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Entry tags:
- character: cameron mitchell,
- character: daniel jackson,
- character: evan lorne,
- character: john sheppard,
- character: jonas quinn,
- character: sam carter,
- character: vala mal doran,
- fandom: stargate atlantis,
- fandom: stargate sg1,
- length: very short (under 1000 words),
- pairing: gen/no pairing,
- pairing: jackson/o'neill,
- pairing: lorne/parrish,
- pairing: lorne/sheppard,
- stargateland
20 Stargate SG-1 and Atlantis Drabbles/Ficlets
Here are 20 ficlets/drabbles (each between 102 words and 367 words). 15 are gen, 2 are Evan Lorne/John Sheppard, 1 Daniel Jackson/Jack O'Neill, 1 Daniel Jackson/Cameron Mitchell, and 1 Evan Lorne/David Parrish. All are G or PG-13. Total word count is around 4,700. All were written for Stargateland's Theme Week.
SG-1, Jonas Quinn, A food he does not like - 240 words
Jonas scrambled for his napkin, having observed that the polite way in Tau'ri culture to remove unwanted food from one's mouth was to cover the mouth with a paper cloth and discretely remove the food. Or, if you were Jack O'Neill, and something was wrong with your coffee, the correct course of action was to spit and sputter and then yell for whoever had handed him the wrong coffee. Jonas figured that was a privilege of rank within their society, and as he had no rank on Earth, Jonas just grabbled the napkin and spat as inconspicuously as possible.
"You okay, Jonas?" Sam asked, looking a little concerned.
Jonas looked down at the offending food and tried not to gag. "This creature was served with its legs still attached and has as very, awful, flavor."
Sam looked over at Jonas' tray and did the twitch that meant she was trying not to smile. "It's shrimp, comes from the ocean. I'm guessing seafood isn't a big thing on Langara?"
He usually had a fairly strong appreciation for the differences between Earth and Langaran food and culture and liked to sample foods from other planets they visited as well when he had the opportunity, but there were some foods that were just unfathomable to him.
"It's not," Jonas said firmly, ignoring the rest of the food on his plate and picking up the banana on his tray. At least he had bananas.
SG-1, Cameron Mitchell, Home - 262 words
Cam shifted in his bed in the infirmary, restlessly pushing the blanket a little further away and wondering how long it would be until Lam released them. On his left Daniel was propped up with pillows and had a pair of books and a sheet of paper that he scribble frantically at, his left arm in a sling only slightly impeding his movements. In the bed across from his Sam had a laptop and a mug of coffee that one of the other scientists had snuck to her. She had it carefully hidden out of sight by her side and looked around with her wide blue eyes before sneaking a sip, always careful not to get tangled in her IV line.
In the bed next to Sam's, Teal'c was just as restless as Cam, even though he hid it much better. There was only the slight lean of his head to the side and the way he closed his eyes a little more than usual that clued Cam in. Vala already had her feet swinging over the side of her bed, her fingers re-braiding her hair from when it had been taken out so the nurse could bandage a cut on the back of her head.
Maybe they were a little scraped up and didn't always have the best of luck off-world, but no matter whether they were holed up in a cave on a distant planet or sitting around in the infirmary after being caught in a rock slide, wherever his team was will always be home to Cam.
SG-1, Vala Mal Doran, Shiny - 224 words
Vala looked up from the laptop that was balanced on one of her thighs and reached for the next disc in the box. Teal'c had loaned her the dvds after explaining that it was one of the best tv shows that the Tau'ri had to offer. After explaining to her about Tau'ri television, again, and then explaining how they put the shows on odd little discs, Vala had accepted the box with a certain amount of curiosity. Sam had already shown her how to put dvds in the computer and run some of the programs, so it was a simple matter of one night when she couldn't sleep to put in the dvds and start watching. She'd been a little skeptical about the space travel the Tau'ri had envisioned, even though a lot of details weren't provided, but as soon as she discovered the show was basically people looking for treasure in space! she was hooked.
The next morning she stumbled into the mess hall and went straight for the coffee pot, one of the Tau'ri's best inventions in her opinion, before dropped down at the table with the rest of SG1.
"Looks like you had a late night. You okay?" Sam asked, looking up from her breakfast.
"Shiny," Vala responded with a bright grin.
Teal'c looked up from his tray. "Indeed."
SG-1, Jonas Quinn, Human - 162 words
They were all 'human', or that's what Daniel's notes indicated. All of their ancestors taken from Earth and enslaved and scatted across the galaxy. It was hard to imagine, even though Jonas liked to wonder if he and the other members of SG1 might have a distant ancestor in common on Earth, although traveling through the 'gate and seeing humans or evidence that humans had once been on the planet had done a great deal to dispel any doubts he'd had in Daniel's theory.
As he stared at the "human form replicators" - machines, lifeless, other - he couldn't find the contempt that the rest of SG1 seemed to hold for them. He didn't want them to hurt or kill anyone, didn't want anyone to die as a result of their being, but the pure hatred he could see in his companions was absolutely lost on him.
Maybe he was human, but Jonas was not Tau'ri, and sometimes that was more apparent than ever.
SGA, Chuck and Amelia Banks, What did you have for lunch? - 271 words
Chuck looked up from his work station as Amelia returned from her lunch break looking a little depressed. She dropped down in the chair next to him and scanned over her readings automatically.
"What did you have for lunch?" Chuck asked conversationally.
"Some root stew stuff. I don't even know," Amelia said, brushing her hair back from her face. "You know, I love Atlantis, but I miss take out. Sweet and sour pork, fried chicken, french fries. Pizza!"
Chuck smiled, having gone through his own Earth food withdrawals four years ago. "You'll get used to the Tuttleroot Soup, and even the tea. It just takes a year or two. However, if you're looking for a more portable fix, I can email you a time and place where exchanges are made." The 'black market' on Atlantis had been thriving since week two and Chuck always knew how to spot a bargain.
