Confused by the title? Just about the whole darn gang is here…and all three story lines represented, at various points in time…but it works!! Or at least, I think it does – please let me know what YOU think!
Many thanks to Cathain for her fashion and young person's advice for this, and to the wonderful people who have encouraged me and have told me how much they've liked this J
Enjoy! (I hope!)
As he straightened the honors on his jacket, and adjusted his hat, Major Paul Davis found himself actually looking forward to the evening ahead, even if it was just escorting a teenager to a dance.
He knew he cut a sharp figure in his dress blues and it always gave him a sense of pride when younger people showed him a certain amount of respect simply by virtue of the uniform itself.
The uniform reminded him again of his duty and his choice of service to the country they lived in. It filled him with a sense of purpose, and that some people showed obvious disrespect did not bother him; whether they realized it or not, they were as much in need of the protection the SGC and the rest of the military services offered as those who did respect it.
Besides, he pragmatically advised himself, the country was built on the concept that you could choose to show reverence or not; it would still be here.
He walked out into the living room, Norman and Siler were likewise decked out.
"Now, ya see, fellas, if we'd ALL shown up at O'Malley's like this on New Year's, there might have been a much more interesting story to forget the next day," he chided them jovially.
"If we'd all shown up at O'Malley's like this on New Year's, it's more likely we would have gotten our collective asses kicked," Norman deadpanned, grinning.
Although she saw them on a daily basis, Janet still found it a bit thrilling when the three men drove up in the black Mercedes that served as a military transport vehicle and came walking up the drive in their very best dress blues. For her role as one of the chaperones, Janet was also in uniform, crisp and neat as was her style.
"Cassie, your dates are here," she called up the stairs.
Jonas sat patiently in the living room, enjoying the atmosphere of quiet excitement and anticipation that this event was generating. He was dressed in a pair of black denims with the white collarless dress shirt and charcoal gray dress jacket that he preferred for this type of occasion; he liked it because he got the distinct impression that the combination had a certain favorable effect on the doctor's senses.
But it was Cassie's appearance that caused them all to smile warmly as she descended the stairs. The dress she wore was perfectly fitted, displaying her emerging teenage figure beautifully; the bodice melded seamlessly to the full-length skirt that draped gracefully to the floor. Dainty spaghetti straps came up over her shoulders, crossing and becoming part of an open, criss-cross pattern in back.
It was an incredible shade of dark blue taffeta that matched the uniforms perfectly, a lucky break since she'd initially picked it to match Dominic's eyes. The color also offset the tawny highlights in her auburn hair, which she had pulled back in a ponytail; it gave her delicately made up young face a simple, yet elegant look.
Siler had remembered that such affairs usually called for corsages, the ones worn on the wrist being the preferred variety, the kindly florist had suggested to him. The simple white flowers looked lovely against the warm tone of her skin.
"Well, we should really get going; the chaperones are supposed to be early," Jonas said.
Norman and Paul, in synchronized fashion, turned and each offered Cassie an arm.
"Shall we?" they said in unison.
She smiled demurely and slid one arm each around theirs and they proceeded down the drive to the car.
"Shotgun," she said playfully as they got closer.
"DOH!" Paul said lightheartedly. "I was gonna call it," he said with a mock whine.
They were at the car now, and Norman reached for the front passenger door. "As the lady wishes," he said, bowing low with a flourish of his hand as he opened the door for her.
When they arrived at the school gymnasium, Paul and Norman each took their respective places at Cassie's side again, and escorted her into the gym. Siler followed closely behind, his tall, quiet presence adding a touch of intrigue to the group.
There was a table for four at the nearest corner of the dance floor, in the middle of the large room; Jonas had surreptitiously kept several other people away from it while he waited for them to arrive. Janet was intrigued by the ease with which he managed this, with his disarming grin and charming ways easily convincing the kids they didn't want that table, anyway.
As the group took their seats, the music began. The band was composed of a girl and three guys who appeared to be in their twenties, and their style of dress was a strong tribute to bands of the 80's; they called themselves The One Hit Wonders.
"Come on, Cassie, let's warm the place up a bit," Norman Davis said as he grabbed her hand and started to draw her out on the dance floor.
