ALIEN
Seating himself at an empty table, he set down his tray, and sighed. He was, as per normal, eating alone this morning, his lonely breakfast becoming part of an all too regular routine.
Jonas Quinn took a sip of his coffee, and picked up his fork, stabbing the scrambled eggs that resided on his plate.
The rest of the team were on leave at present, and he had been left behind on the base, not permitted to go out on his own.
Colonel Jack O'Neill had taken it upon himself to go fishing, having invited the Jaffa, and their blonde teammate.
They had both declined, having other plans.
He had not asked Jonas however, and even though he didn't show it, the Kelownan was slightly hurt.
Teal'c was Chulak-bound, intending to spend time with his son Rayac. He had set out for his home world as soon as the leave had been confirmed, not even speaking to Jonas before he left.
And Major Samantha Carter had arranged to visit her brother and niece. She had said she hadn't seen them in quite a while, and was due for a bit of quality family time with her sibling.
So Jonas was alone for the weekend. Well, he had already spent all of Friday and Saturday alone, just using anything he could to fill the time of day, from reading to watching television, he had done it all. He had already read every book on the base twice, so Doctor Fraiser had been kind enough to provide him with some of her own reading material. She had quite a collection.
He had appreciated the effort, but being such a fast learner, he had read the three books in little over a day, despite their size. After that, he had been bored out of his skull.
Now, for the third time in a row, he was eating breakfast solo. He watched as other personnel piled in for the morning feed, and seat theirselves in groups around the room, avoiding Jonas altogether, not even acknowledging him.
With a sigh, he let his mind drift back over the past couple of weeks. He hadn't been here long, but in the past month, he had grown accustomed to the lack of interaction people made with him. They only spoke to him when they had to, and never made any idle conversation with him. It was as thought he didn't exist.
Maybe I should just go back home, he thought glumly, remembering then that he wasn't really welcome there either. Ever since he had stolen the naquadriah from his government, he had been labelled a traitor. He couldn't go back, and he knew that very well... it just pained him to have to remind himself every now and again.
He did miss it, slightly. He missed his old friends, even though they had been few and far between. What little family he'd had had not spoken to him in a while, and ever since moving to Earth, it was as though he was pronounced officially dead, or something similar... at least to Kelowna.
Colonel O'Neill had been hard to impress, if only very slightly. Even getting himself on SG-1 had been an arduous and painstaking experience; one that Jonas had hoped would show the others that he was truly willing to prove himself time and time again to them.
But so far, they hadn't really acknowledged his efforts more than a smile and a thank you. It was tough to say the least.
Taking another sip of his coffee, he remembered just how comfortable the four travellers had looked arriving on Kelowna, and just how awkward the team looked now that Doctor Jackson was gone, and he was in his place. The team didn't seem so smooth as it had been when he had first met them. They had known what the other was thinking, what they had meant, what they were saying through body language, and just how hungry they were, for crying out loud.
And Jonas knew he couldn't compete with that. He could only tell when the Colonel was angry because his nostrils flared, and he yelled a lot. That was pretty much a giveaway. But, unlike he was sure Dr. Jackson had been able to, he couldn't tell when Sam was going to come out with something funny, or just when Teal'c was hungry, or needed kelnoreem.
Giving a resigned sigh, he pushed his breakfast tray away, his appetite having dwindled and died like a weak flame. He took to resting his chin on his hands, elbows propped on the table.
Major Carter had taken a while to even talk to Jonas in a friendly way, even though at times she still seemed distant. Jonas understood just how Sam and Daniel had felt about each other... they had been like brother and sister. And now, the brother was gone, one half of the set missing, lost to them forever.
Her distrust and hurt showed whenever she was close to Jonas. He could see it in her eyes... she just wanted him to disappear, or turn into Dr. Jackson.
Teal'c had been just as difficult. The Jaffa's tough exterior had been a task to break through even slightly, and Jonas never knew where he stood with the man. He was never sure whether Teal'c was going to laugh at one of his weak jokes, or punch him hard for it.
Just what would it take?
A miracle, his mind chattered.
A woman walked past him, giving him an alienating glance, and Jonas frowned. Everyone felt the same way. They may as well just shut him in a room with a few dozen books, and forget about him. That was how he felt at that very moment.
