"I wish I could go with you."
Melony nodded her agreement as she wrapped her arms around Brad and held him close, feeling his hold on her tighten.
"I wish you could, too, Brad," she whispered. "But you're way more of a distraction than I can afford to have..." She smiled, because even just holding him like she was, and being held by him, all she could really think of was just him. Holding him. Loving him. Settling down and never leaving him. It was a wonderful thought, but one that definitely needed to be left back on Earth. She couldn't afford thoughts like that when she was on her ship. Which was the whole reason he was staying behind.
"I love you." He kissed her softly, and it deepened immediately into as sensual a kiss as they'd ever shared. Neither was inclined to break off, but eventually they had to breathe, and Melony pulled back with a slightly guilty smile.
"We'd better get going before Jack comes back and finds us making out in his office."
"He'd knock first."
"I doubt it."
Brad smiled and hugged her again, but then he stepped back.
"Can I come help you in the embarkation room?"
"Of course."
She went behind Jack's desk, pushing his chair out of the way, and started rummaging through the drawers.
"What are you looking for?" Anderson asked.
"I can't really rope off the area that'll need to be cleared for the device, since it probably won't be a couple more weeks yet, and Hammond and the others will need to be able to come and go, so I'll use tape to show where everyone should stand back from once we send word we're coming through."
She made a triumphant noise, and pulled out a brand new roll of masking tape. Giving him as cocky a smile as she could, Melony headed for the door, followed closely by Brad.
................................
"How's it going, kids?"
Sam and Daniel both looked up as Jack came through the door of Daniel's office, and O'Neill immediately noticed that Daniel's expression turned guarded at his approach. Obviously Melony wasn't the only one who thought Jack was going to yell at Daniel.
"Fine, Sir," Sam said, uneasily.
Yup, she thought he was going to yell at Daniel, too.
"Need any help?" Jack asked.
Daniel shook his head. "I'm about done. Just clothes and a couple of books, mostly."
"I just got back from talking to Melony..." Jack started, picking up one of the artifacts that littered Daniel's desk and looking at it without much interest. "She assures me that this... device thing of hers will work."
"I have faith in it, Jack," Daniel told him.
Jack nodded. "I know you do, Daniel." He just wished he did, too.
"It sounds like an amazing piece of technology," Sam said. "I'm not sure how she's planning on powering it, since it seems it'd require an extraordinary amount of energy – especially if they're any great distance from their destination when the-"
"She's going to use the energy from the explosion created by blowing up the ship," Jack said, interrupting Carter before she could really get started.
Sam nodded, her expression clearly showing she was impressed.
"That'd do it."
"Listen... Daniel..."
"I'm going to do this, Jack," Daniel said, firmly, figuring that he'd just avert the argument before it even began. It was too important to be bullied out of. "I can help."
"I know." Jack put the artifact down as Daniel and Sam both looked at him in surprise. "I just came by to... make sure you didn't forget clean underwear."
"That's it?"
Jack shrugged, and they knew he wanted to say more, he just wasn't sure how.
"I'm... just be careful, Daniel. Okay? I'm counting on you to make sure Melony makes it back in one piece."
Daniel smiled.
"I will, Jack."
"Did you remember your toothbrush?"
Sam smiled and came over and sat on the edge of Daniel's desk, beside where Jack was standing. If he was able to joke about it, then he wasn't going to yell. Probably.
"I know how to pack, Jack," Daniel said, grinning. "Clean underwear and all."
"Then we'd better get you going. Apparently, Melony's going to need to make it so you can go through that bug zapper shield thing. Who knows how long that will take?"
Daniel picked up his pack, and the three of them walked out of his office, Sam and Jack both extremely worried and trying very hard not to show it, and Daniel slightly pale, but as resolute as he'd ever been. He wasn't used to going off on a mission without Jack, Sam and Teal'c covering his back, but Melony and Talon were confident enough about what they were doing that it was infectious, and Daniel was pretty sure he trusted them to get him home alive.
......................
They were supposed to meet in the supply room, but when they stopped off in the embarkation room to drop off Daniel's packs, they found Mitchell and Anderson there, Melony on the floor with a roll of masking tape in her hands, methodically laying it down and creating an area about twenty feet wide in all directions from the ramp of the gate.
"That's where you're going to come out?" Sam asked as Daniel dropped his packs and went over to watch, following Jack, who was already standing over Melony, next to Brad.
Mitchell looked up, and nodded.
"More or less." She said, ripping off the tape and tossing the roll up to Jack, who caught it easily. "I'm erring on the side of caution, but as long as no one's in this area when the device is activated, it should be fine."
"What if someone is?" Jack asked.
"That would be bad, Jack. So make sure they all stand clear."
"You'll send word?"
She nodded. "Through the device I gave you."
"When is Talon going to figure out how to make those into two way radios?" Jack asked, looking at the device strapped to his wrist.
Melony smiled, "He's got a little bit on his plate right now, Jack. But when we're done with this, we'll see what we can do."
She looked over at Daniel.
"All packed?"
"Yes."
"Let's go raid the supply room, then. And the commissary."
