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Title: "...A Tree Hugger I'm Not..." Date: 6th July 2003 Category: Angst, Adventure, Hurt/Comfort Author: Della Email: blindbadger@blueyonder.co.uk Rating: 10+ for violence Pairing: None Author Website: *sniffle* I do not have the know how... *sniffle* Disclaimer: Oh I sooooooo wish they were mine, but sadly they're not. They belong to Gekko, MGM and any others that have a rightful claim to these wonderful Characters and the programme they reside in... Archive: www.stargatefan.com ... www.jackfic.com ... and Kellyís site http://www.incomingwormhole.com. Thank you, you three... Any others; just let me know. Feedback: Constructive flames keeps the fire smouldering, but the good stuff gives it life... Spoilers: Brief mentions of "Proving Ground" ñ "Summit & Last Stand" and "The Sentinel" and possibly "Prodigy" Summary: Jack is none too happy when he is saddled with a probie, especially when his last assessment of him happened to be "Heíll make a good target..." Authorís Notes: This was a hint that was passed my way by Carole and considering I kinda liked Sgt Grogan, poor kid - chuckle, I thought, ëHell, why not...íHope you like. Oh and I sooo got sidetracked on my reading, hope to get back to it after this... Sorry...
"Jack," General Hammondís voice boomed in the tiny space of his office, "my word is final. Sgt. Grogan goes with you and the rest of SG1." "But, come on, sir, you remember the last time we took a probie with us..." "I do and from your report, Lt. Elliott was exemplary." "He *died*," Jack sarcastically muttered, "*that* was the point I was *actually* trying to make." "Every time that gate is opened," Hammond replied, pointing towards the gate in question, "every time people go through it, thereís a chance that we will lose some of them. Hell, Colonel, we *all* know the risks, as did Lt Elliott. And," he added, "so does Sgt Grogan." "But, sir, heíll draw every Jaffa across the Universe to us like a magnet. Heís... heís like that, you know?" Hammond actually chuckled at that and said, "I thought that's what you liked most about the missions, getting your hands dirty through fighting instead of picking up a rock or two that Dr Jackson swears is the latest artefact of importance?" "I prefer it, yeah... sorta..." Jack shrugged, "but what I *donít* enjoy is the odds of it actually happening doubling when you let a probie of Groganís calibre accompany us." "Come on, Jack," Hammond gently cajoled his 2IC, "you know I donít like to make it an order." "The last team he went with got wiped out," Jack protested, as if he hadn't heard the General, "which ultimately led to *my* capture *and* Groganís. Which, I have to say, was *not* pretty..." "All right, Colonel," Hammond snapped, "you want it to be an order then an order it will be. SG1 is assigned to P3X721 for a mineral gathering mission and you *will be* taking Sgt Grogan along for experience. Both his *and* yours, Colonel." Jack opened his mouth to protest, but when he received a glare from Hammond, he snapped it shut, turned smartly away and stomped out of the office, throwing a dispassionate "Aye, sir," over his shoulder as he left. General Hammond remained standing and shaking his head long after Jack had left his office. Heíd read his 2ICís report on the botched Summit meeting that Selmak and the Tokíra had organised and he knew that Lt. Elliottís death had hit him hard, but he just could not step down from this. Sgt. Grogan needed some experience, a better experience than the last debacle the poor kid had had to endure, and he thought that a simple mineral gathering mission would be the best way to give him that experience.
Still, he couldnít help but hope that the young manís inadvertent effortlessness of drawing trouble to himself; as his 2IC was obviously convinced of; wouldnít happen this time.
Both tests that heíd given Grogan had ended with the probie getting injured; on the first simulation actually dying. Okay, maybe that wasnít his fault, but it still sent shivers down Jackís spine. What if it happens for real? What if he wasnít good enough to ensure that it doesnít happen to the kid for real? ëCrap!í he thought as he turned the corner and pushed the door open to the locker room. Daniel turned to see who it was and immediately saw the thunder on his friendís face. "Something wrong, Jack?" he quietly asked as he took his floppy hat from the top shelf of his locker. "We got a probie accompanying us this mission," Jack grumbled in response. "And the bad in that would be?" "Itís Grogan...." Carter giggled, knowing the Colonelís last assessment of the newly appointed Sgt. Tealíc simply raised an eyebrow of enquiry at Jack, then said, "I do not understand why this is such a bad thing, OíNeill..." "Itís a *probie*," Jack muttered as if that explained all, but when Tealícís eyebrow simply rose a little higher at him, he added, "Itís a *probie* that has the tendency to draw just about every known danger to him... For crying out loud," Jack frustratingly added, "the last mission he went on ended up with his team being wiped out." "I do not believe that that was a direct result of any action made by Sgt Grogan." "No," Jack agreed, "but doesnít it *tell* you something? Anything?" "I, uh, I think what the Colonelís trying to say, Tealíc," Sam muttered around her chuckles, "is that he thinks Sgt. Grogan draws trouble to him like a pin to a magnet." "Hey, your favourite subject, Jack," Daniel blurted and laughed. Sam couldnít help herself and joined in Danielís laughter. Eventually she said, "What he means is, what could be essentially given as a simple mineral gathering mission, with Sgt Grogan accompanying us, it might actually turn into something more." "Thank you, Carter," Jack gratefully uttered, as if he believed that Sam was agreeing with him. "Actually, sir, that was an explanation, uh, not an agreement with you." Jack threw his hands up in frustration and said, "Am I the only one here that understands the danger that... that that *probie* could be getting us into?" "I do believe you are, OíNeill..." Tealíc simply replied. "Great!" Jack snarled, then as he sat on the bench in the room and started to fiddle with the bottom of his combats, he added, "Well, kids, when trouble rears its ugly head and bites either one of you on the ass, *donít* come complaining to me about it." "Wouldnít dream of it, Jack," Daniel replied, then he closed his locker door, silently nodded to Sam and then to the door of the locker room, and on receiving a silent nod from her in return, he and Sam left; their chuckles echoing in the confined space of the locker room itself. "Great!" Jack muttered again. "Perhaps this would be a good opportunity for Sgt. Grogan to experience a mission that does not promise to place his life in jeopardy," Tealíc solemnly offered. "Yeah, I can go for that," Jack agreed, "but not likely Tealíc." "We shall see..." "Yeah," Jack muttered and then stood, stomped out his feet, collected his P90, some reserve ammunition, then his jacket and left the locker room. Tealíc raised an eyebrow at his friendís back, then also stood and followed him out.
