Section 36: Slumber Party
AN: I apologize for the four-week wait but things got hectic and then I didn't have internet for three weeks. I hope the six posts (31-36) make up for it. Pathways is finally winding down and should be finished this week in time for the Sparky Awards. Thank you for being patient with me and thanks for reading.
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Jack watched John and Aeryn doze on the other side of D'argo's bed. They looked so peaceful resting against each other, so different from Aeryn's earlier coldness and John's wild psychosis. Even when they had been attacked on Moya there had been none of the desperation he had seen here. Jack just couldn't believe they had taken Daniel hostage. That had shocked him more than he expected, mostly because he liked them, trusted them, and never thought that they would turn on him.
He sighed and shifted in his chair, his gaze coming to rest on D'argo's slumbering form. He couldn't blame them for wanting to protect their friend - hell, he'd been helping them, he gave them their guns back. At least it had ended with Daniel safely getting coffee with Sam and not lying next to D'argo.
Jack's musings were interrupted by movement from the warrior's bed. A mumble of unintelligible words drifted out of the pillow. "D'argo," said Jack softly, rising out of his chair. A quick glance at John and Aeryn showed them still asleep, so no help there. He laid a hand on D'argo's shoulder. "D'argo, it's Jack O'Neill. I need you in English buddy." More incomprehensible garbage as D'argo tried to sit up. "Easy, easy," said Jack. He looked around and caught the eye of a nearby nurse who nodded and went to get Doc Frasier.
"Where am I?" The croak that was D'argo's voice was no more than a whisper. "What happened?"
Jack squatted down into his field of vision. "You killed the Nitwit when she tried to get in your head, got us out of our cell. We got back to the 'gate and now we're on Earth - our Earth anyway - in the infirmary."
"John, Aeryn?"
"Over there," he nodded over D'argo's shoulder. "Sleeping."
"Mr. D'argo," Janet joined them. "How are you feeling?"
"Like I have a hole in my head," D'argo grimaced.
Janet smiled. "Well, that's a pretty fair assessment. Colonel, if you don't mind?"
"Of course," Jack stepped back and got out of the way as Janet started her examination. D'argo made an interesting patient, first protesting but quickly quelled by a stern look. Jack let the inconsequential conversation wash over him, struck by how normal treating an alien was now. It wasn't until D'argo asked about General Forge a few beds over that he paid attention.
"That's General Forge," said Janet with a slide-long glance at Jack. "He wanted to transfer you to another base for your recovery."
D'argo looked over at his friends, still asleep next to Jack who still guarded their weapons. "He wanted to experiment on me?" Janet opened her mouth to reply but ended up simply nodding. "What happened?"
Frasier lifted her eyebrows and smiled tightly. "Mr. Crichton took Dr. Jackson hostage and Ms. Sun shot General Forge."
"John didn't build a bomb did he?"
"What!?" Jack stood quickly.
"What? Did someone say my name?" The noise had woken John and Aeryn who were now blinking off sleep. "D'argo!" said Aeryn, going to his side.
"What's this about a bomb?" Jack joined them, catching D'argo's eye.
"Bomb? What bomb?" John looked from one to the other.
"I asked if you made one?" D'argo clarified intently. John looked confused for a moment before his face cleared and he shook his head.
"No. I didn't. I'm not going to. As long as we get out of here," John slid cautious eyes to Jack.
"You build . . . bombs?" Jack lifted an eyebrow, not sure he liked what he was hearing.
"I also build spaceships and play golf on weekends. What's you handicap?"
Jack gave a hardee-har-har shake of his head. He really didn't need this right now. What a headache. "Look you'll get out of here. Just don't build any bombs, okay?"
John looked at him solemnly. "No bombs," he agreed. Turning to Janet he asked, "So when can we leave? Not that we're not enjoying our stay, but we'd like to get home before more of him show up," he gestured toward General Forge.
"Well there's not much more I can do for you here," Janet spoke to D'argo. "Once you get back to your ship you need rest and fresh bandages, if one of you could take care of that?" she looked at Aeryn.
"We'll get Chiana on it," she said.
"Your doctor?" asked Janet.
"His girlfriend," John nodded at D'argo. Jack's brows shot up, that was news.
"Alright. I'd like to keep you here one more day and then first thing in the morning you're free to go," said Janet. She looked over the rest of them. "Now my patient needs to rest."
"No, I'm fine - "
"Rest," Janet told him.
D'argo didn't dare voice another protest and lay quietly back on the bed. John and Aeryn settled into chairs nearby, not willing to leave him unguarded. All was quiet until Janet was safely in her office.
D'argo sat up. "Are we prisoners?" he asked. John and Aeryn looked at each other before turning to Jack.
"No," said the Colonel. "You're not prisoners. Really," he added when they just stared at him skeptically. "You'd be in a secure cell if you were, trust me."
"Sorry, Jack," said Aeryn quietly. "For everything. It's just been . . ."
"I know," said Jack. "It's okay. You're in a strange place with people coming after you. I'd probably do the same in your place." He thought about it and added, "I'm sorry it came to this."
"So this happened with Teal'c? They wanted to cart him off to the farm?" asked John.
"Yeah," said Jack. "It took a good deal of fast talking by General Hammond, but we got our dedicated friends at Area 51 to back off. Still, if it's not one thing with those guys it's another. To them the end justifies any means. Sometimes I feel like we're fighting this war on two fronts."
They didn't say anything but from the way they glanced amongst themselves they understood. Mostly though, they looked tired. John scrubbed his face with his hands. "Yeah," he whispered. Aeryn ran her hand comfortingly over his hair and ended by grasping his hand.
Feeling like he had outstayed his welcome, Jack took his leave and went in search of Daniel and Sam.