"Chocolate? You have chocolate?" Amelia asked, her spine straightening as she turned to look at him.
"I have connections, who might know someone who might have connections to someone with chocolate," Chuck said, keeping his eyes focused on his console.
"Count me in," Amelia said with more than a hint of desperation.
"Incoming wormhole," Chuck called as he tapped his comm so that the senior staff on duty would be alerted. He gave Amelia a quick wink as Woolsey came hurrying out of his office. Amelia caught the gesture and nodded before turning to her own station and Chuck decided it was about time to set up the next exchange on the lower levels anyway. There was profit to be made!
SGA, Kate Heightmeyer, First time looking down a high Atlantis balcony - 238 words
They were, mostly, all alive. Missing Colonel Sumner and a handful of others but otherwise in fairly good shape for having come to another galaxy without any idea of what they'd find on the other side, waking deadly alien species from their slumber, and nearly being crushed in the ocean. But they were alive and had an ally and people were starting to settle into routines.
There were no maps yet, though Dr McKay had been working on pulling up schematics and two dozen other things that told her she was going to have at least one overstressed and exhausted scientist on her hands. Though, considering they were all people who had volunteered on what might be a one way mission, she was certain that her roster would be full in no time. So she wandered the halls in her spare time, always making sure she'd be able to find her way back, and somehow wound up standing on a balcony over looking a very long drop. As she leaned forward, wrapping her hands tightly around railing, she shivered a little as she looked down in the pier and the waves below. It was a very strange sensation, like a chill running up the back of her spine, but she wrote it off as the breeze and went back inside. She walked a little further that day, wondering if she could find an office with a good view.
SGA, John Sheppard, Psychic powers? Cool! - 189 words
John smiled to himself, just the slightest twitch of the corner of his mouth so he wouldn't give himself away, and mentally scooted Rodney's coffee cup back to the other side of his laptop. It was the third time he'd done it, and the meeting had only been going for forty-five minutes. Elizabeth was in her seat, leaning back with her eyes slightly glazed even as she tried to look attentive to Rodney's presentation. Radek was occupied with interrupting Rodney and keeping him on track and bringing up other points that Rodney had decided not to include in the briefing. Several times this had lead into fast and furious arguments that Elizabeth often had to resolve by suggesting that the move on with the topic. John just used the distraction to carefully type commands on Rodney's keyboard - pressing just individual keys with the powers of his mind was harder than it looked - so that his music was set up to play very loud Madonna music the next time he restarted it. State of Atlantis meetings could get pretty boring, but John always had a talent for entertaining himself.
SGA, Evan Lorne, Paperwork and more paperwork - 260 words
Evan, barely, resisted the urge to drop his head down on the table. He did, however, moan (in a manly way) and look again into his empty mug. If he wanted coffee, coffee that wasn't even real coffee, he'd have to walk down to the mess hall. And walking down to the mess hall would make a good break from finishing the stack of requisition forms, mission reports and other assorted paperwork that Sheppard forwarded to him. Evan firmly maintained that it didn't matter if it was all electronic and on the computers, it was still a stack and it was still paperwork.
A walk for coffee would make a good break except for the fact that if he left the closet type area that he'd holed up in, someone would find him with some 'emergency' and he wouldn't get back to the paperwork until sometime in the unforeseeable future. And he would be fine with that, he really would, if it wasn't for the Daedalus arriving in two days and he would rather go hand to hand with a Wraith than explain to Sheppard why they weren't done (even if he secretly wanted to say that they would be done if Sheppard would just stop sending them to him). Evan opened the next requisition form and this time he did drop his head down on the table as he mentally composed another email to McKay about spending the time to properly fill out the form instead of just listing his demands in the body of the email.
SGA, John Sheppard & or / Evan Lorne, How to bribe your 2IC to do your paperwork - 163 words
"Please, it's not even all of it this time," John said, uncomfortable with how close to begging he actually was. A Wraith Queen couldn't make him beg, Kolya couldn't make him beg, the Replicators couldn't make him beg, but something about Evan Lorne with the smile that wasn't actually there but John could still see it made John do all sorts of things he didn't think he'd do.
Evan raised an eyebrow, obviously enjoying his moment of power. "What are you going to give me?"
"A bar of chocolate?" John asked hopefully.
"And?" Evan prompted, this time the smile actually curling the corners of his mouth.
"And," John said, scrambling to come up with something else he could offer. "You get to pick the movie at the next movie night?"
"And?" Evan, this time with a full blown grin.
"And," John said, looking around his office for something else he could offer to Evan. "A kiss?"
Evan stepped forward, his smile softening. "Deal."
SGA, Evan Lorne & John Sheppard, Photos - 180 words
"I can't believe you kept this," John said as he picked up the polaroid photo from Evan's shelf. It was from over a year ago, when they'd all lost their memories (or gone all macho crazy on stimulants), and John had his picture taken and written on it. His name, his rank, and the words 'Trust him' in big letters.
"I figured it might come in handy. You never know around here when the next time we're going to forget who we are or be brainwashed by an alien or go blind or something," Evan said as he sat on his chair pulling on a pair of non-muddy boots.
John frowned as he replaced the photo, feeling something that he couldn't quite describe over the fact that Evan had chosen to keep it. "Wait. How is a photo going to help if you go blind?"
Evan shrugged. "Well, I meant when I could see again."
"Of course," John nodded and bent down to see what books Evan had on the lower shelf. "Oh, Iain Banks! Can I borrow this?"
