I strongly encourage you when you like the shippy bits to go out and buy the book!
'She' is always Sam and 'he' is always Jack unless stated otherwise by me.
Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of MGM, World Gekko Corp, Double Secret Productions and Showtime.
Novel Roswell written by Sonny Whitelaw & Jennifer Fallon
*** He recommenced typing in his code when a familiar voice called from below, "It's okay, Jack. We're not Ori."
The other was wearing an Air Force uniform with three stars on the shoulder and a chest full of medals. Jack was starting to wonder if he'd hit his head harder than he first thought when General Carter turned her gaze to him and smiled.
*** "Okay," Jack interrupted. "Now, as much as we love entertaining visitors, we were kind of expecting someone else... General Carter?"
The smile on Carter's face was a little too smug. "Have been for a while now, Jack."
He hadn't missed her calling him Jack the first time, either.
*** "Is it going to involve a lot of math?"
Carter seemed amused by his question. And far too knowing. "No, Jack, but it'll require a little more than five words. Now, do you think you can get someone to help us down from here before this tips over entirely?"
There was a distinct 'three-star talking to a two-star' edge to her voice, something that he'd developed an ear for during his months in DC. "Is it going to?"
This time, the smile touched eyes that had seen maybe twice the years as the Carter of this era.
*** A reflexive smile exaggerated the not-so-fine lines around her eyes and mouth. "I'm retired now."
Jack put her age at around sixty-five to seventy, and while a part of him felt a measure of satisfaction, pride even, that she'd made it so far in her career, he found it difficult to adjust to the idea of Carter retiring.
Apparently anticipating his reaction, she added, "Only from the Air Force, not from...other things."
*** Jack stood under the shower for several minutes, letting the hot spray pummel his face and neck, trying, and failing, not to think too much about the change in dynamics between him and Carter. Three stars or not, when had 'sir' morphed into 'Jack'?
It wasn't just the designator; it was subtle shift in other ways, an implied intimacy that the passage of time alone couldn't account for.
*** Carter - General Carter - circled around the departing airmen, who tried an failed to be surreptitious in their stares, and then made a beeline for the head of the conference table.
She pulled up just short, and instead opted for the chair that the Carter of this time had most often used. Making no attempt to hide her slip, the General met his raised eyebrow with a vaguely apologetic smile. "I'm not going to stand on protocol, Jack. I'm the guest, here."
*** He'd already noticed that while Carter wore no rings, there was an indentation across the third finger of her left hand, where one had sat until recently. Very recently. Wedding bands were the first thing removed prior to Special Ops missions.
"How's Pete?" Pulling his hands from his pockets, he wandered over to the head of the table.
"Nice try, Jack," she replied, sliding into her seat.
For some reason he was reminded of the day that she'd strode into this same room almost ten years earlier; cocky and ambitious and determined to prove that being a scientist didn't make her a liability. The edges had been rounded and the cockiness had been wiped away her very first trip through the 'gate.
As for the assuredness, it was now tacked in place by the three stars, an additional thirty years of living and...something else that he couldn't quite put a finger on. He was definitely not imagining the unnerving feeling that she could see straight through him; into places he'd worked hard to keep hidden, even from himself.
*** If Herbert (General Carter's companion from the future) was in any way put out by Jack's brand of sarcasm, he didn't show it, while Carter said simply, "You know, you haven't changed a bit."
*** "Now, Herbert, we discussed this before we left," Carter admonished. There was something else in her voice Jack now recognized, a tone half remembered from a past life that tagged him like a shadow. Sarah had spoken like that. Maternal.
"Oh, don't fuss, my dear Samantha." Herbert unfastened the hand device and placed it on the table beside his pipe. "You're as bad as that son of yours. I don't intend to ignite it."
Carter's nostrils flared in annoyance. "Herbert!"
Allowing that piece of information to wash over him, Jack leaned back in his chair in the hope of finding a position that didn't make his chest feel like it'd been kicked by a mule.
She pulled up just short, and instead opted for the chair that the Carter of this time had most often used. Making no attempt to hide her slip, the General met his raised eyebrow with a vaguely apologetic smile. "I'm not going to stand on protocol, Jack. I'm the guest, here."
