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Title: The Assistant 06 - Jinx Notes: Sorry for the delay on this one, but at least it's another long one! Once again, I'm so absorbed in my reading that I never even hear him enter. I'd like to blame it all on the riveting literature, but the fact is I've always had the propensity to lose myself in a good book - even if it's a dry science article. I guess it's for the best that I never joined the military. I can just see myself on an SG field team, translating some amazing artifact that holds the answer to all life as we know it…and then getting shot in the back because I never hear the bad guys come in. "Hi Kira!" Jack says, causing me to jump. That man sure has a way with stealth. "I thought I'd find you here." "Hi, Jack," I reply, looking up from my pile of books, determined not to let him know that he once again caught me completely by surprise. I think this is starting to become a game with him. Great. "What brings you up to the SGC's inner sanctum?" "Inner sanctum?" Jack asks, looking around the well-lit room. "Shouldn't that be the General's office? Or someplace a little more…" he struggles to find the right word. "Down?" "Nahh," I reply, shaking my head. "Everyone knows where General Hammond's office is, and usually inner sancta are secret places." Jack arches an eyebrow in question. I'm positive he's going to make a comment about 'sancta' sounding like instant coffee, but every now and then he surprises me. "And the base library is secret?" Before I can reply, Judie, the base librarian beats me to it. "Now Colonel O'Neill, you know we only recently moved up here…" "Judith! You're back!" Jack takes several large strides and envelopes the petite older woman in a large hug. "How are Kelley and the twins?" Judie gives Jack one of those beatific smiles that can only come from first-time grandmothers. "Both mother and daughters are doing splendid!" Judie gushes. "You don't forget anything, do you Jack?" "I'm actually pretty poor at birthdays," Jack deadpans. Judie just smiles and shakes her head. "Seriously," Jack insists. "Just ask Carter. I completely forgot all about T's century celebration a couple of years ago." Teal'c is over a hundred?! "You mean the surprise party held in your back yard?" Judie teases. "The one where you personally called up each and every department head on the base, reminding them to make sure and let their employees know? Jack looks a little abashed, but still manages to shrug nonchalantly. He stuffs his hands in his pockets and swiftly changes the subject. "So whatcha working on?" Jack asks, glancing down at all my open books. Judie chuckles. "I have to get back to cataloging," Judie says. "Colonel O'Neill, it was great seeing you!" "What's with the Colonel?" Jack asks, trying to look grievously offended. "It is to remind you that this is a library, so you shouldn't stay and distract Ms. Meyers longer than necessary." "I don't distract people," Jack mumbles. I just look up at him and grin. "So what brings you to the library, Jack?" I ask. "Just visiting," Jack replies, picking up a random book and eyeing the spine (Gibbon's History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire). "Major Carter kicked you out of her lab again, didn't she?" I try not to sound smug, but I'm fairly certain a little smugness is leaking out. After all, this time I know I'm right. I had lunch with Sam a few weeks ago and she admitted that sometimes Jack O'Neill tends…to hover. In the beginning it felt good having a superior officer who was interested in her work, but all too quickly she learned that, for the most part, Jack only visited when he was either worried about something or someone, or when he was bored. And apparently, he gets bored a lot. She and Daniel used to run interference for one another, but lately… Naturally, I told her that the next time Jack overstayed his welcome; she should just send him to me. This is his fourth visit in two weeks. "Carter did not kick me out of her lab," Jack huffs. I think the Colonel doth protesteth too much. "Bet she did," I reply back in a sing-song voice. Did not," Jack insists. "Did too." "Not." "Too." I'm about to reply (I couldn't let him win after all), when suddenly one of the light bulbs in the back of the room bursts. Jack and I immediately shut up as we stare at the exploded shards. I'm sure it's my imagination, but I swear I just felt a warm breeze across my neck. "Well, would you look at that!" Judie announces, as she comes out from behind the stacks to check out the damage. "It must have been an electrical surge," I say aloud. I'm not sure if I'm saying this for Judie's benefit or my own. "You're probably right Kira," Judie agrees, nodding. "I'll go see what I can find to clean up the mess. Can you keep an eye on the library for me?" "Absolutely." "I'll just be a few minutes." Judie walks out through doorway closest to the stairwell. I think she's going to look for a nice young cadet to help her out. Judie likes to surprise people