Oscar Chapter 5: Year Four, a stargate: sg-1 fanfic

AN: Sorry guys, but this will be the last chapter for a while. I'm in the middle of writing Year Five, but haven't finished it yet. Luckily, this isn't a cliffhanger type fic . . . yet. (grin)

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Year Four – The Other Side

The large, green pickup truck pulled into the driveway just after the young boy walked by with his dog. The pair waited in anticipation as the driver gathered his belongings. The dog eagerly pulled the boy off balance in order to reach the friendly man. Jack was bumped from behind as the black Labrador body slammed him in eagerness to have as much body surface touching the man as possible. Jack smiled in delight at the greeting. He was careful not to slam the truck's heavy door on the dogs rapidly wagging tail. Before crouching down to be closer to the dog, Jack checked out the neighborhood for danger. His habitual alertness was a practice he didn't wish to break. But the hollow bang of a fur-wrapped tail on his truck demanded his attention.

Jack crouched down to greet the dog. "Hey there fella. It's good to see you too." He grabbed the dog's head in mock wrestling. The animal playfully opened his mouth to slime Jack's arm while gently growling. As the wrestling got more intense, the dog's ability to be gentle was compromised. He started growling more forcefully.

The boy noticed that the Colonel looked around ten years younger as he stood up. The smile on his face looked relaxed, but there was a hint of sadness there as well. The boy innocently questioned, "Jack, how come you don't get another dog?"

Ten years seemed to wash into the Colonel as the smile ghosted off his face. The last time he had seen the boy, he had revealed that he used to have a dog. It was only natural that the inquisitive youngster would pursue the subject. "I'm not home enough, Josh." At the pout of disappointment that came over the boy's face, Jack smiled and ruffled the boy's hair in fondness.

The boy's mother had joined them. She looked at the Colonel with a knowing look of apology. "I'm sorry, Jack."

Before Jack could respond, Oscar decided to run across the front lawn on his way to the backyard. They were all caught unaware as the dog jerked the leash out of the boy's hand to pursue the escaping cat. The cocky gray cat often teased the larger dog by sitting nonchalantly on the window-sill. The Lab barked in glee at his unhindered pursuit of the hated cat. His bellowing bark was cut short abruptly as the taut leash hindered his progress. He bayed his disappointment and looked back quickly in annoyance only to see his gray-haired friend holding him back. The dog sat back resignedly, but kept his eye on the corner of the house in case the offensive feline came back. His mouth hinged open as he panted with eager diligence.

The boy's mother turned her attention back to the Colonel and smiled with wry relief. "Thank you. We might never have gotten him back."

Jack shrugged dismissively as he handed the leash back to the little boy. He crouched down to meet the youngster eye to eye. "You better hang onto him."

The boy lowered his head in thought while Jack slowly stretched back up to his full height. Looking up seriously at the tall man, Josh resolutely offered, "Jack, you can share my dog anytime you want."

The tough Air Force Colonel widened his eyes in surprise and nodded his appreciation of the sincere and generous offer. He paused in appreciation before replying. "Thanks, Josh." He smiled up at the mother as she pulled her reluctant son and dog away from the yard.

As he made his solitary trek to the front door, Jack remembered the last dog he had had. He walked slowly into the kitchen – his face was blank as the memories flooded his mind. He could still feel the squirming armload of puppy as he walked into the house that day. Charlie had come running around the corner screaming, "Dad!" The look on Charlie's face when he saw the dog had been priceless. Jack involuntarily grinned as he remembered the delight. In the present, his face unconsciously mirrored the wince he wore at the "look" from Sara. After she forgave him, she had revealed her perspective of the day. She had seen twin looks of delight on both his and Charlie's faces. Charlie's look was because he was so happy to get the dog, and Jack's because he was so happy to see his son's delight. When Sara had asked him why he got the dog, Jack had responded cryptically, "Every kid needs a dog." She quickly came back by looking at him pointedly. "Apparently so."

