Author's Note: Here it is the chapter some have been waiting for (not the last, yet). In this chapter SG-1 will learn or at least start learning Sign language.
Notes for when reading: italics written down, 'in apostrophe's' a thought, "in quotes" spoken, bold italics in sign language, bold Morse code. I just realized how confusing that is. Sorry, I probably won't use Morse code that much and I don't do much with thoughts.
"Sg-1, this is Jessica Blackwell. She will be teaching you sign language. She has the highest-level security clearance. She knows everything about what we do here. She can teach you some words that would need to know that others wouldn't." General Hammond introduced. Standing next to him was Jessica Blackwell. Her black hair went a little past her shoulders and her bright green eyes sparkled in the dimly lit room. Sg-1 stood facing their new teacher. "Jessica, this is Sg-1. Colonel Jack O'Neill." Jack stepped forward and offered his hand. She took it, shook it and Jack stepped back to his team. "Major Samantha Carter." Sam followed Jack's precedence and stepped forward. She shook Jessica's hand and stepped back in line with the rest. "Dr. Daniel Jackson." Daniel stepped forward, but rather than shaking her hand he put his hand up and did the sign for hello.
Good Morning, Doctor Jackson. She signed back.
Call me Daniel. He signed to her.
I will. She signed. "I have read some of your work. Very impressive. An how very right you were." She said out loud, not knowing how much sign language he knew.
Thank You. He signed before stepping back to let General Hammond finish.
"And Teal'c." Hammond finished. Teal'c quickly bowed his head to greet her.
"It's very nice to meet you all. I've just learned about what you do and it's all very amazing. I can't believe all this is buried under Colorado." She told them. Her nervousness fading away as she grew more confident and comfortable in her surroundings.
"I'll leave you to get acquainted and get started. I will be learning sign language also, at a more convenient time for myself." Hammond told them. He turned, walked to the door and started out, then stopped and turned to face them again. "Colonel, I'd like to be on your best behavior. Treat her like she's your commanding officer. And Jessica," he started, turning to her, "be careful when teaching him anything he can use sarcastically." Jack scowled, his CO knew him too well. General Hammond smiled at Jack's sudden scowl and headed to his office.
"I know the basics of what happened to your throats, but I would like to know the whole story if you're willing to share." Jessica requested nicely, inviting the team to sit with her around a table set up in the far side of the room. She walked over and sat down in one of the chairs. After a couple of seconds the team started to follow her starting with Daniel and Teal'c. Jack was the last one to sit down, placing himself between Sam and Daniel.
"I've been told that you have been communicating by using Morse code." Jessica started, Sg-1 nodded to confirm her statement. "I don't know Morse code well enough to be able to understand you. So…could you write down your answers on the pads in front of you?" Sg-1 looked down at the table and noticed the pad of paper and pen set in front of them. "So, what made you mute?" The whole team started to write, but Jack was done first. He lifted his pad.
Artifact called Exvocom.
"What is an Exvocom?" Jessica asked. They all started writing and, again, Jack was done first.
Artifact to make people mute.
"How long have you four been mute?" She asked.
One month. Daniel had written on his pad. A look of satisfaction on his face, answering her questions was becoming a race for fastest writer.
"How have you been communicating for the past month?" She questioned, trying to get as much information as she could.
Writing. Morse code. Simple Text. Sam answered this question first. She had been the person on the team to do the most communicating with other people outside the team. She had helped fix a small glitch in the gate with Siler and had led briefings on some technology that Sg-4 had brought back from a recent mission.
"Which way have you been communicating the most?" Sam, Jack and Daniel each held up their pads for Jessica to read.
Morse code. Was written on Jack's pad.
Sam and Daniel's pads each had the words Simple Text written on their pads.
"Teal'c, what about you?" She asked. Jack scribbled something on his pad and raised it.
He doesn't really 'say' anything unless it's necessary. Was written on his legal pad. Sam and Daniel looked at Jack's pad and nodded in agreement.
"Do you know Morse code?" Jessica asked, directed at Teal'c. Teal'c nodded his head slowly in response. "Okay." She mumbled to herself. "First, I'm going to teach you the alphabet. I'll do the sign and then I want all of you to copy it." She held up her right hand in an almost fist with her thumb against her pointer finger. "This is 'a.'" She said watching as the team copied her motion.