by popping out of the emergency doorway. Not only do most people use the elevators, but hardly anyone is up here on Level 17, so the surprise factor is high. Jack and I are left alone in the silent library. "Jack?" "Yeah?" "Do you think..?" I begin slowly. Jack nods his head slowly up and down, his eyes never leaving the remains of the poor light bulb. "Absolutely," Jack says with conviction. My eyes widen in amazement. I know I asked the question, but I never really thought Jack would understand, let alone agree with me. Wow. I shake my head and tell myself to stop being silly. Accidents happen all the time – even exploding light bulbs. Just because I now know that Daniel has ascended rather than died doesn't mean I'm going to suddenly discover that he's haunting the SGC. Does it? While I am glad that I now know the truth of how Daniel…left, I still haven't quite come to terms with how I should act around Jonas. Maybe it wasn't death in the traditional sense, but it isn't like he's still here with us. I feel that breeze again and look around the room. Or is he? What if that really was Daniel who visited me on the swings back in July? Maybe Daniel's more like a ghost or guardian angel? What if he's here? I really wish there was a book or something to help me figure this all out. Right Kira. Like you're going to find "Understanding your Ascended Loved Ones" on Amazon. I'm so wrapped up in my own thoughts that I it takes me a moment to realize that someone is clearing his throat - and it isn't Jack. We both turn quickly around and I do my best to stifle the inadvertent gasp as I recognize the newcomer. I'm certain I have G U I L T written all over my face. Not that I've done anything wrong mind you, but I know how this must look. "Can I help you with something Dr. Drexel?" Jack asks without missing a beat. I can't believe Jack remembered his name! I'm so amazed at Jack's memory that I almost forget about Ryan. Almost. I wonder how long he's been standing in the doorway, and how much he overheard. I know Ryan has always been a little curious (that is, suspicious) of my easy friendships with many of the SGC personnel, but to witness Jack and me bickering (and in a "Jack and Daniel" sort of way), well, this doesn't bode well for my goal of never becoming SGC gossip fodder. "I came to see the librarian," Ryan answers stiffly. He glances in my direction and frowns. "I see she isn't here." "Nope," Jack answers cheerfully. "Judith had to step away from her desk for a few minutes. I'm sure she'll be back soon." He pauses a moment to think about it. "Actually, she might be longer than that. You should probably just head back to your lab. I suggest sending her an email." "An email?" Ryan repeats, obviously not at all thrilled with the idea. "Right. An email!" Jack explains with enthusiasm. "You know, that nifty way of communicating over computers. You should try it." I barely resist groaning out loud. Jack! You shouldn't goad the man! I can see the gears shifting in Ryan's mind as he quickly evaluates the best way to reply. Thank God Jack's a Colonel, and the base 2IC. For all of Ryan's faults (and to be fair, I just know he rubs me the wrong way and have no idea why), he is one of the few scientists who instinctively respects and follows the chain of command. I think it has something to do with his dad being a General. "I'll just come back later," Ryan finally replies. He gives me another hard look and then turns around and walks away. "How long do you think he was standing there?" I ask Jack anxiously. "Oh, probably long enough to think you and I are having an affair or something." "Jack!" Horrified doesn't even begin to describe what I'm feeling. Oh sure, Jack will always be "Colonel Jack" or "Tall cute guy" to me, but having me hero worship him is one thing, having the rest of the base think I'm sleeping around with him is something completely different. "Oh don't worry, Kira!" Jack insists, walking over and putting his arm around my shoulders. "All the folks who really matter know that you're Daniel's barista first and foremost." He pauses as if considering something. "Although, come to think of it, if I were to have a midlife crisis…" I know he's just teasing me, but enough is enough. "Jack, you're not helping matters." I hate it when I have to play the grown-up! I suddenly smile. Heh. Who says I do? "Oh I guess you're right, Jack," I reply lightly, patting his hand.
