It was time. Well, it was getting very close to time, anyways, and Hammond
must have been getting nervous that Jack was going to do something to keep
them from sending Shawn back, because right before they were about to leave
the Commissary, they heard Hammond's voice paging O'Neill to the
embarkation room. Then he paged the rest of the members of SG-1, and then
Shawn.
"That's our call," Sam said, pushing her chair back and standing up.
"Yeah."
They had a good time, sitting there and chatting about nothing important. None of them asked Shawn about their futures, which didn't surprise the young man at all. They'd simply discussed the events of the night before, and the others had listened to Fraiser trying to convince Jack to let her see his bandages – to check them, she said. Jack, of course, had scowled and kept his bandages to himself, knowing that she wouldn't be happy with him for ripping the stitches and wanting to wait as long as possible to be chewed out for not taking care of himself.
O'Neill passed Jaffer down the remnants of his lunch, which vanished immediately – even though the black lab had eaten everything everyone else had handed him as well and probably had had a bigger lunch than anyone, except possibly Jack (the dog). Then he stood up as well, although his face had once more taken on a troubled expression.
"Relax, Jack," Shawn said softly as they all headed for the door. The young man wasn't the only one to notice the look, but since he was the reason for it, he was the one to do the reassuring.
"I'm relaxed."
"Uh huh."
Shawn put his hand on O'Neill's shoulder affectionately, and smiled.
"It'll be okay. You'll see."
"Yeah."
Jack didn't sound as positive as Shawn did, but he was trying very hard to hide that fact. And failing. And he knew it, which was making him even more irritable than being nervous in the first place. He was just thinking the worst, and he knew he shouldn't. But he couldn't help it. Luckily, Shawn knew him well enough to not take it personally, and was cheerful and confident enough for the two of them.
They entered the embarkation room with only a few minutes to spare, and the young man let go of Jack's shoulder, and turned to the others. It was weird to say goodbye to people he knew he was going to see in just a few minutes, but they'd done so much for him that he didn't want to just head off into the sunset without acknowledging that.
Jack stepped off to the side as Shawn gave Sam a hug. Military decorum aside – after all, he did outrank her in this time period technically – he wasn't going to leave her without a goodbye hug.
"I can't wait to watch you grow up," Carter whispered into his ear as she wrapped her arms around him carefully.
Shawn laughed, gave Jack a sly look and then kissed Sam noisily.
"That's not something I can get away with in my time," he said when he let her go.
"It's not something you can get away with here, either," Jack warned him, leaning against the railing of the ramp. The words were serious, but the expression on his face told everyone in the room who knew him well that he didn't really mean it.
Shawn laughed again, and shook hands with Daniel and Teal'c, and then with General Hammond. When he reached Fraiser, however, he had an unreadable expression on his face and he hugged her just as tightly as he had Sam, but he didn't kiss her. Sam assumed it was because it was harder to kiss someone when that person had chewed you out royally only the night before.
"Thanks for everything, you guys." He told them. "It was really an adventure, wasn't it?"
"Oh yeah," Daniel told him, smiling. They all looked over at Jack as the Gate began dialing, but O'Neill wasn't planning on saying goodbye, and Shawn knew it. He and Jack had had their talk already, and there wasn't anything else for them to say. Goodbye was too final, and Shawn expected to see him again in only a few minutes – 12 years older – and Jack was going to see Shawn soon as well – 12 years younger.
Teal'c handed Shawn his pack and the young man put it on and pulled out the Beretta. It was more for Jack's peace of mind than for his own, because he was a lot more confident than O'Neill was about his destination.
Sam was looking at her watch, which was coordinated with the exact minute he needed to be sent, and Shawn watched her for his cue to go.
"Now, Shawn," Carter told him, waving him on his way with a slightly worried look. There was, after all, the slightest chance that Jack was right and the rest of them were wrong.
"Thanks, Sam." He bolted for the Gate without looking back, both weapons held up where he could use them the instant he rematerialized on the other side – if he needed to. Jack watched silently, determined that whatever he was twelve years from then, if Shawn didn't show up where he was supposed to and it turned out to be a trap, he was going to take everything he could to the planet they'd just sent him to and would wipe out everything there.
The gate shut down only a moment after he went through, and the embarkation room was silent.
"Well," Daniel said, finally, breaking into Jack's dark thoughts and everyone else's concerns as well. "How do we find out if any of the Ashrak escaped the base before we brought in the Heftarii devices?"
