Six Years Earlier
Daniel was sitting alone in a coffee shop after a particularly bad series of lectures. He tried to erase the sting of having everyone in the hall walk out on him with seven cups of hot, forgiving coffee.
"Dr. Jackson?" a voice cut into his self-pity. He looked up to find a stunning young woman walking over to him. "Dr. Jackson? I'm Tessa Kinsey. I was at your lecture this afternoon."
"And you're not avoiding me?" he said lightly. "Are you sure you want to be seen with me?"
"Quite sure," she laughed. "I though your ideas were intriguing. I wanted to get to know the man behind them... unless of course you're meeting someone. Should I go?" she said quickly.
He shook his head. "Oh, no. Please, sit down. I don't usually have anyone not dressed in Star Wars costumes finding my theories interesting." He watched her as she sat down across from him. "I'm sorry, this is going to sound bizarre, but you wouldn't happen to be related to Senator Kinsey, would you?" he asked slowly. "It's just that you sort of resemble him," he said when she gave him an odd look. "I didn't-"
"No, he's my father," she said, laughing slightly. "I just usually try to avoid being associated with him. We don't get along very well," she said without any sadness.
Daniel gave her an almost sorry look. "Really? Why not?"
She shrugged. "Conflicting views on the world I guess. It really came out when I decided to join the Air Force."
"You're in the Air Force?" he asked, quite surprised.
She smiled, used to the reaction. "Yeah. I'm working on my doctorate right now."
"In what?"
"Astrophysics." She laughed at the shocked look on his face. "Yeah, most people look just like that when they find out." She shook it off. "Anyway, when I was eighteen, I joined up and the Senator went ballistic. He and I got into this huge fight about my future, and he actually said, 'But you're so pretty, and I can pay for you to go to any college you want to go to. You don't need the military to pay for it.'" She rolled her eyes in anger. "I swear, the man has no idea a women's movement ever occurred."
Daniel shrugged. "I'm sure he just had wanted you to have a good life."
She shook her head vehemently. "He doesn't really give a damn about me. I honestly think I'm the person he hates most in the world. He just doesn't care for the military. He doesn't like anything that's tight lipped and classified seven ways to next Sunday." A smile spread across her lips. "But enough about the Senator and our nonexistent relationship. How long have you been in Chicago?" Tessa asked.
He shrugged. "A long time. Most of my life, actually. You?"
"Just a few days. I'm here for a series of lectures on Ancient Egypt."
He gave her an odd look. "Really? What do astrophysics and ancient history have to do with each other?"
She laughed. "That's classified," she teased. "Actually I find history very interesting. Your theories in particular."
He raised a sceptical eyebrow. "Really? My theories? Surely you're not talking about the same theories that my colleagues have dismissed with laughter and snide comments?"
She laughed again. "I'm not one of your colleagues, Dr. Jackson. I am an astrophysicist, and I fully believe in the possibilities of anything and everything."
"I thought scientists were supposed to be strictly inside the box thinkers," he said with a teasing smile.
Tessa shrugged. "I'm not your average scientist. My mind is open to many outside of the box theories."
He smiled. "Perhaps you'd like to discuss some theories over dinner?" he suggested.
She returned the smile. "Indeed I would."
~~~~~
"So, Tess, what do you think?"
Tessa smiled as she fell into one of the chairs around the table filled with papers and books. "Hello to you, too, Catherine. I think you'd do well to ask Jackson to join this project. He's just crazy-brilliant enough to solve the riddle of the Gate to Heaven."
A woman with short blonde hair shook her head. "His theories may be dead on, but how do we know he'll be able to translate it?" she demanded.
Tessa groaned. "Sam! Why must you be so dismissive? Jackson's just as accredited as any other person. And he's been labelled a crackpot, so if he tries to go public, no one would believe him."
Sam gave Tessa a look. "All I mean is, he's young. He might not have enough experience to solve this thing. All the experts we've brought in this far haven't and they were-"
"They were morons!" she protested. "Even Catherine's said so. I honestly think Daniel could crack this mother."
Catherine and Sam exchanged a look. "You called him Daniel," Catherine said knowingly.
Tessa shrugged. "So what?"
"You spent an extra three days in Chicago," Sam wheedled. "I think you have a crush on the good Doctor. And don't you have a boyfriend?"
Her chin dropped indignantly. "Our relationship is very casual and I do not have a crush on him! I just have a feeling about him!"
"Sure," Sam said with a wicked smile. "A feeling."
She groaned and rolled her eyes. "Fine! We'll go with your guy again!" she conceded unhappily. "But if your guys don't figure this out in a reasonable time span, we're going to Jackson!"
Catherine laughed. "Alright, alright, girls! They're just linguists. This isn't a competition."
"Like hell it isn't!" they both said at once before dissolving into laughter.
********
Author's Note: I hadn't intended on writing a second part, but here it is. Just a little more on the friendship between Tessa and Sam, the flirting between Tessa and Daniel, and the bad feelings between Tessa and the Sentor.