Jack was away on a mission when the dog fell ill and died. He sniffed and shook his shoulders to rid himself of the memory. That was another time and another life. He got up to get another beer. Just as he reached for the handle to the refrigerator, he felt a sharp tickle on his arm. Looking quickly he pulled his arm while hitting it quickly to shake off the big, huge spider that had landed there from its web. "Gah!" Not wanting the insect to run around the house while he slept, Jack looked around for something to kill it. He shuddered in disgust. "Damn!" The roll of paper towels was empty. He looked down quickly to see that the spider was still on the floor where it had fallen. Jack took off quickly to get a new roll from the garage. He swiftly moved back into the kitchen just in time to see Oscar standing near the refrigerator chewing something. The cat leaned his head down to release half of the spider onto the floor. Jack jumped forward to snag the bug remains, but not before the cat's paw slammed down on the still wriggling arachnid. The cat's eyes rapidly shifted from black to green slits as he returned to sanity. He ran off into the living room leaving Jack to clean up the remains. He grumbled, "This is so getting old." He carried the paper-towel shrouded spider remains to the kitchen trashcan.

:-x

Jack was awakened by a noise later that night. The sound came from the kitchen area. He was on high alert as he walked down the hall toward the noise. It sounded like a rhythmic thumping. As O'Neill rounded the corner, the noise continued. He turned the corner into the kitchen to see the back end of a gray cat sticking out of the overturned trashcan. He shook his head and moved to touch the preoccupied cat. As he cautiously touched the gray hindquarters, Oscar turned around quickly. Jack jumped back as Oscar stood on his hind legs to jump on him. Jack noticed the metal protruding from the front paws just as he heard the telltale sound of Replicator motion. Jack was trapped against the edge of the counter as the metal creature jumped at him.

Jack screamed his rage as he fought against the confining bedclothes. He sat up in bed with widened eyes. Looking around his room, he saw that Oscar was quietly sleeping at the foot of his bed. Jack closed his eyes with weary relief. It was a dream. He flopped back down and slowed down his breathing. He wearily rubbed a hand over his eyes. He should have known his near death in the submarine hadn't been without consequences. He lay there and thought about this new threat. It increased his resolve to eliminate the threat from the Goa'uld. They needed to step up the action in order to concentrate on the greater threat presented by the Replicators. After a time, Jack gave up and decided to go to the base early. He wasn't likely to sleep anytime soon.

:-x

Sometime during the trip back to Earth through the Stargate, Black Jack made his reappearance. "Close the Iris." His voice was chillingly deliberate and deadly as he ordered the probable murder of the Eurondan leader. It would have been frightening to him how quickly he returned to being that monster, but Jack O'Neill was incapable of feeling at that moment. He had gone beyond human to a darker existence. His eyes locked onto the face of his 2IC. A sick part of him reveled in the fact that she knew what he had done. A much smaller part of him hoped her innocence would be enough to call him back to humanity.

All activity and sound in the room was heightened into sharp clarity in his altered state of mind – he felt omnipotently powerful. O'Neill removed his gaze from Carter's face for a moment as he answered the General. "Don't be." He returned to looking coldly into Samantha Carter's eyes. He clearly saw her thought processes as she sanely tried to justify his action, denied the truth, and then accepted his action for what it was. He saw the quick flash of fear in her eyes that she bravely masked. He held her gaze effortless and guiltlessly. She looked down and nervously swallowed her disbelief for future processing. But Jack was beyond caring what she thought of him. He had just prevented another Hitler from walking the Earth. They should be grateful. He very briefly pondered eliminating the only person who knew the truth. This should have frightened him, but Black Jack had no such self-doubt.

