The phone rang.
"No..."
Jack groaned, ignored it, and buried his head under his pillow.
The phone rang again.
"I'm not answering you..." Jack told it, turning his head and looking at the clock. It was after midnight, and he'd only just gotten to sleep.
It rang again, and he swore softly, and picked it up. After all, it was probably the SGC, and there were probably aliens attacking the Earth this very minute, and Jack was going to have to save the world. That was what he did, after all.
"Hello?"
"Colonel O'Neill?"
"Who's attacking the world?"
"Excuse me?"
Jack sighed, waking up a little bit more as he realized that the voice was familiar.
"What can I do for –"
"This is officer Ma-"
"From the police station, right?"
"Yes, Sir."
"Don't they ever give you a night off?"
The man on the other end of the line laughed.
"I was going to ask you the same thing."
"I don't have anymore-"
"I have someone here who needs a ride home."
"Another brawl?" Jack asked, sitting up in disbelief.
"I'm afraid so."
Jack sighed.
"I'm on my way."
...............
He was sober enough to drive. He hadn't had all that many beers at Janet's house and Sam had driven him to the base to get his truck when they left Janet's, and he'd driven himself home no problem. He was tired, though, and couldn't help but feel just a bit surly as he pulled the truck up to the police station. Whoever it was he was getting – and he assumed it was probably Daniel or Sam – since Carter had dropped Teal'c off at the base the same time she'd dropped him off to get his truck, so Teal'c was probably safely in his quarters. So either Sam had decided to go do something instead of going home, or Daniel had once Janet had dropped him off at his apartment. That someone was going to get their ass chewed.
He walked through the metal detector, flashed his ID at the police officer who was already waving him through, and headed down the hall. He knew the way, and they all knew it. He went to the door, knocked, waited for a response, and opened it up and went in. And stopped.
Janet Fraiser was sitting there, talking to the police officer, and holding an ice pack against her jaw. She looked up when Jack opened the door, and stood up.
"Doc." Jack grinned when he saw her, but Fraiser wasn't amused at all.
"Colonel."
She walked past him and out the door, and Jack looked at the police office sitting behind his desk.
"I'll be waiting in your truck."
"It's right out front."
She nodded, and O'Neill crossed the room.
"Do you think I should just set up a cot here?" Jack asked the man.
"If your friends didn't use it I could."
O'Neill grinned, despite being tired, and he sat on the edge of the desk.
"What happened?"
"Ask her."
"I'd rather you told me."
..........
She was leaning against his truck under the watchful eye of a couple police officers that didn't like her standing out in the night alone. Jack hadn't thought to give her the keys, and he'd forgotten that he'd locked it. He waved a good night to the cops, and unlocked her door for her. Then he got in; made sure she was buckled, and started the truck.
"Home?"
"I need to get my car."
Oh, and didn't THAT sound familiar?
"Where is it?"
"Just take me home, Colonel," Janet said, obviously changing her mind. "I'll get the car in the morning."
"How did you find out?" He asked. No sense hiding what he knew.
"Two and two." She said, flushing slightly when she realized what he meant. "When we took Daniel home, I saw the new place down the road, and decided it HAD to be the place you were talking about."
"So you checked it out?"
"I took Cassie home and asked the neighbor if she'd come watch her, then went to see for myself if it was."
"Could have just asked."
"You wouldn't have told me."
No. She was right. He would have clammed up.
"So what happened?"
"What did the cop tell you?"
"Where your car was."
"I went in – did you know it's a GAY bar?"
"Oh, I know it now." He assured her. "Why did you go there?"
"To see if I could find out what happened."
He nodded.
"So you decided to get in a fight to see what it was like?"
"Of course not." She snapped.
He looked over at her, and she sighed, and rolled her eyes.
"I went in and asked around."
"And...?" That was hardly going to start a fight.
"And that place is not very friendly."
"No." Didn't he just know that?
"What happened?" He asked again.
"I shouldn't tell you."
"I already know."
"You do not."
"You hit the bartender."
"How did you know th-"
"I asked the police officer."
"That's not fair."
Jack shrugged.
Janet scowled.
"So, why did you hit the bartender?"
"I didn't go in there planning on hitting him."
"And yet, you did."
"I didn't hit him. I asked him about you guys, and Sam and General Hammond. He didn't remember you and Daniel, but he remembered Teal'c. And he remembered Sam and the General, and wasn't very nice when he was telling me about them. And then he had the audacity to make a pass at me."
Jack smiled.
"It's not funny." She told him, snapping once more. "They shouldn't let that man work with the public."
"Well... it's not like he has a lot of options for female companionship there, I imagine."
Janet sniffed, not at all amused. Secretly, Jack wasn't amused, either. He wanted a crack at the sonofabitch for being such an ass, but of course, that wasn't going to happen. At least the women hadn't put up with his crap, either. Sam had had a piece of the guy, and now Janet had as well. Hopefully, his lesson would be learned.
"I didn't start the fight, though."
"Of course not." That was a familiar theme, too.
"I didn't."
"So what did?"
"Some women were arguing, and it escalated."
What were they paying the bouncers there for?
"So you took advantage of the fight, and jumped behind the bar and beat up the bartender?"
"Of course not."
"He came around and asked you to hit him?"
"He tried to jump over the bar, tripped and landed on me."
"Really?"
She nodded.
"I don't think he was planning on it, but I wasn't sure."
"So you hit him just for GPs?" (General Purposes)
"I didn't really hit him. He hit me."
"The police say he was knocked out."
"He bounced off me, and hit his chin on the bar. That's what knocked him out."
"The police say you did it."
"I didn't."
"Are you banned?"