However, each officer he passed he nodded at, grinned at them and then greeted them with an enthusiastic "Hi." He received confused and bemused looks in return, but he didnít care; he was going on a mission with SG1. He let out a tiny squeal and almost skipped the rest of the way to the gate-room. He turned a corner, almost bumping into a soldier on his way to somewhere unknown, and then he was inside the gate-room. He would never get used to this. He slowly pivoted in a circle, taking in the huge circular ring that was the gate, the viewing area above him and... He stumbled and tripped and grabbed a hold of the nearest thing to him. He felt the air ëwhooshí from his lungs as he landed on his stomach. He blindly grasped an arm and hauled himself to his feet, only to find himself looking up an inch or two into the stormy face of Colonel Jack OíNeill. He swallowed deeply at the look of thunder that was aimed directly at him. "S-sorry, sir," he muttered and then started to straighten his clothing. Jack simply glared back at him and then switched the glare to Carter and Daniel; even he could hear their pathetic giggles. He stepped away from the newly appointed Sgt, hoped and prayed that this bungling wasnít a prelude of things to come, then with another brief glare at his team he started to stomp up the ramp. "Uh Jack?" Daniel suddenly called out. "Yes?" he tersely replied. "Donít you think youíd better wait until the vortex has stabilised?" "For crying out loud," he muttered and descended the ramp again. He realised that he never before had muttered this obvious indication of his frustration so many times in such a short time. He glanced over at Grogan and instantly knew why. He also came to the conclusion that there were going to be many more times it would pass his lips before this mission, this *simple* mission, was going to be over with. Jack instinctively ducked when a loud "whoosh" of the unstable vortex assaulted him from behind. Yep, there it was, right on the tip of his tongue again, ëFor crying out loud.í This time, however, only he had the pleasure of hearing it. He glanced up and signaled the General, then turned and walked up the ramp again. He checked to see if his team, and the probie, were following, then when they drew to stand next to him in a line, he stepped into the vortex, the Generalís "God speed, people" ringing in his ears. He sighed as he stepped out of the vortex and scanned the immediate area. "And what do we have here?" he dispassionately asked as he made his way from the Stargate behind him to the bottom of the steps that were conveniently just in front of him. "Well, surprise, surprise itís a tree. Oh look, Daniel," he sarcastically added, pointing off to their right, "just so the first tree doesnít get lonely, thereís a whole bloody forest of them to keep it company." Daniel snickered behind his friend and shook his head with amusement. "Itís not a laughing matter you know," Jack tersely replied. "Of... of course not Jack," Daniel spluttered, but then added, "But what I *donít* understand is the clear and obvious problem that you *do* have with trees." "No problem, Danny boy," Jack replied with a dismissive wave, "they can grow wherever they like... got no problem with that. The problem I *do* have is that they are so damned boring. Everywhere we go," he added with a sigh, "the same old thing. Tree upon tree upon tree..." "Uh, donít forget the moss, Jack," Daniel flippantly reminded him. Jack turned to the archaeologist and raised an eyebrow at him. "It would just be nice," he sarcastically muttered, "that, on occasion, we went somewhere that *didnít* have a tree within three feet of the Stargate." "Like Abydos?" Daniel softly suggested. "There you go, like Abydos," Jack replied, snapping his fingers. "Maybe a bit on the hot side," he admitted, "but hey, you ever see a tree there?" "No, Jack, Iíve never seen a tree there." Jack nodded as if to silently say, ëThere you go thení and thus quantifying his reasoning against having to put up with trees in every place they gate to. Daniel simply shook his head, but could not stop the chuckle that bubbled from him. "Sir?" Sam suddenly announced. "Yes, Carter..." "I think we should explore over there..." she stated, briefly looking up from her doohickey and pointing off towards the forest. "Great," Jack mumbled, "now I gotta get up close and personal with them." "Only tree-huggers do that, Jack," Daniel mentioned and