Consequences
Pt 5
It was still early in the afternoon and Khalil decided since it was 'Friday' and that held some significance to these people, he'd invite them over that very night. He really didn't expect them to agree as readily as they did and realized, somewhat belatedly that he never did let on that he wasn't O'Neill. Apparently they didn't notice.
Teal'c of course was ready for some off-base action after being cooped up all week except for their off world time and Daniel, while preoccupied with his current translation project, agreed to come as long as he could bring his laptop along. The young man was still coming to grips with his friend not being dead and didn't seem to mind putting some things on hold to spend time with him.
Daniel did ask about Khalil and wondered whether he was invited too. The symbiote grinned through his host. Daniel didn't know whom he was talking to. "Nah, all our 'human socialization' stuff is boring to him, he'll probably sleep through the whole thing."
He gave Daniel a friendly pat on the shoulder before he left. "Dinner's at seven, don't be late."
Next on the list was Carter. Khalil had some trepidation here, if anyone would know who was in control, it would be her. He decided to make it a phone invite.
Interesting thing this telephone, he had no trouble pulling Carter's extension from O'Neill's mind and dialed it up.
"Carter."
He balked at the harsh sound of her voice; he had apparently interrupted something. "Hey, it's, um, me."
"Sir? What can I do for you?"
He could hear keys continuing to tap in the background and realized where her attention was focused; it was not on him, just as well. "I've been back a week now and since it *is* Friday, I thought a 'team night' was in order. Will you come?"
The tapping noise ceased. There was a pause, much longer than he felt was necessary. "Do you think that's wise? I mean shouldn't you be staying on the base for now?"
He knew she was talking about him, the symbiote. Time for a little of the famous O'Neill ranting. "Carter, I think I can get to my own house, snake or no snake!" He couldn't believe he just called himself a snake! "Selmac isn't forced to stay on the base when he's here." He winced into the phone, that wasn't at all what he meant to say. "I mean your Dad, Jacob, is allowed to leave the base. Maybe Khalil would enjoy seeing a little of Earth, I might even go to a... a..." He quickly scanned O'Neill's mind. "A hockey game."
"It's summer."
She lost him. He chose the most non-committal answer he could. "Um."
"Where are you going to find a hockey game in the summer? The Rockies might have a game this weekend if you feel like traveling."
Still lost. Crap. Where was that information when you needed it? He settled for the next thing he found. "Fishing?"
The tapping resumed on the line. "Maybe you should stick with sports."
"Fishing is a sport." At least he knew that.
There was a heavy sigh on the line. "Okay then, a sport where people actually move."
A change of tactics was in order. "If you were going to show him around where would you go?"
The tapping stopped again. "Well, someplace where there aren't a lot of people. Maybe Peterson Base, show him some of our aircraft, or go for a drive up in the mountains, watch a sunset from up there."
He lost it. "Is that an invitation, Major?"
A sudden intake of breath on the other end of the line alerted him that he was blowing his cover. He went for a quick save. "I mean, if you wouldn't mind me tagging along, it's not like he can go anywhere without me."
She didn't answer right away; he knew she was still evaluating which one of them she was talking to. Her voice started back with some hesitation. "I suppose, maybe. I actually had plans."
He decided he'd pushed it too far. "What about tonight?"
"Huh?"
"Team night. Tonight. Remember that's why I called?"
"Oh." He could feel her wincing through the phone. "I, um, have a date."
Tony. Khalil didn't even like the man's name. Whether it was influence from O'Neill or not, he didn't care. Something inside him was irked she'd spend time with someone else when she should be with O'Neill. He hadn't missed a single little glance she gave him the whole week, if O'Neill thought she didn't care he must be completely blind. He had an idea. "Bring him along."
"I couldn't. He doesn't have clearance."
"To come to my house?" Khalil was confused.
"You know what I mean. Teal'c will be there, right?"
"Oh. Good point."
There was a long pause, and then she spoke very quietly. "We could stop by for a minute, maybe, and Teal'c could wear a hat."
She was offering a compromise! He *knew* she'd want to see O'Neill. "We've done that before, called him Murray."
"I remember."
"Good, you'll come then." He tried to not sound too excited. "Seven. Bring Tony- and beer." He hung up the phone wondering where it was that last thought came from.
Then it struck him. He was on a planet he did not know and had just invited four people to dinner at a house that was not his, and one of them was 'the boyfriend.' O'Neill might not be pleased. Still it could be interesting to meet this 'Tony.'
It might be more interesting to deal with Tony himself.
Khalil folded his arms across his chest and leaned back in the chair. He could do it, possibly. He'd have to keep O'Neill asleep, no problem there, but without O'Neill he was going to need major help to just get to the house, let alone prepare a meal.
He glanced at his watch, 5:15 PM, not a lot of time. Another number came to mind and he dialed it quickly. "Teal'c? You want to get an early start? I'll let you drive."
Khalil had to field several questions from the Jaffa and nearly panicked when Teal'c asked if they would be stopping off to do some 'shopping' on the way.
He hadn't thought that maybe O'Neill wouldn't have adequate supplies at his home and then there was still the problem of what to prepare. Luckily Teal'c was in an unusually chatty mood and waylaid most of his fears. The shopping he had in mind was only to stop by the video store and pick up a copy of the most recent installment of Star Wars, which was something he said he could do while O'Neill waited in the truck.
