Disclaimer: this is all a figment of my imagination, with certain key aspects supplied by older and richer people than myself.
A/N: Yes, this is where I have been frittering away my spare time before taking a zat to my "Giant Leap" writer's block. I will attempt to keep both stories straight in my head, and hopefully the variety will stop any more brick walls from forming!
Jon looked in the mirror and practiced his smile. It wasn't a good look. A poker face he could manage, sarcastic – definitely – but a fake smile? Nada. It looked exactly what it was: forced. He looked more and more like the self he remembered though: young and without the grey hair, but definitely him.
If tonight didn't go well, he could be out on his ear.
But, sighing, he decided that you had to be in it to win it! Not that he wanted to 'win' Lucy as such – hell, it'd been almost 4 years now and he still had trouble getting used to the idea of dating someone born in the 80s – but she was the only person he'd met in that time who felt a hell of a lot older than they looked. In her case though, it was a side effect of having a Peace Corps mother who believed in taking her kid with her. Zaire, Angola, Mozambique, even Rwanda – if it was in sub-Saharan Africa, Lucy and her mom had probably been there… But Lucy had 'come home' to California a few years ago to gain some formal qualifications, and her mom had taken a job nearby when she began pre-med.
Jon had done a little background checking on Lucy when they'd first started seeing her (there's no such thing as too careful when you're the clone of the head of Homeworld Security), which had satisfied his Special Forces-trained need to be in the know, but it had made him feel a little dirty. Still, after four years as a youngster this was the closest he'd gotten to normality. High school had been pretty traumatic for a comeback 'kid' who didn't give two hoots about anything other than ice hockey and getting back in the Air Force (even the jocks hadn't liked him), and the USAF Academy had truly hated having a kid who'd once made Colonel on their books. Maybe that was why he'd been shipped to San Francisco for a year. The official reason was that he'd aced all his leadership and operational classes even when they bumped him up a year, but that he couldn't graduate without serving the full term of years. Unofficially he guessed that it was so the new head of the SGC didn't have to deal with him just yet.
Next year, next year. Not long before he could rejoin the bright blue puddle under the Mountain.
So here he was, at San Francisco State University, getting paid to take a Masters in Social Sciences (Interdisciplinary) while the higher ups figured out what to do with him. An O'Neill – sorry, a Murphy – with a Masters? Jack must be having a real hard time from Carter about now. Daniel too, since his main focus was anthropology and international relations… with a little ancient history and GIS surveying thrown in cough Oh yeh, Jack was in for it. All those smart-ass comments and dumb-ass looks would be biting the old man on the ass.
"That was then, this is now, Murphy. Make the most of it," he reminded himself, almost tired of the joke-name he'd chosen for himself. Ok so it certainly fit, but it was getting old. Anything that can go wrong, can and will, especially if your name is (or was) Jack O'Neill, but even if all went well this time he'd still have to put up with being Jonathan Murphy for several more decades. And at least he wouldn't have to start out as a grunt this time. Times had changed, and so had he.
Which brought him right back to the present, and the Cassidy family barbeque.
Lucy had told him that her 'family' weren't exactly the run-of-the-mill kind, more like her mom's friends from years of travelling, and he'd replied that any kind would do. It must have been the right thing to say because she'd smiled oh so like Carter, but as far as he was concerned he had no family – real or adopted. The guy he'd been cloned from had now married the woman he'd loved for years, his old team-mates got really uncomfortable if he called, his ex-wife didn't know he existed, and his son… well best leave Charlie out of this. The irony of all this cloning was that he looked damned close to the age that Charlie would have been by now, but dwelling on it would only make him depressed.
Suddenly he grimaced at an unbidden mental image – Jack, Daniel, Teal'c and Carter 'interviewing' his girlfriend – then laughed. There couldn't possibly be a comparison. That's what he hoped anyway…
"Lucy, aren't you going to get a little more dressed up?" Jennifer Cassidy shook her head at her daughter with a small sigh of despair. Had she grown up so fast that she wasn't able to enjoy what was left of her childhood?
The young lady in question merely raised an eyebrow as she prepared kebabs for later on. "Mom, as I have said before – Jon is a friend. We see each other a lot, we even date, but at the moment this is still a casual relationship. Dressing up is not something that I have any wish to do. Period. And no Mom, I'm not going to wear any make-up either. You never do, so why are you so surprised that I don't want to?"
"Honey… when I think of the times I –"
"Mom, would you drop it please? I'm 20 years old, not an old maid, and –"
"You're beautiful just the way you are, lil sis!"
"Sam!" Lucy ran up to her big 'brother' and gave him a huge hug. "I didn't hear you come in – when did you arrive?"
