Part 10: The Springs

I parted ways with Riley after dinner at the White House. He was needed back home as Sam, his wife, was expecting their first child, and the proud papa wanted to be home incase she needed anything. After almost a week of constant companionship, it was difficult to get on the plane to Colorado on my own.

I flew into Denver International Airport. The building was constructed to look like the mountains that surrounded the city. It was an interesting modern take on the back drop of the Rocky Mountains. The airport itself, on the inside could have been anywhere in the country, it was stark and modern and had that airport smell; sort of a mix between feet, metal and lighter fluid. As far as I could tell, every airport in the nation had that same smell, and the same white and gray walls that tried so hard not to look like a hospital, but in the end always did.

I got my bags and rented a car to Colorado Springs, where I called General O'Neill. We had spoken earlier, as I told him that I was excepting my jog offer, though he probably had known already. At the time he told me to call him once I got to the Springs, so that he could tell me where they had found me accommodations. He would have told me at the time of the first call, only they didn't have them yet.

"General O'Neill speaking."

"General, this is Willow Rosenberg. I have just arrived in Colorado Springs."

"Ah, Willow, I hope you had a good flight."

"As good as someone who hates flying can."

"How can you hate flying?"

"Do we really have to discuss that now, General? I would really like to know where I'm going to be unpacking, so that I can tell the movers where to send all of my things."

"Right, priorities, those are good things to have. Okay, you're apartment is at 5365 Beldon Drive. Your best bet is to find a gas station and get directions, because I am liable to send you in the completely wrong direction. Dr. Jackson will meet you there with your keys and a bit of a description of your job. Once you are adequately settled in, the two of you can make your way to our facility and we will go from there."

"Thank you General."

"Ms. Rosenberg, if you are going to be a member of my team, I would really rather you just call me Jack, your not military, you're a civilian."

"Thank you Jack, I will see you soon then."

Despite getting directions and a map from the gas station that I found right off the highway, I still managed to be consistently lost for almost an hour. When I showed up at the building, Dr. Jackson was already waiting for me. He was leaning on his car, or what I assumed to be his car. It was a new, very practical, sedan, green, and very much the regular Joe car; I wasn't sure why, but it struck me as being a bit odd for him. He was wearing jeans and a dark gray t-shirt, with his leather jacket thrown over his shoulder. If I wasn't gay, I would have definitely wanted him.

"Ms. Rosenberg, I was just about to send someone to look for you. Did you get lost?"

"Only for the past hour, but here I am, and I've found it. Now let's go see my new pad."

"It's not much to look at, it's pretty small, but it's the best we could do on such short notice. Do you need me to carry anything?" It was definitely his car, he leaned down and opened his door, putting his jacket on the drivers side seat. His jeans pulled as he leaned over, and I couldn't believe that I hadn't noticed him before this. For being Linguist and someone who works inside all day, he was sure well built. I couldn't believe I was thinking these things, I had just checked out a guy, and not just a guy, his butt. I was really sucking at being gay in the past two minutes.

"That's alright. I don't really have much in the car, just a bag and a carry-on. Though I will have to get this rental back to the airport, and get myself a car. This place is huge. I'm not at all used to needing a car to get around."

"Yeah, Burlington was pretty small, but I thought that you where from California before that, isn't that the land of massive interstates and big cities?"

"Not if you live in Sunnydale its not. I'm from a very small town about forty-five minutes from anywhere. It's a one Starbucks town, as my friends like to say. Or I guess it was, as its not there any longer."

"Yeah, I heard about that. There was a massive earth quake and the entire city just caved into the ground. I've never heard of that happening before."
"Not unless you believe the Atlantis myths, though I guess that was a volcano and into the ocean, but the same kind of idea."

"Yeah, Atlantis."

"Anyway, we should get this stuff inside. I would really like so see where I'm going to be working as soon as possible, and today isn't getting any younger."

"I'll lead the way, are you sure you don't want me to carry anything."

"I'm a big girl Dr. Jackson, I haven't needed a big strong man to carry my things in a very long time."

"Please call me Daniel."
"As long as you remember to call me Willow, I keep looking around for one of my high school teacher when you call me Ms."

The apartment was pretty small, but just fine for my single me-ness. There where two bedrooms, one that could easily be an office, provided I took the bed out of it. The whole place was nicely, but sparsely furnished, the kitchen was small, but fine for my cooking skills, in which I had very few, if you didn't count making copious amounts of cookies.

I placed my bags in the larger of the two bedrooms, leaving the unpacking to when the rest of my things arrived and joined Daniel on the couch in my living/dinning/kitchen area.