OK folks penultimate chapter
Disclaimer, yeah, yeah, ain't mine blah, blah, story is.
Nope, no money.
Thanks again for the reviews, I'm so bowled over xxxxx :o)
CT - ;o) with a x
Will I turn my coat to the rain I don't know But I'm going somewhere I can warm my bones
Fare you well I'll carry me away And sing to those I know Upon their birthdays
And I won't feel like I'm on the outside Of a circle
The Circle - OCS (not mine either)
===========
"Will he be alright to travel?" Jack asked watching Janet, silently tend the Kelownan's wound in the ruins of his kitchen.
She looked up, her eyes red and worn and gave him a slight nod of her head. As she worked Jonas debriefed the Colonel on the events after the NID's arrival, keeping his eyes fixed on the charcoal shadow by the stove. His voice was remote, his report precise without the elaborate detail that used to drive Jack nuts.
O'Neill nodded when the young man had finished but remained silent, digesting what had just been said.
He walked out into the brightness of the day, stepping around the NID who were sat on the steps, refreshing themselves in the sunlight, looking slightly bewildered.
The guy in the suit got to his feet, checking with Teal'c, first, if he could have a word with the Colonel, the Jaffa nodded, "crap," O'Neill whispered, as the man came striding across to him.
"Colonel," the man said, holding out his hand that still had traces of Jonas's blood on it, "Doctor Jeremiah Finch, I've heard a lot about you," he beamed like a contented cat.
"Bet you have," Jack said, ignoring the hand and the smile.
Finch ran his fingers through his unnaturally, dark, hair, "Colonel, I, I really must protest at the way you're treating me and my men like we're your prisoners!"
"Only 'till we can verify your credentials, bud," Jack said crossing his arms.
"Yes, well, I sure once you have, you will realize that we have jurisdiction here, that this is legitimate NID operation. "
"Yeah and you were doing such a great job before we arrived."
Finch smiled impatiently, "yes, well, the girl caught us by surprise but I assure you Colonel we have learned from this experience and no alien will make us look like fools again," there was a resounding threat in his voice.
Jack grunted but the Doctor continued, loosening the ground, "look, Jack," he emphasised O'Neill's Christian name, "you know how dangerous these aliens are, you've seen it first hand on many occasions and Quinn's no different. He could turn on you, after all he betrayed the people he thought were his, what's to say he won't betray the SGC and earth if a better offer came along? Let's face it, Jack, he's part Goa'uld, do you really trust him?"
"Your point?" Jack said, trying to stop the anger rising.
"The NID are not your enemy, Jack, were allies, we both want the same thing, to protect earth at whatever cost and Quinn represents a threat to that. You've known that from the start, though, haven't you? Even though he pushed his way onto your team, you've never really trusted him and now you've got Jackson back I bet your itching to see the back of him. Well this could be your lucky day.
"What I'm proposing here is that we work together on this and make everyone see it'll be for the best if we keep him in a restricted environment, for his own safety as well as for the general population. I could have a word with my people and you could talk to your CO and explain the situation to him, your word carries a lot of weight with Hammond. I mean look at what the girl did for starters, when her powers got out of control, we could sell this on that alone, especially as the Kelownan's powers are much more extensive. I guess we can all breath a sigh of relief that the young lady exploded into a million pieces before she could do any real harm.
"Now what do you say, Jack? Once we get this little matter of identification cleared up we'll take the alien with us, I'm sure he'd go willingly if you ordered it. I'll write you up good report, so you and your team gets most of the credit for stopping, yet, another disaster and everyone will walk away with a smile on their face."
Jack turned to Finch and cocked his head to one side, "Jeremiah, you shot and tortured one of my men, why the hell should I trust you?"
The Doctor blinked for a second and looked puzzled, "Jeez, Jack he's only an alien and it was in self defence, the bastard attacked me!" He cried in a peevish little voice.
Jack's fist flew at him, connecting with Finch's jaw and sending sprawling onto the ground, "well, you have that sort of face, Doctor," O'Neill said leaning over him. "Now, I want you to report this back to your 'people', Jonas is a part of SGC and under our protection. If I catch you or any of your buddies sniffing around him, I will seek you out and make sure you 'explode into a million pieces before you can do any real harm!'"
"Is, is that a threat Colonel?" Finch asked with a more bravado than he felt.
"Damn straight," Jack replied.
"Is everything alright here, sir," Carter asked, joining them.
"Oh we're just dandy aren't we Jeremiah, in fact I think we understand each other perfectly."
