Exposed
This story and all themes and ideas contained in said story are the sole ownership of J.L. Scott. Any copyright infringements can be prosecuted in a court of law.
To borrow a phrase: Stargate SG-1 no mine......no money, no sue, please?
Daniel looked up from his papers at the sound of a knock on his front door. He put his cup of coffee down and went to answer it.
Jackie was reading from an open three ring binder, the pages littered with four different forms of writing.
"I need help" She looked up with an expression blending confusion, annoyance and exasperation. Daniel couldn't help but smile with amusement. She rolled her eyes at him and he moved so she could come in. She handed him the notebook on the coffee table and flopped on the couch.
"My head hurts" she moaned. Daniel smiled again and joined her.
"You graduate in two weeks" he pointed out.
"I know. It's just finals. Professor Quibble gave us this stupid code to decrypt and it was really hard and now I can't translate it" She rubbed the heels of her hands in her eyes in frustration.
"Let me see" Daniel said. She flipped to a different page so he could see the original decryption. He studied it for a moment and then flipped through some of her other pages.
"This is Greek" he told her and got up to get one of his own reference books. He returned to the couch and spread her notes over his own. The message wasn't long. Still, by the time he'd finished Jackie was playing with a couple of his artifacts. She reminded him so much of Jack sometimes it was almost scary.
"Here" Daniel called her over. She took the notebook and read what he'd translated, and then gave him a questioning look.
"Cursed to destroy themselves, the bearers of snakes" she read, and wiggled her eyebrows, "Snakes, huh?"
"Yes, I noticed that too. Did your professor say where he got this?" he asked.
"Oh, some manuscript that's been in his family like, forever, or something" Jackie answered, "Do you think it's talking about the goa'uld?"
"It's possible. I'll do some research, see what I can find. Don't worry too much about it. It's probably nothing"
"So says Daniel. I'm glad you guys are home for a while" she exclaimed.
"Why's that?" Daniel asked with another smile, "You need us to take an exam for you?"
"Everyone except Jack" she laughed, "He's just as dumb as me" "Maybe dumber" Daniel joked. Jackie gave him a mildly reproachful look and then tilted to her head. "Sometimes it just feels like I never get to see you guys" she admitted, "Half the time you're off planet, and half the time you're home you just stay at the base anyway. And I'm not allowed on base unless I'm coming in for a medical check up or for Sam to run some more tests" Daniel nodded at her chest.
"Yes, I noticed you still had it on" Jackie frowned and fingered the oval stone that perpetually hung from her neck.
"Sam's tried a hundred million different ways to get it off" she said, "The other day when I went in she decided it wasn't coming off, short of a blow torch"
"Has it done anything...at all?" he asked.
"Nope. Sometimes when I'm thinking about it a lot it glows, but that's about it. Guess I just haven't had the need to use it"
"Well we can all be thankful for that" Daniel said. Jackie smiled and nodded. He considered her profile for a moment. She was such a strange mixture of Jack and...well, himself. She always had a joke on her tongue, a flippant remark or inane observation to make. But on the other hand, she could debate about the most academic, metaphysical subject he could come up with and hold her own against him with clarity and serious insight. Sometimes when he expected her to say something completely Jack like, she would instead say something that would stun him into silence. It had been just a couple weeks ago when she'd shown up at his door with two giant plants, one in each arm, the fronds hiding her entire head. She tried several different arrangements until she'd found the one she liked, Daniel just standing around watching as she shifted his things about.
"And why exactly do I need these?" Daniel had asked.
"Daniel, you're surrounded by books and ancient artifacts" she'd answered, playing with one of the plants, "The mind may be able to live on words and history, but the soul needs life" It was one of those moments that he could only look at her. She'd abruptly turned and smiled at him with one of those flippant smiles that so resembled her older brother's.
"Besides, they're pretty" Daniel could only smile. He found himself smiling a lot when she was around.
"So have you gone to see Jack yet?" he asked, reaching for his coffee. Jackie rolled her eyes again.
"Are you kidding? He was on my door step like the minute you guys got put on stand down. You're sure he doesn't have some kind of planet side wormhole he uses to get around?" Daniel chuckled. It did seem that Jack spent every minute of his stand down time with his sister, if he could.