quickly added with a mocking gasp, "Are you a closet tree-hugger Jack?" He tried to stop himself, but the look he got from his friend had him laughing out loud. "You know, *Danny boy*," Jack spat back at the young man, "Iíve been called a lot of things in my time, but a tree-hugger Iím *not*." "Okay, Jack," Daniel muttered, raising his hands in false supplication, "I just thought to ask." "What is a Tree-Hugger?" Tealíc suddenly asked. "Just exactly what it says, Tealíc. Itís a person that goes around hugging trees," Jack replied and then groused, "Like thereís nothing better to do." "Donít listen to him, Tealíc," Daniel interjected with a chuckle, "A tree-hugger is someone whom deems a tree as a living, breathing, sentient, possibly, thing; much as they would regard another human being; and they treat a tree accordingly." Sgt. Grogan turned to Major Carter with a frown and quietly asked, "Is it always like this?" "Pretty much, Sgt," Sam replied with a chuckle and a smile. "You get used to it after a while though," she added. ëOh,í he mouthed, then looked at his Commanding officer and frowned again. He hadnít expected this. Actually, he wasnít too sure *what* he had expected, but he somehow knew that this, his commanding officerís obvious dislike of trees and the mentioning of that dislike, had been the farthest thing from his mind. He sighed, wondered what the mission was going to be like and then fell in step with Major Carter.
"Uh, Jack, can you come and look at this?" Daniel asked. Jack turned and sighed. ëNot another damn rock?í he silently muttered, but then frowned when he saw Daniel standing beside Carter, not looking at something heíd found. Curiosity got the better of him, so he moved to them, looked over Carterís shoulder and said, "I donít see anything, other than my reflection. And while that might be of some fascination to some, itís not exactly conducive to a mineral search, wouldnít you say?" "Not that, Jack," Daniel uttered exasperated, "the info on the screen," he added and placed a finger just below some digits that were illuminated on Carterís doohickey. "Okay, I see them," Jack admitted, "care to explain them? Or do you enjoy leaving us lesser mortals in the dark?" he added with sarcasm; placing a hand on Tealícís shoulder and giving it a quick squeeze. Tealíc raised a customary eyebrow, but also waited for an explanation. "Well, sir," Carter began, "in all intents and purposes, these figures here," she pointed to another set of figures that were blinking, "indicate that there is a large building just beyond the forest." "Ah crap," Jack mumbled and turned away. He then quickly turned back to Daniel and with a finger raised in front of him, he said, with as much command as he could muster, "No!" "Aw, but Jack," Daniel whined. "I said no, Daniel," Jack immediately countered, "and considering that the Air Force likes to pay me this pittance of a wage to command, then what I say, goes." "But..." "Ah, no... We are here to gather some minerals and a mineral gathering we shall go. No buildings, no exploring, just the gathering of some minerals." "Yeah, but who knows what might be in that building? I mean," Daniel quickly added, "it could be something we could fight against the Gaíould with." "Goddammit! Daniel," Jack yelled, "And it could be a stronghold for the largest Jaffa uprising weíve ever seen." "True," Daniel agreed, "but we wonít know either way unless we see for ourselves, Jack." He cringed when he received a glare and was tempted to take back what heíd supposed, but the thought that it *could* be something important had him biting his tongue instead. "And here I was worried about Grogan," Jack muttered under his breath as he turned away. "It could be of significance, OíNeill," Tealíc suddenly announced. Jack turned to him and gave him a look that silently said, ëI thought you knew better?í then he sighed and eventually said, "All right, but at the first sign of trouble we are out of there... Got that, Daniel? We leave, no matter what the walls might be telling you, we leave." "Sure, suresuresure, Jack... Of course..." Daniel excitedly replied. "For crying out loud," Jack softly muttered, shaking his head. He then looked to Grogan and knew that he should have expected something like this and right now, looking at the probie, he had a horrible feeling that this *simple* mission had now turned to becoming something more, and maybe something decidedly less pleasant.
