HEART TO HEART
He watched curiously as the older man threw the air-filled orange ball up into the air, and through the chain hoop with great ease, hearing it bounce on the tarmac afterwards, before his friend -smiling smugly- walked over on sneakered feet to retrieve it.
"So, you think you wanna take a shot?" came the cheeky voice of Colonel Jack O'Neill as he paced over, bouncing the ball as he walked. He caught it without even watching, tossing it up into the air, and letting it land on a single palm, before he threw it towards his companion.
Jonas Quinn caught the ball, a little taken aback, and regarded the Colonel testily. "You call this a basketball?"
"Yes we do, Jonas," O'Neill replied simply, hands akimbo, squinting in the Colorado sunlight, his baggy T-shirt blowing in the afternoon breeze, his light camo pants reflecting the heat. Sunglasses hung around his neck unused on a thick cord. They had been resting on the greying head, but after the glasses had fallen off about three times, the older man had resorted to letting them dangle on their cord.
Jonas bounced the ball once, feeling the weight of the ball as it came back into his hands. He regarded it inquisitively, and glanced back at the Colonel. Jonas' own sunglasses rested on top of his head amidst the brown spikes. Wearing a loose white vest, Jonas could feel the breeze as it blew around him coolly. His black slacks hung on the tongues of his black sneakers, and Jonas felt a little odd in the -to him- alien clothing, but he was quickly growing accustomed to it... even a little attached.
"We call it basketball because we like to throw it through the basket," O'Neill told him a little impatiently, looking at him with brown eyes eager to watch the Kelownan's attempt at the game.
Throwing the ball, Jonas saw it bounce off the rim of the hoop, and come back down to the tarmac.
"Not bad," O'Neill said to him lightly, "not bad. But you need to know how to throw it properly."
"I thought fishing was your sport, Colonel," Jonas ventured, looking over his shoulder at the sound of playful children running past the caged- in court.
O'Neill laughed, and turned back to Jonas, ball in hands. "No, no," he began, "fishing isn't a sport."
Jonas waited for the continuation he knew was coming.
O'Neill didn't disappoint. "It's an art."
Jonas laughed, having heard all about the activity, and learning that basically it entailed of sitting by a lake, or pond, with a string and a hook, waiting for some quick little fish to bite. And afterwards, people rarely kept the fish... they threw them back! This point was lost on Jonas. There had been such a thing back on his home planet, but they had kept the catch, and not resorted to using it only as a relaxing activity.
"I'm serious," O'Neill insisted, bouncing the ball on the ground twice, "you have to have a technique."
"I believe you, Colonel," Jonas laughed, catching the ball as it was launched his way hard. It just caused him to laugh harder. With a shake of his head, and taking a moment to concentrate, Jonas threw the ball towards the hoop, watching satisfactorily as it swooped down through the net silently.
Colonel O'Neill's head snapped back in Jonas' direction, and he raised an eyebrow. "I hate it when you do that."
"Do what?"
"Getting something right first time."
"It was the second time."
"Same thing."
Jonas laughed quietly, removing his sunglasses from off his head, and looking through them, simply handling them as he watched Colonel O'Neill sigh and retrieve the ball once again.
"So," O'Neill began thoughtfully, "think you have a chance at beating me?"
Jonas furrowed his brow. "Honestly? No."
"Just give it a shot," O'Neill offered, tossing the ball over his head, grinning as it fell through the net.
Jonas cocked his head. "Now you're just showing off."
"That I am, Jonas," O'Neill agreed, "that I am."
* * *
After near on an hour of rigorous basketball playing, Jack was simply exhausted, and he slumped down onto the courtside bench with a deep breath out. He planted his sunglasses on his face, and let his head rest back on the cage behind him.
Jonas walked over, staring at the basketball he held in his hands, breathing raggedly from all the physical activity they had just partaken in. After a couple of moments, Jonas sat down.
"Good game," Jack told his companion, his eyes closing against the bright sunlight of the late afternoon that filtered through the dark sunglasses.
Jonas glanced over at him, laying the ball on his lap, and placing his arms over it so that it didn't roll away. "Thanks. I still didn't win though."
"Hey," Jack began happily, his voice soft and relaxed, "fourty-five points to twenty isn't bad for a first game."
Jonas laughed.
"Even Teal'c wasn't that good. Nearly broke the backboard on one shot," Jack reminisced with a smile, crossing his arms as the two simply sat in the sun, enjoying the aftermath of a fun game between friends.
