Midnight Interlude
Midnight Interlude
by Kristy1013
Summary: Jack ponders a few things while walking the halls of the SGC late at night.
Category: Thoughts
Episode Related: 801 New Order
Season: any Season
Pairing: Jack/Sam
Rating: FAM
Warnings: none
Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. I have written this story for entertainment purposes only and no money whatsoever has exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the author(s).
Archived on: 2005-02-27
Jack O'Neill wandered the quiet halls of the SGC, relishing in the lack of business in the dim lighting. He always found a sort of peace roaming the halls in the stillness of the late night hours. This wasn't always the case though. Sometimes an emergency from an off-world team or some other unforeseen circumstance would present itself at this ungodly hour, but he was prepared for that. Tonight however, until something like that actually happened, he allowed himself these few moments of serenity.
He was lost in his thoughts about becoming leader of the entire base, of having command over and responsibility for so many lives. He wasn't sure he wanted all of this and wasn't sure he was the right man for the job. He knew good and well that the powers that be had left him in charge for whatever their reasons and that someone felt he was the right person to take over for General Hammond. At times like these, he wished General Hammond was still around. Things would be so much simpler and less complicated, not to mention the paperwork load so much lighter. Even though he still wasn't sure he had made the right decision, he supposed he would figure all that out in the next few days to come. After all, SG-1 was completely behind him giving him support whenever he needed it. He could always count on them; they were his best of friends, his family.
This was another thing that had been niggling at him with everything that happened. Not that he didn't mind leaving SG-1 in Carter's -- Lieutenant Colonel Carter's -- very capable hands, but he was going to miss them. Miss being a part of all their off-world adventures, forced to hear it told to him afterward or read it in some mission report. He was also worried about what unpleasant predicaments might befall them out there; he hated the fact that he would be stuck in the relative safety of the SGC while they were out in the thick of danger fighting for their lives. He wouldn't think of that right now, though. He would save those thoughts for another night.
He sighed and for the first time looked around at his surroundings. He found himself stopped outside of Carter's lab. Come to think of it, his late night wanderings often led him in this direction. Usually he would find the lab dark, with Carter already gone home. Sometimes he would slip inside and poke at a few of her interesting do-hickeys, and sometimes he moved a few things around just to see if she noticed. She always did. Tonight however, he was surprised to find her still working quietly hunched over her laptop in the corner. He walked in making sure to shuffle his feet, announcing his presence so not to startle her.
Carter turned around on her stool facing him flashing a tired smile. "Hi, Sir. What are you still doing here so late?" she asked.
"Funny, I was just going to ask you the same thing," he said, automatically reaching for a small triangle shaped thingy with bright yellow buttons. He stopped himself just short of picking it up pushing one of the buttons. Deciding he needed something better to do with his hands, he jammed them into his pockets.
When Carter didn't immediately respond, he told her that he had been working late. Too much paper work now, he explained, which was why a late night stroll to clear his head seemed like a perfect break.
She turned, motioning to the laptop on the counter behind her. "I was just going over the mission report before submitting it, you know, making sure it was as thorough as it could be."
"Carter, nothing you do isn't thorough. I'm sure it'll be fine."
Carter smiled up at him a little. "And since I haven't been sleeping all that well since we got back, I figured I'd keep myself busy for awhile --"
"Until you finally passed out from exhaustion?" he cut her off, finishing the sentence for her. He raised his eyebrows out of curiosity and concern.
She fidgeted a bit. "Well maybe not quite that extreme, but something like that."
"Is it nightmares?" he asked softly.
She nodded. "I thought they wouldn't last that long, but some nights they just get worse." A slight shudder passed through her as she thought of what she had endured at the hands of Fifth.
O'Neill's eyes never left hers, holding the contact as long as she would allow, seeing the anguish and uncertainty there. He knew too well about the nightmares that followed torture, and he hated seeing anyone have to endure it. "I can't imagine what you went through with Fifth, but I can tell you the nightmares will go away. They will vanish, and you can push all that happened away like a bad memory.
"I still had nightmares from Baal for weeks," he confessed, "but knowing I was surrounded by the people I cared about most kept me going." The sincerity of his words reflected in his eyes.
"Thank you." She hesitated a moment then said, "That is sort of why I'm still here. I don't really want to go home. Here, I'm with you guys most the time, and that...well, that really helps."
"You know Carter, I'll probably be stuck here tonight for at least a few more hours and probably every night for the rest of my life catching up on all this paperwork," O'Neill said, waving with his hands to emphasize the overwhelming amount of paperwork that waited for him. "So if you need to talk or anything, you know where to find me."
"Thank you, that really does mean a lot." She smiled and stifled a yawn realizing just how tired she actually was. Fortunately, SG-1 didn't have to report anywhere until late in the morning, and she could probably catch up on some extra sleep. It something she normally wouldn't allow, but for some reason, she felt that this time was an exception.
"Hey that's what I'm here for. You can always count on that."
"I know." She nodded her thanks.
"Well, I guess I better get back to the grind. I swear I don't know how ol' Hammond managed it all. There is definitely not enough play time in my schedule anymore," he said matter-of-factly and moving towards the exit. "Sleep well." Turning around the corner, he made his way back towards his office.
Carter smiled silently to herself as she closed down her laptop and turned off the lights in the lab for the night. Too tired to head home, she lay down on the bed in her on-base quarters and closed her eyes, realizing that for the first time since their return, she might actually get a decent night's sleep. Her last thoughts before drifting off to sleep were far from the Replicators, Fifth, and his ways of torment. No, tonight she would truly rest.
- fin -
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