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sg1_creativity on January 12, 2005.
Fandom: Stargate: SG-1
Title: Slow Burn
Author: Em
Rating: PG
Word Count: ~900
Spoilers: Season 4, Episode tag for "Scorched Earth"
Pairing: Jack/Daniel (friendship)
Challenge: Write an episode tag for any episode.
Notes: There is a slash version of this fic floating around my harddrive, waiting to be finished. For now we have the gen version with subtext.
Awards: First Place for Fic Challenge atsg1_creativity
1st place at sg1_creativity
Slow Burn
Jack had managed to hold his tongue during the debriefing. Hammond asked the relevant questions, Carter and Daniel discussed the simple solution to the Enkaran’s problem with the Gadmeer ship, and Jack kept to the facts. He had refused to think about giving the order to detonate the naquadah reactor while Daniel was on the ship. He wasn’t going to think about it. Nope, wasn’t thinking about it.
Of course, he might have been thinking about it. A little. Which explained why he had strong-armed Daniel into hanging out with him. And why he had forced Daniel to ride with him, after staring him down for a full, very silent minute. Really, Jack’s plan was going rather well. He was driving (and therefore in control of their destination), and Daniel was nervously locking and unlocking the door.
Jack made a right hand turn and said, “Unlock it one more time, and I’ll reach over and open it for you.”
Daniel had the common sense to put his hands in his lap. He was silent for about thirty seconds. Until he noticed that they weren’t anywhere near Jack’s house. Or civilization.
“Uh, Jack? Did you move?” Daniel looked over his shoulder.
“No.” Jack steered the truck with one hand, resting the other on his knee.
“Then is there a reason that we’re.” Daniel held up a fist and opened it, flattening his palm. “Here?”
“Yes.” Jack made another right turn, this time on to a dirt road. A dirt road surrounded by a forest.
Jack pulled over and cut the engine. He sat for a good minute before he let himself think about it—giving the call to blow up the Gadmeer ship, to kill Daniel.
“Why?” Jack whispered.
Daniel blinked a few times. “Why what?”
“You knew we were going to blow it and you went back.” Jack hissed. “You are so stupid.”
Daniel’s eyebrows rocketed above his glasses. “I’m sorry. I thought I solved the problem—reasonably.”
Jack snorted. “Yeah. You fixed all the problems. Made everybody happy.”
“Okay. Maybe there’s one problem I didn’t solve.” Daniel folded his arms across his chest. “Meaning your issue.”
“My issue?” Jack embraced his issue. He picked his issue up, tucked it in his pocket, and fed it little bits of chocolate. “What does that mean?”
“I don’t know!” Daniel unbuckled his seat beat and got out of the car. “You’re insane, you know that?”
Jack followed him out of the car, keeping the engine between them. “Yeah. But that’s not my ‘issue.’” He sneered around Daniel’s word.
“No, it just augments your problem,” Daniel muttered.
Jack took a deep breath and focused on his offensive. “You didn’t listen to me. You ignored my command.”
Jack could see Daniel bite back his first response. Instead, Daniel took a deep breath, focusing as well. Not part of Jack’s plan. Off-balance Daniel is safe Daniel. Focused Daniel is—not.
“You asked for options. I gave you an option.”
“No.” Jack came around the truck and jabbed Daniel in the chest. “You put yourself in danger.”
“Sometimes that happens!” Daniel swatted Jack’s hand away. “I was willing to make that sacrifice.”
“Well I wasn’t!” That wasn’t what he was supposed to say. Jack shook his head and tried to focus again. “What I mean—”
Daniel held up a hand.
They waited. They stared.
They breathed.
“You had to make that call,” Daniel whispered. “We were doing our jobs.”
Jack nodded slowly. “Our jobs.” The words sounded awkward, loaded, explosive.
“You didn’t—” Daniel didn’t finish his sentence—wouldn’t finish his sentence. They both knew the next words in that sentence were “kill me.”
“No.” Jack rocked back on his heels and turned. “I ordered Carter to do it.” He cringed. He put that on Carter. Yes, he made the decision, but he made her carry it out. And that—that was unforgivable.
“Then why are we having this conversation?” Daniel was right behind him. “I mean, shouldn’t you be talking to Sam?”
Jack just shook his head. Carter understood. She was following orders. His orders sucked and they weren’t something that would have been easy to live with, but they were orders. And Carter would rationalize that. In ten, maybe twenty, years she would have hated Jack, but for the time being she would have understood.
He felt Daniel nod, knew he licked his lips, too.
“You think I don’t understand?”
Jack finally looked over his shoulder. “You don’t.”
Daniel licked his lips again. “It was an order. You made the call. She did it.” Daniel stepped forward. “I understand.” He smiled lightly. “I may not agree with it, but I understand.”
Jack faced him. “How can you do that?” He wanted to strangle Daniel but settled for digging his nails into his palms.
Daniel blinked.
“I—I—” What the hell was Jack trying to say?
Daniel slipped his hands into his pockets and shrugged. “Jack, it wouldn’t have been any different if Teal’c had been on the ship, or Sam. Or you.” Daniel nudged him with his elbow. “I understand that.”
Jack frowned. “Daniel—”
Daniel bit his lip, nodded. “Let it go.”
Jack slouched and unclenched his fists. His palms stung. “Okay,” he said. “Okay.” Jack gestured back to the truck, clearly indicating “get in.” They climbed back into the car and as Jack reversed and headed back down the road, he gripped the steering wheel, still not thinking about it.