He knew he was probably just feeling rejected because he was still so new to the planet, but if only someone made an effort to help him feel welcome... no such luck there though.
Dr. Fraiser was really the closest thing he had to a real friend here. She spoke with him politely, asked him how he was feeling, and laughed at his silly jokes. She had given him something to fill his time, whereas no one else had even thought about it. Jonas was sure that if she had half the chance, Dr. Fraiser would have taken him somewhere for a couple of hours, just to brighten him up.
But she was hard at work as usual. Plus, she had Cassandra to worry about. Her adopted daughter had a pretty bad cold at the moment, and the Doctor rushed home to tend to her whenever she could.
Jonas respected that. She had other priorities. He wasn't going to be selfish and blame her for being on his own for the weekend.
A very long weekend it seemed. Sunday morning had taken hours to arrive, and he didn't think that he could take the boredom any longer.
In his pensive mood, he didn't notice the entrance of a tall woman, her blonde hair styled into long spikes down her head and face. She walked over to him with a smile, a slight spring in her step. She seated herself opposite him.
"Hey, Jonas, how was your weekend?"
Jonas snapped back to reality, and sat up straight, looking Samantha Carter right in the eye, letting a smile creep onto his face a little as he replied, "It was okay. A little... boring at times."
"Yeah, sorry about that," she said, feeling the need to apologise. She crossed her arms on the table, and continued, "If I hadn't arranged to see my brother and his family, I would have taken you out of the base somewhere. No doubt you're fed up with the same old scenery day in day out, huh?"
He smiled broader then. He even laughed a little, feeling his depression start to seep away at the pleasant conversation that had started. "It's no problem. Dr. Fraiser lent me some of her books to help pass the time."
"I bet they didn't keep you busy for long though, did they?" Sam joked, looking down at Jonas' half-eaten breakfast.
Jonas shook his head. "Nope. Had them finished in about a day."
"I bet you had more fun than me," said another figure as they stepped up to the tableside. He was dressed very casually, his big jacket hanging over his frame loosely.
"Colonel," Jonas acknowledged, "have any luck on your fishing trip?"
"Not in the least. No pesky fish around," Jack O'Neill said gloomily, slumping down next to Jonas. "I bet you're glad you weren't there. It rained as well... none stop. I was soaked to my skin..."
"Sir, I thought you took an umbrella," Sam wondered, looking briefly to the Kelownan opposite her.
"I did." O'Neill sighed. "It broke."
Jonas couldn't stifle the laugh that snuck up on him then, and he had to look away from the Colonel's offended look to stop himself.
"Just be glad you got to stay here for the weekend. Weather like that'll drive you up the wall," O'Neill said in conclusion, letting his head come into contact with the top of the table, avoiding the scrambled eggs that Jonas had left on the tray.
"I wonder how Teal'c did?" Sam pondered, even as the tall Jaffa strode up to them.
"My weekend was most unsuccessful, Major Carter," Teal'c told her, sitting beside her gently.
Jonas was certain for a moment that he saw a look of frustration on Teal'c's face.
"What happened?" O'Neill asked, bringing his head up to look at the Jaffa.
"Master Bra'tac's training with my son prevented me from socialising with him affectively, O'Neill. We did not have a moment's piece," Teal'c explained, looking to Jonas.
"Surely you had some time alone?" Jonas queried, leaning back in his chair.
"We did not. Master Bra'tac was most insistent with his schedule. He wished to use all the time available. It was most unfortunate that my visit coincided with his training," Teal'c concluded, clearly wishing to discuss the matter no further.
Jonas took the hint, and nodded.
Maybe he did understand the team, he realised then. He could tell Sam had had a fantastic time, just by the way her smile never faded, and the way her fingers tapped on the table energetically. O'Neill's posture illustrated his sheer disappointment at his unsuccessful fishing trip, and Teal'c looked positively deflated. He had just been missing the signs, that was all.
He did know them... granted, not as well as Dr. Jackson had, but he had plenty of time for that.
Jonas smiled, listening to Sam's account of her weekend with her family.
With a content sigh, he simply sat back with his friends, and enjoyed the company.