He also found it strange that there appeared to be no signs of a village surrounding it. It looked as though someone had moved house, literally, and without any care at all had simply plonked the thing in the middle of a field. He turned and gathered his team in a circle and said, "Well, kids, if there *is* gonna be a problem we wonít have any cover at all until we can get our asses back here." He looked at Grogan, sighed and said, "Grogan youíll be with me if we have to make a run for it. Tealíc, youíll be keeping an eye on Carterís and Danielís sixes." Each one nodded at him, then they scattered out a little and cautiously started to move off into the grass. Lt. Grogan kept pace with Jack which caused the Colonel to look at him with a frown of puzzlement. "You got a problem, Lt.?" "No, sir," the young, slightly inexperienced, man replied and then straightened as he walked. "Well, would you *mind* giving me some room here? Youíre taking up my air," Jack groused. "Donít mind him, Lt." Daniel called over, "heís just got out of the wrong side of the bed this morning." "Is that right, Daniel?" Jack called back over to the archaeologist, "And how would *you* know?" "Good point, Jack," Daniel agreed, "but..." he added, "youíre grumpy, snappy and sarcastic. Those are always an indication to me that you got out of the wrong side of the bed." Jack pulled his upper lip into a mock snarl, shook his head and then softly muttered, so that Daniel couldnít hear, "Donít forget Dopey and Sneezy..." Lt. Grogan spluttered a laugh at him, but hid it behind his hand when the Colonel glared at him. "S-sorry, sir, I didnít mean..." he started to explain. "Yes, you did, soldier," Jack grumbled and then sighed. ëAh, hell,í he silently muttered, ëwhy the hell are you giving the kid such a hard time?í Could it be that this might be his last mission, if his previous one was anything to go by? Maybe thatís why, but if it *is* why, then whatís the hardship in giving the kid a good time instead of a bad one? Jack looked up from his musings and glanced at Grogan. He then looked away with a soft sigh and got lost in his thoughts. Dammit, he could remember when he was like that; full of beans and eager to please; slightly tense because the last thing youíd ever wanna do would be to annoy your Commanding officer; excited because you never knew what was gonna happen on the mission. And what had he done? Had he made the kid feel better and at ease with the situation? Nope, heíd grunted and grumbled, groused and muttered and had basically given the impression that the last person on earth he would want to be in the company of was some probie that had a knack of getting himself in trouble. ëWay to go, Jackí he remonstrated at himself. He again looked at Grogan and then sighed. "At ease, soldier," he eventually muttered. Grogan frowned with puzzlement at him. "Sir?" "You donít have to walk so straight backed," Jack pointed out to him, "Youíre giving me backache just looking at you." "Oh, sorry, sir," Grogan mumbled slightly embarrassed and tried to relax a little. "And will you quit with the ësorriesí all the time. Youíre here for a reason," Jack added, "a darn *good* reason, soldier. Youíve earned the right to be here, now make it as though you know that, instead of... of *not*, uh, knowing that." "Yes, sir," Grogan grinned. Jack shook his head, but secretly smiled. He could sense that the excitement from the kid was back again in an instant and, though heíd never admit it out loud, it was good to see and feel.
Daniel was at them in a moment and was scanning them with his fingers. Jack simply tried to see the top of the building, but gave up when his neck started to protest the angle. He placed a hand at the back of it and as he rubbed the discomfort away, he asked, "So, anything of interest here, Daniel?" "Not sure yet, Jack. Give me a minute." Jack nodded and tried to see either end of the building, but they too appeared to stretch on for miles. He then looked to Tealíc and said, "Tealíc you and me had better do a perimeter search. Carter, heads up for any trouble while Danny boy here gets intimate with the walls. Grogan," Jack winced at that point when the youngster snapped to attention, but eventually he muttered, "youíre with me." "Aye, sir," Grogan announced with a grin; his eyes brightening with the excitement that shot through his body. Jack gave him a quick look, but then turned to Carter and added, "Any sign of trouble or people that wanna talk, you yell. Okay?" "Yes, sir," she replied with a smile. He knew what that smile was about; ëTrying to make it up to the kidí kinda smile. Sometimes he resented the fact that this particular Major could almost read him like a book. Good in a tough situation, but when it came to something like this he wasnít as keen for her to know. He raised an eyebrow as if to say, ëI know that you know and now *you* know that I *know* you knowí then invisibly collected Grogan up in his stride and moved off.
"Come on Daniel," Sam sighed, "give the Colonel a break. I think heís actually trying now." "Well, as long as he tries away from me, then the happier Iíll be." "I thought youíd be used to this by now?" "So did I," Daniel softly replied, "itís just that heís... heís so... and it grates on me when he gets like that." "I actually think heís concerned, Daniel," Carter admitted. "About the mission?" Daniel asked with a look of surprise and on Carterís nod, he added, "Itís superstition, Sam. Jack wouldnít admit to believing in it but, well, I think this just about confirms to me that he does." "Actually," Sam began, "I think the Colonelís more concerned that the next bit of trouble the Lt. finds himself in, that he might not be quick enough to help him out." "Jackís Jack, Sam, he always finds a way." "Gees, Daniel," Sam muttered a little piss-offedly, "just because you have every confidence in him, and yeah, so do I, it doesnít mean that *he* does." "Then he shouldnít be in command," Daniel simply stated and then turned back to the writings on the wall. Sam stood there for a moment and just blinked at her friend. Her mouth opened and closed, but such was her surprise she found that she couldnít actually speak. However, eventually she managed to push past her surprise and with a preciseness that accentuated the anger she felt, she said, "Itís good that weíre friends, Daniel, because if a comment like the one that youíve just made had come from anyone else..." She let the implied threat hang in the air about them a little while, until she added, "You get back to what youíre *supposed* to be good at and Iíll get back to what I *am* good at." Daniel placed his head on the wall in front of him and sighed. Wrong thing to say, he knew, and also something he hadnít really believed. He then turned away from the wall and muttered, "Sam, Iím sorry..." "Sure, Daniel," Sam immediately replied, "but I think I understand why the Colonel gets so frustrated with you. You can be unforgiving at times." With that said she moved a little way off and started to keep an eye out on anyone who might approach them both.