Finch nodded his head, rubbing his jaw at the same time and gave Carter a bogus smile as he got to his feet.
Sam waited until he was out of earshot, "sir we've had confirmation from the SGC, they are NID."
"Okay Carter send them home," he thought on something for a few moments, "Carter?"
"Yes sir."
"Couldn't rig their car so that it breaks down before they hit the interstate, could you?"
"Is that an order sir?"
"Nah, just a wish."
==========
Jack walked across to Teal'c and threw him the keys to the truck, "T, I want you to drive, Carter, Daniel and the Doc Fraiser back the base."
Jonas looked up startled, "junior, you're with me," O'Neill continued looking towards Janet's car.
"Jack, want me to ride with you?" Daniel asked trying to deflect the Kelwonan's pleading gaze.
"No Daniel, I want to spend some quality time with Jonas here," he said pulling the young alien to his feet, "shall we?" Jack motioned to the car.
Jonas watched the others get in Jack's truck, "just you and me now kid," Jack said following the Kelownan's gaze.
"Yes, sir," Jonas replied pulling his seatbelt across him for protection.
Jack smiled and started the engine.
===========
They travelled in silence, watching the spray hit the windscreen and the wipers arc against the water, until Jack found a safe place to stop. The click of the indicator kept pace with the beat of Jonas's heart until O'Neill switched the engine off causing the wipers to freeze on the glass.
Jack looked across at his passenger who was resting on the door looking far into the waterlogged scenery, trying to distance himself from his CO, Jack sighed, "Jonas, why didn't you come to one of us with this thing? We could have helped, you know, it's what a team does, pull together and stuff. Don't you trust us?" It was a question that had been pulling at O'Neill since the start.
Jonas looked down at his hands, stroking his knuckles in deliberation, the same way, hell, the same way Charlie used too when Jack was lecturing him.
The young man met O'Neill's gaze, giving him a small smile that barely touched his cheeks, "yes sir, I-I do trust you and I know I could have confided in you," he replied, steaming up his side of the glass, "it's just, it's just," he chewed his lip.
"Jonas?" Jack queried.
The Kelownan swallowed, "what, what would you have done if, if someone had told you that your son was going to die and you couldn't save him no matter what?" The words were spoken slowly and with care.
"I really don't think."
"Sir, please," Jonas pleaded, massaging the stiffness in his knee, "what if that person gave you one last week to spend together, what would you have done? Locked him in a room until his time came or taken him to all those places you'd promised to take him when you had the time?"
Jonas held Jack's stare until the Colonel looked away out into the past. He couldn't give the Kelownan a truthful answer, crap, he didn't know what he would of done, given the choice, he only wished he'd had one.
Jack turned back to the younger man, "your government have asked for you to go back, to help with their peace negotiations with the Tiranians and Andari. Apparently they need someone with Stargate experience, someone who's been out there, " he gestured towards the heavens.
"Guess I'm no longer a traitor," the Kelownan said plainly, following a drop of water with his finger.
"You never were," O'Neill replied back.
Jonas nodded, "thank you," he whispered, deep in thought
Jack narrowed his eyes, "you're not seriously thinking of going back are you?" He questioned.
"Colonel," Jonas looked at him, "I owe it to my parents, my sister, Dr Kieran, to try and help build a peace between our Nations. Kelowna was their home and mine for a while and its people deserve a chance at a better future."
O'Neill shrugged casually, "can I give you a bit of advice?"
Jack saw the young man's brow crease before he nodded, "watch your back, I've only ever met one Kelownan I'd trust with my life," he said, starting the engine to the sound of the wipers greasing the glass.
Jonas looked out of the passenger window and Jack knew part of him was smiling.
===============
Jonas felt his mind dissolve into his last Earth sunset, which warmed the heavens like a giant glowing ember. It had been a week since Cassie had 'gone' and his heart still mourned for its missing piece.
He looked into the end of the day letting his thoughts fly and burn in the pyre of the star. Death had followed his path of tears but he couldn't look back, if he did he would loose all those sunrises of gold and barley. He heard a voice whisper through the trees, Olmec voice of twisted words and clarity, remember, my boy, all journeys have a before and an after, no matter how old they are or how new and yet they seem never ending. We must endeavour to leave something behind, as we always take something with us.
Sam crept quietly to his side and put her arm around his shoulder mindful of the blue sling.
"Hey," she said softly, "what ya doing?"
"Telling my worries to the sunset," he replied, watching her face flame in the orange light.
She smiled and looked into the evening, "Jonas the Kelownan delegates are here."