"After all, a little rumor about you and me would definitely draw some attention away from you and Major Carter." Jack's arm slides off my shoulders like a sack of potatoes. "Tell Judith I'll be back later to pick up the science files on McMurdo," Jack continues, sounding more or less like himself. "McMurdo?" "Yeah," Jack explains. "SG-1 is heading back to Antarctica in a couple of days. Seems some scientists have found something interesting and they need Carter to come down and have a look. There's no way I'm letting her go back down there without backup. General Hammond thinks its overkill to send Colonel Reynolds and SG-3, so I guess that just leaves SG-1." He says his team's name with a sigh as if there really is no other choice. I'm betting there are more than a dozen other SG teams who could probably do the job, but Jack is understandably twitchy about anyone returning to the frozen continent. "And to make things even more interesting," Jack continues. "Fraiser is coming along. I think she's afraid I'll turn back into a Popsicle or something." "From what I recall," I say slowly, not too sure if Daniel told Jack about my friend Marcie, "you and Major Carter were seriously injured that last time you were there." "So they tell me," Jack replies drolly. "Actually, I don't remember much after I told Carter to go for help. Bits and pieces from the helo ride back to McMurdo, but mostly I just remember waking up at the SGC." "You gave everyone a scare." Jack shrugs in his ‘so-they-tell-me' sort of way. "I'm sure everything will be fine this time around," Jack says finally. "After all, not only will Stargate Command know where I am, but I'll be bringing along my doctor as well." "See?" I say. "What could possibly go wrong?" "Never ask what might go wrong, Kira," Jack says seriously. "Fate has a funny way of supplying the answer." I suddenly feel very cold. Oh God! I haven't jinxed them, have I? Jack must have seen the look of dismay on my face, for he quickly tries to set my mind at ease. "Oh don't worry, Kira," Jack says with assurance. "We're only going to be down there a few days. Carter actually quoted me the statistics of having something horrible happen to a person twice in the same place or under similar circumstances." He pauses and gives me one of his quirky half-smiles as he ticks off examples on his fingers. "Which means, I'm never going to be snaked again, don't ever have to deal with the headache of time travel, won't have to worry about another download of Ancient knowledge, and I've already survived my one near-death experience in Antarctica!" Well, when he puts it like that… "Don't forget to give Judie my message." "Don't worry, I won't forget." "Talk to you later, Kira." I give Jack a little wave as he leaves and try to focus on statistics rather than jinxes. I was really hoping for a little more time before the gossip began, but you know what they say about wishes and horses…? No, I don't really know how it goes either, but no matter which way you look at it, I'm pretty much destined to become somebody's gossip. I had been working for nearly five hours before I make the mistake of standing up to stretch. The idea was to take a moment and stretch my legs, maybe head to the bathroom and then up to Level 19 for a Diet Coke (there's a vending machine in the storage closet just outside Dr. Felger's lab). It was a good plan, but as always, my body chose to let me know that it had other needs. The moment I'm vertical, my stomach growls, loudly, and insists on a little nourishment. Oops. Guess I forgot to eat this morning, huh? I grab the latest JSTOR resource catalog and head to the commissary. I don't notice anything different as I enter (that is, no one is trying to brand me with a Scarlet Letter or anything), but then again, it is two o'clock in the afternoon – not exactly prime lunch time. I grab a tray and bypass Airman Anatokous' "Greek Surprise" and the rather sorry looking green beans soaking in four-hour old butter. I select a yogurt, some sliced fruit and a bowl of Jello before heading towards the sandwich station. I know there must be a story/reason why the SGC has orange, green, red and blue Jello, but I haven't quite gotten around to asking. The Jello might confuse me a little, but I couldn't be happier with the 24-hour make-you-own-sandwich station! I make myself a Swiss cheese sandwich, grab a cold Diet Coke and head for an empty table towards the back. I've just finished the first half of my sandwich when I sense someone's presence, (see? I am getting better!) I look up and discover not just Ryan (whom I was expecting), but Dr. Gussman as well. I sigh and put down my sandwich. "Doctors," I say formally. "What brings you by my neck of the lunch room?" Dr. Gussman smiles. "May we join you?" I nod my acquiescence and the two of them sit down. Across from me I note. Wow. Just like an interrogation! I almost wish I had something to hide. "Kira, I don't usually speculate in rumors," Dr. Gussman begins politely. "But what's going on between you and Colonel O'Neill?" Ryan concludes. Dr. Gussman frowns at Ryan's rudeness, but doesn't contradict him. "What do you mean?" I ask, making an effort to open up my eyes a little wider and look innocent. "Oh, come on!" Ryan huffs. "You know exactly what I mean! I saw you and O'Neill earlier today." "Is this true, Kira?" Dr. Gussman asks anxiously. "Was I in the base library when Colonel O'Neill stopped by for some research papers?" I explain. "Why yes. Yes, I was." "Oh, don't give me that!" Ryan says angrily. "You and O'Neill were together!" "Together?" I question, raising my eyes in