Oh boy did the inside of his cheek hurt right about now. On the tip of his tongue had been ëWell, Grogan, youíre here, aint ya? What else could it be?í Thankfully, and he was secretly pleased with himself, he actually managed to say, "I donít think so, Lt. Looks pretty deserted to me." Lt. Grogan actually looked downcast at the thought. "Oh," he muttered disappointedly. "Hey, donít go *wishing* for trouble, soldier," Jack replied to the look and the disappointment, "Youíll find enough soon enough and be wishing that maybe a *nice* *quiet* mineral gathering mission would be just as welcome." "Is that what youíre hoping for now, sir?" "Kinda..." Jack cagily answered. As far as he was concerned, the last thing he needed right at this moment was an extra body to be concerned about, so, yeah, he hoped that this would turn out to be just a boring, uneventful mission. He suddenly looked up at that point and saw a group of Jaffa turn the corner of the building ahead of them and start heading their way. "What the..." he gasped, but a loud orange explosion on the wall beside him took any other words he might have expressed away from him. He grasped Grogan by the shoulder, turned him and shoved him heavily in the back. "Run Grogan!" he yelled and started after the young man. "Tealíc, get to Daniel and Carter and then get them to the forest." Tealíc nodded and ran ahead of him. Jack depressed the talk button on his radio and yelled, "Carter, Daniel hi-tail it out of there. The Jaffa are on their way." He then let go of his radio and looked around himself. "Where the hell..." he muttered and tried to see where Grogan was. He was trailing a little behind him, so he stopped, turned around, grabbed the probie by the front of his vest and yanked him forward. Right at that moment a Jaffa fired at them, the energy burst zinging over Jackís head. "For crying out loud, Grogan," he yelled as he ducked, "When I say move, I mean *move*!" "Yes, sir," Grogan gasped, stumbled a moment and then ran on. He turned back to check on his commanding officerís progress when he saw another Jaffa take aim. "Sir!" he yelled in warning and launched himself at the Colonel. "What the hell...." Jack began in exclamation, but all of a sudden white hot searing pain gobbled up his breath and took his legs from him. He landed heavily, which knocked whatever remaining breath he had from his body. He groaned and tried to turn over, but he felt a hand go to his shoulder and yank him to his feet. The world dizzily spun away from him and his first inclination was to throw up, but he swallowed the bile when he heard the frightened voice beside him. "We need to move, sir," Grogan insisted with a slight wobble to his voice. ëCrap!í Jack thought, ëPoor kidís scared out of his wits and who can blame him.í He blinked the approaching darkness from his eyes, gulped in a lungful of air, blindly tapped Grogan on the shoulder and with his head he indicated the forest. He blearily saw a nod for a reply and then both he and Grogan ran for their lives. Jack could feel the heat of the weapons as they passed over both him and Grogan and if anything they made him run faster; despite the pain in his knees protesting the speed of which they were being asked to run; despite the agony he could feel spreading from his shoulder encasing his entire body. He could hear the rasp of each breath he took and he could also hear Groganís. He wished, as he ran, that there was something he could do for the kid, but running for your life was the only option available right now. ëCome on, Grogan,í he silently urged, ëyou can make it. You can make it.í He could feel an unhealthy sweat on his forehead, soaking his shirt making it stick to his chest. He could feel the pain of each step he made, but he had to make it, if only for the kidís sake. ëCome on, Jack, you can make it,í he silently told himself and forced himself on. He knew the Jaffa were falling back. The energy bursts were falling short and exploding behind them both; he just needed to reach the forest. He found himself thinking that never before would he be so pleased as to find a tree. ëGod, is this what itís come down to?í he silently groused. ëDanielíd have a field day if he knew what I was thinking.í At that moment the air changed around him. He felt the heat of the sun burning away being replaced by a coolness of air. He opened his eyes, not knowing when heíd actually closed them, and almost ran head first into a tree. He twisted his body, cried out at the pain that movement had cost him and then fell to the side, beneath some undergrowth. "Sir!" Grogan yelled and then knelt beside him. ëGotta... gotta do something about that fear,í he thought as he turned onto his back, grasping his shoulder as he did so, and blinked up at the probie. "Iím fine," he whispered. "Letís rest here a while, make sure the Jaffa are taken care of and then we go find the others, okay?" He had tried to say it as lightly as he could but tiny spurts of agony caused him to stagger his speech. He gritted his teeth and re-iterated, "Okay?" "Yes, sir," Grogan replied, his voice wavering with the outright fear he felt, then turned away from the Colonel, raised his P90 and kept watch. Jack painfully pushed himself to a seated position, then to his knees and shuffled to sit beside the young man. He raised a hand and made a silent swift motion to the right and then forward. Grogan nodded, understanding the silent command, and moved off first to his right and then when he thought there was enough distance between him and his Commanding officer, he moved forward. Jack