The Docks, Saturday

[nofishinmypond.livejournal.com]

Jack emerged from the Homer's cabin a little groggily, flopped into his chair, and stared up at the sky. Apparently, he'd spent an entire WEEK as a LITTLE TEAPOT. Oh, he bet THAT had played well on the radio. Later, when he found out it hadn't even been mentioned because his mun's retconning like a mad fiend, he'd be disappointed. For right now, though, he needed a beer.

He'd missed his birthday, even. Another year down the drain, another year closer to retirement, another year getting more old. Except not -- all the time travel and stuff meant he was actually older than that. He'd have to ask Carter to count it all up, sometime, once he'd gone home. Damn, and he hadn't gotten the kid anything, either.

AND he'd missed his "job" at the "goddess"'s "store". He'd have to explain to her.

He sipped his beer and watched the horizon. Yup. He'd worry about everything later.

After a while, he got up just long enough to set out his sign on the pier.

Captain Jack's Wild Ride
Great rates to float my boat

Comments

[carter-i-am.livejournal.com]

Sam had been taking a stroll around Fandom, reacquainting herself with the sights (sort of - they'd apparently changed while she was gone). Still the docks were new.

She spotted a familiar figure and walked closer to make sure that she was seeing who she thought she was seeing. "Ja - er, General O'Neill? How long have you been here?"

It occurred to her belatedly that he might not be a General.

[asgardcreated.livejournal.com]

Jon wandered up to the boat, cupcake in hand and called out when he saw the sign.

"What if I'm just bringing food, old man?"

[nofishinmypond.livejournal.com]

Jack blinked at the girl. It took him a few moments to register exactly who it was, and then he blinked some more. "CARTER??? You're looking..." Hot. Very hot. Stop being a dirty old man, Jack. "...young."

[nofishinmypond.livejournal.com]

"Then you don't have to pay to charter the damn boat," Jack replied with a grin. "I, uh... I didn't get you anything for your birthday. Want a beer?"

[carter-i-am.livejournal.com]

"Asgard," she explained, not sure if more would be necessary. "You remember our alternate universe experiences? Well, as near as I can tell, I'm from a alternate universe from yours, since the one from mine already know about me. Not sure where your clone is, but my version of you is a general in Colorado."

"What are you doing here?"

[nofishinmypond.livejournal.com]

"I'm here on leave. What are YOU doing here???"

Jack sighed. "Yeah, I'm all up to speed on alternate universes. Mini-Me's going to school here -- not mine, one from a different universe. Calls himself 'Jon'" -- with air quotes -- "now."

He frowned at her thoughtfully. "...Speaking of 'Johns', you didn't happen to bring your universe's Col. Sheppard with you, did you? Every time I turn around there's another damn version of him here."

[carter-i-am.livejournal.com]

"I'm here for Homecoming," she shrugged. "Previous student. And teacher, now that I think about it."

She glanced over at Jack and ran a hand down her ponytail. Anyone who knew her might recognize it as a nervous gesture. "There's another cloned version of you here? We had one for a while, but he...left." Right after breaking up with her answering machine, not that she held a grudge. "How're you both dealing with this?"

"Sheppard? I actually haven't met my universe's version yet, although I've known a couple of the others. One miniaturized, one just young."

[asgardcreated.livejournal.com]

"Beer sounds great. So, anyone interesting in town?" Jon thought that there might be a Carter around, but he hadn't run into her yet.

[nofishinmypond.livejournal.com]

Jack sighed and rubbed his temples. "This island is just trying to drive me nuts, isn't it?" He shrugged. "Jon and me, we get along great. He calls me 'Dad' sometimes -- tell me THAT'S not weird. And he's dating." More temple-rubbing.

"So.... you wanna come fishing, for a bit?"

[nofishinmypond.livejournal.com]

"It's Fandom," Jack pointed out. "Everyone's interesting." He shrugged. "Believe it or not, there's actually a young Carter running around today -- she stopped by earlier. Apparently, it's the school's Homecoming?"

[carter-i-am.livejournal.com]

"Don't take it personally," she said with a laugh, "It does that to everybody."