O'Neill went through the motions of getting a post-mission physical before taking a quick shower and changing. The former Black Ops officer had been taught to be prepared at all times to eliminate the enemy, so he mentally practiced how to efficiently kill each person he encountered. His destination was a quick and private debriefing with General Hammond. There was no way Jack was going to do this in front of his team. He didn't trust his dark self to stay inside. As he left the General's office, he missed the look of concern that passed over Hammond's face. George recognized the distant, deadly look and hoped he wouldn't lose another good man.

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The Colonel drove away without a backwards look. In his rearview mirror he saw Daniel waving him back, but he kept on driving. Carter did not wave. He could see her stunned and still figure standing beside a puzzled Daniel.

Jack drove around the back roads of Colorado Springs in the hopes that something would trigger his feelings to return. He finally stopped by the side of the road and took a hike on a hidden trail. His thoughts swirled with cold clarity while he contemplated his current state of mind. He didn't want anyone to see him like this. He wanted to remain hidden. In the past, when he got this way on Black Ops missions, his love for Charlie had brought him back to humanity. Now he remembered why he had purchased the dog. Jack suspected that Sara knew of the need for that bit of normality to return her husband. The pull of all-consuming love reawakened Jack while shoving the Dark Colonel back to where he belonged. The Dark Colonel was only supposed to come out when there was work to be done, but sometimes the lid wouldn't entirely close on the cold killer inside.

His team had also been able to bring him back from the dark place. He recalled the times that Teal'c's uncanny wisdom, Daniel's curious determination, and Sam's sharp clarity had recalled him back to himself after dicey missions. But not this time. Jack had not gone this far since his days in Black Ops. O'Neill wondered if the Eurondan weapon had done something to him. He quietly breathed his resignation and returned home in the hopes that time would push the darkness back down.

Jack drove past Samantha Carter's car to pull into his driveway. He got out of his car to meet her as she stood guardedly. She leaned back on her car with her hands behind her back and still attached to her door handle as she waited for him to approach. Her chin was raised warily and her eyes twitched away hesitantly. She had the look of someone about to confront an unknown. He saw the moment she realized he had not yet returned to himself. Her eyes looked down and away in disappointment, but flew back up and over as a black blur swiftly crossed the street. The sound of a screaming cat, growling dog, and a boy screaming, "No!" occurred simultaneously.

Jack reached for his sidearm as he saw the dog reach his objective. The gray cat was flung against the side of the house with a sickening bang. It lay there dazed and helpless while the dog returned in frenzy to his attack. Jack O'Neill had a moment of indecision as he heard the boy's frantic cries. With purposeful movements, he removed his hand from his gun and looked for another means to stop the attack. He caught the fact that the cat was limp in the dog's mouth as the dog viciously shook his head flinging blood onto the wall. Jack spied a method and ran over to effect a rescue.

The Black Lab was startled by a blast of ice-cold water that splashed into his face. He stopped his frenzied snarling and dropped the cat into a boneless heap. Jack grabbed the dog's leash and handed it to the boy's frantic mother. A quick look to Carter gave her a silent order to make sure the dog didn't escape again and to make sure the family was safe from the now docile dog. He ran over to the heap of gray fur and gently straightened out the body. His whispered, "Oscar, no!" would have been inaudible, but Carter was already back at his side. She was startled by the naked anguish in his eyes as he looked around for what to do.

"Sir." Carter took off her jacket to be used as a makeshift stretcher. Jack's bloody hands gently lifted the unconscious creature onto the jacket. "Colonel, we can use my car."

Sam opened the passenger side and assisted the Colonel in getting in without jostling the cat further. As she reached over to fasten his seat belt, she could see a large rip in the fur with exposed ribs on one side of the poor creature. She didn't know if he would survive. The fact that her CO had called the animal by name was her first clue that this was not just any cat. They would try to save this animal by bringing it to the veterinarian. Besides, she had seen too much death in the past couple of days.