"I wanna thank you," he heard Jonas say.
At this point, Jack turned his head, and removed the sunglasses, letting them fall to rest on his chest, dangling from their cord. "What for? The basketball?"
Jonas smiled. "No." He shook his head, continuing, "Well, not just the basketball. Everything."
Jack furrowed his brow, and tilted his greying head to one side. "Whadda you mean?"
Jonas didn't look the Colonel in the eye as he explained, his words full of sincerity and meaning, "When I first arrived, you weren't willing to trust me, and I can understand that. I really can. I mean... after all that happened back on my world, why should you have trusted me?" He smiled. "But you gave me a chance. You let me on you team... let me into your little family, with Major Carter and Teal'c, and you made me feel at home. You included me in socialising events, and started speaking to me as a friend."
"You are a friend, Jonas," Jack insisted gently. "Even though I seemed hostile at first, I was just a little lost."
"I understand that, sir. You'd just lost one of your best friends, and you didn't know what to do with all that was going on, my arrival on your world included." He paused for a moment, watching the tree on the other side of the court as the gentle wind played through the branches, causing the green leaves to ruffle quietly. "And you don't treat me like an alien."
Jack smiled. "Why would I treat you like an alien, Jonas? You sure as hell don't look like one."
"But let's face it... I'm not exactly human."
"And neither is Teal'c, but I trust the big guy with my life," Jack told the younger man, locking gazes with him.
"Yes you do," Jonas agreed, looking down momentarily at the basketball. "And I'm happy you gave me as much of a chance as you gave Teal'c. I feel more at home here than I ever did back on Kelowna."
Jack nodded, sighing in relaxation, settling back on the bench, before he said, "You've proved to us that you're perfectly capable of the responsibilities you were so vocal in taking on in the beginning," Jack said compassionately, "and I can't imagine anyone else having filled that hole that was left after Daniel died."
Jonas' smile faded slightly, before Jack's hand landed softly on the alien's shoulder as he said, "I'm glad you were around to join SG-1, Jonas. I really am."
Jonas' smile reappeared, and he looked appreciatively to the Colonel.
"Thank you, sir."
Jack let his smile grow at the display of affection he had even shocked himself with.
"Call me Jack."
He watched curiously as the older man threw the air-filled orange ball up into the air, and through the chain hoop with great ease, hearing it bounce on the tarmac afterwards, before his friend -smiling smugly- walked over on sneakered feet to retrieve it.
"So, you think you wanna take a shot?" came the cheeky voice of Colonel Jack O'Neill as he paced over, bouncing the ball as he walked. He caught it without even watching, tossing it up into the air, and letting it land on a single palm, before he threw it towards his companion.
Jonas Quinn caught the ball, a little taken aback, and regarded the Colonel testily. "You call this a basketball?"
"Yes we do, Jonas," O'Neill replied simply, hands akimbo, squinting in the Colorado sunlight, his baggy T-shirt blowing in the afternoon breeze, his light camo pants reflecting the heat. Sunglasses hung around his neck unused on a thick cord. They had been resting on the greying head, but after the glasses had fallen off about three times, the older man had resorted to letting them dangle on their cord.
Jonas bounced the ball once, feeling the weight of the ball as it came back into his hands. He regarded it inquisitively, and glanced back at the Colonel. Jonas' own sunglasses rested on top of his head amidst the brown spikes. Wearing a loose white vest, Jonas could feel the breeze as it blew around him coolly. His black slacks hung on the tongues of his black sneakers, and Jonas felt a little odd in the -to him- alien clothing, but he was quickly growing accustomed to it... even a little attached.
"We call it basketball because we like to throw it through the basket," O'Neill told him a little impatiently, looking at him with brown eyes eager to watch the Kelownan's attempt at the game.
Throwing the ball, Jonas saw it bounce off the rim of the hoop, and come back down to the tarmac.
"Not bad," O'Neill said to him lightly, "not bad. But you need to know how to throw it properly."
"I thought fishing was your sport, Colonel," Jonas ventured, looking over his shoulder at the sound of playful children running past the caged- in court.
O'Neill laughed, and turned back to Jonas, ball in hands. "No, no," he began, "fishing isn't a sport."
Jonas waited for the continuation he knew was coming.
O'Neill didn't disappoint. "It's an art."