"He just worries about you" he said. He had to bite his tongue then, because he almost went on to add, "So do I." It had been mere chance that Jackie had found an apartment in his building, a floor below his. Jack had liked the idea that there was someone from the SGC close at hand, in case she ever needed anything.
"Or in case that thing around her neck ever decides to go ballistic" Jack had muttered the day they had moved her in.
"I know he does" Jackie admitted, "And truthfully, I don't mind. Actually, I love it. It's great to have him around so much" Daniel knew that her childhood had been spotted with only the occasional visit from her older brother, and that those had been the only truly happy times in her young life. Like her older brother, however, she did not like to discuss the more difficult times in her life. "I miss you guys a lot when you're gone" She said this last quietly and Daniel wasn't quite sure how he was supposed to take that. He wanted to ask her, but he didn't. It wasn't ground he thought he was prepared to explore just yet.
"Well, I guess I should go. Still got some more homework to do" she said, picking her notebook up and walking slowly toward the door.
Daniel asked as he followed her, resisting the urge to put his hand on her back. She opened the door and stepped into the hall.
"You goin' out tonight?"she asked. Jack had mandated that they all have some "fun" while they were on Earth and off work for a bit. Which meant dragging Sam away from her lab and Daniel out of his apartment to some bar or club for dinner and drinks, maybe a movie. They liked going to the sci-fi flicks, making fun of them the entire time. Lately Jackie had been joining their soirees, mostly because Jack hated leaving her at home by herself and she hated staying at home by herself.
"I'll be there" Daniel answered with a slight nod.
"Good" Jackie replied. She stood there for a moment. Their eyes met and Daniel found that he couldn't tear his eyes away. It was on the verge of becoming a "moment" when she suddenly gave him one of her gay smiles and bounced away down the hall toward the stairs and her own apartment. He sighed deeply and closed the door.
Downstairs, Jackie slipped the key into the lock and opened her door. She dropped keys and notebook onto her side table and moved toward the kitchen. A blurry figure in her peripheral vision had her spinning around, her hands up and ready to defend herself. The necklace glowed briefly.
Jack finished stuffing the rest of the donut he'd been scarffing into his mouth. Jackie lowered her hands and opened the fridge to pull out a carton of juice, reaching up to grab a glass at the same time.
"For cryin' out loud, Jack, you scared me half to death" she said with some semblance of annoyance. Jack swallowed his donut and took the offered glass of juice.
"Where were you?" he asked, "I thought you said you were working on some project for your finals" He hounded her about her schoolwork. Not that he needed to, Jackie was happy to do her work. She had even done extra research on her own to catch up on what she'd missed. They'd had to completely fake all her school records to get her into the right level of classes, a chore General Hammond had helped with.
"I was up at Daniel's" she answered simply. He gave her an "Oh, really" look.
"Oh, really?" he asked.
"I needed help with a translation" she told him.
"You know, you spend an awful lot of time up there" Jack said, putting his empty glass in her sink. She frowned at him.
"I do not" she denied. She started collecting her various notebooks and texts that were spread out on the counter, trying to avoid his gaze. He recognized the tactic for what it was, but he did nothing about it. In the past, perhaps he would have pressed her, but he'd learned from that mistake. He had to accept that she was an adult, though he tended to huff about it, and that she could conduct her own affairs competently. The thought of an "affair" had him reconsidering but he shoved the thought away. No way. Daniel and Jackie? That was as unlikely as...salt and pepper, peas and carrots, moon and sun.
Damn.
Still, Daniel wouldn't do that to him, his best friend, bosom buddy. What would he see in a 20 year old girl anyway? Okay, so she was really closer to the archeologist's age than to 20, and she was beautiful, and smart, and funny (a welcome inheritance from her older brother) and "in the know" about the Stargate, which was appealing, but what else was there?
Maybe he should have a talk with his friend.
"He's coming tonight, right?" the plotting older brother asked.
"Yes" his little sister answered. She stopped and looked back at him, suspicion clearly evident on her face. He gave her a little smile, hiding his own thoughts away.