Teal'c acquired the entertainment for the evening, which turned out to be two episodes of what he referred to as a realistic saga of the relationship between master and apprentice. There was also a box covered with oddly drawn humanoid beings with bright yellow skin. The Jaffa seemed quite pleased to present it to his leader and Khalil tried his best to be honored with the gift.
Upon leaving the establishment Teal'c inquired about the plans for their meal. Khalil sidestepped the issue. "Oh, I hadn't really decided, any ideas?"
Teal'c thought for several seconds while they were stopped at a red light. "I believe I would prefer
Thai this evening."
Khalil frowned; this was entirely too much trivial information to be dragging out of O'Neill's brain while trying to keep him asleep.
"Are you unhappy with this choice, O'Neill?"
"No, no. Um, you think Carter and Jackson would agree?" He was trying to access how to procure something called 'Thai.'
"I do not. The last time Major Carter imbibed of 'Hot and Spicy Chicken' she was very ill tempered the following day. Do you not recall she said it would be a 'cold day in hell' before she subjected herself to an intestinal purging of that magnitude again?"
"What do you think she'd like?"
"She has often voiced her affinity for Italian."
Crap. Something else to figure out. "Ah, where did we get that last time?" He was pushing his luck but Teal'c was too busy pressing buttons on a device and finding a 'station' he liked to notice the Colonel's discomfort.
"I do not recall the name, however do you not have a copy of a menu filed with the others?"
"Oh, yeah, sure I do." He turned his head toward the window and rolled his eyes. If things got any more complicated he might have to wake O'Neill and *that* would not be pleasant. He had literally absconded with the man's body for the evening.
They were at O'Neill's home by 6:00 and when Teal'c tossed the keys to him Khalil had to rely on pure luck to choose the right key. His second guess worked.
Upon entering the abode he fumbled for a light switch and made an excuse to go to the rear of the house. "Would you mind getting out those 'menus' and having a look at them?"
Khalil took several minutes to familiarize himself with his surroundings. He'd actually been there once this week when O'Neill stole away from the base to 'run errands.' Hammond hadn't really given permission and the visit was very short with O'Neill getting back to the base before anyone other than the checkpoint guards knew he was gone. He called it a 'Mini-Op.'
When he returned to the den Teal'c had the menus laid out by the telephone and was busily flipping through multiple video images on the viewscreen in the room.
Thankfully the menus had several items circled with thin black lines, presumably a past choice. One on the Thai menu was scribbled through until it was unreadable and marked 'No!'
"You think it's too soon to place our request?"
Teal'c glanced at the large clock on the mantle. "Perhaps, both Daniel Jackson and Major Carter tend to arrive after the designated hour."
"Ah. Wait a half hour then?"
"Or more."
Khalil puttered around the kitchen for the entire waiting period presumably to set out eating implements but in reality trying to learn his way around as quickly as he could. He stepped out onto the wooden deck area to relax for just a few minutes before delving back into his assumed role.
When he spotted the ladder up the side of the building he was intrigued. O'Neill spent a great deal of time there and found a certain reassurance in watching the stars. It was tempting to ascend the ladder and see it for himself but he wasn't sure how soon the others would arrive. Somehow he made it through the food ordering process helped by very young female voices on the other end of the line who were undoubtedly familiar with callers who really didn't know what they wanted.
The only choice he knew for certain was the one for Teal'c as he'd made a specific request. He chose something made from chicken on the Thai menu for Daniel and ordered something circled on the Italian menu called 'Eggplant Parmesan' for the rest of them. The young woman asked how many people would be eating and suggested salads, light beer and garlic breadsticks on the side as a 'must' to go with the meal.
Daniel arrived before the food and settled himself on the couch with his laptop open on the coffee table where he could work and still be a part of the group.
Within minutes both of the delivery men showed up and though Khalil fumbled with the currency he did manage to pay what was owed plus a generous amount to be shared with the 'bright young ladies' who'd helped him on the phone.
He ignored the odd looks as the men left and hoped Daniel and Teal'c were too engrossed in what they were doing to notice.
The other men dug into their meals greedily but Khalil only picked at the tomato drenched vegetable on his plate and after one sip of the 'light beer' he set it aside and ignored it as undrinkable. He sat back and tried to watch the images of spaceships and odd creatures in the film but couldn't quite keep his interest trained there. After a few minutes he caught Daniel watching him.
"Jack, something's wrong isn't it?"
Crap, the quiet ones always seem to be the most dangerous. "I'm fine."
"You haven't been yourself all night. Is it- um." He made a circling gesture around his own head to indicate something inside there was the problem.
"No, he's asleep, passed out a while ago. Everything's fine"
"You're sure? You're usually on your third beer by now."
"Uh. Not my brand."
"I thought you liked anything that wasn't European."
Khalil just shrugged and tried to find something interesting on the plate of food. Daniel wasn't letting him off so easy. "Was Sam coming?"
Khalil kept his head down. "Uh, huh."
"Pretty late, maybe she lost track of time at work."
For no good reason whatsoever he volunteered more information. "She's not at work. She had a 'date.' Said they'd stop by."
Daniel's fork clattered on his plate. "She's coming here with the mystery man?"
Khalil refused to look up; he knew both of his companions were staring at him. "His name is Tony."
Teal'c cleared his throat, "Has not Major Carter endeavored to maintain a distance between ourselves and this person?"