Seating himself at an empty table, he set down his tray, and sighed. He was, as per normal, eating alone this morning, his lonely breakfast becoming part of an all too regular routine.
Jonas Quinn took a sip of his coffee, and picked up his fork, stabbing the scrambled eggs that resided on his plate.
The rest of the team were on leave at present, and he had been left behind on the base, not permitted to go out on his own.
Colonel Jack O'Neill had taken it upon himself to go fishing, having invited the Jaffa, and their blonde teammate.
They had both declined, having other plans.
He had not asked Jonas however, and even though he didn't show it, the Kelownan was slightly hurt.
Teal'c was Chulak-bound, intending to spend time with his son Rayac. He had set out for his home world as soon as the leave had been confirmed, not even speaking to Jonas before he left.
And Major Samantha Carter had arranged to visit her brother and niece. She had said she hadn't seen them in quite a while, and was due for a bit of quality family time with her sibling.
So Jonas was alone for the weekend. Well, he had already spent all of Friday and Saturday alone, just using anything he could to fill the time of day, from reading to watching television, he had done it all. He had already read every book on the base twice, so Doctor Fraiser had been kind enough to provide him with some of her own reading material. She had quite a collection.
He had appreciated the effort, but being such a fast learner, he had read the three books in little over a day, despite their size. After that, he had been bored out of his skull.
Now, for the third time in a row, he was eating breakfast solo. He watched as other personnel piled in for the morning feed, and seat theirselves in groups around the room, avoiding Jonas altogether, not even acknowledging him.
With a sigh, he let his mind drift back over the past couple of weeks. He hadn't been here long, but in the past month, he had grown accustomed to the lack of interaction people made with him. They only spoke to him when they had to, and never made any idle conversation with him. It was as thought he didn't exist.
Maybe I should just go back home, he thought glumly, remembering then that he wasn't really welcome there either. Ever since he had stolen the naquadriah from his government, he had been labelled a traitor. He couldn't go back, and he knew that very well... it just pained him to have to remind himself every now and again.
He did miss it, slightly. He missed his old friends, even though they had been few and far between. What little family he'd had had not spoken to him in a while, and ever since moving to Earth, it was as though he was pronounced officially dead, or something similar... at least to Kelowna.
Colonel O'Neill had been hard to impress, if only very slightly. Even getting himself on SG-1 had been an arduous and painstaking experience; one that Jonas had hoped would show the others that he was truly willing to prove himself time and time again to them.
But so far, they hadn't really acknowledged his efforts more than a smile and a thank you. It was tough to say the least.
Taking another sip of his coffee, he remembered just how comfortable the four travellers had looked arriving on Kelowna, and just how awkward the team looked now that Doctor Jackson was gone, and he was in his place. The team didn't seem so smooth as it had been when he had first met them. They had known what the other was thinking, what they had meant, what they were saying through body language, and just how hungry they were, for crying out loud.
And Jonas knew he couldn't compete with that. He could only tell when the Colonel was angry because his nostrils flared, and he yelled a lot. That was pretty much a giveaway. But, unlike he was sure Dr. Jackson had been able to, he couldn't tell when Sam was going to come out with something funny, or just when Teal'c was hungry, or needed kelnoreem.
Giving a resigned sigh, he pushed his breakfast tray away, his appetite having dwindled and died like a weak flame. He took to resting his chin on his hands, elbows propped on the table.
Major Carter had taken a while to even talk to Jonas in a friendly way, even though at times she still seemed distant. Jonas understood just how Sam and Daniel had felt about each other... they had been like brother and sister. And now, the brother was gone, one half of the set missing, lost to them forever.
Her distrust and hurt showed whenever she was close to Jonas. He could see it in her eyes... she just wanted him to disappear, or turn into Dr. Jackson.
Teal'c had been just as difficult. The Jaffa's tough exterior had been a task to break through even slightly, and Jonas never knew where he stood with the man. He was never sure whether Teal'c was going to laugh at one of his weak jokes, or punch him hard for it.
Just what would it take?
A miracle, his mind chattered.
A woman walked past him, giving him an alienating glance, and Jonas frowned. Everyone felt the same way. They may as well just shut him in a room with a few dozen books, and forget about him. That was how he felt at that very moment.
