Jonas was busy at his desk with the paperwork that accompanied his current position. Though he had never aspired to a political position, much less this one at the age he was, when he had returned after the war with the goauld began, the Kelownans had urged him to step in after the First Minister was killed in an attack on the compound. His experiences and actions had demonstrated to them he was a true leader, with the courage and intelligence to do the right thing. His sensitive nature gave them assurance he would command wisely.
He didn't hear her open the door, but the sense that there was another person in the room caused him to look up; she was walking towards him, with the big warm smile she usually displayed only when they were alone together. He smiled back at her.
"Hi," he said, as he got up from his desk and walked towards her.
"Hi," she said, a knowing tone to her voice, as she came closer. "Thank you for the flowers."
As they embraced, he held her tight, enjoying the soft, warm feel of her body against his. He loved how they were together; comfortable, loving, warm. Their respective day jobs involved so much war and destruction; the few spare moments that he had with her like this were a considerable solace.
"I missed you," he said softly against her hair.
"I missed you, too," she responded, wrapping her arms tighter around him, the words playing softly against his chest.
They stood there in their embrace a few minutes more, neither wanting to release the other. Finally, they parted, moving over to the comfortable couch that had replaced the chairs in front of the windows of the large room that comprised Jonas' on base quarters.
"So, how are things on Earth?" he asked as they sat down together on the couch.
"Dismal without you, of course," she said with a smile, as she reclined against him in their usual comfortable position, looking out at the Kelownan capital city. Then her face became serious. "The government is pressing us to find more weapon types of technology that they can use, rather than better sources of energy, and solutions to our planet's current problems, so nothing new," she added with a sigh.
She turned to him then with a frown as she asked, "How are things here? We haven't heard from you for some time; we were concerned about the war," she said with a hint of worry in her voice.
He looked at her, the warm feeling only she could elicit came over him again. He knew she worried about him and he had no means of directly contacting her. Kelowna was not advanced enough for interstellar communication, so their only means of contacting Earth was through the Stargate, thereby eliminating the possibility of personal communication between them. The trust and love that existed between them over came this hurdle, but it would never replace the physical presence they longed for.
"We wanted to contact you sooner, but our progress with the experiments and the safety protocols had to be suspended when the Goauld launched their last attack," he sighed with a note of resign in his voice. "We could have used your help, but..." Jonas said with an exasperated tone to his voice.
She took his hand in hers, interlacing their fingers. She looked up at him. "I could stay this time," she said. "I don't have to return to Earth and I could help you fight; then I wouldn't be bound by their policy," she added, a hopeful note to her voice, even though she knew the answer.
He looked at her, the anguished look of a torn man, she thought sadly. He squeezed her hand tight, bringing their clasp up to his face, kissing the back of her hand.
She let go of his hand and caressed his cheek; when he looked at her he noticed the tears in her eyes. He pulled her close to him then, his own tears pricking at the edges of his eyes.
She made the offer every time; but they both knew that her abilities were needed on Earth, as much as his were needed on Kelowna. Truthfully, she was helping the Kelownans more by teaching them proper safety protocols and allowing them to further their own knowledge than she would by putting herself at risk in their war. Even though she was, as Teal'c called her, a formidable warrior, Jonas knew she was all too human and he had to admit to himself that he was selfish in this regard; he didn't want to risk losing her in a senseless battle.
*As if there is a battle that makes sense,* he thought to himself bitterly, reflecting on all that had been lost to battle in his short life. For now, he knew, they would have to content themselves with the time between their work days here on Kelowna.
His mind's eye began to replay a memory from one of her earliest visits. They had been working in the lab late one night in the early part of the Kelownan winter. She had had a look of frustration on her face; she knew that the answers they needed were within reach but she was bound by the Earth policy of non-interference not to give it to them.
He had been equally frustrated; his time on Earth had given him just a glimpse into the possibilities and he yearned to embrace them all, but the Kelownans, like so many humanoid-based cultures, were slow to accept change and new ideas, preferring instead to challenge everything different and shed blood over the clashes of beliefs.
They had decided to retire for the evening; as he had returned to his quarters, he had passed through the conference room and noticed the snow falling. Here on Kelowna, with the particle layer, the snow had a lovely golden color when it first landed and it gave the capital city a beautiful, regal look, unlike the one that it normally had and it wouldn't be long before the particle layer had muted its own lovely effects of the snow as well. Such moments were brief and not to be missed.
On a whim, he had gone to her quarters instead of his own and asked her to leave the compound with him. Those were the early days of his current position and he could still afford to do things like that.
They had walked in the quiet streets watching the beautiful, golden snow blanket everything. It gave the city new life, and it served to bolster both of their spirits with the reminder of possibility.
He would swear later that she had started it, she would only ever admit (always with a mischievous gleam in her eye) that she had simply wanted to test this unusual looking snow to see if it confirmed the same basic laws of physics that held true on Earth, but both would take equal responsibility for the impetuous, passionate kiss that had followed the snow fight, when they had ended up slipping and falling together into the stuff on the front lawn of the two tower building.
