In Cascade, a furious Megan threw her phone down and cursed vividly, using all of the Aussie curses at her disposal.
Rafe looked at her in concern. "Is Hairboy ok?"
"I don't think so." She picked up her phone and set it down more carefully, "He just sounds so defeated, not like the Sandy we know and love," she looked at Rafe. "He said to tell you and Henri hello."
"When is he coming back?" Henri asked.
Jim came into the bullpen in time to hear Megan sigh. "I don't know if Sandy is coming back."
"He has to," Jim blurted.
Megan spun around to pin a glare on Jim. "He has to, does he? And when did you find the time to tell Sandy that? Why do you think he ran? It's not just because of the press conference. I think it had something to do with you."
Rafe and Henri watched as their Major Crimes co-worker turned a dull red and said, "You're right. It's my fault and I have to find him and let him know."
The Australian had been well aware that Blair had been hiding less that platonic feelings towards his roommate, and she wondered how Jim felt about their missing colleague. "Splendid, you find him, then what? What can you possibly offer him that would make him want to come back?"
Jim was confused. "I don't understand."
Megan snapped her fingers. "And that's why he's gone, mate."
*^*
The sun was shining brightly, the breeze making the aspens move in the wind, their peculiar rustling sound almost hypnotizing. The laughter from the backyard made Blair smile. His dad and Daniel were crazy, head over heels in love with each other and it was a joy to see.
Unfortunately, he and Jim's relationship had been very similar, without the sex of course. Though Blair would've changed that in a heartbeat. His phone rang and he checked the display, saw that it was Jim, again, and turned it off.
Jack saw his son walk onto the back deck and grinned. "Hey kid, I'll pay you five bucks if you'll mow."
"Oh please, make it twenty and I'll think about it. Starving grad student here."
Daniel stood and groaned, rubbing his back. "~I'll~ pay you twenty."
The sound of a car door slamming made Daniel look peevishly at Jack. "I thought it was your day off, General, sir."
"You're a General?" Blair asked in surprise.
"He's the old man," Daniel confirmed, then laughed as Jack tried to grab him.
"If my knees weren't locking up I'd beat you like a rug!"
The sight of a pretty blonde with long legs wearing jean shorts and a pale blue tank top coming around the corner made Blair smile. "Oh hey, look at those legs." He grinned sunnily as his father threw a 'knock it off' glare at him.
Sam looked at the younger man in curiosity, then she smiled at her co-workers. "Sir, Daniel. I'm sorry to bother you on your day off."
Jack got to his feet and wiped off his dirty hands on his shorts. "It's okay, Carter. I want you to meet someone." He moved over to Blair and rested his arm over his shoulders. "Blair Sandburg, this is one of my co-workers, Colonel Samantha Carter. Carter..." he paused for effect. "This is my son, Blair."
Blair turned on the charm. "Hi, Colonel Carter. I didn't know that they had such beautiful women in the military."
Sam was visibly surprised. "I'm pleased to meet you Blair, and please, call me Sam." She looked at Jack and could see a slight resemblance, the stubborn chin and the shape of the eyes the most striking.
Daniel had to smile, the brand of charm from the two men was very similar. "Hey Sam, is everything ok?"
"Um yeah. I just a couple of ideas I wanted to run by the General. It'll only take about 10 minutes." She smiled at Daniel's look of skepticism. "Really, Daniel. Pete's waiting for me."
Jack snickered at Daniel's expression, then looked at Blair, "Okay kid, take advantage of Daniel's brain while you have the chance," he waved merrily at them before heading around the house with Sam.
"So, what does Sam do?" Blair asked.
Daniel stretched his back and winced. "She's the head of my team and a mean quantum mechanic/astrophysicist."
Blair's quick mind tried to gather all of the available information and make sense of it. "What does the Air Force need with an archeologist slash anthropologist, and an astrophysicist on one team? What else do you have, a theoretical philosopher? "
"No, but that's a good idea. I'm a linguist too," Daniel said mildly, "and it's all classified."
"Classified archeology and anthropology, linguistics and astrophysics...hmmm," Blair intoned seriously. "Uh huh."
Daniel laughed. "You know how it is, Blair. So, what's your area of expertise?"
Blair gracefully accepted the change in subject. "Latin America and closed societies. The Sentinel one is, was, the biggie, of course."
Daniel nodded and kept his eyes on the shoe he was tying. "You ever read Nicholas Ballard?"
"Ever read him? It's like the best stuff! My advisor knew him, said he was a stuffed shirt and a little nuts, but the man could write! It was more like reading a good paperback than a dry article about Mayan Sacrifices or the Crystal Skulls," Blair said enthusiastically.
"He's my grandfather," Daniel said softly.
This made Blair wince. "You know, man, I didn't mean the nuts reference."
The other man laughed lightly. "That's okay. Nuts is a relative term. I have some of his original journals and stuff if you'd like to look at them."
"Would I? That would be awesome, Daniel." Blair grinned and then gathered his hair up, letting the breeze dry his sweaty neck. "I need to do something with this mop. But I'm not complaining about the sun, it's great here."
Daniel eyed the sun for a moment; it was getting close to the heat of the day. "We get more sunshine here than a lot of places." He frowned back at the unmown lawn but the lure of kibbitzing with another anthropologist was too strong. "Screw it, let's go look at Nick's journals."
"You got it. I'll mow it for you guys later." Blair was so excited that he almost bounced, and for a moment he put away his broken dreams.
*^*
Jack found them ensconced at the dining room table, both heads buried in what looked like Nick's old journals, arguing translating or transliteration or something. "Hey kids, what are ya doing?"
Blair looked up with a grin. "Hey dad. Just teaching Daniel a bit about the Chopec language."
"I know Itonama," Daniel replied peevishly.
The younger man shook his head. "Itonama is like from another planet than from the Chopec's, man. There are different tenses for their verbs." Jack's lips quirked at the 'other planets' reference. If Blair only knew.
"Okay, show me again," Daniel asked with determination and Blair pointed to the notebook with his pencil and began to speak softly but firmly, Daniel repeating him.
Jack smiled fondly at the two of them and went to rummage in the fridge for a beer.
*^*
Jim was wandering his loft restlessly, unaware that he had a big black companion of the furry type following him around. His spirit animal paced behind him silently until it became bored, then it hopped onto the dining room table, its blue eyes tracking the man.
After a few minutes Jim got the sensation that he was being watched. He lifted his head and nearly jumped out of his skin. "Geez, give me a heart attack would ya?" he complained.
The panther responded with a deliberate yawn, dropping its lower jaw, pink tongue sliding out to reveal rows of sharp white teeth, then closing his mouth with a snick reminiscent of a steel trap.
"Okay, was there something that you needed?" Jim asked the spirit guide warily.