Before Khalil could formulate an answer the doorbell rang. He glanced at Teal'c and quickly went to the door.
Carter looked beautiful dressed in a casual blue sweater and form-fitting black slacks. Khalil almost failed to notice the tall slender man at her side but as she entered the man was right on her heels. She dutifully introduced everyone and shot Teal'c a silent 'thank you' that he'd so quickly put on his cowboy hat and shifted gears to become 'Murray.'
Carter's nose led her to the kitchen and she grinned at the spread on the table. It was nice he'd attempted to have something she liked. She figured O'Neill must have already eaten his meal, as the only choice of a main course was Eggplant. Something she adored but O'Neill hated with a passion.
Daniel cleared his things out of the way so Sam and Tony could sit side by side on the couch and eat while watching the movie. At first conversation was at a minimum but that soon changed when Tony made a comment about the feasibility of a weapon anything remotely like a 'light saber.' He thought the idea was ridiculous.
Teal'c ventured the first response. "Perhaps technology will advance to the point this device is possible in the future."
"Nah. They're working on the premise of lasers, thing is, when you start light going in one direction doesn't it keep going forever? How do they get the blade part to stop at four feet? Anyway, a portable weapon made of energy would never have the power of a simple grenade or an armor tipped bullet. I'll keep my .45, thank you."
Daniel's mouth fell open. There were more than a few times he could think of where taking a bullet would have been preferable to a staff blast, not to mention the second hit of a Zat. He glanced at O'Neill and caught the thoughtful expression on his friend's face.
Khalil couldn't resist commenting. "You know, energy weapons may not be that far fetched an idea. It would only take a single technological breakthrough or discovery of, say, an element with unusual properties to turn weaponry in a whole new direction. Like using crystals to store information, once the concept was realized practical use became commonplace."
Carter looked at him and gaped. What the hell? She mouthed a word to him, 'No.'
Khalil blinked and took a quick breath, what had he said wrong? He blinked again and saw it. "I mean, will, will become commonplace. Of course it's only theoretical now, right Carter?" He threw the ball to her court.
Her eyes were wide as she quickly formed an answer. "Oh, yeah, right. Silicon has reached its limit, as far as speed and capacity anyway, in our lifetime we'll probably see computers with chips made of quartz crystals."
Daniel's eyes were darting between Sam and her 'date' observing his reaction. When he nodded thoughtfully and shrugged, Daniel's eyes closed. 'Nice save, Sam' he thought. His next thought brought him to O'Neill. What was Jack doing spouting technology?
Khalil knew he'd stepped over that line of 'clearance' and decided to find something safer to talk about. "So, Tony, been in Colorado long?"
From there the conversation went easier from everyone's standpoint. People tended to like to talk about themselves and Tony was no exception, he gladly related stories of his days in the military and his interests since that time. Even Sam didn't know how much he followed world politics and how opinionated he could be.
Khalil settled down to just being chatty and asking an occasional question to spur Tony on. He even managed to add in a few of O'Neill's lighter comments without turning any heads in his direction. Soon Tony and Daniel were deep in a discussion about the politics of the digs in Egypt. Daniel thought every artifact deserved attention even if it had to be moved out of the country so someone could study it while Tony steadfastly felt it was nothing less than theft.
As the conversation turned to world politics in general Sam eased herself out the room and exited to the deck for some fresh air.
Khalil noted where she went and after ascertaining that Teal'c was engrossed in 'Star Wars, Part 2' snagged his now warm bottle of beer and went to join her. He did not intend to drink it, but he had to keep up appearances.
"I don't get what you see in that guy."
Carter looked at him in surprise; a minute ago he was chatting with 'that guy' like they'd been friends for years. "What do you mean?"
"You've got nothing in common. I never took you to like politics, he thrives on it, he doesn't care a bit about technology and that's been your focus for, how long? Then there are all the experiences you've had. He hasn't really done much since he got out of the military." His voice dropped to just above a whisper. "What about Jolinar? You've been a host! What do you do- put all that on a shelf every time you're with him? Have you listened to yourself talk to him? You give the term 'small talk' a whole new meaning."
She was irritated that he had the gall to talk to her like this and it began to show in her eyes.
He took a half step forward and held out his hands. "I admit that I really like him. He's a nice guy, stable, personable."
"You make him sound boring."
He lowered his eyes thinking for a moment then grabbed her hand and pulled her away from the deck. She resisted at first but had a feeling he had something more to say that required a greater amount of privacy. She knew she was right when he led her to the ladder leading up to his rooftop hideaway. He released her and waved his hand upward, "Please."
She shook her head at first but after a quick look back toward the den and hearing the animated conversation there, she relented. Politics was something she could do without.
He followed her silently giving her a little distance and once on the roof put his hands on the railing and leaned forward looking up at the sky. "Beautiful aren't they?"
She stepped forward next to him just short of touching the rail and crossed her arms over her chest. She answered him in a guarded tone. "Yes. Is that why you brought me up here?"
"Actually it is. You know we are made of the same stuff as the stars? Basic elements anyway. They are beautiful but terrible and violent all the same as are we sometimes. Life is like that."
Khalil closed his eyes and tapped into the still sleeping mind of O'Neill and found something his host had shared with him. One year after the Abydos mission he was sitting in this very spot looking through the telescope at the stars, totally at peace within himself. Just knowing the inhabitants of earth were not alone in the universe had changed the man. He knew being out there would have changed her too.