:-x

They flew into the emergency veterinarian's office. Their hurried actions alerted the staff that they had an emergency on their hands. Staff whisked the injured cat into a back examination room, and the veterinarian followed closely on their heels. Jack O'Neill was gently held back by the office assistant. "Mr. O'Neill. You'll need to sit in the waiting room." There was a moment of indecision while Jack contemplated disobeying the petite woman. They all breathed a sigh of relief when his shoulders slumped and he turned away to pace the room.

The elder veterinarian came out and immediately called Jack up to the front desk. "Oscar is in bad shape, I'm afraid."

"Can you save him doc?" Jack's intense brown eyes held the doctor's gaze steadily.

"This won't be cheap, Jack. And there are no guarantees he'll survive. He's had a good life. Are you sure you want to . . . . " The doctor trailed off. His gentle, understanding eyes giving the man permission to let the cat go.

After only a slight hesitation, Jack lowered his gaze and responded breathily, "Yeah. Do what you can." Jack looked up suddenly with piercing eyes. "But I don't want him to suffer."

The two men shared a knowing look. In their past dealings, the veterinarian had revealed his history of active military duty. Both had seen their share of suffering. "We'll do what we can, Jack."

After the veterinarian disappeared into the back office, Sam carefully guided her CO to a chair. "Sir, why don't you have a seat." His focus was so intent on the room at the back of the building that he seemed uncharacteristically oblivious to his surroundings. Sam had not missed the fact that the veterinarian and his staff knew the cat and the Colonel by name. She filed this information for later exploration. She would not question the obviously concerned man.

Jack found himself sitting without knowing how he got there. He was startled by a paper cup of water that appeared in front of his face. He looked up and realized belatedly that Carter had probably been calling him a number of times to get his attention. He returned to the present and sheepishly searched her eyes for judgment, but he only found the eyes of a concerned friend. Her gentle voice reassured him that all was okay. "Here's some water for you, Colonel." He gave her a quick upturn of his lips in humbled gratitude.

Sam's blue eyes darted from his hands to his face as he took the cup from her grasp. She cajoled, "Sir, do you think you might want to wash your hands?" She jerked her head subtly to the side to indicate the eyes of a frightened youngster. The boy was clinging tightly to a cage holding his prized pet something or other. The child's eyes were locked onto the bloody hands of Jack O'Neill. Apparently, Jack had been unconsciously trying to rub the blood off his hands. He pondered the fact that he was too used to the sticky feel of drying blood on his hands. He nodded his head in acknowledgement before getting up to go to the restroom.

In addition to giving him something to do, it would give him an excuse to walk by the back room where Oscar was fighting for his life. Jack could hear the doctor calling out orders to staff while they cared for the small feline. It was reminiscent of Doctor Frasier and her team in the SGC's infirmary. Jack sighed as he looked at his worried image in the mirror. He washed his hands and returned to the waiting room . . . to wait. The experienced airman so hated waiting. He was a man of action. But right now, his hands were completely tied. This was almost as bad as when he waited to hear the condition of his team. O'Neill wondered when he had become so attached to this cat. He unconsciously depressed the plunger on a pen and replaced the instrument back where he found it – picking up the container instead.

Samantha Carter couldn't hold it back any longer. The annoyance came out in her tone, "Sir!" Jack looked back sheepishly and replaced the cup of pens that he had been rattling for the past five minutes. By now, they were the only remaining people left in the waiting room since all had been helped over the past two hours they had waited.

A technician came out. "Mr. O'Neill?" Jack fixed his gaze on her expectantly. "Please come with me." Carter automatically followed to provide whatever support that might be needed. The mothering part of her wanted to protect her CO; you couldn't be close to Jack O'Neill without knowing his weakness for children and animals. And she had quickly discerned that this cat was special to him. She wondered why they had never heard of it before. It was apparent that the Colonel and Oscar weren't strangers to the veterinarian.

They were whisked into the back room in time to see the doctor administer a shot to the still unconscious cat. One whole side of the cat's body had been shaved and a line of grotesque sutures zigzagged around his front leg. Jack's voice couldn't hide the anguish in his question, "Doc?"