The big black cat dropped gracefully off of the table, lifting its head to sniff the air delicately. It then stalked to the french doors to Blair's room, pushing one door open with his head. He stuck his head in, then turned to glare at Jim.
"I got it, you miss Blair too," Jim sighed. "I'm working on it."
The panther growled and went to the table and hopped back up, paws crossed nonchalantly over the edge. Jim threw up his hands. "I know. I screwed up, ok?" He went back to pacing, "I miss him. I miss his hair, and I never thought I'd say that. It's too damn quiet without him," Jim stopped pacing and had an epiphany. "I need him."
The panther yowled softly, as if to say, "You only now figured it out?"
*^*
Daniel lounged in Jack's doorway, enjoying the sight of his lover as he worked studiously at his desk. It still amazed him how well Jack was doing at this General thing. After a few minutes Jack sensed someone was there and his head came up, eyes lighting in welcome. "Hey, Danny. Something you need?"
"Yeah, I was thinking. You told me to dig up some bodies for my department, right?"
Jack nodded. "Yeah, about a year ago. And? So?"
"I found the perfect person."
Now the General was interested. "Can they pass the security clearances?"
Daniel grinned. "No problem."
Suddenly Jack realized who Daniel meant. "Oh, Daniel. I don't know..."
The archeologist came into the office, argument prepared and hands already moving. "C'mon Jack. I've read his papers and checked out his transcripts. Blair would be perfect, and he could finish his doctorate here. It would be the perfect solution. He's in great shape and he's got law enforcement experience." He patted his pockets and came out with several slightly crumpled pieces of paper. "Here are some articles I found on Blair and his partner. They had the highest cases solved rate in the state."
Jack looked them over, smoothing them slightly. "Can I have these?"
Surprised, Daniel was about to complain when he realized that Jack wanted to 'keep' them, like a father keeping stuff for his kid. It was sweet, and he hid a grin. "Sure Jack, they're yours." He glanced at his watch and groaned. "Department meeting. I'll see you tonight?"
"Yeah, sureyabetcha." Jack replied absently, making Daniel smile as he left.
It had been almost a week since Blair had left Cascade. A long week, one with a boss in hospital, and Jim grouchier than a Tazmanian devil, and not the cartoon type. Megan smiled as she entered Simon's room. "G'day Simon," she said cheerfully.
Simon grumbled. "I have to eat hospital food, how can you call this a good day?"
With an eyeroll, she sat down beside him and pulled out a Wonderburger from her huge leather purse. The look of delight on Simon's face made it worth the effort and the automatic guilt for smuggling into a hospital.
"You are a queen among cops, Connor," he said as he quickly unwrapped the contraband and dug in.
They chatted while he enjoyed his fat-laden meal. The sound of footsteps made him grab all of the trash and toss it to Megan, who shoved it her in her purse just as Attila the Hun disguised as a nurse came in. She sniffed suspiciously, glaring at the innocent faces before deciding it was not worth the trouble. "I need to check your vitals and your bandages, Captain Banks."
Megan stood up. "And that's my cue to leave."
"Wait, Connor, where's Sandburg? I've seen everyone but him. And Ellison, now that I think about it." He was actually feeling a bit hurt about it.
"Um..." She shuffled slightly. "Sandy left Cascade, and Jim's been like the proverbial bear with a sore head."
"What?" Simon yelled.
The nurse shushed him. "Don't you be getting all excited, Captain Banks," she turned to glare at Megan. "Come back tomorrow."
"And you tell Ellison to visit or else he's fired!" The shout followed Megan into the hallway.
*^*
It had been almost week since Blair had left and Megan was ignoring her Major Crime co-workers as she labored over an overdue report. She glared at her phone when it rang insistently, then snatched it up. "Connor." she barked.
"Hey, Megan."
"Sandy!" She squealed and immediately got everyone's attention, especially Jim's.
"How is everyone? Is Simon back yet? What's going on there?" he babbled excitedly. He had been so busy that he hadn't had a chance to miss everyone, and he was now, with a vengeance...especially Jim.
Megan laughed. "Slow down, Sandy! Everyone is doing fine. Simon is grumping that you haven't been to see him, but I told him why." She leaned back and glared at Jim. "You too," She mouthed and Jim winced.
"Oh man. Tell him I'm thinking about him. No, wait, I'll call him."
"I think you'd better," she agreed, "So, how are you doing?" She ignored Jim, who was gesturing that he wanted to speak to Blair.
"I'm very busy, I miss you guys though." He looked over the table with all of it's mysteries to be solved.
Another ringing phone made her sigh. "Listen Sandy, we're as busy as a one legged man in an arse kicking contest. Can I call you back?"
"Sure, Megan, call me back tomorrow, okay?"
"You bet. Bye," she hung up, then jumped as she realized that Jim was hovering directly behind her. "Ellison, what do you want?"
"Where is he?" Jim demanded.
Megan sat back and eyed him. "Why?"
"I need to find him."
"You can go down to tech and have them trace where's he's using his cell phone. They can track which tower each call uses," Rafe volunteered blandly.
Jim's head swiveled around. "Really?"
Rafe gave his co-worker a pitying look. "Take a computer classes, Jim." But he said it to the man's disappearing back. He and Megan grinned at each other. It finally looked like Jim was going to get off his ass and find Blair.
After harassing the techs Jim finally got a town. Colorado Springs. "Why are you in Colorado Springs, Chief?" he asked himself out loud. Then he got an idea and hustled to his desk. He had a lot to do before he could go home.
*^*
Naomi was meditating in her hotel room, when her phone rang. She smiled with delight- it had to be Blair. He finally had come to his senses. "Blair?" she answered brightly.
"Sorry, Naomi, it's Jim."
Disappointed, she replied politely, "How are you, Jim?"
"I could be better. I really miss Sandburg. Listen, I've traced him to Colorado Springs. Do you know who he'd visit there?"
Naomi stared dumbly as the overwrought and ugly wallpaper. Colorado Springs. No. Blair wouldn't do that. Not after.... "I don't have any idea. Jim, I'm terribly busy." And she disconnected. She tossed the phone down and began to throw things into her bags. She wouldn't let this happen, Blair was her son. He would just have to accept that she was right.
Jim stared at the phone. He'd never heard that tone of voice from Sandburg's mom. It didn't take his now blunted Sentinel abilities to realize that maybe he shouldn't have called her, and he wondered if it had something to do with Blair's thesis.
The resounding silence in the loft was almost painful. He never realized that he would miss the kid so damned much. It was like a part of himself was missing, the other half of him. The good part of his soul.
Shit.
He picked up his phone and dialed Blair's phone again, and again he got no answer.