"Good"
This story and all themes and ideas contained in said story are the sole ownership of J.L. Scott. Any copyright infringements can be prosecuted in a court of law.
To borrow a phrase: Stargate SG-1 no mine......no money, no sue, please?
Daniel looked up from his papers at the sound of a knock on his front door. He put his cup of coffee down and went to answer it.
Jackie was reading from an open three ring binder, the pages littered with four different forms of writing.
"I need help" She looked up with an expression blending confusion, annoyance and exasperation. Daniel couldn't help but smile with amusement. She rolled her eyes at him and he moved so she could come in. She handed him the notebook on the coffee table and flopped on the couch.
"My head hurts" she moaned. Daniel smiled again and joined her.
"You graduate in two weeks" he pointed out.
"I know. It's just finals. Professor Quibble gave us this stupid code to decrypt and it was really hard and now I can't translate it" She rubbed the heels of her hands in her eyes in frustration.
"Let me see" Daniel said. She flipped to a different page so he could see the original decryption. He studied it for a moment and then flipped through some of her other pages.
"This is Greek" he told her and got up to get one of his own reference books. He returned to the couch and spread her notes over his own. The message wasn't long. Still, by the time he'd finished Jackie was playing with a couple of his artifacts. She reminded him so much of Jack sometimes it was almost scary.
"Here" Daniel called her over. She took the notebook and read what he'd translated, and then gave him a questioning look.
"Cursed to destroy themselves, the bearers of snakes" she read, and wiggled her eyebrows, "Snakes, huh?"
"Yes, I noticed that too. Did your professor say where he got this?" he asked.
"Oh, some manuscript that's been in his family like, forever, or something" Jackie answered, "Do you think it's talking about the goa'uld?"
"It's possible. I'll do some research, see what I can find. Don't worry too much about it. It's probably nothing"
"So says Daniel. I'm glad you guys are home for a while" she exclaimed.
"Why's that?" Daniel asked with another smile, "You need us to take an exam for you?"
"Everyone except Jack" she laughed, "He's just as dumb as me" "Maybe dumber" Daniel joked. Jackie gave him a mildly reproachful look and then tilted to her head. "Sometimes it just feels like I never get to see you guys" she admitted, "Half the time you're off planet, and half the time you're home you just stay at the base anyway. And I'm not allowed on base unless I'm coming in for a medical check up or for Sam to run some more tests" Daniel nodded at her chest.
"Yes, I noticed you still had it on" Jackie frowned and fingered the oval stone that perpetually hung from her neck.
"Sam's tried a hundred million different ways to get it off" she said, "The other day when I went in she decided it wasn't coming off, short of a blow torch"
"Has it done anything...at all?" he asked.
"Nope. Sometimes when I'm thinking about it a lot it glows, but that's about it. Guess I just haven't had the need to use it"
"Well we can all be thankful for that" Daniel said. Jackie smiled and nodded. He considered her profile for a moment. She was such a strange mixture of Jack and...well, himself. She always had a joke on her tongue, a flippant remark or inane observation to make. But on the other hand, she could debate about the most academic, metaphysical subject he could come up with and hold her own against him with clarity and serious insight. Sometimes when he expected her to say something completely Jack like, she would instead say something that would stun him into silence. It had been just a couple weeks ago when she'd shown up at his door with two giant plants, one in each arm, the fronds hiding her entire head. She tried several different arrangements until she'd found the one she liked, Daniel just standing around watching as she shifted his things about.
"And why exactly do I need these?" Daniel had asked.
"Daniel, you're surrounded by books and ancient artifacts" she'd answered, playing with one of the plants, "The mind may be able to live on words and history, but the soul needs life" It was one of those moments that he could only look at her. She'd abruptly turned and smiled at him with one of those flippant smiles that so resembled her older brother's.
"Besides, they're pretty" Daniel could only smile. He found himself smiling a lot when she was around.
"So have you gone to see Jack yet?" he asked, reaching for his coffee. Jackie rolled her eyes again.
"Are you kidding? He was on my door step like the minute you guys got put on stand down. You're sure he doesn't have some kind of planet side wormhole he uses to get around?" Daniel chuckled. It did seem that Jack spent every minute of his stand down time with his sister, if he could.
