargate or the true nature of the working environment."
He nodded again, widely smiling. "You won't regret this, Major Carter. If I have any doubts about my ability to keep silent, I'll just get their names and current addresses written in a neat list."
"Fine." He's like one of those hyper dogs, she thought crossly, walking by him. "I'll be back after my meeting with the General. Try to organize the paperwork first, that's more important at the moment. Orlin, Nyan, and Dr. Lee can handle the daily business of running the divisions right now. After that's done, you can get working on that list of possible department heads."
"Thank you for giving me this chance, Major Carter. I won't let you down," he smiled at her again, grateful and then attacked the work before him enthusiastically. It was a pleasure to be doing something again.
Doubtfully watching him, she finally shrugged and left. There was something so pathetic about his gratefulness, it made her uncomfortable. And the general would only wait so long before her lateness would be considered outright insubordination. Nodding at one of the sergeants, she made her way down the hall.
"Do you think its wise to let that thing be alone with highly confidential work, Major? From all I've heard about him, he does have a photographic memory that might come back to haunt you," Lieutenant Colonel Ferretti said.
She turned and smiled at the new colonel. "With all due respect, sir, Jonas Quinn has been granted asylum with us. He deserves the same chance the Colonel gave to Nyan and Orlin."
"He's responsible for the loss of two great men, Major," he flatly declared.
"Permission to speak freely, sir?"
"Why is it whenever I hear those words, I know I'm not going to like what comes next?" He rhetorically asked with a sigh, knowing now how O'Neill must've felt to be caught between both Daniel and Major Carter. Both had no qualms about giving the Colonel hell in their own way. But unlike Jack, who rather encouraged them, he didn't know if he wanted what he knew was coming. That was the one thing you had to be careful of, if they gave you their honest opinion, you had to act on it. "Permission granted."
"He wants to make up for what occurred on Kelowna," she mildly pointed out. "Besides, he cannot be held accountable for his whole government's inability to take precautions. If we do not give him a chance to redeem himself, then we are as guilty of condemning him as they were of blaming Daniel with no proof."
"No. But he will not be accepted easily, even under your protection," he retorted.
"May be not, Lou. Honestly, I doubt that I will ever fully accept him. But I can't ignore him just because he represents pain," she said, then changed the subject. "Do you know why the general wants to see me?"
He shook his head, "he's been asking to see all the team leaders."
With a nod of understanding, she took a deep breath and left him in the hall. Exuding an air of false poise, she approached the door and knocked as firmly as she felt capable of. At his 'enter', she opened and saluted to him. Studying his face, she saw nothing to ease the butterflies in her stomach. Whatever this was about, it was not going to be good.
"Close the door," General Hammond ordered, returning the salute briskly. Sitting down, he gestured for her to do the same before speaking again. "You know of the uneasy alliance we have with the Russians. After many discussions with the President, we have made some tentative decisions to rectify that problem. One is that we provide them with a team of their own. In their eyes, this is a small concession-to small. The other is more to their taste, that we will integrate them into already established teams."
"A Russian on SG-1? Sir, with all due respect, that is an insane idea." She burst out, blushing slightly at her own temerity.
His hand rose, "I understand your concerns, Major. I share them but I believe that we have no other option if we want to continue to enjoy the security we now possess. If we refuse, they may leak information about the Stargate out into the world and we would be put into a precarious position of admitting what is really out there. The world is not yet ready for the revelation of other races-especially one that has our ultimate annihilation as its main goal."
"Teal'c and I will not be comfortable with this," she said.
"But you are an officer. You swore an oath to do as commanded. I believe that you have more of a capacity to be flexible under the circumstances than the previous leader of SG-1 was," he deliberately avoided the use of the Colonel's name. "Comfortable or not, this is a direct order from the president himself. You have two free spaces, but we will only require that you have one Russian on your team since Martouf serves as an alternate fourth when desired. What I need to know is, do you want an officer or a scientist? Before you answer, consider this-they would be sending new recruits. Men and women who have been trained to think in the same manner as we do. More or less."
Her answer was slow in coming as she tossed about the pros and cons of each. "It would be best if we had a civilian join us. They should be more open to our mind-set. The Russian military mind is diametrically opposed to ours, even if they have been trained to think as we do, some of their old ideology would still be there." Only the fact that Daniel would have approved of this plan allowed her to speak calmly and clearly.
"That's what I thought you would say. Dr. Markov enjoyed working with you the last time and has expressed an interest in doing so again. How do you feel about that? She knows about the Goa'uld and has taken the necessary courses to defend against them."
