As Daniel entered the locker room, he shrugged out of his BDU shirt, automatically pulling off his team patches before he tossed the garment into the open laundry bag. It'd been a long, exhausting day, and while they had managed to save downtown Seattle, Daniel couldn't help but feel defeated. Not only was Ba'al not dead, they could be up to their armpits in cloned Ba'als at any moment. Worse than that though, was the defeat on Teal'c's face when he'd come back from Dakara. Gerak had pulled victory out of defeat and the leaders of the Free Jaffa had flocked to his side, drawn by the sweetness of success. Teal'c was obviously shaken by his political loss. Daniel had wanted to go to Teal'c, to be there for him and offer him some words of comfort but he knew what Teal'c really needed was to be alone for a few hours. Only meditation would give him peace of mind and inner balance. Judging from the despondency on the big guy's face, he would be hauling out the emergency candles for this session.
Daniel walked over to his locker, but instead of opening it, he sat down tiredly on the bench, needing a moment of his own to comprehend recent changes. He fingered the SG–1 patch, running his thumb over the smooth patterns of tight embroidery. He had thought never to wear this again. For a full eight years — nearly one half of his adult life — he'd been a part of SG–1. Jack, Teal'c and Sam had become his family. They'd accomplished much and experienced the unbelievable on a regular basis.
In fact, the only thing that could top such an amazing experience would be to go to Atlantis. When SG–1 had effectively nullified the Goa'uld threat by eliminating Anubis, the members of the team had felt the pull of other priorities. General O'Neill had ascended into the highest stratum of the military structure. Daniel smiled, hoping that Jack would be able to affect more change than Daniel had when he'd ascended. Carter had heeded the call of family and the desire to immerse herself in alien technology; she accomplished both by departing to head research at Area 51. Teal'c had tackled perhaps the toughest job and bravely went off to try to mold an entire nation of suddenly free Jaffa.
Daniel's quest was more personal. He'd been prevented from leaving on the expedition to find Atlantis, but now that he knew there existed an intact Ancient city, he simply had to go investigate it. Granted, his skills and experiences made him the ideal researcher for Atlantis, but it was mainly for personal reasons that he needed to go there. He had ascended twice, had lived as an Ancient for over a year and he had many unanswered questions about the experience. He hoped Atlantis would provide both insight into the human condition and enlightenment for himself. Unfortunately, Vala's arrival had caused him to literally miss the boat for his next great adventure.
Daniel stared steadily at his new patch. Fate had a habit of pushing him where he was needed most, despite what he personally wanted. Could staying on SG–1 be more important than going to Atlantis? Which path should he choose? He sighed; the truth was that the Atlantis path was closed to him unless he could attempt another transfer when the Daedalus returned to Earth after completing its current mission. Until then, SG–1 was where the next best action would be.
He looked up as the door swung open and Colonel Cameron Mitchell sauntered in. "Hey," Mitchell offered in greeting, keeping his words to a minimum as usual. Walking to his locker, he spun the dial of the combination lock as he glanced over at Daniel, his sharp eyes quickly spotting the patch in Daniel's hands. He was only a couple feet away as this was SG–1's area and he'd been assigned to Jack's old locker. While Mitchell's nameplate was new, Daniel and Teal'c's had yet to be removed. Possibly the officer in charge of such changes had been conditioned to not act hastily to changes in SG–1's roster. With a bang, Mitchell opened his locker and rummaged about. As the door swung opened, Daniel noticed that the inside of the door was bare and he looked away; the photo of Jack's son, Charlie, was gone. Daniel felt a sudden pang as he missed Jack, that small absence more poignant than any others that Jack was truly gone from Daniel's daily life.
Daniel looked back at the gray and black insignia in his hand. The silence was suddenly unsettling to him and he said the first thing that popped into his head. "You know, I can't help but wonder why you asked Sam and Teal'c to join SG–1 but didn't feel the need to ask me."
Mitchell smiled as he shrugged out of his shirt. "In case you'd forgotten, Jackson, I've been asking you to join for the past couple of weeks." He pulled his black t–shirt over his head, his lean muscles flexing as he looked back at Daniel. "I finally decided that maybe you couldn't say yes without saying no to Atlantis, and it'd just be easier if I made that decision for you."
Daniel pursed his lips as he frowned; he hadn't thought of that. It was insightful if it was true. "You seemed pretty certain that Sam and Teal'c would join up," he sidestepped.
Mitchell sat down and began to unlace his boots. "Yep. They were easy. You were the hard one." At Daniel's skeptical lift of his eyebrows, Mitchell continued. "I've known Sam for over a year now and she is one competitive lady. Once I had you, I knew she wouldn't be able to stand the thought of you out there making new discoveries while she was stuck back on Earth."
Daniel decided it was prudent not to comment on Mitchell's reasoning. "And Teal'c?"
"Oh please, Jackson, he's got it bad for you. You get a bad hair cut and he comes a runnin'." He stood, balled up his socks and threw them into the laundry basket. "Just air," he said, with a pleased grin. He reached down to unbutton his fly.
Daniel was used to the military types disrobing in front of him, but his intuition was telling him something else might be at play. He stood and placed his patches in his locker. "I told you that day in my office that you can call me Daniel. Everyone else does."
Mitchell dropped his pants and stepped out of them and right into Daniel's space. "And I told you to call me Cam, but all I ever hear comin' out of that pretty lil' mouth is "Colonel" or "Mitchell." He looked down at Daniel's mouth and licked his lips. "Besides, I want to call you Jackson because no one else does. I like the thought that that's special between us. When you hear that name, you'll be thinking of me." He grinned. "You do know that General O'Neill said I could have anything I wanted once I recovered from my injuries?"
Okay, that was definitely a pass. Daniel faced Mitchell squarely. "I'm sure he was referring to a command."
Mitchell eyes were alive with merriment. "You any good at takin' orders?"
Daniel nearly burst out laughing. Mitchell was proving as forward as Vala had been. "I'm pretty used to taking orders from Jack O'Neill."
"Hmm…present tense. This could take longer than I thought." Mitchell slipped his thumbs under his waistband and slid off his government issued briefs. Completely nude, he looked speculatively at Daniel. "I'm a patient man and I got time and proximity on my side." He stepped away, walking a few feet towards the showers before turning back, displaying a fine, tight set of gluts. "You taking a shower before headin' home?"
What the hell? Was that some sort of invitation? Here in the SGC? Daniel quickly discarded the thought; there was no way Mitchell could be serious. "Not tonight," he said firmly.
"I had you there for a sec, didn't I? Lighten up; it's just since I've heard you're prone to showin' up nude in public places, I've been wondering what I've been missing." He picked up a clean towel from a stack. "I figured getting a peek of the merchandise would be a perk of the job." He tilted his head. "Actually, I was looking forward to seeing both you and Teal'c buck naked."
The playful flirtation was contagious and Daniel couldn't resist the obvious comeback. "Separately or together?" he asked innocently.
Mitchell's mouth hung open. "Be still my heart," he breathed in awe. Then his face was split with a large smile. "You're a bit of a pistol, aren't you, Jackson?" He chuckled. "SG–1 is definitely the prime assignment. Whoohoo!" he shouted, tossing his towel in the air before disappearing into the showers.
Daniel smiled as he started to change into his street clothes. He really shouldn't have encouraged him but the man was so open, so eager, it was hard not to catch his enthusiasm. Mitchell had a different leadership style than Jack's but since team had already jelled, he supposed he could get used to being called Jackson. Particularly when he knew the subtext.
END