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Entry tags:
Checking Up
Title:Checking Up
Author:SG_Betty
Word count:1,434
Genre:Gen, Humor/Drama
Rating/Warning:PG-13
Spoilers:Fragile Balance - Season 7
Characters:Daniel, Jack O'Neill-Clone
Notes:This has not been beta read, so there may be changes at a later date.
Disclaimer:While the situations and dialogue in this story are my own, all characters are wholly owned by Gekko Productions and MGM.
Daniel knocked at the apartment door and waited uncomfortably in the hall. He wasn’t sure this visit would be welcome, but it seemed…important. He shifted his feet. Maybe he should have called first.
The door swung open. “Daniel. What are you doing here?
“Hi Jack.” Daniel waited for a minute then prodded the conversation forward. “Going to ask me in?”
Jack, the eighteen year old version, stepped back and waved an arm toward the room. “Come on in. Make yourself at home. What are you doing here?”
The living room of the small apartment didn’t look like a place that an eighteen year old lived. It looked, well, like a place Jack would live. Big Jack. Original Jack. Jack who is not a clone. Daniel hadn’t expected it to be otherwise. After all, this Jack had all of the memories and experiences of the original up to the point of the cloning, almost two years ago.
Jack turned toward the apartment’s small kitchen. “You want a beer?”
“I guess I didn’t need to bring this, then.” Daniel held up a six pack shaped bag.
Jack's smiled was mocking. “Daniel! You brought me beer? That’s illegal, you know.”
“Uh, well… I figured since you’re eighteen… That is, you're physically eighteen. In many cultures drinking at eighteen is perfectly acceptable. Like Canada. Besides, it’s not technically illegal. Minors in Colorado are allowed to drink on private property, with the permission of a parent or guardian, as long as they are supervised. I think the SGC could be considered a guardian, since they provide your stipend. And I belong to the SGC, so-”
“You can supervise… Daniel, I'm touched. Really. You researched Colorado liquor statutes so you could bring me beer with a clear conscience. I hate to disillusion you, but I drink a fair amount of beer without supervision. I have a bootlegger. Turns out high school is quite good for those kinds of connections. What did you bring?”
“Guinness.” He set the bag on the low coffee table in front of a sofa.
“And you picked beer that I like instead of what you like! Now I’m getting worried. What’s up, Daniel? And take a seat. I’ll bring you ale; you’ll like that better than the Guinness”
Daniel sat on the worn and comfortable sofa; just what Jack would have chosen. Original Jack. “Well… I knew that school let out this week… And that you graduated, so I thought I’d just drop by and, you know, celebrate your starting something new; see what your plans are...”
“Check up on me…,” Jack called from the kitchen.
“No!” Daniel fidgeted with his glasses. “Well, maybe a little.”
Jack returned from the kitchen with a cold bottle of brown ale and handed it to Daniel. He reached into the bag that Daniel had brought and opened one of the Guinness. “You know there’s the mind of a forties-ish man in here, right?” He waved a hand next to his head.
“Forties-ish?”
“I’m comfortable with that. No need for exact details.” Jack took a seat on the armchair opposite the sofa. It was equally informal.
“Ahh. Well, anyway, your memories and personality are…forties-ish, but your brain chemistry and, uh, hormones are eighteen.” Daniel tried the beer. It was good. Just what he liked.
“So you’re worried that I’m going to celebrate graduation with a lost weekend in Mexico and get mugged by prostitutes.” Jack rolled his eyes.
“No! Er, not really… I just wanted to see what your plans are now.”
“Well, let me set your mind at rest, Daniel. I’ve already been accepted at the Air Force Academy. The other O’Neill gave me a glowing recommendation.”
“I thought you weren’t keeping in touch.” Daniel was surprised. Jack – the original - found the whole concept of another version of himself disturbing and distanced himself from the situation. In Daniel’s opinion, it was only partly the idea of someone knowing his most private thoughts. A lot of people, Jack included, would have trouble with that loss of privacy. More than that, he thought the real Jack felt pity for the clone, knowing everything that the clone had lost. Well, not lost, precisely, but everything that was in his memories as his that he could never have. And Jack knew, more than anyone, how intolerable his clone would find pity.
