Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters or anything connected to them.
First of all, thank you again to my reviewers. Special thanks go to macisgate for the title of this chapter, 'Colonel Comfort'. It just fit so well. I don't think it's important, but this chapter contains vague references to and spoilers for the episodes 'Emancipation', 'The Warrior', 'Hathor', 'Solitudes', and 'Foothold'. All early episodes... oh well just thought I'd say so. Umm... this is a kinda dark chapter... and I used a little extra creativity... Oh well. Enjoy!!!
Our strengths are what divide us from the masses and make us unique. When a member of SG-1 loses their greatest asset, will they still be as valuable as they once were? And can that person come to grips with the loss?
What are we, without our Strengths?: Colonel Comfort
When Jack finally arrived at Carter's house he sat in his jeep in the driveway for a few minutes. He didn't know what to expect or what to say. Finally he got up his nerve and approached the door. He rang the doorbell and waited. He rang it again when he got no answer. Finally he knocked loudly. "Carter!" He shouted. No response. He tried the door knob and found it unlocked. He hesitated about entering his second in command's house without her express permission, but decided it was for the best. He went in and closed the door behind him. He kicked off his shoes, threw his coat on a hook and headed down the hall. He heard the TV on and finally found Carter sprawled out on the couch in front of the TV.
"Carter?" O'Neill asked wondering if the serine figure before him was asleep.
"Sir?" She responded without moving. Then she realized her commanding officer was in her house and she sat up and hit the mute button on the TV. "Sir."
"At ease Carter. I'm just here to chat." O'Neill said, and then continued when Carter said nothing. "SG-1's going back out tomorrow to get that snake; we got permission from the locals."
"It's no use, sir. It won't help."
"Sure it will. Fraiser says she can make an anti-venom-"
"But it won't help me get my intelligence back." Carter interrupted.
"Come on, Carter. You gotta look on the bright side. SG-1's got a great track record. The other SG teams are jealous of how often we get out of all sorts of jams by the skin of our teeth... OK... bad cliché, but you get the idea."
"With all due respect sir, from a realistic point of view, the chances of Janet synthesizing anything that will repair brain tissue and synapses is less than half of one percent. I'm going to be like this forever." O'Neill didn't respond, somewhere in the deepest reaches of his mind he knew Carter was right. In his seconds of hesitation, Carter got the courage to say her next sentence. "That's why I'm resigning from SG-1."
"Wait just a minute! Resigning?" O'Neill said, startled.
"Yes." Carter motioned to a hand-written letter sitting on the table beside where the colonel was standing. "I couldn't get my laptop to work, but I think General Hammond will accept it anyways. If you wouldn't mind turning it in for me when you go back to base-"
"I won't."
"Sir, please."
"No. Carter you can't resign. We need you!"
"SG-1 needs a scientist. I'm not capable of playing that role anymore. In my resignation letter I've suggested to General Hammond that I be replaced with Captain Holden from SG-4. She's brilliant and I think you'd all get along quite well."
"Carter, SG-1 won't accept anyone but you!"
"The only reason I was assigned to SG-1 in the first place was because I was the foremost expert on the Stargate. Now, I'm not and I don't deserve to be on SG-1."
"So what if you're no good with the gate mechanics anymore. We both know I can't understand a damn thing you're talking about when you get into your techno mumbo-jumbo."
"SG-1 is composed of specialists. I no longer fit that description."
"So?"
"If Daniel lost his skills, he'd be off SG-1 in an instant. Why am I any different?"
"Carter, to me and to everybody you're an Air Force officer before you're a doctor. You will stay on SG-1 as an extremely competent Air Force officer."
"Sir, with all due respect-"
"No, Carter. No. Your crazy smarts aside, you have saved SG-1, and the world several times."
"Name one." Carter said, extremely unimpressed.