He smiled at the memory; holding her here, like this, now, was an even better reminder that in the future lay hope for them all.
He didn't hear her open the door, but the sense that there was another person in the room caused him to look up; she was walking towards him, with the big warm smile she usually displayed only when they were alone together. He smiled back at her.
"Hi," he said, as he got up from his desk and walked towards her.
"Hi," she said, a knowing tone to her voice, as she came closer. "Thank you for the flowers."
As they embraced, he held her tight, enjoying the soft, warm feel of her body against his. He loved how they were together; comfortable, loving, warm. Their respective day jobs involved so much war and destruction; the few spare moments that he had with her like this were a considerable solace.
"I missed you," he said softly against her hair.
"I missed you, too," she responded, wrapping her arms tighter around him, the words playing softly against his chest.
They stood there in their embrace a few minutes more, neither wanting to release the other. Finally, they parted, moving over to the comfortable couch that had replaced the chairs in front of the windows of the large room that comprised Jonas' on base quarters.
"So, how are things on Earth?" he asked as they sat down together on the couch.
"Dismal without you, of course," she said with a smile, as she reclined against him in their usual comfortable position, looking out at the Kelownan capital city. Then her face became serious. "The government is pressing us to find more weapon types of technology that they can use, rather than better sources of energy, and solutions to our planet's current problems, so nothing new," she added with a sigh.
She turned to him then with a frown as she asked, "How are things here? We haven't heard from you for some time; we were concerned about the war," she said with a hint of worry in her voice.
He looked at her, the warm feeling only she could elicit came over him again. He knew she worried about him and he had no means of directly contacting her. Kelowna was not advanced enough for interstellar communication, so their only means of contacting Earth was through the Stargate, thereby eliminating the possibility of personal communication between them. The trust and love that existed between them over came this hurdle, but it would never replace the physical presence they longed for.
"We wanted to contact you sooner, but our progress with the experiments and the safety protocols had to be suspended when the Goauld launched their last attack," he sighed with a note of resign in his voice. "We could have used your help, but..." Jonas said with an exasperated tone to his voice.
She took his hand in hers, interlacing their fingers. She looked up at him. "I could stay this time," she said. "I don't have to return to Earth and I could help you fight; then I wouldn't be bound by their policy," she added, a hopeful note to her voice, even though she knew the answer.
He looked at her, the anguished look of a torn man, she thought sadly. He squeezed her hand tight, bringing their clasp up to his face, kissing the back of her hand.
She let go of his hand and caressed his cheek; when he looked at her he noticed the tears in her eyes. He pulled her close to him then, his own tears pricking at the edges of his eyes.
She made the offer every time; but they both knew that her abilities were needed on Earth, as much as his were needed on Kelowna. Truthfully, she was helping the Kelownans more by teaching them proper safety protocols and allowing them to further their own knowledge than she would by putting herself at risk in their war. Even though she was, as Teal'c called her, a formidable warrior, Jonas knew she was all too human and he had to admit to himself that he was selfish in this regard; he didn't want to risk losing her in a senseless battle.
*As if there is a battle that makes sense,* he thought to himself bitterly, reflecting on all that had been lost to battle in his short life. For now, he knew, they would have to content themselves with the time between their work days here on Kelowna.
His mind's eye began to replay a memory from one of her earliest visits. They had been working in the lab late one night in the early part of the Kelownan winter. She had had a look of frustration on her face; she knew that the answers they needed were within reach but she was bound by the Earth policy of non-interference not to give it to them.
He had been equally frustrated; his time on Earth had given him just a glimpse into the possibilities and he yearned to embrace them all, but the Kelownans, like so many humanoid-based cultures, were slow to accept change and new ideas, preferring instead to challenge everything different and shed blood over the clashes of beliefs.
They had decided to retire for the evening; as he had returned to his quarters, he had passed through the conference room and noticed the snow falling. Here on Kelowna, with the particle layer, the snow had a lovely golden color when it first landed and it gave the capital city a beautiful, regal look, unlike the one that it normally had and it wouldn't be long before the particle layer had muted its own lovely effects of the snow as well. Such moments were brief and not to be missed.
On a whim, he had gone to her quarters instead of his own and asked her to leave the compound with him. Those were the early days of his current position and he could still afford to do things like that.
They had walked in the quiet streets watching the beautiful, golden snow blanket everything. It gave the city new life, and it served to bolster both of their spirits with the reminder of possibility.
He would swear later that she had started it, she would only ever admit (always with a mischievous gleam in her eye) that she had simply wanted to test this unusual looking snow to see if it confirmed the same basic laws of physics that held true on Earth, but both would take equal responsibility for the impetuous, passionate kiss that had followed the snow fight, when they had ended up slipping and falling together into the stuff on the front lawn of the two tower building.
He smiled at the memory; holding her here, like this, now, was an even better reminder that in the future lay hope for them all.