“He’s called a couple of times. Checking up, like you. It’s weird for both of us. He wanted to know if I was going to want to go to the academy. He gave me some advice when I said I did. What else was I going to do? This time, I’ll stay out of black-ops, though. I don’t need to do that again.”
“Then what? Do you know?”
Jack lifted an eyebrow and spoke in a patient tone. “Daniel.”
“The SGC. Of course.” It made perfect sense. He already had the experience.
“Again, what else was I going to do? By the time I can apply for transfer, Jack – your Jack – will have retired, so it won’t be so…odd. Maybe you all will have retired.”
That was a discomforting thought. Daniel took a drink. He wondered how you retire from something like SG-1. This Jack knew. He hadn’t actually retired, but he couldn’t use his knowledge or go off world. He didn’t have the team that he remembered as his own. Daniel wondered if seeing him made it worse or better. “When you apply for the SGC, make sure you call me. Sam and I can both give you recommendations. I’m sure Jack, er, General O’Neill, already plans to give you one.”
“Thanks, Daniel. I appreciate that. Of course, the SGC will have access to my real file, so I might have an in.”
“Well, there’s that.” Daniel stared at his beer. This wasn’t uncomfortable at all… He questioned the wisdom of his visit yet again.
They both took a drink, focusing on their beer in the awkward silence.
Daniel looked at Jack. “You know you can call me, right? If you need anything; even if you just want to talk.”
“Hello. Still Jack here. I don’t chat. Besides, I called you. Once.”
“About a history paper.”
“It was Egypt! I should call someone else?”
Daniel was looking at a kid, but hearing Jack. It was disconcerting. “No, I was glad to help.” Daniel leaned forward. “I’m just saying, if you get tired of pretending that you think like a kid, give me a call. We’ll go to a game or something.
Jack stared at his beer for a minute then nodded slowly. “That would be good, actually.” He took another drink and examined the can. “Y’know, at first, I was kind of looking forward to doing the high school thing again. Learning the stuff I slept through. Doing things right, this time. Maybe having a little more fun and not being such an ass.”
Daniel opened his mouth to respond.
Jack brought up a hand. “Aht! Don’t even think about it.” He continued, “The thing is, you forget what kids that age are really like. I mean, they’re mostly good kids and all, but… wow! Annoying! And forget dating.” Jack put the empty can down on the coffee table in front of the sofa.
Daniel raised his eyebrows questioningly at the young face across from him.
“Daniel, think about it, they’re kids!” He waved the hand at his head again. “forties-ish! It’s creepy.”
“Uh, right. I guess I think of you as a kid with an older mind, not an older person with a kid’s body.”
“Hey, language guy - same thing.” Jack’s eyebrows rose in a very Jack way on the face that wasn’t his.
“Yeah. Well, it seems different, somehow. Just perspective, I guess. So, anyway! No dating.” He looked over his glasses at Jack. “That’s going to continue to be a problem.”
“Not so much. Once I hit my midtwenties, I can go after older women. I think that might work out pretty well. You want to watch the game?”
Daniel choked on the last of his beer. He put the empty bottle on the coffee table and tried to breath. “What sport?”
Jack raised an eyebrow incredulously “Uh, summer?”
“Baseball. Right.” Daniel found it a little strange to be hanging around with someone who looked like an eighteen year old, but it was Jack in there. A Jack. A Jack who was leading a pretty lonely existence. “Sure. Turn it on.”
Jack picked up the remote and turned on the game. He grabbed the bag of Guinness. “I’ll put these in the fridge and get you another beer. I think I have some chips, too. There might even be some dip left.” Jack collected the empties and started for the kitchen. He stopped and turned back. “Daniel…” His mouth turned up on one side and he gave Daniel a nod, then went to get the beer.
Daniel leaned back on the old sofa. This visit had turned out to be important after all. Just not in the way he’d thought.