Cassie hesitated slightly. Norman looked at her; she was biting her lip. He smiled warmly at her.
"It's okay," he said encouragingly. "I'll show you," he said, proceeding confidently toward the floor, as the mullet haired lead guitarist began belting out the words to a cover of JET's single, "Are You Gonna Be My Girl?"
Cassie took a breath, and followed. She knew that Sergeant Davis was quite a talented dancer; she was afraid she would look clumsy next to him. She still wasn't quite sure how to do this, though it always looked like fun; on occasion, her mother and Jonas would take an impromptu turn in their own living room and they looked wonderful together.
She was nervous, too, about being the first person on the dance floor; when they had walked in together, several heads had turned at the sight of the attractive foursome. As they had entered, she had instantly noticed Dominic, at a table in the back; what had further caught her eye was the absence of any female companion.
Instead of Cheryl, he was sitting with a bunch of other boys from their class. A part of Cassie noted that he was the best looking one among them, dressed in a well fitting blue suit that set off his jet black hair and dark blue eyes.
He had looked over at her as she had come in with her military contingent, but she pretended not to notice, although she couldn't help realizing that they would have looked nice together; the blues that they had individually chosen would have paired well. She was also vaguely aware of Ben and Judy at another table beyond that, and a saucy feeling had come over her as Ben's mouth fell open when he saw her.
On the dance floor now, Norman began expertly moving his feet; he quietly encouraged Cassie with a few gentle instructions and suggestions. She concentrated on following his directions and lead; she wasn't even aware of her fellow students around her, who were somewhat in awe of the abilities that she and Sergeant Davis exhibited.
Back at the table, Siler and Paul watched, exchanging knowing smiles; Twinkle Toes was at it again. Several other students and some of the teachers were keenly observing the two of them; Norman would have no problem finding willing dance partners the rest of the evening, if Cassie wanted to share. She looked wonderful as she relaxed and found her groove under Norman's patient, talented guidance.
This Ben kid is either one really stupid young man, Paul thought, or this Judy chick must be one hell of a looker. As this last thought wandered across his questioning mind, the briefest image of the New Year's redhead appeared; Paul banished the thought to the farthest reaches of his brain.
Siler sat up suddenly and what Paul would call an evil grin crossed his face.
"Now we know why they set the show in Colorado," he said in his low, quiet tone of voice as he looked away from a couple of the teachers, gesturing at them with his thumb on the table ever so slightly.
Paul looked over as clandestinely as possible; luckily, the hapless science teacher was deeply engaged in a conversation with the even more hapless French teacher.
He was immediately struck by the strong resemblance between Mr. Harwood, the science teacher and Mr. Garrison, the fourth grade teacher from the South Park show. The French teacher also looked suspiciously like she could have been a model for Ms. Choksondik.
Paul struggled to gulp back his laughter at the dead-pan look on Siler's face; it was just like him to notice a detail like that.
The animated show was a guilty pleasure that the three of them shared. Though they were all far older than the target demographic, Siler had started watching it as a way to have something to discuss with his estranged son, and the resulting stress relief that they had all experienced while watching it had made it something of a ritual in their house.
Now Siler was on a roll; they didn't call him Sly for no reason – the burst of laughter from his friend had spurred him on, and he began doing impressions of the teachers, his ability to imitate the voices of both the South Park characters as well as Mr. Burns and Otto from The Simpsons further fueled Paul's uncontrolled giggling.
As Siler slid easily into expertly quoting dialogue from some of their more favorite episodes, perfectly fitting the lip movements and actions of the teachers and other adults scattered around the gymnasium, Paul could not contain himself. Within a matter of minutes, he was laughing so hard that he had tears coming down his face.
Siler looked as if he had no idea what had come over his friend. Paul realized how this must look to the crowd around them; he, a senior officer in the United States Air Force and theoretically an adult, practically in tears at the antics of his comrade in arms.
Paul stood up from the table; a slow, satisfied grin coming across Siler's face at the fact that he had once again reduced the officer to complete hysterics.
