She ended up taking over Carter's lab. Hammond didn't need her for anything
just then, and he had a lot of his own work to take care of, so he told her
she was pretty much detached, and could do as she pleased while she
prepared to go off-world. Melony had nodded, leaving his office, and went
to seek out Carter, who'd told her she'd be in her lab after she finished
eating. Sure enough, that was where she was.
"You're sure you're not going to need it?" Mitchell asked. "Talon says we might be here for quite a while."
"I'm not going to need it anytime soon," Sam assured her. "Just make sure you don't blow anything up."
"Moi??" Mitchell gave her an innocent grin, and Carter left her to whatever it was she was doing.
They took a minute to look through things. Actually, Melony did all the browsing, while Talon looked on. It was an odd feeling, having him watching through her eyes like he was, but she was getting used to it, and she had to admit that she really liked the symbiote's sarcastic and sardonic humor. It was pretty close to her own. Talon assured her it was mutual.
They finished cataloguing what Carter had for them to work with, and Melony got to work. She pulled things from drawers, and off shelves, and out from underneath other things and piled them all together, then took up a soldering device and started putting things together in the order and position that Talon told her to. It would probably have been easier for him to simply take over and do it himself, but this way was more comfortable for his host, and he wasn't going to do anything she didn't like. They had a long time together, and he wanted to make sure they started it off right.
"Whatcha making?" Jack asked, sticking his head through the door about an hour later. "And don't tell me it's a Maritime Device."
"M'era'tikurian, Jack." She grinned, looking up from what she was doing.
"Whatever."
"Don't you have somebody else you should be bothering?"
He pretended to pull out a list from his pocket and browse it, and then shook his head. "Nope. From 12 to 3 it's all you."
"I'm so lucky."
"Hey. Most people would kill to spend so much time with me."
"Uh huh." She shook her head, and felt Talon's amusement. "Come in, then."
He was in the room in an instant, door closed behind him and standing there next to her and breathing down her neck as he leaned over to see what she was doing. All he could see was a tiny group of wires and something, and a piece of something else that glowed fairly bright, and more wires.
"What does it do?"
"Nothing. Yet."
"What will it do?"
"How's Major Carter?"
"Why?"
"Just curious."
"She's fine."
"Tell me more about her."
"What? Why?"
"Something to do to pass the time while I do this?"
"Uh uh." Jack shook his head. "I'm not going to spill my guts to you."
"Might make you feel better."
"I feel fine."
She grinned, and teased him for the next twenty minutes. It was one of her favorite things to do anyways, and Jack's love life – or lack thereof – and Major Carter, were two easy topics to goad him on. Of course, since she'd known him so long, Melony hardly held Jack in awe like many of the people on the base did. Not that she didn't respect him – because she did – and she loved him more than pretty much anyone, but he was open game as far as she was concerned, and he knew it.
He tried to get her back. Tried asking very personal questions about Brad Anderson to get her off balance, but that didn't work, because she answered them willingly. And after the first time she told him way more than he wanted to know – considering she was pretty much a little sister to him – Jack put his hands over his ears and closed his eyes and started making the 'I can't hear you' noises.
Mitchell laughed, and waited for him to bring his hands down and open his eyes again.
"Jack? Why don't you go find something to do? I'll get this done a lot faster if I'm alone, and the sooner I get it done, the sooner I'll tell you what it does."
"Are you going to have it done today?"
"Maybe. If you don't pester me."
"I don't pester. I advise."
"Uh huh. Go advise elsewhere."
She shooed him off, and he went, casting injured glances at her over his shoulder the entire way to the door. Glances that she ignored, since she knew they were just designed to try and make her feel guilty. He gave up, stuck his tongue out at her, and left her alone. And Mitchell went back to her building.
...
"Good afternoon, Sir. Have you seen Colonel Mitchell?"
Anderson looked a little better, Jack decided. The Major had come to his office looking for Melony, since she wasn't in the SGC lounge, and she wasn't in the commissary. Jack's office was the next obvious guess.
"She's in Major Carter's lab, Major." Jack told him, waving him into the room. "But don't bother going there. She's already kicked me out. Apparently, she and Talon are making a Mer... Medritian device... or something."
"What's that?" Brad asked as he sat down.
"Beats me. She won't tell me."
"Well, if she won't tell you, she's not going to tell me, either."
"Nope, probably not."
