Author's Note: I don't own stargate. I hope you enjoy.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Needless to say Jack's interrogation did not go well, nope not at all. Shortly after we were loaded into the back of a military transport. We hadn't gone very far until the car had gotten a flat tire. By a young General, no Lieutenant Hammond no less. Apparently Sam had been given a note from the Hammond back in our own time to give to his younger self. He'd helped us escape.
Once the other airmen had been overpowered he gave us back all our gear.
"Where will you go?" Hammond, asked. God I could not get over how baby faced he was.
Jack got the look on his face that he did when he had a really bad idea. "Well, you're better off not knowing. But I do want you to know that what I'm about to do keeps you from getting court-martialed." And he promptly shot him in the chest with his zat.
Hammond collapsed like a bag of bricks and would have hit the pavement had I not managed to catch him in time. "Ooof." I groaned under Hammond's weight. Luckily Skaara took ahold of Hammond's other arm. Once our future superior was safely on the ground I glared at Jack. "Was that really necessary?"
Jack shrugged nonchalantly and tucked the zat into the back of his pants. "Come on." He said before leading us off into the woods.
That was how we ended up crouched in a ditch by the main highway leading out of Colorado Springs.
Jack waited until a car was in sight before struggling up the steep incline and spreading his arms wide to flag down the vehicle. Which blew right past him, just barely missing clipping Jack with their rear bumper. "You know, the 'Vette blew it when they went with that body style. They used to be so cool. Am I right?" Jack looked down where we were kneeling in the mud.
"Actually, I was about four and a half years old in '69." Daniel said with a frown.
I gulped, "And I wasn't born until 1977."
Skaara watched in awe as the corvette continued down the road. And it hit me. This was the first time he'd been to Earth's surface. Wow.
"Erin," Jack snapped his fingers and gestured to the road. "stick your thumb out."
I groaned, standing up to wipe the dirt off my green khaki pants.
More cars passed, not a single one of them slowing down.
"We should go to New York." Daniel blurted with no preamble
"Why?" Jack asked in his, 'your five fries short of a happy meal whacko' tone.
"Well, that's where Catherine used to live, or lives. She's probably the only person outside of the military who has the slightest idea where the Stargate might be. And I really don't think she's going to tell us over the phone." Daniel explained.
"Daniel, you can't." Sam was shaking her head, "In order to preserve our past, Catherine has to meet you for the first time years from now."
"So, we go in disguise. Pretend to be…foreigners." Daniel supplied.
Jack didn't look convinced. "How are you going to do that?"
I rolled my eyes at him, "We speak over 23 languages combined. Pick one."
Jack raised his eyebrows. Skaara looked… impressed, I'll admit that gave me no small amount of pleasure. He smiled in encouragement and I stuck my thumb out further.
Another car blew past, this one dumping trash in my general direction.
"Come on!" I yelled, kicking the soda can that had almost hit me.
"This method appears to be ineffective." Teal'c growled.
Then without fear he walked right out into oncoming traffic, arm spread wide.
"Teal'c? Teal'c!" I made to grab his arm and pull him back to the curb.
Sadly I was no match for Teal'c and he just kept walking forward, dragging me along. Tires screeched as the huge van bearing down on the two us slammed on their breaks. Shutting my eyes tight, I braced for the inevitable collision. A small squeal escaped my lips.
When nothing happened I squinted and saw a brightly painted van, a huge peace sign plastered right on the front, stopped just a foot from Teal'c and I.
"What are you thinking?" Jack snapped, coming up the embankment.
Teal'c simply nodded at the van, "That is effective, O'Neill."
Filled with relief at not getting killed I hugged Teal'c tightly. Then I took a quick step back and lightly punched his arm, "I thought I was going to have to scrape you off the road. Don't do that."
The van's door opened and a young long haired and bearded man sat in the driver's seat and a young woman seat in the seat right behind him. If you thought the outside of their car was decked out, the inside was worse. Peace signs and rainbows decorated the wall and floor while dream catchers and streamers hung from the ceiling. And a fairly recognizable herbal smell that I knew well from my college roommate wafted outside. Well it was the 60's. Yep, definitely hippies.
"Hey." The man greeted. "We would've stopped, man." His smile was extremely friendly and trusting, he even waved for us to come inside.
Jack grunted, clearly uncomfortable. "Hi. Listen, we've got gas money. Where are you headed?"
