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icarusThe Walls of Jericho - 22 (from part 1 here)
by Icarus
Daniel followed Jack to where he was perched overlooking an active lavafield. Steam rose where the orange glow wiped out some of the only greenery on this planet.
"Don't waste your breath," Jack cut Daniel off before he could say anything. "I've already heard reassurances from Carter and a completely unnecessary apology from Teal'c."
"Grand central up here, huh?"
Jack snorted. Daniel made a face and settled in on a boulder next to Jack. They watched the lava move in slow motion like a glowing river.
"It really is beautiful," Daniel said softly.
"I miss the crickets. Birds. Something."
"Yeah, that's probably what's wrong with these aliens," Daniel mused, his voice low and thoughtful. "They didn't develop with a variety of species, so they expect everything to be exactly like them. You can't even dress differently." Jack tossed a pebble over the edge of the cliff and they watched it fall, soundless. "Did you notice how they scared they were of us?"
Jack stood and stared off into the night, thumbs hooked in his belt loops. "There are a lot of people like that." He patted Daniel on the shoulder. "C'mon."
As he steered Daniel down the ridgeline, for the first time in days it felt normal between them. Except Daniel got this strangely faraway blank expression, though he didn't pull away from Jack's hand.
Huh.
Well, okay. Almost normal.
~*~*~
The reason Jack usually shared a tent with Daniel was strictly military necessity. Carter was a perfectly capable soldier yeah, but as a woman she'd never have the sheer brute force of the former First Prime of Apophis. And even though Daniel was shaping up as a soldier, the truth was, his first instinct would never be to grab for his gun. He still had to think about it, especially out of a dead sleep. Jack could of course share with Carter, but they'd had a problem with that, so it just seemed wiser not to tempt fate.
The fact that Jack liked to share with Daniel didn't enter into the equation. But there were fringe benefits.
For one thing, Daniel tended to hang by the fire, which gave Jack his own private Idaho till Daniel's ass got cold. Also, when Jack got hungry, Daniel always had snacks. Lots of snacks.
Jack dug around in Daniel's daypack. If he could just find the damn things.
Jack pulled out an over-stuffed toiletry kit - he flipped it open - with a full-sized toothbrush, a little can of shaving cream… no wonder his pack was so heavy. Jack shook his head. Daniel also carried a little down pillow, which was somewhere between cute and disgusting. Even Carter used her jacket. And he had books. Heavy ones that Jack was willing to bet had nothing to do with their mission. Extra socks - Jack pulled them out - which at least made sense. Jack tossed the handful of powerbars he'd found onto Daniel's sleeping bag for easy access.
There was a rip-roar of the tent zipper as Jack settled back to scan one of Daniel's books.
Daniel hesitated in the doorway, clutching a notebook to his chest. He glanced at the mess on his sleeping bag. "Help yourself, Jack."
"No problem." Jack held up a powerbar, still chewing. He thumbed through Daniel's book. "You know, I heard you can bring a book for entertainment, then as you finish, you can use the pages for toilet paper and fire starters." He shut the book and tossed it to Daniel's side of the tent. "That way you don't have to pack it out."
"Thank you. That's…" he thought carefully. "… utterly disgusting." He propped up his head lamp, and pulled off his boots. Daniel slid into his bag and started reading. Jack contemplated another powerbar, flipping it between his fingers.
"I thought you had this watch."
"Oh. Teal'c said he'd cover."
"Ah. I should talk to him about that."
"Um-hmm." Daniel said it in his go-away-leave-me-alone voice.
Jack read over his shoulder. Damn. Not even English. Daniel's eyes flicked up, glowering patiently over his glasses.
"So. How's it going on that pet theory?"
"Oh," Daniel let the book fall. Yep. That snagged his attention. "Well, for a bit there I thought that these people might be somehow related the Ancients themselves, but the language is not linguistically related so I ruled that out fairly…"
Jack settled his shoulders back in his sleeping bag, entertained by Daniel's eager and animated face as he rattled on about Ancients and gates and whatnot. A few dramatic gestures thrown in for good measure. Jack smiled, and considered that it would be nice to have this conversation sprawled, with his head in Daniel's lap. He smirked and let himself get away with that thought. "… and I hate when you ask me a question and then don't listen to the answer."
"I was listening. Gates. Ancients."
Daniel took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes with his fists like a little kid, sighing with exasperation. He stripped down to his T-shirt. Jack waited for the next layer to come off, watching under lowered lashes. But it was just T-shirts tonight. Though the night was still young.
Daniel glanced at his watch. He picked up a fleece sweater.
"Jack. This probably isn't a good time but…"
"But?"
"It's not like you'd have to put out shingle or a notification in the local paper." Daniel pulled the sweater on over his T-shirt and picked up his coat. "What people don't know won't hurt them."
Christ. "Daniel…." Jack snapped. Then Daniel sat up and pulled on his coat, straightening his collar. "Hey… just where do you think you're going?"
"Oh." Daniel waved vaguely at the door as he pulled on a boot. "Teal'c's only covering till seven." Jack scowled.
"You did that on purpose!" he shouted after Daniel.
"Yep." Daniel's voice carried through the tent wall as he zipped the door shut.