*^*
Blair dug out a notebook and began to browse through it, scribbling onto another piece of paper. The front door opened and his head popped up. "Hey, Daniel!"
"How's the hunt going?" Daniel smiled, he really liked Blair and his enthusiasm was contagious.
"This stuff is amazing, I mean, you have a culture of warriors and their bond mates, and another subculture of women who aren't subservient to the men, but equals. And slaves for all, but not really slaves, more like loyal employees." The excitement in Blair's eyes made Daniel smile again.
Daniel had taken some notebooks from the mountain, but on the sly. They had been set aside by the military as not high enough priority and he never had time to go through them himself, so he had brought them home for Blair to check out. He hadn't told the younger man that the cultures were from another planet, only that they had been languishing and that he could use Blair's help with him. Hopefully Jack wouldn't catch on...
The door opened again and Jack came in, tossing his briefcase onto the chair and sighing loudly. "Home again, home."
Daniel laughed quietly. "So, what do you guys want for dinner?" he asked as he slipped out of his jacket.
Blair looked down for a long moment. "Just a second, Daniel." He looked at his father. "Do you think Sara would like to see me?" His voice was uncertain.
Surprised, Jack sat down and looked at his son. "I think she'd be thrilled."
"Tonight?"
Jack nodded. "Sure, kid. You want me to drive?"
Blair winced inwardly as he thought about his practically non-existent bank account. "I'll rent a car, dad."
"No way. Take my car, Blair," Daniel said firmly. He went to his backpack and dug out his keys, tossing them to the surprised younger man.
"Are you sure?"
Daniel waved his hands. "Go."
After the younger man had left, Jack pressed against Daniel who was standing at the stove. "Hey, babe."
Daniel pressed back, enjoying the feel of Jack's hard body against him. "Hey, yourself. Chicken Alfredo ok?"
Jack kissed Daniel's neck, then rested his chin on his shoulder. "Sure. And you make sure that all of that stuff on the table gets back to the mountain. Understood?"
Busted.
"Damnit," Daniel complained and felt Jack huff a laugh.
*^*
Blair carefully pulled into the driveway of the split level ranch and shut off the car. He was nervous- hell, who was he kidding? He was terrified. Sara had been a great friend and mom figure when he was little. She mattered, and what she thought about him mattered. ~Geez, get a grip.~ After taking a bracing breath, he got out and walked up to the door, knocking firmly.
It opened and a middle-aged man asked, "Can I help you?"
"Is Sara here?" he asked, his voice a little high. Blair was so nervous that he'd almost asked for Sara O'Neill.
The man eyed Blair, then turned to call, "Sara, honey? Someone here to see you!"
Blair fidgeted nervously under the man's gaze, then over his shoulder he saw a familiar blonde. As the woman came down the stairs he could see that her hair was shorter and there were lines around her eyes that tragedy had added, but he knew her, and she knew him. "Bear?" she asked, using Charlie's old nickname for him.
His heart full of emotions and his eyes full of unshed tears, Blair nodded. "Hi, Sara."
Sara flew down the stairs and wrapped him in a fierce hug. "Blair, Ohgod, I've missed you. How are you?" she asked after hugging him again.
"I'm fine. I'm so sorry about Charlie, Sara. Dad only told me on Saturday. I didn't know," he babbled, his voice breaking.
She cupped his face. "Bear, it's ok. I hope you can tell me what happened, because I don't understand."
"You're not the only one," her husband interjected tartly.
Sara laughed softly. "I'm sorry, honey. Mark, this is Jack's son Blair. Blair, this is my husband, Mark."
Now Mark was very surprised. Neither Sara nor her father had mentioned that Jack had another child, especially one this age. "Nice to meet you, Blair," he said politely, the two men shaking hands briefly. He watched as his wife dragged the younger man into the living room, getting him situated, asking him if he wanted something to eat or drink.
"No, I'm good, Sara. Please, sit down." Blair insisted and then grinned when she went to a cupboard and pulled out a small bear, handing it to him. "Is this the one I gave to Charlie when he was born?" He turned the curly haired Steiff bear this way and that, memories flooding him.
"Yes," she sat down beside him and took it from his hands, straightening the little bow tie, rubbing its ears before handing it back. "I want you to take it with you. You were a terrific big brother to him."
He smiled shakily. "I'd forgotten that he called me Bear."
Sara looked at her husband. "Blair is Jack's son from back when he first joined the Air Force. Blair's mother, Naomi, traveled a lot, so he would frequently stay with Jack and I. Charlie couldn't pronounce his ells, so he always called him Bear."
Mark leaned forward slightly. "Can I ask why no one has ever mentioned Blair?"
"Blair was in college in Washington State when Charlie died. We tried to reach him, but he was away on a dig, so Jack and I decided to wait to tell him. His mother called first and I let her know." Sara blinked away a few tears, smiling when Blair took her hand.
"Then a few days after Charlie's funeral she called and said that Blair wanted nothing to do with either Jack or me. That he blamed us both for Charlie's death," Sara looked sadly at Blair. "It hurt, and I felt like I had lost another child, but I decided that if that is what you wanted..." She trailed off. "I didn't have the energy to fight, and I was wrong. I'm sorry, Bear."
"Oh, don't Sara. It's not your fault. I don't know what was going through Naomi's warped mind." Blair stood and walked over to the mantle, taking the picture of Charlie in his Little League uniform down. "I can't believe that he's gone," he ran a gentle finger over the smiling face in the picture before placing it back onto the mantle.
"Blair?" The question in Sara's voice obvious.
He turned. "I haven't told dad what she told me. I don't think he wants to know yet." His eyes went to Sara's. "I'd just got back from a dig when Naomi called me at Rainier and said that you had told her that you didn't want me to visit, or call, or write anymore. That you weren't comfortable around me, that I was a bad influence on Charlie and that dad agreed," Blair closed his eyes against the remembered pain. "She never told me that Charlie had died."
"Blair, I never..." Sara began, aghast at the lies, but stopped when Blair shook his head. "I don't blame you, Sara, not you or dad. I may have been book smart, but I believed her..." He groaned and threw up his hands. "The point is, Naomi lied to me and to you guys, for her own twisted reasons."
Mark shook his head. "I'm sorry Blair, but it seems like your mother is a manipulative bitch."
The younger man gave a bitter laugh. "You have no idea."
Sara stood up briskly, "I'm just glad you're back in our lives, Bear. You'll stay for dinner, of course." Her voice was matter of fact, but her genuine smile brought back happy memories.
"I'd like that."
*^*
Daniel watched as Jack stood at the window, waiting for Blair to come home. "Jack, he's an adult."