"That will be fine," she agreed, preparing to leave the room. Well, the idea of Dr. Markov on the team wasn't too bad, though she knew there were others who would balk at the idea of including a Russian on the team-especially Teal'c. They did not impress him after their performance in Marduk's ziggurat.
But it wasn't like they were asking her to make it a permanent addition.
Sam, you owe it to him. Remember what you told Colonel Ferretti. A tentative plan came to mind and she tried to push it aside, thinking it absurd.
How can he make up for things if he's not given the chance? But it was a persistent little pest. Ignore me all you want, but I am not leaving you in peace until you at least attempt to do something positive about him.
"Sir, I'd like Jonas Quinn to serve as another alternative fourth."
"Jonas Quinn?" he repeated doubtfully. The Kelownan had been there for two months and had yet to be accepted. Some openly reviled him. Though he tried to keep it down, George understood why it was happening. This man represented the loss of two of their own. Not by enemy hands but by 'friendly' ones.
General, listen to me. This is a good idea, a familiar voice prodded.
"Yes, sir. I believe its something that Daniel would want. And it won't be permanent," she hastily added. "I think that having him fill that place when Martouf is gone will not only give him experience but fill in the fourth spot."
George nodded, "I shall take that into consideration." Words that shocked him-and silenced the voice inside.
"Thank you, sir." Sam said no more, shocked by her own words and temerity. This wasn't what she had intended when she had left her office. Jonas Quinn robbed her of two of her family as surely as if he'd shot them himself-no matter what she told Lou. But there was something so very Daniel about the idea, that it just seemed right.
There was a knock on the door. At the general's nod, she stood up and saluted after opening the door. "Major Carter," the man saluted in return.
"Colonel Kawalsky," she sharply addressed him. "Good luck," she whispered giving him a sympathetic smile.
Then she contemplated what to do. Faced with an office full of paperwork, she had a flash of sympathy for the Colonel. No wonder he usually stayed away and complained about the size of the reports she and Daniel turned in. The workload did rather swamp any free time they were given.
Heading for the commissary, she felt a twinge of guilt for leaving Jonas to deal with her work. But she quickly forgot that. Seeing Sara Kawalsky, she grabbed a diet soda and a pretzel before joining her. "How are you?"
"Tired. Harassed. Desperately hoping that the next scientific discovery is a way for men to have the babies. You?"
She smiled crookedly at her, "you just stole my feelings-especially that last one. How am I to surpass that?"
"By saying that you are mad at Jack O'Neill for doing this to you. For leaving you to deal with the fallout of Daniel's ascension. That you are angry with Daniel for leaving. Because he wanted to leave even when your father was healing him. For showing himself only to the colonel. At Jack, for burdening you with Jonas Quinn and helping him find his way around here," she paused, studying her critically. "Any of this ringing any bells?"
"When did you take over for Dr. MacKenzie?" she coldly asked, words to close to the mark for her comfort.
"I'm a mother, I recognize the signs having felt them myself more than once. That rage simmering just below the surface is something I felt so many times for Charlie-still do if you want some honesty. Its human, Sam, and we are all too human. Is it so wrong to admit that?" it was a gentle question.
"When I have no real reason, yes."
Sara studied her critically, "you really believe that, don't you? How sad. Sam, you have every right to feel that anger. For five years, you had Jack and Daniel by your side. They are gone, one through tragedy, the other through a broken soul. But your wound is just as great, just as deep as theirs. They left you alone. Something that, for you, is wrong.
"Jack once joked that the team that dies together, stays together. You believed that with all your heart because it had never failed you. It was a constant in your life. But this one senseless act of loss destroyed that certainty. It's a betrayal of all you let yourself hope for and trust in." Sara fell silent, letting the major process her words. "It's irrational and selfish but all to human. Acknowledge it or it will canker your soul."
The two women were silent until Janet joined them.
With the addition of the CMO, the conversation turned to the trials of raising kids and teenagers in the midst of their secretive jobs. Though she had no kids of her own, Sam was raised military and could impart some of her mother's wisdom. Grateful as she was that the uncomfortable subject had been dropped, the major couldn't help but dwell on the wisdom of Sara's words.
Regret in her heart, Sam left the two women alone. She'd lingered a bit to long over lunch and the reminder of the work before her had begun to reassert itself firmly upon her tired mind. Besides, she figured Colonel Kawalsky would show up soon and she wanted to evade those fireworks. He had as much reason to dislike the Russians as Colonel O'Neill did.