watched him a moment, waited until Grogan was in the position he wanted to be in and then looked forward. Two Jaffa were heading straight for his position and another two were headed for Groganís. ëDammit,í he thought, just before he open fired on the two that were heading for him. Small sparks that signalled the entry of each bullet splayed from the Jaffa. They shook with each penetration and then fell to the ground, lifeless and obviously dead. Jack turned in time to see the young probie firing willy-nilly at the two that were heading in his direction. In a simulation Jack would have had his balls for firing so indiscriminately, but this was the real thing and he knew that the adrenaline that was undoubtedly pumping through his body about now, was pushing the young manís fear to a secret place and making him take action. His respect for the boy doubled in a second. Most might have frozen at the thought of this real life or death confrontation, but Grogan hadnít and he felt proud of the boy. Jack sat back against a tree, keeping an eye on Grogan as the young man finished off the Jaffa. The light was dimming, but he fought it. He needed to let the boy know what he felt. He didnít know why and he sure as hell knew that this was against the grain of what he would normally do, but something inside him told him that this was important. So, he fought the darkness, the pain he felt and waited. "Sir, Iíve done a quick recon and canít see any others," Grogan whispered as he knelt beside Jack. "Thatís good, Lt," Jack slowly nodded with a smile and then just before the darkness gobbled up his senses he grasped Groganís arm, squeezed it and quickly added, "*You* did good, son." A moment of pride surged through Grogan and he smiled, but it quickly dissipated when the Colonel closed his eyes and passed out. A short, sharp, shock of fear caused his heart to flutter and the first thing he did was place his fingers on the Colonelís jugular. He sighed a heavy sigh of relief when he found a pulse. He then pressed the talk button on his radio and said, "Major Carter, this is Lt. Grogan, please come in..." "We read you, Lt." Samís voice, sounding tinny over the radio, blurted out, "Whatís your situation?" Grogan swallowed hard before he replied, "The Colonelís been hurt, bad. Weíve taken out the Jaffa that was following, but... but we canít move. The Colonelís unconscious." "Do you know your position in conjunction with ours?" He looked around, trying to find a distinguishing mark, but couldnít find one. ëThey were trees, Goddammit.í There and then he began to perhaps understand his commanding officer's dislike for them. Eventually he replied, "We ran in a straight line from around the first wall. Thatís all I know. I canít find a distinguishing mark that could lead you here. Maybe Tealíc might have a better idea." There was a brief silence before Sam said, "We understand, Lt. Do what you can for the Colonel and weíll be with you as soon as we can." "Aye, sir," Grogan despondently replied then let go of his radio and looked down at the unconscious man beside his knees. Heíd been proud of him. Any other time and heíd have been jumping for absolute joy, but not now, not until his commanding officer could see how happy heíd made him with four little words.
He inhaled sharply, bit his lip against expressing the pain that consumed him whole. He swallowed fiercely. "Ah, God!" he eventually muttered, as he gently banged his head on the ground beneath him. "Iím sorry, sir," Lt. Grogan immediately apologised, kneeling beside his commanding officer, "Iím sorry." Jack forced his eyes open and looked in the direction of where heíd heard the voice. He blinked until the blurred image of the young manís troubled face stabilised. "What.... what did I tell you ëbout the ësorriesí, soldier?" he whispered. He was pleased to see a tiny smile as a response. It was short, but then Jack could understand why. He tried to sit up but groaned and flopped back down when his body instantly protested that that had been one of his most stupid decisions yet. He gathered his breath again and looked around. All he could see was undergrowth. "Lt?" he softly queried. "We had to move, sir," Grogan whispered in reply, "I think theyíve sent out another party of Jaffa." Jack slowly nodded, then whispered, "How far?" "I saw them leave the building and decided to move us, just in case," the young man replied, wiping the sweat from his brow with the back of his sleeve. Jack could see that something else was troubling the Lt, so he asked, "Something else?" Grogan silently nodded, "I radioed Major Carter an estimate of our position and she, Tealíc and Doctor Jackson are on their way there now." "You tell ëem not... not to come?" Jack asked. "Iíve been debating that, sir, but I thought it might give our position away to the Jaffa and with you unconscious, I wasnít too sure that that would have been a good move." "Well," Jack softly began, "Iím awake now, so call it in, soldier. Tell them... tell them not to come and to maintain radio silence." Jack rolled onto his side at that moment and groaned as a surge of agony enveloped him. When he thought he could speak again, he gasped, rolled back onto his back and finished, "Tell them to stay put and *weíll* find *them*." "But... but, sir," Grogan began to protest. Jack understood in an instant. The Lt. was rightfully questioning his ability to actually being able to move. Hell, wasnít he doing the same? But there was no way in hell that he was going to allow his friends to walk into an ambush. Jack grasped Groganís arm and