Title: Renaissance

Author: Cryptic Quill

Spoilers: AU, First Season, Jack/Janet relationship

Status: On-Going

Rating: T (Just in case)

Author's Note: I know this may not be a popular story that I'm creating. I realize that there are many, many Dan/Jan and Jack/Sam 'shippers out there but each time I watch Season 1, I can't help but think there is some history between ole Doc Frasier and Jack.

Anyway, I am prepared for the fire I will receive. But in case you do enjoy it, let me know

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This was it, Janet Frasier thought to herself as she looked around the infirmary.

Her infirmary.

The thought made her smile quietly as if she was afraid others would see it. Janet had worked hard to achieve this position and beaten out a dozen other hopeful candidates. CMO, Stargate Command. Of course she couldn't tell people her title because of security, but she knew it and that was enough. This was a big step for a captain from Nellis Air Force Base but as someone once told her, never let them see you sweat.

She started with the medical files of the base, setting aside the six of the nine Stargate teams. Three were in the field already and she felt that they should have top priority, since according to the files she had already perused, the off-world teams were the most common customers of the infirmary. Except one Master Sergeant Sylvester Siler. The man had multiple files detailing numerous minor injuries, despite only just having been transferred to Cheyenne Mountain. The most recent injury required burn ointment for his missing eyebrows from an electrical overload. Ouch, Janet winced while reading that entry.

SG-1 returned yesterday so they had already received their post mission check-up while SG-3 would be coming back today. Janet wondered what it was like. It seemed so surreal, going through a metal ring and stepping out onto another planet.

The infirmary phone disrupted her concentration. She had seen enough during her initial tour to understand that the phone was a good sign. A klaxon and broadcast requesting a medical team was to be feared as that meant it was the time to ready her staff for an emergency.

"Infirmary." She spoke into the phone.

"Dr. Frasier"

"General Hammond" Janet said into the phone, standing up at attention although he couldn't see her.

She had taken a liking to the Texas officer immediately, sensing that he was both a reasonable and honest man. He pulled no punches about what she could possibly face as the Chief Medical Officer and made it clear that the health of those under his command was superceded only by the concern of endangering the civilians outside of Cheyenne Mountain. That spoke volumes to her.

"I hope you're getting settled in properly." He drawled.

"Yes, thank you sir. I'm researching medical histories of all of the SG teams and base personnel."

"Very good. And now there's someone I'd like you to meet. Colonel O'Neill from SG-1 should be in his office. I believe he was off-world when you accepted the position."

Janet buckled a little and braced herself against her desk. She knew it wasn't the same man but she didn't like having to interact with someone named O'Neil. She'd heard Jack refer to O'Neil quite often as a dullard and now every time she would see him, she would think of her Jack. Just Jack, she quickly reminded herself.

The doctor cleared her throat and regained her composure. General Hammond had asked her to personally interview each of the SG teams to review their medical histories for accuracy.

"Yes sir" She acknowledged. "And the rest of SG-1?"

"They'll meet with you later. Dr. Jackson and Captain Carter are working on an experiment. Colonel O'Neill should be catching up on paperwork so this is probably the best time to catch him. In fact knowing him, he'd appreciate the interruption."

"Absolutely, sir. Thank you, sir."

If she could see General Hammond, she would have blushed at the big smile on his face. He remembered himself as a Captain and how nervous he would become around general staff officers. He knew Doctor Frasier would get over it soon enough.

What the General didn't know what that Janet wasn't nervous about the General's rank at all, but rather more upset about meeting Colonel O'Neil. Was he really as bad as Jack had made him out to be? Well no time like the present, she thought as she left her office and followed the lines on the floor.

Janet knocked on the open doorway. The lone occupant had his back to her initially and turned to react to the sound.

Janet was immediately taken aback.

Jack felt like someone kicked him in the stomach.

Although nearly speechless, Janet was the first to speak with one statement.

