Snapshots
Spoilers- General S8
Disclaimer- not mine
Note- this is a prequel to 'Run, Jack, Run' but can be read alone.
Note2- This was written for all those people who read 'Run, Jack, Run' and wanted to know what the photograph was of and for GrayMatter, who allowed me to bounce my ideas off her. Oh, and thanks to my buddy Lady Sapphire for giving me the Star Wars info.
xxx
Full of barbeque, Daniel Jackson sunk into the plush cushions of a large armchair and groaned. "I haven't eaten that much since⦠WX2 823."
"Indeed, Daniel Jackson. The two do share a remarkable similarity."
"You ate off-world? Cater, what have you been letting them do?" Jack demanded.
Sam poked her head through the space above the breakfast counter and grinned. "Don't worry, sir. It was one of the Asguard protected planets. Thor assured me they wouldn't try to drug the food, and I kept my eye on the 'kids' all night. No one tried to sweep them off and marry them."
"Things have been quieter without you on the team," Daniel told Jack with a wide grin.
Jack snorted. "Please, Danny, you are the original Captain Kirk."
"You're not exactly innocent of that yourself, Jack." Daniel raised a challenging eyebrow at him.
The sounds of dishes clinking in the kitchen stopped.
Jack glared at Daniel. Daniel bit his lip and shrugged apologetically.
Jack sighed. "Sam! Leave the dishes and get out here. Teal'c wants to watch a movie."
Teal'c raised an eyebrow at Jack. "I did not say that, O'Neil."
"I could see it in your eyes." Jack turned back to the kitchen. "Sam! Come on, just leave it."
"The leftovers will dry out."
Jack shivered, ooh icy. He shared a look with Daniel.
Reluctantly, Jack hauled himself to his feet and walked into the kitchen. He winced as Sam placed a dish down with a crash.
"Sam?"
Sam kept her back to him, opening a drawer to pull out a box of Clingwrap and slamming it shut, making the contents rattle.
"Sam?"
"Yes, Jack?"
Jack sighed. "Just leave it, please." He placed his hands on her shoulders.
She tensed under his touch but her movements stilled.
"They meant nothing."
Sam sighed. "Of course they did." Nevertheless she leaned back into him. "They meant something because that's the type of man you are." She twisted around and smiled at him.
Jack smiled back. "Come on, I'll fix this up later."
"What if it dries out?"
Jack smirked. "I'll just add more of my secret ingredient."
"Beer?"
"How did you know?" Jack asked, mock surprised.
"Sam giggled. "Lucky guess."
Daniel crept back to his seat.
Teal'c arched an eyebrow at him.
Daniel grinned. "They made up."
"Did you expect anything less, Daniel Jackson?"
"So, guys, what are we watching?" Jack clapped his hands together, grinning when Daniel jumped in his seat.
Teal'c held up a DVD case. Jack winced at the brightly coloured cover.
"I brought Star Wars: Attack of the Clones for such an occasion."
"Aw, T, do we hafta?"
Teal'c turned to look Jack in the eye. There was a great deal of sadness in their dark brown depths.
Jack huffed. "All right! All right, we'll watch it. Just stop using the puppy eyes on me."
Sam giggled. "I didn't realize Teal'c knew what puppy eyes are, sir."
Teal'c smiled at his victory and moved to put the DVD in the machine, taking no offence at the conversation.
"Yeah, Jack. It seems like something you'd do to get out of trouble." Daniel smirked at him.
"Shut up," Jack grumbled. "And no giggling."
Teal'c glared at them as the familiar music started. Jack smirked and did the 'zipping the lips' motion. He settled back into his couch and smiled goofily when he felt Sam's shoulder brush against his. Sam grinned up at him. Unable to help himself Jack reached out and grabbed her hand, lacing his fingers through hers. Sam rested her head against his shoulder. It was like this that they began to watch the movie.
Daniel rolled his eyes. "Oh brother."
xxxxx
Daniel stared critically at the screen. "I'm just saying, Teal'c, why would anyone make Jar Jar Binks a senator? He's an idiot. He doesn't understand the sneakiness of some of these people."
Teal'c twitched an eyebrow. "Senator Padme had no choice but to appoint Jar Jar Binks as senator. The attempts on her life forced her into hiding and Jar Jar Binks volunteered to act in her stead. Also it was necessary to allow senator Palpatine to gain his power."
"But still, I don't like him." Daniel scowled.
"Daniel Jackson, I believe we should cease this argument and watch the movie," Teal'c told him levelly.
Daniel looked at Teal'c for a few minutes, the wisely shut his mouth. "Right, okay."
Teal'c nodded once and then turned to the television, effectively ignoring Daniel.
Daniel suddenly realized how much time had passed without a peep from Sam or Jack. He looked over at the couch. A large smirk crept across his lips.
Jack and Sam had fallen asleep. In their sleep they had moved. Whereas before they were sitting side-by-side, shoulders touching and hands laced together, they were now so close that Sam was practically perched in Jack's lap. She had thrown her leg's over Jack's thighs and turned into him, her forehead resting against his jaw and her arms stretched across his chest, holding him as a child would her favourite teddy bear. Jack had barely moved, but now one hand secured her legs and the other went across her back, pulling her closer to him.