Author:SG_Betty
Word count:1,434
Genre:Gen, Humor/Drama
Rating/Warning:PG-13
Spoilers:Fragile Balance - Season 7
Characters:Daniel, Jack O'Neill-Clone
Notes:This has not been beta read, so there may be changes at a later date.
Disclaimer:While the situations and dialogue in this story are my own, all characters are wholly owned by Gekko Productions and MGM.
Daniel knocked at the apartment door and waited uncomfortably in the hall. He wasn’t sure this visit would be welcome, but it seemed…important. He shifted his feet. Maybe he should have called first.
The door swung open. “Daniel. What are you doing here?
“Hi Jack.” Daniel waited for a minute then prodded the conversation forward. “Going to ask me in?”
Jack, the eighteen year old version, stepped back and waved an arm toward the room. “Come on in. Make yourself at home. What are you doing here?”
The living room of the small apartment didn’t look like a place that an eighteen year old lived. It looked, well, like a place Jack would live. Big Jack. Original Jack. Jack who is not a clone. Daniel hadn’t expected it to be otherwise. After all, this Jack had all of the memories and experiences of the original up to the point of the cloning, almost two years ago.
Jack turned toward the apartment’s small kitchen. “You want a beer?”
“I guess I didn’t need to bring this, then.” Daniel held up a six pack shaped bag.
Jack's smiled was mocking. “Daniel! You brought me beer? That’s illegal, you know.”
“Uh, well… I figured since you’re eighteen… That is, you're physically eighteen. In many cultures drinking at eighteen is perfectly acceptable. Like Canada. Besides, it’s not technically illegal. Minors in Colorado are allowed to drink on private property, with the permission of a parent or guardian, as long as they are supervised. I think the SGC could be considered a guardian, since they provide your stipend. And I belong to the SGC, so-”
“You can supervise… Daniel, I'm touched. Really. You researched Colorado liquor statutes so you could bring me beer with a clear conscience. I hate to disillusion you, but I drink a fair amount of beer without supervision. I have a bootlegger. Turns out high school is quite good for those kinds of connections. What did you bring?”
“Guinness.” He set the bag on the low coffee table in front of a sofa.
“And you picked beer that I like instead of what you like! Now I’m getting worried. What’s up, Daniel? And take a seat. I’ll bring you ale; you’ll like that better than the Guinness”
Daniel sat on the worn and comfortable sofa; just what Jack would have chosen. Original Jack. “Well… I knew that school let out this week… And that you graduated, so I thought I’d just drop by and, you know, celebrate your starting something new; see what your plans are...”
“Check up on me…,” Jack called from the kitchen.
“No!” Daniel fidgeted with his glasses. “Well, maybe a little.”
Jack returned from the kitchen with a cold bottle of brown ale and handed it to Daniel. He reached into the bag that Daniel had brought and opened one of the Guinness. “You know there’s the mind of a forties-ish man in here, right?” He waved a hand next to his head.
“Forties-ish?”
“I’m comfortable with that. No need for exact details.” Jack took a seat on the armchair opposite the sofa. It was equally informal.
“Ahh. Well, anyway, your memories and personality are…forties-ish, but your brain chemistry and, uh, hormones are eighteen.” Daniel tried the beer. It was good. Just what he liked.
“So you’re worried that I’m going to celebrate graduation with a lost weekend in Mexico and get mugged by prostitutes.” Jack rolled his eyes.
“No! Er, not really… I just wanted to see what your plans are now.”
“Well, let me set your mind at rest, Daniel. I’ve already been accepted at the Air Force Academy. The other O’Neill gave me a glowing recommendation.”
“I thought you weren’t keeping in touch.” Daniel was surprised. Jack – the original - found the whole concept of another version of himself disturbing and distanced himself from the situation. In Daniel’s opinion, it was only partly the idea of someone knowing his most private thoughts. A lot of people, Jack included, would have trouble with that loss of privacy. More than that, he thought the real Jack felt pity for the clone, knowing everything that the clone had lost. Well, not lost, precisely, but everything that was in his memories as his that he could never have. And Jack knew, more than anyone, how intolerable his clone would find pity.
