CHAPTER 24 TO SMELL THE FLOWERS

Gina was waiting for him at a deli in town after he had finished with the general. He would heed her father's words and tell her everything and prepared himself for the instant shuttering of her expression. Instead he found resolve. She didn't speak at first, wandering down the aisles of the deli gathering food for a picnic and he had to reach for her arm partway through the store needing to read the expressions on her face.

"Gina, talk to me. I need to know what you're thinking."

She gave a small laugh. "I can see by the trepidation in your eyes that you expected anger. I kinda like to keep you on your toes..."

He drew her closer, oblivious to the other shoppers. "You're an amazing woman, you know that?"

"Actually John, yeah I do! Partly, thanks to you..."

"Humble too, sweetheart..."

She laughed. "Ok, I'm officially in a good mood. Let's get the food sorted and head down to the beach and you can fill me in on the your latest theory. Just for the record, I'm starting a new filing cabinet up there.." she tapped her head to indicate. "otherwise there's no way on God's earth that I am ever going to keep all these connections, all these supposed threads, straight. I consider myself an intelligent person, really I do. Humble be damned. I know what I am. But this Colonel John Sheppard...is a little mind numbing...!"

"No arguments from me there Gina – my mind may be numb – fortunately I'm working mostly with another part of my anatomy when I'm in your presence..." and the wicked grin on his face had her punching him lightly on the arm and looking forward to another night with this man. Or afternoon. If she could swing it!

"I'm guessing that this latest theory of yours is a doozy.. you looked awfully serious there for a moment, like I was going to blow a gasket or something. But I didn't hear gunshots coming from my father's office, so I know that it can't be bad enough for him to pull a gun on you."

"Your dad? He's a pussy cat..."

Her skeptical glance had him laughing as he kicked his shoes off to walk on the sand. "And just how did you manage to get him wrapped around your little finger? Apart from Terry, who he more or less foisted on me, he did not exactly approve of my choices of men. Gave them all a hard time."

"Aah, that would be the Sheppard charm. Works on women, old ladies and general's – in that order." When he saw his teasing comment didn't fetch an answering grin he pulled on her hand questioningly.

"You never mentioned a woman back in Atlantis. I don't even know if there is somethere there that you are involved in. Is that the reason you won't take me back?"

He set the food down and pulled her into his arms. "There's no one Gina, not for a long time..."

Finding a quiet place away from other people he pulled her down onto the sand and looked around Waikiki Beach. Minus the high rise buildings and blatent commercialism it was still a bustling tourist spot, but without the frenetic energy that the twenty first century would bring. People still moved at a slower comfortable pace and not in such a rush to be somewhere and to do something. That was something he felt had not changed for the better in his time. No one took the time to appreciate simple beauty. The sunrise, the smell of a pretty flower, the touch of a woman and being here in this now had brought that home to him in spades. Life needed to be enjoyed and as he curled his toes into the sand of this famous beach he vowed, at least for the next couple of hours, to do just that.

They fell asleep on the sand, fingers entwined together, having enjoyed the picnic and light talk about nothing in particular. The sun was hot and the air fragrant and after resorting to a quick swim fully clothed, due unfortunately to the fact that there really too many people on this beach to attempt otherwise, they had simply drifted into oblivion in the hot sun while drying off. And when he awoke a short half an hour later he was still holding her hand and took a precious moment to enjoy the feeling of just being alive.

"John... it's time you told me what you've been doing your damnedess to keep bottled up inside you for the past hour. Reality doesn't hide just because the players take a break from the story. Spill it...!"

She had rolled to her side and looked at him through bright intelligent eyes.

"Can I ask you something Gina? I need an honest answer from you, but I need to think carefully about it first." He paused a moment, letting some sand drift through his free hand, the one that was not holding hers. "Have you forgiven him at all for what he did? Have you moved on yet?"

He felt her tug her hand away from his and sat up so that they touched thigh to thigh. "Why do you ask John? Before I can give you answer, I need to know why you asked."