SG-1, Jonas Quinn, Dear Abby - words 252
"So, everyone just writes to this woman with all of their problems, and she solves them?" Jonas asked as he looked up from the newspaper that he'd been reading in an attempted to get better acquainted with the situation on Earth. If he was going to live on the planet, even if he wasn't allowed to roam by himself or even leave the base without receiving permission. Teal'c had explained how the people of Earth were extremely cautious about those not originating from their planet to be move around unchecked, and Jonas thought that seemed mostly reasonable, even if there were many pictures and videos that made him very eager to want to see more. "Like, Santa Claus, but for adults?"
"Well, not everyone, and it isn't just one woman. There's usually an advice columnist per newspaper. And mostly they just offer suggestions, they don't really solve anything. And who told you about Santa?" Sam asked, putting down her coffee and turning to Jonas.
"Teal'c. He's told me a lot about Earth customs," Jonas said, turning the page of the newspaper and looking at the comics section. Teal'c had told him that this was the best part of the newspaper, though most of the little pictures didn't make much sense to him.
"Right," Sam said in the quiet voice that meant she wasn't saying something even though she wanted to.
Jonas laughed at a comic about an orange cat that still didn't make a lot of sense, but was at least funny.
SG-1, Cameron Mitchell/Daniel Jackson, First day - words: 316
It wasn't Cameron Mitchell's first day at the SGC, nor was it his first time on an off-world mission. But it was his first day as the real leader of SG-1 and his first time on an off-world mission with SG-1 as his team. And they were stuck in a cave five miles from the Stargate while it poured freezing rain. Rain that after a moment they realized had actually started to eat through their hats and they'd run for more cover than the trees were providing.
"Here. It's not good and I wouldn't even really call it coffee, but at least it's hot," Daniel said, holding out a one of the travel cups.
Cam accepted the cup, careful not to burn his fingers or his tongue when he took a careful sip. Daniel was right in that it wasn't exactly coffee, but it did help warm him up a little bit. He turned and looked further back into the cave where Sam and Teal'c were occupied with the camp stove. "Thanks. This seems pretty quiet for an SG-1 mission," he commented, his eyes turning to scan the area they could see from the edge of the cave.
"Well, you never know. Jaffa could be springing out from the bushes at any moment," Daniel commented with a small smile. "Anything could happen."
When Daniel directed that smile toward him, his eyes brightening behind his glasses, Cam felt something twist in his stomach that he was pretty sure wasn't the instant coffee. "Anything?" Cam asked, his voice suggesting more than he could put into words.
Daniel nodded. "I think that's a distinct possibility. But later." He turned and headed back into the cave to where the rest of the team was sitting.
"Later," Cam agreed, thinking that for a first day it had gone pretty well, jacket eating rain notwithstanding.
SG-1, Jack O'Neill / or & Daniel Jackson, Tabula Rasa - words: 214
Daniel stood in his office, going through all of the artifacts on the shelves and moving things into groupings of what he remembered and what he didn't. He was doing the same process in his mind, knowing that he had an apartment and also knowing that he didn't know how to get there, knowing that he knew more than a dozen languages and not actually knowing much of any of them. The one he retained the best, other than English, was Latin, which he found both useful and ironic.
The thing about Tabula Rasa, the almost memoryless state that he and Colonel O'Neill had been dropped into, was that it didn't quite mean 'blank slate' as the doctor had described it, but 'erased slate' was a more accurate translation. And while it didn't originally refer to a piece of slate and chalk, he found it appropriate. When slate was erased there was usually still ghost or impression left behind. It could be written over, but it was still there.
Daniel picked up a small statue that Jack had given him, because it was Jack now and not Colonel O'Neill, and knew that there was more to him and Jack than just coworkers and teammates. He just didn't know what that something was.
SG-1, Daniel Jackson & Sam Carter, Watching The X-Files - words: 307
"Oh come on, that's a totally cop out," Sam grumbled as the bad guy, or bad mutant alien thing, squeezed its way out of the room through an air vent just before Scully and Mulder came running into the scene.
"It's supposed to be able to do that, Sam," Daniel said, throwing a handful of popcorn in her direction. "It's an alien. We've seen aliens do weirder things."
"Yeah, but it's not fair. They followed all the clues and got there and the thing is gone. And now they think they made a mistake," Sam said as she plucked piece of popcorn off of the couch and the pieces that had landed in her sling. It was one of the rare times they were both too injured, too drugged, and plain just too tired to work. So Sam had pulled out her X-Files dvds and they'd camped at her house for the weekend.
"You're such a Scully, you know that. If you died your hair red, you'd be her," Daniel pointed out, shifting the icepack on his knee.
Sam raised her eyebrows and looked over to him. "That's not a bad thing. She's smart, and logical and totally kicks ass. Besides, you'd be Mulder, Daniel I-Want-To-Believe Jackson."
Daniel didn't object, mostly because it fit surprisingly well. "Who does that make Jack and Teal'c?"
"Jack is Doggett. Teal'c can be one of the MIBs," Sam said, briefly turning her attention back to the episode.
"Oh! Hammond is Skinner!" Daniel grinned.
Sam laughed, upsetting the bowl between them. "I'll let you be the one to tell him that."
"You wish," Daniel said. "I'm still on crutches. This one is all yours." They fell back into a companionable silence as they watched, happy to let someone else take down the impossible bad guys for a change.
SGA, Alison Porter, Laura Cadman, David Parrish, This plan is so bad, it had to be ours - words: 253
"So, wait. What's my job again?" Alison asked as she surveyed the greenhouse. Laura was on her knees, nearly entirely enveloped by the plant while David carefully held the heavy leaves out of her way.
"Lookout. And maybe triage nurse, if the plant matter interacts with the explosives," Laura said without looking up.
"I told you that it wouldn't," David said, shifting the leaves and tipping his head so that he could see what Laura was doing.
"Never underestimate material that you find off-world," Laura said firmly.