She was silent.
"No..."
Jack groaned, ignored it, and buried his head under his pillow.
The phone rang again.
"I'm not answering you..." Jack told it, turning his head and looking at the clock. It was after midnight, and he'd only just gotten to sleep.
It rang again, and he swore softly, and picked it up. After all, it was probably the SGC, and there were probably aliens attacking the Earth this very minute, and Jack was going to have to save the world. That was what he did, after all.
"Hello?"
"Colonel O'Neill?"
"Who's attacking the world?"
"Excuse me?"
Jack sighed, waking up a little bit more as he realized that the voice was familiar.
"What can I do for –"
"This is officer Ma-"
"From the police station, right?"
"Yes, Sir."
"Don't they ever give you a night off?"
The man on the other end of the line laughed.
"I was going to ask you the same thing."
"I don't have anymore-"
"I have someone here who needs a ride home."
"Another brawl?" Jack asked, sitting up in disbelief.
"I'm afraid so."
Jack sighed.
"I'm on my way."
...............
He was sober enough to drive. He hadn't had all that many beers at Janet's house and Sam had driven him to the base to get his truck when they left Janet's, and he'd driven himself home no problem. He was tired, though, and couldn't help but feel just a bit surly as he pulled the truck up to the police station. Whoever it was he was getting – and he assumed it was probably Daniel or Sam – since Carter had dropped Teal'c off at the base the same time she'd dropped him off to get his truck, so Teal'c was probably safely in his quarters. So either Sam had decided to go do something instead of going home, or Daniel had once Janet had dropped him off at his apartment. That someone was going to get their ass chewed.
He walked through the metal detector, flashed his ID at the police officer who was already waving him through, and headed down the hall. He knew the way, and they all knew it. He went to the door, knocked, waited for a response, and opened it up and went in. And stopped.
Janet Fraiser was sitting there, talking to the police officer, and holding an ice pack against her jaw. She looked up when Jack opened the door, and stood up.
"Doc." Jack grinned when he saw her, but Fraiser wasn't amused at all.
"Colonel."
She walked past him and out the door, and Jack looked at the police office sitting behind his desk.
"I'll be waiting in your truck."
"It's right out front."
She nodded, and O'Neill crossed the room.
"Do you think I should just set up a cot here?" Jack asked the man.
"If your friends didn't use it I could."
O'Neill grinned, despite being tired, and he sat on the edge of the desk.
"What happened?"
"Ask her."
"I'd rather you told me."
..........
She was leaning against his truck under the watchful eye of a couple police officers that didn't like her standing out in the night alone. Jack hadn't thought to give her the keys, and he'd forgotten that he'd locked it. He waved a good night to the cops, and unlocked her door for her. Then he got in; made sure she was buckled, and started the truck.
"Home?"
"I need to get my car."
Oh, and didn't THAT sound familiar?
"Where is it?"
"Just take me home, Colonel," Janet said, obviously changing her mind. "I'll get the car in the morning."
"How did you find out?" He asked. No sense hiding what he knew.
"Two and two." She said, flushing slightly when she realized what he meant. "When we took Daniel home, I saw the new place down the road, and decided it HAD to be the place you were talking about."
"So you checked it out?"
"I took Cassie home and asked the neighbor if she'd come watch her, then went to see for myself if it was."
"Could have just asked."
"You wouldn't have told me."
No. She was right. He would have clammed up.
"So what happened?"
"What did the cop tell you?"
"Where your car was."
"I went in – did you know it's a GAY bar?"
"Oh, I know it now." He assured her. "Why did you go there?"
"To see if I could find out what happened."
He nodded.
"So you decided to get in a fight to see what it was like?"
"Of course not." She snapped.
He looked over at her, and she sighed, and rolled her eyes.
"I went in and asked around."
"And...?" That was hardly going to start a fight.
"And that place is not very friendly."
"No." Didn't he just know that?
"What happened?" He asked again.
"I shouldn't tell you."
"I already know."
"You do not."
"You hit the bartender."
"How did you know th-"
"I asked the police officer."
"That's not fair."
Jack shrugged.
Janet scowled.
"So, why did you hit the bartender?"
"I didn't go in there planning on hitting him."
"And yet, you did."
"I didn't hit him. I asked him about you guys, and Sam and General Hammond. He didn't remember you and Daniel, but he remembered Teal'c. And he remembered Sam and the General, and wasn't very nice when he was telling me about them. And then he had the audacity to make a pass at me."
Jack smiled.
"It's not funny." She told him, snapping once more. "They shouldn't let that man work with the public."
"Well... it's not like he has a lot of options for female companionship there, I imagine."
Janet sniffed, not at all amused. Secretly, Jack wasn't amused, either. He wanted a crack at the sonofabitch for being such an ass, but of course, that wasn't going to happen. At least the women hadn't put up with his crap, either. Sam had had a piece of the guy, and now Janet had as well. Hopefully, his lesson would be learned.
"I didn't start the fight, though."
"Of course not." That was a familiar theme, too.
"I didn't."
"So what did?"
"Some women were arguing, and it escalated."
What were they paying the bouncers there for?
"So you took advantage of the fight, and jumped behind the bar and beat up the bartender?"
"Of course not."
"He came around and asked you to hit him?"
"He tried to jump over the bar, tripped and landed on me."
"Really?"
She nodded.
"I don't think he was planning on it, but I wasn't sure."
"So you hit him just for GPs?" (General Purposes)
"I didn't really hit him. He hit me."
"The police say he was knocked out."
"He bounced off me, and hit his chin on the bar. That's what knocked him out."
"The police say you did it."
"I didn't."
"Are you banned?"
She was silent.