“He’s called a couple of times. Checking up, like you. It’s weird for both of us. He wanted to know if I was going to want to go to the academy. He gave me some advice when I said I did. What else was I going to do? This time, I’ll stay out of black-ops, though. I don’t need to do that again.”
“Then what? Do you know?”
Jack lifted an eyebrow and spoke in a patient tone. “Daniel.”
“The SGC. Of course.” It made perfect sense. He already had the experience.
“Again, what else was I going to do? By the time I can apply for transfer, Jack – your Jack – will have retired, so it won’t be so…odd. Maybe you all will have retired.”
That was a discomforting thought. Daniel took a drink. He wondered how you retire from something like SG-1. This Jack knew. He hadn’t actually retired, but he couldn’t use his knowledge or go off world. He didn’t have the team that he remembered as his own. Daniel wondered if seeing him made it worse or better. “When you apply for the SGC, make sure you call me. Sam and I can both give you recommendations. I’m sure Jack, er, General O’Neill, already plans to give you one.”
“Thanks, Daniel. I appreciate that. Of course, the SGC will have access to my real file, so I might have an in.”
“Well, there’s that.” Daniel stared at his beer. This wasn’t uncomfortable at all… He questioned the wisdom of his visit yet again.
They both took a drink, focusing on their beer in the awkward silence.
Daniel looked at Jack. “You know you can call me, right? If you need anything; even if you just want to talk.”
“Hello. Still Jack here. I don’t chat. Besides, I called you. Once.”
“About a history paper.”
“It was Egypt! I should call someone else?”
Daniel was looking at a kid, but hearing Jack. It was disconcerting. “No, I was glad to help.” Daniel leaned forward. “I’m just saying, if you get tired of pretending that you think like a kid, give me a call. We’ll go to a game or something.
Jack stared at his beer for a minute then nodded slowly. “That would be good, actually.” He took another drink and examined the can. “Y’know, at first, I was kind of looking forward to doing the high school thing again. Learning the stuff I slept through. Doing things right, this time. Maybe having a little more fun and not being such an ass.”
Daniel opened his mouth to respond.
Jack brought up a hand. “Aht! Don’t even think about it.” He continued, “The thing is, you forget what kids that age are really like. I mean, they’re mostly good kids and all, but… wow! Annoying! And forget dating.” Jack put the empty can down on the coffee table in front of the sofa.
Daniel raised his eyebrows questioningly at the young face across from him.
“Daniel, think about it, they’re kids!” He waved the hand at his head again. “forties-ish! It’s creepy.”
“Uh, right. I guess I think of you as a kid with an older mind, not an older person with a kid’s body.”
“Hey, language guy - same thing.” Jack’s eyebrows rose in a very Jack way on the face that wasn’t his.
“Yeah. Well, it seems different, somehow. Just perspective, I guess. So, anyway! No dating.” He looked over his glasses at Jack. “That’s going to continue to be a problem.”
“Not so much. Once I hit my midtwenties, I can go after older women. I think that might work out pretty well. You want to watch the game?”
Daniel choked on the last of his beer. He put the empty bottle on the coffee table and tried to breath. “What sport?”
Jack raised an eyebrow incredulously “Uh, summer?”
“Baseball. Right.” Daniel found it a little strange to be hanging around with someone who looked like an eighteen year old, but it was Jack in there. A Jack. A Jack who was leading a pretty lonely existence. “Sure. Turn it on.”
Jack picked up the remote and turned on the game. He grabbed the bag of Guinness. “I’ll put these in the fridge and get you another beer. I think I have some chips, too. There might even be some dip left.” Jack collected the empties and started for the kitchen. He stopped and turned back. “Daniel…” His mouth turned up on one side and he gave Daniel a nod, then went to get the beer.
Daniel leaned back on the old sofa. This visit had turned out to be important after all. Just not in the way he’d thought.