She stared at him now. When had her CO become a poet? She knew he liked opera; maybe this was just an aspect of him she hadn't yet seen. Or maybe... "Sir, is Khalil, um..."
He sighed. "Carter, it's *me* talking to *you*. Is that so hard to believe?"
She flushed slightly and lowered her head.
He didn't turn to her but continued to look upward. "What do you see?"
She sighed and rolled her eyes then complied with his request. She turned her head up and without thinking, smiled at the sky. It was so clear tonight she could see millions of twinkling lights above her. "I see stars. Planets. That bright one is probably Mars."
"Continue."
"Sir?"
"Humor me."
She sighed again. "The Milky Way, our own galaxy. A hundred million, million stars and still counting." Her thoughts took a slight change of direction just as he'd hoped it would. "Other worlds, many just like ours circling who knows how many of those millions of stars. Destinations. All the places we might go someday. And all I ever wanted to be was an astronaut, I had no idea."
He spoke to her softly. "So, even though you are a scientist when you look out there you see more than equations and statistics and probabilities. You see the *possibilities* of life, it's a part of you. You've even been there, seen it first hand; how can you leave that behind?"
She was confused. "What? I'm not going anywhere."
"But you do. Every time you see him you shut down this part of yourself. Of necessity, I understand. This is something you can never share. He's not boring or even very ordinary, I can tell that just by talking to him, but he has no concept of where you've been and the things you've seen; of the life that is out there. I don't think he cares for the more adventurous side of life at all. Nothing
against him, I just think you could do better."
There. The shoe had dropped.
As did her mouth.
"Sir." Her stare intensified. She wanted to tell him it was none of his damn business with whom she spent her time. She wanted to ask him just when it was he appointed himself her personal advisor, and inform him she could make her own decisions, thank you very much.
She did neither.
"So who did you have in mind?"
The faintest of smiles flicked over his lips. "No one in particular, just someone who knows there is so much more than what most have seen, with whom you can share your life, all of it."
She was startled as something warm settled on her hand. She'd been holding on to the railing with one hand to steady herself and O'Neill's hand was now resting lightly on hers almost completely covering the smaller hand.
Slowly her eyes drifted upward until she was looking into his. As she did she took an involuntary step forward.
Khalil thought he was ready for this; he was amazed how wrong he was. Whether it was the moonlight making little sparkles in her hair or the scent of the slightly sweet perfume she was wearing he didn't know but he felt like his senses were being assaulted with her presence. The host body responded to the stimulus as expected. He had to quickly concentrate restrain himself and slow the accelerated heart rate and breathing, not to mention other things.
His left hand rose up and two fingertips brushed against her cheek then slid down her jaw to her chin. Once there he applied just a slight amount of upward pressure and had to stifle a smile when she responded by tilting her head toward his face.
She blinked one time slowly, letting her eyelids rest closed for a moment longer than necessary and when she opened them his face was much closer than before.
He spoke quietly, almost reverently. "I shouldn't have asked you to come up here."
"No, I shouldn't have come." She inched a little closer to him.
"We should go back down."
"We should."
Khalil couldn't believe he was about to do it again. He'd already crossed one line tonight and now he was toe-to-toe with another one. He did a quick check to make sure O'Neill was still in a deep sleep.
He knew he could have done it, stopped a minute ago. But that was then and right now Carter was so close he had to tilt his head slightly to not bump her nose. Her head automatically tilted the other way and then that little space, the one with the bright red line drawn down the center wasn't there anymore.
As soon as his lips began to brush against hers his reflex was to increase the pressure and as he did he found she was doing the same thing.
His arms moved to encircle her and press her tightly to his chest and hers rose up to rest just below his shoulder blades where she could apply some pressure of her own.
Khalil reveled in the sensation. True, he was no stranger to human intimacy but this was somehow different, as if this body he inhabited was so attuned to the other they moved in concert with no conscious effort whatsoever.
He soon had to restrain himself again, but only to keep from hurting her, his desire was so great. He hungered to increase the contact between them but made himself concentrate only on the kiss. He wasn't entirely successful and let some of his control go losing himself in a wave of arousal. One hand lowered and he pushed her hips forward to his own. He let a small groan escape his throat as he did so. They continued to press and move together for several minutes until both were breathless and overheated, then separated reluctantly and only enough to rest their foreheads together.
Khalil swallowed hard, panting. There was one more line beyond, one he could not, *would* not cross for the sake of his host. But it was close, oh so very close. "We really should go."
Carter blew out a soft heated breath. "We should."
"Soon."
"I know."
He took in a deep breath and as he exhaled he stood upright effectively separating them. His hands fell to his sides and he closed his eyes. He heard and felt movement around him and knew when his eyes opened again Carter would be gone. He rather hoped she'd go straight to the den, say goodnight to Teal'c and Daniel and then leave before he returned to the house. He didn't think he could stand to see her again.
He stayed on the roof a little while to give himself time to come down from the high he'd been on and allow his host body to cool off. He sat on the single chair and ran his fingers through the short-cropped hair. Well, he wanted to do something about O'Neill and Carter, this just wasn't exactly what he had in mind at the time.
Relief washed over him as an engine came to life in the driveway. A moment later Carter and Tony were gone. Now all he had to do was hold himself together long enough for Daniel and Teal'c to either leave or sack out somewhere in the house. Either way he was putting this body to bed as soon as possible; he was exhausted.