"Okay, I've got to get away from you," Paul spluttered, still giggling helplessly, wiping his eyes. He looked over at Cassie and Norman; they were having quite a time. The band began to play a slower piece now. Paul walked over to the couple and tapped Norman on the shoulder.
"May I have this dance with the lady?" he asked graciously, with a small bow towards her.
"By all means, sir, if it pleases her" Norman replied jovially, grinning at Cassie as he took a step back.
Paul stepped easily into the space vacated by Norman, sliding his arm expertly around her while he respectfully took her other hand and led her in a slow waltz. Though he paled in comparison to Norman, he could manage this much.
"So, you're having a good time, eh, Major Davis?" Cassie asked in a sly tone of voice. She had noticed him laughing and knew perfectly well what Sergeant Siler was capable of in the uncontrollable giggle department.
He smiled at her. "Well, it seems like you and Sergeant Davis were having a pretty good time, too; I couldn't let him have ALL the fun, now, could I?" he said with a grin.
He looked over her head now; it had been inescapable the way that Dominic had been staring at her, with a classic lost puppy dog look in his eyes. If he weren't a high school kid, Paul thought, he could easily be accused of being a stalker.
"You know, that young man over there seems quite smitten with you," Paul said innocently, inclining his head ever so slightly in Dominic's direction. "Do I need to have him checked out?"
"Let him look," Cassie said with just the slightest hint of anger in her voice.
"Do you know him?" Paul asked, continuing his unaware air. He was surprised the bright young girl hadn't already figured out what he knew about the whole situation; Jonas had filled them in on the details as best he knew them.
"I thought I did," Cassie said, with just a hint of regret in her voice.
"Oh, now, that sounds like what women say when a guy does something stupid," Paul said lightly. "What did he do?"
"Nothing, really, it's just that, we had an argument," Cassie said, looking down. "I don't even remember what it was about any more," she said slowly.
"Well, it's been my experience that most arguments aren't worth remembering."
Cassie bit her lip as she took in this sage piece of advice. Paul smiled; he was on familiar ground here.
"I suppose that's true," she said quietly.
The music ended then, and the band went on a break. Paul and Cassie walked back towards the table to join Siler and Norman.
"Well, I'm going to try some of that scary red stuff they're calling punch here; anybody else want some?" Paul asked. He wasn't really thirsty, but he had a plan. The air in the gym was warm now and his friends readily accepted his offer to get drinks for them.
Paul walked over to the table where the punch was ladled into small plastic cups for the taking, carefully skirting to the end where the young man was standing against the wall.
As he waited for his turn at the table, he casually addressed Dominic.
"She looks nice, doesn't she?"
Dominic looked up at him now, startled. "Yeah, she really does," he replied, with a dreamy, far away sound to his voice.
"You've been watching her since she came in; why didn't you ask her yourself?" Paul asked him, using his authoritative voice, the one that inevitably got him answers when he asked a question.
"I wanted to," Dominic said, somewhat miserably. "But then we had a fight."
"Yeah, that can really put the kabash on things like a date," Paul said in an understanding tone. "You know the argument was probably your fault, right? I mean, let's face it, they always think it's our fault, anyway, so if we ever want to get anywhere we might as well just say it's our fault and get on with it," he said, sliding easily into his man-to-man voice, as if he and Dominic were old pals.
"Funny thing is, I don't even remember what the argument was about," Dominic said, with a puzzled look on his face.
"Well, it's been my experience that most arguments aren't worth remembering. I've also learned that most women like to hear it when you think they look nice," Paul said smoothly.
Dominic pondered this statement, as Paul got up to the punch table.
"Hey, do you think you could give an old Air Force guy a hand with these cups?" Paul asked. He didn't wait for an answer, just indicated the two glasses on the table with his head and the two in his hand.
Another benefit of the uniform, he thought to himself; the look on Dominic's face was that same sort of questioning look that many civilians got, most would simply obey and follow without question. He had a suspicion that it was just the opening the young man was looking for, anyway.
They proceeded back towards the table as the band came back from its break and began one of those songs that was too fast for slow dancing and too slow for fast dancing – tailor made for a break in the action and to showcase the female lead singer's talents.