"I know. But Sara was like a mom to him, better than that bitch, Naomi. She has more power to hurt him." He turned and suddenly grinned. "We had him for his 6th grade year, and it became obvious that he was smarter than the teacher. We had him tested, and he was skipped up to high school. Sara fussed over him and made sure he stayed a little boy." The sound of a car pulling in made him spin around. "He's home."
The door opened and Blair bounced in. "I'm home! Sara still makes a mean pot roast."
"That she does," Jack agreed. "How did it go?"
"We talked, and she said the same thing that you did. She never said she didn't want to see me." He took the bear out and handed it to Jack. "Remember what Charlie called me?"
"Bear," Jack sighed as he looked at the little bear. "This is the one you gave him when he was born."
Sensing the heavy mood, Daniel touched Jack gently. "Let me guess, Charlie had a problem with pronouncing his 'ells'?" The older man smiled at him, though his eyes were dark.
Blair answered. "Yeah. The little man would follow me around, getting into everything," this was said over his shoulder as he went to the bar and poured himself a stiff whiskey. "As I said to Sara, I can't believe he's gone." He saluted with the shot glass, then tossed back the whiskey. "I miss him so goddamned much." There was pain in his blue eyes.
"You wanna talk about it?" Jack asked softly. He'd done the worst of his grieving years ago but he remembered the same look of devastation in his own eyes. It would take time, and at least he was here for Blair now.
"No." Blair shook his head, then abruptly said, "Yes. What I want is to know 'why'? Why did Naomi do this to us?"
Jack shook his head. "I couldn't tell you kid. Naomi never did make a lot of sense to me."
"It was after Charlie's death, right?" Daniel asked. Blair and Jack both looked at him and nodded. "Jack, you said she was an original flower child. How anti-military, anti-weapon was she?" he continued carefully.
"Very. Still is," Blair answered, and then horrified realization dawned. "You mean, she did this to protect me? I was an adult, and Charlie was my baby brother! It wasn't her call."
"I'm sorry that I listened to her. I should've pushed, called you to hear it in person. I just never thought that Naomi would do this," Jack said, guilt making him feel old.
"It's not your fault, dad. It's hers," Blair said sorrowfully.
*^*
Jim rolled over and sighed. Even though he wore his earplugs and his blindfold, it didn't stop the smells and memories. Sandburg's scent still permeated the loft, and it made him miss his partner all the more. The constant noise, his algae shakes, the eyes that defied the color blue, the curly hair that got into everything, those full lips that made him want to...
"Whoa!" he yelped and sat up in his bed, whipping off his blindfold to stare at his crotch. "What are you doing?" he demanded. He pulled out his earplugs though it was obvious his cock wasn't going to answer, just stay stiff in his shorts because he was thinking about Blair and his lips and stuff.
Then the belated wave of emotions swamped him. "Ohmigod," he gasped. "I love Blair!"
The sound of an amused panther made his head snap up and he glared, "I suppose you knew about this? That I miss Blair because I've fallen in love with him? You didn't think to let me know before I screwed up my life and his?"
The panther merely twitched his tail, and Jim rubbed his face roughly. "I am such a moron," he moaned. A rumbled purr only made him sigh.
*^*
Jack looked up from fixing breakfast and chuckled when Blair stumbled out to the table and collapsed on a chair, his head sinking down until it klunked audibly onto the table.
"Fuckowie."
"Hey kid, need some tea?" he asked, voice amused. He and Daniel had let Blair get stinking drunk the night before. It wasn't a solution, but sometimes forgetfulness was a good thing. Unfortunately Blair was paying for it now.
"Godyes. Caffeine should make the bongo drums stop," came the muffled reply.
Daniel came out a moment later and shot Jack a grin. "Good morning, Blair," he called cheerfully, and a little louder than he needed.
"Drop dead," Blair grumbled and Jack and Daniel laughed.
"Such a lightweight. Shoulda taken it easy on the whiskey, kiddo," Jack teased, laughing again when he got the finger. "You're number one in my book too, kid."
He and Daniel finished getting breakfast ready and they ate in companionable silence. Well, Jack and Daniel ate, Blair nursed his cup of tea, eyes slitted against the bright morning sunshine.
"Jack, I'm going to work at my house today. I've to get some steady work done without interruptions." Daniel finished his coffee and picked up his plate and silverware to deposit in the kitchen.
Jack shrugged. "Okay by me. I'll probably be home late unfortunately, budget stuff. Plus, this morning General Vidrine is going to drop in for a chat."
"Yippee," Daniel said dryly. He duly respected the General's position, though the bottom line seemed to be more important to the man sometimes.
"Now, Danny. He's a good guy. He's just stuck justifying to the higher ups. Not an easy task, as I'm learning."
"Yadda," Daniel replied scornfully.
Not interested in the subject being discussed, Blair sighed and got to his wobbly feet. "I'm going to take a shower. Maybe my head will fall off."
Jack gave his son a sympathetic smile. "Been there, done that, kid."
*^*
By the time Blair got out of the shower, convinced he wasn't going to die or drown, he felt a lot better. He pulled on some shorts and a long-sleeved t-shirt, dragged a pick through his unruly hair, and wandered into the kitchen to get some more tea. He looked out the kitchen window and saw that Daniel's car was still there, and another car that he didn't recognize on the street. "Hey Daniel, want some tea?" he called.
"No thanks, Blair. I need to get going," Daniel called back.
The doorbell rang and Blair went to answer it, yawning hugely. He opened it and groaned. "What are you doing here Naomi? Haven't you screwed up my life enough?"
She muscled her way into the house and glanced around wildly. "Where is Jack?" she demanded, her voice shrill.
Blair sighed, he was so gonna need more Tylenol. "He's at work. I'm not in the mood for this. Please leave."
Naomi turned and faced her son, braced for battle. "I want you to come with me, Blair. You will not live with this murderous, militaristic son of a bitch one second longer!"
Daniel came partway down the stairs and listened with growing anger to the woman as she harangued Blair and insulted Jack. Blair saw him and minutely shook his head, and Daniel asked, 'Are you sure?' with his eyes. He was worried, the younger man looked so devastated.
Blair looked at his mother. "Naomi, he may have killed in the line of duty and, yeah, he's in the military but at least he didn't lie to me, and keep me from my family when there was a little boy who'd died!" he shot back angrily.
'Oh yeah, it was gonna get nasty,' Daniel silently slipped back up the stairs. Once inside their bedroom he picked up the phone and called Jack's cell.
"O'Neill."
"Jack, Naomi's here."
Jack cursed, he was halfway to the mountain and he had a ton of things to do, but Blair had to take priority. "Danny, I'll be there in fifteen minutes. Don't leave, please."
"As if," Daniel replied. At the sound of female screeching, he added, "Hurry."