She cracked up at the Dad part. "Uh huh. Very strange. Completely you, but very strange." Then, "Who's he dating? Isn't it odd, for him to be with a teenager?"

Sam knew she had had more than a little problem with it, after all. Not to mention Kawalsky. They'd both gotten over it, but still, it was odd.

"Uh..." she glanced around, "sure. Are there actually fish here?"

[nofishinmypond.livejournal.com]

"A girl named Claire. She's sweet, smart, doesn't care that he's old enough to be her grandfather... I've decided to stop thinking about that part of it, in order to save my sanity."

He stood up, grabbed his rod, and offered it to her. "Sure, there are plenty of fish, if you're into that sort of thing," he answered. "It kind of misses the point of the whole exercise, though."

[carter-i-am.livejournal.com]

"She really doesn't care? Seriously?" Huh.

Sam accepted the rod and immediately turned it around so she could check out the spool mechanism. "What is the point of the exercise? I always wondered."

[asgardcreated.livejournal.com]

"Yep. Claire and I skipped the dance last night, but I'm going to head over to carnival here shortly." He grinned and looked just a bit too happy. "I was wondering if she was going to show up. Apparently she's friends with one of the professors I had over the summer."

[nofishinmypond.livejournal.com]

"It's the process, Carter. The experience. It's relaxing, okay? Just... be in the moment."

He picked up his spare rod and baited it with a stale Cheeto.

"If you worry too much about actually catching fish, you'll just end up disappointed, and that sucks."

[nofishinmypond.livejournal.com]

Jack eyed the boy. "Did you at least use protection when you 'skipped' the dance?" he asked warily. "...Never mind. I don't WANT to know. Yeah, Carter said she was a former student, or something. This place just likes screwing with people."

[carter-i-am.livejournal.com]

Sam took a seat near O'Neill and reached for a Cheeto for her hook. "Are you sure we should eat fish that comes out of the water near Fandom? I mean, the contamination levels are probably high, plus there's no telling what the gremlins have done to it..."

She stopped, took a deep breath, released it.

"Right. Relaxing. Moment. No worrying. Yes, sir."

[asgardcreated.livejournal.com]

There was a barely-covered-by-a-cough laugh and then Jon shrugged. "She's got Homecoming issues. Of the 'some psycho cut off my co-captain's head at last year's game' variety. So, we skipped the dance and watched stupid television."

He couldn't see Carter being friends with Anakin, at all. "It does. At least we haven't had the bad version of fun yet."

[nofishinmypond.livejournal.com]

"Tell you what, Carter," Jack said as he cast his line and slid on his shades. "If we catch anything, I won't make you eat it." He gave her half a grin.

"So, you didn't clarify," he added, gesturing at her nubile young form. "Science gone wrong, or are you another clone?"

[nofishinmypond.livejournal.com]

Jack raised his eyebrows. "Wow... You know, with all the crazy things we deal with, I forgot that normal people with normal lives can have crazy problems, too."

[asgardcreated.livejournal.com]

"I've come to the conclusion that no one here is normal. It's just not possible."

[carter-i-am.livejournal.com]

"You're not making me clean it either," she informed him. Hey, he wasn't her boss anymore, what did she care?

Sam stretched her legs out in front of her and dropped the line into the water. "Clone. When I first got here, there were a bunch of us. Now I think it's just me and..."

Belatedly, she realized she probably shouldn't mention that there was a cloned version of Charlie Kawalsky running around. "...someone else. And apparently this other version of you, now."

[nofishinmypond.livejournal.com]

"Not NORMAL normal, no," Jack countered, "but psycho killers is a hell of a lot more 'normal' than saving the universe from aliens. ...Not that I'd trade, 'cause I wouldn't."

[nofishinmypond.livejournal.com]

Yuh, huh. "...aaaaaaand?" If there was a mini-Teal'c running around, or a mini-Daniel, Jack wanted to know.

[asgardcreated.livejournal.com]

"Did I mention that the guy was cutting heads open with some sort of telekinesis to steal powers?" Because, that was not normal.

"I like the aliens. No one gets upset when you kill the bad ones." Stupid laws.