What If's, Maybe So's, and Could've Been's
The following story is under the sole ownership and copyright of J.L. Scott. Unauthorized copying and/or use is actionable in a court of law.
To borrow a phrase: SG-1 and Star Gate no mine, no permission, no money, no sue...please?
Cass threw her napkin at her father from across the table. They were all laughing about a joke he had made at her expense.
"Are we going jogging or not?" Sam asked through her laughs.
"Yes!" Jack and Cass answered together.
"Then let's go!" They had always worked out together before, but they found it much more enjoyable now. They could go jogging without body guards, and they could go whenever they wanted. Jack and Cass's workouts were more strenuous then Sam's, but she did her yoga while they lifted. Niether parent did martial arts, so they would do more traditional excercises while Cass practiced that. They loved having the freedom of doing it all outside.
So they locked the doors and set off. Cass took the lead on the sidewalk. They were breathing too hard to really talk, but it didn't matter.
They'd reached the end of the road before any of them noticed anything strange. Cass noticed it first. She wasn't sure what it was, but things just didn't feel right. She was reminded of the feeling she'd had a week ago, that second day of school. She stuffed the feeling in the back of her head and kept jogging.
They headed for the park. The morning was a little cool, but the park was full. They smiled at other joggers as they passed on the path. That's when Jack began to notice what seemed to be people following them. At first, he dismissed them as bodyguards, but then he remembered they didn't have any security anymore. Again, he felt his entire body tense up, like it was used to being on the defense. The people his senses were picking up were dressed as normal people. But they were half hidden behind trees, and they seemed to avert their gaze whenever he looked their direction. One man, in particular, drew his attention. He was tall and broad and stuck out as one of the only blacks in the park. He wore a knit cap low on his forehead. They were just starting to pass him and Jack stopped. He felt the oddest sense of familiarity.
"Good morning" the man said. His voice.......was different. Jack couldn't place it.
"Hi" he replied. Sam and Cass realized they'd left him behind and came back for him. The man said nothing as the family jogged away.
"Did either of you recognize that guy?" Jack asked when they'd stopped to stretch.
"Now that you mention it, he did seem somewhat familiar" Cass answered.
"I thought so too. Like I knew his face, but I don't why" Sam added.
"Maybe I should call for some security" Jack suggested. Cass groaned.
"Awe, come on Dad!"
"Why don't we just wait, and see what happens, okay, honey?" Sam pleaded. Jack hesitated, but nodded. No sense in jumping to conclusions.
"All right. What are you working on today? You need a spot?" he asked his daughter.
"I don't think so, Dad" she answered, glancing over her shoulder, "I thought I'd just work on some simple flips" Jack kept an eye on her as she started doing back flips. Then handsprings. Then both. Pretty soon, both he and his wife had stopped their own excercises. A crowd was gathering around Cass. She sprung from the ground, did a double twist in the air, and landed perfectly. With no running start. She did it over and over again, with increasing complexity and higher altitude. All with simply jumping off the ground. It seemed to both parents that such a feat should be physically impossible. Especially to Sam, the scientist.
"How is she doing that?" a woman from the crowd asked.
"She shouldn't be able to" Sam whispered to Jack. It was almost as if she was suspending herself in midair, somehow. The crowd clapped everytime she landed. And then the man showed up. At the back of the crowd.
"Sam" Jack nodded at him.
"Cass!" Sam shouted, "Time to go home!" Cassi landed and took stock of the crowd. She shook herself and smiled at the crowd. She waved as they walked away. They didn't speak, just walked quickly.
"That guy is following us" Cass announced very quietly. Jack threw a casual glance over his shoulder.
"I don't see him" he whispered.
"He's there"
"How do you know?" Sam asked.
"I just........do" Cass answered, a shadow of fright in her voice. Something told her parents to trust her, as they always had of course, so they picked up the pace.
They locked all the doors when they got home. Each of them had the notion to go do something and ignore what had happened. But they stood huddled in the kitchen.
"Well" Jack started.
"How were you doing that?" "It was amazing!" "I have no idea how I did that!" They had all spoken at once and now fell silent again.
"It shouldn't have been physically possible" Sam commented.
"It was almost as if I wasn't doing it physically" Cass told them, "Like....I was on a wire or something"
"And what about that guy? I had the oddest feeling about him" Jack added. They all looked at each other for a moment more.
"Well, I'm going to take a shower" Cass announced.
"I've got to finnish this thing for the Jackson's tomorrow. You both remember we're going, right?"
"Yes, Sam, dear" Jack answered with a roleof his eyes and followed Cass upstairs.
