She ended up letting herself in. There was no answer when she rapped
lightly on the door, and she almost decided that he was asleep and she
should let him sleep. Then, of course, Talon had jumped in and goaded her
once more into growing some backbone. Yeah, it could wait, but he already
knew her well enough to know that if she waited this time, she'd probably
find a reason to wait the next morning, and the next. Talon wasn't going to
rush her into leaving Earth, but he wasn't going to hang out for 20 years
while she dithered, either. So she fished out her keys once more, and found
his apartment key – which was right next to her own house keys – and let
herself in.
He was sleeping on his sofa. Still sitting upright, and with the remote control in his hand, although the TV was off. He'd taken a shower; his face was clean, and when she got closer she could see that his dark hair was still damp. Mitchell came up behind him, and rested her hand lightly on his bare shoulder, knowing that it was all she'd need to do to wake him up. He opened his eyes and turned, not startled by the touch as so many would have been. It was another thing she liked about him; he was too easy-going to ever be startled by anything. Not at all like Mitchell, who admitted freely that she tended to be jittery at times – which certainly had something to do with the amount of coffee she drank.
His blue eyes were worried as he realized who it was standing there. She was supposed to be on the base resting, last Anderson knew, so he was immediately concerned.
"Colonel?"
"Relax, Brad."
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing." She came around and sat down next to him, not close enough to touch, but close enough. "I was just checking on you."
He blushed. "You didn't need to. I'm fine. How are you feeling?"
"Much better."
"General Hammond talked to me before I left..." Anderson said. "He wants me to take over SG-2."
"I know. He told me earlier." She smiled. "You'll do great."
He shrugged. "It's not how I wanted to get my first command."
"It beats the alternative." Which was taking over after she died. Anderson bit his lower lip as he realized what she meant, and Mitchell reached out and took his hand before he could get upset again. "I'm fine, Brad. With what happened, I mean. I really like Talon, and he's got a few things planned for the Goa'uld that I agree with completely. If I had to choose between dying from that dart, and what I have now, I'd choose this way every time."
"Really?"
She nodded.
"When do you leave?"
"In a few days, probably. I have some things to take care of, first."
He nodded, but he looked more forlorn than ever. She sighed.
"I'm not going to be gone forever, you know."
"I know." He didn't know, though. He didn't know what they were planning for her, and he didn't know when he was going to see her again once she left. He looked down at his hands, knowing she could read his expression too easily to hide how upset he was and not wanting her to know. "It's better than the alternative." He whispered.
"It has its advantages, Brad." Melony told him.
"Like what?"
"I'm still in the Air Force, and still a Colonel, but I'm not in your chain of command anymore."
He looked up, wondering if that meant what he hoped it meant. He loved her, and knew she liked him, but that wasn't the same as love. Of course, they'd never actually been able to have that discussion for obvious reasons, but now...? She smiled, and leaned over and kissed him before he could say anything.
"Which means I can do that."
His heart – which had dropped into the pit of his stomach when he thought of her leaving – now soared once more, and Anderson tried to catch his breath, which she'd stolen completely away with the unexpected kiss.
"Just that?"
Mitchell laughed, and Brad smiled as well, realizing how that had sounded.
"You know what I mean, Colonel," He said, lamely, blushing again.
"I'd be disappointed if that was all you wanted to do, Brad." Melony said, realizing she was definitely going to have to take the initiative this time. She leaned over and kissed him again, and this time, he reached out and pulled her into his arms.
/././
It was much later when her cell phone ringing woke her up. Mitchell opened her eyes, very reluctantly. She was warm, and comfortable, and she didn't have a clue where the damned phone was, since it was with her clothes, and those had vanished hours before. She ignored it, figuring whoever it was would give up and hang up, but that didn't work.
"Damn..." She rolled over a little, sliding out of Brad's loose embrace, and then leaned over him and looked over the edge of the bed, following the sound of the rings to her shirt, which held her phone. Reaching down – and probably smooshing Anderson a little, since she was resting on him – she grabbed up her phone, her hands touching the floor, her body still on the bed, and all the blood rushing to her head.
"What?"
"Where are you?"
"Who is this?"
"Jack. Where are you?"
"What?"
"Did I wake you up?"
"Yes. Where are you?"
"At the base. Where you're supposed to be resting, remember?"
"No one said I had to rest, Jack."
"Fraiser let you go?"
"Yup."
"Where are you?"
Hmmm... tell him? Or don't? She wondered how that would go over. Better to wait.
"Is everything all right, Jack?"
"Are you at home?"
"No."
There was a long silence, and she knew she didn't need to tell him anything else; he'd figured it out on his own. O'Neill always was a smart guy.
"Are you going to be here in the morning?"
"Yes. Will you?"
She felt a hand running along her hip, and looked over her shoulder at Brad, who was awake and watching her as she talked on the phone. Melony gave him a smile, which he returned, and went back to her conversation.
"Yeah, Jack. I'll be there at..." She looked at her watch. It was 3 am. "8:00. Okay?"
"Good enough."
"I'll talk to you later, Jack."
"Enjoy your evening, Melony."
"Oh, I will."
He was laughing as he hung up the phone, and Melony shook her head as she turned off her cell.
"Colonel O'Neill?" Anderson asked as she righted herself and cuddled against him again."
