Disclaimer - MGM/Gekko/Double Secret own them.
It's been a while, but it's the next in the 'Remedied' series, set a week or so after the events of Together. General knowledge of the show is required.
Feedback would be appreciated :)
*
Jack sat up from where he'd been tying his bootlaces and glanced at his watch, just as the sound of the doorbell echoed through the house.
Right on time.
It wasn't really a surprise considering Teal'c was probably driving. That guy was never late for *anything* - probably something to do with Jaffa honour.
Giving the laces on his right boot one good, final tug, he stood up (trying not to groan as unfortunately old parts of him protested), grabbed his jacket from where he'd thrown across the arm of the sofa, and picked up his house keys from the table.
Slipping his jacket on, he grabbed the lock, turned it, and swung the door open.
Yup. There they were.
"Hey guys,"
Teal'c and Jonas grinned broadly.
Well, Jonas did.
"O'Neill."
"Colonel,"
And then the grin turned into a frown, as Jonas looked from his face, to the jacket he'd just put on, and back to his face again. He pointed inside the house. "I thought we were helping you move the-?"
Jack stepped outside, shutting the door. "Nah. I was lying. I need your help for something else. Come on," Leaving them behind he negotiated the path in his front yard, knowing and *loving* the baffled expressions that'd be on their faces.
Heh.
Hammond had proved extraordinarily helpful. Keeping Sam busy, freeing Teal'c and Jonas up (even if, unfortunately, he'd had to keep Fraiser on base for an unspecified medical emergency), letting them take a car of their own rather than having someone drive them...
No doubt about it. He owed Hammond. *Big* time.
It was worth it.
"We'll take your car," Jack announced, heading immediately for where it was parked near of the edge of the sidewalk outside his house.
Jonas caught up with him pretty quickly, his inherent curiosity all but stapling him to Jack's side. "I don't understand."
Heh again. Jack paused by the driver's door, turning to look at Jonas - and making him take a step back. "We'll have more room in your car than trying to cram the three of us into the front of my truck."
The curiosity was rapidly replaced by vague frustration. "You know that's not what I meant."
It suddenly struck Jack how much Jonas had changed since he'd known him. True, after their first encounter Jack hadn't had a particular good impression of him (for *very* good reasons), but the Jonas he'd known for three or even six months never would have had the balls to say that to him in that particular tone of voice.
Funny how things changed. "You'll see. Keys?" He looked between both men who were standing next to him now, as he shoved his own keys into the pocket of his jeans.
Teal'c gave him that look. "I am driving O'Neill."
"You don't even know where we're going."
"You can instruct me."
Oh yeah. T wasn't budging. "Fine, fine, okay." Sighing, he stepped aside and watched as Teal'c unlocked the door, opened it, and smoothly slid inside. How a guy that big could move that...well...*well* was beyond him, but he'd long ago accepted that was part of who Teal'c was.
Not that he'd had much choice - and not that he minded.
When Teal'c was in and the door closed, Jack planned on walking around the front of the car to the passenger side...and then saw Jonas doing just that.
Oh. Well. Okay then. Okay. Then.
He guessed that meant he was getting the back seat.
It was a pretty strange situation to be in, he had to admit as he clambered into the back of the car. He'd become so used to being in charge, to having first choice for everything - even something as insignificant as which car seat was his - and it was weird not having that anymore; or at least not the same degree. He knew he'd always have their respect and their friendship, but they were used to working together now.
Together, without him.
No doubt new 'vibes' and attitudes had emerged; the same way they had when Jonas had joined the team. Though the core of SG-1 was essentially the same, there were the subtle changes that were just enough to make it seem vaguely...alien.
And the irony of feeling irrationally alienated while in a car with two aliens?
Not lost on him.
He was really gonna have to make a point to get to know the *new* SG-1's latest member sometime soon. Sam said he was a good guy, but given the fact that she was sleeping with Jack, he couldn't help but ponder over her character judgement...
The engine started.
"Colonel?"
Jack glanced up from half-heartedly fumbling around for his seat belt. "Jonas?"
"Are you all right?"
Just for a second, Jack wondered if Jonas' 'psychic' abilities had returned...and then he realised what he was talking about. Their gazes met via the rear view mirror, and the old - and favoured - defences slammed up.
Or at least they tried to. Though they'd never go away completely, being around Sam had managed to do...something. Something he couldn't define.
So he didn't look away, even when his throat dried out. "I'm fine, Jonas. And..." Now he *did* glance away, wishing like hell he'd remembered to bring his shades with him. "...stop calling me 'Colonel'."
*
Jack had been as vague as possible to begin with, ordering Teal'c to 'drive to *this* area', then 'head that way', and 'somewhere around here'.
He wasn't entirely sure why he was trying to hide it from them, but with each passing moment he was growing increasingly nervous *and* excited - which was something he wasn't used to. He'd never really done 'excited'.
There were a few obvious exceptions of course - Sara, Charlie, discovering Sam was pregnant - but for the most part life had taught him to be a little too cynical.
Yet this...
They were inside one of those trendy coffee houses right now, having parked about five minutes ago. Personally he hated these kinds of places - who in their *right* mind would pay *that* much for *one* cup of coffee?
But today of all days, he wasn't exactly in his right mind.
And the caffeine probably wasn't helping.
Okay. He should just get it over with. He was pretty amazed Jonas hadn't burst with the need to know what was going on. Okay. "I need your help with something."
Though Jack wasn't even looking at him just then, he had no doubt Teal'c smiled - as much as he ever did. "That seemed apparent, O'Neill, when you contacted us last week requesting our assistance."
