Chapter Text
Colonel Jack O'Neill was walking towards the briefing room he'd come to know all too well over the course of the four years since he'd first set a semi-suicidal foot on it. Since then, after, albeit reluctantly, getting back to the same room a year later. He had somehow become the 2IC of the new Stargate Command, or SGC for those who didn't get the full disclosure.
By being placed for good under General Hammond's steadfast hands, Jack had learned just like Spiderman that with great power comes great responsibility. In his case, that meant being forced to take part in briefings.
All kinds of briefings... Ones for new personnel. Some for missions, whenever his Commanding Officer couldn't be present. Then there were the ones where missions went so SNAFU that they needed his cold strategical analysis to help their men out of some backwater planet prison.
Of course, his favorite (that was so far from the truth) was the scientific briefings on either technological advances, which usually were brain-numbing. Or to present reasons they should endanger SGC personnel to visit some hole-in-the-wall planet with a Canadian postal code-looking designation for a name. Which stressed the bejeezus out of him. Most times, despite his best efforts in telling them no, his position as 2IC showed its limits. That usually forced him to check the damn roster to see who would accompany the nerd squad.
However, when he received the call for the meeting he was about to attend, and later on, the dress blues code order. He knew without a hint of a doubt that he would not like whatever was going to happen in that meeting room. Boy, that was an understatement!
He snorted, playing with the neck of his shirt. Luckily for him, dress blues were rarely a thing at the SGC. He hadn't had to wear them since the last time someone had royally screwed up, and it required explanations.
He absolutely hated how long explanations were always required. The short version apparently managed to short a circuit in everyone's brains. Demanding long and very detailed reasons about how it was raining and how that affected the sight of the men in the field. The same people he expected to see currently sitting in the briefing room often held these types of meetings. Which was composed of a highly stubborn bunch of half-brained men and women with no idea of what was going on outside their tiny little offices and dared to claim they knew was what the best for everyone. It annoyed him they had the power to meddle with their roster.
Not that he loathed them. It was related to that old saying, 'too many cooks spoil the broth,' and the spoiled broth had become their favorite dish.
He remembered vividly, the last 'broth' they'd made. It had been the year before, that the self -acclaimed 'cream of the crop,' affirming to know what was best for all humans involved, had ordered Hammond to send SG3 on a mission to introduce and protect an unprepared civilian on a godforsaken planet to study something that was way over his head. For some reason unbeknownst to him, the same group affirmed that such a mission 'couldn't possibly wait.'
As a result, SG 3 and 7 saddled up and not even all the experience of their members could prevent the loss of three of their own. They returned with not only their own loss but with a civilian scientist carrying a snake in his head.
Of course, that couldn't be all of 'it.' No. Of course, later that day, one snaked alien walked around the base and tried to kill the snake which had found a host in the civilian.
He frowned. That episode still bothered him to no end. Because, somehow, some vital information slipped from the minds of their all-knowing officers, or they thought they didn't need to know it. Had they not forgotten about that teeny-weeny detail, they would have pushed the entire mission until SG-1 was free.
The reason was simple, if it were just an SGC team or even one of their own scientists, it would have been an unfortunate but acceptable situation. This civilian, however, happened to be the foremost expert in gate technology, and having him snaked was a severe breach of security.
To make matters worse, poor Reynolds had to deal with the guy before getting snaked and with the other snake. While he and the rest of SG1 had been unavailable. At least Teal'c had been on base.
Jack shook his head. He knew when they first presented the mission to General Hammond, that things would go wrong. They insisted it was an SG1 hands-only kind of mission. As a matter of fact, the mission's result sounded almost as bad as the many unfortunate situations he and his team had faced before. However, the poor timing and the need to do it 'now!' because 'it just couldn't wait,' had made it impossible for SG-1 to go. Not that he wasn't glad that for once, it wasn't really his mess to clean up.
Back then, he'd had his own wreckage to fix. Oh! He also remembered quite vividly the reason they were off the roster. Two simple words that sometimes still made him wince: 'Captain Simmons.' Why was he assigned to SG1 in the first place? That was something he still couldn't quite understand. On his first mission, and in true SG1 fashion, they encountered some snakeheads, which saw them as one nice moving target., Jack had expected any reaction from the young Captain. Anything but freezing in place. Simmons's lack of response had compromised his team's fallback because it forced them to go back and drag him to the gate while trying to keep the boy safe.
That whole affair resulted in serious injuries for Daniel and himself. Simmons made the count climb to eight officers who couldn't keep up with his team. His team was made up of a Jaffa and an archaeologist, for crying out loud! Okay, a former Prime Minister of a Fake God and a highly trained archaeologist… even so, how hard could it actually be to shoot, run, and don't get caught, repeat? With his team down one man and the human part of the team off the roster, the dumb SNAFU mission fell to SG3. "At least the second snake hadn't killed the scientist… Now, that would have raised some hell," he muttered to himself.
He stopped at the door that led to the briefing room, trying to get a hold of himself. Which was a difficult task when there were so many dumbasses in the same place. He felt himself become a mass of pure tension at his shoulder level and sighed. Then, with a decided step, he entered.