Pt 5
It was still early in the afternoon and Khalil decided since it was 'Friday' and that held some significance to these people, he'd invite them over that very night. He really didn't expect them to agree as readily as they did and realized, somewhat belatedly that he never did let on that he wasn't O'Neill. Apparently they didn't notice.
Teal'c of course was ready for some off-base action after being cooped up all week except for their off world time and Daniel, while preoccupied with his current translation project, agreed to come as long as he could bring his laptop along. The young man was still coming to grips with his friend not being dead and didn't seem to mind putting some things on hold to spend time with him.
Daniel did ask about Khalil and wondered whether he was invited too. The symbiote grinned through his host. Daniel didn't know whom he was talking to. "Nah, all our 'human socialization' stuff is boring to him, he'll probably sleep through the whole thing."
He gave Daniel a friendly pat on the shoulder before he left. "Dinner's at seven, don't be late."
Next on the list was Carter. Khalil had some trepidation here, if anyone would know who was in control, it would be her. He decided to make it a phone invite.
Interesting thing this telephone, he had no trouble pulling Carter's extension from O'Neill's mind and dialed it up.
"Carter."
He balked at the harsh sound of her voice; he had apparently interrupted something. "Hey, it's, um, me."
"Sir? What can I do for you?"
He could hear keys continuing to tap in the background and realized where her attention was focused; it was not on him, just as well. "I've been back a week now and since it *is* Friday, I thought a 'team night' was in order. Will you come?"
The tapping noise ceased. There was a pause, much longer than he felt was necessary. "Do you think that's wise? I mean shouldn't you be staying on the base for now?"
He knew she was talking about him, the symbiote. Time for a little of the famous O'Neill ranting. "Carter, I think I can get to my own house, snake or no snake!" He couldn't believe he just called himself a snake! "Selmac isn't forced to stay on the base when he's here." He winced into the phone, that wasn't at all what he meant to say. "I mean your Dad, Jacob, is allowed to leave the base. Maybe Khalil would enjoy seeing a little of Earth, I might even go to a... a..." He quickly scanned O'Neill's mind. "A hockey game."
"It's summer."
She lost him. He chose the most non-committal answer he could. "Um."
"Where are you going to find a hockey game in the summer? The Rockies might have a game this weekend if you feel like traveling."
Still lost. Crap. Where was that information when you needed it? He settled for the next thing he found. "Fishing?"
The tapping resumed on the line. "Maybe you should stick with sports."
"Fishing is a sport." At least he knew that.
There was a heavy sigh on the line. "Okay then, a sport where people actually move."
A change of tactics was in order. "If you were going to show him around where would you go?"
The tapping stopped again. "Well, someplace where there aren't a lot of people. Maybe Peterson Base, show him some of our aircraft, or go for a drive up in the mountains, watch a sunset from up there."
He lost it. "Is that an invitation, Major?"
A sudden intake of breath on the other end of the line alerted him that he was blowing his cover. He went for a quick save. "I mean, if you wouldn't mind me tagging along, it's not like he can go anywhere without me."
She didn't answer right away; he knew she was still evaluating which one of them she was talking to. Her voice started back with some hesitation. "I suppose, maybe. I actually had plans."
He decided he'd pushed it too far. "What about tonight?"
"Huh?"
"Team night. Tonight. Remember that's why I called?"
"Oh." He could feel her wincing through the phone. "I, um, have a date."
Tony. Khalil didn't even like the man's name. Whether it was influence from O'Neill or not, he didn't care. Something inside him was irked she'd spend time with someone else when she should be with O'Neill. He hadn't missed a single little glance she gave him the whole week, if O'Neill thought she didn't care he must be completely blind. He had an idea. "Bring him along."
"I couldn't. He doesn't have clearance."
"To come to my house?" Khalil was confused.
"You know what I mean. Teal'c will be there, right?"
"Oh. Good point."
There was a long pause, and then she spoke very quietly. "We could stop by for a minute, maybe, and Teal'c could wear a hat."
She was offering a compromise! He *knew* she'd want to see O'Neill. "We've done that before, called him Murray."
"I remember."
"Good, you'll come then." He tried to not sound too excited. "Seven. Bring Tony- and beer." He hung up the phone wondering where it was that last thought came from.
Then it struck him. He was on a planet he did not know and had just invited four people to dinner at a house that was not his, and one of them was 'the boyfriend.' O'Neill might not be pleased. Still it could be interesting to meet this 'Tony.'
It might be more interesting to deal with Tony himself.
Khalil folded his arms across his chest and leaned back in the chair. He could do it, possibly. He'd have to keep O'Neill asleep, no problem there, but without O'Neill he was going to need major help to just get to the house, let alone prepare a meal.
He glanced at his watch, 5:15 PM, not a lot of time. Another number came to mind and he dialed it quickly. "Teal'c? You want to get an early start? I'll let you drive."
Khalil had to field several questions from the Jaffa and nearly panicked when Teal'c asked if they would be stopping off to do some 'shopping' on the way.
He hadn't thought that maybe O'Neill wouldn't have adequate supplies at his home and then there was still the problem of what to prepare. Luckily Teal'c was in an unusually chatty mood and waylaid most of his fears. The shopping he had in mind was only to stop by the video store and pick up a copy of the most recent installment of Star Wars, which was something he said he could do while O'Neill waited in the truck.
