Author's note: Madam Xara isn't Sara (h) however you spell the ex-wife's name. That would be an interesting twist, yes, but I have other things in mind, and a confrontation with the ex isn't on the list! But good thinking!
................
She ignored the hand Jack held out. Instead, Madam Xara looked at Jack's face for a moment, and he noticed her eyes – which were a deep green – seemed slightly out of focus. Just when he was going to say something smart to bring her attention back to the here and now, she turned and looked over at Jaffer, who was sitting next to Sam, watching what was going on with interest. Then she looked back at Jack.
"Call the dog over, please."
Jack frowned, but gestured for Jaffer to join him. He didn't need to call him at all. Jaffer was more than happy to come over, and he shoved his nose into Jack's hand. Jack wasn't watching, though. He was watching the woman in front of him. He idly stroked Jaffer's ears to keep the black lab out of mischief while he waited for the woman to speak. A moment later she did.
"That is so strange..."
"What is?" Gina asked, curious about why things had turned so serious and quiet in the room.
Xara pointed down at Jaffer.
"Dogs – all animals for that matter – have an aura about them as well. Most are fairly routine, since dogs are limited to what they think. Eating, sleeping, hunting, breeding. They're usually far different from humans, who have very complex auras just by the very nature of the person they are. Most people have dull auras, some, however have extremely brilliant ones, depending on the person, and what level of consciousness they're at."
Jack hadn't planned on a lecture at the hand reader's tent, and despite himself, he knew his eyes were glazing over. Madam Xara noticed this, and she smiled.
"Your aura just told me you don't care at all about that."
Jack shrugged, blushing slightly.
"I'm not much for lectures," he admitted. He heard Sam snort, and Gina titter, and looked over at them with a scowl they couldn't see since the motion put his face in shadows as he turned it away from the candles on the table. Xara nodded, and took his hand.
"Your dog's aura is not like any I've ever seen before. I've only seen one or two like the one that surrounds him, and it's been a very long time since I have."
"Well, he's special," Jack said, looking over at her and down at the black lab.
"When he comes close to you, it changes your aura as well," Xara told him. "Yours is normally fairly bright – although there are things it tells me that speak of violence and confrontation and trials I do not understand. When your dog comes close, his aura changes yours, and the two mesh into one brilliant one. Brighter than any I've seen. One aura instead of two."
"What does that mean?" Gina asked.
"I've never seen it before," Xara said, shrugging. "I cannot say. No one shares an aura – not even identical twins, because even identical twins are not the same. One can be evil, one can be sweet. Our experiences change us. When you two are together, you do share an aura. A bright one. It's the strangest thing I've ever seen."
It was Jack's turn to shrug, which drew his attention to the fact that she still had hold of his hand, although she hadn't looked down at it. She was engrossed in Jaffer.
"Will it hurt him?" Gina asked.
"It's not evil..." Xara said, smiling at the girl. She must have realized she wasn't making much sense, or she realized she was worrying the girl, because she shrugged and turned her attention to Jack's hand finally. "Let us see what your hand can tell us."
"Yes, let's..." Jack wasn't sure he really wanted to hear all that much more. This woman was about as kooky as any he'd ever seen. And he'd seen a lot. Auras and bright lights and weird stuff like that just weren't things Jack had much patience for.
"You have a son..." Xara told him immediately.
Jack felt a familiar pang, and almost as though she'd felt it as well, Xara winced slightly, hissing.
"A terrible loss... then a gain as another is found..."
Jack tried to take his hand back. He didn't know how she knew that, but that was getting into things he wasn't going to talk about. Her grip was far stronger than he'd have expected, though, and he couldn't get free. Not without struggling, and he didn't want to do that. For one thing it would cause a scene he didn't want to make, and for another, the scene would upset Gina, something he'd never do.
"Another what?" Gina asked. "What's found?"
Xara looked at Jack, her eyes unfocused once more, and then looked over at Gina, and he saw them clear up. The woman smiled gently.
"There are many things gained, child... all wondrous. Some more so than others." Her gaze went back to Jack. "Love, companions, friendships the likes of which are rarely seen."
"Like Sam!" Gina said.
"Another son..." Xara murmured, softly, leaning forward intently. This time Jack knew she was speaking only to him, and that only he could hear her. And Jaffer, of course, since the black lab had moved so close to O'Neill his nose was practically touching Jack's elbow.
"That's a secret..." Jack whispered, fiercely, trying once more to take his hand back, and unable to. He didn't know how she knew that, but he didn't need it bandied about.
"A guardian spirit..." She glanced at Jaffer again, momentarily before turning her eyes back to Jack.
"A what?"
She leaned back again, still holding his hand in her vice-like grip, although she wasn't hurting him, and now he knew the conversation was for all of them to hear, and not just him.
"You have a great destiny, Jack O'Neill," she said. "Your hand is only a part of the signs. You face enemies I cannot see, but I can feel. Evil ones, who are the bane of not only you, but all the people around you and beyond. You drive yourself to be everything for everyone, and ask nothing in return, and yet you've been rewarded already and don't even realize it. Your rewards are with you always. You're not finished, though. There's more for you to do – much more. You have one to guide. Two – three? – to raise. Many to protect."
She shook her head, releasing his hand, now, and Jack rubbed it slightly, although there wasn't even a mark on it despite how firmly she'd been holding him.
"Such burdens you bear..." She said. "So much for one man."
"Yeah... well... I'm tough," Jack said, trying to shrug off the strange feeling that she knew far more about him than he did. "I'll be fine."
