Without even thinking about it, Jack ended up in Carter's lab. Not only was it one of his favorite places to hang out, but at the moment, it was the one place where something was being done that might be of help to Melony.
"How's it going, Carter?"
She looked up from a piece of paper that had several sketches on it, and some handwriting that was Melony's, and shrugged.
'I haven't even really had much of a chance to browse this, Sir." She'd only been looking at it for an hour or so, and there was a lot of information to go through.
"Anything I can do to help?"
Sam nodded. "You can leave me alone for a while." She couldn't concentrate with him standing there like that, and she knew she needed to concentrate just then.
Jack understood, and avoided frowning, like he might have. Instead he nodded, "I'll have my cell phone if you need me."
"Yes, Sir."
She watched him leave, to make sure he was really leaving, and then went back to the notes.
......................
Jack pulled his truck up in front of the house, and sat there for a long moment. The house was a beautiful one, lovingly taken care of, and freshly painted. Sitting in the driveway was a truck similar to O'Neill's, but he knew that in the garage under a canvas cover was a sweet little Mustang convertible that was as well maintained as the house itself. This was Melony's house. A place she'd set her roots down, and a place that she'd been forced to leave when she'd left Earth with Talon. A place that was being taken care of for her by the person Jack had come to talk to. It wasn't a conversation Jack was looking forward to having.
"Colonel?"
He was pulled out of his thoughts by a knock on his driver's side window.
Brad Anderson was standing by his door, looking confused and a little concerned.
Jack opened the door and got out of his truck, forcing a smile.
"Hey, Brad."
That was his warning that this was a social call. The forced smile, however, told the young CO of SG-2 that there was something serious they needed to discuss.
"How's it going, Sir?"
"Oh... we have a problem."
Brad nodded, and gestured towards the house. No sense in standing around when they could sit around.
"It's Melony, right?"
Jack nodded, and followed Brad into the house.
"What's wrong?"
The Major gestured for O'Neill to have a seat, and sat down in the chair next to the sofa, his green eyes even more concerned than they had been.
"She's fine," Jack said, before Brad could start thinking something had happened to her. "I talked to her a few hours ago."
"In person?" Brad was surprised.
Jack nodded.
"Why didn't you tell me? I would have –"
"Because you weren't invited."
Now the concern was palpable.
"What's she doing that she didn't want to tell me?"
Jack didn't even try to guess how he'd known that was the case. Anderson knew Mitchell too well.
"She's been causing a bit of trouble for the Goa'uld," Jack said, trying to ease into it.
"And they're after her?"
"Oh, no, Brad. It's a lot more serious than that."
Jack launched into the explanation of what was going on, beginning with Jacob Carter's visit, and going on to tell him what had happened in Melonyville, and what had been discussed. To his credit, the younger man listened to the whole story before he exploded.
"Is she nuts?"
"It's a good plan, Brad."
"She's going to kill herself!" He stood up. "How can that be a good plan?"
"She thinks she can pull it off."
"She can't."
"She might."
"Colonel, we have to stop her."
"How do you propose to do that?" Jack asked, bluntly. "Do you want me to send her a message telling her that you order her to come back? Shall I tell her that you've decided you can tell her what to do with her life?"
He looked stricken.
"It's not that I want to tell her what to do-"
"Well, it's too late, Major." Jack said, standing up as well. "I've already tried to talk her out of it, and she wouldn't listen to me. She refused to let you show up on her doorstep, because she knew you'd try to pull the ole I'm your boyfriend do what I tell you to do or you must not love me routine, so there-"
"I wouldn't have-"
"Yes, you would have."
Jack would have, if it had been Carter in the same situation, and he and she were an item.
"It's a crazy plan, Sir. There's not a chance-"
"There is a chance, Major." Jack said, putting his hand on Brad's shoulder. "A very good chance. This shield thing is pretty impressive, from what I hear, and Melony seems to think it can do what she says it can. I'm more inclined to have Carter look for another plan – which is what she's going to be doing for the next month, but it's not as hopeless as it seems, once you've had a chance to think about it."
"What can I do?"
Jack shrugged. "Probably the same thing I'm doing. Nothing. But I had to let you know what was going on."
"I appreciate that, Sir."
"SG-2 is off the mission list for the duration, Brad, just so you know."
"What? Why?"
"For the same reason SG-1 is: we know the plan, and can't risk falling into Goa'uld hands at this time, and maybe spilling the secret."
Brad Anderson frowned, but he nodded. That made a lot of sense. But that also meant that for the next month, he was going to have to sit around and worry about Melony, with nothing to do to get his mind off her danger. Unless...
"Maybe I could look at those notes you were telling me about? The ones Major Carter has?"
Jack shrugged.
"You can ask. If she thinks you'll be helpful, then I'm willing to allow it, as long as no one else knows what you're looking at."
"Yes, Sir."
Jack looked at his watch. "I'd better get back to the base."
"Tell Major Carter I'll be there as soon as I get a uniform on." He'd had the day off, to take care of some house stuff that couldn't wait for the weekend, and since SG-2 hadn't been scheduled to go off-world, it had hardly been difficult to manage.
"Will do." O'Neill turned to go, then stopped, and looked back at him. "One last thing, Anderson..."
"Yes, Sir?"
"Melony told me to tell you she loves you."
The younger man smiled, both because of the sentiment, and because O'Neill was really the last person you'd expect to deliver a message like that.
"Thanks for passing it on, Sir."
"I'm just grateful she didn't ask me to give you a big wet kiss."