whispered, "Do it, Lt.," he urged. "I understand, sir," Grogan softly replied, then fingered his radio and depressed the talk button. In the same whisper he said, "Major Carter, this is Lt Grogan. The Colonel and I have had to move. We are not where we were. Repeat, we are *not* where we were. The Colonel has requested me to inform you to remain where you are, to maintain radio silence and we will get to you somehow." Jack looked up at the obviously frightened young man and smiled. "Thatís good, Grogan... Now," he whispered, "you wanna help me up here?" "I think we should rest, sir," Grogan replied, suddenly nervous when he realised he was questioning the officer in charge. However, despite that he added, "I need to see to your wound and you need to get some fluids inside you." "All right," Jack agreed, "five minutes." "Yes, sir," Grogan nodded, then pulled his pack from his back and started to rummage through it, looking for the first aid kit and some supplies. Jack could almost taste the young manís fear and he didnít blame him. He admired how the young Lt. was coping outwardly, but Jack knew that the internal stuff was worse than the external; it lasted longer. He started to feel a little sympathy towards the boy. Two missions now and both had spelt trouble with a huge ëtí. He felt compelled to ask, "You okay, Lt?" "Fine, sir," Grogan immediately replied, but would not look at his commanding officer. Jack sighed. He was holding back, he could tell. "All the stuff..." he softly muttered, as he lightly grasped the young manís arm, "all the stuff that youíre feeling, soldier, itís... itís okay, you know?" "Yes, sir..." "Trust me," Jack persisted. "Iím not sure about that, sir," Grogan muttered, finally looking right at Jack, "Not the trust bit, Iíd trust you with my life, but the... the *other* stuff, sir..." Jack slowly nodded, "Youíre scared, arenít ya?" On Groganís silent ashamed nod, he added, "And you donít think I am?" Grogan shook his head. "I thought... I thought you had better sense than that, soldier," Jack softly replied with a sigh. So many emotions flittered across Groganís face at that point; surprise, shock, fear and then understanding. The last one had Jack smiling. ëWell,í he thought, ëthere goes my rep with the newbies.í "I, uh," Grogan stuttered, "I would never have guessed, sir," he softly whispered. Jack chuckled but then groaned. "Donít... donít make me laugh, soldier," he gasped, grasping at his chest. He then gulped a couple of breaths before adding, "I... I would neveríve guessed with you either, but... but Iíve been around the block a couple of times, you know?" Grogan smiled gratefully at the Colonel, then pulled apart the packaging for a bandage, poured some ointment onto it and then leant forward to inspect the Colonelís shoulder wound. Jack tensed the moment the Lt. pulled his shirt back from the wound and gritted his teeth against the pain and the rising of bile in the back of his throat. He placed an arm across his eyes and bit back a moan. He couldnít help himself and jumped slightly when the pad and ointment was applied to his wound. His nostrils flared as a whimper passed his tightly closed lips. "Crap!" was forced from them and he squirmed with each swipe of the ointment that passed over his wound. "For crying out loud, soldier," he eventually exclaimed and stomped his foot on the ground. "Almost done, sir," Grogan whispered through his own gritted teeth. He swallowed hard on seeing the wound. It was bloody and blistered, that took up most of the Colonelís left shoulder and half of his chest. He was amazed that the Colonel was still conscious through this, considering he felt like passing out himself. "Just... just *get* it done," Jack growled. "Yes, sir."
"It might not be that simple Daniel," she regretfully informed the archaeologist. "Not that simple?" Daniel frowned, "Sure it is," he added. "We stand up and start moving in the direction where we think Jack and Lt Grogan are. We find them and then we get the hell out of here... Simple." "And what if we miss them as theyíre trying to get to *us*, Daniel?" "Then someone stays here on the off chance that we *do* miss them." "Alone?" Sam asked. "Someone waits here, with Jaffa crawling all over the forest, alone?" Daniel had the good grace to acknowledge that maybe it wasnít as good an idea as he had first thought, but the thought of leaving Jack and Lt Grogan, especially Jack, out there, badly hurt and with the Jaffa hunting them, thatís what scared him the most. He needed to see with his own eyes that his friend was okay, that he wasnít about to die on them, that there was something they *could* do. "All right, Sam," he eventually muttered aloud, "not the smartest of ideas. So, what *do* we do?" "Perhaps I can make a sweep of the immediate area, SamanthaCarter," Tealíc said. "Alone?" Sam replied, "No," she added, "either we all go or we all stay..." She then looked at Daniel and then Tealíc, searching their faces for an answer. She knew that Military demanded her to obey her commanding officerís order, but this was also a friend and a friend to the two that she was with. She strained her ear for sounds of the Jaffa but could only hear the gentle breeze flitting through the leaves above them. She came to a decision. "We wait," and, as Daniel opened his mouth, she guessed to protest, she quickly added, "We wait for another half hour. If the Colonel and Lt. Grogan havenít made it to us by then, then we go looking for them... and hope and pray that we donít miss them." Daniel smiled gratefully at Sam and gently sighed with relief.