Alison sighed and looked around, even though there wasn't anyone in sight. If she was going to be lookout she would at least do her job, although she was hoping the triage nurse part wouldn't come into play. "Don't you think this is a little bit overkill? There has to be easier ways to get Major Lorne to notice David."
"It's an exploding plant! It will leave an impression!" Laura climbed out from under the plant and dusted her hands on her pants.
"And you don't object to her blowing up your plant?" Alison asked David.
David shrugged. "It's at the end of its life cycle and I've already collected the seeds."
Alison sighed and put her hands on her hips. "Well, if we're going to do this, let's at least get a reasonable distance away before you press the button."
"Button? It's on a timer," Laura said.
It took them all a second to realize what she had just said and dash for cover.
SGA, John Sheppard, Playing his guitar when he thinks no one is listening - words: 139
The sound of chords slowly being strummed, first one and then another before back to the first again, filled the air on the East pier. When Rodney peered around the corner he found John with his feet dangling over the edge of the peer, his head bowed with concentration as he moved his fingers into place.
Despite the way his body was coiled around the guitar, it was the most relaxed Rodney had seen John for about as long as he could remember. For all of John's casual slouches and tipped back chairs, there was a tightness in his body that belied the movements. Now though, John's neck was lose and the curve of his back smooth and natural.
Rodney leaned against the wall, just out of sight, and let the sounds of not quite music wash over him.
SGA, Evan Lorne & or / John Sheppard, This is not the time or place - words: 313
They all smelled like smoke, dust and gunpowder; their uniforms, their clothes, and even their hair. John felt like he was dead on his feet, he was still a little surprised that he wasn't actually dead, more than a little surprised that they weren't bringing back any bodies with them. They were all still alive and that was something worth celebrating, maybe after John had a chance to grab a few hours of sleep.
Of course, when John had showered and tried to settle into bed, he was too wound up from the firefight to sleep. Every time he closed his eyes, they popped open again, his head swinging to check for the next incoming or to make sure everyone was alive and where they were supposed to be. After thirty minutes he got up, put his boots back on, and walked out into Atlantis.
The corridors were mostly silent, the lights brightening a little as he walked through and a whip of wind racing through his hair when he stepped out onto one of the winding balconies. He walked for a while, letting the night air chill his body and the moons provide just enough illumination to put everything into stark relief. He came to a stop when he saw someone leaning against the railing at the bend in the balcony, a silhouette he'd recognize anywhere.
Evan Lorne was everything John wanted, everything he'd ever imagined or at least that's what he wanted to believe. He'd stood next to him, fought next to him with words and guns, come for him and his team every time just like John came to his rescue. John swallowed and turned away, stealthily walking back the way he'd come. Atlantis would never be the place for them, would never be somewhere that he could be with Evan or even ask him. And Atlantis was his home.
SGA, Evan Lorne, Picking Ancient locks - words: 269
Evan sighed as he leaned against the wall of Atlantis, pressing his hands flat against it. "Alright city, I know you don't like me as well as you like Sheppard, which is a conversation we'll be having a later date, mind you, but please just let me in."
The doorway didn't budge, the lights didn't flicker, and Evan didn't feel a thing.
"Come on! Don't make me go wake up McKay. You know he'll pop that panel right off and start pulling your circuits out. You don't want that, do you?" Evan pleaded, even though he knew that he wasn't going up to the living quarters and waking up McKay for anything. "I'm not going to do anything in there, I just want my shoe back."
Atlantis stood absolutely still, not a spark nor a sign that she was listening.
"I know I shouldn't have lost my shoe over the balcony in the first place. And I'm lucky it didn't fall down in the ocean. It was very nice of you to catch it on the pier," Evan said, figuring a little flattery wouldn't hurt. "I just need to go in there and get my shoe back, preferably before anyone knows that I lost it in the first place. I won't tell if you won't."
After another minute of further inaction, Evan pressed himself against the doorframe, pressing his hands and his head near the panel. "Please? Speak 'friend' and enter? Open sesame?"
The door opened with a swish and Evan nearly fell through. He walked out onto the pier, pausing to look back at the open doorway. "Seriously?"
SGA, Ronon, Ronon is introduced to the iPod - words: 376
Sheppard had gotten it for him, this flat little electronic box with cords he was supposed to put in his ears. Earth music, he had said, explaining that he and McKay had filled it with some of their favorite music as well as a sampling from the database that had been set up by the scientists.
Navigating was a little tricky at first, he was still getting used to all of the Earth symbols for their language, but most of it seemed to have pictures that helped after Rodney had explained to them what each of them meant. John and Rodney had each made him a 'playlist' with their favorite music, and although he had to ask people more than once to explain particular phrasing, phrases that even Teyla hadn't heard yet, he thought that he liked most of it.
When he asked about the instruments, John had pulled out his guitar and played a few notes for him and let him see how it worked. Rodney had pulled out a keyboard that one of the other scientists had in the corner of one of the small side labs and showed him pictures of real pianos. One of the scientists, after seeing him pressing the keys on the keyboard, had one of the botanists show him a clarinet and play a few songs on it.
The instruments, and the music on the little device, were different than what he was used to, even if it had been years and years since he'd been able to sit and listen. They were different, the sounds not quite the same though the strings on John's guitar were eerily close to one of the instruments played on Sateda, but it was close enough that it was a reminder of everything that had been lost when Sateda had been destroyed. He found himself spending more time down in the lab, working at the keyboard and working to recreate some of the Satedaen songs he once knew, even the ones he only knew parts of and the lyrics couldn't quite translate right. At night he listened to the music from Earth and searched for the right sounds, waiting for the song that might have the right words to say what he needed.
SGA, Evan Lorne/David Parrish, Breathe - words: 102 (because race_the_ace challenged me to do a dialogue only drabble)
"Breathe, just breath Evan! They'll be here soon."
"Relax, David. I'm fine. Just bleeding a bit."