*** He'd already noticed that while Carter wore no rings, there was an indentation across the third finger of her left hand, where one had sat until recently. Very recently. Wedding bands were the first thing removed prior to Special Ops missions.
"How's Pete?" Pulling his hands from his pockets, he wandered over to the head of the table.
"Nice try, Jack," she replied, sliding into her seat.
For some reason he was reminded of the day that she'd strode into this same room almost ten years earlier; cocky and ambitious and determined to prove that being a scientist didn't make her a liability. The edges had been rounded and the cockiness had been wiped away her very first trip through the 'gate.
As for the assuredness, it was now tacked in place by the three stars, an additional thirty years of living and...something else that he couldn't quite put a finger on. He was definitely not imagining the unnerving feeling that she could see straight through him; into places he'd worked hard to keep hidden, even from himself.
*** If Herbert (General Carter's companion from the future) was in any way put out by Jack's brand of sarcasm, he didn't show it, while Carter said simply, "You know, you haven't changed a bit."
*** "Now, Herbert, we discussed this before we left," Carter admonished. There was something else in her voice Jack now recognized, a tone half remembered from a past life that tagged him like a shadow. Sarah had spoken like that. Maternal.
"Oh, don't fuss, my dear Samantha." Herbert unfastened the hand device and placed it on the table beside his pipe. "You're as bad as that son of yours. I don't intend to ignite it."
Carter's nostrils flared in annoyance. "Herbert!"
Allowing that piece of information to wash over him, Jack leaned back in his chair in the hope of finding a position that didn't make his chest feel like it'd been kicked by a mule.
*** "Can I say something?" Vala asked, around another mouthful of food.
"No."
"Let her speak, Jack," Carter said, effectively pulling rank on him.
*** The scientist's momentary burst of enthusiasm was squashed by O'Neill's sour look.
Carter seemed to be trying not to smile. She cleared her throat, pointing to the controls. "Okay, Jack."
*** "-the moment you arrive in 1947, you should only detect SG-1's, and-" She paused, glanced at the rear of the jumper, presumably to make certain no one was within earshot, and, lowering her voice, redirected her next remark to O'Neill. "Thor says hello."
"Thor!" O'Neill's face became positively animated. "How is the little guy?"
Carter hesitated, and then she shook her head.
*** Sam felt the full weight of that responsibility. Wiping a filthy sleeve across her face, she looked at O'Neill. "Sir, you shouldn't have come back for us."
An odd expression crossed his face. "That's what she said you'd say."
"Who?"
He shot her a somewhat jaundiced look. "You."
"General you, in fact," Vala spoke up.
*** The General pinned her with an icy glare as they once more began to plummet toward the ground. "Carter, next time you go back in time and pull rank on me, can you keep in mind how much I hate surprises?"
*** "Who'd have thought?" Jack said, shaking his head. He turned to Sam. "You see, he has a four letter word for it. Why can't you use more four letter words, Carter?"
Sam muttered something that sounded like, "muon", but Jack chose not to hear.
*** "Sir, you can't!" Sam's head jerked around.
"Carter-" His eyes bored into hers with an intensity that was agonizingly familiar. "I told you before. I am not leaving here without Mitchell and Vala."
"No."
"Let her speak, Jack," Carter said, effectively pulling rank on him.
*** The scientist's momentary burst of enthusiasm was squashed by O'Neill's sour look.
Carter seemed to be trying not to smile. She cleared her throat, pointing to the controls. "Okay, Jack."
*** "-the moment you arrive in 1947, you should only detect SG-1's, and-" She paused, glanced at the rear of the jumper, presumably to make certain no one was within earshot, and, lowering her voice, redirected her next remark to O'Neill. "Thor says hello."
"Thor!" O'Neill's face became positively animated. "How is the little guy?"
Carter hesitated, and then she shook her head.
*** Sam felt the full weight of that responsibility. Wiping a filthy sleeve across her face, she looked at O'Neill. "Sir, you shouldn't have come back for us."
An odd expression crossed his face. "That's what she said you'd say."
"Who?"
He shot her a somewhat jaundiced look. "You."
"General you, in fact," Vala spoke up.
*** The General pinned her with an icy glare as they once more began to plummet toward the ground. "Carter, next time you go back in time and pull rank on me, can you keep in mind how much I hate surprises?"