confusion. "Whatever do you mean Dr. Drexell?" "I saw you and O'Neill arguing," Ryan hisses. "And it was in a very familiar way." I lean back in my chair and take a moment to contemplate. I know I should just come clean and tell them that I've known Jack for years. Explain how he used to come into my store with Daniel when I was a barista. Maybe even mention how he helped convince me to come and work for the SGC. This is what I should say. But it isn't what I do say. "Is there some rule I don't know about with regards to scientists and military personnel?" I ask. Now it's Gussman's eyes that widen. "You mean, it's true?" "That I know Jack?" I reply, consciously choosing to use his first name. "Yep." "How long?" I pretend to think about it. "Over five years." "Five years?!" Ryan shouts. Okay, maybe not shouts, but his voice did increase in volume. A lot. "Is that a problem?" I ask innocently. "Kira," Dr. Gussman says seriously. "How old are you?" Uh oh. Maybe I've taken this too far. The last thing I want to do is get Jack in trouble. Although, I seriously doubt anything a bunch of scientists might say about him will actually do any harm. Now myself on the other hand… I'm about to come clean with everything when I notice Dr. Edwards entering the room. He looks around anxiously, and then, after spying me in the corner, hurries over to my table. "Kira!" Dr. Edwards greets me happily. "Just the woman I was looking for!" Up close, I can see that he's once again forgotten to shave this morning (it's a scientist thing). "I need to show you something!" His face is flushed and he's obviously quite excited about something. It takes me less than a second to work out what it is. "You've done it, haven't you?" I ask, quickly becoming nearly as excited as he is. "You've figured out how to model the European languages next to the Semitic ones, haven't you?" Dr. Edwards nods his head vigorously in agreement. "We still have a lot of testing to do, and I only programmed in a few dozen key words, but you have to come and see how it works!" I quickly finish my drink, grab the yogurt (I had already opened it) and follow Dr. Edwards out. I'm nearly to the commissary's main entrance before I realize I had left Drs. Gussman and Drexell behind. Not only that, I haven't actually clarified anything at all. Both of them are still under the impression that Jack and I were having an affair! There's no time for any detailed explanation, but I can at least assure them that Jack is an honorable man. Everything else will have to wait until later and I can only hope I haven't jinxed myself. "Dr. Gussman," I shout as Dr. Edwards leads me away. "I'm almost twenty-four!" At first, I'm way too busy with Dr. Edwards to give much thought to either SG-1 or what Drs. Gussman and Drexell are thinking. At one point Chloe stopped by to tell me that she heard the craziest story about Colonel O'Neill and me, but I just didn't have time to fill her in on everything that had happened. Dr. Edwards and I were expecting some visiting linguists from Area 51 and we were doing everything we could to increase the functionality and return on his algorithms before they got here. Well, Dr. Edwards was. I was working on indexing keywords. I know some of the scientists on base have assigned quarters, but most of us just crash (when necessary) in one of the two public "bunkrooms" set aside for us. I had never actually used one of the cots until last night. I have to admit, those things are pretty darn comfortable after an eighteen hour work day! As much as I would have loved to have slept in my own bed, I was certain I would wake myself up and want to do some work. And seeing how I'm not allowed to bring home any documents directly related to the SGC, this would mean I'd have to get back in my car and drive back up to Cheyenne Mountain if I wanted to get any work done. Needless to say, it just made more sense for me to stay put. For two nights straight. It's a full forty-eight hours later (and I know this because I'm still wearing the same clothes), when Jack pops in to tell me goodbye. Thankfully, I did have my gym bag with me so I did have some of the more essential clothing items on hand. Last night (this morning?) I had even managed to take a quick shower, so while I'm fairly certain I don't stink (too bad), I do know that I must look awful. If a mirror alone wasn't enough to convince me of this, then General Hammond's surprise visit certainly did the trick. He insisted that both Dr. Edwards and I return to our homes to wash and change before meeting the linguists this afternoon. I'm just getting ready to leave when Jack stops by. Whenever Jack is working on base, he tends to wear what I refer to as "his baggy blues", that is dark blue button down shirt that falls past his hips and matching trousers. Today he was wearing his "official" SGC traveling clothes. Camo pants and a long sleeve black shirt. In his arms he carried the thickest parka I have ever seen. "Not taking any chances I take it?" I ask lightly, pointing at