"You! You are not fine. Not fine! You were just shot and you're on the ground, and-"
"And then you shot them back, a very nice shot by the way, and we are just fine."
"Not fine! You were unconscious. I had to give you mouth to mouth."
"Well you didn't have to, but I don't mind when you do. Ow!"
"I'll hit you again too! It's not funny!"
"Maybe you're the one who should breathe, David?"
"Just, stay still. Colonel Sheppard is bringing the Jumper."
SG-1, Jonas Quinn, A food he does not like - 240 words
Jonas scrambled for his napkin, having observed that the polite way in Tau'ri culture to remove unwanted food from one's mouth was to cover the mouth with a paper cloth and discretely remove the food. Or, if you were Jack O'Neill, and something was wrong with your coffee, the correct course of action was to spit and sputter and then yell for whoever had handed him the wrong coffee. Jonas figured that was a privilege of rank within their society, and as he had no rank on Earth, Jonas just grabbled the napkin and spat as inconspicuously as possible.
"You okay, Jonas?" Sam asked, looking a little concerned.
Jonas looked down at the offending food and tried not to gag. "This creature was served with its legs still attached and has as very, awful, flavor."
Sam looked over at Jonas' tray and did the twitch that meant she was trying not to smile. "It's shrimp, comes from the ocean. I'm guessing seafood isn't a big thing on Langara?"
He usually had a fairly strong appreciation for the differences between Earth and Langaran food and culture and liked to sample foods from other planets they visited as well when he had the opportunity, but there were some foods that were just unfathomable to him.
"It's not," Jonas said firmly, ignoring the rest of the food on his plate and picking up the banana on his tray. At least he had bananas.
SG-1, Cameron Mitchell, Home - 262 words
Cam shifted in his bed in the infirmary, restlessly pushing the blanket a little further away and wondering how long it would be until Lam released them. On his left Daniel was propped up with pillows and had a pair of books and a sheet of paper that he scribble frantically at, his left arm in a sling only slightly impeding his movements. In the bed across from his Sam had a laptop and a mug of coffee that one of the other scientists had snuck to her. She had it carefully hidden out of sight by her side and looked around with her wide blue eyes before sneaking a sip, always careful not to get tangled in her IV line.
In the bed next to Sam's, Teal'c was just as restless as Cam, even though he hid it much better. There was only the slight lean of his head to the side and the way he closed his eyes a little more than usual that clued Cam in. Vala already had her feet swinging over the side of her bed, her fingers re-braiding her hair from when it had been taken out so the nurse could bandage a cut on the back of her head.
Maybe they were a little scraped up and didn't always have the best of luck off-world, but no matter whether they were holed up in a cave on a distant planet or sitting around in the infirmary after being caught in a rock slide, wherever his team was will always be home to Cam.
SG-1, Vala Mal Doran, Shiny - 224 words
Vala looked up from the laptop that was balanced on one of her thighs and reached for the next disc in the box. Teal'c had loaned her the dvds after explaining that it was one of the best tv shows that the Tau'ri had to offer. After explaining to her about Tau'ri television, again, and then explaining how they put the shows on odd little discs, Vala had accepted the box with a certain amount of curiosity. Sam had already shown her how to put dvds in the computer and run some of the programs, so it was a simple matter of one night when she couldn't sleep to put in the dvds and start watching. She'd been a little skeptical about the space travel the Tau'ri had envisioned, even though a lot of details weren't provided, but as soon as she discovered the show was basically people looking for treasure in space! she was hooked.
The next morning she stumbled into the mess hall and went straight for the coffee pot, one of the Tau'ri's best inventions in her opinion, before dropped down at the table with the rest of SG1.
"Looks like you had a late night. You okay?" Sam asked, looking up from her breakfast.
"Shiny," Vala responded with a bright grin.
Teal'c looked up from his tray. "Indeed."
SG-1, Jonas Quinn, Human - 162 words
They were all 'human', or that's what Daniel's notes indicated. All of their ancestors taken from Earth and enslaved and scatted across the galaxy. It was hard to imagine, even though Jonas liked to wonder if he and the other members of SG1 might have a distant ancestor in common on Earth, although traveling through the 'gate and seeing humans or evidence that humans had once been on the planet had done a great deal to dispel any doubts he'd had in Daniel's theory.
As he stared at the "human form replicators" - machines, lifeless, other - he couldn't find the contempt that the rest of SG1 seemed to hold for them. He didn't want them to hurt or kill anyone, didn't want anyone to die as a result of their being, but the pure hatred he could see in his companions was absolutely lost on him.
Maybe he was human, but Jonas was not Tau'ri, and sometimes that was more apparent than ever.
SGA, Chuck and Amelia Banks, What did you have for lunch? - 271 words
Chuck looked up from his work station as Amelia returned from her lunch break looking a little depressed. She dropped down in the chair next to him and scanned over her readings automatically.
"What did you have for lunch?" Chuck asked conversationally.
"Some root stew stuff. I don't even know," Amelia said, brushing her hair back from her face. "You know, I love Atlantis, but I miss take out. Sweet and sour pork, fried chicken, french fries. Pizza!"
Chuck smiled, having gone through his own Earth food withdrawals four years ago. "You'll get used to the Tuttleroot Soup, and even the tea. It just takes a year or two. However, if you're looking for a more portable fix, I can email you a time and place where exchanges are made." The 'black market' on Atlantis had been thriving since week two and Chuck always knew how to spot a bargain.
"Chocolate? You have chocolate?" Amelia asked, her spine straightening as she turned to look at him.
"I have connections, who might know someone who might have connections to someone with chocolate," Chuck said, keeping his eyes focused on his console.
"Count me in," Amelia said with more than a hint of desperation.
