Ferretti was sprawled lazily in a chair at the table behind the podium where SG-1's leader was giving the new SGC recruits the run-down. He had to stifle a yawn. He was only half paying attention to O'Neill's lecture (he was too used to watching the Colonel terrorize newbies by now for it to affect him much) but something he said caught Lou's attention. And held it, as Ferretti's mouth dropped open and he gaped at his superior for a second time.
No way. That was what the Colonel was doing in his office last month?
Major Louis Ferretti met Colonel Jonathan O'Neill on the very first mission through the Stargate. Then, Colonel O'Neill was hard-assed, stiff, by-the-order, and a little off his rocker. Meeting Doctor Daniel Jackson, PhD, seemed to help him gather his sanity. Encountering Ferretti's own particular kind of humor and Kowalski's laid-back attitude seemed to re-ignite O'Neill's sense of humor, and a year of real retirement helped him find that renowned, infamous back-talk for General Hammond and various others to deal with.
Jack was, however, still a hard-ass.
As he explained to the room what exactly the Geek Watcher's Guide was, every single recruit stared at Colonel O'Neill with blatant disbelief– but they did it with their backs straight, their mouths shut, and their heels together. Ferretti bolted out of his chair and hit the door at what he was sure were mach speeds, forced to flee the room as soon as possible. If he hadn't, he would have spoiled the moment with his laughter.