"Umm..." O'Neill hesitated, he hadn't thought this far ahead. "On one of our first missions, when we met the... the Shavadai, if it wasn't for your ability with a knife, we all would have been in some serious trouble."
"Trouble I caused."
"OK, bad example. Well, you kick Jaffa and Replicator butts better than anyone else I know."
"Anyone can do that."
"How about when we were showing off the P-90s to those Jaffa rebels? You hit that rope from like a hundred yards! When it was swinging! That was a sweet shot!"
"Again sir, any Air Force officer can do that."
"Carter! This pessimistic attitude doesn't suit you!" Carter ignored her commanding officer momentarily. "Carter you saved Earth, twice, by simply being an Air Force officer! Remember?" Carter grunted a reply. "Remember the foothold situation? Those aliens who impersonated us? You saved us all there. And what about the time Hathor got all us men wrapped around her finger? Without you I'd be a one of her Jaffa right now."
"You'll all survive without me."
"Carter!" O'Neill grabbed Carter's arm and pulled her so she was looking straight at him. Then, he quickly released her. "Do you remember when we were stuck in Antarctica? All your theories, all your technical know-how, and it didn't help us. But down there, in those caves, I would've died without you. You kept me alive..." Silence filled the room for a long time. Both thinking about what had been said. Finally Carter spoke.
"It's ironic. All through elementary school I wished I wasn't so smart. I wanted to be like the other kids. And now, I got my wish. It's funny how things work out."
"Carter."
"I want to be alone sir."
"Daniel and Teal'c want to come by." Carter didn't respond. "Alone. I gotcha." O'Neill turned to leave. The briefest thought passed through his mind, a thought of Carter resigning from the Air Force entirely because of this incident, the thought of the regulations of fraternization no longer applying. No! She would never be happy that way. Seeing her happy made him happy. At that very instant, Colonel O'Neill swore to himself he would do absolutely everything he could to make Carter happy again. He glanced back to Carter and then walked to the door. Tomorrow, the colonel went hunting, and may God have mercy on his prey, because he wouldn't.
Please Review
First of all, thank you again to my reviewers. Special thanks go to macisgate for the title of this chapter, 'Colonel Comfort'. It just fit so well. I don't think it's important, but this chapter contains vague references to and spoilers for the episodes 'Emancipation', 'The Warrior', 'Hathor', 'Solitudes', and 'Foothold'. All early episodes... oh well just thought I'd say so. Umm... this is a kinda dark chapter... and I used a little extra creativity... Oh well. Enjoy!!!
Our strengths are what divide us from the masses and make us unique. When a member of SG-1 loses their greatest asset, will they still be as valuable as they once were? And can that person come to grips with the loss?
What are we, without our Strengths?: Colonel Comfort
When Jack finally arrived at Carter's house he sat in his jeep in the driveway for a few minutes. He didn't know what to expect or what to say. Finally he got up his nerve and approached the door. He rang the doorbell and waited. He rang it again when he got no answer. Finally he knocked loudly. "Carter!" He shouted. No response. He tried the door knob and found it unlocked. He hesitated about entering his second in command's house without her express permission, but decided it was for the best. He went in and closed the door behind him. He kicked off his shoes, threw his coat on a hook and headed down the hall. He heard the TV on and finally found Carter sprawled out on the couch in front of the TV.
"Carter?" O'Neill asked wondering if the serine figure before him was asleep.
"Sir?" She responded without moving. Then she realized her commanding officer was in her house and she sat up and hit the mute button on the TV. "Sir."
"At ease Carter. I'm just here to chat." O'Neill said, and then continued when Carter said nothing. "SG-1's going back out tomorrow to get that snake; we got permission from the locals."
"It's no use, sir. It won't help."
"Sure it will. Fraiser says she can make an anti-venom-"
"But it won't help me get my intelligence back." Carter interrupted.
"Come on, Carter. You gotta look on the bright side. SG-1's got a great track record. The other SG teams are jealous of how often we get out of all sorts of jams by the skin of our teeth... OK... bad cliché, but you get the idea."