With weary patience, the veterinarian responded to the unspoken question. "Oscar is stable for the moment. He's suffered a number of severe bites and slashes. We managed to reconnect his flesh. But . . . there's always the danger of infection with any animal bite." He hesitated before continuing. "We would normally keep him overnight for observation, but our facility is being fumigated this evening. You'll need to care for him at home." He looked down at the still cat before raising his head decisively. "We'll leave the IV inserted, and I'll give you enough painkiller that . . . should it become necessary . . . ." He didn't finish, but Jack understood.

:-x

The drive back to his house was quiet as each was caught in his/her own thoughts. Carter broke the silence. "Sir? Whose cat . . . .?" She didn't quite know how to finish the question.

O'Neill contemplated his answer before clearing his throat in discomfort. "Uh! He's a stray." Jack winced into his reflection in the passenger window. He was uncomfortable with the cheapness that word implied. After a long silence while looking out at the passing scenery, he mumbled. "He's been . . . around since just after the first Abydos mission."

Sam widely opened her blue eyes in surprise. She wondered how they had never heard about the creature, but this was Jack O'Neill after all. He wasn't exactly forthcoming with information. The rest of the ride continued in silence.

After they carefully transported the cat into the living room near the fire, Jack sat back nervously on the couch. He knew his curious Major would have more questions and he wasn't exactly comfortable responding. A quiet noise from the box near the fireplace negated the need for conversation. Oscar had awakened.

The frightened cat began to struggle. The quiet, soothing voice of his human friend along with gentle pets along his head eventually calmed him. He felt the warmth of the fire and a strange drugged tiredness as he trustfully started to drift back to sleep.

Jack continued to pet the cat while watching his rhythmic breathing. "It's okay Oscar. You're okay now. Easy there fella." A very brief purr let Jack know that Oscar would be okay. They would win this one.

Sam smiled at the evidence of her CO's gentle, caring nature. The frightening Black Jack was gone for the moment and the familiar person she knew was back. She grinned widely in relief and joy.

Realizing that he had lost himself in caring for Oscar, Jack looked up sheepishly into the grinning face of his 2IC. She was standing up to walk out the door. He thought about the harassment he would get from Daniel and the . . . who knows what from Teal'c. He called to her haltingly, "Hey, uh, Carter?" His thumb unconsciously rubbed against his lips as he contemplated what to ask.

The perceptive major responded, "Don't worry, sir. Your secret's safe with me." She grinned almost evilly as she left the two warriors to heal together.

:-x

Oscar silently pulled his paw back as the beginnings of a creak sounded. He checked that his prey remained unaware of his presence and was satisfied on that front. The only residual effect from the attack was morning stiffness that was relieved with a little extra stretching. The other effect was a strong desire to exact revenge on a certain Black Lab. The subject of the ill will was lying on his side and blissfully sunning himself in his backyard – oblivious to the silently stalking cat. The slight breeze ruffling his fur was the only movement seen on the gray cat as he carefully rerouted and placed each paw on the slanted roof. Oscar had been exploring the roof for the past week to determine his most silent path. He gathered his back legs to his front paws and crouched to leap on his unsuspecting enemy. He flew through the air silently. A sudden slight updraft gave him the buoyancy he needed to land exactly where he wanted. He unsheathed his claws for greater purchase – his eyes were black with fierce anticipation. At the last second he gave a banshee cry of rage and triumph.

:-x

Old Mr. Barnes was enjoying a peaceful morning of gardening when he was startled by a sudden scream of rage, which was quickly followed by the startled, whimpering cries of the dog next door. As quickly as it had begun, it ended. Looking through a knothole in the fence between yards, the old man made sure the dog was okay before assessing the danger. He was just in time to see the tip of a tail disappear through a large crack on the other side of the fence. When relating the story to his wife later, he was unable to tell what color it was, but he thought the tail might have been gray.