The following story is under the sole ownership and copyright of J.L. Scott. Unauthorized copying and/or use is actionable in a court of law.
To borrow a phrase: SG-1 and Star Gate no mine, no permission, no money, no sue...please?
Cass threw her napkin at her father from across the table. They were all laughing about a joke he had made at her expense.
"Are we going jogging or not?" Sam asked through her laughs.
"Yes!" Jack and Cass answered together.
"Then let's go!" They had always worked out together before, but they found it much more enjoyable now. They could go jogging without body guards, and they could go whenever they wanted. Jack and Cass's workouts were more strenuous then Sam's, but she did her yoga while they lifted. Niether parent did martial arts, so they would do more traditional excercises while Cass practiced that. They loved having the freedom of doing it all outside.
So they locked the doors and set off. Cass took the lead on the sidewalk. They were breathing too hard to really talk, but it didn't matter.
They'd reached the end of the road before any of them noticed anything strange. Cass noticed it first. She wasn't sure what it was, but things just didn't feel right. She was reminded of the feeling she'd had a week ago, that second day of school. She stuffed the feeling in the back of her head and kept jogging.
They headed for the park. The morning was a little cool, but the park was full. They smiled at other joggers as they passed on the path. That's when Jack began to notice what seemed to be people following them. At first, he dismissed them as bodyguards, but then he remembered they didn't have any security anymore. Again, he felt his entire body tense up, like it was used to being on the defense. The people his senses were picking up were dressed as normal people. But they were half hidden behind trees, and they seemed to avert their gaze whenever he looked their direction. One man, in particular, drew his attention. He was tall and broad and stuck out as one of the only blacks in the park. He wore a knit cap low on his forehead. They were just starting to pass him and Jack stopped. He felt the oddest sense of familiarity.
"Good morning" the man said. His voice.......was different. Jack couldn't place it.
"Hi" he replied. Sam and Cass realized they'd left him behind and came back for him. The man said nothing as the family jogged away.
"Did either of you recognize that guy?" Jack asked when they'd stopped to stretch.
"Now that you mention it, he did seem somewhat familiar" Cass answered.
"I thought so too. Like I knew his face, but I don't why" Sam added.
"Maybe I should call for some security" Jack suggested. Cass groaned.
"Awe, come on Dad!"
"Why don't we just wait, and see what happens, okay, honey?" Sam pleaded. Jack hesitated, but nodded. No sense in jumping to conclusions.
"All right. What are you working on today? You need a spot?" he asked his daughter.
"I don't think so, Dad" she answered, glancing over her shoulder, "I thought I'd just work on some simple flips" Jack kept an eye on her as she started doing back flips. Then handsprings. Then both. Pretty soon, both he and his wife had stopped their own excercises. A crowd was gathering around Cass. She sprung from the ground, did a double twist in the air, and landed perfectly. With no running start. She did it over and over again, with increasing complexity and higher altitude. All with simply jumping off the ground. It seemed to both parents that such a feat should be physically impossible. Especially to Sam, the scientist.
"How is she doing that?" a woman from the crowd asked.
"She shouldn't be able to" Sam whispered to Jack. It was almost as if she was suspending herself in midair, somehow. The crowd clapped everytime she landed. And then the man showed up. At the back of the crowd.
"Sam" Jack nodded at him.
"Cass!" Sam shouted, "Time to go home!" Cassi landed and took stock of the crowd. She shook herself and smiled at the crowd. She waved as they walked away. They didn't speak, just walked quickly.
"That guy is following us" Cass announced very quietly. Jack threw a casual glance over his shoulder.
"I don't see him" he whispered.
"He's there"
"How do you know?" Sam asked.
"I just........do" Cass answered, a shadow of fright in her voice. Something told her parents to trust her, as they always had of course, so they picked up the pace.
They locked all the doors when they got home. Each of them had the notion to go do something and ignore what had happened. But they stood huddled in the kitchen.
"Well" Jack started.
"How were you doing that?" "It was amazing!" "I have no idea how I did that!" They had all spoken at once and now fell silent again.
"It shouldn't have been physically possible" Sam commented.
"It was almost as if I wasn't doing it physically" Cass told them, "Like....I was on a wire or something"
"And what about that guy? I had the oddest feeling about him" Jack added. They all looked at each other for a moment more.
"Well, I'm going to take a shower" Cass announced.
"I've got to finnish this thing for the Jackson's tomorrow. You both remember we're going, right?"
"Yes, Sam, dear" Jack answered with a roleof his eyes and followed Cass upstairs.