"With all due respect sir, from a realistic point of view, the chances of Janet synthesizing anything that will repair brain tissue and synapses is less than half of one percent. I'm going to be like this forever." O'Neill didn't respond, somewhere in the deepest reaches of his mind he knew Carter was right. In his seconds of hesitation, Carter got the courage to say her next sentence. "That's why I'm resigning from SG-1."
"Wait just a minute! Resigning?" O'Neill said, startled.
"Yes." Carter motioned to a hand-written letter sitting on the table beside where the colonel was standing. "I couldn't get my laptop to work, but I think General Hammond will accept it anyways. If you wouldn't mind turning it in for me when you go back to base-"
"I won't."
"Sir, please."
"No. Carter you can't resign. We need you!"
"SG-1 needs a scientist. I'm not capable of playing that role anymore. In my resignation letter I've suggested to General Hammond that I be replaced with Captain Holden from SG-4. She's brilliant and I think you'd all get along quite well."
"Carter, SG-1 won't accept anyone but you!"
"The only reason I was assigned to SG-1 in the first place was because I was the foremost expert on the Stargate. Now, I'm not and I don't deserve to be on SG-1."
"So what if you're no good with the gate mechanics anymore. We both know I can't understand a damn thing you're talking about when you get into your techno mumbo-jumbo."
"SG-1 is composed of specialists. I no longer fit that description."
"So?"
"If Daniel lost his skills, he'd be off SG-1 in an instant. Why am I any different?"
"Carter, to me and to everybody you're an Air Force officer before you're a doctor. You will stay on SG-1 as an extremely competent Air Force officer."
"Sir, with all due respect-"
"No, Carter. No. Your crazy smarts aside, you have saved SG-1, and the world several times."
"Name one." Carter said, extremely unimpressed.
"Umm..." O'Neill hesitated, he hadn't thought this far ahead. "On one of our first missions, when we met the... the Shavadai, if it wasn't for your ability with a knife, we all would have been in some serious trouble."
"Trouble I caused."
"OK, bad example. Well, you kick Jaffa and Replicator butts better than anyone else I know."
"Anyone can do that."
"How about when we were showing off the P-90s to those Jaffa rebels? You hit that rope from like a hundred yards! When it was swinging! That was a sweet shot!"
"Again sir, any Air Force officer can do that."
"Carter! This pessimistic attitude doesn't suit you!" Carter ignored her commanding officer momentarily. "Carter you saved Earth, twice, by simply being an Air Force officer! Remember?" Carter grunted a reply. "Remember the foothold situation? Those aliens who impersonated us? You saved us all there. And what about the time Hathor got all us men wrapped around her finger? Without you I'd be a one of her Jaffa right now."
"You'll all survive without me."
"Carter!" O'Neill grabbed Carter's arm and pulled her so she was looking straight at him. Then, he quickly released her. "Do you remember when we were stuck in Antarctica? All your theories, all your technical know-how, and it didn't help us. But down there, in those caves, I would've died without you. You kept me alive..." Silence filled the room for a long time. Both thinking about what had been said. Finally Carter spoke.
"It's ironic. All through elementary school I wished I wasn't so smart. I wanted to be like the other kids. And now, I got my wish. It's funny how things work out."
"Carter."
"I want to be alone sir."
"Daniel and Teal'c want to come by." Carter didn't respond. "Alone. I gotcha." O'Neill turned to leave. The briefest thought passed through his mind, a thought of Carter resigning from the Air Force entirely because of this incident, the thought of the regulations of fraternization no longer applying. No! She would never be happy that way. Seeing her happy made him happy. At that very instant, Colonel O'Neill swore to himself he would do absolutely everything he could to make Carter happy again. He glanced back to Carter and then walked to the door. Tomorrow, the colonel went hunting, and may God have mercy on his prey, because he wouldn't.
Please Review