Gravity of it All by PLS
Summery: Sick of trying to survive as Harry Potter in a post-Voldemort world, a young wizard takes a new path in the past that leads to the stars.
Chapter Two: New Stars to Connect.
"Hey, taking both good things and bad things and add them all up,
and divide by two and get along well and spend the time together.
When we join our hands with "Let's go" and jump over the puddle,
a rainbow peeks through the sky and a red thread binds us.
That's right."
(Super Drive by Yosuke Sakanoue)
Harry tapped on the tray table as he listened to his favorite mix of Velvet Underground again, for the third time. He was on a civilian flight from Washington D.C. to Denver and thus, because of the nosy little man who was sitting next to him, he couldn't start going over the official mission reports and other documents that Jack had ready and waiting for him with the lesion at the Pentagon. Harry smiled, if it weren't for the fact that Davis was American and very loyal to his own country, he might have tried to trade in his Thorne for the man.
At least he was able to ditch the hopeless monster at the Pentagon where he had Thorne reading over mission reports, the new protocols that the SGC used, and the other systems that opening the stargate necessitated. Other wise he'd never be able to properly embarrass Jack, as well as get in a few good kisses, gropes, and then cuddle up next to Jack as he drove them to Cheyenne Mountain. It was only fair, last time he had seen Jack, the evil man didn't say one word to him, instead he used ASL to tell him in graphic detail what he was fantasizing during the whole boring meeting at the base where the UK and US were sharing. Then Jack didn't even say good bye. Harry planned on doing the same during the car ride, only in Arabic.
Smirking he took out the airline's magazine and scanned through it. It was a good cover as he scripted out just what he would say to drive Jack up a wall. It was a good thing they coordinated this time to make sure they both had a week of leave time in three days so that they could go a nice secluded camping/fishing trip. They'd need that privacy to work off the steam they'd cook up under the mountain of the US's 'don't ask, don't tell' policy. Besides they both really did love to do quiet freshwater fishing.
Harry sighed as he looked at a picture of a pie, it reminded him of Sarah, the wonderful woman that Jack had married, had a kid with, and divorced in his grief. Sarah sort of understood that he and Jack's friendship was a weird mix of many things, and never held their past or their closeness against Jack or himself. Harry was not happy when news of Jack's divorce came to him by way of Sarah instead of Jack, but she insisted that he was better after he came back from his mysterious secret project.
Sarah was the woman that Harry wished he had found instead of Yvonne, who turned into a spiteful vindictive little thing when it became clear that work and friendship tended to come first. Unlike Sarah, who might have said damaging things to Jack in the heat of the moment, Yvonne seethed and never let go of her resentment for Jack and the army. Finally, after he got back from Charlie's funeral, he had enough and had a quick divorce, retired to teaching, and forgot about her.
Finally, after hours of the boring flight of monotony, the 'Fasten Seat belts' sign came on with warnings to start turning of electrical devices and putting up trays. The flight attendants collected trash and slowly, but surely, the plane circled and descended upon Denver where Jack was waiting to be turned as red as a tomato and as awkward as a teenager.
(The rest of this is Harry's P.O.V. of Waiting for Him, my previous drabble which spawned this fic. Check it out if you want Jack's P.O.V. of this scene.)
Harry strode down the chilly jet way with his rolling bag and garment bag with his dress uniform in it. He knew that in the US at least, the terminal part of the airport was closed to all but those with tickets. But it didn't surprise him that General O'Neill used his rank to meet him at the gate. As he saw him, Harry almost wanted to laugh. Jack was totally gray headed and so old looking! Never the less, Harry saw how utterly unchanged this Jack was, or rather how healed he was. Somewhere along the way, something fixed what was utterly broken after Charlie died. Harry couldn't fight the grin as he almost ran to Jack's open arms, dropping the garment bag upon some chairs.
Getting on his toes Harry breathed then whispered into Jack's ear, "Want to shock the bleeding knickers off of the folks here?" Jack moved his head so their foreheads were touching.
"Why not," he paused, letting one of his famous mischievous grins overtake his face, "darling." he drawled out the last word. Harry laughed as he curved a hand around Jack's neck and brought him down for a deep kiss, the kind of kiss that only Jack knew how to give because of their years of friendship and practice. As they pulled apart Harry could see the thoughts that flew across Jack's face. This time they were thoughts of Charlie and Sarah. Two of the only major catastrophes in Jack's life that he totally barred Harry from until the Stargate Project opened old wounds and he finally poured out his sorrows via e-mail and secure phone calls.
"Jack, don't. It wasn't your fault. Somethings just happen, even things like that." Harry tried to say it in a firm calming voice and it seemed to work. Harry picked up his bags again and shoved the garment bag into Jack's arms as he asked,"Now, General, tell me all about the SGC, I need to know it from top to bottom." Jack followed him as he started to talk in a rather bored tone.
"Okay, well the flagship team, SG1 has been doing a lot of the Earth based stuff or linking on to other teams. . ." He started to drone.
"Wait, stop," Harry interrupted, "I have to ask who was drunk when they gave you command of the entire SGC?" Harry threw Jack a smirk as the man snorted in amusement.
"They are still taking bets. . . But I have my money on it being an NID plot to kill the SGC because I simply couldn't be a good CO." Jack said and Harry smiled at his friend as they worked through the crowd.
"Jack, you are many things including a good CO, when you have a good motive. I bet you will become known as the greatest SGC CO in history, just to spite the NID if they were the utter fools to appoint you. Besides, you don't want to make me look bad do you?" Harry whinnied and pouted as he asked the rhetorical question and Jack laughed with him as they stopped in the baggage claim area. Harry looked for his assigned carousal and found it was just about to start with his flight.
"Nah, you'd kill me." Jack said. Harry smirked. He really couldn't help but give Jack a warning.
"I'd do many things to you, my General, but never kill. I'm not that into necrophillia." Harry said with a low and semi-dangerous voice. As per usual Jack started going red and Harry took that as his cue to go get his larger checked bit of luggage.
Harry looked back, Jack was redder than normal. As he assumed, the past seven years had been very dry for the poor man. Not that Harry's were any better. It was really too bad they didn't live in a perfect world where they could officially have a romantic relationship and work together. They both thrived on the Spartan shield mate ideal, and needed to have someone with them who they could trust in battle, in bed, and in all things. Now that Harry thought about it, it was probably one of the factors as to why they both were divorced and why neither really had long lasting friendships except with teammates and each other.
Harry saw his bag come up and got ready to grab it. Maybe he should talk to Jack about this new theory.
End Chapter Two-
(Here's the question- To drop Harry and Jack into a Spartan (or similar) world without foreseeable rescue or not. It wouldn't happen for some time, and it wouldn't happen without a malfunction in the 'gate that disables it, but what do you think? The only way I see those two going off world would be some Ancient tech that needs two to activate it and is used to fight Replicators (and Harry is tested and shown to have the gene) shows up and the Asgard go with them, but then have to go but leave the two at the 'gate. It's not like I recall Hammond leaving via the stargate unless it was life or death for the Earth.)