"You called, Sir?" he asked. Ignoring the glares he received from the other people in the room for such an informal way to talk to his superior officer.
"Yes, Colonel… please, sit down," General Hammond told him, also ignoring the widened eyes and the looks of disgust for not dressing him down for his odd behavior.
They had come a long way, and they knew each other very well now. Jack knew Hammond didn't mind his bit of informality. George knew Jack was the best officer around. One who really knew what to do in the most surprising and threatening of situations. With a shrug and a smirk pointed to the rest of the room, Jack quickly surveyed the situation. He frowned when he only spotted an empty chair next to his CO and the complete absence of his teammates.
"Why do I have the feeling I won't like this?" He mumbled, but Hammond heard him anyway.
"Because you won't, son. Is not that I like it much either," his CO somberly whispered back. Someone in the back of the room stood up, and he looked at the smirking face of the annoying Major Samuels. God, he hated that guy. He was one of the worst dumbasses in the entire country, dare say the universe, but Jack always believed in letting people surprise him. Samuels did it… every time.
"Colonel O'Neill, you have been chosen for a very special mission because of your abilities and past actions." General Hammond cleared his throat, interrupting the officer and stopping him from continuing his one-man show. Jack raised an eyebrow. His abilities and past actions, as Samuels put it, were many, and they ranked from hellish to 'good.'
"Colonel, SG1 will be off the roster until the fulfillment of this mission." Hammond raised his hand to stop him from interrupting, "I already talked with Teal'c, Dr. Jackson, and Captain Andrews. They understand the situation. They have all have agreed to be reassigned to other teams until further notice." Jack clenched his jaw. Apparently, it was all set, and he didn't have a choice over the matter. So, whatever it was… It was of utmost importance. He rolled his eyes at the crowd.
"I understand, Sir," he said respectfully to George. "May I ask what my new assignment is?" He asked firmly, trying not to show how much it was bothering him. The look on Hammond's face only made it worse.
"It's more a 'who is it?' than a 'what is it?' situation, Colonel." From the corner of his eye, he saw how Samuels smirk grew. "Your assignment, Colonel, is to serve and protect one Dr. McKay. Let's say that you will be acting as a bodyguard to the Doctor."
"Wait! McKay? As in the civilian who got a snaked?"
"Yes"
"Why?" he asked with a high degree of disgust.
"Remember the Tok'ra homeworld address?"
Of course, he remembered that day! Their roster was once again changed out of the blue, and they were sent to a sandy planet where they meet the Goa'uld rebellion a.k.a The Tok'ra. How could he forget? They were captured, and they were (almost) left to die there. Unless someone got snaked…
It was a lucky thing that Captain Andrews did some volunteer work at the Air Force Hospital. By doing it, he met a former special-ops General, a very sick one, who complained he was still too young to die. Andrews convinced Jack that such an officer was just the type that would accept the offer of being snaked. As it would allow him to continue to work for the Air Force over losing the ultimate battle with his disease. They got permission from the Tok'ra to return to Earth. Jack had presented Andrews' solution wearily. Surprising Jack with his decision, General Hammond agreed when Andrews proposed former General Carter as a host and liaison person to the Tok'ra. In the few hours he got to spend with former General Carter and Selmak, he got to like the older man. Carter had a lousy sense of humor and serious respect for the Air Force. His snake wasn't too bad either, not that he would acknowledge that out loud any time soon.
"Of course I remember that mission," Jack grunted.
"Well, the good Doctor was the provider of that address."
"How was that even possible?" He questioned. "Our own nerd squad has never managed to come up with an address by themselves, and you meant to tell me that someone from the outside did?"
"The Doctor pushed for a series of experiments to get in touch with the memories of the Goa'uld. Experiments which led to learning the address and some other interesting facts about both the Tok'ra and the Goa'uld's," someone else added with a stern voice. Jack frowned.
"How exactly does a lucky guess on a gate address grant an Air Force officer escort? Seems a bit much, doesn't it?"
"A couple of days ago, someone tried to kidnap the Doctor. Such act raised a flag for national security."
"Why are we so sure it's a national security issue and not another kind of kidnapping? Maybe he is a little paranoid and mistook assailants for kidnappers?"
"She… Isn't paranoid, nor she is happy with this outcome," a woman's annoyed voice came from behind him. Her voice provoked a pleasant chill running up his spine. He turned around to find a blue-eyed, blonde-haired beauty, and he couldn't avoid staring at her from head to toe. Contrary to the high heels sandals and colorful dress which he expected when he heard the soft and firm, albeit annoyed voice, she was wearing a tight black suit minus the jacket, the vest hugged her waist and she even had a black tie on. He never thought someone would actually wear a tie for the fun of it.
"She? I thought I was getting a Doctor McKay? You know, the guy who ended up with the snake in the head?" He asked, confused. His words mingling with the soft clicks of her heels.
"Well then, let me get your facts straight. The civilian scientist you are talking about would be Doctor Carter. Doctor McKay is my husband. I'm pretty sure he didn't have any symbiote implanted, nor had he dared to travel through the gate. To answer your previous question, I don't believe they would have known my name if it was just a regular robbery, would they?" she smiled at him and again he felt a current going through his body.