Jack hung up and dialed the mountain. "Yeah Sergeant, I'm gonna be a little late. Can you give the files to General Vidrine and make sure he's comfortable? Get Colonel Carter to chat him up, steal some of Daniel's good coffee if you have to."
The sergeant laughed. "Yes, sir. What should I tell him, sir?"
"Tell him it's a family emergency," Jack said grimly and hung up, tires screeching as he made a u-turn and headed back home.
*^*
Downstairs, Blair was shaking his head. "I'm 29 years old, Naomi. You don't have the right to tell me what I can do, or where I can live, or who I can love."
Tears filled his mother's eyes. "Sweetheart, everything I've done, I've done out of love for you."
"Love? What kind of twisted love keeps me from knowing that my little brother died?" he shot back.
"You don't know he was your little brother, anymore than you know that Jack's your father," she spat, then visibly gathered herself.
Blair threw up his hands. "It doesn't matter! I consider Jack my father, and I was there when Charlie was born. Remember? You didn't want to be saddled with me when you went to your retreat at Club Med!"
"Children were discouraged from coming with us," she said lamely.
"Bullshit, you didn't want me cramping your style if you met a man there!"
"I knew what was best for you. I'm your mother."
"Yeah, and a real bang up job you did, 'Mom'. I had no continuity in my life, I was never sure who my father was. Thank God that Jack stepped up and acted like one. You never noticed I was unhappy in school, it took Sara to find out what the problem was and fix it! She acted more like a mother than you ever did. And now... ~Now~ you're trying to shove the fact that you're my mother down my throat, but it's too late!" Blair said quietly, his voice intense. He wanted his mom to understand just what her actions were going to cost her.
Naomi could see the 'grown up' relationship that she'd always had with her son start to slip through her fingers. "Sweetie, let me take you to Italy with me. We can travel and I can explain things to you. Let me make it up to you," she wheedled anxiously.
Blair could only stare. "You think a trip to Italy is the answer? You hurt me."
"Oh, don't be so melodramatic, Blair," she snipped in response.
Oh, yeah. Emotions are the enemy of a peaceful psyche. Don't let your emotions disturb your karma, Blair.' How many times had he heard her spout that? He pointed to the door with a shaking finger. "Just go. I don't need you anymore. I'm not sure that I ever did."
That hurt Naomi. "What are you going to do? You don't have a job."
"Thanks to you," he retorted.
The door opened and Jack came in, tossing his uniform cap onto the counter, looking every inch the Air Force officer. "So, what did I miss?" he asked, his voice mild but his eyes sharp as he caught the distress in his son's face. He turned his attention to the familiar red headed woman. "Hello Naomi, long time no see."
"Jack. I see you've turned my son against me," Naomi sneered.
"Oh, he did not," Blair said sharply, then went to stand by the far windows, staring sightlessly into the backyard.
"He's my son too," Jack replied, keeping himself calm. "And I did nothing of the sort. He came to me because he was hurting. I did what any parent would do-- I was here for him."
Naomi winced as the shot hit home. "He can't just stay here. He doesn't have a job."
"He's got a job if he wants it," Jack took a deep breath. "Listen Naomi, go on your next retreat. Blair is fine, he'll stay here until he wants to leave. He's an adult, not a prisoner."
The enormity of her loss was slowly beginning to sink in. "This isn't over," she walked slowly to the door, then turned to look at Blair. "Call me when you come to your senses, Blair." And after a long moment of silence, she left.
Jack went to stand by Blair. "Hey, kid," he looked over as Daniel came down and stood on the other side.
"Are you okay, Blair?" Daniel asked quietly.
Blair took a deep breath. "Well, I coulda wished I didn't have a hangover for this, but yeah. I'm okay." Okay was a relative term, of course. He missed Jim with every breath, and he was now estranged from his mom... "Hey!" he looked at Jack, "Did you say I have a job?"
Daniel laughed. "I was wondering when you were going to catch that."
"Give me a break, family melodrama and hangover here. So?" he demanded testily.
Jack glanced at his watch, then shook his head. "I'll bring home the non-disclosure forms tonight, then Danny and I will fill you in. Gotta go." He ruffled his son's hair, kissed Daniel, grabbed his uniform cap and quickly left.
Mouth open, Blair could only stare, then as the door closed he turned to Daniel, "Toniiiight?" he whined.
Daniel chuckled and held up his hands. "No way. I've got to go too. Have a good day, Blair."
"I hate you," Blair muttered rebelliously, though his lips twitched as Daniel only laughed.
*^*
Jim sat at his desk, trying to slog through the backlog of paperwork. His senses were all dulled or completely offline, had been since almost the moment that Blair had left him. It had been hell, the longest month of his life, but being without Blair was even worse. He could live without his senses, but he couldn't live without his best friend and guide. His phone rang and he absently picked it up. "Ellison."
"Is this Captain James Ellison?" came a half-familiar voice.
Jim straightened up in his seat. "Yes, it is."
"Jimmy, this is Ed Braun."
Memories of a tall, ginger-haired Captain that Jim had served with in South America made him grin. "Brownie! How're they hanging?"
There was warm laughter. "Swinging side to side, Jimmy-- how are you, big guy?"
Jim winced at the nickname; he'd not been able to dissuade his Army buddies from calling him that, much to his chagrin. "Not so good, but it's my fault. So, why are you calling?"
Colonel Ed Braun, formerly Captain in the Rangers but now part of the Pentagon machine, looked at the old photograph on his wall that contained members of their old unit. "I owe you a favor."
Boy, did he ever. He and Jim had been Captains together in South America on drug interdiction duty, when he'd been shot in the hip by drug runners. At huge personal risk, Jim had gotten everyone else safely on the chopper, gotten the machine gunners ready, then had run back, all the while dodging enemy fire to haul Ed over his shoulder and carry him back to the chopper.
"Yeah?" Jim leaned one elbow on is desk. "I'm listening."
Ed looked down at his desk to read the note. "A General Jack O'Neill, that's Air Force by the way, requisitioned your files. And he had the clearance to get them in original condition."
This made Jim start in surprise-- his ops had been mostly classified black ops and not everyone had the kind of clearance it took to get to read them. "And?"
"I did a little digging of my own. He's in charge of a super top secret project stationed in NORAD. And he's got a lot of black ops holes in his records too, but his rep is as a straight shooter. As good as they come." Braun hoped that was reassuring.
"Huh." Jim stared at the wall, "So, Colorado Springs." What were the odds?
"Yup."
"Thanks, Ed. I owe you now."
Ed laughed softly. "Nah, we're not even close, but thanks anyway."
Jim smiled. He knew debts between friends were never erased. "You still with Stella?"
"Yeah, three kids in high school."
"Three? Good lord, I'd hate to see your college bills," Jim teased.