"Oh," he said softly not moving.
She sighed looking down at her hand that was wrapped around something, "Janet gave me this for you, it was with Cassie's things," she handed him his ring still warm from her body heat.
He didn't look down at it; instead he gripped it tight to his palm until his knuckles turned white.
Sam brought her hand to his face and felt him tremble with emotion. He fell against her and released the tears that had been caged in his heart; just like many years ago he'd freed the doves on the rooftop, the doves named after dead people, who'd witness his mother's jump into the city devoid of one red shoe.
Sam saw a flash of white feathers cross her mind as Jonas unintentionally linked with her, showing her the mix of his soul. Faces and events flickered through her mind, all racing in a jumble of wordless noise, spilling in his spent grief.
She pulled him to her, feeling his body break as he settled somewhere safe in the summer of his past. She watched him, as a boy, dart through fat, lazy, sunbeams, chasing his sister, in reeds of pale green grass, which bent as they trampled a path. Their childish giggles, full of breath, raced to fly with the swallows and dandelion clocks that swooped and floated on escaping thermals.
He pulled away from her and looked down at their linked hands, hardly meeting her eyes. They stood there, for a while, silhouetted against the mellowing amber light until Sam dared to speak, "Jonas you don't have to go," she said, letting the words linger for a while.
"Yes Sam, I do," he said, releasing her hand and giving her a brave smile before turning towards the entrance.
===========
Jonas stood by the watery haze of the Stargate watched by his friends. He turned to go through the event horizon and then stopped.
He looked back towards SG1, a sparkle dancing in his eyes, "um, Colonel?" He ventured.
"Yes Jonas."
"You don't have to worry about the repairs to your cabin."
Jack looked puzzled and very apprehensive.
"We found someone who will do all the repairs and decorate as well!"
"We who?" Jack asked.
"Teal'c and myself," Jonas said proudly, "Teal'c had a business card for that guy at the hotel."
Jonas watched O'Neill's face fold, "please, please don't tell me you hired him."
The Kelownan nodded and gave everyone a quick smile, "thought you'd be please," he replied, "Teal'c said you would."
"Did he," Jack said, through clenched teeth looking around to find that the Jaffa had mysteriously disappeared.
============
Well, epilogue to follow after lots of sun, sea and sand.
Until next time
Take care
x
Disclaimer, yeah, yeah, ain't mine blah, blah, story is.
Nope, no money.
Thanks again for the reviews, I'm so bowled over xxxxx :o)
CT - ;o) with a x
Will I turn my coat to the rain I don't know But I'm going somewhere I can warm my bones
Fare you well I'll carry me away And sing to those I know Upon their birthdays
And I won't feel like I'm on the outside Of a circle
The Circle - OCS (not mine either)
===========
"Will he be alright to travel?" Jack asked watching Janet, silently tend the Kelownan's wound in the ruins of his kitchen.
She looked up, her eyes red and worn and gave him a slight nod of her head. As she worked Jonas debriefed the Colonel on the events after the NID's arrival, keeping his eyes fixed on the charcoal shadow by the stove. His voice was remote, his report precise without the elaborate detail that used to drive Jack nuts.
O'Neill nodded when the young man had finished but remained silent, digesting what had just been said.
He walked out into the brightness of the day, stepping around the NID who were sat on the steps, refreshing themselves in the sunlight, looking slightly bewildered.
The guy in the suit got to his feet, checking with Teal'c, first, if he could have a word with the Colonel, the Jaffa nodded, "crap," O'Neill whispered, as the man came striding across to him.
"Colonel," the man said, holding out his hand that still had traces of Jonas's blood on it, "Doctor Jeremiah Finch, I've heard a lot about you," he beamed like a contented cat.
"Bet you have," Jack said, ignoring the hand and the smile.
Finch ran his fingers through his unnaturally, dark, hair, "Colonel, I, I really must protest at the way you're treating me and my men like we're your prisoners!"
"Only 'till we can verify your credentials, bud," Jack said crossing his arms.
"Yes, well, I sure once you have, you will realize that we have jurisdiction here, that this is legitimate NID operation. "
"Yeah and you were doing such a great job before we arrived."
Finch smiled impatiently, "yes, well, the girl caught us by surprise but I assure you Colonel we have learned from this experience and no alien will make us look like fools again," there was a resounding threat in his voice.
Jack grunted but the Doctor continued, loosening the ground, "look, Jack," he emphasised O'Neill's Christian name, "you know how dangerous these aliens are, you've seen it first hand on many occasions and Quinn's no different. He could turn on you, after all he betrayed the people he thought were his, what's to say he won't betray the SGC and earth if a better offer came along? Let's face it, Jack, he's part Goa'uld, do you really trust him?"
