The Return, Part II
"Hello, sir!"
General Hank Landry stopped in his tracks at the sound of Helena Leiter's cheerful salutation. He sighed and turned around. "Chief. What brings you back to the SGC?"
"Well," she smiled, brightly. "Your lobbying worked. Thank you, very much. I've gotten my orders to Washington and I leave in two days. So, I figured I come and visit with some friends before shipping out – to borrow a Navy term. And I thought I should thank you, as well."
Landry nodded. "My pleasure, Chief. Your talent got you the job, I just arranged the meeting."
"Well, without you arranging the meeting, I wouldn't be able to show off my talent."
"You're welcome." Landry smiled, and started to walk away.
"Is Colonel Sheppard off-world? I was on my way to see Dr. Beckett, but I'd like to see him as well, if he's around."
Landry stopped. "Neither one of them are here."
Helena's eyebrows drew together. "No?"
"No."
Her head tilted to one side. "Where's Dr. Beckett? He shouldn't be off-world…"
"No. He shouldn't be, but he is."
"When will they be back?"
Landry frowned and shook his head. "Need to know, Chief."
Her eyebrow rose. "Sir?" She didn't look or sound like she was going to accept that answer.
Landry was not in the mood. "Leave it at that, Chief." He turned and walked away.
Helena Leiter watched him go. Her eyes narrowed and she sucked her teeth. "I don't think so," she muttered and walked back the way she'd come.
oOo
"Hey, guys!"
Walter Harriman turned around to see Chief Helena Leiter walking around the control room with a tin of cookies. She went to each technician and allowed him or her to take one or two.
"Uh, Chief," Walter frowned. "What are you doing?"
"Passing out cookies, Walter, what does it look like?"
He sighed and nodded. "Well, I…I see that, but, uhm…why are you passing them out in here?"
Helena smiled. "I am leaving in two days, Walter. I may not be back for a long time – if ever – and I wanted to give my favorite people a farewell gift. Is there anything wrong with that?" She held the tin to him and smiled.
He frowned up at her, then looked at the tin. Then he smiled and shrugged. "I guess not." He took a cookie and asked. "Where are you headed?"
"The White House."
His eyebrows rose. "Really?"
"Come on, Walter, you can't tell me you didn't know."
He shook his head. "No."
She sat down next to him and smiled. "I don't believe you," she said slowly. "You know everything that goes on around here."
He smiled in a way that said. "Aw-shucks." "Well, I guess, I do know a lot."
Helena grinned and nodded. "You're not fooling me. Everyone knows you're Landry's go to guy."
He smiled. "Well."
"In fact, I'll bet you know all about Colonel Sheppard's reassignment."
Walter frowned. "What reassignment?"
She looked around the room, as if to make sure no one was listening and leaned toward him. When he leaned in to her, she whispered. "I heard he was being given command of a unit in Florida."
Walter frowned. "No, he's not."
Her eyebrows rose. "Really? What have you heard?"
Walter leaned forward. "If he makes it back, he's probably going to be court-martialed."
"What?"
He nodded and checked around again. "He, Dr. Weir, Dr. McKay and Dr. Beckett stole the Atlantis jumper and went back to the Pegasus Galaxy."
Her eyes widened. "What?"
He nodded. "The Replicators were attacking Atlantis. General O'Neill and Mr. Woolsey were trapped there and Colonel Sheppard and the rest went to rescue them. Against General Landry's orders."
"General Landry wouldn't send a rescue for General O'Neill?"
Walter shook his head. "General O'Neill's left orders not to."
Helena's eyebrows were drawn together. "So Sheppard and the rest took it upon themselves to do it anyway? And Landry's talking court martial?"
Walter nodded, helping himself to another cookie. "And he had me invalidate their IDCs."
Helena drew back and chewed on her lower lip. "Really."
Walter nodded again, knowingly.
She thought for a moment, then took a deep breath. "Walter. I want you to do something for me, will you?"
oOo
General Jack O'Neill walked into his office in the Pentagon and found Chief Helena Leiter waiting for him. He looked behind him at the name on the door to make sure he had his own office, then back at Helena.
"Chief?"
She smiled, humorlessly. "Welcome back, sir."
He looked around. "Why are you here?"
"I've heard that the expedition members are returning."
He looked confused. "No…"
She frowned at him for a moment, then her eyebrows rose and she rolled her eyes. "Not to here, sir. From here."
"Ah!" He looked like he understood, suddenly.
Helena took a deep breath and counted to three in her head. "Sir."
"Congratulations on your promotion, by the way. Great assignment."
She frowned. "Thank you. I want to go back."
Jack's eyebrows rose. "You want to leave the White House for Pegasus?"
She smiled. "Yes, sir," she said, deliberately.
He walked past her to her desk. "I can't take the President's chef from him."
She simpered. "First of all, I haven't reported yet. I'm still on leave. Second of all, I'm not going to be the head chef, so it's not like we're leaving him with no one."
"But it's the President. In case you haven't forgotten, he outranks me."
She took a deep breath. "I haven't forgotten, sir. I want you to convince him that I'm essential to the success of the mission."
Jack shook his head. "How?"
She narrowed her eyes and raised an eyebrow at him. "You don't think I am?"
He shrugged his face. "Well…"
"Pie."
He frowned. "What?"
"Pie."
He raised his eyebrows. "Oh-kay…"
"Broken leg, broken ribs, punctured lung, frostbite and pie."
He frowned.
She glared back.
After a long minute, he shook his head. "Nope, doesn't sound familiar."
She threw her hands up. "Antartica. Second gate. You and, then-Captain, Carter?"
He frowned. "Okay. I remember that."
She nodded. "When you got back to SGC, how did you get pie?"
"You snuck it in to me."
"How about after the orb incident? Did you get pie then? What about the Urgo thing? What about—"
He held up his hands. "Okay, so you're great at sneaking desserts into the infirmary."
She crossed her arms. "Did you appreciate it?"
He looked like he knew where this was going. "Yes," he said, slowly.
"Did I ever ask for anything in return?"
He frowned. "You did get promoted to Warrant Three."
"Did I ever ask for anything in return?" She sighed. "Listen, I can quit. I have given more than twenty years to the US Army. I don't owe the military anything. I'll go through the IOC and convince them to hire me as a civilian contractor…"
He frowned. "Don't threaten me, Chief."
"No, sir."
He sighed. "Fine. I'll talk to the President, but no guarantees."
She nodded, still frowning. "I'm on leave for another week, sir." She handed him a piece of paper. "This is the number where I'm staying."
He looked at the number, then. He nodded. "By the way, how did you find out I was back?"
She smiled, slightly. "You're not the only one who likes dessert, sir."
"Walter?"
She frowned. "Who?"
O'Neill smiled. "I'll talk to the President, Chief. Dismissed."
She nodded and walked out of his office.