"Yeah yeah. Thanks to you I'm here to pay for them," Ed stopped for a moment. "Bastard." Both men laughed. "Listen, I've got meetings. Call me, the phones go both ways, Jimmy."
"Thanks, man," Jim said, and hung up the phone. He had some thinking to do, and the top of his list was the question of why the military was interested in him now.
*^*
It was early, the sun was just rising and everything sparkled with a coat of morning dew. It would have been prettier if he wasn't at a graveyard and the items that glistened in the early morning light weren't headstones, Blair reflected sadly.
He shivered in the coolness and headed towards the tree that the Mortuary Office had said was close to the gravesite. As he walked he kept his emotions firmly in check, but when he reached the grave he was looking for he read the stone aloud with a trembling voice.
"Charles T. O'Neill 1985-1994"
~'Charlie'~
'Beloved son and brother'
"Ohshit, ohgod. Charlie." And Blair collapsed to his knees, tears of grief streaming down his face. He cried for the little brother who never grew up, he cried for Sara and his father's loss, the loss of his mother, and the loss of his Sentinel. After a bit he wiped his eyes, then he sat cross-legged in front of the stone and closed his eyes, letting himself drift into meditation.
He watched himself paying basketball with Charlie in the driveway-- the little shit was sneaky, a trait that they'd both learned from their dad.
The scene changed to when Blair had stopped in to visit on his way to a dig, the last time he'd see Charlie alive. They were sitting in the treehouse, feet dangling as they listened to the next door neighbor kid play 'Smoke on Water' on his electric guitar.
"So, you're going to Belize," Charlie said quietly. They both winced when the guitar squealed and the song started over.
Blair nodded, his already long curly hair dancing in the light breeze. "Yeah, we're going to be helping with an archeological dig there. It's gonna be great."
"I'll miss you," Charlie said morosely.
"Oh Charlie Brown," Blair teased, using the nickname he had for his little brother. "I'm gonna miss you too. But I'll bring you back a shrunken head and then we'll play basketball and I'll beat you again!" He grabbed Charlie's head under his armpit and gave him a noogie, making the 9 year old squawk and kick his Nike covered feet.
"Boys, its dinnertime!" Sara's voice came lilting through the twilight, then another screech of the guitar.
They heard Jack's voice through the screen. "That damn kid. Can't they pay for guitar lessons?" and Blair and Charlie exchanged grins and clambered down the steps to eat dinner.
Blair eyes opened and he sighed. "Damn it, why? You knew the gun was off limits." He gazed through teary eyes at the small stone angel that someone had placed at the base of the grave, along with the hot wheels and the package of M&M's. "I wish I hadn't left, Charlie Brown. I miss you so much."
After a long moment he got to his feet, patted the gravestone and left.
*^*
Blair stood in front of the mirror and contemplated himself. He took a curl and pulled at it, watching it spring back into place. He'd liked his hair long, it had given him a unique identity and the chicks had dug it. But now, now he was starting a new phase of his life, no longer Naomi's sheltered son, no longer Jim's guide, no longer the hippie grad student. He narrowed his eyes. "I'm gonna do it."
Awhile later, as he sat in the beauty shop's chair, he started to wig out slightly. The beautician came up and smiled, "Are you sure, honey?" She lifted up a mass of curls and admired it, but he nodded.
"Yeah. Cut it off."
The woman nodded and spun him so he couldn't see the mirror. "I'll turn you back around when I'm done. Okay?"
Blair took a deep breath. "Yeah, the less I see then the less trauma, right?"
"Whatever you say, honey." And she started clipping away.
After what seemed like forever, she spun the chair back around and said, "Voila!"
Blair stared at himself in surprise. "It's great," he ruffled it slightly, liked the way the top still had longish layers, and the rest was tapered neatly. There were still curls, just shorter. "I really like it."
She frowned absently, taking his chin and tilting his head this way and that. "I cut all of the natural highlights off, so, I was thinking. How about I give you bronzy highlights, it will jazz the color up some until you get it out into the sunlight more."
"Whatever you think," Blair put up with the stinky chemicals and foil, and when he finally emerged with the finished product, he really liked it. The stylist had been right, the highlights really added to it and he didn't feel quite so... not like himself. He paid for it from his rapidly dwindling funds, then walked out into the plaza to enjoy the sunshine. He loved Cascade, and he loved the ocean, and he could put up with the constant rain but the sunshine in Colorado Springs- it was something he just couldn't get enough of.
On his way home Blair hit the local Mexican mercado and bought the fixings for dinner. He let himself into the house, turned on one of Daniel's Native American discs and began to putter in the kitchen, humming softly to himself.
*^*
Jack had already read the synopsis that Daniel had written on Blair's thesis, (bless him) which had included, (for Daniel's perverse pleasure, Jack was sure), the (boring) historical background before getting around to Ellison's multitude of talents that his enhanced senses gave him. It had been an enlightening read.
Now, the file of one Captain James J. Ellison, Ranger, USA. Spread out on his already overloaded desk, it was impressive- explosives training, weapons training, engineering, a year of intensive training as a medic and then survival training, which had been put to good use in Peru. Blair wasn't far off, he and Ellison did have a lot in common, lots of spec ops and the loss of good friends.
He looked up and gazed blankly into space, remembering Kowalski and his other fallen friends. He remembered what an Army Ranger buddy of his told him one time. "One of the first things they teach us is to learn the last rites for every different religion that you have in your command. You never know where you'll be, and there's never a chaplain around when you need one." He imagined that Ellison had never forgotten that lesson after he'd buried his team in Peru.
The phone ringing made him jump and scowl. "Son of a bitch," he grumbled, then he picked up the phone and barked, "O'Neill."
"Hey, it's time to head home," came Daniel's warm voice.
Surprised, Jack glanced at his clock was stunned to find that the day had flown by so fast. "Damn, you're right. I'll be home in a half an hour."
"Ok, don't forget the disclosure forms for Blair."
"Shit." Jack stood and rummaged through the papers on his desk. "I'll find one." He rummaged some more. "Somewhere," he muttered.
"Ask your sergeant," Daniel advised patiently.
"Yeah yeah. See you later," Jack hung up and leaned out his door. "Sgt. Wheeler, I need the non-disclosure forms for the archeologists and geek types."
Sgt. Wheeler looked up from his computer. "Sir, they're the same for all of the scientists and civilians on base."
Trying to look as if he knew that, Jack nodded. "Get me couple of those, then." He disappeared, then leaned his head back in. "And give me one for military personnel. Just in case..."
"Yes, sir."
*^*
Daniel walked into the house and inhaled with delight. "Wow Blair, that smells wonderful!"
Blair looked over and smiled. "Thanks, man. Jim and I took turns cooking when I lived with him." The younger man grimaced as the pain of old memories flooded him. Unaware of the other man's turmoil, Daniel dropped his things onto the desk then suddenly froze and whirled around to stare at Blair.