"Your point?" Jack said, trying to stop the anger rising.
"The NID are not your enemy, Jack, were allies, we both want the same thing, to protect earth at whatever cost and Quinn represents a threat to that. You've known that from the start, though, haven't you? Even though he pushed his way onto your team, you've never really trusted him and now you've got Jackson back I bet your itching to see the back of him. Well this could be your lucky day.
"What I'm proposing here is that we work together on this and make everyone see it'll be for the best if we keep him in a restricted environment, for his own safety as well as for the general population. I could have a word with my people and you could talk to your CO and explain the situation to him, your word carries a lot of weight with Hammond. I mean look at what the girl did for starters, when her powers got out of control, we could sell this on that alone, especially as the Kelownan's powers are much more extensive. I guess we can all breath a sigh of relief that the young lady exploded into a million pieces before she could do any real harm.
"Now what do you say, Jack? Once we get this little matter of identification cleared up we'll take the alien with us, I'm sure he'd go willingly if you ordered it. I'll write you up good report, so you and your team gets most of the credit for stopping, yet, another disaster and everyone will walk away with a smile on their face."
Jack turned to Finch and cocked his head to one side, "Jeremiah, you shot and tortured one of my men, why the hell should I trust you?"
The Doctor blinked for a second and looked puzzled, "Jeez, Jack he's only an alien and it was in self defence, the bastard attacked me!" He cried in a peevish little voice.
Jack's fist flew at him, connecting with Finch's jaw and sending sprawling onto the ground, "well, you have that sort of face, Doctor," O'Neill said leaning over him. "Now, I want you to report this back to your 'people', Jonas is a part of SGC and under our protection. If I catch you or any of your buddies sniffing around him, I will seek you out and make sure you 'explode into a million pieces before you can do any real harm!'"
"Is, is that a threat Colonel?" Finch asked with a more bravado than he felt.
"Damn straight," Jack replied.
"Is everything alright here, sir," Carter asked, joining them.
"Oh we're just dandy aren't we Jeremiah, in fact I think we understand each other perfectly."
Finch nodded his head, rubbing his jaw at the same time and gave Carter a bogus smile as he got to his feet.
Sam waited until he was out of earshot, "sir we've had confirmation from the SGC, they are NID."
"Okay Carter send them home," he thought on something for a few moments, "Carter?"
"Yes sir."
"Couldn't rig their car so that it breaks down before they hit the interstate, could you?"
"Is that an order sir?"
"Nah, just a wish."
==========
Jack walked across to Teal'c and threw him the keys to the truck, "T, I want you to drive, Carter, Daniel and the Doc Fraiser back the base."
Jonas looked up startled, "junior, you're with me," O'Neill continued looking towards Janet's car.
"Jack, want me to ride with you?" Daniel asked trying to deflect the Kelwonan's pleading gaze.
"No Daniel, I want to spend some quality time with Jonas here," he said pulling the young alien to his feet, "shall we?" Jack motioned to the car.
Jonas watched the others get in Jack's truck, "just you and me now kid," Jack said following the Kelownan's gaze.
"Yes, sir," Jonas replied pulling his seatbelt across him for protection.
Jack smiled and started the engine.
===========
They travelled in silence, watching the spray hit the windscreen and the wipers arc against the water, until Jack found a safe place to stop. The click of the indicator kept pace with the beat of Jonas's heart until O'Neill switched the engine off causing the wipers to freeze on the glass.
Jack looked across at his passenger who was resting on the door looking far into the waterlogged scenery, trying to distance himself from his CO, Jack sighed, "Jonas, why didn't you come to one of us with this thing? We could have helped, you know, it's what a team does, pull together and stuff. Don't you trust us?" It was a question that had been pulling at O'Neill since the start.
Jonas looked down at his hands, stroking his knuckles in deliberation, the same way, hell, the same way Charlie used too when Jack was lecturing him.
The young man met O'Neill's gaze, giving him a small smile that barely touched his cheeks, "yes sir, I-I do trust you and I know I could have confided in you," he replied, steaming up his side of the glass, "it's just, it's just," he chewed his lip.
"Jonas?" Jack queried.
The Kelownan swallowed, "what, what would you have done if, if someone had told you that your son was going to die and you couldn't save him no matter what?" The words were spoken slowly and with care.
"I really don't think."