Across the gymnasium, Jonas smiled as he watched the scene unfolding. He admired Major Davis' covert techniques where things of this nature were concerned.
He and Janet were working as a team in their chaperone roles; as Jonas noticed certain kids doing things that were not in line with the rules set forth by the school administration, Janet briskly took action.
He grinned as he watched her putting out cigarettes and separating some couples who were too close for anyone's public comfort. Her every day job made this sort of activity look like a day in the park; if any of these kids thought she was being tough now, they had ought to talk to some of the airmen she handled daily, Jonas thought, immensely enjoying watching her in action.
Cassie's breath caught in her throat as Dominic handed her one of the glasses he had carried at Paul's behest.
"Hi Cassie."
"Hi Dominic," she said, trying to keep the nervous waver out of her voice. "Thanks," she added sincerely, as she took the offered refreshment. She wasn't quite ready to kiss and make up just yet, though.
"Where's Cheryl?" she asked innocently.
"She got back together with Greg; they went skiing this weekend," Dominic replied in a matter of fact tone.
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that." Cassie felt a twinge of awkward embarrassment for having asked the question, mixed with a feeling of empathy; it was exactly what had happened to her with Ben.
"Oh, that's okay, it's better this way, anyway." It wasn't quite what he meant, but it was close.
Paul was motioning slightly at him; he looked up. The officer was mouthing the word "nice"; Dominic picked up on the hint.
"You look very nice tonight, Cassie," he declared, as sincerely as he'd ever said anything in his young life.
She smiled at him now, touched at his words and the earnest tone with which they were delivered.
"Thank you," she responded demurely.
The words of the song now being sung drifted through the air on the smooth, dulcet tones of the lead singer.
Never seen a sky so blue
I've never been happy with anyone
Like I am when I'm with you
Look at the sun shining up in the sky
I feel a little closer to heaven, baby
When I'm looking into your eyes
And as long as we're together, boy
I'm sitting on top of the world
Wanna feel this way forever, boy
I'm sitting on top of the world
Last night I lay in the dark
Tryin' to figure it out
Tryin' to talk to my heart
But now it's morning and I still don't know why
All I know is that you got me feeling so good
All I know is that it feels the way that true love should
Ain't no one luckier than you and I
And as long as we're together, boy
I'm sitting on top of the world
Wanna feel this way forever, boy
I'm sitting on top of the world
And everybody's got an opinion 'bout how this should be
But they don't understand it
No, no they just can't see
That I belong with you and baby baby
Baby, you belong with me
And as long as we're together, boy
I'm sitting on top of the world
Wanna feel this way forever, boy
I'm sitting on top of the world
Dominic shifted his weight from one foot to the other as the song trailed off. "Well, I should probably get back to the guys," he said, not sure what else to say at that moment. He smiled at Cassie, looking repeatedly over his shoulder at her as he went back to his table.
Sam shrugged into her jacket, shutting the locker door. As she made her way out of the complex, she stopped at the open door of the lab; Jennifer was concentrating on an experiment. Sam found herself impressed again with the dedication the young officer had to the work that they were doing.
"Good evening, Lieutenant," she greeted her smoothly.
Jennifer jumped, startled out of her analytical reverie. She quickly stood up off the stool. "Good evening, Major," she replied, saluting.
"Lieutenant, I was just heading to town to see if I can sneak a peek at the school dance," Sam said in what she hoped was a casual tone. "Would you like to ride down with me?"
Jennifer smiled, touched at the offer. She looked at the experiment she was working on; it was a good time to stop and gather her thoughts. Major Carter might have an idea or two about it, anyway, she thought to herself.
"Ma'am, that would be a fine idea, ma'am."
As they rode together, Jennifer carefully explained the current problem she was having with the experiment.
Sam listened quietly, and offered Jennifer a couple of alternatives that she could consider trying. She resisted the urge to dictate what should be done; the junior officer was becoming an accomplished scientist and didn't need to be told how to do things. Secretly, Sam was pleased that Jennifer had asked for her input.