his parka. "It's the same as everyone else's," Jack insists, setting the bulky thing down on my worktable. He cocks his head a little to one side and then shrugs as he lifts a section of it open. "However, I just happen to have a 300 weight polar fleece jacket liner on the inside." "Like I said," I repeat, smiling. "No chances." Jack nods. "No chances," he affirms. "I admit I feel a little better knowing Carter's statistics, but it's always a bit of a crapshoot when you go off-world." "Jack, you're not going off-world." "Have you ever been to Antarctica?" Jack retorts. "No…" Jack looks smug. "It's as much off-world as anything else I've visited." I laugh. He's got a point. "Take care of yourself," I say reaching up and giving him a hug. Jack wrinkles his nose. "You are going home before meeting with those eggheads from Area 51, right?" Oh God! Do I really smell that bad?? Jack laughs. "Relax, Kira," Jack assures me. "You smell fine, it's your clothes that need a bath." I still blush. "Here's a hint for ya," Jack says as he gathers up his jackets. "Next time you pull an all-nighter or two, raid Lt. Hailey's locker for a change of cammies." Jack is already out the door before I understand the full meaning behind his words. "Hey," I shout after him. "Jennifer is a full inch shorter than me!" The meeting with the Area 51 scientists went off without a hitch and I was given two days off ("comp time") as a thank you for all my hard work. Stefan managed to get some time off as well, so we decided a road trip was in order. I wanted to go camping, but Stefan put his foot down on that one, but we managed to come up with a pretty good compromise. We took Interstate 70 across Colorado into Utah and drove to Arches National Park just across the border. We had a wonderful time hiking during the day, luxuriating in natural hot springs in the evening, and then walking a short ways back to our bed and breakfast in order to sleep in real beds. For three whole days I don't think about work at all. I return to work happy and well-rested. Which just makes it all the more difficult when I find out about SG-1. Thankfully, the base truly does function like a family. Everyone cares about one another, and anytime you need to know some general information, you can usually find it. Some of the secret stuff as well. This can be rather bad if you're the one the secrets are about, but it's great when you want to know what’s going on. Maybe you yourself don’t know, but odds are “Cousin” Chloe, or “Uncle George” does. The trick is finding out who knows what and then getting them to spill the beans. Down in Antarctica, something had gone wrong and people were getting sick. Really sick. At first it was a storm that was preventing them from getting out, but later Dr. Fraiser placed all of them – Antarctic scientists and SG-1 alike - into quarantine. It takes me a while to get the full story, as the team is still in Antarctica, but it appears that they uncovered a body in the ice. This in itself is pretty unusual, but the fact that the ice-encrusted woman was able to be revived made it a downright miracle. The woman, whose name is Ayiana, is old. Unbelievably old. So old, that there is speculation that she might belong to the same species that built the Stargates. The scientist/scholar in me finds this fascinating and I desperately want to talk to this woman and find out all I can about her race and culture. But this part of me pales to the other part of me. The worried part of me. The part of me that is riddled with guilt for asking Jack what could possibly go wrong. You see, Ayiana seems to be carrying a virus that is making people sick. The good news is that she also seems to have the power to make people well and she has successfully cured all the Antarctic scientists, as well as Sam, Dr. Frasier and Jonas. The bad news is that she's dying. The truly horrifying news is that Jack is dying as well. Author's Notes: Sorry to end on down note, but this really was the perfect place to end. Which means of course, that I'll probably write about Abyss next (for you, Lynette!). Huge thank you to Charlotte for last minute beta'ing! I have placed the SGC library on Level 17 (although I don't say it specifically), as, according to the Stargate Wiki, Level 17 is "underdeveloped". Perfect place for a library don't you think? The reference to the "Scarlet Letter" comes from Nathaniel Hawthorne's book of the same name. JSTOR is a professional organization/publication for scholars. And to be honest, according to her bio, the actress who plays Lt. Hailey is listed as 5'4 (taller than Kira), but she looks much shorter than that, don't you think? As always, please let me know what you thought of this story! I really do write more frequently when given enough encouragment! ;p Thanks to Kitty and Kathy (and what I'm sure will be others!) for pointing out the continuity boo-boo (now fixed) and Lydia for some post-posting edit assistance. Written May 29, 2006 Home |Series Home | Previous Chapter | Next Chapter |