:-x

Jack was temporarily blinded by the bright light just before it shifted to the subdued lighting in the commissary. He saw Daniel's face in the background and a spoonful of Fruit Loops in the foreground. He thought, 'God, not again.'

:-x

Jack was relieved to be speaking and reading English. If he never saw Latin again it would be too soon. When Daniel had asked how many loops they had been through, Jack truly did not know. He had stopped counting after 50 loops. He suspected that had Daniel asked Teal'c, they would have gotten an exact number. In the end, it didn't matter. He had gotten to do some things without repercussions. He smirked in remembrance of some of them. Feeling eyes upon him, Jack was startled to see Oscar sitting boldly on his front lawn. Ever since the attack, the cat had been edgy and paranoid about being in the open. In fact, he had rarely left the house. Jack had begun to worry that the cat had seriously and permanently lost his Mojo. So Oscar's current behavior was aberrant. Jack frowned in puzzlement.

O'Neill's eyes widened and mouth opened in redundant feelings of horror when he saw the Black Lab round the corner on a leash. Oscar apparently didn't know the dog was there because he sat nonchalantly washing a paw. The tip of his torn ear twitched at the sound of the leash, but he didn't react in any other way. What was more puzzling was the behavior of the dog. As soon as the dog saw the cat, he began whimpering and straining at his leash – to go the other way! Jack called out to his canine friend, "Here boy!" Ben turned around and whined in indecision. He warily looked at the cat as he made his way to his friend. His tail thumped tentatively in indecision. After a couple pets from the man, he sat along the man's leg facing the cat. His tail thumped in pleasure as the man scratched behind his ears. Ben raised his nose in the air to give Jack access to his chin – trusting his friend with his exposed neck. While Jack talked with his human, Ben brought his chin down and rested his head heavily against Jack's knee. He just liked the human's scent. Though he was big like adults, Ben sensed the playful spirit of a child in the man. The sudden strong scent of cat assailed his nostrils and Ben froze in fear. The cat was rubbing against Jack's other leg less than two feet away.

Oscar didn't like to be afraid of anything. While sitting on the lawn watching the Black Devil with Jack, he decided it was time to end this feeling and get his Mojo back. He could sense Jack's apprehension and coiled readiness to react as he trotted to the group with determination.

Jack noticed stiffness in Oscar as he approached. He wondered if it was because of the old injury or if it was due to fear. He readied himself to be the center of a dog and cat fight. The tall man made sure the boy was at a safe distance and he held tightly to Ben's leash. As Oscar rubbed his body against Jack's left leg, he could feel the moment Ben became aware of the cat's presence. A trembling ran through the dog. Whether it was from fear or because he was sniffing the cat was unclear.

Oscar sat stock still in front of Jack while Ben cautiously offered his sensitive nose for sniffing. With inches to go, Ben stopped his forward motion - memories of sharp claws still fresh in his mind. This was the turning point. After a brief hesitation to make a point, Oscar lithely closed the distance and swapped breaths with the dog. Ben had been ashamed of his attack behavior months before and had spent many sunny afternoons contemplating his future actions. He had been embarrassed and afraid Jack wouldn't like him because of his . . . savage behavior. But Jack understood. Ben suspected Jack had occasionally done the same thing in his past. Jack was his friend. And now Oscar Gray Cat was his friend too. He was glad he was apparently forgiven and his face broke out into a happy smile as he panted away his earlier fear.

With only the tip of his tail twitching in annoyance at the gauche tail wagging, Oscar turned his head and slowly blinked his eyes uncaringly. The battle-scarred cat wanted to show off his bravery to any other cats that might be watching him and his large friends.

Jack was relieved. He just wanted peace and quiet after his long, long, looonnnnngggg day. The colonel wondered what Oscar had done during the time loop. He half shrugged and continued on into his house. No sense thinking about it since he would never know.