"Yes, you will..." she nodded. "You have help." Her frank gaze went down to Jaffer, who snorted, almost as if in agreement.
................
She ignored the hand Jack held out. Instead, Madam Xara looked at Jack's face for a moment, and he noticed her eyes – which were a deep green – seemed slightly out of focus. Just when he was going to say something smart to bring her attention back to the here and now, she turned and looked over at Jaffer, who was sitting next to Sam, watching what was going on with interest. Then she looked back at Jack.
"Call the dog over, please."
Jack frowned, but gestured for Jaffer to join him. He didn't need to call him at all. Jaffer was more than happy to come over, and he shoved his nose into Jack's hand. Jack wasn't watching, though. He was watching the woman in front of him. He idly stroked Jaffer's ears to keep the black lab out of mischief while he waited for the woman to speak. A moment later she did.
"That is so strange..."
"What is?" Gina asked, curious about why things had turned so serious and quiet in the room.
Xara pointed down at Jaffer.
"Dogs – all animals for that matter – have an aura about them as well. Most are fairly routine, since dogs are limited to what they think. Eating, sleeping, hunting, breeding. They're usually far different from humans, who have very complex auras just by the very nature of the person they are. Most people have dull auras, some, however have extremely brilliant ones, depending on the person, and what level of consciousness they're at."
Jack hadn't planned on a lecture at the hand reader's tent, and despite himself, he knew his eyes were glazing over. Madam Xara noticed this, and she smiled.
"Your aura just told me you don't care at all about that."
Jack shrugged, blushing slightly.
"I'm not much for lectures," he admitted. He heard Sam snort, and Gina titter, and looked over at them with a scowl they couldn't see since the motion put his face in shadows as he turned it away from the candles on the table. Xara nodded, and took his hand.
"Your dog's aura is not like any I've ever seen before. I've only seen one or two like the one that surrounds him, and it's been a very long time since I have."
"Well, he's special," Jack said, looking over at her and down at the black lab.
"When he comes close to you, it changes your aura as well," Xara told him. "Yours is normally fairly bright – although there are things it tells me that speak of violence and confrontation and trials I do not understand. When your dog comes close, his aura changes yours, and the two mesh into one brilliant one. Brighter than any I've seen. One aura instead of two."
"What does that mean?" Gina asked.
"I've never seen it before," Xara said, shrugging. "I cannot say. No one shares an aura – not even identical twins, because even identical twins are not the same. One can be evil, one can be sweet. Our experiences change us. When you two are together, you do share an aura. A bright one. It's the strangest thing I've ever seen."
It was Jack's turn to shrug, which drew his attention to the fact that she still had hold of his hand, although she hadn't looked down at it. She was engrossed in Jaffer.
"Will it hurt him?" Gina asked.
"It's not evil..." Xara said, smiling at the girl. She must have realized she wasn't making much sense, or she realized she was worrying the girl, because she shrugged and turned her attention to Jack's hand finally. "Let us see what your hand can tell us."
"Yes, let's..." Jack wasn't sure he really wanted to hear all that much more. This woman was about as kooky as any he'd ever seen. And he'd seen a lot. Auras and bright lights and weird stuff like that just weren't things Jack had much patience for.
"You have a son..." Xara told him immediately.
Jack felt a familiar pang, and almost as though she'd felt it as well, Xara winced slightly, hissing.
"A terrible loss... then a gain as another is found..."
Jack tried to take his hand back. He didn't know how she knew that, but that was getting into things he wasn't going to talk about. Her grip was far stronger than he'd have expected, though, and he couldn't get free. Not without struggling, and he didn't want to do that. For one thing it would cause a scene he didn't want to make, and for another, the scene would upset Gina, something he'd never do.
"Another what?" Gina asked. "What's found?"
Xara looked at Jack, her eyes unfocused once more, and then looked over at Gina, and he saw them clear up. The woman smiled gently.
"There are many things gained, child... all wondrous. Some more so than others." Her gaze went back to Jack. "Love, companions, friendships the likes of which are rarely seen."
"Like Sam!" Gina said.
"Another son..." Xara murmured, softly, leaning forward intently. This time Jack knew she was speaking only to him, and that only he could hear her. And Jaffer, of course, since the black lab had moved so close to O'Neill his nose was practically touching Jack's elbow.
"That's a secret..." Jack whispered, fiercely, trying once more to take his hand back, and unable to. He didn't know how she knew that, but he didn't need it bandied about.
"A guardian spirit..." She glanced at Jaffer again, momentarily before turning her eyes back to Jack.
"A what?"
She leaned back again, still holding his hand in her vice-like grip, although she wasn't hurting him, and now he knew the conversation was for all of them to hear, and not just him.
"You have a great destiny, Jack O'Neill," she said. "Your hand is only a part of the signs. You face enemies I cannot see, but I can feel. Evil ones, who are the bane of not only you, but all the people around you and beyond. You drive yourself to be everything for everyone, and ask nothing in return, and yet you've been rewarded already and don't even realize it. Your rewards are with you always. You're not finished, though. There's more for you to do – much more. You have one to guide. Two – three? – to raise. Many to protect."
She shook her head, releasing his hand, now, and Jack rubbed it slightly, although there wasn't even a mark on it despite how firmly she'd been holding him.
"Such burdens you bear..." She said. "So much for one man."
"Yeah... well... I'm tough," Jack said, trying to shrug off the strange feeling that she knew far more about him than he did. "I'll be fine."
"Yes, you will..." she nodded. "You have help." Her frank gaze went down to Jaffer, who snorted, almost as if in agreement.