"Teal'c." Even though he and Teal'c had just been arguing loudly Daniel felt the need to whisper.
Teal'c turned to Daniel, tearing his focus away from the flashing images on the screen. Daniel nodded towards the snuggly couple on the couch. Those who didn't know Teal'c would have said that he remained expressionless, but Daniel, having known Teal'c for many years, saw the happy face Teal'c made. Teal'c's happy face was the upward twitching of the lips and a certain light in his eyes, but it was a happy face all the same.
"They have wanted this for a long time. I am please they can finally be open about the feelings they habour for one another."
Daniel smiled. "Me too."
Bored with the movie, Daniel looked around Jack's living room. Even though he hadn't been here for a while (what with Jack busy being a General, Sam balancing leading SG-1 and being a scientist, Daniel frantically translating and researching and Teal'c amassing and preaching to the Jaffa rebel army), it was exactly the same as it had been all those years ago when Jack brought him home after Sha're's kidnapping. Okay, so it wasn't exactly the same. There were photos if SG-1 in various poses on the mantle as well as a few of Cassie, Janet and General Hammond.
Daniel looked closer at one of the photos. It was one of the photos Daniel had taken on RPG 587, a Garden of Eden-ish type planet.
Sam had bought Jack a digital camera for his last birthday, and since Jack was stuck in his office most of the time, he gave it to Daniel so he could take unofficial snapshots, so Jack could see what he was missing. Not that Jack would come out and just ask Daniel to take pictures, or say anything to his former team apart from his customary off-the-cuff complaints.
It was just Jack's way of being out in the field without actually being out in the field. And they all understood that, and were willing to aid and abet Jack in that harmless pursuit.
Daniel grinned wickedly. Oh, he had an idea.
Quietly Daniel crept into Jack's study and grabbed the camera that Sam had hooked up to Jack's battered computer earlier that day. Still grinning, Daniel made his way back to the living room.
"Daniel Jackson, what is it you plan to do?"
"I'm just gonna take a photo, Teal'c." Daniel turned the camera on. "All the photo Jack and Sam have of each other have other people in them. They should have one together."
"Is that a good idea?"
"Sure it is." Daniel raised the camera.
"Daniel, you press that button and I will personally glue all of your books together, each and every single page." Jack opened his eyes and glared at his bumbling archeologist.
"What! Why?"
Jack looked back down at Sam, a tender smile gracing his features. "We just want some time for ourselves before everyone knows. You take that photo and next thing the whole base'll know."
"Come on, Jack."
"No, Daniel! Just put the camera down."
Daniel scowled and put the camera down on the coffee table. "You're overreacting."
Jack closed his eyes again. "Just watch the damn movie, Danny."
xxxxx
"Geeze, Teal'c. Look! The moment the camera pans out Padme is on the last pole, when it focuses on Obi Wan and that Mantis creature she's on the middle one, then she's back on the last one! It's so obvious."
"Even a genius such as George Lucas can make mistakes, Daniel Jackson."
"I can't really argue with you on this, can I?"
"That would not be wise."
Daniel laughed. "Okay, I'll just shut up."
He glanced at Jack and Sam. They had moved again. This time Sam's head was tucked under Jack's chin; resting on his chest and her arms had slipped to around his stomach. Jack's head had fallen forward and his nose was buried in Sam's hair.
"Think he's really asleep this time?"
"I am unsure."
"Jack, Teal'c wants to watch The Simpson's instead of Star Wars."
There was no response.
"Jack, we all want to go to Minnesota to go fishing."
There was still no response.
"O'Neill would have responded by now if he were awake." Teal'c observed.
Daniel stood and grabbed the camera.
"Did O'Neill not say that he did not wish you to take his photograph?"
Daniel rolled his eyes. "Jack's just being paranoid. It's just a photo. What harm can come from a photograph?"
xxxxx
Sam ran her fingers over the photograph and smiled. They looked so coupley and snuggly. Their first photograph together.
Outside a car horn honked loudly. "Sam, come on! We're gonna be late; I wanna get there before Danny-boy. I gotta glue his books together! I promised him!"
Sam grinned and shook her head. "Hold your horses, Jack! I'm coming."
Sam gave the photograph one final loving stroke before shoving it in a drawer in her hall table. Jack was so paranoid. There was one copy and it would be kept stored securely at her place until the time was that Jack felt right to bring it out. No one would find it there.
The car horn honked again. "Sam!"
Sam rolled her eyes and pulled her front door shut behind her. "I'm coming."
She pulled open the door to Jack's monster and hopped in.
"Finally." Jack grinned that lopsided grin of his. "Isn't Dad coming in today?"
"Yeah, he is. He's spending the night at my place. Tomorrow he's going to see Mark and the kids."
"You're looking forward to seeing him." It was a statement, not a question.
"Yeah. Yeah, I am." Sam smiled fondly. "It should be fun."
xxx
End.