"M-hmmm."
"Everything all right?"
"M-hmmm... he was just checking up on me..."
Anderson started to say something else, but Melony had already fallen asleep again, and she wouldn't have heard it anyways. He smiled, pulled her a little closer and went back to sleep as well.
He was sleeping on his sofa. Still sitting upright, and with the remote control in his hand, although the TV was off. He'd taken a shower; his face was clean, and when she got closer she could see that his dark hair was still damp. Mitchell came up behind him, and rested her hand lightly on his bare shoulder, knowing that it was all she'd need to do to wake him up. He opened his eyes and turned, not startled by the touch as so many would have been. It was another thing she liked about him; he was too easy-going to ever be startled by anything. Not at all like Mitchell, who admitted freely that she tended to be jittery at times – which certainly had something to do with the amount of coffee she drank.
His blue eyes were worried as he realized who it was standing there. She was supposed to be on the base resting, last Anderson knew, so he was immediately concerned.
"Colonel?"
"Relax, Brad."
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing." She came around and sat down next to him, not close enough to touch, but close enough. "I was just checking on you."
He blushed. "You didn't need to. I'm fine. How are you feeling?"
"Much better."
"General Hammond talked to me before I left..." Anderson said. "He wants me to take over SG-2."
"I know. He told me earlier." She smiled. "You'll do great."
He shrugged. "It's not how I wanted to get my first command."
"It beats the alternative." Which was taking over after she died. Anderson bit his lower lip as he realized what she meant, and Mitchell reached out and took his hand before he could get upset again. "I'm fine, Brad. With what happened, I mean. I really like Talon, and he's got a few things planned for the Goa'uld that I agree with completely. If I had to choose between dying from that dart, and what I have now, I'd choose this way every time."
"Really?"
She nodded.
"When do you leave?"
"In a few days, probably. I have some things to take care of, first."
He nodded, but he looked more forlorn than ever. She sighed.
"I'm not going to be gone forever, you know."
"I know." He didn't know, though. He didn't know what they were planning for her, and he didn't know when he was going to see her again once she left. He looked down at his hands, knowing she could read his expression too easily to hide how upset he was and not wanting her to know. "It's better than the alternative." He whispered.
"It has its advantages, Brad." Melony told him.
"Like what?"
"I'm still in the Air Force, and still a Colonel, but I'm not in your chain of command anymore."
He looked up, wondering if that meant what he hoped it meant. He loved her, and knew she liked him, but that wasn't the same as love. Of course, they'd never actually been able to have that discussion for obvious reasons, but now...? She smiled, and leaned over and kissed him before he could say anything.
"Which means I can do that."
His heart – which had dropped into the pit of his stomach when he thought of her leaving – now soared once more, and Anderson tried to catch his breath, which she'd stolen completely away with the unexpected kiss.
"Just that?"
Mitchell laughed, and Brad smiled as well, realizing how that had sounded.
"You know what I mean, Colonel," He said, lamely, blushing again.
"I'd be disappointed if that was all you wanted to do, Brad." Melony said, realizing she was definitely going to have to take the initiative this time. She leaned over and kissed him again, and this time, he reached out and pulled her into his arms.
/././
It was much later when her cell phone ringing woke her up. Mitchell opened her eyes, very reluctantly. She was warm, and comfortable, and she didn't have a clue where the damned phone was, since it was with her clothes, and those had vanished hours before. She ignored it, figuring whoever it was would give up and hang up, but that didn't work.
"Damn..." She rolled over a little, sliding out of Brad's loose embrace, and then leaned over him and looked over the edge of the bed, following the sound of the rings to her shirt, which held her phone. Reaching down – and probably smooshing Anderson a little, since she was resting on him – she grabbed up her phone, her hands touching the floor, her body still on the bed, and all the blood rushing to her head.
"What?"
"Where are you?"
"Who is this?"
"Jack. Where are you?"
"What?"
"Did I wake you up?"
"Yes. Where are you?"
"At the base. Where you're supposed to be resting, remember?"
"No one said I had to rest, Jack."
"Fraiser let you go?"
"Yup."
"Where are you?"
Hmmm... tell him? Or don't? She wondered how that would go over. Better to wait.
"Is everything all right, Jack?"
"Are you at home?"
"No."
There was a long silence, and she knew she didn't need to tell him anything else; he'd figured it out on his own. O'Neill always was a smart guy.
"Are you going to be here in the morning?"
"Yes. Will you?"
She felt a hand running along her hip, and looked over her shoulder at Brad, who was awake and watching her as she talked on the phone. Melony gave him a smile, which he returned, and went back to her conversation.
"Yeah, Jack. I'll be there at..." She looked at her watch. It was 3 am. "8:00. Okay?"
"Good enough."
"I'll talk to you later, Jack."
"Enjoy your evening, Melony."
"Oh, I will."
He was laughing as he hung up the phone, and Melony shook her head as she turned off her cell.
"Colonel O'Neill?" Anderson asked as she righted herself and cuddled against him again."
"M-hmmm."
"Everything all right?"
"M-hmmm... he was just checking up on me..."
Anderson started to say something else, but Melony had already fallen asleep again, and she wouldn't have heard it anyways. He smiled, pulled her a little closer and went back to sleep as well.