Christmas was most subdued. They tried to make it festive but the nearness of the final
date, their final chance left them all quiet and introspective. They had no extra money for
gifts and no desire to burden themselves with extra things while making their escape to
the own time. O'Neill withdrew within himself. He felt that he had been too forward
and totally inappropriate with Carter. Instead of addressing the issue he avoided it and
her.
Finally every thing was going as planned. How often did that happen? So naturally it made O'Neill nervous. The car ran well, they were in the armory in D.C., had found the Stargate, their timing was good, the trucks engines provided the energy requirement and Daniel and Teal'c were dialing the gate. Then the Security guards came in. The poor officers seemed somewhat dazed probably the mixed result of New Years partying and the other worldliness of the eruption of an opening Stargate. O'Neill ordered his team to go through the gate when one of the guards grabbed Carter. Looking at Daniel and Teal'c he yelled "Go, damn it, we're right behind you."
He aimed his Zat at the guard but was surprised by another guard behind him. A two shot rang out before Jack could zat him. Carter had subdued her assailant, and she grabbed O'Neill's arm and ran up the ramp to the Stargate. They were about to dive through when the wormhole winked out of existence.
Jack yelled "Dial again?" when they both heard the pounding feet.
He grabbed her arm and ran out the building trying to loose themselves in the crowds of partiers on the street. He put his arm around her and staggered and weaved with the best of them trying to blend in.
They came across a loud and crowded party that flowed out from a town house, from the front stoop, through the house and back out to the rear garden. They followed the partier's right in. O'Neill grabbed a bottle from the table set up as a bar, drank directly from it and made his way to the bathroom. When he realized Carter was not right behind him he turned back. Some guy had her arm and was trying to get her to dance with him while she politely tried to beg off.
Jack just glared at the man and told him to "Fuck off."
"Stay with me." He demanded as he made his way back to the bathroom and kicked on the door to evict the occupant. Stepping over the vomit on the floor he hauled Sam in behind him and locked the door. He proceeded to peal off his leather jacket when she saw the blood on his left hand. It had dripped down from the graze on his bicep. He washed the blood away, soaked his handkerchief in the vodka and cleaned the wound. "Carter, see if you can find some kind of bandage and watch your step. These people need target practice." He lifted his shirt to look at his back. The buckle of his jacket had deflected the second bullet but left a bruise that felt like the real thing. Cleaned up they went in search of food. There was snack food all over the house and platters of breads, cold cuts and cheeses and numerous dessert trays in the dinning room.
After picking at the food he leaned into her against a wall a started nuzzling her ear and neck.
"I wonder if we can find an empty bedroom up stairs."
"Sir?"
"Too obvious if we run now. When they think about those guys stories they'll think they were just drunk. We can rest for part of the night and leave with crowd probably around dawn."
In the second floor hall way O'Neill was opening doors, found a linen closet and grabbed a sheet. They found a couple emerging from a bed room and claimed it for their own. O'Neill spread the sheet on the bed. Carter gave him a quizzical look.
"Look I know I'm just a guy but even I have my limits and sleeping on a bed someone else just…well you know."
He lay down on the fresh sheet and patted the bed for Carter to join him. They rested for a few hours disturbed only by other trying to use the room. When the door rattled O'Neill would just hurl obscenities at it. When the noise of the party seemed to fade they wandered back to the dinning room, made sandwiches and drank coffee that the host was offering to his drunken guests as they made their way to their cars.
"Maybe this isn't the best time to be on the road. These fools are going to play bumper cars on the highways."
"We could sit out in the garden."
"It's January for Christ sake. The idiots out there are to drunk to feel the cold."
So they wandered around the crowded house looking for a place to sit among the couples now mostly eating or making out. O'Neill spotted an easy chair in the den, sat down and pulled Carter unto his lap. She nearly spilled her coffee down his leg. He put his lips to her ear and told her to try to blend in but she sat there stiff as a post. He took the plate out of her hands and the coffee cup, too, and pulled her into a tight embrace kissing her neck, nibbling on her ear and whispering to her "You're suppose to be at a party. Just try to look like you're having a good time."
She relaxed in his arms, lightly kissed him on the mouth and said aloud "But I'm hungry, honey." He let her eat in peace but whenever anyone glanced their way he possessively stroked her thigh.
"Want more coffee?"
"Yeah"
After a few moments he again followed her, this time back into the kitchen where some young stud was hitting on her. He had her up against the same wall O'Neill had leaned her against. O'Neill came up behind him and snarled.
"I don't care who you go home with tonight as long as it's not her. She's mine."
Carter, returning with the coffee, found him sprawled in the same chair in the den. She slammed the coffee cups down on the table, sat in his lap and turned to put her arms around him. He smiled until he heard her whispering in his ear and an earful she gave him. How dare he, didn't he know she could take care of herself, and she certainly was no man's property and how did he know she wasn't getting some important information. With that O'Neill stopped the tirade.
"Bullshit, it was just some horney lout hitting on you. And it '69, ah, '70, the feminist routine would just draw attention to you in this preppy crowd."
And then he kissed her so she couldn't reply. He continued until she bit his lip and poked him in the side. She was still fuming and so did not realize she had hurt him until she heard the sharp intake of breathe and his fingers dig into her leg.
When the crowd started to dissipate they wandered out the door and went in search of their car.
Sitting in the old heap they had to make some decisions. Try the gate again? It was too late and now most probably heavily guarded. Find another way back to the future? It was a fluke the first time and certainly not in the power of the scientific minds of 1970. Blend in with the population and just disappear? It was probably the best solution for the present. Maybe Daniel and Teal'c had gotten back safely and were presently discussing with Earth's allies a way to get them back. They had to think about this when their heads were clearer and they had a bit more time to reflect. But meanwhile the next decision was North or South, East or West, city or country, where should they loose themselves and should they stay together or part company?