"Oh sh-"

---------------

"It said O'Neil on my report. I um thought it was the other one. One L." She held up her index finger as she explained.

This wasn't going well, at all. She hadn't had time to review all of the files yet and in fact had only been able to glance at some of the file names. How was she to know that O'Neil was really Jack O'Neill? Damn Dr. Freedman and his blasé filing system!

Jack bristled at her comment. The O'Neill versus O'Neil confusion had occurred often enough in paperwork. Sometimes Jack even received the wrong mail, much to his continued frustration. It was even boring mail, at that.

"Him? He's an idiot. How could you possibly think he would be here?" Jack demanded.

The tiny doctor refused to back down and accept the blame for this.

"You just don't like him because he doesn't laugh at your jokes."

That made Jack's face break a little, the hint of a smile forming before he caught himself. He sat down on the edge of his desk

"I didn't know you'd… I mean I told the General I didn't need to be involved in selecting the new CMO…"

The moments were tense and filled with silence. For Janet, just seeing Jack was eerie and made her feel as if she had butterflies in her stomach. They had parted under not such nice circumstances but she'd held a tiny ray of hope for months that he would come to his senses. She decided to end the quiet.

"As I recall, the last time we spoke you were retired."

Jack rubbed the back of his neck tensely. He was having trouble catching his breath properly. He couldn't look at her straight on. Those dark eyes that once he gazed into while making love to her… if they were to capture him again… He knew he would break. He couldn't risk it.

"They asked me back. I got bored."

"This isn't going to be easy, is it?" Janet simply stated, staring at the floor. What a day. Her hopes at being the new CMO at Cheyenne Mountain dashed and now Jack obviously still didn't want her.

Easy? Jack thought. He'd worked hard, damn hard to forget about Janet Frasier. He could still see her big brown eyes and he could taste her lips when he dreamed at night.

"Janet, I'm not so sure about this."

An alarm cut brief the exchange, making Janet jump from the unexpected noise.

Sergeant Walter Harriman's voice blared over the speaker.

"OFFWORLD ACTIVATION. INCOMING TRAVELER. ALL DEFENSE TEAMS STAND BY."

"That's me" Jack said and paused to look at Janet. He was about to say something when the overhead message changed.

"MEDICAL TEAM REPORT TO STARGATE ROOM. REPEAT MEDICAL TEAM REPORT TO STARGATE ROOM"

They looked at each other briefly and Janet flew out of the room, her lab coat fluttering behind her.

"Get that gurney moving now!" She ordered to a corpsman as she stopped running only long enough to grab her medical bag.

Two of SG-3 were coming down the ramp, the Stargate shimmering behind them. One of the members was supporting a young man who had his face contorted in pain. Janet could see the makeshift bandage at his side.

"Ran into two Jaffa before we were clear of the 'gate, sir" Sergeant Wilkes reported to Jack. "The Lieutenant took a blast to his side."

Janet motioned her nurses with a gurney and helped lay the wounded officer on his back. "Get him to the infirmary, now!" She ordered and was inspecting the wound as she ran beside the gurney. Jack could only stand and watch as the cart wheeled down the hallway.

"Where the hell is the rest of your team?" Jack demanded hotly of Sergeant Wilkes.

---------------

It was nearly four hours later that Janet left the side of Lt. Hicks. It had been a hard fight but she had refused to let the young man quit on her. Janet felt good but so very, very tired. Not just physically but emotionally drained down to her bones.

"I also want a complete examination of these uniforms to see if there's any contamination." Janet said to one of her nurses as she walked out of the infirmary to her office. She wasn't very surprised to find Jack waiting for her there. Janet hung her stethoscope around her neck and put her hands in the pockets of her lab coat. She'd changed into a fresh one thankfully, replacing the one stained with the Lt's blood.

"How's he doing?" Jack asked.

"Doing well, actually. Stable for now. He suffered a minor concussion but it's the injury to his side that concerns me. The weapon seems to have cauterized the wound but there's still a chance of infection."