"You cut your hair!"
Laughing, Blair ran a self conscious hand through it. "Yeah, I guess it was time."
Amazed, Daniel stared for along moment. Without all of the hair, Blair looked different. He was still handsome, but without the hair to distract the eye you could appreciate his beauty. His cheekbones were more noticeable, and his eyes as well, if that were possible. "You look great. More..." Daniel tilted his head and narrowed his eyes. "More mature, but younger, if that makes any sense."
"Oh great, younger?" Blair complained good naturedly.
"Hey, when you turn 40 you'll appreciate it. Take it like a compliment," Daniel assured with a smile. He moved into the kitchen and began to lift lids off of pots. "Is this paella?"
Blair followed him. "Yeah, it's a version I had in Santo Domingo. A little old Yaqui woman ran a bed and breakfast and she was a terrific cook." He bent down to check the oven and nodded, "I also made some chili rellenos. And there's a flan that's cooling too."
"It looks terrific," Daniel praised. He went into the living room and sat on the couch, sighing with relief as he stretched his back. Hours of sitting in the chair doing translations had made him stiff. Blair followed him and sat in the chair across from him.
"So, what's the big deal? What are the disclosure forms for?" Blair asked.
Daniel laughed. "Not a chance, Blair. Wait until Jack gets home, then we'll talk."
"C'mon Daniel. Anthro to anthro." An amused headshake from Daniel. "Mano a mano?" Blair's face was earnest, but he had a twinkle in his eyes that was exactly like Jack's, a little mischief, a little devil.
"Nuh uh."
Now Blair was on his knees, just being silly. "Please! Oh please!"
This was the scene that Jack came home to, and he had to laugh. He stopped, stared at his son for a long second, then grinned. "Like the hair, kid."
Dropping his briefcase and jacket he sniffed the air with pleasure. "Boy, that smells good."
Blair smiled and got to his feet. "Thanks, I stopped at the mercado on Collins. Nice place."
Jack ruffled his son's hair as he went by, then sat beside Daniel on the couch and gave his partner a long kiss. This made Blair turn away, sighing with envy and regret for opportunities lost. The buzzer in the kitchen made him head in there, where he surreptitiously wiped his eyes before taking his rellenos out of the oven.
Once they sat at the table and started eating, Blair piped up, "Ok, so what's the big secret? Big old space microwaves that are sterilizing everyone? Experimental aircraft buzzing people. What?"
Daniel swallowed what he had in his mouth and took a sip of the very nice wine that Blair had bought for dinner. "We have a lot of opportunities for the right anthropologist. This job will likely be the most important thing that you will ever do in this lifetime." His blue eyes were serious, and Blair looked at his dad and saw the same serious expression.
"And the bad news?"
Jack looked at his son squarely. "We've lost a lot of good people over the past 9 years." He looked at Daniel, then back at his son. "It's very dangerous."
Blair waved a hand. "Danger shmanger. I rode with a cop for three years. Let me have it."
Jack smirked, then nodded to Daniel. "Go ahead, Danny."
"Okay." Daniel thought for a moment. "We're first contact explorers that go through a device called a Stargate. The Stargate is dialed and connects us to worlds through a stable wormhole, where we've met many different and new societies."
Blair looked at Daniel for a long moment, then looked at his dad, then laughed. "Ok, ha ha. The joke's on me."
The older men shared a look, but neither smiled and Blair gasped, "Really?" His dad and Daniel both nodded.
"New worlds! New civilizations? Star Trek was right?" he squeaked.
"Well, sorta," Jack agreed.
Thinking furiously, Blair looked at Daniel. "And all of those journals, they're from societies not on Earth?"
"Yep," Daniel took another sip of his wine.
Using his brain was a thing that Blair was good at and he immediately saw the cons of this little bombshell. "And the danger part. There are aliens trying to kill us?"
"Well, we've kinda pissed off the bad guys, you might say," Jack said modestly.
Blair was suddenly overwhelmed, he took his napkin and set it on the table. "I'm gonna go look at the stars." And he disappeared out the back door to the deck.
Jack looked at Daniel, who shrugged. "It's a lot to comprehend. Give him time."
*^*
Blair's mind was a jumble of thoughts. Alien civilizations. Different worlds. Wormhole travel, no longer an abstract scientific theory but a dangerous reality. "Wow," he breathed. A whine made him look around and he stared at his spirit animal. "Not that I'm not glad to see you, but what are you doing here?"
The wolf chuffed softly and gracefully jumped onto the bench, its intelligent blue eyes watching curiously. It lifted its muzzle and sniffed the air from the neighborhood, then let out a low 'woof'.
"You know what?" Blair asked as he turned around to look up at the stars. "I wish Jim knew. I wish he was with me on this adventure. It feels wrong, somehow, without him."
The wolf suddenly sat up and gave a warning growl. Blair turned and saw Daniel, frozen, his eyes wide, hands up.
"Blair, there's a wolf right there," Daniel pointed out.
"Wow man, you can see him?" Blair asked excitedly then he looked at the wolf disapprovingly. "Quit growling, you know he's a friend."
Daniel eased to the side and sat beside Blair, eyeing the wolf. "So, um, what's a wolf doing here?"
"He's my spirit guide," Blair explained. "As a guide to a Sentinel the shaman of the Chopec tribe explained that the guide protects us, but you're the first one out side Jim and me that's seen one of them."
The older anthropologist laughed. "When you wrote about the spirit guides in your thesis, I thought it was all metaphorical-- this is a little beyond that." Daniel held out his hand and the wolf moved forward, sniffing his fingers curiously. "What's he here for?" He admired the blue eyes and gingerly patted his head.
Blair shrugged. "I guess this is a very important decision and I need him." Suddenly the wolf tilted his head back and began to howl.
Daniel winced. "He's gonna attract attention doing that."
"No one can hear him," Blair said absently. He moved to the wolf's side and asked, "What's wrong?" The wolf howled one more time and then disappeared. "Ok, that was weird."
"Yeah, that would be an understatement," Daniel breathed. He sat back, deciding that thinking about implications of this could wait. "So, did you decide?"
The younger man grinned. "How can I say no?" he said confidently, while inside he was asking if he could do this without his Sentinel.
"You can't. The world needs people like you," Daniel agreed.
~*
Blair looked around in fascination, making observations that he wished he could've shared with Jim. The military environment was one of repressed emotion, unrepressed machismo, and, surprise, surprise, genuine affection, which he'd never expected. It would've made an interesting thesis topic.
He watched with fond interest as his dad was stopped time and time again by everyone from the lowliest sergeant to scientist to officer. It was revealing to see how patient his father was and how not like a General, but like one of the guys.