"Then... if you are so sure, Doctor. How didn't they take you?" Jack smirked. Carter rolled her eyes.
"Sam has a good number of different martial arts belts, son. She defended herself in hand to hand combat. When the men were down, she called the Air Force. Someone saw the assault and called the police, too. The whole thing is taped," Hammond added with a bemused expression when he saw the incredulous look on Jack's face.
"Why did you call the Air Force and not the police?" he questioned her. She raised her eyebrow questioningly. "I get it, not a robbery, but what makes you sure you should contact the Air Force?" he asks.
"Doctor McKay," Samuels started and got a glare from Sam. "Ahem, Carter, is our foremost expert in Stargate matters, among other things."
"I know that!" Jack almost growled to Samuels. Who, by his body language, was trying to gain some points with the beautiful Doctor. Her reaction to Samuels, a quickly covered-up grimace, almost made him smile.
"I called because I felt the same sensation I feel when I'm around your teammate, Teal'c... Not because I wanted a sitter." She scrunched her nose, not losing eye contact with him while taking a seat, "Thanks," she smiled beautifully to the Major who gave her his seat. Managing with the single action to make the young man blush and it made him a bit… jealous? 'Why on Earth should I be jealous?' he thought.
"So you get a military babysitter for free because you felt something?" Jack asked, annoyed, although he didn't know if he was annoyed with her, with the situation, or with himself.
"Don't get me wrong, Colonel, this is just as much of an order for me as it is for you," she stated. He thought he heard a hint of annoyance and pain in her voice.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
"It means I'm stuck with you as much as you are stuck with me. If that's easy enough to understand, Colonel, or should I try to explain it with apples?" Jack groaned and was about to answer when General Hammond stopped their verbal exchange.
"Doctor Carter managed to send an alert to her father. He asked for you to be posted as her bodyguard of sorts until we are sure she is safe, or we can find the Goa'ulds or former hosts who are trying to get to her."
"Believe me, General. I won't have any issue following your orders." Jack smiled. "How about you, Doctor? Will you be able to follow your daddy's orders?" he raised an eyebrow mockingly, making her hiss.
"Mine are Presidential orders if you must know." She shrugged. Making him frown somewhat disbelievingly. She rolled her eyes as an answer to his expression. "After the incident, I contacted my father, believing he would be kind enough to send me a broken Goa'uld personal shield to fix and/or reverse engineer. Or maybe, just a decent zat'nik'tel, since for some reason the USAF is not letting me near one. However, as an answer, I got you. He decided you were to be my… reinforcement." Her controlled voice didn't falter, although something told him she was almost whining.
"I'm sorry if I'm blunt, ma'am… but I'm kind of lost here... as far as I know, the President's daughter is 8. So, who the hell is your father?"
"Colonel," Hammond warned. Sam raised her eyebrow, clearly not impressed by him. "Sam's father is the former General Carter, the host of Selmak."
"Holy.. sh... smokes, that Carter?" She nodded once. Now the dumbfounded expression was on her face. She wanted badly to push the Colonel further, she didn't know if it was something about his demeanor or that Je-ne-se-quoi that she felt when she first laid eyes on him and followed her whenever she set her eyes on him.
"As Doctor Carter stated," Hammond intervened before she could decide, "Jacob Carter's symbiote, Selmak, sent a message to the President. Since earlier today, they placed priority on his daughter's safety. She became the key to keeping the alliance with the Tok'ra." Jack raised an eyebrow, and Hammond pressed forward and then play on the remote-control Jack hadn't seen until now. His gaze was so fixated on the screen that he missed Doctor Carter moving out to stand by the glass that kept them separated from the gate.
"Samantha's connection with our former member, Jolinar of Malkshur, can compromise information about the Tok'ra if she were to fall in the wrong hands. I understand from Jacob's memories she can quite protect herself. However, my host won't remain calm until further measures to protect her and grant her safety are taken. We are not as many as you are, and we trust you can take action before her fate seals the fate of the Tau'ri with the Tok'ra." The man lowered his head for a second, before continuing, "This is Jacob Carter, what Selmak is saying is... if something happens to my daughter, you won't have an ally in the Tok'ra. If you can only spend one officer for her safety, then I request for him to be Colonel Jonathan 'Jack' O'Neill, from the SGC. Since the Tok'ra is closely acquainted with his work."
Hammond pressed stop and turned towards Jack with a sorrowful expression. He was being asked away from the SGC, because of the tremendous work he was doing out there. They accepted Jack as her protector because of what he did in the long expanse of his career, which only showed he was the most capable man around to protect her.
Jack searched for his new charge and found her staring into oblivion, embracing herself. Sam felt his eyes on her, burning her. She sighed, she knew the man would hate her, but she didn't expect him to hate her that much in just the expanse of minutes of meeting her.
Turning around, Sam looked up to find him staring at her with an unreadable expression that she classified somewhere between angry, torn, and accepting. "Don't look at me that way, Colonel." She said. Leveling him with her eyes, gaining a point on his respect chart as she did so. "I'm just a former host that apparently can be enough trouble if I am to fall in the wrong hands."