Author's Note: This is one of those transitional chapters... not all that
interesting, but necessary!
...
Mitchell emerged from Carter's lab late into the afternoon. She was tired of being cooped up, and tired of having techno-babble in her head. Even though she understood what it was, and what the words and phrases that Talon was sharing meant – thanks to the Tok'ra sharing them with her, she wasn't the scientist he was, and if not for him taking care of her from the inside out, she would have had a raging headache by then.
She gathered up her newly-finished device – simply to keep anyone from finding it and playing with it – and made sure she'd left everything where Carter had it originally. Then she called the OD to find out if Brad Anderson had made it into the base. He had, but she couldn't find him when she went looking for him. She couldn't find Jack, either. Grumbling, she decided she might as well just go home.
She stopped for a burger on the way, figuring she'd just take it home with her. (She never ate in her car) Talon wanted her to get more than just a burger – he wanted to try one of everything – but the two of them compromised and she got a bacon cheeseburger, a chicken sandwich, a fish sandwich, fries, onion rings and two shakes – one strawberry, one blackberry. Basically, a little of everything, but not everything that was on the menu. Then she drove home, ate a little of everything, and sat down on the sofa, ready to relax and do nothing.
[Can we watch TV?]
She grinned and turned it on, flipping through the channels for him so he could see everything that her dish had to offer. He showed particular interest in the football game, so she left the channel there, and stretched out to watch it. There wasn't anything else that she had to do, so she didn't mind letting him have a bit of time to see what her world was like. They'd be back on his soon enough.
[When the Goa'uld are gone, we'll stay here, if you wish] Talon told her, catching the train of her thoughts.
I'm comfortable here.
[I know]
They didn't speak further, but she was still very much in tune with her symbiote, and was listening in on him while he watched the ball game, grinning occasionally when he didn't understand something, and explaining a rule or a call so he wouldn't have to rummage through her memories to find out what was going on. It was like watching the game with a five year old, but it was fun. And it was relaxing.
Her cell phone rang close to the end of the fourth quarter, and she reached for it.
"Hello?"
"Hey."
"Hi."
"Where are you?"
"Home. You?"
"Home. Can I come over?"
"You don't have to ask permission, lover, just come."
"Habit, I guess." She could hear the pleasure in his voice at being called such an intimate nickname, and Mitchell smiled. And ignored Talon's sudden interest in her physical reaction to his voice. The symbiote had never had a female host before, and he wasn't so used to the differences in physiology and hormone levels, and it was interesting to him.
Leave my hormones alone. She warned him.
[Moi??] she could feel his mocking innocence, and she smiled again.
"Come over, Brad. Bring food if you want to eat, though, I already had dinner."
"I'll be there in ten."
"Door's open." Like it mattered, since he had a key.
Just as the game finished, Anderson knocked on the door. Melony didn't bother to get up, since she knew who it was. She just turned her head and watched the door open and her Major come through.
"How was your day?" He asked, coming over and leaning over to kiss her, hesitantly. He was still feeling a bit odd about being able to do that whenever he wanted to – but he liked it!
"I built a doohickey."
"That's what Colonel O'Neill was telling me. What is it?"
"A present for Jack."
She patted the spot next to herself, and he took the invitation and sat down.
"You made Colonel O'Neill a present? A doohickey?"
She nodded. "Well, Talon told me how, so really; he made it."
"Do I get to see it?"
"It's on the table."
He got up and walked over to the table, curiosity driving him crazy. The device looked a little like a wristwatch, but it was a bit bulkier, and he didn't see a time display anywhere on it.
"What's it do?"
"It's complicated." She didn't feel like trying to explain it, and she didn't feel like letting Talon take over to explain it, either. "I'll tell you later, okay?"
"Okay." He set it down and walked back over and sat down again, this time close enough to her that he was touching her.
"Did you make me a present, too?" He asked, smiling.
"I have something else in mind for you, Brad."
His grin was positively naughty, and Mitchell laughed when she realized how that ha sounded.
"Not that." She told him, grinning. Then she corrected herself. "Well, yeah, that, too. But that wasn't what I meant."
"What did you mean?"
"I'm going to need someone to take over things here. The house, my bank accounts, Michael's car. I was wondering if you'd be the power of attorney for me?"
