Disclaimer: They’re still not mine. Lucky them.
Spoilers: Last Stand
Summary: Any moment now, it was all going to blow.
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Under Cover
This had been one of the hardest routine post mission check-ups Janet had ever done. To begin with, she was checking up on four fewer people than she should have been. She hated it when entire teams didn’t make it home; it affected the survivors as well.
Sam went first. Janet tried very hard to keep a hold of herself. Losing Martouf…again…had been hard for Sam, and it was not fair for Janet to be so wrapped up in her own reactions to not be there for Sam, should she need a shoulder to cry on. Still, Janet was afraid that even though she had positioned herself in such a way that the only person she could see was Sam, something would catch her eye, and she would be a goner.
Sam, for whatever reason, was not in much of a talking mood beyond the “Fine” she grated out when Janet asked her how she was. Janet finished dressing the scrapes on her friend’s face and sent her on her way. The less people Janet had to deal with, the greater her chances were of remaining at even keel.
Colonel O’Neill was next. He had no apparent physical injuries, but Janet knew that losing Elliot had been hard on him. Jack had trained the young lieutenant himself, and despite his initial misgivings, had come to genuinely like the young man.
That Elliot should watch his team-mates die, become host to a Tok’ra, and then give up his own life all on his very first mission weighed heavily on Jack’s soul, though he would never admit it. Out of respect for the dead, and for Jack, Janet said nothing beyond routine questions. Jack replied brusquely, and the check-up was over quickly with Janet’s dignity still intact.
Teal’c, as always, was a rock in the storm. If the Jaffa was in some way emotionally traumatized, Janet couldn’t tell. He answered her questions laconically, but that was normal, and offered no additional information. As expected, neither he nor junior had sustained any injuries.
Janet dismissed Teal’s and Jack and watched as the two beat a hasty retreat from the infirmary. She took several deep breaths to make sure her composure was still in place, and turned to face her final patient.
As she had more or less expected, as soon as she took the time to look at Daniel Jackson, really look at him, the unthinkable happened. She felt it bubble up through her stomach, inflate her cheeks until they strained, and put so much pressure on her ear drums she thought for a moment they might burst. Right there, in the centre of the now thankfully deserted infirmary, Janet Fraiser began to giggle uncontrollably.
Daniel, understandably, was rather affronted and crossed his arms instinctively. This movement, however, served only to enhance everything that Janet had found amusing in the first place, and she laughed even harder.
“You know,” he said in a wounded tone. “People in China have been dressing like this for millennia.”
Janet was wiping tears from her eyes now, reaching blindly for the Kleenex as she leaned back against one of the infirmary cots.
“You’re mocking a culture that had advanced science while Westerners were still afraid of the dark!”
With a supreme effort, Janet managed to calm herself down to the point where she could speak, though her eyes still shone with suppressed mirth.
“I’m sorry, Daniel,” she said, not quite managing to sound contrite. “I know it’s been a hectic few days for you, but that – that – ”
“Yes I got that.” He moved forward, standing very close in front of her, and she was suddenly finding it very difficult to breathe, let alone laugh. “You should have seen what Jacob had to wear. Or worse, Morrigan. Ba’al had good taste though.”
“You know, when I joined the Air Force, I never thought I’d wind up discussing the dressing habits of parasitical aliens who think they’re gods.”
“Really?” he asked lightly, his hands coming to rest on her waist. “We used to do it all the time during boring lectures. Of course, we didn’t think they were still running about the galaxy.”
“It’s not that bad,” she said, picking absently at one of the armbands. “But these definitely have to go.”
“I’ll send Yu the critique.” Janet opened her mouth, but Daniel cut her off before she got one word out. “And no puns please, it’s been a very long day.”
“Go get changed, Dr. Jackson,” she said, a smile flitting across her face. “We’re finished here.”
“As my lady commands.”
She couldn’t quite help the smirk that suddenly found its way on to her face, and her laughter echoed after him as he walked down the corridor.
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fin
AN: I don’t think there are enough fits of sudden and uncontrollable laughter at the SGC, do you?