Storytime with Rachel F Hundred

Stepping through the wormhole to another world never got old even if the mission was one she wished she didn’t have to do.  Sam felt the usual shiver go through her and ignored it with years of practice, turning instead to check on the civilian accompanying SG1.

Alec Colson looked diminished after everything that had happened; a deflated version of the cocky and self-assured businessman which was his usual persona.  Sam’s mind flitted back to finding him in his office holding a gun and she shivered again.  She didn’t want to think what she would have found if she’d walked in five minutes later.

Despite his melancholy, Alec was looking around the large airy room where the Stargate was situated with some curiosity which gave Sam hope that the idea to relocate him to Hebridan was a good one. 

‘This building is owned by Tech Con in association with the Hebridan government,’ Sam explained.  ‘We helped them procure a Stargate in return for the ion propulsion technology.’

‘As we explained, their Stargate programme is limited as they’d prefer not to run into the Goa’uld so they only travel to planets which we’ve already designated as safe,’ Daniel chipped in.

‘Hebridan is one of our best allies,’ Sam continued.  ‘You should be safe here and I think you’ll find their technology interesting.’

‘No doubt,’ murmured Alec, his eyebrows rising at the sight of the floating monitor with its ever-present media coverage.  He cast a quick look at SG20 who were pulling the carts with Alec’s belongings packed up into a small number of crates.

Sam turned back to the greeting party waiting for them and smiled at the waiting figures of Warrick and Emon. 

‘Warrick,’ Sam beamed at her Serrakin friend.  ‘It’s good to see you again.’

‘Likewise, Samantha,’ Warrick bowed his head as they clasped hands briefly.  He turned his head towards his left.  ‘You remember my brother Emon.’

‘Hey,’ Sam greeted Emon with another smile.  ‘How are you?’

‘I am well, thank you for asking,’ Emon gave his brother a pointed look, ‘someone else rarely does.’ He turned to Teal’c.  ‘It is good to see you again, Teal’c.’

‘And you,’ Teal’c bowed his head.

‘You remember Daniel,’ Sam motioned at her team-mate who gave them both a small wave.  ‘And this is Alec Colson.’

Warrick greeted Alec with a small nod.  ‘It is good to meet you; you may call me Warrick.’

‘Then I’m Alec,’ Alec nodded back hesitantly.

‘Warrick has kindly agreed to host you with his family,’ Sam said. She’d already explained everything back at the SGC but she didn’t think Alec had processed much of the information.

‘Come,’ Warrick motioned with his arm.  ‘We will accompany you through our arrival procedures.’

Sam kept a close eye on Alec as they moved through an interplanetary customs area.  Warrick provided the government documents which provided the approval for their visit and Alec’s extended stay.  She listened with satisfaction as Warrick made arrangements for the crates they’d brought of Alec’s belongings to be transferred to his property.  SG20 said their goodbyes as soon as the crates were handled and Sam waved them off.

She was pleased as Alec tentatively began asking Emon questions and wasn’t put off by Emon’s brusque replies.

There was a brief medical scan to prove they weren’t Goa’uld and five minutes later, they stepped out into the sunshine of Hebridan. 

Warrick led the way to a small transport and they entered the tram-like shuttle with Alec wide-eyed.  They settled into a wide space by the door, gripping nearby poles to keep their balance.

‘Perhaps,’ he said in an undertone, ‘you should have brought me here rather than to the Beta site last week.’

‘Would it have changed your mind about telling the public about the Stargate?’ asked Sam.

‘No,’ Alec conceded, ‘I rather think it proves my point?’  He waved around at the bored commuters around them who weren’t paying them any attention.  ‘This planet has clearly survived full disclosure.’

‘Ah, no,’ Daniel interjected, ‘the Serrakin saved the humans on this planet from the Goa’uld and the two species agreed to share the planet together. The society which has developed since stems from that origin.’  He lifted his hand briefly from the pole which was helping him keep his balance. ‘You wanted to tell a fully human populace about our interactions with aliens as a shock tactic.’

‘No, because people deserve to know the truth,’ Alec countered.

And that attitude was going to see him likely live out the rest of his life on Hebridan, Sam thought grumpily.

‘Disclosure will happen one day, Alec,’ she said out loud, ‘but it needs to be more carefully considered than simply holding a surprise press conference and wheeling out an Asgard.’