"What?"
"You know. Take care of my stuff. I don't want to sell the house – I really don't have time, and I'm pretty fond of it. Besides, I'll need a place to sleep when I get back here for visits."
"You could stay at my place."
"Yeah. Or you could stay at mine, and take care of it for me." She shrugged. "I know it's a lot to ask, but I trust you, and you don't have a house of your own to worry about."
"And your car?"
"I'll need wheels when I'm here, too. And I sure as hell won't sell that. It's either have you take it, or give it to Jack. If you're living at my house, though, you might as well have my car."
"Melony-"
"Please?"
"But-"
"I don't know what else to do with the house, Brad. It's not going to be able to come through the Stargate with me – no more than the Mustang is – and I've accepted that. But I'm not going to let the house fall to ruins, and I'm not going to let the car go to rust. Which means I need someone to watch them for me."
"Colonel O'Neill-"
"Already owns a house. He has his roots down. You don't. You could just watch over my roots for me..."
He looked fairly surprised by the conversation they were having, but Mitchell had to be practical; she was leaving soon and she had valid points for everything she was saying. She needed him to say yes. Or at least... "Just think about it, please?"
"Okay."
She smiled, relieved that he hadn't said no immediately, and changed the subject to give him time to think about it without being pressured by her.
"What did you do today?"
"Planned out your goodbye party."
"I'm having a goodbye party?"
"Uh huh."
"Who's idea was that?"
"Colonel O'Neill's." He gathered her into his arms and held her, just wanting to be close, and Mitchell went willingly.
"Really?"
"Yup. We're having it here."
"I don't have to cook, do I?"
"Good God, no. We don't want to poison everyone before you go."
She laughed. Yeah, she wasn't the best of cooks, and it was no secret.
"When?"
"Tomorrow evening."
"Will there be cake?"
"Sure."
"Good."
He smiled and leaned over to kiss her. They could talk about the party later. They could talk about the device she'd built later. They could talk about him moving into her house, and taking over her affairs later. Right now there was a different kind of affair she wanted to concentrate on. They didn't have all that much time to be together, after all, and she didn't want to waste it anymore than he did.
...
Mitchell emerged from Carter's lab late into the afternoon. She was tired of being cooped up, and tired of having techno-babble in her head. Even though she understood what it was, and what the words and phrases that Talon was sharing meant – thanks to the Tok'ra sharing them with her, she wasn't the scientist he was, and if not for him taking care of her from the inside out, she would have had a raging headache by then.
She gathered up her newly-finished device – simply to keep anyone from finding it and playing with it – and made sure she'd left everything where Carter had it originally. Then she called the OD to find out if Brad Anderson had made it into the base. He had, but she couldn't find him when she went looking for him. She couldn't find Jack, either. Grumbling, she decided she might as well just go home.
She stopped for a burger on the way, figuring she'd just take it home with her. (She never ate in her car) Talon wanted her to get more than just a burger – he wanted to try one of everything – but the two of them compromised and she got a bacon cheeseburger, a chicken sandwich, a fish sandwich, fries, onion rings and two shakes – one strawberry, one blackberry. Basically, a little of everything, but not everything that was on the menu. Then she drove home, ate a little of everything, and sat down on the sofa, ready to relax and do nothing.
[Can we watch TV?]
She grinned and turned it on, flipping through the channels for him so he could see everything that her dish had to offer. He showed particular interest in the football game, so she left the channel there, and stretched out to watch it. There wasn't anything else that she had to do, so she didn't mind letting him have a bit of time to see what her world was like. They'd be back on his soon enough.
[When the Goa'uld are gone, we'll stay here, if you wish] Talon told her, catching the train of her thoughts.
I'm comfortable here.
[I know]
They didn't speak further, but she was still very much in tune with her symbiote, and was listening in on him while he watched the ball game, grinning occasionally when he didn't understand something, and explaining a rule or a call so he wouldn't have to rummage through her memories to find out what was going on. It was like watching the game with a five year old, but it was fun. And it was relaxing.
Her cell phone rang close to the end of the fourth quarter, and she reached for it.
"Hello?"
"Hey."
"Hi."
"Where are you?"
"Home. You?"
"Home. Can I come over?"