He then looked across where Lt. Grogan was. The poor kid still looked pale with fear and he guessed he was making it worse, but although he was desperate to get to his feet, to show the kid that he was strong enough to stand and move, in reality he knew that that was far from the truth. His legs shook with shock just sitting here. His stomach revolted at any thought of any sustenance and the pain was telling on him. So whatchya gonna do Jack? Sit here and wait for the Jaffa to barbecue the other side of your body? He gently placed his head back against the tree and closed his eyes. ëJust five more minutes, get my strength up and then we move,í he promised himself, as sleep consumed his thoughts and gently placed him on a bed of cotton wool.
Hailey was gonna have him for this. He knew it. She had this crush on the Colonel, not that sheíd admit it, but he knew. Sheíd also take him apart because she felt she had the right to anyway. He wasnít as smart as her, not by a long shot, and heíd been the butt of enough jokes when they were being tested to know that any respect they should have felt just hadnít been there. He thought back on his time with the tests that Colonel OíNeill had set up for them. Heíd been injured on the first and then heíd died in the second. Heíd been rescued on the third one, but he was sure that that was only because OíNeill had, in such an angry voice, the angriest heíd ever seen the Colonel, told Elliott that they never left anyone behind. To this day Grogan still felt that Elliott had only rescued him, not because he was a valued member of his team, but just because the Colonel had told him off for doing it in the first place... that Elliott feared he wasnít going to be passed. Grogan sighed at the memories and again glanced over to the Colonel. Four tiny, miniscule words, ëYou did good, son.í had meant more to him than anything else that had happened so far in his short, young life. Heíd done good... Heíd never gotten that from anyone else. Not from his Dad, not from his Brother and most assuredly not from his team-mates during or after the tests. From them heíd gotten a surprised, almost a ridiculing of him, attitude that heíd actually passed. They had told him in a succinct, direct and hurtful manner why they were surprised; counting off their fingers the reasons why they thought he shouldnítíve passed. He blinked the memory away, but could still hear their mocking laughter and see the shaking of their heads as they had left him standing alone at the ceremony, stripped raw to the bone with their painful observations. He swallowed hard and pushed the feelings heíd felt at the time back behind the protective barrier heíd built since heíd been a child. A crack of a twig, a shrill cry from a bird overhead, suddenly had his heart pounding in his chest and him turning towards the sound. He strained his ear to hear any other sounds, but couldnít hear any. However, this didnít stop him from quickly picking up the two P90ís, throwing his backpack over his shoulders and securing it at the front, and then quickly crawling his way over to where Colonel OíNeill was resting. He was embarrassed to find his hand shaking with the adrenalin that was pumping through his body and he fisted it and willed it to stop. He swallowed again and then gently shook the Colonelís shoulder. "Sir?" he whispered as close to his commanding officerís ear as he could get, "Colonel? We have company."
Jack looked beyond Grogan, hearing the sounds of an approaching army; the chink of their armour and the thuds of their footsteps. He looked back at Grogan and nodded, "But you stick close to me, okay?" he whispered. Grogan nodded in reply, "Yes, sir." He then threw his backpack and the two P90ís behind the tree, moved Jack a little forward, ignoring the groan, and then got a good grip under his armpits. He first pulled him sideways and then backwards. He felt the Colonel stiffen in his hands and could feel the swift rise and fall of the manís chest beneath them. Heíd expected him to cry out, but when he hadnít heard anything, he instead imagined the contorted face of agony that forced the man to remain silent. Grogan fell on his butt the moment heíd managed to pull the Colonel around to the back of the tree. It hadnít taken long, but hearing the closeness of the army and heíd felt it had been an age; all the while convincing himself that they would be seen any moment now. He looked up to see the Colonel on his knees leaning against the base of the tree. His eyes were scrunched closed and his breathing was rapid. If Grogan didnít know any better, he was sure that the Colonel was as close to throwing up as heíd been after his binge of drink at the passing out ceremony. Despite where he was he snorted. ëPassing out ceremonyí, oh yeah, heíd done that. A groan from the Colonel shoved him back to the here and now and he was beside him before heíd even thought of it. He gently placed a hand on his back and softly enquired, "Sir?" "Pass me the P90," Jack grated out at him and held out a shaking arm to receive it. Grogan briefly glanced behind him, picked up both P90ís, cocked them, making sure that they were ready to fire, and then handed one over to Jack. He then whispered, "Sir, if we stick this close together, all we do is make ourselves a bigger target to hit." Jack forced his eyes open and looked around. He silently acknowledged the sense of what Grogan had told him and just as softly said, "There," he nodded with his head to a nearby tree, "but no further," he added, "no... no further." "Aye, sir," Grogan agreed and then quietly, as quietly as he could manage, he snuck off to the tree Jack had indicated. He rechecked his P90 and then nodded over to the Colonel, silently signalling that he was ready. Jack returned the nod. The kid was surprising him. Not once during the tests had he afforded the Lt. with any sense at all. He softened the harshness he felt towards himself with the thought that maybe the kid getting injured all the time had blinded him to the fact that he actually *did* possess the ability to command. It softened it, but it didnít completely take it away. He had been unfair towards this kid, something he remembered Carter had tried to tell him, but hopefully heíd get the chance to change that. He took a deep, shaky breath in, then gritted his teeth and braced himself for a fight that was about to occur.
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