CHAPTER FOUR: Stories and flowerpots.
In the morning as Cassie and Sam were doing there morning routines of shower's and coffee, Cassie watched Sam rubbing her eyes as she accepted her morning breakfast.
"Uh, Sam, are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'll be fine. I was so drained from work last night, and I went to bed with wet hair after showering... not a good idea. Stiff neck and I think I may be coming down with a cold."
"Oh."
"Don't worry, I'll get some cold and flu tablets at the SGC."
"Okay. Just take it slow today."
"Yes mum," Sam smiled at Cass.
Later that day in biology, Cassie sat on her stool in the lab with the rest of her class. Class was only 10 minutes into the lesson as she sat there taking notes as the substitute teacher had her back to the class writing up there next experiment. Little did she know John didn't even turn up to school that morning, well until now. Sneaking in the back of the class, using his Special OPS training and some stealth recon he made his way towards Cassie's bench undetected. Popping up next to her where there was a empty stool between her and Jason startling both of them, he took some of their books and placed them in front of himself and took a pen out and held it up, so it looked like he's been there all the time working.
"John, what are you doing here?" Cassie asked in a tone, but smiling at the scene altogether.
Jason smiled, yet was a little jealous of the closeness between John and Cassie, as he had a crush on her...
"Hey Jason!" John whispered as he looked over at him. Jason smiled and shook his head.
"What are you doing here John?" Jason asked amused as John looked at the book he took from Cassie with technobabble on it.
"I should know those, shouldn't I?" he studied it and then looked around the room again. Cassie got fed up with John not answering any questions, and also the fact that he wasn't at school until now and for god sakes! He was acting like he was on a sugar high!
"Answer her question punk!" Jason saw the annoyance that Cassie was feeling and felt it himself.
"I don't know what I'm doing here!" He said a little too loud causing the substitute teacher to turn around and look at the three of them. They all stuck there heads down as quickly as possible and pretended to do work.
As soon as the teacher turned around again to write some more on the black board for them to copy down John went back on the ground and Cass and Jason looked at him with concern.
"John..."
"Cass...I have to go. See you later."
"John..." Cass said, but it was too late, John had made his way to the back of the room.
"Ugh!" Cassie said frustrated, grabbing all her books and shoving them in her bag under the table.
"Cass what are you doing?" Jason asked and grabbed his books and hid under the bench with her shoving everything he had his bag, he watched her as she made her way to the back of the room to the door and quickly followed behind her.
Cassie ran down the hall looking for John. But the halls were empty. Jason grabbed her hand and spun her around. Jealous that she was running after John, but still concerned at his actions and that of Cassie's concern. She looked at him startled that he followed.
"Jason, what are you doing here?"
"I'm here because your here..." he said and she gave him a weird look. "Well, obviously you have to find John, and well, here I am to help. Come on, maybe he went towards his locker."
And with that, him still holding her hand she led him over to where his locker was, but no sigh of him.
After that Cassie made her way towards her own locker to grab some stuff with Jason as they agreed to go to his place and look for him.
Cassie opened her locker and took some books out that she needed. She also found papers that were not there before. Looking at it briefly she noted that it was a story... the one she told John to write.
"Oh boy."
She noted that it was all in first person. And it occurred to her that maybe John writing the story wasn't such a good idea.
"What is it?" Jason asked as he saw Cassie's brain ticking as she scanned the paper.
"Ugh, I need to get on a bus and get to John's."
"Cassie?" He questioned her antics, "Don't you mean 'we'?"
She closed her locker and looked at him. Summing up weather to ask him a question she'd been thinking in her head. So, she did.
"Why do you care?"
"Oh I don't know, maybe because I care about you?" He said frustrated. She looked at him as she was before, which made him uncomfortable. Then she smiled and grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the hall.
She had read the story on the bus about the clone story, and he wrote his feelings for his 2IC, how it would never be the same and how he had to leave everything behind. Now stuck in a teenage body, an age his son never made it too. It hurt him. He was barely coping. Yes, he had his fun moments. But it was a completely different life. It was like when he was stranded on a planet for 100 days. But he wasn't stranded on a distant planet. At one point he still had his friend and his needle lovin' doctor. Until she died. Now only left with her daughter at a school. Something he decided to do just to escape the craziness. But he needed his old friends. That's just how it was. It was hard moving on, he thought he had, but apparently not. He never really would.