So as not to leave you as frustrated as Jack, part 23 is here. Already.
by Icarus
Daniel followed Jack to where he was perched overlooking an active lavafield. Steam rose where the orange glow wiped out some of the only greenery on this planet.
"Don't waste your breath," Jack cut Daniel off before he could say anything. "I've already heard reassurances from Carter and a completely unnecessary apology from Teal'c."
"Grand central up here, huh?"
Jack snorted. Daniel made a face and settled in on a boulder next to Jack. They watched the lava move in slow motion like a glowing river.
"It really is beautiful," Daniel said softly.
"I miss the crickets. Birds. Something."
"Yeah, that's probably what's wrong with these aliens," Daniel mused, his voice low and thoughtful. "They didn't develop with a variety of species, so they expect everything to be exactly like them. You can't even dress differently." Jack tossed a pebble over the edge of the cliff and they watched it fall, soundless. "Did you notice how they scared they were of us?"
Jack stood and stared off into the night, thumbs hooked in his belt loops. "There are a lot of people like that." He patted Daniel on the shoulder. "C'mon."
As he steered Daniel down the ridgeline, for the first time in days it felt normal between them. Except Daniel got this strangely faraway blank expression, though he didn't pull away from Jack's hand.
Huh.
Well, okay. Almost normal.
~*~*~
The reason Jack usually shared a tent with Daniel was strictly military necessity. Carter was a perfectly capable soldier yeah, but as a woman she'd never have the sheer brute force of the former First Prime of Apophis. And even though Daniel was shaping up as a soldier, the truth was, his first instinct would never be to grab for his gun. He still had to think about it, especially out of a dead sleep. Jack could of course share with Carter, but they'd had a problem with that, so it just seemed wiser not to tempt fate.
The fact that Jack liked to share with Daniel didn't enter into the equation. But there were fringe benefits.
For one thing, Daniel tended to hang by the fire, which gave Jack his own private Idaho till Daniel's ass got cold. Also, when Jack got hungry, Daniel always had snacks. Lots of snacks.
Jack dug around in Daniel's daypack. If he could just find the damn things.
Jack pulled out an over-stuffed toiletry kit - he flipped it open - with a full-sized toothbrush, a little can of shaving cream… no wonder his pack was so heavy. Jack shook his head. Daniel also carried a little down pillow, which was somewhere between cute and disgusting. Even Carter used her jacket. And he had books. Heavy ones that Jack was willing to bet had nothing to do with their mission. Extra socks - Jack pulled them out - which at least made sense. Jack tossed the handful of powerbars he'd found onto Daniel's sleeping bag for easy access.
There was a rip-roar of the tent zipper as Jack settled back to scan one of Daniel's books.
Daniel hesitated in the doorway, clutching a notebook to his chest. He glanced at the mess on his sleeping bag. "Help yourself, Jack."
"No problem." Jack held up a powerbar, still chewing. He thumbed through Daniel's book. "You know, I heard you can bring a book for entertainment, then as you finish, you can use the pages for toilet paper and fire starters." He shut the book and tossed it to Daniel's side of the tent. "That way you don't have to pack it out."
"Thank you. That's…" he thought carefully. "… utterly disgusting." He propped up his head lamp, and pulled off his boots. Daniel slid into his bag and started reading. Jack contemplated another powerbar, flipping it between his fingers.
"I thought you had this watch."
"Oh. Teal'c said he'd cover."
"Ah. I should talk to him about that."
"Um-hmm." Daniel said it in his go-away-leave-me-alone voice.
Jack read over his shoulder. Damn. Not even English. Daniel's eyes flicked up, glowering patiently over his glasses.
"So. How's it going on that pet theory?"
"Oh," Daniel let the book fall. Yep. That snagged his attention. "Well, for a bit there I thought that these people might be somehow related the Ancients themselves, but the language is not linguistically related so I ruled that out fairly…"
Jack settled his shoulders back in his sleeping bag, entertained by Daniel's eager and animated face as he rattled on about Ancients and gates and whatnot. A few dramatic gestures thrown in for good measure. Jack smiled, and considered that it would be nice to have this conversation sprawled, with his head in Daniel's lap. He smirked and let himself get away with that thought. "… and I hate when you ask me a question and then don't listen to the answer."
"I was listening. Gates. Ancients."
Daniel took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes with his fists like a little kid, sighing with exasperation. He stripped down to his T-shirt. Jack waited for the next layer to come off, watching under lowered lashes. But it was just T-shirts tonight. Though the night was still young.
Daniel glanced at his watch. He picked up a fleece sweater.
"Jack. This probably isn't a good time but…"
"But?"
"It's not like you'd have to put out shingle or a notification in the local paper." Daniel pulled the sweater on over his T-shirt and picked up his coat. "What people don't know won't hurt them."
Christ. "Daniel…." Jack snapped. Then Daniel sat up and pulled on his coat, straightening his collar. "Hey… just where do you think you're going?"
"Oh." Daniel waved vaguely at the door as he pulled on a boot. "Teal'c's only covering till seven." Jack scowled.
"You did that on purpose!" he shouted after Daniel.
"Yep." Daniel's voice carried through the tent wall as he zipped the door shut.
So as not to leave you as frustrated as Jack, part 23 is here. Already.
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Re: hah...
Date: 2005-01-18 05:15 pm (UTC)