Daniel was sitting alone in a coffee shop after a particularly bad series of lectures. He tried to erase the sting of having everyone in the hall walk out on him with seven cups of hot, forgiving coffee.
"Dr. Jackson?" a voice cut into his self-pity. He looked up to find a stunning young woman walking over to him. "Dr. Jackson? I'm Tessa Kinsey. I was at your lecture this afternoon."
"And you're not avoiding me?" he said lightly. "Are you sure you want to be seen with me?"
"Quite sure," she laughed. "I though your ideas were intriguing. I wanted to get to know the man behind them... unless of course you're meeting someone. Should I go?" she said quickly.
He shook his head. "Oh, no. Please, sit down. I don't usually have anyone not dressed in Star Wars costumes finding my theories interesting." He watched her as she sat down across from him. "I'm sorry, this is going to sound bizarre, but you wouldn't happen to be related to Senator Kinsey, would you?" he asked slowly. "It's just that you sort of resemble him," he said when she gave him an odd look. "I didn't-"
"No, he's my father," she said, laughing slightly. "I just usually try to avoid being associated with him. We don't get along very well," she said without any sadness.
Daniel gave her an almost sorry look. "Really? Why not?"
She shrugged. "Conflicting views on the world I guess. It really came out when I decided to join the Air Force."
"You're in the Air Force?" he asked, quite surprised.
She smiled, used to the reaction. "Yeah. I'm working on my doctorate right now."
"In what?"
"Astrophysics." She laughed at the shocked look on his face. "Yeah, most people look just like that when they find out." She shook it off. "Anyway, when I was eighteen, I joined up and the Senator went ballistic. He and I got into this huge fight about my future, and he actually said, 'But you're so pretty, and I can pay for you to go to any college you want to go to. You don't need the military to pay for it.'" She rolled her eyes in anger. "I swear, the man has no idea a women's movement ever occurred."
Daniel shrugged. "I'm sure he just had wanted you to have a good life."
She shook her head vehemently. "He doesn't really give a damn about me. I honestly think I'm the person he hates most in the world. He just doesn't care for the military. He doesn't like anything that's tight lipped and classified seven ways to next Sunday." A smile spread across her lips. "But enough about the Senator and our nonexistent relationship. How long have you been in Chicago?" Tessa asked.
He shrugged. "A long time. Most of my life, actually. You?"
"Just a few days. I'm here for a series of lectures on Ancient Egypt."
He gave her an odd look. "Really? What do astrophysics and ancient history have to do with each other?"
She laughed. "That's classified," she teased. "Actually I find history very interesting. Your theories in particular."
He raised a sceptical eyebrow. "Really? My theories? Surely you're not talking about the same theories that my colleagues have dismissed with laughter and snide comments?"
She laughed again. "I'm not one of your colleagues, Dr. Jackson. I am an astrophysicist, and I fully believe in the possibilities of anything and everything."
"I thought scientists were supposed to be strictly inside the box thinkers," he said with a teasing smile.
Tessa shrugged. "I'm not your average scientist. My mind is open to many outside of the box theories."
He smiled. "Perhaps you'd like to discuss some theories over dinner?" he suggested.
She returned the smile. "Indeed I would."
~~~~~
"So, Tess, what do you think?"
Tessa smiled as she fell into one of the chairs around the table filled with papers and books. "Hello to you, too, Catherine. I think you'd do well to ask Jackson to join this project. He's just crazy-brilliant enough to solve the riddle of the Gate to Heaven."
A woman with short blonde hair shook her head. "His theories may be dead on, but how do we know he'll be able to translate it?" she demanded.
Tessa groaned. "Sam! Why must you be so dismissive? Jackson's just as accredited as any other person. And he's been labelled a crackpot, so if he tries to go public, no one would believe him."
Sam gave Tessa a look. "All I mean is, he's young. He might not have enough experience to solve this thing. All the experts we've brought in this far haven't and they were-"
"They were morons!" she protested. "Even Catherine's said so. I honestly think Daniel could crack this mother."
Catherine and Sam exchanged a look. "You called him Daniel," Catherine said knowingly.
Tessa shrugged. "So what?"
"You spent an extra three days in Chicago," Sam wheedled. "I think you have a crush on the good Doctor. And don't you have a boyfriend?"
Her chin dropped indignantly. "Our relationship is very casual and I do not have a crush on him! I just have a feeling about him!"
"Sure," Sam said with a wicked smile. "A feeling."
She groaned and rolled her eyes. "Fine! We'll go with your guy again!" she conceded unhappily. "But if your guys don't figure this out in a reasonable time span, we're going to Jackson!"
Catherine laughed. "Alright, alright, girls! They're just linguists. This isn't a competition."
"Like hell it isn't!" they both said at once before dissolving into laughter.
********
Author's Note: I hadn't intended on writing a second part, but here it is. Just a little more on the friendship between Tessa and Sam, the flirting between Tessa and Daniel, and the bad feelings between Tessa and the Sentor.