John heard knocking on the door as he sipped at his beer in the silence of his home. He couldn't guzzle it down as he once did as it went straight to his head. But at least he got his hands on a six pack.
He got up, and opened the door. There stood two worried people who pushed there way in and he looked at them and shut the door. Cassie suddenly saw the beer in his hand and glared at him.
"Well that explains it," Jason said.
Cassie tore the drink out of his hands. "What are you doing?"
"You sound like your mother." He said to her.
"Well, maybe you need one," She shot back at him.
"What are you doing? What was that back at the school?"
Jason took a step back. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea coming.
"I don't know. I'm sorry. I, I have no idea what I'm doing." He sat down on his couch and Cassie took a sip of his beer.
"What are you doing young lady?" he gave her the father tone he gave her when she was little.
"What am I doing? So you're allowed to, but I'm not! Are you kidding me John?"
Jason thought before something happened he should step in.
"Look, I don't know what's up with you John, but it's not like she's never had a drink before. And it looks like you've had one to many. Sleep it off and call us when you want to talk," he said and Cassie got up with that, taking the drink with her and heading to the front door with Jason. Cassie walked out the door to the front and Jason stayed back for a second.
"Look John, I know we don't know each other to well, but I know enough to know you're a decent guy. Just call me if you need anything or want to talk," he said closing the door behind him and walking out.
John stood up, but reality hit him. He was drunk, and it was because he was drinking early all morning as he finished his story for Cassie. Somehow decided to leave it in her locker and find her and tell her. Making it a mission, but found it wasn't one of great importance, like saving the world. He was in high school. As soon as he sat in that bench next to them he was hit by reality and didn't care. Deciding to leave. He also felt like he was Daniel, this scrawny body made him such a cheap drunk.
Cassie was walking down the street in silence with Jason. She looked at the beer and rolled her eyes and threw it in the garden.
"Thanks," She said to Jason.
"No problem," He said and held her hand. "I mean, if I didn't come. Think of the pain he would have gone through if I didn't save him from your wrath!"
She smiled and squeezed his hand. "Come on, let's get a slurpy."
Jack O'Neill sat on the edge of the counter, his legs dangling of the edge as he held a pack of frozen-peas to his head. He sat in silence with his eyes closed trying to ignore the agonizing pain. He heard the tap in the kitchen running with water, and then the sound of it stopping as it rattled the pipes. He opened his eyes and in the silence of the moment saw Carter standing in front of him offering him the glass of water. She had the most awkward smile, one of slight embarrassment, and a hint of an apology as she held out the glass towards him.
"Thanks," Jack said, taking the glass from her and having a sip with his free hand. After another moment of silence he put the glass down and made a face as he pressed a little too hard the pack of frozen peas that was pressed against the growing swelling.
"I'm really, really sorry," Carter repeated for what seamed like the 50th time since the accident. He then observed as she pulled out a tissue from her pocket, turned around and sneezed into it.
He sighed, "Carter, go back to bed." He put his ice-pea-pack down on the counter and hopped up. "I'll be fine Carter, I've had worse."
"I didn't know it was you, I swear!"
"Yes, well I thought as much when you threw a flowerpot at my head, lucky it was small."
She giggled a little inside her head, but her face didn't show it. Her eyes were a little watery as she turned around quickly again to sneeze into her tissue.
"You okay there Carter?" He placed the ice-pea-pack back on his head. She looked a little dizzy and she simply changed the topic back to him.
"What are you doing here so early?" she sniffled.
"Ahhh well I dropped what I was doing in Washington and now, here I am."
He got up and placing the ice-pea-pack on the counter again he placed his cold hands on her shoulders, turned her around so she was now facing the door, and directed her to her room. "Bed." She didn't object, but made her way to her room, climbed in her bed and pulled the covers over her cold body. She didn't even remove all the decorative pillows from under her head, and so to make her more comfortable he took away the bulkier pillows and placed them on the floor.