"He just worries about you" he said. He had to bite his tongue then, because he almost went on to add, "So do I." It had been mere chance that Jackie had found an apartment in his building, a floor below his. Jack had liked the idea that there was someone from the SGC close at hand, in case she ever needed anything.
"Or in case that thing around her neck ever decides to go ballistic" Jack had muttered the day they had moved her in.
"I know he does" Jackie admitted, "And truthfully, I don't mind. Actually, I love it. It's great to have him around so much" Daniel knew that her childhood had been spotted with only the occasional visit from her older brother, and that those had been the only truly happy times in her young life. Like her older brother, however, she did not like to discuss the more difficult times in her life. "I miss you guys a lot when you're gone" She said this last quietly and Daniel wasn't quite sure how he was supposed to take that. He wanted to ask her, but he didn't. It wasn't ground he thought he was prepared to explore just yet.
"Well, I guess I should go. Still got some more homework to do" she said, picking her notebook up and walking slowly toward the door.
Daniel asked as he followed her, resisting the urge to put his hand on her back. She opened the door and stepped into the hall.
"You goin' out tonight?"she asked. Jack had mandated that they all have some "fun" while they were on Earth and off work for a bit. Which meant dragging Sam away from her lab and Daniel out of his apartment to some bar or club for dinner and drinks, maybe a movie. They liked going to the sci-fi flicks, making fun of them the entire time. Lately Jackie had been joining their soirees, mostly because Jack hated leaving her at home by herself and she hated staying at home by herself.
"I'll be there" Daniel answered with a slight nod.
"Good" Jackie replied. She stood there for a moment. Their eyes met and Daniel found that he couldn't tear his eyes away. It was on the verge of becoming a "moment" when she suddenly gave him one of her gay smiles and bounced away down the hall toward the stairs and her own apartment. He sighed deeply and closed the door.
Downstairs, Jackie slipped the key into the lock and opened her door. She dropped keys and notebook onto her side table and moved toward the kitchen. A blurry figure in her peripheral vision had her spinning around, her hands up and ready to defend herself. The necklace glowed briefly.
Jack finished stuffing the rest of the donut he'd been scarffing into his mouth. Jackie lowered her hands and opened the fridge to pull out a carton of juice, reaching up to grab a glass at the same time.
"For cryin' out loud, Jack, you scared me half to death" she said with some semblance of annoyance. Jack swallowed his donut and took the offered glass of juice.
"Where were you?" he asked, "I thought you said you were working on some project for your finals" He hounded her about her schoolwork. Not that he needed to, Jackie was happy to do her work. She had even done extra research on her own to catch up on what she'd missed. They'd had to completely fake all her school records to get her into the right level of classes, a chore General Hammond had helped with.
"I was up at Daniel's" she answered simply. He gave her an "Oh, really" look.
"Oh, really?" he asked.
"I needed help with a translation" she told him.
"You know, you spend an awful lot of time up there" Jack said, putting his empty glass in her sink. She frowned at him.
"I do not" she denied. She started collecting her various notebooks and texts that were spread out on the counter, trying to avoid his gaze. He recognized the tactic for what it was, but he did nothing about it. In the past, perhaps he would have pressed her, but he'd learned from that mistake. He had to accept that she was an adult, though he tended to huff about it, and that she could conduct her own affairs competently. The thought of an "affair" had him reconsidering but he shoved the thought away. No way. Daniel and Jackie? That was as unlikely as...salt and pepper, peas and carrots, moon and sun.
Damn.
Still, Daniel wouldn't do that to him, his best friend, bosom buddy. What would he see in a 20 year old girl anyway? Okay, so she was really closer to the archeologist's age than to 20, and she was beautiful, and smart, and funny (a welcome inheritance from her older brother) and "in the know" about the Stargate, which was appealing, but what else was there?
Maybe he should have a talk with his friend.
"He's coming tonight, right?" the plotting older brother asked.
"Yes" his little sister answered. She stopped and looked back at him, suspicion clearly evident on her face. He gave her a little smile, hiding his own thoughts away.
"Good"