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AN: I apologize for the four-week wait but things got hectic and then I didn't have internet for three weeks. I hope the six posts (31-36) make up for it. Pathways is finally winding down and should be finished this week in time for the Sparky Awards. Thank you for being patient with me and thanks for reading.
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Jack watched John and Aeryn doze on the other side of D'argo's bed. They looked so peaceful resting against each other, so different from Aeryn's earlier coldness and John's wild psychosis. Even when they had been attacked on Moya there had been none of the desperation he had seen here. Jack just couldn't believe they had taken Daniel hostage. That had shocked him more than he expected, mostly because he liked them, trusted them, and never thought that they would turn on him.
He sighed and shifted in his chair, his gaze coming to rest on D'argo's slumbering form. He couldn't blame them for wanting to protect their friend - hell, he'd been helping them, he gave them their guns back. At least it had ended with Daniel safely getting coffee with Sam and not lying next to D'argo.
Jack's musings were interrupted by movement from the warrior's bed. A mumble of unintelligible words drifted out of the pillow. "D'argo," said Jack softly, rising out of his chair. A quick glance at John and Aeryn showed them still asleep, so no help there. He laid a hand on D'argo's shoulder. "D'argo, it's Jack O'Neill. I need you in English buddy." More incomprehensible garbage as D'argo tried to sit up. "Easy, easy," said Jack. He looked around and caught the eye of a nearby nurse who nodded and went to get Doc Frasier.
"Where am I?" The croak that was D'argo's voice was no more than a whisper. "What happened?"
Jack squatted down into his field of vision. "You killed the Nitwit when she tried to get in your head, got us out of our cell. We got back to the 'gate and now we're on Earth - our Earth anyway - in the infirmary."
"John, Aeryn?"
"Over there," he nodded over D'argo's shoulder. "Sleeping."
"Mr. D'argo," Janet joined them. "How are you feeling?"
"Like I have a hole in my head," D'argo grimaced.
Janet smiled. "Well, that's a pretty fair assessment. Colonel, if you don't mind?"
"Of course," Jack stepped back and got out of the way as Janet started her examination. D'argo made an interesting patient, first protesting but quickly quelled by a stern look. Jack let the inconsequential conversation wash over him, struck by how normal treating an alien was now. It wasn't until D'argo asked about General Forge a few beds over that he paid attention.
"That's General Forge," said Janet with a slide-long glance at Jack. "He wanted to transfer you to another base for your recovery."
D'argo looked over at his friends, still asleep next to Jack who still guarded their weapons. "He wanted to experiment on me?" Janet opened her mouth to reply but ended up simply nodding. "What happened?"
Frasier lifted her eyebrows and smiled tightly. "Mr. Crichton took Dr. Jackson hostage and Ms. Sun shot General Forge."
"John didn't build a bomb did he?"
"What!?" Jack stood quickly.
"What? Did someone say my name?" The noise had woken John and Aeryn who were now blinking off sleep. "D'argo!" said Aeryn, going to his side.
"What's this about a bomb?" Jack joined them, catching D'argo's eye.
"Bomb? What bomb?" John looked from one to the other.
"I asked if you made one?" D'argo clarified intently. John looked confused for a moment before his face cleared and he shook his head.
"No. I didn't. I'm not going to. As long as we get out of here," John slid cautious eyes to Jack.
"You build . . . bombs?" Jack lifted an eyebrow, not sure he liked what he was hearing.
"I also build spaceships and play golf on weekends. What's you handicap?"
Jack gave a hardee-har-har shake of his head. He really didn't need this right now. What a headache. "Look you'll get out of here. Just don't build any bombs, okay?"
John looked at him solemnly. "No bombs," he agreed. Turning to Janet he asked, "So when can we leave? Not that we're not enjoying our stay, but we'd like to get home before more of him show up," he gestured toward General Forge.
"Well there's not much more I can do for you here," Janet spoke to D'argo. "Once you get back to your ship you need rest and fresh bandages, if one of you could take care of that?" she looked at Aeryn.
"We'll get Chiana on it," she said.
"Your doctor?" asked Janet.
"His girlfriend," John nodded at D'argo. Jack's brows shot up, that was news.
"Alright. I'd like to keep you here one more day and then first thing in the morning you're free to go," said Janet. She looked over the rest of them. "Now my patient needs to rest."
"No, I'm fine - "
"Rest," Janet told him.
D'argo didn't dare voice another protest and lay quietly back on the bed. John and Aeryn settled into chairs nearby, not willing to leave him unguarded. All was quiet until Janet was safely in her office.
D'argo sat up. "Are we prisoners?" he asked. John and Aeryn looked at each other before turning to Jack.
"No," said the Colonel. "You're not prisoners. Really," he added when they just stared at him skeptically. "You'd be in a secure cell if you were, trust me."
"Sorry, Jack," said Aeryn quietly. "For everything. It's just been . . ."
"I know," said Jack. "It's okay. You're in a strange place with people coming after you. I'd probably do the same in your place." He thought about it and added, "I'm sorry it came to this."
"So this happened with Teal'c? They wanted to cart him off to the farm?" asked John.
"Yeah," said Jack. "It took a good deal of fast talking by General Hammond, but we got our dedicated friends at Area 51 to back off. Still, if it's not one thing with those guys it's another. To them the end justifies any means. Sometimes I feel like we're fighting this war on two fronts."
They didn't say anything but from the way they glanced amongst themselves they understood. Mostly though, they looked tired. John scrubbed his face with his hands. "Yeah," he whispered. Aeryn ran her hand comfortingly over his hair and ended by grasping his hand.
Feeling like he had outstayed his welcome, Jack took his leave and went in search of Daniel and Sam.
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