Jack watched the young man sitting across from him silently for a few long minutes, and Brad Anderson watched Jack. The Major knew Jack was probably sizing him up, since he knew that Jack knew what had happened between him and Mitchell. Either that or he was about to get his ass chewed for taking advantage of her, or something. Of course, since they weren't at Mitchell's house last night, it was obvious Anderson hadn't gone to her, so that might have helped. Whatever it was, he figured it would be easier for them to just get it over with.
"Something bothering you, Sir?"
Jack scowled, slightly, but nodded. Then he seemed to think better of it, and shrugged.
"No. Not really." He leaned forward slightly, his brown eyes intent, but not angry or concerned. "You know what she means to me, Major."
"Yes, Sir. I do."
"She's going to have a lot on her plate with this Tok'ra – although she says she likes him, and he seems to be a good... guy... as near as I can tell – but I don't want her to feel overwhelmed. New symbiote, new... um... relationship. Leaving home to go live where ever."
"Are you asking me to step aside?" Brad asked.
"Hell no!" Jack shook his head. "I wouldn't dream of it. First of all, it's just as obvious that she loves you, and second of all, what the two of you do is none of my business. But I am asking you to make sure you don't ask too much of her. I don't want her hurt."
"I won't, Sir." Anderson shook his head. "I'd kill myself before I hurt her."
Good enough. There was no doubting the sincerity, and Jack was very good at judging people. Even though his judgments weren't always right on the money.
"I hear you're taking SG-2."
"Yes, Sir."
"Good. At least she won't have to worry about her team."
That was a compliment, and Anderson knew it. He blushed, slightly.
"Thank you, Sir."
Jack stood up. The talk was over.
"We should have a going away party for her. Tomorrow."
"A party?"
"Why not?" He asked. "We can have it at her place; it's big enough and she has a big yard."
Anderson nodded. Why not, indeed? There were quite a few SG teams home right now, and the next day was Friday, so it wouldn't be a bad day to throw a bash – as long as it was in the evening when everyone was off duty.
"Sounds good, Sir." He stood up as well.
"Good. You plan it."
A good bye party. Jack sighed. He didn't want to lose her, he certainly didn't want to have a party to celebrate her leaving, but it was a good way to send her off, and he'd have another chance to spend some time with her before she left.
"I'll plan it, Sir," Anderson told him with a grin. "But you have to go get the stuff."
Bah. Caught.
Jack nodded.
"Fair enough."
"You're sure you're not going to need it?" Mitchell asked. "Talon says we might be here for quite a while."
"I'm not going to need it anytime soon," Sam assured her. "Just make sure you don't blow anything up."
"Moi??" Mitchell gave her an innocent grin, and Carter left her to whatever it was she was doing.
They took a minute to look through things. Actually, Melony did all the browsing, while Talon looked on. It was an odd feeling, having him watching through her eyes like he was, but she was getting used to it, and she had to admit that she really liked the symbiote's sarcastic and sardonic humor. It was pretty close to her own. Talon assured her it was mutual.
They finished cataloguing what Carter had for them to work with, and Melony got to work. She pulled things from drawers, and off shelves, and out from underneath other things and piled them all together, then took up a soldering device and started putting things together in the order and position that Talon told her to. It would probably have been easier for him to simply take over and do it himself, but this way was more comfortable for his host, and he wasn't going to do anything she didn't like. They had a long time together, and he wanted to make sure they started it off right.
"Whatcha making?" Jack asked, sticking his head through the door about an hour later. "And don't tell me it's a Maritime Device."
"M'era'tikurian, Jack." She grinned, looking up from what she was doing.
"Whatever."
"Don't you have somebody else you should be bothering?"
He pretended to pull out a list from his pocket and browse it, and then shook his head. "Nope. From 12 to 3 it's all you."
"I'm so lucky."
"Hey. Most people would kill to spend so much time with me."
"Uh huh." She shook her head, and felt Talon's amusement. "Come in, then."
He was in the room in an instant, door closed behind him and standing there next to her and breathing down her neck as he leaned over to see what she was doing. All he could see was a tiny group of wires and something, and a piece of something else that glowed fairly bright, and more wires.
"What does it do?"
"Nothing. Yet."
"What will it do?"
"How's Major Carter?"
"Why?"
"Just curious."
"She's fine."
"Tell me more about her."
"What? Why?"
"Something to do to pass the time while I do this?"
"Uh uh." Jack shook his head. "I'm not going to spill my guts to you."