‘We are here,’ Warrick said before Alec could respond.

Sam hid her sigh of relief, but allowed herself a brief look of understanding with Daniel as they disembarked.

‘My apartment is within this complex,’ Warrick slid a card through an electronic reader and entered a code. 

Sam was impressed with the clean foyer.  She could see signs to different amenities, pictures denoting a swimming pool, a gym and shops…the elevator they entered was clean.  She frowned at the ever-present monitor with the smiling faces of the news hosts. She’d had enough of interacting with media journalists over the last week to last her a lifetime.

‘Your living accommodation has improved greatly,’ Teal’c commented to Emon.

‘Warrick’s contract with La’el last year enabled many improvements,’ Emon conceded, ‘but our win with her at this year’s Loop was decisive and has provided us with additional benefits.’

‘Indeed,’ Teal’c murmured as they excited the elevator for a well-tiled corridor.

Sam swallowed her own disappointment that she hadn’t been able to compete.  They’d still been looking for Daniel on Tegalus when Warrick had contacted her with the offer for her to participate again.

‘Please be welcome to enter,’ Warrick said, opening a large door with another card and code combination.

Sam looked around the airy lobby, pleased.  It was minimally decorated but again clean and tidy.  It led into a wide, open plan living space with floor to ceiling glass doors leading to a balcony.  They apparently had a view over the swimming pool below.  There was a comfortable sofa facing the windows, another floating monitor within the space.  A kitchenette with a breakfast bar, which also seemed to double as a dining space, was to the left.

‘Our family rooms are through the door to the right,’ Warrick pointed to the door in question.  ‘The guest rooms are to the left.’ 

Sam followed as Warrick led Alec through the entry and into a small hall with two doors, one directly in front of them and one to their left. 

‘I thought perhaps you might prefer the room with the balcony,’ Warrick opened the door in front of him and ushered them inside.

It was a spacious room, Sam considered.  A large double bed took up space on the wall to the left, in-built wardrobes provided plenty of storage.  A large desk took up space against one wall.  A narrow bathroom was to the right and she determined it likely backed onto the kitchenette.  There was a wrap-around balcony outside with a small table and two chairs.   

Alec sank down onto the bed, placing his duffle bag onto the floor. 

Warrick drew to a halt in his descriptions and smiled shyly.  ‘I will leave you to settle in.’

‘I’ll come through in a moment,’ Sam promised. 

She waited until Warrick was gone before she sat beside Alec on the bed. 

‘What do you think?’ she asked tentatively.

Alec tried a smile, but it ended up being a twist of his lips.  ‘It’s incredible and yet, don’t take this the wrong way, but I would rather I was back on Earth.’  He winced.  ‘Well, back on Earth and with Brian alive and my company not torn apart by a corrupt terrorist organisation.’

Sam nodded understandingly.  ‘I know this isn’t ideal,’ she allowed, swallowing half a dozen things she wanted to say about Alec’s own blame for how events had transpired, ‘but Hebridan is technologically advanced and with plenty of opportunities for you to succeed.  Warrick has already consented to employ you as an engineer and aeronautical designer for his company working for Emon.  You have a chance to build a good life here.’

‘You don’t expect me to come back to Earth, do you?’ Alec realised out loud, his eyes widening as though it had just occurred to him that his exile was likely to be permanent.

Sam didn’t argue with his deduction.  ‘I don’t expect you will be able to come back to Earth for a while.’  She pinned him with a pointed look.  ‘The Trust did a good job in ruining your company and your name, Alec, it’s going to take time for what they did to fade from everyone’s minds.’

Alec flinched at the reminder of what he’d lost.  He gestured around the room.  ‘I guess this beats the jail sentence I’d be facing.’

‘Just…try to make the best of it,’ Sam advised.  ‘You never know, maybe one day you’ll have the opportunity to come home and you won’t take it.’

Alec smiled sadly.  ‘Thank you,’ he nudged her shoulder, ‘I know you fought to get me this chance…I am grateful.’

Sam stood.  ‘Take care, Alec.’

He stood and surprised her with a brief hug.  Sam allowed it for a moment before she pulled away briskly and patted his shoulder.

She made her way back out to the living area as Alec subsided again into his slump on the bed.