"Staff weapon."

"Pardon me?" Janet asked, not understanding.

"The weapon that made that wound is called a staff weapon. The Jaffa use them."

She noticed his appearance for the first time. He was dirty and looked disheveled from exertion. The was a clean patch above his forehead from wearing a hat but below that was grime and what looked like flecks of blood on his jaw. Janet couldn't be sure if it was Jack's or not.

"Have you been out there?" She asked anxiously.

"We don't leave people behind." Jack said quietly.

"Are there more casualties?" Janet asked horrified that she was just now finding out. "Why wasn't I notified?"

"Everyone's ok. You had the hardest job." Jack admitted. "We came through about an hour ago. We were checked out by Wadley." He said, referring to Janet's new assistant.

She studied him for a moment. She felt a need to sit him down and give him his post mission exam personally but would have to rely on Wadley's report.

Jack still wouldn't meet her eyes. Janet knew what she would have to do.

"I'll have my request for transfer on General Hammond's desk before I leave today"

Jack was stunned.

"What?"

"Jack" She began. "It's obvious that we have this" She searched for the right word, not wanting to give anything away. "History between us. From everything I've seen and read, this is far too important of a mission to allow a conflict like this."

"And from what I've just seen you're too important not to include in it. We'll deal, ok?"

"If I stay, we can't be like this. At odds, awkward. You know regulations and how people talk." Janet tried to reason.

It was painful for Jack to admit, having feelings but he'd bury them along with all of the other ones he carried. Scars on the outside, scars on the inside. Wasn't very different, really. Not much. Maybe some.

"I know. We'll work it out. We were friends once." He said with a sad smile.

She nodded slightly. Her heart fluttered a little, remembering. Soft kisses, tender caresses. Breaching barriers they both had erected out of self preservation.

"Can we still be friends?" He asked.

Could she? She honestly didn't know. After her divorce she had been vulnerable, it was like the crushing sense of failure. Jack had been her first and last attempt since then. Friends? I'm not sure, she wondered silently, but she would try.

"Sure. Friends." She said with the best smile she could muster. She turned away, feeling her eyes swell and knowing they might give her away.

Jack turned to leave but caught himself at her door.

"You did a damn fine job today, Doc."

Doc. Not Janet, but Doc. Was that remove himself from his personal feelings or merely for regulations?

"Thanks. Colonel"

He closed the door behind him.

Janet only looked up after he'd gone and wiped her eyes. She stood watching the door for several minutes, reflecting on how different things went in the space of a few hours. Biting her lower lip out of nervousness, she sat down behind her desk and began her paperwork for Lieutenant Hicks. Her eyes kept glancing away from the paper to her desk drawer.

Don't do it. Just block it out, she thought to herself. Focus on the medical report and you'll forget about it. It's a silly thing anyway, you should have thrown it out long ago.

The internal argument never worked and didn't this time. She eventually gave in. Janet took her purse from the bottom drawer of her desk. Opening her wallet, she removed a picture hidden in one of the pockets.

It was a picture of Janet and Jack, smiling under a backdrop of snow. It had been taken at Jack's fishing cabin six months ago, before they broke up. Their relationship probably wouldn't have worked, she knew now but at the time she had such hopes. Both newly divorced, they had been each other's rebound relationship. Four months of evening walks, movies and late night dinners ended abruptly when Jack suddenly shut down. At the time she didn't understand why he'd closed himself off and began distancing himself from her. A few months afterward, when she'd healed enough to think back objectively, she knew. He was afraid of being too close to someone. He'd lost the two people he'd cared about most in life, his son and soon after, his wife. Jack just wasn't ready to try again.

Unfortunately, Janet had been.

The CMO of Stargate Command knew this job was going to be difficult, it was one of the reasons she'd taken it. She wanted to make a difference. She just didn't know until this evening just how difficult the job was going to be or that the difference would be in her.