"Other hand, Colonel." She corrected; he scowled and did the same motion with his right hand. "b," she informed aloud as she put her four fingers up and together with her thumb at the base of her pinky.
This is how Sg-1 spent their afternoon. After an hour and a half the whole team had learned all 26 letters of the alphabet.
"Would you like to start numbers?" She asked, wanting their opinions.
SNACK. Jack spelled out, his face a cross between concentration and a pleading pout.
"Sure, lead the way." She answered, standing up. The team stood up too and Jack led them the fastest way to the commissary from the room they were in.
Daniel had been working under Cheyenne Mountain almost as long as Jack had and had never once been down the corridor Jack was leading them through. He stepped up his pace and walked next to Jack the rest of the way, waiting until they had their food to ask him how he found it.
Upon entering the commissary Jack nodded to the team and they each walked with a purpose to a selective area. Sam, followed closely by Jessica, sat down at an empty table and waited. Jessica sat down to the right of Sam and watched carefully as the male members of the team performed what looked like a long perfected routine. Daniel had walked over to the coffee maker and filled three cups of coffee. He carefully put in sugar and cream into selective cups, placed the cups on a tray and headed back to the table. Jessica quickly turned her attention to Teal'c. He had a tray like Daniel and was piling it with lunch items. Hamburgers, sandwiches and other such foods. Jack was standing by the deserts easily picking out slices of pie and bowls of Jello for the team.
Daniel was the first to arrive back at the table. He handed Sam a cup of coffee off the tray. Another of the cups he placed at his spot, the other was put to the left of Sam. He handed Jessica a glass if ice water that she hadn't seen him get.
I didn't know what you like. Sorry. He signed after pushing the tray between him and Sam on the table.
"This is fine. Thank you." Jessica replied, drinking some of her water.
Teal'c arrived next with his tray. He put it down on the tray Daniel had put on the table. Sam quickly grabbed a sandwich from the tray. Daniel took a sandwich and two hamburgers. He put the sandwich down next to his coffee and put the hamburgers next to the coffee by Sam. Teal'c took an Italian sandwich and left the tray still partially full.
One is for you pick one. Daniel signed to Jessica.
"Thanks." She said picking up a ham sandwich from the tray.
Jack reappeared with his dessert tray as everyone was eating his or her sandwiches. He set his tray between him and Teal'c on the table, next to the sandwich and coffee trays. He waved to say 'hi' and sat next to Sam. The four members of the team reached to the tray and grabbed their desserts. When each member had his or her chosen desserts the tray was cleared of everything except an extra bowl of Jack's favorite Jello. Jack picked up the bowl and put it in front of Jessica.
For you. Jack tapped slowly, on the table.
"Thank you, Colonel." She responded. The Jello looked good.
Jack, call me Jack. He tapped. She was going to be here for a while and it would just be easier for her to call him by his name. Rather than responding vocally she nodded and turned back to her 'snack.'
Jack, when did you find that corridor? Daniel tapped.
I had free time so I found all the routes to the commissary. Jack tapped back, a hint of a smile on his face.
I should have known. Daniel shot back quickly, sending Jack into an instant scowl.
"Daniel, when did you learn sign language?" Jessica asked.
Daniel thought over his answer and slowly tapped it on the table so that she could understand it. When the General told us that we might have to learn sign language I found a book in my office on it and read it. Then I started casually using the signs while I spoke. I'm pretty good at it now.
"How much do you know?" She asked, after listening to his story.
I can get the book for you, if you'd like to see it. I know most, if not all of the words in there. Daniel signed. 'Where did I put the book anyway?' He thought, questioningly.
"Yeah, I'd like to see it so I know what to teach you and what you already know." Jessica replied.
'Oh man, now I have to find. I'll check my office, then my quarters, then my apartment, then everywhere else I've been in the past three weeks. At least I don't have to worry about off world, we've been here on Earth for a month.' He thought, causing himself to smile.
Their snack took forever to finish. Jack refused to let anyone leave the table until they had all eaten their dessert.