Jack smiled, and walked out, leaving Anderson with a foolish grin on his face, despite his concern.
"How's it going, Carter?"
She looked up from a piece of paper that had several sketches on it, and some handwriting that was Melony's, and shrugged.
'I haven't even really had much of a chance to browse this, Sir." She'd only been looking at it for an hour or so, and there was a lot of information to go through.
"Anything I can do to help?"
Sam nodded. "You can leave me alone for a while." She couldn't concentrate with him standing there like that, and she knew she needed to concentrate just then.
Jack understood, and avoided frowning, like he might have. Instead he nodded, "I'll have my cell phone if you need me."
"Yes, Sir."
She watched him leave, to make sure he was really leaving, and then went back to the notes.
......................
Jack pulled his truck up in front of the house, and sat there for a long moment. The house was a beautiful one, lovingly taken care of, and freshly painted. Sitting in the driveway was a truck similar to O'Neill's, but he knew that in the garage under a canvas cover was a sweet little Mustang convertible that was as well maintained as the house itself. This was Melony's house. A place she'd set her roots down, and a place that she'd been forced to leave when she'd left Earth with Talon. A place that was being taken care of for her by the person Jack had come to talk to. It wasn't a conversation Jack was looking forward to having.
"Colonel?"
He was pulled out of his thoughts by a knock on his driver's side window.
Brad Anderson was standing by his door, looking confused and a little concerned.
Jack opened the door and got out of his truck, forcing a smile.
"Hey, Brad."
That was his warning that this was a social call. The forced smile, however, told the young CO of SG-2 that there was something serious they needed to discuss.
"How's it going, Sir?"
"Oh... we have a problem."
Brad nodded, and gestured towards the house. No sense in standing around when they could sit around.
"It's Melony, right?"
Jack nodded, and followed Brad into the house.
"What's wrong?"
The Major gestured for O'Neill to have a seat, and sat down in the chair next to the sofa, his green eyes even more concerned than they had been.
"She's fine," Jack said, before Brad could start thinking something had happened to her. "I talked to her a few hours ago."
"In person?" Brad was surprised.
Jack nodded.
"Why didn't you tell me? I would have –"
"Because you weren't invited."
Now the concern was palpable.
"What's she doing that she didn't want to tell me?"
Jack didn't even try to guess how he'd known that was the case. Anderson knew Mitchell too well.
"She's been causing a bit of trouble for the Goa'uld," Jack said, trying to ease into it.
"And they're after her?"
"Oh, no, Brad. It's a lot more serious than that."
Jack launched into the explanation of what was going on, beginning with Jacob Carter's visit, and going on to tell him what had happened in Melonyville, and what had been discussed. To his credit, the younger man listened to the whole story before he exploded.
"Is she nuts?"
"It's a good plan, Brad."
"She's going to kill herself!" He stood up. "How can that be a good plan?"
"She thinks she can pull it off."
"She can't."
"She might."
"Colonel, we have to stop her."
"How do you propose to do that?" Jack asked, bluntly. "Do you want me to send her a message telling her that you order her to come back? Shall I tell her that you've decided you can tell her what to do with her life?"
He looked stricken.
"It's not that I want to tell her what to do-"
"Well, it's too late, Major." Jack said, standing up as well. "I've already tried to talk her out of it, and she wouldn't listen to me. She refused to let you show up on her doorstep, because she knew you'd try to pull the ole I'm your boyfriend do what I tell you to do or you must not love me routine, so there-"
"I wouldn't have-"
"Yes, you would have."
Jack would have, if it had been Carter in the same situation, and he and she were an item.
"It's a crazy plan, Sir. There's not a chance-"
"There is a chance, Major." Jack said, putting his hand on Brad's shoulder. "A very good chance. This shield thing is pretty impressive, from what I hear, and Melony seems to think it can do what she says it can. I'm more inclined to have Carter look for another plan – which is what she's going to be doing for the next month, but it's not as hopeless as it seems, once you've had a chance to think about it."
"What can I do?"
Jack shrugged. "Probably the same thing I'm doing. Nothing. But I had to let you know what was going on."
"I appreciate that, Sir."
"SG-2 is off the mission list for the duration, Brad, just so you know."
"What? Why?"
"For the same reason SG-1 is: we know the plan, and can't risk falling into Goa'uld hands at this time, and maybe spilling the secret."
Brad Anderson frowned, but he nodded. That made a lot of sense. But that also meant that for the next month, he was going to have to sit around and worry about Melony, with nothing to do to get his mind off her danger. Unless...
"Maybe I could look at those notes you were telling me about? The ones Major Carter has?"
Jack shrugged.
"You can ask. If she thinks you'll be helpful, then I'm willing to allow it, as long as no one else knows what you're looking at."
"Yes, Sir."
Jack looked at his watch. "I'd better get back to the base."
"Tell Major Carter I'll be there as soon as I get a uniform on." He'd had the day off, to take care of some house stuff that couldn't wait for the weekend, and since SG-2 hadn't been scheduled to go off-world, it had hardly been difficult to manage.
"Will do." O'Neill turned to go, then stopped, and looked back at him. "One last thing, Anderson..."
"Yes, Sir?"
"Melony told me to tell you she loves you."
The younger man smiled, both because of the sentiment, and because O'Neill was really the last person you'd expect to deliver a message like that.
"Thanks for passing it on, Sir."
"I'm just grateful she didn't ask me to give you a big wet kiss."
Jack smiled, and walked out, leaving Anderson with a foolish grin on his face, despite his concern.