He knew he was probably just feeling rejected because he was still so new to the planet, but if only someone made an effort to help him feel welcome... no such luck there though.
Dr. Fraiser was really the closest thing he had to a real friend here. She spoke with him politely, asked him how he was feeling, and laughed at his silly jokes. She had given him something to fill his time, whereas no one else had even thought about it. Jonas was sure that if she had half the chance, Dr. Fraiser would have taken him somewhere for a couple of hours, just to brighten him up.
But she was hard at work as usual. Plus, she had Cassandra to worry about. Her adopted daughter had a pretty bad cold at the moment, and the Doctor rushed home to tend to her whenever she could.
Jonas respected that. She had other priorities. He wasn't going to be selfish and blame her for being on his own for the weekend.
A very long weekend it seemed. Sunday morning had taken hours to arrive, and he didn't think that he could take the boredom any longer.
In his pensive mood, he didn't notice the entrance of a tall woman, her blonde hair styled into long spikes down her head and face. She walked over to him with a smile, a slight spring in her step. She seated herself opposite him.
"Hey, Jonas, how was your weekend?"
Jonas snapped back to reality, and sat up straight, looking Samantha Carter right in the eye, letting a smile creep onto his face a little as he replied, "It was okay. A little... boring at times."
"Yeah, sorry about that," she said, feeling the need to apologise. She crossed her arms on the table, and continued, "If I hadn't arranged to see my brother and his family, I would have taken you out of the base somewhere. No doubt you're fed up with the same old scenery day in day out, huh?"
He smiled broader then. He even laughed a little, feeling his depression start to seep away at the pleasant conversation that had started. "It's no problem. Dr. Fraiser lent me some of her books to help pass the time."
"I bet they didn't keep you busy for long though, did they?" Sam joked, looking down at Jonas' half-eaten breakfast.
Jonas shook his head. "Nope. Had them finished in about a day."
"I bet you had more fun than me," said another figure as they stepped up to the tableside. He was dressed very casually, his big jacket hanging over his frame loosely.
"Colonel," Jonas acknowledged, "have any luck on your fishing trip?"
"Not in the least. No pesky fish around," Jack O'Neill said gloomily, slumping down next to Jonas. "I bet you're glad you weren't there. It rained as well... none stop. I was soaked to my skin..."
"Sir, I thought you took an umbrella," Sam wondered, looking briefly to the Kelownan opposite her.
"I did." O'Neill sighed. "It broke."
Jonas couldn't stifle the laugh that snuck up on him then, and he had to look away from the Colonel's offended look to stop himself.
"Just be glad you got to stay here for the weekend. Weather like that'll drive you up the wall," O'Neill said in conclusion, letting his head come into contact with the top of the table, avoiding the scrambled eggs that Jonas had left on the tray.
"I wonder how Teal'c did?" Sam pondered, even as the tall Jaffa strode up to them.
"My weekend was most unsuccessful, Major Carter," Teal'c told her, sitting beside her gently.
Jonas was certain for a moment that he saw a look of frustration on Teal'c's face.
"What happened?" O'Neill asked, bringing his head up to look at the Jaffa.
"Master Bra'tac's training with my son prevented me from socialising with him affectively, O'Neill. We did not have a moment's piece," Teal'c explained, looking to Jonas.
"Surely you had some time alone?" Jonas queried, leaning back in his chair.
"We did not. Master Bra'tac was most insistent with his schedule. He wished to use all the time available. It was most unfortunate that my visit coincided with his training," Teal'c concluded, clearly wishing to discuss the matter no further.
Jonas took the hint, and nodded.
Maybe he did understand the team, he realised then. He could tell Sam had had a fantastic time, just by the way her smile never faded, and the way her fingers tapped on the table energetically. O'Neill's posture illustrated his sheer disappointment at his unsuccessful fishing trip, and Teal'c looked positively deflated. He had just been missing the signs, that was all.
He did know them... granted, not as well as Dr. Jackson had, but he had plenty of time for that.
Jonas smiled, listening to Sam's account of her weekend with her family.
With a content sigh, he simply sat back with his friends, and enjoyed the company.