"Thank you," she said sneezing into her tissue again.
"Be right back Carter." He received a simple head nod and he then disappeared out of her room. He made his way back into her kitchen and filled the kettle with water. He looked around her cupboard for some tea... 'Uh yes there it was behind all the coffee.'"Honey..." Jack called out from the kitchen.
Upstairs Carter's eyes widened when she heard him yell it out,
'Did he just call me honey?' She thought to herself sinking deeper in the covers.
'Crap,' he said silently to himself and yelled out again, "Where's the honey Carter... Ah never mind!" He found it in the fridge.
'I so must remember not to think out loud in the presence of Carter.' Jack repeated to himself a dozen times over as he grabbed a glass and a bottle of water out of the fridge.
When they spoke on the phone joking about who was sleeping where it was different to actually being there. They had only talked about there relationship, but so far were both to busy to do anything about it. Now he was here, and they were both unsure how to act. They hadn't even kissed yet! Well, not counting Alternative realities and time loops. But a real kiss sealing there new found relationship that was on its way. And now Carter was sick. 'Worth the risk' Jack thought to himself.
"Carter," Jack said in a whisper as he placed the tray he made oh her bed-side table. "Caaarrrrter..." he said softly, not to disturb her too much.
"Mmm?" Her head was buried under her cover, sunken into the warmth of her bead.
"Sit up, I have tea and medicine." She did so, propping herself up against the backboard. He took out a small box from within his jacket and read the label out to her, "Take ONE capsule THREE times a day until finished' you'll be better in no time."
"Thank you sir," She said taking a sip of her tea and had one of the capsules then returned to sink into her bed. "Who told you?"
"What?"
"Who told you I was sick?"
"Oh, Cassie called me."
"How's your head?"
"I've already forgotten that, while I went around the back to see Cassie's dog first, little would I know all you saw was a dark, mysterious figure trespassing in your beloved backyard," Jack said in his sarcastic playful tone.
"I threw a flowerpot at your head." She giggled.
"I know." Jack said painting to his head. "Carter?"
"It's funny. I'm sorry."
"All right, you're delirious now. Sleep," He said while walking out of the room.
"Wait..."
Ohhh yes, he was waiting for, an invitation to stay. Or would she have just had him slept on the lounge? He stopped at the door, turned around and gave her a questioning look.
"Wait?"
"The dog hasn't been fed... and I was going to record a documentary on the Discovery channel at 11:45..."
"I'm on it. Good night, I'll just take the couch tonight."
"I thought you were allergic?"
"Ahh yes, you're 100 right. I'll be back later," he said with a small smile and before he disappeared to do his newly given chores he commented out loud, "What could they possibly know that you don't?" referring to the docco she wanted recorded. Sam just grinned and took a sip of her tea, she didn't want her first kiss with Jack to make him sick, and she'd given him enough pain with the flowerpot!
Jack had fed Cassie's dog and was now at the TV just having pressed 'record' on the VCR when he heard the front door creek open. He wondered over to it, looking at the young girl sneaking in, not having noticed him yet. When she did turn around she jumped back,
"Jack!"
"Miss me?" He said and she gave him a hug.
"Where's Sam?" she said whispering. Jack just raised his eyebrow.
"In trouble again Cass?"
"No, just late home. I forgot my removable hard drive at the library, had to go back and get it."
"Carter's in bed."
"Jack, what happened to your head?"
"Uhh, Carter wasn't expecting me, thought I was a robber." He said as they made there way into the lounge room.
AUTHORS NOTES: Okay kids more to come soon, only if those reviews keep coming! Sorry this one took a while. I didn't think I'd be busy after school. But it seams to be non-stop, and I actually wrote half of this in Perth on a laptop that would turn off every 5 minutes, so I'd loose some good stuff I was proud of, curse at the PC and start again. And I actually prefer working on that laptop then this sopped up PC, i like the other key pad better...OH! THANKS SUSIE FOR BETTAing!
R&R