Teal'c acquired the entertainment for the evening, which turned out to be two episodes of what he referred to as a realistic saga of the relationship between master and apprentice. There was also a box covered with oddly drawn humanoid beings with bright yellow skin. The Jaffa seemed quite pleased to present it to his leader and Khalil tried his best to be honored with the gift.
Upon leaving the establishment Teal'c inquired about the plans for their meal. Khalil sidestepped the issue. "Oh, I hadn't really decided, any ideas?"
Teal'c thought for several seconds while they were stopped at a red light. "I believe I would prefer
Thai this evening."
Khalil frowned; this was entirely too much trivial information to be dragging out of O'Neill's brain while trying to keep him asleep.
"Are you unhappy with this choice, O'Neill?"
"No, no. Um, you think Carter and Jackson would agree?" He was trying to access how to procure something called 'Thai.'
"I do not. The last time Major Carter imbibed of 'Hot and Spicy Chicken' she was very ill tempered the following day. Do you not recall she said it would be a 'cold day in hell' before she subjected herself to an intestinal purging of that magnitude again?"
"What do you think she'd like?"
"She has often voiced her affinity for Italian."
Crap. Something else to figure out. "Ah, where did we get that last time?" He was pushing his luck but Teal'c was too busy pressing buttons on a device and finding a 'station' he liked to notice the Colonel's discomfort.
"I do not recall the name, however do you not have a copy of a menu filed with the others?"
"Oh, yeah, sure I do." He turned his head toward the window and rolled his eyes. If things got any more complicated he might have to wake O'Neill and *that* would not be pleasant. He had literally absconded with the man's body for the evening.
They were at O'Neill's home by 6:00 and when Teal'c tossed the keys to him Khalil had to rely on pure luck to choose the right key. His second guess worked.
Upon entering the abode he fumbled for a light switch and made an excuse to go to the rear of the house. "Would you mind getting out those 'menus' and having a look at them?"
Khalil took several minutes to familiarize himself with his surroundings. He'd actually been there once this week when O'Neill stole away from the base to 'run errands.' Hammond hadn't really given permission and the visit was very short with O'Neill getting back to the base before anyone other than the checkpoint guards knew he was gone. He called it a 'Mini-Op.'
When he returned to the den Teal'c had the menus laid out by the telephone and was busily flipping through multiple video images on the viewscreen in the room.
Thankfully the menus had several items circled with thin black lines, presumably a past choice. One on the Thai menu was scribbled through until it was unreadable and marked 'No!'
"You think it's too soon to place our request?"
Teal'c glanced at the large clock on the mantle. "Perhaps, both Daniel Jackson and Major Carter tend to arrive after the designated hour."
"Ah. Wait a half hour then?"
"Or more."
Khalil puttered around the kitchen for the entire waiting period presumably to set out eating implements but in reality trying to learn his way around as quickly as he could. He stepped out onto the wooden deck area to relax for just a few minutes before delving back into his assumed role.
When he spotted the ladder up the side of the building he was intrigued. O'Neill spent a great deal of time there and found a certain reassurance in watching the stars. It was tempting to ascend the ladder and see it for himself but he wasn't sure how soon the others would arrive. Somehow he made it through the food ordering process helped by very young female voices on the other end of the line who were undoubtedly familiar with callers who really didn't know what they wanted.
The only choice he knew for certain was the one for Teal'c as he'd made a specific request. He chose something made from chicken on the Thai menu for Daniel and ordered something circled on the Italian menu called 'Eggplant Parmesan' for the rest of them. The young woman asked how many people would be eating and suggested salads, light beer and garlic breadsticks on the side as a 'must' to go with the meal.
Daniel arrived before the food and settled himself on the couch with his laptop open on the coffee table where he could work and still be a part of the group.
Within minutes both of the delivery men showed up and though Khalil fumbled with the currency he did manage to pay what was owed plus a generous amount to be shared with the 'bright young ladies' who'd helped him on the phone.
He ignored the odd looks as the men left and hoped Daniel and Teal'c were too engrossed in what they were doing to notice.
The other men dug into their meals greedily but Khalil only picked at the tomato drenched vegetable on his plate and after one sip of the 'light beer' he set it aside and ignored it as undrinkable. He sat back and tried to watch the images of spaceships and odd creatures in the film but couldn't quite keep his interest trained there. After a few minutes he caught Daniel watching him.
"Jack, something's wrong isn't it?"
Crap, the quiet ones always seem to be the most dangerous. "I'm fine."
"You haven't been yourself all night. Is it- um." He made a circling gesture around his own head to indicate something inside there was the problem.
"No, he's asleep, passed out a while ago. Everything's fine"
"You're sure? You're usually on your third beer by now."
"Uh. Not my brand."
"I thought you liked anything that wasn't European."
Khalil just shrugged and tried to find something interesting on the plate of food. Daniel wasn't letting him off so easy. "Was Sam coming?"
Khalil kept his head down. "Uh, huh."
"Pretty late, maybe she lost track of time at work."
For no good reason whatsoever he volunteered more information. "She's not at work. She had a 'date.' Said they'd stop by."
Daniel's fork clattered on his plate. "She's coming here with the mystery man?"
Khalil refused to look up; he knew both of his companions were staring at him. "His name is Tony."
Teal'c cleared his throat, "Has not Major Carter endeavored to maintain a distance between ourselves and this person?"
