Title: A LA CARTE
Author: Sue Corkill
Email: mscorkill@earthlink.net
Category: Sam & Jack,
Angst, Missing scene
Status: Complete
Rating: PG
Content Warning: M/F
Season/Sequel info: Sixth
Season
Spoilers: Frozen
Archive:
Summary: Stan is cleaning and
contemplating life at the SGC when Sam, Teal’c and Jonas come into the
commissary after their return from
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters and
places are the property of MGM, World Gekko Corp and Double Secret
productions. This piece of fan fiction
was created for entertainment not monetary purposes and no infringement on
copyrights or trademarks was intended.
Previously unrecognized characters and places, and this story, are
copyrighted to the author. Any
similarity to real persons, living or dead, is
coincidental and not intended by the author.
Feedback: Cheerfully
accepted.
Author’s notes: Another
post-episode cake fic...though rather more angsty.
Copyright © M. Susan Corkill,
October 2002.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A LA CARTE
Stan Halvorson wiped off the
stainless steel counter, taking his time.
It was a slow afternoon, especially so in contrast to the frantic
activity that had surrounded the base several weeks ago. Man,
he thought, scrubbing at a very stubborn spot, that had been some nightmare! All those extra people and then the base
sealed off! Cook had been forced to
really scrounge and some of the menu items had been fairly creative. Thank goodness they always carried excess in
the basics, just for such a situation.
And another "thank goodness" that they hadn’t been reduced to
eating MRE’s. As it was, dessert had
been reduced to canned peaches over sponge cake. Which, hadn’t really seemed to bother the
regulars, Stan realized with a wry smile, who hadn’t
seemed to mind just so long as there was something
sweet for dessert. Now, on the other
hand, those extra scientist types and eggheads had seemed miffed at the simple
fare and had certainly complained loudly, not that there was anything he could have done about it! But...he’d had a good chuckle when he saw
that fruit allergy nerd/scientist in the lunch line one day during all the hubbub. Too bad they hadn't been serving Lemon
Chicken that day, he thought with a sly chuckle.
Yeah, it had been pretty
worrisome, he had to acknowledge, when the base was locked down. Thank goodness his wife and kids had been in
Stan began draining the water
out of the serving reservoirs, working automatically, his thoughts on the
base’s newest full-time resident. Jonas
Quinn, healthy eater, not really big into sweets, big into fruit. Always cheerful and friendly, but then again,
when you see the same person for breakfast, lunch and dinner every day for
three months, well, you get to be a bit friendly. Stan felt sorry for the guy, confined to the
base, and commissary food! Not that it
was bad...but the commissary menu was pretty heavy on the carbs and had to get
boring after a while. Which
was probably why he ate so much fruit, Stan had just decided, when the door
swung open and Jonas Quinn and Teal’c entered the deserted dining room. Stan reached under the counter for the fruit
bowl he’d stashed there when he’d started cleaning, setting it out as the two
men approached.
“It does not look promising
for O’Neill,” he heard Teal’c rumble.
Stan’s ears perked up at the
mention of O’Neill. He had heard the
Colonel was pretty sick. Heck, he’d
known something was wrong the minute he’d found out SG-1 had returned from the
“No, it doesn’t, ” Jonas agreed.
“And now with Aiyanna so ill....”
Stan was surprised by Jonas’
somber look, Teal’c he was used to seeing somber and if it was possible, the
“Thanks, Stan,” Jonas
murmured, always courteous, even when he was obviously preoccupied. Teal’c loomed before him and Stan simply
handed him the entire bowl, receiving a polite nod in return. The two men walked over to one of the nearby
tables, and sat down. Stan went back to
his cleaning, his eye caught by the one lone piece of chocolate cake he’d left
sitting on the dessert shelf. He
wondered if Major Carter would be in as well.
He didn’t have long to wonder; less than five minutes later the Major
slipped quietly into the dining room.
“Major Carter?” he called out
to her when she didn’t come over to the counter, but instead headed straight
over to the table where Teal’c and Jonas sat. She paused, and looked his way. He picked up the cake and held it out,
feeling inordinately pleased when a small smile crossed her features and she
walked over to the counter.