Warrick glanced over her shoulder to the closed door.  ‘He is unhappy.’

‘The circumstances in which he left Earth were difficult,’ Sam said.  ‘He lost his best friend, his company and his reputation.  He knows he’s lucky to be here, but…’

‘It is difficult to focus on the good luck of surviving when all else seems lost,’ Warrick completed.  ‘I remember the feeling well after my return.’

Sam nodded.  She knew Warrick’s years of being stranded with his prisoner cargo on another world had led to his wife moving on with another man and his company being lost to him.  He’d only had his ship and his brother.

‘I know you’ll be a good friend for him, Warrick,’ Sam said sincerely.

‘He is a brilliant engineer,’ Daniel added, joining them. 

Emon sniffed.  ‘That is to be seen.’

Teal’c lifted an eyebrow and a flush crept up Emon’s neck.  It seemed not even Emon was immune to the eyebrow.

Warrick leaned into Sam’s space.  ‘He must teach me how to do that.’

Sam’s lips twitched.  ‘We’ll leave you to it, Warrick.  We have to get back to Earth.’

Warrick nodded.  ‘Don’t worry about your friend, Samantha.  We will take good care of him.’

o-O-o

The door to her apartment closed with a firm click and Julia Donovan breathed a sigh of relief.  She dumped her keys into the bowl and slung her jacket onto a hook by the door.  She smoothed a hand down the coat which hung on the hook next to it. 

She tilted her head.  The faint noise of the television drifted out from the den, and beyond that sounds of cooking from the kitchen.  Her lips curved into a smile.

She kicked off her heels and padded on stockinged feet through the apartment to the kitchen. 

The man cooking at the stove had his back to her but she would recognise him anywhere even if he was out of uniform and in casual dress.  She entered quietly and slid her arms around his waist.

Her Air Force Major didn’t even flinch.  Paul Davis might not see the action Samantha Carter did, Julia mused, but he was still military at his core. 

‘Hey,’ Paul slid a hand over hers, entwining their fingers, even as he continued stirring something with his other.

‘Hey, yourself,’ Julia murmured, nuzzling into his back.  ‘Dinner?’

‘I figured you’d be hungry,’ Paul said. ‘Figured tomato soup and grilled cheese?’

‘You are my favourite husband,’ Julia shifted to kiss him.

Paul leaned into it for a long moment before easing away to continue stirring. 

Julia slid around him to take out two wine glasses.  She retrieved the bottle Paul had opened to breathe sat on the side and poured them both a glass.

She leaned against the counter cupboards as he accepted the glass.  They clinked glasses in a silent toast before tasting the wine.

The merlot was smooth and smoky.  Julia was reminded of their trip to Europe the past year.  She watched as Paul grated cheese.

‘Did you see the news?’ Julia asked idly.

‘I did,’ Paul said in the even neutral tone she always hated.

‘Is Alec Colson still alive?’ Julia asked bluntly, her fingers tightening on the glass.

Paul stopped grating to look at her, a flicker of shock in his eyes at her question.  ‘Of course he is!’  He waved the lump of cheese at her.  ‘SG1 is escorting him to an allied safe planet where he can start a new life.’

Julia’s lips twisted into a mockery of a smile. ‘And here was I thinking that the whole ‘taken into federal custody thing’ was a story.’

Paul snorted a laugh and turned back to the cheese.  ‘He’s lucky that he’s not in prison.’

Julia sipped her wine, noting her husband’s lack of sympathy for Colson’s situation.  ‘You don’t think Colson’s giving up on telling the world, do you?’

‘I don’t,’ Paul said, ‘and if he stayed on Earth, he made it pretty clear he’d pursue revealing the truth.’  He carefully grated more cheese.  ‘But he’s going to be off world for the foreseeable and it’s likely it will all be public by the time he gets back.’

‘You don’t like him much, do you?’ Julia stated out loud.

Paul shrugged.  ‘Colson’s a brilliant engineer and he’s a good businessman, but he’s a crappy friend.’

‘Vogler,’ Julia murmured.

‘The Trust is responsible for Vogler’s death,’ Paul said firmly, ‘but Colson should have picked up that something was wrong way before he even held that first press conference.’ 

‘He’s paid a heavy price for pursuing his own agenda to the detriment of those around him,’ Julia countered.