"I'm going to go talk to Dotty," Jack said.
"Would she know?"
"I bet she will."
"Shall I accompany you, O'Neill?" Teal'c asked. There was, after all, always the chance that if the Ashrak had escaped they might be heading for the mountains. After all, that was where the younger version of Shawn was, now, and he wasn't all that well protected.
"Nah. I'm not expecting trouble." And he didn't want company just then.
"I'll walk with you," Sam said. He might not want company, but she was going to give it to him, anyways. Jack nodded, knowing that telling her he didn't want her with him wouldn't accomplish anything but hurt her feelings, and he didn't have any desire to do that.
~*~
She walked him as far as his truck, but didn't say anything to him until he'd opened the door and Jaffer had jumped up into the passenger seat. The big lab was good at riding in the back of the truck, but the only time he ever did was when there was someone already taking up the passenger seat and the king cab. Otherwise he rode up front with Jack. Besides, even though the rain had stopped, the back of the truck was wet, and Jack wouldn't make his baby ride in back in the wet.
"Are you okay?" She asked him finally.
"Yeah." Since the door was still open it hid them from the view of anyone who might be watching, and Jack took a moment to lean against Carter, needing the touch even though he'd said otherwise. She understood, of course, and put her arms around him, pressing her cheek against his own.
"He's fine, Jack. You can't dwell on this or it's going to drive you crazy."
"I know, Sam. It's easier said than done, though."
"I know."
She ran her hand along his cheek, wishing she could think of something that might reassure him. But really, there wasn't anything she could say that hadn't already been said.
"You sure you don't want company?"
"I have company," Jack said, smiling slightly since Jaffer took that moment to stick his head between Jack and Sam, wuffling happily and looking for his own attentions. Sam smiled and rubbed the dog's ears. "I don't need any company right now, Sam," he told her, turning his head a little and brushing a tender kiss against her cheek. "But I will when I get back. Why don't you get everyone together and we'll go have dinner tonight?"
"You sure?"
"Yup. I'll even buy."
"I'll let them know."
"Fraiser and Hammond, too, if they want to come. As long as she promises not to be the Doctor tonight, and is just the friend."
"How am I supposed to get her to agree to that?" Sam asked, stepping back so O'Neill could shut the door.
"You're the genius, you figure it out."
He gave her another smile, one that reached his eyes this time, and waved goodbye to her as he walked around to the driver's side of the truck and got in.
"That's our call," Sam said, pushing her chair back and standing up.
"Yeah."
They had a good time, sitting there and chatting about nothing important. None of them asked Shawn about their futures, which didn't surprise the young man at all. They'd simply discussed the events of the night before, and the others had listened to Fraiser trying to convince Jack to let her see his bandages – to check them, she said. Jack, of course, had scowled and kept his bandages to himself, knowing that she wouldn't be happy with him for ripping the stitches and wanting to wait as long as possible to be chewed out for not taking care of himself.
O'Neill passed Jaffer down the remnants of his lunch, which vanished immediately – even though the black lab had eaten everything everyone else had handed him as well and probably had had a bigger lunch than anyone, except possibly Jack (the dog). Then he stood up as well, although his face had once more taken on a troubled expression.
"Relax, Jack," Shawn said softly as they all headed for the door. The young man wasn't the only one to notice the look, but since he was the reason for it, he was the one to do the reassuring.
"I'm relaxed."
"Uh huh."
Shawn put his hand on O'Neill's shoulder affectionately, and smiled.
"It'll be okay. You'll see."
"Yeah."
Jack didn't sound as positive as Shawn did, but he was trying very hard to hide that fact. And failing. And he knew it, which was making him even more irritable than being nervous in the first place. He was just thinking the worst, and he knew he shouldn't. But he couldn't help it. Luckily, Shawn knew him well enough to not take it personally, and was cheerful and confident enough for the two of them.
They entered the embarkation room with only a few minutes to spare, and the young man let go of Jack's shoulder, and turned to the others. It was weird to say goodbye to people he knew he was going to see in just a few minutes, but they'd done so much for him that he didn't want to just head off into the sunset without acknowledging that.
Jack stepped off to the side as Shawn gave Sam a hug. Military decorum aside – after all, he did outrank her in this time period technically – he wasn't going to leave her without a goodbye hug.
"I can't wait to watch you grow up," Carter whispered into his ear as she wrapped her arms around him carefully.
Shawn laughed, gave Jack a sly look and then kissed Sam noisily.