The driver's grin got even bigger, if that was possible, "Upstate New York, some big concert. Where're you headed?"
Concert? Upstate New York? Then it hit me. I turned to Daniel, putting up my hand to hide what I was going to say, "Woodstock?!" I mouthed.
"Wow." He mouthed back.
"We're headed New York…back East." Jack told the driver.
"Hop in!" The man again waved for us to get on.
Jack got on first, followed by the rest of us. The girl scooched out of the isle to let us through, I took a seat next to her and Sam sat on my other side while the boys sat across from us except for Teal'c who sat up front with the driver. Once we were all situated the van started up and we headed out into a 1969 Earth.
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About ten minutes of awkward silence later I realized that no one was going to speak. And if we didn't try to talk to anyone this was going to be a long trip indeed.
"So." I bit my lip when all eyes, except our driver's, turned to look at me. "Hi." I said to the girl next to me. "I'm Erin."
She smiled. "Hi, I'm Jenny." Her hair was pulled over into two braided ponytails which made her look a lot younger than she probably was. Jenny pointed up to the front of the van, "That's Michael up there."
Michael took one hand off the wheel to throw up a quick peace sign, "Nice to meetcha."
"So what'd you do?" Jenny bluntly asked.
Daniel stiffened, "We didn't, uh, we didn't do anything."
With a knowing smirk she pointedly eyed our matching uniforms.
"We've got a little problem with…the establishment." Jack explained, being especially vague.
That seemed to please her. "I so relate to that."
Sam jumped in, "So if you could take us as far as New York, we'd…"
Jenny turned to her and spoke, her voice holding a sort of dreamy quality. "I really love your hair."
Sam just blinked before regaining her composure. "Thanks."
Jenny glanced at me, more specifically my severe pony tail, "Yours could use some work"
"Ok." I mumbled, I wasn't quite sure what exactly was wrong with my hair.
"Listen," Jack called up to Michael, "we could really use some cheap clothes. So if you see a cheap clothes place around, we'd appreciate it."
"Don't worry dude, I got you." Michael answered.
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The next morning we stopped somewhere in Kansas at a flea market. Michael took Jack, Daniel, Teal'c and Skaara to look for clothes while Jenny took Sam and I.
We went to several stalls. Sam browsed for a while until she found a business like blue skirt and went to take it to the stall's owner. Unceremoniously Jenny plucked the skirt right out of her hand and set it back down. The skirt she held up in its place was a beautiful patchwork of reds and purples held together with yellow embroidery. Sam hesitated in taking it, years of strict military dress codes was not easy to break. Finally she shrugged and took to the owner to pay for it.
Over the next few hours Jenny had helped Sam pick out a few shirts and even a pair of orange tinted sunglasses. When she first tried on the glasses she crossed her eyes at me and I couldn't help but giggle. It was nice being so laid back for once. Jenny then moved on to picking out clothes for me. She found a purple peasant style shirt that was off the shoulders with little flowers sewn onto it and a pair of white bell bottom jeans.
"Who knew there was a cutie under all that khaki." Jenny exclaimed when I excited the bathroom where I changed.
With a blush I struggled to pull the shirt down a little more from where it stopped just above my belly button. "If only it was longer."
Jenny slapped away my hands, "Oh, shush you look groovy."
I didn't think people back then really said that.
We were on our way to meet the boys at the van when Jenny grabbed my arm and pulled me to a stop by another stall.
It took me a moment to process what the sign said, "Oh no." I shook my head and tried to keep going, but the girl's grip on my arm was strong.
"Oh, yes." Jenny pleaded. "Trust me."
"But… but." I glanced at Sam for help, but she just laughed when I was unceremoniously drug inside. "If this turns out bad I'm blaming you." I shouted at Sam over my shoulder.
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At the end of the parking lot the boys were waiting for Sam, Jenny and I as we approached. I nervously reached to brush my fingers along my shoulders.
Jenny saw and grabbed my hand, "Stop messing with it."
"It's fine." Sam put her arm around my back and reassured me.
"You sure you're not just saying that?" I desperately wanted a wall to hide behind.
My anxiety didn't lessen anymore when Jack looked in our direction and nearly dropped the glass bottle of coke he'd been drinking. "Holy Hannah!" He shouted.
Teal'c turned around and Daniel and Skaara came out from the van. The sight of Skaara in jeans, cowboy boots and a button up red plaid shirt almost made me forget that I was being stared at. Damn, he looked good.