Before Khalil could formulate an answer the doorbell rang. He glanced at Teal'c and quickly went to the door.
Carter looked beautiful dressed in a casual blue sweater and form-fitting black slacks. Khalil almost failed to notice the tall slender man at her side but as she entered the man was right on her heels. She dutifully introduced everyone and shot Teal'c a silent 'thank you' that he'd so quickly put on his cowboy hat and shifted gears to become 'Murray.'
Carter's nose led her to the kitchen and she grinned at the spread on the table. It was nice he'd attempted to have something she liked. She figured O'Neill must have already eaten his meal, as the only choice of a main course was Eggplant. Something she adored but O'Neill hated with a passion.
Daniel cleared his things out of the way so Sam and Tony could sit side by side on the couch and eat while watching the movie. At first conversation was at a minimum but that soon changed when Tony made a comment about the feasibility of a weapon anything remotely like a 'light saber.' He thought the idea was ridiculous.
Teal'c ventured the first response. "Perhaps technology will advance to the point this device is possible in the future."
"Nah. They're working on the premise of lasers, thing is, when you start light going in one direction doesn't it keep going forever? How do they get the blade part to stop at four feet? Anyway, a portable weapon made of energy would never have the power of a simple grenade or an armor tipped bullet. I'll keep my .45, thank you."
Daniel's mouth fell open. There were more than a few times he could think of where taking a bullet would have been preferable to a staff blast, not to mention the second hit of a Zat. He glanced at O'Neill and caught the thoughtful expression on his friend's face.
Khalil couldn't resist commenting. "You know, energy weapons may not be that far fetched an idea. It would only take a single technological breakthrough or discovery of, say, an element with unusual properties to turn weaponry in a whole new direction. Like using crystals to store information, once the concept was realized practical use became commonplace."
Carter looked at him and gaped. What the hell? She mouthed a word to him, 'No.'
Khalil blinked and took a quick breath, what had he said wrong? He blinked again and saw it. "I mean, will, will become commonplace. Of course it's only theoretical now, right Carter?" He threw the ball to her court.
Her eyes were wide as she quickly formed an answer. "Oh, yeah, right. Silicon has reached its limit, as far as speed and capacity anyway, in our lifetime we'll probably see computers with chips made of quartz crystals."
Daniel's eyes were darting between Sam and her 'date' observing his reaction. When he nodded thoughtfully and shrugged, Daniel's eyes closed. 'Nice save, Sam' he thought. His next thought brought him to O'Neill. What was Jack doing spouting technology?
Khalil knew he'd stepped over that line of 'clearance' and decided to find something safer to talk about. "So, Tony, been in Colorado long?"
From there the conversation went easier from everyone's standpoint. People tended to like to talk about themselves and Tony was no exception, he gladly related stories of his days in the military and his interests since that time. Even Sam didn't know how much he followed world politics and how opinionated he could be.
Khalil settled down to just being chatty and asking an occasional question to spur Tony on. He even managed to add in a few of O'Neill's lighter comments without turning any heads in his direction. Soon Tony and Daniel were deep in a discussion about the politics of the digs in Egypt. Daniel thought every artifact deserved attention even if it had to be moved out of the country so someone could study it while Tony steadfastly felt it was nothing less than theft.
As the conversation turned to world politics in general Sam eased herself out the room and exited to the deck for some fresh air.
Khalil noted where she went and after ascertaining that Teal'c was engrossed in 'Star Wars, Part 2' snagged his now warm bottle of beer and went to join her. He did not intend to drink it, but he had to keep up appearances.
"I don't get what you see in that guy."
Carter looked at him in surprise; a minute ago he was chatting with 'that guy' like they'd been friends for years. "What do you mean?"
"You've got nothing in common. I never took you to like politics, he thrives on it, he doesn't care a bit about technology and that's been your focus for, how long? Then there are all the experiences you've had. He hasn't really done much since he got out of the military." His voice dropped to just above a whisper. "What about Jolinar? You've been a host! What do you do- put all that on a shelf every time you're with him? Have you listened to yourself talk to him? You give the term 'small talk' a whole new meaning."
She was irritated that he had the gall to talk to her like this and it began to show in her eyes.
He took a half step forward and held out his hands. "I admit that I really like him. He's a nice guy, stable, personable."
"You make him sound boring."
He lowered his eyes thinking for a moment then grabbed her hand and pulled her away from the deck. She resisted at first but had a feeling he had something more to say that required a greater amount of privacy. She knew she was right when he led her to the ladder leading up to his rooftop hideaway. He released her and waved his hand upward, "Please."
She shook her head at first but after a quick look back toward the den and hearing the animated conversation there, she relented. Politics was something she could do without.
He followed her silently giving her a little distance and once on the roof put his hands on the railing and leaned forward looking up at the sky. "Beautiful aren't they?"
She stepped forward next to him just short of touching the rail and crossed her arms over her chest. She answered him in a guarded tone. "Yes. Is that why you brought me up here?"
"Actually it is. You know we are made of the same stuff as the stars? Basic elements anyway. They are beautiful but terrible and violent all the same as are we sometimes. Life is like that."
Khalil closed his eyes and tapped into the still sleeping mind of O'Neill and found something his host had shared with him. One year after the Abydos mission he was sitting in this very spot looking through the telescope at the stars, totally at peace within himself. Just knowing the inhabitants of earth were not alone in the universe had changed the man. He knew being out there would have changed her too.
