ext_22444 (![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png)
geonncannon.livejournal.com) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
carter_keller2008-07-19 08:27 pm
geonncannon.livejournal.com) wrote in carter_keller2008-07-19 08:27 pm
FIC: "Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch," missing scene for The Seed
Title: Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
geonncannon
Pairing: Sam/Jennifer
Word Count: 1,341
Category: Missing Scene
Spoilers: Search & Rescue, The Seed
Disclaimer: Not mine!
Rating: PG
Author's Notes: Just a little missing scene (or maybe missing subplot) from this week's Atlantis. I haven't seen Continuum and I won't until the DVD is released in a week (!!!!!!!) or so, but this is set after the movie. I don't want ANY spoilers about how it wouldn't work because of something in the movie. ~makes scary threatening fingers~
Summary: Sam is quarantined at the SGC.
Sam left the bar feeling a little buzzed, and a lot better. She was in her civvies, with her hair down, and had just spent the evening drinking away her sorrows with the rest of her team. Not her former team, not just the people she used to save the universe with. SG-1, her people. Even General O'Neill had swung by to help lift her spirits. The evening had started with Cameron and Daniel trying to come up with examples of worse performance reviews. But when you're met at the door with "You're fired," it's kind of hard to top.
Still, by the time she broke out the pool cue and taught Vala the fine art of hustling ("So, let me get this straight, guys. I'm not supposed to put this white ball in the holes? Why not? Is it special or something?"), she had realized that depression wasn't the answer. No dwelling on why the IOA had decided to remove her. Their reasons were sound, if self-serving and petty, and she knew she wasn't going to get anywhere by fighting it.
She heard footsteps on the gravel behind her, but ignored them. She pushed her hair out of her face and wondered if she should go back inside and have someone drive her home. Maybe Vala would be willing to...
"Colonel Carter?"
She groaned and closed her eyes. She turned before she opened them again. Two Air Force officers were standing a few feet apart, looking out of place in their dress blues. "What now? You're going to kick me off SG-1 and replace me with Kinsey?"
The men exchanged a look. "Ma'am, we have orders to escort you back to Cheyenne Mountain immediately."
"Why?"
"There's been an incident, ma'am."
Sam sighed. "Look, I haven't been on active duty since..." Her eyes opened and she was suddenly, immediately sober. "Something's happened on Atlantis."
"You'll need to come with us, ma'am."
Sam didn't fight them. She knew that going with them was the only way she could find out what had happened.
#
The debriefing was short, and Sam assumed General Landry didn't have much information to offer. Jennifer had been infected by some experimental virus on Michael's planet. According to the scans, everyone who was on the planet where Michael's lab collapsed was infected by the same virus. Sam read the file while Landry filled her in and she agreed to be put into quarantine under one condition. "Put me in a lab. Give me samples, let me see what I can do on this end."
Landry hesitated only briefly. "Couldn't hurt to have both sides of the universe working on it, I suppose."
Sam nodded. She stood at attention when Landry rose from his chair. "Sir, if you know... who was the first person infected?"
"Dr. Keller."
Sam's breath caught in her throat and it was all she could do to follow the airman down the stairs.
#
Sam received the samples from the Atlantis expedition and got to work immediately. Unfortunately, her mind kept going back to what was happening across the galaxy. Jennifer. God, why did it have to be Jennifer? Sheppard's team had been on the planet longer, Lieutenant Edison had been engulfed in a wave of debris from the explosion. Jennifer hadn't even gotten there until long afterward. Why Jennifer? Why did it have to be her?
She realized that she was squeezing a sample case hard enough that the plastic was starting to groan. She relaxed her hand, put the case down and braced her hands on the edges of the table. Bad place to be a doctor, she thought. How many doctors had been lost on this expedition? Heightmeyer, Weir, Beckett... Janet. Don't take another one, she pleaded with whoever might be listening. Please, God, not Jennifer. She's so young.
She forced herself to focus on the virus, or whatever the hell it was. But her mind refused to latch on to that train of thought. All she could think about was Jennifer. Jennifer, the impressive young doctor who occasionally filled in for Doctor Lam at the SGC. Jennifer, the frightened, in-over-her-head genius who suddenly found herself as Chief Medical Officer of Atlantis due to a tragedy. Who had found her stride in the job in the face of another tragedy, and never once gave in to her fears or doubts.
Jennifer, the first woman Sam made love to after Janet's death.
Why her? Sam asked, no longer even pretending to be focused on the lab work. Of all the people who had been on the planet, why did it have to be her?
Sam picked up the sample case and threw it across the room.