"That's not something I can get away with in my time," he said when he let her go.
"It's not something you can get away with here, either," Jack warned him, leaning against the railing of the ramp. The words were serious, but the expression on his face told everyone in the room who knew him well that he didn't really mean it.
Shawn laughed again, and shook hands with Daniel and Teal'c, and then with General Hammond. When he reached Fraiser, however, he had an unreadable expression on his face and he hugged her just as tightly as he had Sam, but he didn't kiss her. Sam assumed it was because it was harder to kiss someone when that person had chewed you out royally only the night before.
"Thanks for everything, you guys." He told them. "It was really an adventure, wasn't it?"
"Oh yeah," Daniel told him, smiling. They all looked over at Jack as the Gate began dialing, but O'Neill wasn't planning on saying goodbye, and Shawn knew it. He and Jack had had their talk already, and there wasn't anything else for them to say. Goodbye was too final, and Shawn expected to see him again in only a few minutes – 12 years older – and Jack was going to see Shawn soon as well – 12 years younger.
Teal'c handed Shawn his pack and the young man put it on and pulled out the Beretta. It was more for Jack's peace of mind than for his own, because he was a lot more confident than O'Neill was about his destination.
Sam was looking at her watch, which was coordinated with the exact minute he needed to be sent, and Shawn watched her for his cue to go.
"Now, Shawn," Carter told him, waving him on his way with a slightly worried look. There was, after all, the slightest chance that Jack was right and the rest of them were wrong.
"Thanks, Sam." He bolted for the Gate without looking back, both weapons held up where he could use them the instant he rematerialized on the other side – if he needed to. Jack watched silently, determined that whatever he was twelve years from then, if Shawn didn't show up where he was supposed to and it turned out to be a trap, he was going to take everything he could to the planet they'd just sent him to and would wipe out everything there.
The gate shut down only a moment after he went through, and the embarkation room was silent.
"Well," Daniel said, finally, breaking into Jack's dark thoughts and everyone else's concerns as well. "How do we find out if any of the Ashrak escaped the base before we brought in the Heftarii devices?"
"I'm going to go talk to Dotty," Jack said.
"Would she know?"
"I bet she will."
"Shall I accompany you, O'Neill?" Teal'c asked. There was, after all, always the chance that if the Ashrak had escaped they might be heading for the mountains. After all, that was where the younger version of Shawn was, now, and he wasn't all that well protected.
"Nah. I'm not expecting trouble." And he didn't want company just then.
"I'll walk with you," Sam said. He might not want company, but she was going to give it to him, anyways. Jack nodded, knowing that telling her he didn't want her with him wouldn't accomplish anything but hurt her feelings, and he didn't have any desire to do that.
~*~
She walked him as far as his truck, but didn't say anything to him until he'd opened the door and Jaffer had jumped up into the passenger seat. The big lab was good at riding in the back of the truck, but the only time he ever did was when there was someone already taking up the passenger seat and the king cab. Otherwise he rode up front with Jack. Besides, even though the rain had stopped, the back of the truck was wet, and Jack wouldn't make his baby ride in back in the wet.
"Are you okay?" She asked him finally.
"Yeah." Since the door was still open it hid them from the view of anyone who might be watching, and Jack took a moment to lean against Carter, needing the touch even though he'd said otherwise. She understood, of course, and put her arms around him, pressing her cheek against his own.
"He's fine, Jack. You can't dwell on this or it's going to drive you crazy."
"I know, Sam. It's easier said than done, though."
"I know."
She ran her hand along his cheek, wishing she could think of something that might reassure him. But really, there wasn't anything she could say that hadn't already been said.
"You sure you don't want company?"
"I have company," Jack said, smiling slightly since Jaffer took that moment to stick his head between Jack and Sam, wuffling happily and looking for his own attentions. Sam smiled and rubbed the dog's ears. "I don't need any company right now, Sam," he told her, turning his head a little and brushing a tender kiss against her cheek. "But I will when I get back. Why don't you get everyone together and we'll go have dinner tonight?"
"You sure?"
"Yup. I'll even buy."
"I'll let them know."
"Fraiser and Hammond, too, if they want to come. As long as she promises not to be the Doctor tonight, and is just the friend."
"How am I supposed to get her to agree to that?" Sam asked, stepping back so O'Neill could shut the door.
"You're the genius, you figure it out."
He gave her another smile, one that reached his eyes this time, and waved goodbye to her as he walked around to the driver's side of the truck and got in.