"Not that long," he smiled, his eyes radiating the warmth he'd inherited from his father. "Hi Jen – it's been a while. Great to have you both in the country again!"
"Us? How about you!" Jen chimed accusingly before giving the young man a sound kiss on the cheek. "Have you won that Pulitzer yet? And where's your dad?"
"No, but I'm still trying; and picking up Pete – in that order. Ooh!"
Despite having not seen them for over two years, the Cassidys' guest quickly began to delve into the array of dishes they'd prepared… and Jen performed the matronly duty of swotting prying hands away. Lucy simply sat back on her stool and watched the show, suddenly realising how much she'd missed her old friend. They weren't related – far from it – but his dad and her mom had hooked up a while back and he'd taken on the role of occasional older brother. Their easy friendship had been mirrored by the fun their parents had together, but a mutual liking of life just the way it was had kept the two adults apart – no bad feelings, just goodwill and a never-ending 'see you next time'.
"So, I hear your boyfriend's coming today – want me to rough him up for you?"
Sam's voice broke into her thoughts, his grin contagious. Looking over his shoulder, Lucy saw her mom looking sly as she made some burgers, and she rolled her eyes. "Bro, he's fine – and as I told Mom we're taking it nice and easy. No roughing up required, and I'd be grateful if you could pass that message out to the rest of the guys too."
"You don't want us to check him out or anything?"
"SAM!" She protested, horrified at the thought. "Look, he's gotten through the Air Force Academy safely enough and as far as I can tell that means no skeletons the cupboard."
The young man's eyes narrowed. He'd been working as a journalist for several years now, and he hadn't always liked what he'd seen from the military – foreign or domestic. "You're dating a wannabe flyboy? Geez, dad's going to love that one."
"Kids – take it outside would you? You're damaging the salads."
"Yes, Mom."
"Sure, Jen."
The elder Ms Cassidy had a strange belief that arguing in front of a leafy salad would make it wilt – probably from the same superstitious grandmother who'd taught her to avoid ladders like the plague – and her nearest and dearest took it in their stride these days… even when it was an obvious ploy to get rid of them.
"So tell me all about him, Luce – and I promise not to go all protective on you," Sam said honestly as he balanced a few plates. "Wow, look at this. I hope your mom remembered there's a health-freak coming."
Lucy smiled. "There are samosas, roast vegetables, couscous, the usual – don't worry, no one's going to starve. And as for Jon, what do you want to know?"
The old friends carried on chatting as they laid the table, laughing at what each other had been up to and reminiscing about the trouble they'd gotten into back in Africa. Other guests arrived in twos and threes, and Sam often caught Lucy peeking at her watch as she ran between the various groups.
"Jon'll be here soon, sis," he assured her as she joined him by the grill. "Probably just nervous."
"I know," she grinned with a sudden twinkle in her eye. "There he is!"
Lucy ran down to the gate waving, and Sam's gaze followed her happy form before fixing on the young man she was meeting… then his jaw dropped. Two burgers caught fire before he came back to himself, attention still focussed on this Jon Murphy his 'little sister' was dating.
Suddenly he foisted the bbq tools on the nearest person available and ran to find his dad, Pete, Michael, anyone!
"Hey!"
"Hey yourself!" Jon replied, a goofy grin coming over his face. "How's the party going – I hope I'm not too late?"
Lucy finally stopped in front of him and gave him a warm hug. "The bbq's going well and no, you're not too late – any earlier and you might have been stolen away by my mom, or my 'brother' –"
"You have a brother!"
"Well not really," she carried on blithely, guiding them towards the main garden. "My mom and his dad are kinda close, so he looks out for me when he's in town. Anyway – he's busy with the bbq right now, Mom's being hostess-woman, and I think all the 'uncles' are talking shop…" Lucy looked around then suddenly stopped still, her eyes obviously searching for something in particular. "Actually, they've all vanished! Where the hell did they go?"
Jon felt his instincts kick into gear and hastily quashed them. This was a party, not an ambush – though he had to admit that in the back of his mind he'd already counted how many people there were and located each potential exit. He even knew that the guy at the barbeque had changed in the last couple of minutes. Some things you just couldn't turn off.
"No problem, Lucy – let's go see your mom, how's that?" He offered, figuring that the sooner this was over with the sooner he could have some fun. "Is she the gorgeous brunette over there?"
His girlfriend rolled her eyes, forgetting the missing men for a moment. "Yes, but watch the charm buddy. If I know you, she'll be eating out of your hand before she realises it, but there's a protective semi-boyfriend of hers lurking someplace."
"Let me guess, I have to win him over too?"
"Got it in one."