Yeah, okay. Smart Alec Jaffa. "Obviously by now you know it's not for the reason I gave. That was a front."
"What for? Why?" Jonas asked.
"As much as I trust you guys, you both have *lame* poker faces. Well," Actually...he gestured towards Teal'c. "Not so much you. But she can read you guys so well and I didn't want her figuring out..."
"Figuring out...?"
"That I'm going to ask her to marry me."
Wow. It was out. And he suddenly felt considerably less nervous. Actually...he felt pretty damn good.
Oh yeah. And there was the grin.
Though he seriously doubted it was a big surprise, the congratulations started. Jonas made a point of shaking his hand (Earth custom, apparently) and giving him a blessing (Kelownan custom, apparently); Teal'c did that arm-folded-towards-the-chest thing and expressed his certainty that Sam wouldn't reject his offer of marriage.
Fingers *so* crossed on that.
"But I don't understand," Jonas said eventually, long after the grin had threatened to consume his face. "What do you need us for?"
Ah, and here it was. "Despite the fact that I've been married before, this'll actually be the first time I've...proposed to someone." Quite an accomplishment, at his age. "With Sara and I...we were just talking about it one day and decided to get married. There was no big romantic moment, no surprise. We did all of it together."
Teal'c understood first. "Including purchasing the ring."
Jack nodded. "I know none of us are experts when it comes to jewellery, but," He lowered his voice, glancing suspiciously around the coffee shop. "I figure anything liked by all of us - *three* different people from *three* different planets in *three* different parts of the galaxy - is probably going to go down well."
Besides, he had the ultimate back up. Fraiser'd be judging it, too.
"Very well, O'Neill. I am sure we would both be honoured to assist you."
Taking his cue, Jonas spoke. "Definitely, Colonel. Jack." He blinked as he said that. "Uh, we'd love to help."
Great.
*
Jonas was following him. He'd move to one display case, and so would Jonas. He'd move to another, and the Kelownan would be right behind.
Initially he'd been distracted by the shiny objects in the jewellery store, leaving Jack free to converse with the shop assistant while Teal'c made his own forays into the world of engagement rings, bringing something to Jack's attention every now and then.
But then Jonas - getting over his first 'new experience' in a long time - had started shadowing Jack.
Badly.
Eventually Jack'd had enough, waiting until the assistant moved away to get something to swivel around and confront him. "How did you *ever* manage to sneak up on a Jaffa? Godzilla could move with more subtlety than you!"
Jonas frowned, but didn't seem concerned. "I wasn't trying to be subtle."
Oh. Damn. "Oh?"
"I was following you for a reason."
Crap. Okay, smooooooth. "Okay, let me have it."
Another sign of how far Jonas'd come: some twenty months ago he might have taken that literally.
"I wanted to ask you something. Something...personal."
Oh joy. Glancing at the assistant who seemed to be deliberately keeping her distance now, Jack lowered his voice. "Okay. Go ahead and ask - but I reserve the right to say nothing...or hit you if it's a really stupid question."
Comprehending, Jonas nodded and...asked. "Why are you proposing to Sam?"
Yup. Definitely a stupid question. "Why do you *think* I'm proposing?" Geez...
Grinning, Jonas shook his head. "No, I know how you feel about her - it's obvious how you feel about her, but...is that the reason you're asking her to marry you? To - hopefully - spend the rest of her life with you?"
Jack couldn't help but wonder what drugs Jonas was on. "What *other* reason is there?"
His smile faltered, and he actually looked awkward. "Back...where I came from, I had a...friend. His parents were married, but he discovered that what prompted them *into* marriage was when his mother lost the child she was carrying. They were trying to...fix things."
That was it. Back up, *right* there. "You can stop calling me 'Jack' now."
"The point is," He pressed on. "Though they had another child and *did* stay together until the day they died, they were never really...happy."
There was no missing the earnestness in Jonas' expression, and Jack found his annoyance fading as he spoke softly. "We're not them, Jonas. And though *I* don't personally think it's a mistake...even if it is...it's *our* mistake to make. If she says yes, of course," He added with the usual amount of self-deprecation.
Jonas stared back at him, for a while, frowning. "She does love you."
Okay, *that'd* been right at the bottom of his list of expected responses. "I know,"
He nodded. "Then you should learn to depend on it."
Before Jack could say anything, the sales assistant returned and he was forced to give her his attention. By the time she moved away again when Jack saw nothing he liked, Jonas was gone - only to be replaced by Teal'c.
"He brings up a reasonable point, O'Neill."
Jack almost jumped. Man, how did he manage to creep up on him like that? "What, do you have *dog* hearing now?"
The eyebrow shifted. "You are avoiding my opinion."
Yeah...yeah, so maybe he was. And his heart was only just getting back to its normal rhythm. "Okay, yes - it is a reasonable point."
"Committing yourself to the right person for the wrong reasons would be as foolhardy as committing yourself to the wrong person."
Had everyone turned into a greeting card? "Teal'c, look..." He thought about it. He *really* thought about it. Yes, he hoped that getting married would make them happier...but not for that specific purpose. In the end, it was as simple as...
"I love her."
That Jaffa almost-smile reigned free on Teal'c's face. "Of that I am certain, O'Neill. Come," He began to guide him out of the store. "Though there are many fine items in this establishment, I do not believe we have found any that the three of us appreciate equally."
That was the...hey, where was Jonas? He tilted his back around, and glared. "Jonas, put the jeweller's magnifier thingy down." Sighing, he shook his head and spoke to Teal'c again. "You *so* know you're gonna be my best man, right?"
This time, the eyebrow didn't even twitch.
"I would be insulted if I were not."
~FINIS