"Incoming wormhole," Chuck called as he tapped his comm so that the senior staff on duty would be alerted. He gave Amelia a quick wink as Woolsey came hurrying out of his office. Amelia caught the gesture and nodded before turning to her own station and Chuck decided it was about time to set up the next exchange on the lower levels anyway. There was profit to be made!
SGA, Kate Heightmeyer, First time looking down a high Atlantis balcony - 238 words
They were, mostly, all alive. Missing Colonel Sumner and a handful of others but otherwise in fairly good shape for having come to another galaxy without any idea of what they'd find on the other side, waking deadly alien species from their slumber, and nearly being crushed in the ocean. But they were alive and had an ally and people were starting to settle into routines.
There were no maps yet, though Dr McKay had been working on pulling up schematics and two dozen other things that told her she was going to have at least one overstressed and exhausted scientist on her hands. Though, considering they were all people who had volunteered on what might be a one way mission, she was certain that her roster would be full in no time. So she wandered the halls in her spare time, always making sure she'd be able to find her way back, and somehow wound up standing on a balcony over looking a very long drop. As she leaned forward, wrapping her hands tightly around railing, she shivered a little as she looked down in the pier and the waves below. It was a very strange sensation, like a chill running up the back of her spine, but she wrote it off as the breeze and went back inside. She walked a little further that day, wondering if she could find an office with a good view.
SGA, John Sheppard, Psychic powers? Cool! - 189 words
John smiled to himself, just the slightest twitch of the corner of his mouth so he wouldn't give himself away, and mentally scooted Rodney's coffee cup back to the other side of his laptop. It was the third time he'd done it, and the meeting had only been going for forty-five minutes. Elizabeth was in her seat, leaning back with her eyes slightly glazed even as she tried to look attentive to Rodney's presentation. Radek was occupied with interrupting Rodney and keeping him on track and bringing up other points that Rodney had decided not to include in the briefing. Several times this had lead into fast and furious arguments that Elizabeth often had to resolve by suggesting that the move on with the topic. John just used the distraction to carefully type commands on Rodney's keyboard - pressing just individual keys with the powers of his mind was harder than it looked - so that his music was set up to play very loud Madonna music the next time he restarted it. State of Atlantis meetings could get pretty boring, but John always had a talent for entertaining himself.
SGA, Evan Lorne, Paperwork and more paperwork - 260 words
Evan, barely, resisted the urge to drop his head down on the table. He did, however, moan (in a manly way) and look again into his empty mug. If he wanted coffee, coffee that wasn't even real coffee, he'd have to walk down to the mess hall. And walking down to the mess hall would make a good break from finishing the stack of requisition forms, mission reports and other assorted paperwork that Sheppard forwarded to him. Evan firmly maintained that it didn't matter if it was all electronic and on the computers, it was still a stack and it was still paperwork.
A walk for coffee would make a good break except for the fact that if he left the closet type area that he'd holed up in, someone would find him with some 'emergency' and he wouldn't get back to the paperwork until sometime in the unforeseeable future. And he would be fine with that, he really would, if it wasn't for the Daedalus arriving in two days and he would rather go hand to hand with a Wraith than explain to Sheppard why they weren't done (even if he secretly wanted to say that they would be done if Sheppard would just stop sending them to him). Evan opened the next requisition form and this time he did drop his head down on the table as he mentally composed another email to McKay about spending the time to properly fill out the form instead of just listing his demands in the body of the email.
SGA, John Sheppard & or / Evan Lorne, How to bribe your 2IC to do your paperwork - 163 words
"Please, it's not even all of it this time," John said, uncomfortable with how close to begging he actually was. A Wraith Queen couldn't make him beg, Kolya couldn't make him beg, the Replicators couldn't make him beg, but something about Evan Lorne with the smile that wasn't actually there but John could still see it made John do all sorts of things he didn't think he'd do.
Evan raised an eyebrow, obviously enjoying his moment of power. "What are you going to give me?"
"A bar of chocolate?" John asked hopefully.
"And?" Evan prompted, this time the smile actually curling the corners of his mouth.
"And," John said, scrambling to come up with something else he could offer. "You get to pick the movie at the next movie night?"
"And?" Evan, this time with a full blown grin.
"And," John said, looking around his office for something else he could offer to Evan. "A kiss?"
Evan stepped forward, his smile softening. "Deal."
SGA, Evan Lorne & John Sheppard, Photos - 180 words
"I can't believe you kept this," John said as he picked up the polaroid photo from Evan's shelf. It was from over a year ago, when they'd all lost their memories (or gone all macho crazy on stimulants), and John had his picture taken and written on it. His name, his rank, and the words 'Trust him' in big letters.
"I figured it might come in handy. You never know around here when the next time we're going to forget who we are or be brainwashed by an alien or go blind or something," Evan said as he sat on his chair pulling on a pair of non-muddy boots.
John frowned as he replaced the photo, feeling something that he couldn't quite describe over the fact that Evan had chosen to keep it. "Wait. How is a photo going to help if you go blind?"
Evan shrugged. "Well, I meant when I could see again."
"Of course," John nodded and bent down to see what books Evan had on the lower shelf. "Oh, Iain Banks! Can I borrow this?"
SG-1, Jonas Quinn, Dear Abby - words 252
"So, everyone just writes to this woman with all of their problems, and she solves them?" Jonas asked as he looked up from the newspaper that he'd been reading in an attempted to get better acquainted with the situation on Earth. If he was going to live on the planet, even if he wasn't allowed to roam by himself or even leave the base without receiving permission. Teal'c had explained how the people of Earth were extremely cautious about those not originating from their planet to be move around unchecked, and Jonas thought that seemed mostly reasonable, even if there were many pictures and videos that made him very eager to want to see more. "Like, Santa Claus, but for adults?"