"Does you answer depend on this?" He rested his hand now on her knee, needing to keep contact with her.

She did not shrug his touch away. "Yes John, how I answer the question depends on why you asked it."

He huffed a breath and explained the link with Terrence O'Neill to his present. He watched her face as she attempted to connect the dots. She was a smart woman and quickly fit the pieces together.

"My father wouldn't give his permission to release him from his sentence, would he? Pussy cat... John, I don't think so. I know my father. When he takes a stand, it is a stand. Immovable, like the Rock of Gilbraltar. He left it to me. If I chose to forgive him, release him on his own recognizance, then he wouldn't stand in my way, but he would not make that move. Smart man, my father." She looked sharply at John now. "No presssure from you then? I expected an argument, a plea of some sort."

There was a little sarcasm in her voice now and he mentally cringed. Ok, so it wasn't going to be a walk in the park. Her father knew her better than he did. He didn't need to give in – he knew his daughter would not make it easy for him. Scratching his head now, he figured his next move. So much for the players knowing their damn roles. Some guidance Callandra? You interfere when I don't want you to, and when I need some assistance, just where the hell are you then?

"I know what he put you through so I won't do you the injustice of arguing with you. I've told you my reasons... the reasons from your future. I've told you the man that Jack O'Neill will become, and I've told you his relationship to your cousin, Sam. This likely will not happen if Terrence remains in prison beyond October 1962."

"Have you not considered John, that if his father was to be killed in October, in the same accident where I supposedly die – and just saying that is seriously creeping me out by the way... - then wouldn't they release him from jail anyway to look after his brother?"

John went back to playing with the sand. It seemed easier than looking her in the eye right now. "You'd think that would be the case, hmmm? Apparantly not. What happens is that Terrence goes kinda crazy in jail when he hears about his father, and through circumstance as much as idiocy on his part, he kills one of the wardens. And that's more or less the end of the former Captain Terrence O'Neill. If you get my drift."

"You must hate knowing all this John. You must hate having to sit there and tell me bad news after bad news. Is there anything good that comes out of this? Apart from Jack O'Neill becoming a brigadier general and eventually commander of the stargate programme. So far you have me being killed in a few months, Terrence killing someone, an astronaut dying in a crash and a young boy that turns to the wild side because his father is killed. That's a lot of seriously bad crap to happen in one year, to affect a small group of people. Don't you think?"

"A small group of people Gina? Who are you kidding. Those events affect the entire space programme in the future. You are all tied together, your two families. From day one. 1962 was a year with many milestones, but your two families are the cornerstone to the stargate programme. I have to keep that together."

Gina lay back in the sand and shut her eyes to block out the sun for a short time. "Tell me something good that happens this year John. All I've heard about is the bad. The stuff that you have to stop. Tell me something good and then I'll give you my decision."

He thought for a moment. History was one of the things he enjoyed, although 1962 was a little vague and he had to reach back and look for some interesting facts to throw at her. To allow her time to come to her own decision.

"OK babe... let's see. December 30th - Green Bay Packers beat NY Giants 16-7 in NFL championship game, October 28th - NY Giant YA Tittle passes for 7 touchdowns vs Wash Redskins (49-34) , October 14th - Houston Oiler George Blanda throws for 6 TD passes vs NY Titans 56-17,..."

"No more... I get it... football John? Really? You could tell me so much, but you chose football?"

"You said to tell you something 'good' – I think that qualifies?"

She laughed then and abruptly sat up, resting her head against his shoulder. "You win. I'll go and see him. Tomorrow. After today. After …. " and she ran her hand along his leg and moved to the inside, flicking it lightly over his groin area and smiled when he hitched a breath. "After, that..."

"You, sweetheart... are inherently evil. But you wish is my command... so let's get out of here."

"Let's go home..."

Home. Her home. For now, his home. Until all the threads were tied together, knotted back into one bit ball of wool. Home.