Over the next three days if anyone was looking for Jackie they could find her in one of five places: Sam's lab, Daniel's lab, doing kelnorim with Teal'c, sparring with Vala or Cameron, or in her quarters getting a few precious hours of sleep between all her other activities. Within just a few hours of arriving at the SGC, she had been accepted into what had become a family over the years. Of course her quick assimilation may have been due to the fact that she saved Colonel Carter's life and the lives of everyone else who worked in that section of the facility. Friday afternoon found Jackie sitting at Sam's counter cross referencing the data collected from the device and the writings she and Daniel had translated.
"Am I going to have to start dragging you away from your work now too?"
Jackie looked up from her work, jumping slightly at the unexpected voice in the doorway. Seeing Jack standing there with a silly grin on his face, she couldn't help but return the smile.
"Since I have a limited amount of time here at the SGC I wanted to do as much as I can to help."
"Considering that you saved the lives of a few hundred people, not to mention the foremost scientist and operative here at the SGC, I'd say you've done quite a bit already to help."
"Well, if you put it that way…" Jackie looked down at her work, a slight blush tingeing her cheeks – an effect of both her embarrassment and her pleasure at the compliment.
"Unfortunately for you, times up." Jack said brusquely.
"Up?" Jackie looked up incredulously. "What do you mean up?"
"I mean it's Friday afternoon, we leave on Sunday, and I'm not going to have you spending your whole time in Colorado Springs cooped up in this damn laboratory. So go change into civilian clothes. We're going out with SG1 tonight. It'll be just like old times, plus a few new faces, but I can handle that. After all, new faces mean new friends. So come on already, let's go."
"Cameron you're drunk."
"No I'm not. I hold my liquor very well, and I resent any insinuation to the contrary."
"Come on Cameron, give me your keys."
"Not gonna to happen Jackie."
"Teal'c a little help here please." Jackie said, turning to the jaffa.
"Whether you are drunk or not does not matter Colonel Mitchell. You have consumed alcohol therefore you are not fit to drive. I am already designated driver for Colonel Carter and Daniel Jackson, and Dr. Nielson is the only other one here who did not consume alcohol, so she is your designated driver."
Cameron glared at Teal'c for a moment, debating whether or not to challenge him. Even in his half drunken state he knew better than to take on the jaffa, so he reluctantly handed over his keys.
"Damn." Jackie said as she turned towards Cameron's car.
"What?" Daniel asked.
"Oh, nothing, I just left my jacket inside. Don't worry about it, you guys go on ahead; we'll see you back at the base." Jackie said. Teal'c nodded in agreement and began to herd Sam and Daniel in the opposite direction that Jack and Cameron were headed. She hadn't really thought about it before this, but they really should have taken care to park closer together instead of on opposite sides of the parking lot.
"I'll get it Jackie." Cameron said, turning back towards the building. "You go get the car started."
"Thanks Cameron." Jackie said to his retreating back. She received a hand wave in return. She smiled, shook her head, and walked towards the car with Jack.
"I think someone has a bit of a crush on you." Jack teased.
"Whatever." Jackie retorted, smacking Jack on the arm. The two laughed and joked across the parking lot.
When they arrived at the vehicle Jackie unlocked the door and then turned to face Jack, a huge grin on her face. She knew just what to say to get back at him for teasing her about Cameron. But the words never left her mouth. The look on Jack's face stopped the words immediately. Looking down she saw a growing pool of red on his t-shirt, and then he was falling towards her.
"JACK!"
Sam, Daniel and Teal'c all whirled around at the scream coming from across the parking lot behind them. At first they couldn't see anything, until movement hidden in the shadows at the front of the car caught their attention.
"Sam! Daniel! Teal'c! Come quickly!"
There was no hesitation. All three recognized the voice – the voice calling their names. They all broke into a run, heading towards Cameron's car. Teal'c quickly outstripped the other two, arriving mere seconds after Jackie yelled their names.
"Teal'c he was shot!" Jackie exclaimed hysterically, as she leaned over the disturbingly still body of Jack O'Neill.
"Where did the shot come from Dr. Nielson?" Teal'c said, his calmness betraying the emotions running through him. Jackie simply pointed to a building on that side of the parking lot. Teal'c immediately took off to investigate, hoping to catch the bastard that had shot his friend.
Teal'c had just taken off in pursuit of the sniper when Sam landed next to the prone body of her former CO; Daniel on her heals.
"There's no pulse Sam. No pulse." Jackie wailed, rocking back and forth, Jack's head in her lap. "He's dead. He had no chance."
Sam ignored the hysterical babblings of the younger woman. This could not be happening, not now. Shifting into her military training, she quickly reached forward and checked for a pulse, there was none. Could Jackie have been right? No. She wouldn't allow herself to think that way. He could still be saved; she just had to keep him alive until an ambulance could get there.
"Cameron! Call 911." Sam barked at Cameron as he came running up. "Daniel, get her out of my way."
Daniel knelt down next to Jackie and wrapped his arms around her, gently pulling her away from O'Neill. She instantly turned and wrapped her arms around him, sobbing into his shoulder. He did his best to comfort her while watching with fading hope as Sam began CPR. He barely noticed when Teal'c returned, not having found the sniper. This whole situation was unreal. He felt detached. There was no way that his best friend – who had survived countless Goa'uld and jaffa attacks in his years with SG1 – was now dieing from a single bullet in the middle of Colorado Springs.