AN: T minus 7 days. That means you will have a bit of a wait in the middle of this story. It's probably worth it though. Don't forget MRKRZYHRSE's series ties into this too so if you need a fix hit him up. Frank is fun and has some decidedly romantic leanings towards one of Sam's staff.
Getting very close to a point in time where the focus swings back to Jack and Sam for a while but I thought I'd tie up a couple loose ends here first.
Al-addou Al-algham - Enemy Mine
Sammy sat alone at lunch. Not that she'd been popular before but she hadn't been shunned. She sighed. Oh well. It had been nice while it lasted… to have a sort of normal teen experiences not overshadowed by her mom's death and being told things like 'it was a year ago, get over it'. An actual statement from an actual classmate once said to her.
Lynn was in Jon's lunch period as were most of the guys they hung out with. Lori had first period lunch and the girls from pole vaulting were just ignoring her. They had been supportive right up until they found out she'd help Jon lie to catch a drug dealer.
Snitches and stitches, she supposed as she dug unto her Jell-O. It wasn't even blue. She missed the SGC. Jack always made sure they had blue Jell-O for her. She missed being an adult and not having to deal with this childish nonsense.
"Well, that's a new one." A familiar voice said over her shoulder just before a tray plopped down next to hers.
"Hi Heather." Sammy said, with a sigh.
"Why, is little Miss Sunshine pouting today? Is it because no one likes her either now?"
"Either?"
"I am not exactly in high demand socially." Heather said with a shrug. "No biggie. Most of them are bitches anyway. At least it's mostly because your bestie is in another lunch period. Along with your boyfriend." She said philosophically as she poured dressing on her salad.
"Yah." Sammy said and poked at her lunch that wasn't specifically recognizable.
"What was that supposed to be?" Heather asked as they both stared at Sam's lunch tray.
"I'm not sure. I was daydreaming so when the lunch lady snapped at me, I panicked." Sammy admitted.
Heather chuckled. "Whatever it is… don't eat it." She told her and scraped some of her salad onto Sammy's plate.
"Thanks." Sammy said with a grateful smile.
"Better. You looked like Charlie the Unicorn sitting there moping. Did you get an A minus or something?"
Sammy shook her head. She mumbled to herself. "It wasn't like I was popular anyway, but at least people didn't avoid me."
"Yah, well… uh… I got a hug from Amy. I told her it was Jon she should hug. Then she started crying and it got weird."
"Sorry."
Heather made a rude noise at her. "What are you sorry for? Keeping anyone else from being raped? You would think these morons would be grateful. Did I tell you how hot your uncle Bill is by the way? Also, if I was your aunt I'd have jumped your uncle Jack the first chance I got too. Is Jon really his ringer?"
"I've seen photos. He looks exactly the same at the same age." Sammy said.
"Well, you have that to look forward to. He looks like a GQ cover."
Sammy giggled. "He has no clue."
"What? You're kidding. He has no idea he looks like that. Does the man not own a mirror?"
"I know, right? I grew up with him so he was just always my aunt's friend from work but now that I'm older… I'd be a liar if I said I didn't know what she saw in him. He's super nice too. Loves kids, dogs, stray archeologists…" The cover story just rolled off her tongue now after a couple years of practice at it. Even Sammy nearly believed herself now.
"That is oddly specific." Heather said, as she shoved salad in her mouth. "Makes sense. Jon has no clue he's hot either."
"Don't you dare tell him. I don't want him getting a big ego about it." Sammy admonished her with a little grin.
"Don't worry. I'll just admire him from afar. He doesn't have a brother, does he?"
"Nope, just an older cousin who only vaguely resembles him."
"Rats."
Sammy chuckled. "Thanks Heather."
"No problem. It's weird seeing you mope."
Sammy shrugged.
"I don't get it. I've been telling people it was all my idea to get back at that jerk that drugged everyone for Amy's mom not letting us be friends any more. I wonder…" She trailed off thoughtfully.
Sammy looked at her inquiringly.
"You're annoyingly likeable so I'd say it's someone who has reason to want to knock you down a peg or two."
"That make next to no sense, Heather." Sammy pointed out.
"It does if it's personal. Your problem is none of your friends have ever been petty bitches." Heather thought for a moment and then told her. "I have some friends who are seniors. I'm going to pump them for info. If I'm right though, you aren't going to like it.'
"Who do you think the problem is?"
Heather just shook her head, thinking she would need proof if she was right. Just then, the lunch bell rang. "Gotta go. I may as well get decent grades since I'm down to a sporto and an art freak for friends." Heather told her but it was with an amused smile as though she secretly was glad.
Sammy sighed again and dumped her lunch in the trash untouched other than the bit of salad Heather had shared.
"So, today in dumb but so obvious that even Stevie Wonder could see it coming questions," Lynn turned to Sammy as they walked home together before asking. "Can I set up my tutoring with Jon at your house?" Lynn asked Sammy.
Sammy's brow furrowed. "Uh… sure but…"
"Why you ask? Because my mom is convinced Jon is a sexual deviant and I'm next on his list, that's why."
Sammy sighed. "Great. Terrific." She bobbed her head a couple times.
Lynn looked at her sideways. "So Heather is being nice to me. It's sort of creepy and weird."
Sammy shrugged. "She seems sincere. I think she liked Amy more than she'd let on to the Karens and it really hurt her when Amy's mom banned them from even talking."