~Comments and feedback are appreciated.
sg1_creativity on January 12, 2005.Fandom: Stargate: SG-1
Title: Slow Burn
Author: Em
Rating: PG
Word Count: ~900
Spoilers: Season 4, Episode tag for "Scorched Earth"
Pairing: Jack/Daniel (friendship)
Challenge: Write an episode tag for any episode.
Notes: There is a slash version of this fic floating around my harddrive, waiting to be finished. For now we have the gen version with subtext.
Awards: First Place for Fic Challenge at
sg1_creativitysg1_creativityJack had managed to hold his tongue during the debriefing. Hammond asked the relevant questions, Carter and Daniel discussed the simple solution to the Enkaran’s problem with the Gadmeer ship, and Jack kept to the facts. He had refused to think about giving the order to detonate the naquadah reactor while Daniel was on the ship. He wasn’t going to think about it. Nope, wasn’t thinking about it.
Of course, he might have been thinking about it. A little. Which explained why he had strong-armed Daniel into hanging out with him. And why he had forced Daniel to ride with him, after staring him down for a full, very silent minute. Really, Jack’s plan was going rather well. He was driving (and therefore in control of their destination), and Daniel was nervously locking and unlocking the door.
Jack made a right hand turn and said, “Unlock it one more time, and I’ll reach over and open it for you.”
Daniel had the common sense to put his hands in his lap. He was silent for about thirty seconds. Until he noticed that they weren’t anywhere near Jack’s house. Or civilization.
“Uh, Jack? Did you move?” Daniel looked over his shoulder.
“No.” Jack steered the truck with one hand, resting the other on his knee.
“Then is there a reason that we’re.” Daniel held up a fist and opened it, flattening his palm. “Here?”
“Yes.” Jack made another right turn, this time on to a dirt road. A dirt road surrounded by a forest.
Jack pulled over and cut the engine. He sat for a good minute before he let himself think about it—giving the call to blow up the Gadmeer ship, to kill Daniel.
“Why?” Jack whispered.
Daniel blinked a few times. “Why what?”
“You knew we were going to blow it and you went back.” Jack hissed. “You are so stupid.”
Daniel’s eyebrows rocketed above his glasses. “I’m sorry. I thought I solved the problem—reasonably.”
Jack snorted. “Yeah. You fixed all the problems. Made everybody happy.”
“Okay. Maybe there’s one problem I didn’t solve.” Daniel folded his arms across his chest. “Meaning your issue.”
“My issue?” Jack embraced his issue. He picked his issue up, tucked it in his pocket, and fed it little bits of chocolate. “What does that mean?”
“I don’t know!” Daniel unbuckled his seat beat and got out of the car. “You’re insane, you know that?”
Jack followed him out of the car, keeping the engine between them. “Yeah. But that’s not my ‘issue.’” He sneered around Daniel’s word.
“No, it just augments your problem,” Daniel muttered.
Jack took a deep breath and focused on his offensive. “You didn’t listen to me. You ignored my command.”
Jack could see Daniel bite back his first response. Instead, Daniel took a deep breath, focusing as well. Not part of Jack’s plan. Off-balance Daniel is safe Daniel. Focused Daniel is—not.
“You asked for options. I gave you an option.”
“No.” Jack came around the truck and jabbed Daniel in the chest. “You put yourself in danger.”
“Sometimes that happens!” Daniel swatted Jack’s hand away. “I was willing to make that sacrifice.”
“Well I wasn’t!” That wasn’t what he was supposed to say. Jack shook his head and tried to focus again. “What I mean—”
Daniel held up a hand.
They waited. They stared.
They breathed.
“You had to make that call,” Daniel whispered. “We were doing our jobs.”
Jack nodded slowly. “Our jobs.” The words sounded awkward, loaded, explosive.
“You didn’t—” Daniel didn’t finish his sentence—wouldn’t finish his sentence. They both knew the next words in that sentence were “kill me.”
“No.” Jack rocked back on his heels and turned. “I ordered Carter to do it.” He cringed. He put that on Carter. Yes, he made the decision, but he made her carry it out. And that—that was unforgivable.
“Then why are we having this conversation?” Daniel was right behind him. “I mean, shouldn’t you be talking to Sam?”
Jack just shook his head. Carter understood. She was following orders. His orders sucked and they weren’t something that would have been easy to live with, but they were orders. And Carter would rationalize that. In ten, maybe twenty, years she would have hated Jack, but for the time being she would have understood.
He felt Daniel nod, knew he licked his lips, too.
“You think I don’t understand?”
Jack finally looked over his shoulder. “You don’t.”
Daniel licked his lips again. “It was an order. You made the call. She did it.” Daniel stepped forward. “I understand.” He smiled lightly. “I may not agree with it, but I understand.”
Jack faced him. “How can you do that?” He wanted to strangle Daniel but settled for digging his nails into his palms.
Daniel blinked.
“I—I—” What the hell was Jack trying to say?
Daniel slipped his hands into his pockets and shrugged. “Jack, it wouldn’t have been any different if Teal’c had been on the ship, or Sam. Or you.” Daniel nudged him with his elbow. “I understand that.”
Jack frowned. “Daniel—”
Daniel bit his lip, nodded. “Let it go.”
Jack slouched and unclenched his fists. His palms stung. “Okay,” he said. “Okay.” Jack gestured back to the truck, clearly indicating “get in.” They climbed back into the car and as Jack reversed and headed back down the road, he gripped the steering wheel, still not thinking about it.
~Comments and feedback are appreciated.
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