On the way back to the room they took the "scenic route" because Jack said they needed to walk off their snack. After about 7 minutes of walking they made it back to the room to learn their numbers. They quickly took the seats they had earlier occupied and 45 minutes later they knew 1 to 10 and beyond.
"I guess it's time for a small test." Jessica announced, causing Jack's eyes to bulge. "I want you to spell out your name and use numbers to show your age." Jack let out a silent sigh and watched as Daniel started.
DANIEL. 34. He spelled out and turned to Sam.
SAMANTHA. 39. She signed easily.
TEALC. 37. He signed, quickly inserting the age he used as a cover. Jessica knew there were aliens on other planets, but knowing that there were some living on Earth was not necessary.
JACK. OLD. He signed, causing Sam's eyes to light up in silent laughter.
Jessica tried to glare at him, but failed as she saw the team looking less "down on their luck." General Hammond had warned her. She had, however, underestimated Jack though, thinking he would need more than just the alphabet to be sarcastic. She glanced around the table. The team was smiling, as if nothing had happened and it was just a normal day at the SGC. 'It probably is.' She thought still awed by the Stargate and all the classified information she had learned in one day.
"That's all I have for today, unless you want to start on tomorrow's work." The second part was a question of sorts. She looked around; Sam and Daniel looked ready to continue. Teal'c looked indifferent to any decision. Jack was scowling, obviously against the idea of doing more. "What if we spend the ready of the day getting to know each other?" She suggested, it would be a good way for them to get used to using the sign language alphabet and they could ask her how to sign any words they didn't know.
OK. Came from Jack and many of the same answers came from the rest.
"I guess I'll start then. My name is Jessica and I'm 30. I like Spaghettio's and my favorite color is blue. I started learning sign language when my mother went deaf. I was 8. I have been teaching sign language for two years." Jessica began. She knew more about them they did about her. "I've read your files so I know all the education and unclassified jobs you've had."
I am Daniel. I am an archaeologist. I like coffee and I am in the infirmary so much that they have a bed reserved for me. Daniel signed. Jessica smiled, wondering how one person could get so hurt. She knew it was a dangerous job, but almost everyone else on the base went off world too. 'Maybe Daniel is just accident prone.'
WHAT. Jack signed from his seat.
"Daniel told me about the reserved bed he has in the infirmary." Jessica told Jack.
NOW SPACEMONKEY, DON'T TAKE ALL THE GLORY. YOU KNOW ALL FOUR OF US HAVE RESERVED BEDS IN THERE. Jack signed, Jessica smiled again."Do you four get hurt that often?" She asked.
A simultaneous YES came from Sam, Jack and Daniel. Teal'c slowly nodded his head.
I AM SAM. I LIKE BLUE JELLO AND TECHNOLOGY. Sam signed, continuing the acquaintance session.
JACK. I LIKE BLUE JELLO AND NOT BEING IN THE INFIRMARY OR IN TROUBLE. Jack signed slowly, making sure to get all of the signs correct.
They continued to sign to each other and after 15 minute Jessica and Daniel started signing back and forth using words rather than spelling everything. At this point Sam and Jack turned to face each other and used the alphabet to tell each other about what they had done to keep busy over the past few weeks. Teal'c sat and watched both pairs sign back and forth. They spent an hour just signing to each other before calling it a night and going to the commissary for dinner.
Another Author's Note: If anyone noticed or cares, I am a Sam/Jack shipper. I don't think I'll do anything about it, in this story at least. Maybe I will. I change my mind a lot. I do put in some subtle hints though. Him sitting next to her, and other nuances.
Some notes on the future of this story:
I'm not going to pair up Jessica and anybody. I don't think it's going to be romance at all.
Set in Season: I really don't know. Jack is a Colonel. Sam is a Major. Teal'c still has his symbiote. I don't know where that puts this story season wise.
Thanks to StarGazer89 for telling me that Jack's favorite Jello is red and Sam's favorite is blue. I wrote in one of the earlier chapters that Jack's favorite was blue. Oops. Sorry.
I think the next chapter is going to finish it up because I am eager to start writing a new story idea I had.
Please review. They make me happy and I write faster.