*** "Who'd have thought?" Jack said, shaking his head. He turned to Sam. "You see, he has a four letter word for it. Why can't you use more four letter words, Carter?"
Sam muttered something that sounded like, "muon", but Jack chose not to hear.
*** "Sir, you can't!" Sam's head jerked around.
"Carter-" His eyes bored into hers with an intensity that was agonizingly familiar. "I told you before. I am not leaving here without Mitchell and Vala."
*** Daniel shot him an odd look. "He hasn't been born yet."
"I knew that. I was just...you know."
They were silent for another quarter mile. "So, General Carter, huh? What's she like?"
"Three stars."
"Wow. Good for Sam."
"Yeah. Retired."
"Family?"
Wedding band and a son. He nodded and looked around at the scenery. "Yup"
"Really?"
"Can we not talk about that?"
"Fine."
*** Cancer man cocked the Luger. His finger, which was level with Sam's eyes, slowly pulled back on the trigger. "Maybe I am a little crazy at that. Tell me who you are or you're gonna get a bullet, you hear me? I ain't muckin' around."
"I knew that. I was just...you know."
They were silent for another quarter mile. "So, General Carter, huh? What's she like?"
"Three stars."
"Wow. Good for Sam."
"Yeah. Retired."
"Family?"
Wedding band and a son. He nodded and looked around at the scenery. "Yup"
"Really?"
"Can we not talk about that?"
"Fine."
*** Cancer man cocked the Luger. His finger, which was level with Sam's eyes, slowly pulled back on the trigger. "Maybe I am a little crazy at that. Tell me who you are or you're gonna get a bullet, you hear me? I ain't muckin' around."
"Dana Scully."
"Same last name as one of the guys who attacked us at the diner,"
(Jack told them that his and Daniel's names were Scully and Mulder, funny that Sam picks this without knowing that :) )
*** -when the transmission from Sam's radio abruptly cut off. Leveling a round of curses at the Asgard transport, Jack snarled, "That sonofa***** is as good as dead!"
*** "Ain't isn't actually a word, you know. And you ended a sentence with a preposition. The General would have you on that."
*** A peripheral view of Carter told Jack that she may not have been killed outright, but he didn't kid himself for a moment that any of them were getting out of this alive. The impact of the staff blast had impaled her on one of the splintered branches, and blood was gushing out of her chest and mouth. The shock of that realization did nothing to deter him.
*** She took the cloth and scrubbed her face. It came away clean, but that sure as hell wasn't how she felt. "I...remember being hit in the head. God, that hurt!"
(Jack told them that his and Daniel's names were Scully and Mulder, funny that Sam picks this without knowing that :) )
*** -when the transmission from Sam's radio abruptly cut off. Leveling a round of curses at the Asgard transport, Jack snarled, "That sonofa***** is as good as dead!"
*** "Ain't isn't actually a word, you know. And you ended a sentence with a preposition. The General would have you on that."
*** A peripheral view of Carter told Jack that she may not have been killed outright, but he didn't kid himself for a moment that any of them were getting out of this alive. The impact of the staff blast had impaled her on one of the splintered branches, and blood was gushing out of her chest and mouth. The shock of that realization did nothing to deter him.
*** She took the cloth and scrubbed her face. It came away clean, but that sure as hell wasn't how she felt. "I...remember being hit in the head. God, that hurt!"
"Yeah, well, the General made short work of the Jaffa who killed you."
That gave her pause. She met his (Cam) gaze, and tried hard not to stare at the gold tattoo on his forehead. "A sarcophagus?"
*** Carter -their Carter- was staring intently at her older self. "How do we know you're actually from our timeline?"
The General turned to her. "Time travel-" She dialed the 'gate using the remote DHD on her hand. "Could be interesting." (Jack asked his Carter to say something about time travel in exact five words not more)
"Oh, you really were quite lovely when you were young, weren't you?" Herbert waddled into the 'gate room and beamed at all of them. Shaking Jack's hand, he said, "Don't worry, I promised you I'd take care of her, and I have. Come, my dear, time to go home."
Carter opened her mouth to speak to General Carter, but then she shook her head. "Guess there's no point asking."
*shippy sigh*
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