"Sir, please," Jonas pleaded, massaging the stiffness in his knee, "what if that person gave you one last week to spend together, what would you have done? Locked him in a room until his time came or taken him to all those places you'd promised to take him when you had the time?"
Jonas held Jack's stare until the Colonel looked away out into the past. He couldn't give the Kelownan a truthful answer, crap, he didn't know what he would of done, given the choice, he only wished he'd had one.
Jack turned back to the younger man, "your government have asked for you to go back, to help with their peace negotiations with the Tiranians and Andari. Apparently they need someone with Stargate experience, someone who's been out there, " he gestured towards the heavens.
"Guess I'm no longer a traitor," the Kelownan said plainly, following a drop of water with his finger.
"You never were," O'Neill replied back.
Jonas nodded, "thank you," he whispered, deep in thought
Jack narrowed his eyes, "you're not seriously thinking of going back are you?" He questioned.
"Colonel," Jonas looked at him, "I owe it to my parents, my sister, Dr Kieran, to try and help build a peace between our Nations. Kelowna was their home and mine for a while and its people deserve a chance at a better future."
O'Neill shrugged casually, "can I give you a bit of advice?"
Jack saw the young man's brow crease before he nodded, "watch your back, I've only ever met one Kelownan I'd trust with my life," he said, starting the engine to the sound of the wipers greasing the glass.
Jonas looked out of the passenger window and Jack knew part of him was smiling.
===============
Jonas felt his mind dissolve into his last Earth sunset, which warmed the heavens like a giant glowing ember. It had been a week since Cassie had 'gone' and his heart still mourned for its missing piece.
He looked into the end of the day letting his thoughts fly and burn in the pyre of the star. Death had followed his path of tears but he couldn't look back, if he did he would loose all those sunrises of gold and barley. He heard a voice whisper through the trees, Olmec voice of twisted words and clarity, remember, my boy, all journeys have a before and an after, no matter how old they are or how new and yet they seem never ending. We must endeavour to leave something behind, as we always take something with us.
Sam crept quietly to his side and put her arm around his shoulder mindful of the blue sling.
"Hey," she said softly, "what ya doing?"
"Telling my worries to the sunset," he replied, watching her face flame in the orange light.
She smiled and looked into the evening, "Jonas the Kelownan delegates are here."
"Oh," he said softly not moving.
She sighed looking down at her hand that was wrapped around something, "Janet gave me this for you, it was with Cassie's things," she handed him his ring still warm from her body heat.
He didn't look down at it; instead he gripped it tight to his palm until his knuckles turned white.
Sam brought her hand to his face and felt him tremble with emotion. He fell against her and released the tears that had been caged in his heart; just like many years ago he'd freed the doves on the rooftop, the doves named after dead people, who'd witness his mother's jump into the city devoid of one red shoe.
Sam saw a flash of white feathers cross her mind as Jonas unintentionally linked with her, showing her the mix of his soul. Faces and events flickered through her mind, all racing in a jumble of wordless noise, spilling in his spent grief.
She pulled him to her, feeling his body break as he settled somewhere safe in the summer of his past. She watched him, as a boy, dart through fat, lazy, sunbeams, chasing his sister, in reeds of pale green grass, which bent as they trampled a path. Their childish giggles, full of breath, raced to fly with the swallows and dandelion clocks that swooped and floated on escaping thermals.
He pulled away from her and looked down at their linked hands, hardly meeting her eyes. They stood there, for a while, silhouetted against the mellowing amber light until Sam dared to speak, "Jonas you don't have to go," she said, letting the words linger for a while.
"Yes Sam, I do," he said, releasing her hand and giving her a brave smile before turning towards the entrance.
===========
Jonas stood by the watery haze of the Stargate watched by his friends. He turned to go through the event horizon and then stopped.
He looked back towards SG1, a sparkle dancing in his eyes, "um, Colonel?" He ventured.
"Yes Jonas."
"You don't have to worry about the repairs to your cabin."
Jack looked puzzled and very apprehensive.
"We found someone who will do all the repairs and decorate as well!"
"We who?" Jack asked.
"Teal'c and myself," Jonas said proudly, "Teal'c had a business card for that guy at the hotel."
Jonas watched O'Neill's face fold, "please, please don't tell me you hired him."
The Kelownan nodded and gave everyone a quick smile, "thought you'd be please," he replied, "Teal'c said you would."
"Did he," Jack said, through clenched teeth looking around to find that the Jaffa had mysteriously disappeared.
============
Well, epilogue to follow after lots of sun, sea and sand.
Until next time
Take care
x