‘He has,’ Paul agreed, ‘but he’s alive and will be living a comfortable life even if it is on another planet.’

‘He only wanted to tell people the truth, Paul.’  She sighed heavily.  ‘Hell, that’s all I wanted to do when I started out.’

Paul set the cheese down again and turned to her.  ‘I know it wasn’t easy for you helping us cover this up.’

Julia motioned with her wine.  ‘Don’t be too consoling,’ she cautioned him dryly.  ‘If Colonel Carter had gone off script, I would have gone with her.’

Paul turned back to the cheese.  ‘Sam wouldn’t go off script.’

‘No, she wouldn’t, would she?’ Julia mused thoughtfully.  ‘She’s too by the book.’

Paul laughed at that.  ‘She’s a good officer, Jules, but she can act outside the book when it’s necessary.  She wouldn’t have been able to save your life or the lives of everyone on Earth on multiple occasions if she just followed the book all the time.’

‘And I do thank her for that,’ Julia quipped, shuddering a little at the memory of the Prometheus being hi-jacked.  SG1 had saved her life and she had fallen in love with Paul in the aftermath. 

He put the cheese down again and shuffled over to pull her into a kiss and a hug.  Julia set her wine glass down and let herself slide into the comfort of his arms. 

She kissed him softly.  ‘It’s all going to come out one day.’

‘One day,’ Paul acknowledged, ‘but not today.’

And maybe that was a good thing, Julia mused, thinking of the way Colson’s revelations had been handled in the press and by the public.  Maybe the world wasn’t ready for the truth of aliens and the wars they’d fought to keep their planet safe.  God knew she’d had a hard time accepting everything when she’d found out and she’d had Paul to lean on.

Julia gave him a gentle push back to the cheese.  ‘I think I was promised food.’

Paul dropped another kiss on her lips but eased away and continued cooking.

Julia watched him for a long moment and shook herself.  Maybe what had happened to Colson wasn’t fair, but the man was alive and when the truth did come out…Julia smiled, she’d offer him a ringside seat to tell his version of events.

o-O-o

Daniel looked around the Hebridan diner with interest.  He would have to check in with SG17, he mused.  They’d overseen the Stargate installation and the anthropologist on the team, Doctor Foxden had done a study on the history of the Serrakin and Hebridan politics.

It was fascinating how the two species had learned to co-exist, Daniel mused.  He sipped his drink and relished the taste of coffee.  It wasn’t coffee but it tasted like coffee and that was good enough for him.

Emon had accompanied SG1 back to the Stargate terminal before leaving them to wait for their departure slot.  The diner was perfectly positioned off to the side for waiting travellers and reminded Daniel of Earth’s own airports.

The culture was similar to Earth, Daniel mused; a little more commercialised, a little more alien, but similar.  Hopefully, that would help Alec Colson assimilate better.

‘Do you really think this is the right thing to do?’ Daniel asked suddenly overcome with the need to check.

‘It’s better than him ending up in jail,’ Sam said, lifting her own mug, ‘or dead.’

There was a flicker of something across her face and Daniel wondered again what had transpired when Sam had gone to collect Colson after the reveal of Vogler’s death and the fall of his company.

‘Indeed,’ Teal’c intoned beside her.  He sucked up some of his bright green fruit shake with quiet focus.

Daniel leaned over the table, unsettled with what had happened to Colson.  ‘He had a point.’

‘He did,’ Sam agreed.  ‘Eventually, we’re going to have to disclose the Stargate programme to the world.’  She bit her lip thoughtfully.  ‘Every year we bring more people into the secret, and with the IOC now involved, more countries are involved…’

‘More people know the secret,’ Daniel continued, ‘and so it’s more likely that the cat will get out of the bag sooner or later.’

Teal’c lifted an eyebrow.

‘Right,’ Sam said.  ‘I mean, we’ve only managed to keep it secret this long with a lot of luck and misinformation.’

‘Like the whole thing with Marty and his TV show,’ Daniel sighed in disgust.  ‘Or you going on TV and disputing Colson’s facts.’

‘Better that the Trust’s approach,’ Sam said.

Daniel knew though that Sam was equally disgusted at her part in the cover-up that had happened to deflect from Colson’s statements to the press. Daniel was grateful it hadn’t been him; he guessed there were some benefits from still being seen as nothing more than a discredited archaeologist in academic circles.