Jonas laughed, having heard all about the activity, and learning that basically it entailed of sitting by a lake, or pond, with a string and a hook, waiting for some quick little fish to bite. And afterwards, people rarely kept the fish... they threw them back! This point was lost on Jonas. There had been such a thing back on his home planet, but they had kept the catch, and not resorted to using it only as a relaxing activity.
"I'm serious," O'Neill insisted, bouncing the ball on the ground twice, "you have to have a technique."
"I believe you, Colonel," Jonas laughed, catching the ball as it was launched his way hard. It just caused him to laugh harder. With a shake of his head, and taking a moment to concentrate, Jonas threw the ball towards the hoop, watching satisfactorily as it swooped down through the net silently.
Colonel O'Neill's head snapped back in Jonas' direction, and he raised an eyebrow. "I hate it when you do that."
"Do what?"
"Getting something right first time."
"It was the second time."
"Same thing."
Jonas laughed quietly, removing his sunglasses from off his head, and looking through them, simply handling them as he watched Colonel O'Neill sigh and retrieve the ball once again.
"So," O'Neill began thoughtfully, "think you have a chance at beating me?"
Jonas furrowed his brow. "Honestly? No."
"Just give it a shot," O'Neill offered, tossing the ball over his head, grinning as it fell through the net.
Jonas cocked his head. "Now you're just showing off."
"That I am, Jonas," O'Neill agreed, "that I am."
* * *
After near on an hour of rigorous basketball playing, Jack was simply exhausted, and he slumped down onto the courtside bench with a deep breath out. He planted his sunglasses on his face, and let his head rest back on the cage behind him.
Jonas walked over, staring at the basketball he held in his hands, breathing raggedly from all the physical activity they had just partaken in. After a couple of moments, Jonas sat down.
"Good game," Jack told his companion, his eyes closing against the bright sunlight of the late afternoon that filtered through the dark sunglasses.
Jonas glanced over at him, laying the ball on his lap, and placing his arms over it so that it didn't roll away. "Thanks. I still didn't win though."
"Hey," Jack began happily, his voice soft and relaxed, "fourty-five points to twenty isn't bad for a first game."
Jonas laughed.
"Even Teal'c wasn't that good. Nearly broke the backboard on one shot," Jack reminisced with a smile, crossing his arms as the two simply sat in the sun, enjoying the aftermath of a fun game between friends.
"I wanna thank you," he heard Jonas say.
At this point, Jack turned his head, and removed the sunglasses, letting them fall to rest on his chest, dangling from their cord. "What for? The basketball?"
Jonas smiled. "No." He shook his head, continuing, "Well, not just the basketball. Everything."
Jack furrowed his brow, and tilted his greying head to one side. "Whadda you mean?"
Jonas didn't look the Colonel in the eye as he explained, his words full of sincerity and meaning, "When I first arrived, you weren't willing to trust me, and I can understand that. I really can. I mean... after all that happened back on my world, why should you have trusted me?" He smiled. "But you gave me a chance. You let me on you team... let me into your little family, with Major Carter and Teal'c, and you made me feel at home. You included me in socialising events, and started speaking to me as a friend."
"You are a friend, Jonas," Jack insisted gently. "Even though I seemed hostile at first, I was just a little lost."
"I understand that, sir. You'd just lost one of your best friends, and you didn't know what to do with all that was going on, my arrival on your world included." He paused for a moment, watching the tree on the other side of the court as the gentle wind played through the branches, causing the green leaves to ruffle quietly. "And you don't treat me like an alien."
Jack smiled. "Why would I treat you like an alien, Jonas? You sure as hell don't look like one."
"But let's face it... I'm not exactly human."
"And neither is Teal'c, but I trust the big guy with my life," Jack told the younger man, locking gazes with him.
"Yes you do," Jonas agreed, looking down momentarily at the basketball. "And I'm happy you gave me as much of a chance as you gave Teal'c. I feel more at home here than I ever did back on Kelowna."
Jack nodded, sighing in relaxation, settling back on the bench, before he said, "You've proved to us that you're perfectly capable of the responsibilities you were so vocal in taking on in the beginning," Jack said compassionately, "and I can't imagine anyone else having filled that hole that was left after Daniel died."
Jonas' smile faded slightly, before Jack's hand landed softly on the alien's shoulder as he said, "I'm glad you were around to join SG-1, Jonas. I really am."
Jonas' smile reappeared, and he looked appreciatively to the Colonel.
"Thank you, sir."
Jack let his smile grow at the display of affection he had even shocked himself with.
"Call me Jack."