"Well, not everyone, and it isn't just one woman. There's usually an advice columnist per newspaper. And mostly they just offer suggestions, they don't really solve anything. And who told you about Santa?" Sam asked, putting down her coffee and turning to Jonas.
"Teal'c. He's told me a lot about Earth customs," Jonas said, turning the page of the newspaper and looking at the comics section. Teal'c had told him that this was the best part of the newspaper, though most of the little pictures didn't make much sense to him.
"Right," Sam said in the quiet voice that meant she wasn't saying something even though she wanted to.
Jonas laughed at a comic about an orange cat that still didn't make a lot of sense, but was at least funny.
SG-1, Cameron Mitchell/Daniel Jackson, First day - words: 316
It wasn't Cameron Mitchell's first day at the SGC, nor was it his first time on an off-world mission. But it was his first day as the real leader of SG-1 and his first time on an off-world mission with SG-1 as his team. And they were stuck in a cave five miles from the Stargate while it poured freezing rain. Rain that after a moment they realized had actually started to eat through their hats and they'd run for more cover than the trees were providing.
"Here. It's not good and I wouldn't even really call it coffee, but at least it's hot," Daniel said, holding out a one of the travel cups.
Cam accepted the cup, careful not to burn his fingers or his tongue when he took a careful sip. Daniel was right in that it wasn't exactly coffee, but it did help warm him up a little bit. He turned and looked further back into the cave where Sam and Teal'c were occupied with the camp stove. "Thanks. This seems pretty quiet for an SG-1 mission," he commented, his eyes turning to scan the area they could see from the edge of the cave.
"Well, you never know. Jaffa could be springing out from the bushes at any moment," Daniel commented with a small smile. "Anything could happen."
When Daniel directed that smile toward him, his eyes brightening behind his glasses, Cam felt something twist in his stomach that he was pretty sure wasn't the instant coffee. "Anything?" Cam asked, his voice suggesting more than he could put into words.
Daniel nodded. "I think that's a distinct possibility. But later." He turned and headed back into the cave to where the rest of the team was sitting.
"Later," Cam agreed, thinking that for a first day it had gone pretty well, jacket eating rain notwithstanding.
SG-1, Jack O'Neill / or & Daniel Jackson, Tabula Rasa - words: 214
Daniel stood in his office, going through all of the artifacts on the shelves and moving things into groupings of what he remembered and what he didn't. He was doing the same process in his mind, knowing that he had an apartment and also knowing that he didn't know how to get there, knowing that he knew more than a dozen languages and not actually knowing much of any of them. The one he retained the best, other than English, was Latin, which he found both useful and ironic.
The thing about Tabula Rasa, the almost memoryless state that he and Colonel O'Neill had been dropped into, was that it didn't quite mean 'blank slate' as the doctor had described it, but 'erased slate' was a more accurate translation. And while it didn't originally refer to a piece of slate and chalk, he found it appropriate. When slate was erased there was usually still ghost or impression left behind. It could be written over, but it was still there.
Daniel picked up a small statue that Jack had given him, because it was Jack now and not Colonel O'Neill, and knew that there was more to him and Jack than just coworkers and teammates. He just didn't know what that something was.
SG-1, Daniel Jackson & Sam Carter, Watching The X-Files - words: 307
"Oh come on, that's a totally cop out," Sam grumbled as the bad guy, or bad mutant alien thing, squeezed its way out of the room through an air vent just before Scully and Mulder came running into the scene.
"It's supposed to be able to do that, Sam," Daniel said, throwing a handful of popcorn in her direction. "It's an alien. We've seen aliens do weirder things."
"Yeah, but it's not fair. They followed all the clues and got there and the thing is gone. And now they think they made a mistake," Sam said as she plucked piece of popcorn off of the couch and the pieces that had landed in her sling. It was one of the rare times they were both too injured, too drugged, and plain just too tired to work. So Sam had pulled out her X-Files dvds and they'd camped at her house for the weekend.
"You're such a Scully, you know that. If you died your hair red, you'd be her," Daniel pointed out, shifting the icepack on his knee.
Sam raised her eyebrows and looked over to him. "That's not a bad thing. She's smart, and logical and totally kicks ass. Besides, you'd be Mulder, Daniel I-Want-To-Believe Jackson."
Daniel didn't object, mostly because it fit surprisingly well. "Who does that make Jack and Teal'c?"
"Jack is Doggett. Teal'c can be one of the MIBs," Sam said, briefly turning her attention back to the episode.
"Oh! Hammond is Skinner!" Daniel grinned.
Sam laughed, upsetting the bowl between them. "I'll let you be the one to tell him that."
"You wish," Daniel said. "I'm still on crutches. This one is all yours." They fell back into a companionable silence as they watched, happy to let someone else take down the impossible bad guys for a change.
SGA, Alison Porter, Laura Cadman, David Parrish, This plan is so bad, it had to be ours - words: 253
"So, wait. What's my job again?" Alison asked as she surveyed the greenhouse. Laura was on her knees, nearly entirely enveloped by the plant while David carefully held the heavy leaves out of her way.
"Lookout. And maybe triage nurse, if the plant matter interacts with the explosives," Laura said without looking up.
"I told you that it wouldn't," David said, shifting the leaves and tipping his head so that he could see what Laura was doing.
"Never underestimate material that you find off-world," Laura said firmly.
Alison sighed and looked around, even though there wasn't anyone in sight. If she was going to be lookout she would at least do her job, although she was hoping the triage nurse part wouldn't come into play. "Don't you think this is a little bit overkill? There has to be easier ways to get Major Lorne to notice David."
"It's an exploding plant! It will leave an impression!" Laura climbed out from under the plant and dusted her hands on her pants.
"And you don't object to her blowing up your plant?" Alison asked David.
David shrugged. "It's at the end of its life cycle and I've already collected the seeds."