Melony nodded her agreement as she wrapped her arms around Brad and held him close, feeling his hold on her tighten.
"I wish you could, too, Brad," she whispered. "But you're way more of a distraction than I can afford to have..." She smiled, because even just holding him like she was, and being held by him, all she could really think of was just him. Holding him. Loving him. Settling down and never leaving him. It was a wonderful thought, but one that definitely needed to be left back on Earth. She couldn't afford thoughts like that when she was on her ship. Which was the whole reason he was staying behind.
"I love you." He kissed her softly, and it deepened immediately into as sensual a kiss as they'd ever shared. Neither was inclined to break off, but eventually they had to breathe, and Melony pulled back with a slightly guilty smile.
"We'd better get going before Jack comes back and finds us making out in his office."
"He'd knock first."
"I doubt it."
Brad smiled and hugged her again, but then he stepped back.
"Can I come help you in the embarkation room?"
"Of course."
She went behind Jack's desk, pushing his chair out of the way, and started rummaging through the drawers.
"What are you looking for?" Anderson asked.
"I can't really rope off the area that'll need to be cleared for the device, since it probably won't be a couple more weeks yet, and Hammond and the others will need to be able to come and go, so I'll use tape to show where everyone should stand back from once we send word we're coming through."
She made a triumphant noise, and pulled out a brand new roll of masking tape. Giving him as cocky a smile as she could, Melony headed for the door, followed closely by Brad.
................................
"How's it going, kids?"
Sam and Daniel both looked up as Jack came through the door of Daniel's office, and O'Neill immediately noticed that Daniel's expression turned guarded at his approach. Obviously Melony wasn't the only one who thought Jack was going to yell at Daniel.
"Fine, Sir," Sam said, uneasily.
Yup, she thought he was going to yell at Daniel, too.
"Need any help?" Jack asked.
Daniel shook his head. "I'm about done. Just clothes and a couple of books, mostly."
"I just got back from talking to Melony..." Jack started, picking up one of the artifacts that littered Daniel's desk and looking at it without much interest. "She assures me that this... device thing of hers will work."
"I have faith in it, Jack," Daniel told him.
Jack nodded. "I know you do, Daniel." He just wished he did, too.
"It sounds like an amazing piece of technology," Sam said. "I'm not sure how she's planning on powering it, since it seems it'd require an extraordinary amount of energy – especially if they're any great distance from their destination when the-"
"She's going to use the energy from the explosion created by blowing up the ship," Jack said, interrupting Carter before she could really get started.
Sam nodded, her expression clearly showing she was impressed.
"That'd do it."
"Listen... Daniel..."
"I'm going to do this, Jack," Daniel said, firmly, figuring that he'd just avert the argument before it even began. It was too important to be bullied out of. "I can help."
"I know." Jack put the artifact down as Daniel and Sam both looked at him in surprise. "I just came by to... make sure you didn't forget clean underwear."
"That's it?"
Jack shrugged, and they knew he wanted to say more, he just wasn't sure how.
"I'm... just be careful, Daniel. Okay? I'm counting on you to make sure Melony makes it back in one piece."
Daniel smiled.
"I will, Jack."
"Did you remember your toothbrush?"
Sam smiled and came over and sat on the edge of Daniel's desk, beside where Jack was standing. If he was able to joke about it, then he wasn't going to yell. Probably.
"I know how to pack, Jack," Daniel said, grinning. "Clean underwear and all."
"Then we'd better get you going. Apparently, Melony's going to need to make it so you can go through that bug zapper shield thing. Who knows how long that will take?"
Daniel picked up his pack, and the three of them walked out of his office, Sam and Jack both extremely worried and trying very hard not to show it, and Daniel slightly pale, but as resolute as he'd ever been. He wasn't used to going off on a mission without Jack, Sam and Teal'c covering his back, but Melony and Talon were confident enough about what they were doing that it was infectious, and Daniel was pretty sure he trusted them to get him home alive.
......................
They were supposed to meet in the supply room, but when they stopped off in the embarkation room to drop off Daniel's packs, they found Mitchell and Anderson there, Melony on the floor with a roll of masking tape in her hands, methodically laying it down and creating an area about twenty feet wide in all directions from the ramp of the gate.
"That's where you're going to come out?" Sam asked as Daniel dropped his packs and went over to watch, following Jack, who was already standing over Melony, next to Brad.
Mitchell looked up, and nodded.
"More or less." She said, ripping off the tape and tossing the roll up to Jack, who caught it easily. "I'm erring on the side of caution, but as long as no one's in this area when the device is activated, it should be fine."
"What if someone is?" Jack asked.
"That would be bad, Jack. So make sure they all stand clear."
"You'll send word?"
She nodded. "Through the device I gave you."
"When is Talon going to figure out how to make those into two way radios?" Jack asked, looking at the device strapped to his wrist.
Melony smiled, "He's got a little bit on his plate right now, Jack. But when we're done with this, we'll see what we can do."
She looked over at Daniel.
"All packed?"
"Yes."
"Let's go raid the supply room, then. And the commissary."