The dance was beginning to wrap up; Norman had spent the balance of the evening showcasing his talents with a wide variety of partners, teachers and some of Cassie's friends among them. Paul and Siler took turns giving Cassie a twirl on the floor, and she danced a bit with some of her girlfriends too.
Jonas and Janet watched from their post along the back wall, exchanging the occasional smile at what had turned out to be an enjoyable evening for them all. Janet had been right again, Jonas thought. He was more than a little surprised at how busy they had been throughout the evening; he found himself relieved that it was almost over.
Suddenly he grinned widely.
"What?" the diminutive doctor asked him, still on full chaperone alert.
"I think there's been a change in the wind tonight," he said, gesturing ever so slightly with a nod of his head in the direction of the table where Cassie sat with Major Davis and Sergeants Siler and Davis.
Janet followed his line of sight; she felt an inexplicable surge of excitement at the sight of Dominic approaching the table.
"Sirs?"
They looked up suddenly at the sound of the teenaged mixed pitch voice; it was Dominic. Paul heard Cassie draw a breath from the seat next to him. The boy was looking from Paul to Norman, then back.
"Yes?" Paul answered. His rank usually caused he and his roommates to automatically assume it was him that was being addressed. They knew that uniforms had that effect on people; they addressed them as sir regardless of their true rank.
"May I request the honor of the last dance with Cassie?"
Paul, Norman and Siler exchanged a knowing glance; then they looked at Cassie.
"Well, Cassie, it's really up to you – what do you say?" Paul asked her with a smile. The warm look in his handsome brown eyes told Cassie this was a good thing; she would not soon forget their kindness that evening.
"I'd like that," she answered quietly, fixing her eyes on Dominic. He held out his hand to her, she took it as she rose from the chair.
Jonas and Janet watched from their post against the wall. As Dominic took Cassie's hand and led her to the dance floor, they exchanged knowing smiles with the three gentlemen who'd come to her rescue.
Paul grinned at his compatriots. Mission accomplished, he thought happily.
Jonas turned to Janet. All night he'd been watching her tap her feet; he felt an urge to liberate her considerable dance talents.
"It's the last dance, doc," Jonas said, with the warm smile that made him irresistibly attractive. "May I have the honor?" he asked.
Janet hesitated. She loved to dance and so rarely got an opportunity, except for the occasional impromptu twirl around their living room when good music was on the television or the radio. She already knew firsthand that Jonas was a wonderful dancer, but here, in the school gymnasium, they would be seen by people who knew them.
She looked around and noticed that several of the chaperones were also dancing, some with their spouses and others with their co-workers. She took a deep breath, and reminded herself that no one else would actually know what she was feeling when he took her in his arms.
"I'd like that," she replied, as she put her hand in his; an electric tingle raced over her at his touch.
Jonas led Janet to the nearest corner of the dance floor, a dark area close to the outside door so they would not be too obtrusive. He held her at a respectful distance for a slow dance; after all, they were chaperones and needed to set the right example, regardless of what the kids themselves were actually engaging in.
The words of the song were audible now; as she heard them, Janet thought they described her own feelings pretty accurately.
Lost inside this angeltown
Lost like I could not be found
No connections of the heart
Love was glass that broke apart
Gimme faith in dreams
And someone to hold
Gimme love 'cause I'm out here in the cold
There are no secrets
No angels at my door
And oh, when you touch my hand
I fall from grace
And oh, when you reach for me
I fall from grace
I fall from grace
Arriving at the high school, Sam guided the car towards the back parking lot, and she and Jennifer furtively made their way to the back door of the gymnasium, one side of which stood partially open. Several people were already gathered there; curious parents who had been ordered by their children to stay away but whose curiosity prompted this stealth tactic.
As they made their way towards the door, the crowd parted, some out of respect for their uniformed presence, some for fear that their own presence would be detected by their offspring inside.
The dance was nearly over; Sam and Jennifer heard the band announce the last song as they got closer to the door. Peering in, they spied Cassie in a close embrace with Dominic as they swayed to the music.
Cassie's strong, naquadah enhanced instincts picked up that they were there. She looked over towards the door and saw them, giving them a warm, contented smile as she moved slowly in Dominic's arms.