Alison sighed and put her hands on her hips. "Well, if we're going to do this, let's at least get a reasonable distance away before you press the button."
"Button? It's on a timer," Laura said.
It took them all a second to realize what she had just said and dash for cover.
SGA, John Sheppard, Playing his guitar when he thinks no one is listening - words: 139
The sound of chords slowly being strummed, first one and then another before back to the first again, filled the air on the East pier. When Rodney peered around the corner he found John with his feet dangling over the edge of the peer, his head bowed with concentration as he moved his fingers into place.
Despite the way his body was coiled around the guitar, it was the most relaxed Rodney had seen John for about as long as he could remember. For all of John's casual slouches and tipped back chairs, there was a tightness in his body that belied the movements. Now though, John's neck was lose and the curve of his back smooth and natural.
Rodney leaned against the wall, just out of sight, and let the sounds of not quite music wash over him.
SGA, Evan Lorne & or / John Sheppard, This is not the time or place - words: 313
They all smelled like smoke, dust and gunpowder; their uniforms, their clothes, and even their hair. John felt like he was dead on his feet, he was still a little surprised that he wasn't actually dead, more than a little surprised that they weren't bringing back any bodies with them. They were all still alive and that was something worth celebrating, maybe after John had a chance to grab a few hours of sleep.
Of course, when John had showered and tried to settle into bed, he was too wound up from the firefight to sleep. Every time he closed his eyes, they popped open again, his head swinging to check for the next incoming or to make sure everyone was alive and where they were supposed to be. After thirty minutes he got up, put his boots back on, and walked out into Atlantis.
The corridors were mostly silent, the lights brightening a little as he walked through and a whip of wind racing through his hair when he stepped out onto one of the winding balconies. He walked for a while, letting the night air chill his body and the moons provide just enough illumination to put everything into stark relief. He came to a stop when he saw someone leaning against the railing at the bend in the balcony, a silhouette he'd recognize anywhere.
Evan Lorne was everything John wanted, everything he'd ever imagined or at least that's what he wanted to believe. He'd stood next to him, fought next to him with words and guns, come for him and his team every time just like John came to his rescue. John swallowed and turned away, stealthily walking back the way he'd come. Atlantis would never be the place for them, would never be somewhere that he could be with Evan or even ask him. And Atlantis was his home.
SGA, Evan Lorne, Picking Ancient locks - words: 269
Evan sighed as he leaned against the wall of Atlantis, pressing his hands flat against it. "Alright city, I know you don't like me as well as you like Sheppard, which is a conversation we'll be having a later date, mind you, but please just let me in."
The doorway didn't budge, the lights didn't flicker, and Evan didn't feel a thing.
"Come on! Don't make me go wake up McKay. You know he'll pop that panel right off and start pulling your circuits out. You don't want that, do you?" Evan pleaded, even though he knew that he wasn't going up to the living quarters and waking up McKay for anything. "I'm not going to do anything in there, I just want my shoe back."
Atlantis stood absolutely still, not a spark nor a sign that she was listening.
"I know I shouldn't have lost my shoe over the balcony in the first place. And I'm lucky it didn't fall down in the ocean. It was very nice of you to catch it on the pier," Evan said, figuring a little flattery wouldn't hurt. "I just need to go in there and get my shoe back, preferably before anyone knows that I lost it in the first place. I won't tell if you won't."
After another minute of further inaction, Evan pressed himself against the doorframe, pressing his hands and his head near the panel. "Please? Speak 'friend' and enter? Open sesame?"
The door opened with a swish and Evan nearly fell through. He walked out onto the pier, pausing to look back at the open doorway. "Seriously?"
SGA, Ronon, Ronon is introduced to the iPod - words: 376
Sheppard had gotten it for him, this flat little electronic box with cords he was supposed to put in his ears. Earth music, he had said, explaining that he and McKay had filled it with some of their favorite music as well as a sampling from the database that had been set up by the scientists.
Navigating was a little tricky at first, he was still getting used to all of the Earth symbols for their language, but most of it seemed to have pictures that helped after Rodney had explained to them what each of them meant. John and Rodney had each made him a 'playlist' with their favorite music, and although he had to ask people more than once to explain particular phrasing, phrases that even Teyla hadn't heard yet, he thought that he liked most of it.
When he asked about the instruments, John had pulled out his guitar and played a few notes for him and let him see how it worked. Rodney had pulled out a keyboard that one of the other scientists had in the corner of one of the small side labs and showed him pictures of real pianos. One of the scientists, after seeing him pressing the keys on the keyboard, had one of the botanists show him a clarinet and play a few songs on it.
The instruments, and the music on the little device, were different than what he was used to, even if it had been years and years since he'd been able to sit and listen. They were different, the sounds not quite the same though the strings on John's guitar were eerily close to one of the instruments played on Sateda, but it was close enough that it was a reminder of everything that had been lost when Sateda had been destroyed. He found himself spending more time down in the lab, working at the keyboard and working to recreate some of the Satedaen songs he once knew, even the ones he only knew parts of and the lyrics couldn't quite translate right. At night he listened to the music from Earth and searched for the right sounds, waiting for the song that might have the right words to say what he needed.
SGA, Evan Lorne/David Parrish, Breathe - words: 102 (because race_the_ace challenged me to do a dialogue only drabble)
"Breathe, just breath Evan! They'll be here soon."
"Relax, David. I'm fine. Just bleeding a bit."
"You! You are not fine. Not fine! You were just shot and you're on the ground, and-"
"And then you shot them back, a very nice shot by the way, and we are just fine."
"Not fine! You were unconscious. I had to give you mouth to mouth."
"Well you didn't have to, but I don't mind when you do. Ow!"
"I'll hit you again too! It's not funny!"
"Maybe you're the one who should breathe, David?"
"Just, stay still. Colonel Sheppard is bringing the Jumper."