Disclaimer: Characters featured here are not mine and are used without permission. They remain the intellectual and legal property of their respective owners: MGM, Gekko Productions, Roger Damon Price, Thames/Tetra Television, ITV, and Nickelodeon.

"You know there are other options, it isn't always kill or be killed."

"Maybe in your world, but where I come from, there really isn't much other choice."

"There's always a choice, Jack. The problem is that it's always simpler to make the easy choice."

Jack O'Neill scrubbed his hands across his face and wondered how again how he it came to pass that he was having this discussion. It was a pointless, circular debate and it was one that he found himself getting roped into time and time again. "You think that it's easy? You think that what I do is easy? Putting people's lives on the line every single day to try to find a way to fight a war that we might not be able to win?"

It was the beer. It had to be the beer. He had too much of it, otherwise he certainly wouldn't have said that last part about not winning.

Adam shrugged and Jack resisted the urge to slap the younger man upside the head. He thought he would never again meet anyone who could get him as riled up as Daniel; he was wrong. The jury was still out on whether or not that was a good thing or a bad thing. "Isn't it? Pulling the trigger is a lot easier than finding alternatives isn't it, Jack?"

"No, it's not. And until you've pointed a gun and pulled a trigger, don't lecture me about it because you can sit there and talk about the easy way and the hard way all you want, when the fact of the matter is you don't get it." Sometimes Jack didn't really get it himself, but he wasn't about to admit that to the Tomorrow Person sitting on his roof and sharing his beer.

"I understand that you don't think that there's another way."

"What? You think we can just invite the enemy to dinner? Ask them over for afternoon tea and that everything will work out fine, is that it? Maybe in your little pocket of reality, Adam, but not in the real world."

"I never said that," Adam protested and Jack was happy to see that the other man appeared to be just a little bit ruffled by the accusation of naivety. "I know that it's dangerous, and I know that – they – " Adam stumbled, clearly remembering at the last moment that he absolutely positively should not and could not say the name of the alien race aloud, "They want to wipe us out if we don't subscribe to their beliefs. You can't reason with that kind of blind piety and expectation –"

"That's what I've been trying to tell you all along."

"But," Adam continued as if he hadn't been interrupted, "That doesn't mean that there aren't other avenues that you haven't explored. Avenues that don't involve weapons."

"And what would you suggest?" Jack was really too tired to argue anymore. Maybe if he pretended to give Adam the answers that he wanted to hear, they could end the debate for one more day.

"Allies."

"We tried that, remember. And there's only one race powerful enough to stop – them. And they aren't willing to help."

"Then maybe it's time we make them help."

Jack whipped his head around, blinking at Adam in complete surprise. "We?"

Standing, Adam shoved his hands deep in his pockets and rocked on his heels. "Don't look so surprised, Jack. It's our world too, you know."

-- End --