Upon entering her office, she could only stop and stare in shock at the sight before her. It was like someone had taken her back in time to before the ascension. Where chaos had once ruled, now there were neat piles of papers and folders.
Jonas glanced up from the phone and smiled at her. Something he seemed to do an awful lot of, she absently noted as she listened to his conversation. "That's right, Miss. I'm looking for Professor Sydney Fox.
"Why? To see if she would be interested in heading an archaeological department.
"Oh, I see. Well, I'll call back in a week then.
"No, sorry. My employer would prefer to talk directly to Professor Fox about the details so as to avoid any miscommunication. I wouldn't want to give her any false information about a job this important.
"Thank you for your understanding and time." He hung up after the good-bye and turned to her. "I've gone through most of the names on the list for the archaeology experts. Some expressed interest but mostly they wanted more details. Dr. Jones, the third, is the last one I need to contact. Unless you'd rather do it?"
Her head shook as she started to peruse through the files in the urgent box. "Go right ahead, you are doing just fine, Mr. Quinn."
A huge smile of relief crossed his face and he babbled out a thank you. "I'm going to grab a cup of tea after I make this call, if that's okay?"
"Quinn, I'm not a slave driver. Take a break, you've been hard at work for several hours."
"That's fine, I just need to get a drink. Would you mind calling me Jonas? Unless that's to forward, then you can forget it." He ignored the slightly harsh sound of her voice, figuring it had something to do with the General.
"We'll see," she murmured, absently reaching for a pen. Reading over the report, she made some notations of her own based on all the reports for the planet she'd read. In the background, Jonas continued to make the calls but for the sound of his voice, the afternoon passed in silence.
6
Jonas sighed with relief, finishing the last follow-up phone call. Crossing the last name off of the list, he greeted Nyan, who had just returned from his lunch break. Removing a clean sheet of paper and in the neatest hand he had, he made a list of those who were interested in the anthropology and linguistic heads-then marked the ones that he thought were best suited for the job based on his understanding of what the job entailed.
In the back of his mind, he wondered why he even bothered putting in his own input. Most likely, his recommendations would be ignored. It wasn't as if he actually knew what they really needed in their department heads. He only knew what he felt and observed when he watched Nyan and Dr. Lee work.
"Everything all right?" his cheery voice asked. He leaned over Jonas' shoulder, reading and making a few approving sounds.
Looking up at Nyan, he shrugged. "The one most favored for the anthropological head has an odd request that I hesitate to mention to Major Carter. And the most talented of the linguists has a last name sure to cause pain-O'Neill. He's a lieutenant, junior grade."
Nyan whistled. "That's troublesome. But nothing to fret over, really. He's been here before and proved to be nothing like Colonel O'Neill. I wouldn't worry to much about it."
"But I have to, I'm the one who contacted him and put him in the know."
"Afraid for your head?"
Jonas thought for a moment, then shook his head. "More like worried for how this suggestion will go over."
"He was recommended by Dr. Jackson, correct?" Nyan received a confirming nod. "Then stop worrying."
"I can't help it," he stopped the whine quickly. "Then there's Dr. Sandburg and his request about Detective Ellison-his partner."
"So?" Nyan asked.
"So? Doesn't partner refer to something more between people than a working relationship?"
Nyan rolled his eyes. "Sometimes. But there are other times when it means two equals working together for a common goal-much like many of the SG teams. Besides, its none of our business what Dr. Sandburg does on his own time. As long as he gets his work done, that's all anyone will focus on. He is also not an enlisted man. So, certain rules don't apply to him."
Jonas wasn't so sure that it was that easy. He had heard of some cases where such open-mindedness did not exist. But Nyan had lived among the Tua'ri for longer than he did. In this, he would not ignore another's wisdom.
656
Walking into Major Carter's office, she looked up at him. Face pale with exhaustion and eyes bright with fever, she peered at him for a moment before sneezing. "Well?"
"Dr. Sandburg just received his anthropology doctorate but he's got experience with the kinds of situations we deal with. His thesis was on the closeted society of police departments and he observed the Major Crimes Division in Cascade. The only problem is that he's involved in a long-term project with the main detective he observed, a Detective James Ellison. I did some research on him, found out he was a Ranger and made it to the rank of Captain," he hesitated.
"What does this hesitation mean?" she asked. Or rather, Jolinar did.
"He referred to him as his partner."
Sam instantly picked up on what troubled him. "Mr. Quinn, as long as no one asks, we don't have to bring attention to it. Dr. Sandburg and Detective Ellison are professionals. They know how to behave. Ellison…where have I heard that name before?" she murmured.