"You don't have to ask permission, lover, just come."
"Habit, I guess." She could hear the pleasure in his voice at being called such an intimate nickname, and Mitchell smiled. And ignored Talon's sudden interest in her physical reaction to his voice. The symbiote had never had a female host before, and he wasn't so used to the differences in physiology and hormone levels, and it was interesting to him.
Leave my hormones alone. She warned him.
[Moi??] she could feel his mocking innocence, and she smiled again.
"Come over, Brad. Bring food if you want to eat, though, I already had dinner."
"I'll be there in ten."
"Door's open." Like it mattered, since he had a key.
Just as the game finished, Anderson knocked on the door. Melony didn't bother to get up, since she knew who it was. She just turned her head and watched the door open and her Major come through.
"How was your day?" He asked, coming over and leaning over to kiss her, hesitantly. He was still feeling a bit odd about being able to do that whenever he wanted to – but he liked it!
"I built a doohickey."
"That's what Colonel O'Neill was telling me. What is it?"
"A present for Jack."
She patted the spot next to herself, and he took the invitation and sat down.
"You made Colonel O'Neill a present? A doohickey?"
She nodded. "Well, Talon told me how, so really; he made it."
"Do I get to see it?"
"It's on the table."
He got up and walked over to the table, curiosity driving him crazy. The device looked a little like a wristwatch, but it was a bit bulkier, and he didn't see a time display anywhere on it.
"What's it do?"
"It's complicated." She didn't feel like trying to explain it, and she didn't feel like letting Talon take over to explain it, either. "I'll tell you later, okay?"
"Okay." He set it down and walked back over and sat down again, this time close enough to her that he was touching her.
"Did you make me a present, too?" He asked, smiling.
"I have something else in mind for you, Brad."
His grin was positively naughty, and Mitchell laughed when she realized how that ha sounded.
"Not that." She told him, grinning. Then she corrected herself. "Well, yeah, that, too. But that wasn't what I meant."
"What did you mean?"
"I'm going to need someone to take over things here. The house, my bank accounts, Michael's car. I was wondering if you'd be the power of attorney for me?"
"What?"
"You know. Take care of my stuff. I don't want to sell the house – I really don't have time, and I'm pretty fond of it. Besides, I'll need a place to sleep when I get back here for visits."
"You could stay at my place."
"Yeah. Or you could stay at mine, and take care of it for me." She shrugged. "I know it's a lot to ask, but I trust you, and you don't have a house of your own to worry about."
"And your car?"
"I'll need wheels when I'm here, too. And I sure as hell won't sell that. It's either have you take it, or give it to Jack. If you're living at my house, though, you might as well have my car."
"Melony-"
"Please?"
"But-"
"I don't know what else to do with the house, Brad. It's not going to be able to come through the Stargate with me – no more than the Mustang is – and I've accepted that. But I'm not going to let the house fall to ruins, and I'm not going to let the car go to rust. Which means I need someone to watch them for me."
"Colonel O'Neill-"
"Already owns a house. He has his roots down. You don't. You could just watch over my roots for me..."
He looked fairly surprised by the conversation they were having, but Mitchell had to be practical; she was leaving soon and she had valid points for everything she was saying. She needed him to say yes. Or at least... "Just think about it, please?"
"Okay."
She smiled, relieved that he hadn't said no immediately, and changed the subject to give him time to think about it without being pressured by her.
"What did you do today?"
"Planned out your goodbye party."
"I'm having a goodbye party?"
"Uh huh."
"Who's idea was that?"
"Colonel O'Neill's." He gathered her into his arms and held her, just wanting to be close, and Mitchell went willingly.
"Really?"
"Yup. We're having it here."
"I don't have to cook, do I?"
"Good God, no. We don't want to poison everyone before you go."
She laughed. Yeah, she wasn't the best of cooks, and it was no secret.
"When?"
"Tomorrow evening."
"Will there be cake?"
"Sure."
"Good."
He smiled and leaned over to kiss her. They could talk about the party later. They could talk about the device she'd built later. They could talk about him moving into her house, and taking over her affairs later. Right now there was a different kind of affair she wanted to concentrate on. They didn't have all that much time to be together, after all, and she didn't want to waste it anymore than he did.