"Might make you feel better."
"I feel fine."
She grinned, and teased him for the next twenty minutes. It was one of her favorite things to do anyways, and Jack's love life – or lack thereof – and Major Carter, were two easy topics to goad him on. Of course, since she'd known him so long, Melony hardly held Jack in awe like many of the people on the base did. Not that she didn't respect him – because she did – and she loved him more than pretty much anyone, but he was open game as far as she was concerned, and he knew it.
He tried to get her back. Tried asking very personal questions about Brad Anderson to get her off balance, but that didn't work, because she answered them willingly. And after the first time she told him way more than he wanted to know – considering she was pretty much a little sister to him – Jack put his hands over his ears and closed his eyes and started making the 'I can't hear you' noises.
Mitchell laughed, and waited for him to bring his hands down and open his eyes again.
"Jack? Why don't you go find something to do? I'll get this done a lot faster if I'm alone, and the sooner I get it done, the sooner I'll tell you what it does."
"Are you going to have it done today?"
"Maybe. If you don't pester me."
"I don't pester. I advise."
"Uh huh. Go advise elsewhere."
She shooed him off, and he went, casting injured glances at her over his shoulder the entire way to the door. Glances that she ignored, since she knew they were just designed to try and make her feel guilty. He gave up, stuck his tongue out at her, and left her alone. And Mitchell went back to her building.
...
"Good afternoon, Sir. Have you seen Colonel Mitchell?"
Anderson looked a little better, Jack decided. The Major had come to his office looking for Melony, since she wasn't in the SGC lounge, and she wasn't in the commissary. Jack's office was the next obvious guess.
"She's in Major Carter's lab, Major." Jack told him, waving him into the room. "But don't bother going there. She's already kicked me out. Apparently, she and Talon are making a Mer... Medritian device... or something."
"What's that?" Brad asked as he sat down.
"Beats me. She won't tell me."
"Well, if she won't tell you, she's not going to tell me, either."
"Nope, probably not."
Jack watched the young man sitting across from him silently for a few long minutes, and Brad Anderson watched Jack. The Major knew Jack was probably sizing him up, since he knew that Jack knew what had happened between him and Mitchell. Either that or he was about to get his ass chewed for taking advantage of her, or something. Of course, since they weren't at Mitchell's house last night, it was obvious Anderson hadn't gone to her, so that might have helped. Whatever it was, he figured it would be easier for them to just get it over with.
"Something bothering you, Sir?"
Jack scowled, slightly, but nodded. Then he seemed to think better of it, and shrugged.
"No. Not really." He leaned forward slightly, his brown eyes intent, but not angry or concerned. "You know what she means to me, Major."
"Yes, Sir. I do."
"She's going to have a lot on her plate with this Tok'ra – although she says she likes him, and he seems to be a good... guy... as near as I can tell – but I don't want her to feel overwhelmed. New symbiote, new... um... relationship. Leaving home to go live where ever."
"Are you asking me to step aside?" Brad asked.
"Hell no!" Jack shook his head. "I wouldn't dream of it. First of all, it's just as obvious that she loves you, and second of all, what the two of you do is none of my business. But I am asking you to make sure you don't ask too much of her. I don't want her hurt."
"I won't, Sir." Anderson shook his head. "I'd kill myself before I hurt her."
Good enough. There was no doubting the sincerity, and Jack was very good at judging people. Even though his judgments weren't always right on the money.
"I hear you're taking SG-2."
"Yes, Sir."
"Good. At least she won't have to worry about her team."
That was a compliment, and Anderson knew it. He blushed, slightly.
"Thank you, Sir."
Jack stood up. The talk was over.
"We should have a going away party for her. Tomorrow."
"A party?"
"Why not?" He asked. "We can have it at her place; it's big enough and she has a big yard."
Anderson nodded. Why not, indeed? There were quite a few SG teams home right now, and the next day was Friday, so it wouldn't be a bad day to throw a bash – as long as it was in the evening when everyone was off duty.
"Sounds good, Sir." He stood up as well.
"Good. You plan it."
A good bye party. Jack sighed. He didn't want to lose her, he certainly didn't want to have a party to celebrate her leaving, but it was a good way to send her off, and he'd have another chance to spend some time with her before she left.
"I'll plan it, Sir," Anderson told him with a grin. "But you have to go get the stuff."
Bah. Caught.
Jack nodded.
"Fair enough."