Lynn nodded. "Makes sense. I'm kind of sorry I missed the party. I can't believe your uncle let Jon be in the middle of that."
Sammy gave Lynn a wry smile. "The only thing Uncle Jack reels Jon in about is me and only because Aunt Sam would kick his ass."
"Literally."
Sammy chuckled. "Yes."
"Good." Lynn said with a grin. " So do you think she's yanking our chains?"
"Honestly… no. I think she's being for real on this one. She told me today her only two friends left were a sporto and an art freak. I assume she means us." Sammy said with a small answering grin.
"Ha ha. I bet you never thought anyone popular would ever call you a sporto instead of a nerd."
"For a long time Jon used to pretend he was dumb." Sammy said with an amused smirk. "I found out he wasn't though and never let him live it down."
"Good. Tuesdays ok?"
"Yah. Tuesdays are fine. Tell your mom since she's being weird, you're just going to try to study with me and hope you understand a single thing I say."
"It's that obvious?" Lynn said of their vastly different math skills.
"Only to me." Sammy said with an amused look.
"Right." Lynn told her and stuck her tongue out. "Chat room tonight?"
"Yah. Aren't you getting ready for the art fair?"
"I," Lynn said smugly "Am nearly done."
Sammy laughed. "Let's nag Jon then."
"Isn't that basically what we do anyway?"
Sammy laughed. "See yah later."
"Yup. Back to the nightly shit show that is my home life." Lynn said with a middle finger aimed at her own house down the street.
Sammy chuckled as she walked away. Lynn's dad was pretty likeable but her older sister was turning into a mini version of her mom. And Lynn's mom was a ha'taaka wskha ahra[1]. Sammy snorted. Teal'c had spent a lot of time teaching his team Goa'uld insults with the explanation that this way they would know what they were being called but Sammy strongly suspected it was so Jack could be his utmost creative. Of course then he'd pretend he didn't understand a thing they said which defeated the purpose of the whole thing. It came in handy as a secret language for her and Jon though as she didn't know a bit of Alteran though she could now read it fairly well as the language itself was dead and the only time Jack spoke it was when he had his head sucked.
When she hit the door she smelled cookies. Chocolate chip ones at that. "I'm home!" She yelled from the mud room where she took off her coat.
"Oh good! Come set the table! Greg and his family are coming for dinner tonight." Mary yelled back from the kitchen.
Well that explained the cookies. "Ok. Let me put my backpack upstairs and I'll be right back." Sammy said as she came through the great room.
Mary smiled at her. Last week Sammy had slipped and sleepily called her 'mom' when she said goodnight. Mary's heart about burst but she resisted the urge to crush her in a hug. She may not have made this girl but she loved her as much as she did her boys. And her boys told her over the holidays that it felt like Sammy had been their little sister all along.
Mary sighed. The past few months had been rough but Sammy seemed to be weathering it well. The advantage of knowing most of this was bull crap, she supposed. Jon was coming over tonight as well. Mary wanted to make sure they were both handling this like adults and not letting it get to them. She'd heard some comments from a few of the other parents who had not realized she was Sammy's parent so she decided she needed to discuss the situation with them.
"How was school today?" Mary asked Sammy when she came back down in dressed in one of Jon's t-shirts and sweatpants.
Sammy shrugged as she started pulling the oak table apart so she could add a couple leaves. "It was school."
Mary gave her a long look. She could order the girl to spill it. Probably should before everyone gets here as she'd have to deal with how Jon is feeling about post-pissing everyone off stress at that point… but perhaps a different tactic might be more in order. "Did you talk to Heather at all recently?"
Sammy gave her a startled look.
"Her mom called me. Apparently her old friends are being fairly mean to her and she was hoping you and Lynn, and probably Lori might be nice to her for now."
Sammy gave Mary the hairy eyeball. "Seriously?"
Mary gave Sammy an amused smile. "I think she's resigned herself to her daughter not running with the in girls anymore… and might actually be secretly happy about that. She seems nice enough honestly."
"I don't know, I've never met Heather's parents but yah, she's nice enough away from the Karens."
"Well, don't be surprised if you get invited over for dinner soon."
"Oh joy." Sammy told her as she folded napkins.
Mary chuckled. "She might surprise you, Sammy. Sometimes people turn out entirely different then you think they might."
Sammy snorted in amusement. If someone had told her the sarcastic hard ass she'd met over a briefing room table would turn out to be her charming and delightfully amusing husband one day she'd have laughed then too. Mary might have a point. "We talked a little. Someone has been chumming the rumor mill and she thinks she knows who it is but wouldn't tell me."
"Stirring up general trouble or something specific?"
"Hard to tell when everyone avoids me like I have the plague."
"Ah." So that was what it was. "Friends included?"
"Not close ones."
Mary nodded. "They will forget about it when the next bit of drama occurs. High school is a lot like General Hospital. Mostly silly, hardly any truth and most of the gossip is about who is cheating on who."
Sammy smiled a little. "It's just frustrating. I wasn't popular but now I walk in a room and hear crickets."
"Ouch."
"Yah."
"Help me finish making dinner and we can binge on something trashy while we wait for everyone else to get home." Mary purposely handed her the salad bowl with the clear intent that Sammy prep said side dish.
Sammy smiles a little. It wasn't really her thing but Mary mostly made fun of how idiotic the actors were in the same way Sammy sometimes mocked bad science fiction. It was its own kind of fun.
[1] Roughly… Weak dirty bitch