She stared at him now. When had her CO become a poet? She knew he liked opera; maybe this was just an aspect of him she hadn't yet seen. Or maybe... "Sir, is Khalil, um..."
He sighed. "Carter, it's *me* talking to *you*. Is that so hard to believe?"
She flushed slightly and lowered her head.
He didn't turn to her but continued to look upward. "What do you see?"
She sighed and rolled her eyes then complied with his request. She turned her head up and without thinking, smiled at the sky. It was so clear tonight she could see millions of twinkling lights above her. "I see stars. Planets. That bright one is probably Mars."
"Continue."
"Sir?"
"Humor me."
She sighed again. "The Milky Way, our own galaxy. A hundred million, million stars and still counting." Her thoughts took a slight change of direction just as he'd hoped it would. "Other worlds, many just like ours circling who knows how many of those millions of stars. Destinations. All the places we might go someday. And all I ever wanted to be was an astronaut, I had no idea."
He spoke to her softly. "So, even though you are a scientist when you look out there you see more than equations and statistics and probabilities. You see the *possibilities* of life, it's a part of you. You've even been there, seen it first hand; how can you leave that behind?"
She was confused. "What? I'm not going anywhere."
"But you do. Every time you see him you shut down this part of yourself. Of necessity, I understand. This is something you can never share. He's not boring or even very ordinary, I can tell that just by talking to him, but he has no concept of where you've been and the things you've seen; of the life that is out there. I don't think he cares for the more adventurous side of life at all. Nothing
against him, I just think you could do better."
There. The shoe had dropped.
As did her mouth.
"Sir." Her stare intensified. She wanted to tell him it was none of his damn business with whom she spent her time. She wanted to ask him just when it was he appointed himself her personal advisor, and inform him she could make her own decisions, thank you very much.
She did neither.
"So who did you have in mind?"
The faintest of smiles flicked over his lips. "No one in particular, just someone who knows there is so much more than what most have seen, with whom you can share your life, all of it."
She was startled as something warm settled on her hand. She'd been holding on to the railing with one hand to steady herself and O'Neill's hand was now resting lightly on hers almost completely covering the smaller hand.
Slowly her eyes drifted upward until she was looking into his. As she did she took an involuntary step forward.
Khalil thought he was ready for this; he was amazed how wrong he was. Whether it was the moonlight making little sparkles in her hair or the scent of the slightly sweet perfume she was wearing he didn't know but he felt like his senses were being assaulted with her presence. The host body responded to the stimulus as expected. He had to quickly concentrate restrain himself and slow the accelerated heart rate and breathing, not to mention other things.
His left hand rose up and two fingertips brushed against her cheek then slid down her jaw to her chin. Once there he applied just a slight amount of upward pressure and had to stifle a smile when she responded by tilting her head toward his face.
She blinked one time slowly, letting her eyelids rest closed for a moment longer than necessary and when she opened them his face was much closer than before.
He spoke quietly, almost reverently. "I shouldn't have asked you to come up here."
"No, I shouldn't have come." She inched a little closer to him.
"We should go back down."
"We should."
Khalil couldn't believe he was about to do it again. He'd already crossed one line tonight and now he was toe-to-toe with another one. He did a quick check to make sure O'Neill was still in a deep sleep.
He knew he could have done it, stopped a minute ago. But that was then and right now Carter was so close he had to tilt his head slightly to not bump her nose. Her head automatically tilted the other way and then that little space, the one with the bright red line drawn down the center wasn't there anymore.
As soon as his lips began to brush against hers his reflex was to increase the pressure and as he did he found she was doing the same thing.
His arms moved to encircle her and press her tightly to his chest and hers rose up to rest just below his shoulder blades where she could apply some pressure of her own.
Khalil reveled in the sensation. True, he was no stranger to human intimacy but this was somehow different, as if this body he inhabited was so attuned to the other they moved in concert with no conscious effort whatsoever.
He soon had to restrain himself again, but only to keep from hurting her, his desire was so great. He hungered to increase the contact between them but made himself concentrate only on the kiss. He wasn't entirely successful and let some of his control go losing himself in a wave of arousal. One hand lowered and he pushed her hips forward to his own. He let a small groan escape his throat as he did so. They continued to press and move together for several minutes until both were breathless and overheated, then separated reluctantly and only enough to rest their foreheads together.
Khalil swallowed hard, panting. There was one more line beyond, one he could not, *would* not cross for the sake of his host. But it was close, oh so very close. "We really should go."
Carter blew out a soft heated breath. "We should."
"Soon."
"I know."
He took in a deep breath and as he exhaled he stood upright effectively separating them. His hands fell to his sides and he closed his eyes. He heard and felt movement around him and knew when his eyes opened again Carter would be gone. He rather hoped she'd go straight to the den, say goodnight to Teal'c and Daniel and then leave before he returned to the house. He didn't think he could stand to see her again.
He stayed on the roof a little while to give himself time to come down from the high he'd been on and allow his host body to cool off. He sat on the single chair and ran his fingers through the short-cropped hair. Well, he wanted to do something about O'Neill and Carter, this just wasn't exactly what he had in mind at the time.
Relief washed over him as an engine came to life in the driveway. A moment later Carter and Tony were gone. Now all he had to do was hold himself together long enough for Daniel and Teal'c to either leave or sack out somewhere in the house. Either way he was putting this body to bed as soon as possible; he was exhausted.