“Thanks, Halvorson,” she took
the proffered cake. And though she
smiled at him, her normally sparkling blue eyes were just as dejected as Jonas’
had been. His eyes followed her as she
walked over to join her colleagues, yes, it looked
like things weren’t going too well for the SGC’s number one team.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sam poked at the chocolate
cake with her fork. She wasn’t really
hungry, but Stan would have been insulted if she hadn’t taken it. She sighed, good grief! She couldn’t believe she was worried about
insulting the kitchen help when the Colonel was so ill! No, that was mean...it wasn’t Stan’s fault
that O’Neill was dying. She didn’t know
whose fault it was, though she had to acknowledge it probably wasn’t any one
person’s fault. Who could have known
that Aiyanna would have some mysterious millennia old virus? Who could have known that—despite their best
precautions—they’d all become infected?
And who could have known that Aiyanna would try to heal them—at great
cost to her own health? In spite of
everything they’d done and all the precautions they’d taken, none of them could
have known and none of them could have predicted this outcome. Dammit,
she thought wearily, wishing she could hit something or burst into tears, or
anything...instead of having to keep her feelings all bottled up inside.
“Are you not hungry, Major
Carter?”
Teal’c’s baritone penetrated
her dismal thoughts and Sam looked up to find both Teal’c and Jonas staring at
her as she systematically destroyed the piece of cake. She set her fork down, looking somewhat
self-consciously at the concerned faces of her companions. “Ah, not really, guys,” she confessed.
“You’re worried about Colonel
O’Neill?” Jonas asked. She met his eyes
across the table, not sure what she’d see, but finding only caring and
concern. She looked then at Teal’c, who
nodded solemnly.
“Yeah, I’m worried,” she
admitted softly, trusting Teal’c’s judgement in this matter. She looked down at her cake, an
unrecognizable mass of crumbs and frosting now.
Taking a deep breath, she was pleased when her voice quivered only
slightly when she was finally able to speak.
“It doesn’t look good, Janet says she’s done
everything she can.” She looked up then,
her eyes desolate. “General Hammond
contacted the Tok’ra, to see if they could help. They’re sending someone.”
Jonas interrupted eagerly,
“That’s good...they have that healing device, don’t they?”
“Yes, but they didn’t sound
too optimistic.” Sam closed her eyes
briefly, trying to get her emotions under control. “It may take something more than that.”
“Colonel O’Neill will be
unlikely to agree to that, Major Carter,” Teal’c intoned gravely.
Sam turned worried eyes
towards him, “I know.”
“To what? What won’t
Colonel O’Neill agree to?”
“To becoming a host,” Teal’c
answered Jonas for Sam, when she found the words sticking in her throat, unable to verbalize what she very much feared would
be the only option for the Colonel’s survival.
“Ah, I see,” Jonas murmured,
sitting back in his chair. “Colonel
O’Neill won’t wish to blend with the Tok’ra?
Even to save his life?”
Sam shook her head; “I don’t
think he will Jonas, even to save his life.
He has pretty...strong feelings about the Tok’ra and the Goa’uld.” Feelings that she
understood all too well.
“Maybe it won’t come to
that,” Jonas offered.
“I hope so, I really hope
so.” Sam smiled weakly and crumpled up
her napkin, dropping it down on the table, next to the uneaten piece of
cake.
“I’m going to go check on
Aiyanna.” Jonas said abruptly, pushing
back his chair and picking up his banana peel.
“I think...” Sam started, only to be interrupted by the intercom.
“Major Carter to the control room. Major Carter to the control
room.”
She looked at Jonas and then
to Teal’c, her heart suddenly racing.
Teal’c voiced her thoughts, “It would appear the Tok’ra have arrived.”
She nodded and Teal’c
stood. “I will accompany you, Major
Carter.” Sam forced herself to stand,
feeling both relieved that the Tok’ra representative was finally here and
intensely worried about what options he—or she—would have to offer the Colonel.
“Thanks, Teal’c.” She picked up her plate, looking blankly at
the mess that had once been chocolate cake.
“Let me take that,
Major.” Sam looked up, surprised; Stan
had suddenly materialized by her elbow.
“Thanks,” she murmured,
letting him take the plate out of her hand.
She walked past him, following Teal’c and Jonas as they strode towards
the door.
“Major?”
Sam paused at the doorway,
looking back questioningly towards Stan, where he still stood by the
table.
“Tell the Colonel I’m saving
some cake, for when he gets well, okay?”
“Sure, Stan, I will.” Sam tried to smile reassuringly at him, not
sure how successful she was, but it seemed to be enough to satisfy Stan, who
grinned and saluted her before returning once more to clearing off the table.
THE END