They were all silent for a moment.

‘The Trust are becoming a greater threat,’ Teal’c noted.

Daniel nodded, thinking unhappily about how they’d managed to blackmail and threaten him.  ‘They’ve clearly made some key moves recently.  Do we know how the investigation into stopping them is going?’

Sam shook her head.  ‘Agent Barrett wasn’t particularly positive the last time I spoke with him.’

‘Is he ever?’ asked Daniel, recalling the NID agent’s stoic manner.  Of course, the other characteristic of the agent Daniel remembered was that he also had a major crush on Sam.  ‘Hey, did you tell him about your engagement yet?’

‘No?’ Sam frowned at him. 

Daniel repressed the urge to sigh.  Not that he didn’t wish Sam every happiness, he just happened to think her engagement to Pete Shanahan wasn’t going to bring her what she wanted.

He wished…he wished he hadn’t been so against saying something to Sam and Jack before he’d Ascended.  He’d been so focused on keeping SG1 together and unchanged because it was all he’d had in the wake of Sha’re’s death that he’d lost sight of the fact that his two friends deserved better than being stuck in regulations that didn’t allow for their feelings.  He should have let them know it was OK if they wanted to be together; that they’d work it out somehow to accommodate them in the way other Sam and Jacks had done in other universes.

He swallowed more coffee to avoid Sam’s gaze.

By the time he’d descended back to his human life and regained his memory, Daniel knew it was the right thing to do.  Maybe he’d have finally said something but then Sam had one near death experience too many and had decided to stop waiting on Jack. Daniel couldn’t blame her.

He felt a small stirring of anger to Jack which he resolutely ignored.  He knew Jack loved Sam, but if Jack wasn’t ready to step up and say something, to let her know of his feelings; if he wasn’t ready to make a life with her, letting her go to be with someone else was the right thing to do. 

Maybe.

On the face of it, Daniel knew Shanahan wasn’t a bad guy.  He seemed like a normal, funny guy the few times Daniel had actually met him, if a bit awkward.  Shanahan treated Sam well; it was just…he wasn’t Jack.

Daniel sighed.  It wasn’t like his own love life was any better.  After years of feeling he wasn’t ready to move on from Sha’re, he’d been charmed by his nurse on Tegalus, only to find out that she was Jared’s wife.  He could have fallen for Leda, Daniel mused tiredly.  Maybe he was ready to start something new with someone new but the thought of actually dating sent shivers through him.

‘Daniel?’

He registered Sam’s slightly exasperated annoyed tone and realised she’d been trying to get his attention. 

‘Sorry, what?’

Sam shot him an unimpressed look.  ‘I asked if you’d managed to make any other headway understanding the translation the Trust forced you to do?’

‘Not really,’ Daniel shrugged, ‘I mean, I’ve worked out it was some kind of code but for what and why?’  He shook his head and looked over at Teal’c deciding to tease him.  ‘How’s your former neighbour after everything that happened?’

Teal’c’s brow lowered.  ‘I have not spoken to Krista James since my return to the base.  I felt a clean break was required, especially given my imminent return to Hak’tyl.’

Daniel thought that was a shame; Teal’c and Krista seemed like they had good chemistry, but then, given his words maybe Teal’c was hoping to fix his friends-with-benefits situation with Ishta.  They’d apparently taken a break after disagreeing about Jaffa politics and Teal’c’s decision to move into an apartment off base.

The greater shame, Daniel mused, was how Teal’c had decided to stop living off base thanks to the Trust’s recent interference.  He guessed that was a small price to pay though compared to the consequences Colson had incurred. At least Teal’c was still able to live on Earth, even if it was the base.  Colson was facing having to restart his life on a completely different planet. 

Daniel had done it once when he’d married Sha’re, but his circumstances had been very different, he mused; he’d had Sha’re for a start.  And he guessed he’d done again when he’d Ascended, but he really had no memory of how that had gone, except badly enough in the end for him to choose to come home.  Colson had nobody thanks to the Trust and he might never be able to return home to Earth.

‘We really need to stop those guys,’ Daniel muttered.

‘We will,’ Sam offered simply.  She set her mug down.  ‘Come on; let’s go home.’

Home.

Daniel looked around the diner one more time and followed his team-mates to the ‘gate.   

fin.