"What has happened to your head?" Teal'c raised his eyebrow.
"Um…?" I jerked my thumb at Jenny.
Daniel tugged at new fringe just over my eyes, "It all gone."
He was right. Most of my hair, which had previously reached my mid back, was now shorn bluntly a few inches above my shoulders. Nearly as short as Sam's, but without the layers. The ends curled up and out.
"I know." I grimaced and huffed my bangs out of my eyes again.
Skaara came up and brushed them to the side, "You look, as they say, pretty."
I blushed, and touched the collar on his shirt. "Thanks, so do you."
He cocked his head to the side in confusion.
Then I realized what I said. "I mean you look fine, well better than fine… you know cowboy boots are cool…" the words just would stop coming out, "just gonna stop talking now."
"Flustered much?" Jack whispered in my ear making me jump.
"I will knock you out." I glared up at him smug face, my arms crossed over my chest, "I do not care that you are old."
Throwing his hand up in mock surrender, "All right shorty. Come on campers, everyone back on the van."
We pilled on and off we went.
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Throughout the drive we took turns driving. Jack even taught Teal'c how to drive, who would have though how much the Jaffa would love it. But once he knew what he was doing behind the wheel he hardly wanted to let any of the rest of us have a turn.
Seeing that it had worked out so well for Teal'c, Jack decided that it was time to teach Skaara how to drive.
Skaara sat behind the wheel wide eyed but he hung on every word Jack said as he explained what everything was.
"You go this." I patted his arm from where I sat behind the driver's seat.
"Turn the ignition." Jack instructed. Skaara did so. "Good now ease on the gas."
We flew forward!
"Break!" Jack shouted and the van jerked to a stop.
Then we flew forward again.
"Break! Break!" Jack's arms were like steel rods where they were braced on the dashboard.
Once the van stopped he put it in parking and flipped the key off. "I see you get your driving skills from Erin."
"Hey!" I kicked him.
Jack caught my foot. "It true."
"I'm sorry." Skaara took his shaking hands off the wheel.
"Don't worry about it." Daniel came up to the front, his face still a little white. "Hardly anyone gets it on the first try. Want to know what happened when Erin first tried to drive?"
Skaara glanced at me with a glint of mischief in his eyes. With a groan I hid my face in my hands, knowing this story all too well.
"What happened?"
"Our father decided he'd save some money and teach her to drive himself." A hand messed with my hair and I swatted it away. Daniel shoved my head to the side. So much like we used to when we were kids.
"You say one more word Daniel Steven Jackson and I will…" I thought for a moment, "do something bad." Not my best threat.
Skaara laughed and took my hand. "What did she do?"
"She crashed into a wall." Daniel smirked and pushed my bangs over my eyes.
"Stop it." I slapped his hand away.
"What?! It's the perfect length to mess with now." He joked, until I gut punched him. The archeologist doubled over, "That was a low blow." He hissed through clenched teeth. But I could tell he wasn't truly mad.
The van was filled with the sound of laughter. Skaara pulled me into his lap and I leaned back against him. Even Michael and Jenny joined in on the merriment. It'd been forever since I remember being this happy, I mused as I looked over my family. Jack had his arm slung casually over Daniel's shoulders. Sam sat in the isle with Jenny playing cards while Michael explained how you made a mean burrito to Teal'c.
The best discovery came when Teal'c learned how to work the radio a few days later. During a lunch break we had stopped at a dinner and gotten hamburgers.
Skaara had stared at the food suspiciously until I showed him how to eat it. Once he realized that the sandwich wasn't going to jump at his he quickly ate it up.
Teal'c sat in the driver's seat devouring his sixth when Jack had reached to change the song on the radio. Yellow Submarine by the Beatles had been playing and the second Jack's hand touched the turning knob Teal'c utilized his Jaffa superior speed to its maximum and caught Jack's wrist. Teal'c narrowed his eyes at Jack, firmly taking his hand off the radio. Then reaching to his side he pulled out a hamburger from the sack and stuck it in Jack's hand. The message clear, 'go eat a sandwich and leave my music alone.' That was how we learned how much Teal'c loved the Beatles.
Perhaps getting thrown into 1969 wasn't such a bad thing after all.
Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed. Ps. I spent more time than I probably should have to figure out the year Erin was born. Haha.