As the young dancers swirled out of sight, the two women smiled at each other; it had all worked out. Sam felt a warm sense of kinship with the younger woman at that moment, the fondness Jennifer had for Cassie obvious on her pretty face.
No better time than the present, Samantha Carter, she thought to herself. Her curiosity had been piqued ever since Jack had showed up in her lab one night with a huge grin to tell her that Daniel had casually mentioned he was going to make dinner for Jennifer's birthday some time back.
"Lieutenant, may I ask you a personal question?"
Jennifer swallowed hard, the hairs on her neck rising at this request from the senior officer. She braced herself.
"Ma'am, yes ma'am," she answered, leveling her steely eyed gaze at the major.
A curious, mischievous gleam appeared in Sam's eyes. "I know that Daniel – I mean Dr. Jackson – had planned to make you dinner for your birthday recently…but if his mission cooking is any indication of his abilities in the kitchen…" Sam left the last sentence dangling, grinning, hoping that Jennifer would fill in the details.
Jennifer let her breath out, smiling; it was yet another tender of friendship from the senior officer.
"Well, ma'am, to tell you the truth, it was absolutely perfect. It was one of the best meals I've ever had." Not to mention dessert, Jennifer thought to herself, a tingle coming over her at the memory of that evening, their first together as lovers.
Sam smiled warmly, a pleasantly surprised look on her face. "Really. Well, that's great, Lieutenant," she said evenly, managing to keep the shock out of her voice.
Jennifer fixed her with another one of her gazes; there was merriment behind her dark eyes this time.
"Yes ma'am, I imagine that Waiters on Wheels has saved more than one man from his own kitchen," she stated in a matter of fact tone of voice, trying to hide the superior grin this reminder always elicited.
Sam chuckled knowingly; silently deciding that this detail would be kept to herself when she reported the happy outcome of the birthday evening to Colonel O'Neill the next time she saw him.
They stood looking through the open gymnasium door for another minute.
"Hey, whaddya make of that, Lieutenant?" Sam said with a grin, nudging Jennifer, indicating with a nod of her head the sight of Jonas and Janet slow dancing together.
Jennifer giggled conspiratorially. "I don't know, ma'am; quite frankly, in light of their current arrangement, I'm not sure how she manages to keep her hands to herself every day," she said seriously, a note of mock wonder in her voice.
Sam choked back a hearty chortle at this uncharacteristically brazen assessment of Jonas from the younger officer, though she strongly agreed with Jennifer on this point. The heads of a few of the teacher chaperones turned sharply at the sound.
As he guided her in slow circles around their corner of the floor, Jonas smiled at how happy Janet looked. The words of the song the band was crooning seemed particularly descriptive of how he felt at that moment.
Lost inside this angeltown
Lost like I could not be found
No connections of the heart
Love was glass that broke apart
Gimme faith in dreams
And someone to hold
Gimme love 'cause I'm out here in the cold
There are no secrets
No angels at my door
And oh, when you touch my hand
I fall from grace
And oh, when you reach for me
I fall from grace
She's so beautiful, he thought to himself. He wanted to pull her close in his arms, to kiss her as he had on occasion before, but in this situation, surrounded by Cassie and her friends and teachers and by several of their own colleagues, that would have been tantamount to shouting his feelings for her from the top of the Cheyenne complex; he was fairly certain she wasn't ready for that yet.
The music ended and the dancers parted, saving Jonas further contemplation on this point for the moment.
As the music came to an end, the dancers parting from their embraces and preparing to leave, the crowd around the two on-lookers outside dissipated.
"Guess that's our cue, too. Should we go?" Sam asked.
Jennifer turned and looked her in the eye. She took a deep breath.
"It's late and the base is a bit out of your way, Major Carter. If you wanted to drop me at Dr. Jackson's place instead, ma'am, I don't think he'd mind driving me back," she finished.
Sam was charmed at what was obviously a trusting admission on her part; she sensed that, if she did drop Jennifer off at the Victorian, there would be no barracks for the young officer that night.
"Okay, that sounds like a plan, Lieutenant," she replied with a warm smile and just the hint of a knowing twinkle in her eye.