Finally every thing was going as planned. How often did that happen? So naturally it made O'Neill nervous. The car ran well, they were in the armory in D.C., had found the Stargate, their timing was good, the trucks engines provided the energy requirement and Daniel and Teal'c were dialing the gate. Then the Security guards came in. The poor officers seemed somewhat dazed probably the mixed result of New Years partying and the other worldliness of the eruption of an opening Stargate. O'Neill ordered his team to go through the gate when one of the guards grabbed Carter. Looking at Daniel and Teal'c he yelled "Go, damn it, we're right behind you."
He aimed his Zat at the guard but was surprised by another guard behind him. A two shot rang out before Jack could zat him. Carter had subdued her assailant, and she grabbed O'Neill's arm and ran up the ramp to the Stargate. They were about to dive through when the wormhole winked out of existence.
Jack yelled "Dial again?" when they both heard the pounding feet.
He grabbed her arm and ran out the building trying to loose themselves in the crowds of partiers on the street. He put his arm around her and staggered and weaved with the best of them trying to blend in.
They came across a loud and crowded party that flowed out from a town house, from the front stoop, through the house and back out to the rear garden. They followed the partier's right in. O'Neill grabbed a bottle from the table set up as a bar, drank directly from it and made his way to the bathroom. When he realized Carter was not right behind him he turned back. Some guy had her arm and was trying to get her to dance with him while she politely tried to beg off.
Jack just glared at the man and told him to "Fuck off."
"Stay with me." He demanded as he made his way back to the bathroom and kicked on the door to evict the occupant. Stepping over the vomit on the floor he hauled Sam in behind him and locked the door. He proceeded to peal off his leather jacket when she saw the blood on his left hand. It had dripped down from the graze on his bicep. He washed the blood away, soaked his handkerchief in the vodka and cleaned the wound. "Carter, see if you can find some kind of bandage and watch your step. These people need target practice." He lifted his shirt to look at his back. The buckle of his jacket had deflected the second bullet but left a bruise that felt like the real thing. Cleaned up they went in search of food. There was snack food all over the house and platters of breads, cold cuts and cheeses and numerous dessert trays in the dinning room.
After picking at the food he leaned into her against a wall a started nuzzling her ear and neck.
"I wonder if we can find an empty bedroom up stairs."
"Sir?"
"Too obvious if we run now. When they think about those guys stories they'll think they were just drunk. We can rest for part of the night and leave with crowd probably around dawn."
In the second floor hall way O'Neill was opening doors, found a linen closet and grabbed a sheet. They found a couple emerging from a bed room and claimed it for their own. O'Neill spread the sheet on the bed. Carter gave him a quizzical look.
"Look I know I'm just a guy but even I have my limits and sleeping on a bed someone else just…well you know."
He lay down on the fresh sheet and patted the bed for Carter to join him. They rested for a few hours disturbed only by other trying to use the room. When the door rattled O'Neill would just hurl obscenities at it. When the noise of the party seemed to fade they wandered back to the dinning room, made sandwiches and drank coffee that the host was offering to his drunken guests as they made their way to their cars.
"Maybe this isn't the best time to be on the road. These fools are going to play bumper cars on the highways."
"We could sit out in the garden."
"It's January for Christ sake. The idiots out there are to drunk to feel the cold."
So they wandered around the crowded house looking for a place to sit among the couples now mostly eating or making out. O'Neill spotted an easy chair in the den, sat down and pulled Carter unto his lap. She nearly spilled her coffee down his leg. He put his lips to her ear and told her to try to blend in but she sat there stiff as a post. He took the plate out of her hands and the coffee cup, too, and pulled her into a tight embrace kissing her neck, nibbling on her ear and whispering to her "You're suppose to be at a party. Just try to look like you're having a good time."
She relaxed in his arms, lightly kissed him on the mouth and said aloud "But I'm hungry, honey." He let her eat in peace but whenever anyone glanced their way he possessively stroked her thigh.
"Want more coffee?"
"Yeah"
After a few moments he again followed her, this time back into the kitchen where some young stud was hitting on her. He had her up against the same wall O'Neill had leaned her against. O'Neill came up behind him and snarled.
"I don't care who you go home with tonight as long as it's not her. She's mine."
Carter, returning with the coffee, found him sprawled in the same chair in the den. She slammed the coffee cups down on the table, sat in his lap and turned to put her arms around him. He smiled until he heard her whispering in his ear and an earful she gave him. How dare he, didn't he know she could take care of herself, and she certainly was no man's property and how did he know she wasn't getting some important information. With that O'Neill stopped the tirade.
"Bullshit, it was just some horney lout hitting on you. And it '69, ah, '70, the feminist routine would just draw attention to you in this preppy crowd."
And then he kissed her so she couldn't reply. He continued until she bit his lip and poked him in the side. She was still fuming and so did not realize she had hurt him until she heard the sharp intake of breathe and his fingers dig into her leg.
When the crowd started to dissipate they wandered out the door and went in search of their car.
Sitting in the old heap they had to make some decisions. Try the gate again? It was too late and now most probably heavily guarded. Find another way back to the future? It was a fluke the first time and certainly not in the power of the scientific minds of 1970. Blend in with the population and just disappear? It was probably the best solution for the present. Maybe Daniel and Teal'c had gotten back safely and were presently discussing with Earth's allies a way to get them back. They had to think about this when their heads were clearer and they had a bit more time to reflect. But meanwhile the next decision was North or South, East or West, city or country, where should they loose themselves and should they stay together or part company?