#
In the end she didn't worry about the cure. She wasn't a medical doctor, and Wraith bio-weapons were so far beyond her, she had no doubt the Atlantis team were light-years ahead of her in understanding it. So she sat in the corner of her lab, knees drawn up close to her chest, hands in her hair. She got to see how the other half lived; sick and possibly dying and forced to rely on scientists to save her life. She owed General O'Neill an apology. It was harder than it looked to just sit and wait.
Finally, Dr. Lam arrived and administered some kind of antidote. She warned Sam it was a rough ride and, a few minutes later, Sam regained consciousness and blinked up at the bright overhead lights. She licked her lips, swallowed and looked at Carolyn. "It worked on everyone in Atlantis?"
"Yes. All the infected have responded well."
"And Jennifer?" Sam asked. She struggled to keep her tone conversational, but Carolyn knew Sam too well to be fooled.
"Colonel Sheppard and Ronon took a big risk getting to her. Such a big risk, in fact, that they're both still recovering, and Dr. Keller is currently back at... mm, say ninety percent."
Sam smiled. "She's okay?"
"She's fine. But word from Atlantis is that all the infected are being ordered to bed rest."
Sam exhaled and said, "After the month I've had, I'm not going to fight you on that. Get the lights on your way out, please."
Carolyn smirked and gave a sharp little salute as she went to the door.
#
"Samantha?"
Sam's eyelids fluttered and she turned her head on the pillow. She smiled, her eyes still closed, and said, "You know I love how you say my name."
Carson Beckett chuckled lightly and said, "I'm just pleased I'm still around to say it. Did you..."
"I delivered the letter to your mother personally," Sam said. "I guess we'll have to think of a way to let her know you're still alive."
"Aye," Carson said. He shook his head. "I'm not looking forward to that brainstorming session."
"It's good to see you well," Sam said.
He nodded. "I still knock on wood every night before I go to sleep that I'm still there to see the morning." He hesitated and then pulled a note from his pocket. "Jennifer asked me to give this to you before I left. I figured you wouldn't want it mentioned on any official channels."
Sam took the note from him. "How much do you know?"
"Oh, please," Carson scoffed. "Your doctors know everything about you, Samantha." He smiled and put his hand on her arm. "She's fine. But she misses you something fierce."
"Well, then we're even," Sam said quietly. "Thank you, Carson."
"Anytime, darling. Get some rest."
Sam smiled. "Still the doctor, huh?"
"Always."
He released her arm and left her alone in the room. Sam waited until she was sure he was gone, and that no one was coming with more medicine, before she opened the envelope. She unfolded the papers inside - two or three, judging by the thickness of them - and smoothed the sheets out on the blanket in front of her. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, blinked them back into focus, and began to read.
Author:
geonncannonPairing: Sam/Jennifer
Word Count: 1,341
Category: Missing Scene
Spoilers: Search & Rescue, The Seed
Disclaimer: Not mine!
Rating: PG
Author's Notes: Just a little missing scene (or maybe missing subplot) from this week's Atlantis. I haven't seen Continuum and I won't until the DVD is released in a week (!!!!!!!) or so, but this is set after the movie. I don't want ANY spoilers about how it wouldn't work because of something in the movie. ~makes scary threatening fingers~
Summary: Sam is quarantined at the SGC.
Sam left the bar feeling a little buzzed, and a lot better. She was in her civvies, with her hair down, and had just spent the evening drinking away her sorrows with the rest of her team. Not her former team, not just the people she used to save the universe with. SG-1, her people. Even General O'Neill had swung by to help lift her spirits. The evening had started with Cameron and Daniel trying to come up with examples of worse performance reviews. But when you're met at the door with "You're fired," it's kind of hard to top.
Still, by the time she broke out the pool cue and taught Vala the fine art of hustling ("So, let me get this straight, guys. I'm not supposed to put this white ball in the holes? Why not? Is it special or something?"), she had realized that depression wasn't the answer. No dwelling on why the IOA had decided to remove her. Their reasons were sound, if self-serving and petty, and she knew she wasn't going to get anywhere by fighting it.
She heard footsteps on the gravel behind her, but ignored them. She pushed her hair out of her face and wondered if she should go back inside and have someone drive her home. Maybe Vala would be willing to...
"Colonel Carter?"
She groaned and closed her eyes. She turned before she opened them again. Two Air Force officers were standing a few feet apart, looking out of place in their dress blues. "What now? You're going to kick me off SG-1 and replace me with Kinsey?"
The men exchanged a look. "Ma'am, we have orders to escort you back to Cheyenne Mountain immediately."
"Why?"
"There's been an incident, ma'am."
Sam sighed. "Look, I haven't been on active duty since..." Her eyes opened and she was suddenly, immediately sober. "Something's happened on Atlantis."
"You'll need to come with us, ma'am."
Sam didn't fight them. She knew that going with them was the only way she could find out what had happened.