"But how can we stop them from asking?"
She stared at him, a hard look in her eyes. "It is none of our business unless it impedes their abilities to work. You will get used to such rumors, Mr. Quinn. Or you will find working here hard. Are we clear?"
"Yes, Major Carter."
"Good. I take it that he has made a request similar to another one we received. If he is to work here, we must hire Detective Ellison as well, right? It should not be a problem as he once worked in the military as a Ranger. And it would seem hypocritical for us to say no when we are allowing Professor Fox to bring along her assistant, Nigel Bailey."
Nodding, he sat down. "That's correct, Major. In my search, I found that he was special operations trained and a highly decorated officer, so clearance should be no problem. Spent sometime in Peru and successfully handled the drug traffickers down there. To this day, there haven't been any problems. As for Mr. Bailey, he does have a handle on dead languages, they could use him in the linguistic department."
"Anything else? You've been silent on the choices for Head Linguist," she hinted.
"Well, there is one," gulping, he continued. "A Lieutenant, junior grade, Timothy O'Neill."
"O'Neill," she repeated, thoughtfully. "Young enough and in the military. Has experience with secret projects, main branches of study aboriginal tongues and northern dialect, though like most linguist, he knows Middle-Eastern dialects. Until the Stargate took prominence, was considered for the SeaQuest project.
"Daniel knew him. Had met him at one of the conferences he took in and was impressed by his intelligence, that's why he'd been allowed to work here a few times. All right, I'll give them all a call after talking to General Hammond and getting his feedback. I imagine that he will want to handle the lieutenant personally."
Teal'c waited until they had finished speaking before announcing his presence. "JonasQuinn, if you are to join SG-1, you must report to your physical training sessions. I was most displeased with your performance yesterday."
He winced and flushed, the reminder of the fiasco still fresh in his mind. Knowing that protesting would do no good, he rose and followed Teal'c out.
Idly fingering the papers, Sam wondered how the Colonel would handle this situation. Well, it was really up to the general. All she had to do was bring him the recommendations. Still, she worried that she might be doing the wrong thing. What if this all went straight to Hell because she ignored what might be happening between these two men? Jolinar, what am I to do about them? If I agree and invite this man here and he suffers because of it, I would never forgive myself.
Samantha, you have resources that Jonas Quinn does not. If the situation truly worries you, then find out what is going on for yourself.
You mean pry into their personal lives? What if I find something that I don't want to know about?
Why fuss about what ifs? It could be that these men have developed a relationship similar to the one that Daniel Jackson and Colonel O'Neill enjoyed. That you and Doctor Fraiser have.
There is that possibility. They do experience life and death situations.
Besides, is it really any of your business?
Sam thought for a moment, not unless it endangers the SGC in some way. Technically, he would be a civilian.
Exactly. Can we get some rest now? Whatever we were doused with has inhibited my abilities to heal us.
Just for a moment, the major conceded. Rising, she went to one of the rooms on base and slept.
Cascade, Washington.
Jim entered the loft he shared with Blair and noticed that the light on the phone was blinking. The tall, muscular man was curious as to who would call their home phone when both men possessed cell phones. Pushing the button, he walked into the kitchen, knowing it wasn't Blair on the other end. His guide had called earlier and told him that he'd be late due to an impromptu meeting of the college's department heads.
"Dr. Sandburg? This is Doctor Samantha Carter."
Carter, I know that name. Light blue eyes closed as he thought about it. But from where?
In the background, her voice continued to speak. He listened with half an ear until the meaning of her words became clear.
"I know that you made your position clear about the job offer but we really feel that you would be best suited for the job. Having read your thesis, I am more than convinced of your suitability to serve as our anthropological department head. We need someone with your insight and compassion to help us out. Talking to my superior, we have found no objections to your conditions. I shall call you tomorrow at eight to talk about it."
The sentinel stood, more than a little shell-shocked. Blair had not said a word to him about this job offer with Dr. Carter. Or any offers about other jobs, for that matter. What was his guide keeping from him now?
After that whole fiasco with Alex Barnes and her using him to train her own senses so that she could profit from them, he thought that they had learned to stop keeping secrets from each other.
"Hey, Jim!" An enthusiastic voice said as the door opened. "We got out earlier than I thought we would, so I brought…what's wrong?" The blue eyes of the shorter man widened, recognizing the look of pain in Jim's eyes.