A "Hey kid." pulled him out of his reverie and he grinned at his father. "How many people work here, and like, do you know them all?"
Jack grinned back. "I'm not sure, and yeah, I'm pretty sure I can put a name to every face here."
"Even the scientists?" Daniel's voice floated down the corridor and made Jack spin around and smile.
"Dr. Jackson, and yes, even your geek squad."
"Hey!" Blair yelped indignantly. "I'm gonna be one of the geek squad, you'd better be nice to me if you want me to mow the lawn again!"
Daniel came up and wrapped an arm around Blair's shoulders, "Yeah, because ~I~ don't want to."
Jack held up his hands, and chuckled. "Sorry, won't happen again. So, are you going to take him to orientation?"
"You mean brainwashing?" Blair murmured, then covered his mouth in surprise. "Shit, I just channeled Naomi!"
Snickering, Jack agreed, "You sounded just like her."
With a chuckle, Daniel said, "Let's just head to orientation and I'll tell you who to listen to and who to tune out." He waved at Jack. "Call us when you want lunch!" and he took off with Blair, answering the million questions that the younger man had started to bombard him with.
Jack tucked his hands in his pockets and watched with satisfaction as they walked away. Daniel was right, as usual. Blair would fit in here just fine.
~*~
Daniel answered Blair's questions, amused at how many the younger man had, and all good ones at that. He trotted up the stairs then opened the door to the control room, waving Blair inside. He had to chuckle as the all sound ceased as Blair got his first look at the Stargate. "Cool?" he asked his now silent friend.
Blair breathed and nodded his head, his blue eyes wide as he took in the entire scene. "It's like, amazing, man."
Davis had watched the two men come in and he grinned at Daniel. "Hey Dr. Jackson, a newbie?"
"Msgt. Walter Davis, this is our new anthropologist Blair Sandburg. Blair, this is our gatekeeper."
Blair held out his hand, a laugh in his eyes. "Gatekeeper, I get it. Nice to meet you." The two men shook hands.
"Have I met you before?" Walter asked. There was something about the anthropologist that seemed familiar.
"Nope," Blair said cheerfully. He peered out of the glass and tilted his head. "So, constellations huh? Pretty neat."
Daniel jerked in surprise, then shook his head. "Damn, Jack's right, you ~are~ smart."
"Smart ass," Blair agreed, "Why?"
Davis chuckled. "Because it took Dr. Jackson two weeks, and our so called experts still had no idea after two years of working on it."
"Huh," Blair said, "I guess it's because the constellations were so prevalent in the South American mythology and beliefs." He grinned at Daniel. "So when can I go through?"
Daniel looked at his watch. "Well, your first class is in five minutes. So I'd say, 3 months?"
"Maa-an," Blair whined. "That is so unfair."
"What are you, twelve?" Daniel demanded before dragging him off to his first class.
~*
Teal'c looked up as the class filed in, and he focused on one of the men chatting with one of the new Marines. This was the man that Samantha Carter had described. O'Neill's son.
Thinking back, the surprise was still with him as he recalled what Samantha Carter had told him, "I just met the General's son yesterday."
"O'Neill has a son? I was under the impression that he had but one child and that he was deceased," he had stated with surprise.
Sam looked thoughtful. "Me too. Blair is older, late twenties, maybe thirty but I doubt it. He's shorter that the General, but the shape of the face and the eyes are similar, and he has very curly long hair." She'd dimpled. "He's a cutie."
The hair was shorter, but the bright blue eyes had a familiar mischievous look that Teal'c readily recognized from his friend, and he had to suppress a smile. Another O'Neill. Too bad General Hammond wasn't here to enjoy the forthcoming fireworks.
"Greetings, I am Teal'c of Chulak." Teal'c gazed at his audience, "You know the mission of this place, and therefore you know that there are other planets beyond your own. My home planet is Chulak. I am Jaffa." And he proceeded to explain the Jaffa way of life and their existence as virtual slaves for the goa'uld.
Blair listened with fascination, taking copious notes about Jaffa society. It was hair raising stuff and fascinating from an anthropological point of view. It also made him very glad that he'd been born on Earth.
After the lecture Blair walked up and held out his hand. "Hi, I'm Blair Sandburg. I really enjoyed your lecture."
Teal'c bowed his head politely, taking the proffered hand. "Greetings, Blair Sandburg. I thank you." Gathering his folders, he looked at the fascinated young man. "I understand that you are O'Neill's son."
Making a face, Blair leaned forward. "I'm trying to keep that a secret."
Eyebrows went up in surprise. "Are you ashamed of your father?" Teal'c asked sternly.
"No!" Blair shook his head fiercely. "No, I just want to be accepted for my own merits, not because I'm the son of the General."
This made Teal'c nod in understanding. "You are wise. " A noise at the door made him look over. "Do you wish to see Blair Sandburg now, Daniel Jackson?"
Daniel came in. "Um ,wasn't looking for him exactly. Hi Blair. I see you two have met. "
Teal'c inclined his head. "Indeed."
Blair looked at the clock and grimaced. "Hi Daniel, bye Daniel. I've got self–defense training."
"Good luck," Daniel said cheerfully. His eyes narrowed at the distinct lack of enthusiasm on his friend's part.
"Whatever," Blair grunted as he left. He wasn't looking forward to this class. He'd been getting hassled by some of the new airmen and Marines, it wasn't anything new. He'd been harassed because of his smaller stature and long hair for years. He paused outside of the gym, took a bracing breath and opened the door to go inside.
"Well, well, if it isn't the geek."
Oy vey.
"My, what a wit. You take the two twigs in your head and rub them together to get that?" Blair retorted sarcastically.
The Marine's face got ugly as the laughter swept the twenty or assembled men and women- some were scientists but most were military. "Say that to my face."
Blair walked up to the Marine and tilted his head. "And what a face. Dare I say, one only a mother could love," he paused, rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Well, maybe not even your mother has that poor of taste."
There were more laughs, this time louder, and the Marine made a lunge for the anthropologist, who ducked, grabbed the bigger man by the back of the pants and using the man's momentum sent him on his way to skid in an ignominious heap at the feet of the newly arrived Major Coburn.
"What in the hell is going on here?" the Major bellowed.
Blair grinned, "Sgt. Withers was teaching me some self defense, Major." he lied blithely, stepping back to stand with his classmates. The Sergeant quickly pulled himself up and dusted himself off, a little red-faced.
Coburn frowned. "Is that what happened Sergeant?"
The Marine stiffened. "Sir, yes sir."
There were hidden grins in the crowd, but Coburn decided to ignore it. Apparently whatever had gone on before had been solved, and he wasn't one to fix what wasn't broken. "Ok, let's get down to business."