#
The debriefing was short, and Sam assumed General Landry didn't have much information to offer. Jennifer had been infected by some experimental virus on Michael's planet. According to the scans, everyone who was on the planet where Michael's lab collapsed was infected by the same virus. Sam read the file while Landry filled her in and she agreed to be put into quarantine under one condition. "Put me in a lab. Give me samples, let me see what I can do on this end."
Landry hesitated only briefly. "Couldn't hurt to have both sides of the universe working on it, I suppose."
Sam nodded. She stood at attention when Landry rose from his chair. "Sir, if you know... who was the first person infected?"
"Dr. Keller."
Sam's breath caught in her throat and it was all she could do to follow the airman down the stairs.
#
Sam received the samples from the Atlantis expedition and got to work immediately. Unfortunately, her mind kept going back to what was happening across the galaxy. Jennifer. God, why did it have to be Jennifer? Sheppard's team had been on the planet longer, Lieutenant Edison had been engulfed in a wave of debris from the explosion. Jennifer hadn't even gotten there until long afterward. Why Jennifer? Why did it have to be her?
She realized that she was squeezing a sample case hard enough that the plastic was starting to groan. She relaxed her hand, put the case down and braced her hands on the edges of the table. Bad place to be a doctor, she thought. How many doctors had been lost on this expedition? Heightmeyer, Weir, Beckett... Janet. Don't take another one, she pleaded with whoever might be listening. Please, God, not Jennifer. She's so young.
She forced herself to focus on the virus, or whatever the hell it was. But her mind refused to latch on to that train of thought. All she could think about was Jennifer. Jennifer, the impressive young doctor who occasionally filled in for Doctor Lam at the SGC. Jennifer, the frightened, in-over-her-head genius who suddenly found herself as Chief Medical Officer of Atlantis due to a tragedy. Who had found her stride in the job in the face of another tragedy, and never once gave in to her fears or doubts.
Jennifer, the first woman Sam made love to after Janet's death.
Why her? Sam asked, no longer even pretending to be focused on the lab work. Of all the people who had been on the planet, why did it have to be her?
Sam picked up the sample case and threw it across the room.
#
In the end she didn't worry about the cure. She wasn't a medical doctor, and Wraith bio-weapons were so far beyond her, she had no doubt the Atlantis team were light-years ahead of her in understanding it. So she sat in the corner of her lab, knees drawn up close to her chest, hands in her hair. She got to see how the other half lived; sick and possibly dying and forced to rely on scientists to save her life. She owed General O'Neill an apology. It was harder than it looked to just sit and wait.
Finally, Dr. Lam arrived and administered some kind of antidote. She warned Sam it was a rough ride and, a few minutes later, Sam regained consciousness and blinked up at the bright overhead lights. She licked her lips, swallowed and looked at Carolyn. "It worked on everyone in Atlantis?"
"Yes. All the infected have responded well."
"And Jennifer?" Sam asked. She struggled to keep her tone conversational, but Carolyn knew Sam too well to be fooled.
"Colonel Sheppard and Ronon took a big risk getting to her. Such a big risk, in fact, that they're both still recovering, and Dr. Keller is currently back at... mm, say ninety percent."
Sam smiled. "She's okay?"
"She's fine. But word from Atlantis is that all the infected are being ordered to bed rest."
Sam exhaled and said, "After the month I've had, I'm not going to fight you on that. Get the lights on your way out, please."
Carolyn smirked and gave a sharp little salute as she went to the door.
#
"Samantha?"
Sam's eyelids fluttered and she turned her head on the pillow. She smiled, her eyes still closed, and said, "You know I love how you say my name."
Carson Beckett chuckled lightly and said, "I'm just pleased I'm still around to say it. Did you..."
"I delivered the letter to your mother personally," Sam said. "I guess we'll have to think of a way to let her know you're still alive."
"Aye," Carson said. He shook his head. "I'm not looking forward to that brainstorming session."
"It's good to see you well," Sam said.
He nodded. "I still knock on wood every night before I go to sleep that I'm still there to see the morning." He hesitated and then pulled a note from his pocket. "Jennifer asked me to give this to you before I left. I figured you wouldn't want it mentioned on any official channels."
Sam took the note from him. "How much do you know?"
"Oh, please," Carson scoffed. "Your doctors know everything about you, Samantha." He smiled and put his hand on her arm. "She's fine. But she misses you something fierce."
"Well, then we're even," Sam said quietly. "Thank you, Carson."
"Anytime, darling. Get some rest."
Sam smiled. "Still the doctor, huh?"
"Always."
He released her arm and left her alone in the room. Sam waited until she was sure he was gone, and that no one was coming with more medicine, before she opened the envelope. She unfolded the papers inside - two or three, judging by the thickness of them - and smoothed the sheets out on the blanket in front of her. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, blinked them back into focus, and began to read.