"Oy…"
"Mom!" Lucy yelled, then clasped his hand and dragged him over to where she was chatting to some old Peace Corps colleagues. "Mom – I'd like you to meet Jonathan Murphy."
"Just a second honey!" Jen called out, smiling. Finally the mystery man had arrived. She checked that her spread of food and drink could manage without a minder for a few minutes, wiped her hands on a teacloth looped in her belt and excused herself. "Doug, Margaret, I'll be back with you in a moment."
Time seemed to slow down.
It was one of Jon's greatest worries that he'd meet someone who knew him, or rather Jack. Plastic surgery had been offered, to make him look just that little bit different, but he'd decided that being 30-odd years younger would have to do. With or without surgery there was the potential for awkward questions, but so far he'd been lucky: everyone who 'knew' him, knew about him too.
Except for this woman, and he didn't have a clue who she was… but those were definitely the goggle-eyes of the 'oh my God, is that Jack!' brigade. So who was she? Other than Lucy's mom, of course.
Suddenly Lucy's elbow jabbed Jon in the ribs, causing time to wound back up to its usual pace.
"Say something!" she hissed urgently, certain that this was a bad case of nerves on both parts.
Jon looked at her blankly, then blinked. Maybe it was a mistake… oh well. He held out his hand and put on some belated O'Neill/Murphy charm. "Erm, hi Ms Cassidy – it's great to finally meet you!"
The pair of them stood there while Jen took in the two big smiles, hopeful on both counts, wondering if she was imagining things. Such a familiar face… and they did say that girls looked for partners who were similar to their father figures… but this was almost too weird. For a moment there she thought he'd been thinking along similar lines – but – but –
"Call me Jen," Lucy's mom replied somewhat lamely, taking Jon's hand and pulling him into a brief hug. "Sorry, I…erm… I think this party must be talking some of my sanity with it. You… you look a lot like a friend of mine."
Aha! Jon thought quickly. A possible get-out clause! If she knew 'me', but not too well, I might be able to talk my way out of this with an 'Uncle Jack' trick.
"Apparently I look a lot like my uncle, maybe that's who you're thinking of," he countered easily, and much to the approval of a slightly disturbed Lucy. "Jack O'Neill?"
"Uh, no…"
Inside the house, a small argument raged.
"Sam, what's going on?"
"Dad, could you just trust me for a moment?"
"Kid, unlike yours my dad isn't too well and I'd rather he spent time at this party having fun – not getting dragged around because of one of your harebrained ideas!"
"Michael, calm down – I'm fine. Just need to sit down…"
"Sam…" his father replied warningly.
"Ok, ok!" The youngest of the four helped the eldest into a leather chair, then threw his hands up in frustration. "Take a look out of that window – what do you see?"
"A bbq? People enjoying themselves?" Michael said, a little unkindly. The two of them hadn't gotten along well since the first day they met, much to the chagrin of their fathers.
"Ha ha."
"Where should I be looking, son?"
Sam joined his father by the window, glad that at least one person was listening. "To the right, the guy with Lucy."
Pete chuckled in the corner. He was almost blind with glaucoma these days, and what freedom that hadn't taken the arthritis had, but he remained a good-natured, down to earth guy. "Jealous?"
"I don't think so old pal…" Sam's dad suddenly stood up a little straighter, maybe even shifted his position so he wouldn't be visible to the object of his observation. "What the…?"
"That's what I thought!"
"What? What!" Michael finally began to take notice. "Oh. He looks just like…"
"Exactly – oh." Sam replied pointedly. "He looks exactly like dad."
"Have you found another kid, kid?" Pete wheezed, still quick in his old age, and the only person to see the funny side.
"Cut it out everyone," the last man admonished them, pulling out a cell phone and speed dialling his office. "Hello? Hi Katie, listen – could you run a quick check for me? I'll pass you over to Sam for the details." He held out the phone. "You know more than me, son."
Nodding, Sam ran through what he knew about Lucy's boyfriend – information he'd only found out a half hour ago. His name, rough height, weight, schooling… anything that might help narrow the search. There were a few raised eyebrows when a place in Minnesota was mentioned, but when the result came it did mention shared ownership of a fishing cabin.
"Got him," Sam announced to the group, then returned to the phone. "Can you send a summary through, Katie? Thanks!"
Confused, he hung up and handed the XDA back to his dad. It was a cross between a normal cell phone and a PDA, equipped with a decryption key that would unlock whatever records Katie had found on 'Jonathan Murphy'.
Now it was a case of wait and see, then deciding what to do about it.
A/N: It's a little predictable, but let's play "guess the crossover!" Oh go on, it'd make my day… or review… anything… :)