Mick'll Fix It – part 3
The long awaited continuation … sorry about the wait. Enjoy and review!
Major Michaela Dawson marched through the winding corridors of Cheyenne mountain, her long curly brunette hair swept up into a messy ponytail which was at odds with her air force dress blues, with a powerful air of determination. She was a woman on a mission. Knowing exactly where she was going from her five years posted at the SGC as SG-1's administrative aide, she got to her destination before anyone had heard she'd arrived.
She knocked twice on the door of Jack's office, but didn't wait for an answer or break her stride as she ploughed into the room. "Hey guys. Miss me?" She grinned at the four people who'd automatically turned to look at her.
"Mickey!" Sam exclaimed, smiling, and enveloped the shorter woman in a hug, eventually relinquishing her hold so that Daniel could have a go, hugging her ferociously – Mickey and the archaeologist had always been particularly close, and he'd missed her.
"Hey you." She whispered into his ear fondly, before pulling back and grinning at him. Teal'c was next, his gentle hug betraying the respect and fondness he had for her, and finally Jack had his turn, lifting her off her feet briefly in his exuberance.
"Hey squirt. What took you so long?" He asked. She replied by punching him in the arm.
"Me? You defeat the Goa'uld, not to mention the hundred other Earth-shattering things that have happened this week, and not one of you calls me?" She exclaimed in indignation.
"Sorry Mickey." Daniel apologised sincerely. "We were going to call you eventually, we just hadn't got round to it yet."
"Yeah, yeah. Nice to know where I fall on your list of priorities." She said jokingly. "So …." She started, her intense gaze moving slowly between Sam and Jack. "I believe I was invited to a dinner? We've got lots to talk about." She repressed a chuckle as Sam and Jack visibly squirmed, Sam shaking her head 'no' in a subtle but very insistent way.
"We're going to O'Malley's." Daniel told her. "We just need to go get changed, so how about we meet you at the cars in 20 minutes?"
"Perfect." She smiled, and looped her arm through Sam's. "Come on Sam, show me which locker I can use in the ladies. See you soon, boys."
Jack sucked in a breath. 'This is either going to be a nightmare, or the most fun I've had in ages', he thought.
As it turned out, for Jack, the dinner with Mickey and the team definitely fell into the latter category – surprisingly Mickey managed to keep her mouth shut about his and Carter's respective personal relationships, and the five of them fell into an easy banter that worked wonders for his mood, and it seemed it was doing the same for his former teammates. They'd all been wandering around in a daze, the weight of the world on their shoulders, and it seemed that it wasn't until now that they'd realised the worst was over. Mickey had always had a gift for breaking through their smoke-screen of responsibility and single-minded focus, and showing them the bigger picture.
And so, with an overwhelming sense of relief, each of them let their guard down for an evening, and they talked, exactly like they used to. Daniel told Mickey about his ascension, Sam told her about the end of the replicators, Teal'c told her about how his people won freedom, and Jack whined about the astonishing amount of paperwork that victory creates. And Mickey listened, letting them talk – she knew they needed this. Of course, she hadn't forgotten her primary purpose for the impromptu visit, and when Sam and Jack went off to the bar to order dessert, she wasted no time in grilling Daniel and Teal'c.
She watched them until they were out of ear-shot, and then, satisfied that she'd have enough time to get some answers out of Sam's teammates, she turned her predator's gaze on the two men in front of her. "So, Sam broke up with Pete, Jack broke up with Kerry, and the war with the Goa'uld is over. Am I the only one who's thought about what this could mean for them?" She asked.
Daniel shifted uncomfortably. "I don't think they're thinking about that right now. I mean, Jacob just died, and Jack's busy trying to decide whether or not to accept a promotion and take over General Hammond's job …"
"Wait, Jack's going to move to Washington?" Mickey interrupted. "That's perfect! It sorts out the chain of command problem without either of them having to retire!"
"I believe that may be one of the motivating factors behind his consideration of the job." Teal'c commented.
"Really?" Daniel frowned. "He hasn't said anything like that to me."
"Nor I." Teal'c agreed. "But I cannot think of another explanation. He is not fond of politicians."
"Yeah, he'd hate Washington." Mickey agreed with a chuckle. "So you think they should go for it?"
Teal'c merely smiled – he and Mickey had often disagreed about the extent to which they should involve themselves in the relationship between his two teammates, but there was no doubt that they agreed on what the outcome should and would eventually be. Daniel had always been more cautious, though. Now, frowning as he watched Sam and Jack queue at the bar, he allowed himself to consider the possibility that the pair could become more than friends.
"I think they need to date." Daniel concluded eventually.
Mickey looked bemused. "Date?"
"Get to know each other, outside of work. Sam's had a rough time recently, and Jack's probably still smarting from her engagement to Pete. They can't just launch into this. It needs to develop slowly."
"It's been developing slowly for the last eight years!" Mickey argued. "You don't think they know each other pretty well already?"
"I concur with Daniel Jackson." Teal'c interjected. "We should not push this idea onto them. They must allow themselves time to adjust. Major Carter has been his subordinate for many years, and they will need to know each other as equals in order for a romantic relationship to succeed. I believe if we do not interfere, this will happen on its own, given time."
Mickey glared at him. "In other words, you want me to butt out?"
Daniel smiled fondly at her. "We all want Sam and Jack to be happy, Mickey. Let's just see how things go."
She frowned. "If we want them to get to know each other, can we at least give them some alone time later this evening?"
"They're alone right now." Daniel argued.
"Michaela Dawson, I believe Daniel Jackson and Samantha Carter have consumed too much alcohol tonight to drive home safely." Teal'c said, a cunning glint in his eye.
"Excuse me?" Daniel looked utterly confused. Mickey, on the other hand, looked positively ecstatic.
"Teal'c, that's brilliant! You'll have to drive me and Daniel home – I'm staying at your place tonight Daniel, by the way – and Jack can take Sam home! You're a genius!"
"Come on, you don't think they'll figure out what you're doing?" Daniel argued.
"That doesn't matter. They already know I have an agenda for being here and neither of them objected too vocally to it on the phone."
"You talked to them about it?" Daniel asked incredulously.
"Not only that, they both admitted to me how they feel. I think this may happen more quickly than you think."
"Also, how do you plan on ensuring that Sam drinks too much to drive, and Jack doesn't?"
"I'll just buy Sam another beer after dessert, and after that it'll be easy to convince her she shouldn't drive her beautiful new red convertible in case it gets scratched. And Jack has to drink a hell of a lot to impair his driving skills. That man can hold his liquor."
A quick glance in the direction of the bar informed Mickey that Sam and Jack were on their way back. "So, we're agreed?"
Teal'c nodded, and after a few seconds hesitation, so did Daniel.
"Excellent." Mickey arched her eyebrows and smiled serenely.
The next chapter will be the final chapter, and I'll post it at the same time as this one so you don't have to wait again. Please review! I do appreciate hearing your comments!
Beka