UNITY.

By LetitiaRichards.

Category: Angst, AU, Drama, Hurt/Comfort, Romance, Smarm.

Pairings: Jack/Sam.

Season: Early 7.

Spoilers: Solitudes, Fallen/Homecoming, Fragile Balance.

Warnings: A little bit whumping for both Jack and Daniel.

Summary: Jack receives orders to return to Iraq.

Author's Notes: 'La confrérie', or 'The Brotherhood of Iraq' is a purely made up faction and as far as I am concerned is a figment of my imagination. My apologies if such an organisation exists, no similarities were intended. For the uninitiated, a dishdashah is an Arab robe and a gutrah is the traditional Arab headdress. All dates are approximate.

UNITY.

by LetitiaRichards.

JUNE 2003.

"Yeah, ya know, I don't get that. I mean, he's me right? So High school?"

Colonel Jack O'Neill still failed to understand why his clone had wanted to embrace High school all over again. It was something which he couldn't wait to get through when he had been that age. Now his 'mini' self wanted to start all over again, and it was beyond his understanding. He acknowledged the wisdom of his young clone when he'd said that from here on out, they would be very different people. Good luck to him, he smiled inwardly, still feeling a little weird about the whole episode; but such was life, dealing with aliens and their peculiar habits and technology. He'd accepted the oddity of working alongside aliens a long time ago and there weren't many things now that surprised the seasoned officer.

"Didn't you ever…?" Daniel started, but was stopped mid flow by Jack's abrupt response.

"No! I couldn't get out of school quick enough, thank you. I went straight into the Air Force when I was old enough."

"So he wants to better him...self…" Major Sam Carter's words trailed off when Jack shot her a surprised, hurt look and she realised what exactly that sounded like to his ears. "Ah...I mean. It opens up all sorts of possibilities for him to..."

"Yes? What?" Jack demanded hiding his glee at her discomfiture, knowing she was flustered now and couldn't find the right words so as not to offend him. He loved to wind up his team whenever the opportunity arose. And the chance to make Sam redden with embarrassment was a chance he wasn't going to let slip. He adored her even more when she blushed, which wasn't that often.

"Maybe buried somewhere in your subconscious, Jack, you wanted another chance to improve yourself," Daniel hinted, taking Jack's attention from his red-faced team-mate.

"No. I don't think so. I believe I did pretty good, all things considered," he replied casually with a shrug and not without a little hint of smugness creeping in there.

"You have nothing about which you regret doing or not, O'Neill?" Teal'c rumbled in his deep calm voice.

Jack tried to read his stoic face for any hint of amusement written there, but came up blank, meaning he was serious.

"There are a few things I wish I coulda changed T, yeah, but that's all in the past and that's where it's gonna stay!"

"Like when you were tortured as a prisoner in Iraq?" Daniel said aloud, only realising his mistake when the room fell unnaturally silent.

Daniel looked up to see that all eyes were pinned on him, and then realised that he'd dropped a brick.

His memories of the past before he ascended were gradually coming back, but not all the details were filled in as yet. Like the one where Jack wanted to keep that painful episode of his life hidden away and never mentioned again. Ever!

Sam's face held an uncomfortable embarrassment, and she was cringing as if she were waiting for the inevitable explosion from her CO. Teal'c's eyes held sympathy because by the sound of it, Daniel had just committed a cardinal sin.

Jack on the other hand, looked as if he'd swallowed a fly. His face had blanched. Daniel watched as Jack gulped, ducked his head and briefly closed his eyes. He opened them again and with infinite patience he began to admonish Daniel for his lapse of memory.

"What?" Daniel asked, frowning innocently under their gaze.

"Daniel. 'That' is one of those such occasions of which I refuse to discuss, nor do I wish to be reminded of it, thank you. I understand that your memory is still a little shaky; so, do you won't mind...if we just drop it, huh?" Jack said quietly, showing an understanding tolerance, which Sam didn't realise he had, except with children of course, towards his errant friend.

"Ah...sure Jim," Daniel said with a sly grin, trying to lighten the mood in the room that had suddenly become cold and sombre. He knew he would provoke a more favourable reaction by calling him Jim instead of Jack.

"Daniel!" Jack warned then sighed an "Oiy!" rolling his eyes, when he saw Daniel's smirk.

Sam quickly smothered her laughter at Jack's frustration but couldn't conceal it fully, and Jack just shook his head at them both, his mouth trying hard not to respond to her infectious giggles.

"Okay!" Jack exclaimed, changing the subject. "Who's for another beer," he said jumping up from his chair and heading for his kitchen. "And no Daniel you can't. If you recall, you get drunk after the first one, so no more beer for you."

Daniel spluttered his indignation but as he couldn't remember if this was true or not, he looked to Sam for support and saw her nodding in agreement with Jack. He gave up and threw his hands into the air with resignation.

"Fine! It's not as if I'm driving home, seeing as I don't have a home yet or a car for that matter," he moaned, hoping the Air Force would hurry up and find him somewhere so he could get his life back together again after his sudden descent from the higher realms of the Ascended. Yet again he was staying with Jack at his house until they settled the deal on an apartment or a house of his own. Jack wouldn't hear of him staying on the base until then; he was always willing to have his friend keep him company.

The mood of the evening lifted, as the subject of Jack's clone and the painful memories of Iraq were forgotten with the playing of the movie for their scheduled entertainment of the moment, and the Pizza boy had arrived laden with their order.

TBC