Not answering, he played the message. "Oh, man. I didn't think they would call again. Sorry you had to hear that," he quickly joined him and put the containers of food down. "Listen, that job offer is just that, an offer. One that I have no intention of taking."
"Blair, what was it about?" He finally spoke, an iron control over his downward spiraling emotions.
Knowing that Jim wouldn't let it drop and that honesty was the only way to save the situation, he began. At first, he talked rapidly, revealing his nervousness. But, once he became comfortable, he slowed down to a more normal pattern. "About three weeks ago, I received a call from a Jonas Quinn. He told me that he was an assistant for Dr. Carter, an astrophysicist who works there.
"He informed me that there was a job available as the head of an anthropology department at Cheyenne Mountain. Intrigued, I asked what they did exactly and he told me they study deep space telemetry. But, due to working under the mountain, they had needed to bring in an anthropologist, then another. Now, they need someone to get things in order and do the general business of running things."
"Sounds like something that you would love to do. Why refuse?"
"Jim, it wouldn't be fair to you. It wouldn't be appropriate considering what we are to each other. And you need me to help you keep your senses in line, we've seen what happens when they go untended." He replied, smoothing back his dark curly hair.
"Chief, I don't want to deny you this job if that's what you want," he said.
Blair smiled, patting his back comfortingly. "I know. But like I said when I truly changed my thesis from you and your sentinel abilities to the major crimes department, it's about friendship."
"But this interests you?" he pressed him.
"Yeah. I mean, that society has to be more closed off than any police department, with their own rituals and secret codes," he enthused. "But, I like the work I'm doing now. It doesn't matter to me, Jim, both jobs are about something I care about. The one I have now allows me to keep working with you, that's all."
"Dr. Carter did say that your conditions would pose no problems. Dare I ask what they were?"
"Man, you are not going to like this," he groaned. "I told them that I was involved in a long-term project with my partner, Detective Ellison. That I would not consider taking a job which asked that I move away and leave said partner behind."
"Partner?" he asked apprehensively. As a sentinel, he knew the truth of the term. It was what they were-equal beings helping each other out. But also being a military man, he knew what some would make of the word. And their closeness would confirm it, Blair could be in for a world of hurt.
Blair nodded. "I think that they should be warned about me, about us. While I may not be able to control how people perceive us, I wanted them to be aware of how our relationship could come across."
"But you want to go," it wasn't a question. "And such a statement could prevent you from making friends even before you get in the front door."
"I'm no stranger to pain, Jim," he dryly reminded him. "And I wouldn't take a job that would prevent me from being here for you. All right, it does sound interesting. A fascinating study of humanity being isolated in a sea of people. Of how the military and the civilians mingle and work together when their basic dichotomy is so different."
"Military?"
"I thought you knew that," he was puzzled.
"No, but I know why Dr. Carter's name reminded me of someone. Back when I was debriefed after returning from Peru, I made the acquaintance of one Major General Jacob Carter," he informed him. "So, you won't take this job unless I come with you."
Shaking his head to protest the statement, he opened his mouth to reply when Jim's cell phone rang.
"Ellison," he barked. Listening for a moment, his gaze rested thoughtfully on Blair. Resting a comforting hand on the guide's agitated shoulder, he let him know without words that he wasn't angry at him. "I see, Major. Yes, we'll see you tomorrow. Good night."
Meeting Blair's inquisitive gaze, Jim explained. "That was Major Doctor Samantha Carter and she did some research about me. Seems that the CIA isn't the only one who noticed how odd I was behaving on my return. The job offer has been extended to include me because of my abilities. And they want me to lead one of their teams."
"What do you know about deep space telemetry?"
"You still think that's what they do?" he asked. "You know as I do that deep space telemetry is a cover story. What I want to know is, what are they hiding. Everyone knows that Cheyenne Mountain is where NORAD is, why would they need a cover story like that."
"Jim, you don't have to do this for me," Blair protested.
Jim's head shook. "I think I need to do this for us. Cascade is full of bad memories for the both of us. A new start would do us some good-especially in a place where I don't have to hide what I am."
"Are you sure?" he doubtfully asked. "Because, while I appreciate the sentiment, I don't want you to do this for me. Doing so would only make you unhappy. What's between us isn't just a sentinel/guide thing. It is about our friendship."
"Blair," he interrupted. "There's no harm in going and finding out what Major Doctor Carter has to say. We're going to hear her and talk about it later, okay? We aren't agreeing to anything blindly."
"All right," he reluctantly agreed to the wisdom in Jim's words. Still, he couldn't help wondering if this was about him.
End, Act 11.