4. Vala, in an unsurprising fashion, was not found, but rather made her presence known in a way that bough packing to a screaming halt. Sam had never thought herself a prude, but having a friend in Vala had taught her that she was, perhaps, a little more conservative than she had every realised.
It was, conveniently enough, tangled within her underwear that Vala had chosen to hide. Sam ignored the disapproving note that her friend and pinned to white-cotton regulation underwear (Boring, Samantha. We must shop.) and carefully removed the items concealed between the few more delicate articles she had packed. Her face reddened, annoyingly so, as she lined up each item alongside her suitcase on the bed. No one could ever fault Vala Mal Doran for being underprepared.
Refusing to think about how Vala had purchased these items without her own money, credit card, or permission to leave the base unescorted – oh dear God, who did she take with her?? – she swept the items into one of her now empty bags and slipped it under her bed. She’d take a closer look later.
5. She was almost beginning to think that Jack wasn’t hiding amongst her luggage (surely he hadn’t been around when this infiltration had been going on, after all) when, suddenly, there he was.
She had been transferring her second dress uniform from its hanger bag to her wardrobe at the time. he knew the opportunity to wear her dress blues would be few and far between on the civilian based Atlantis, but Sam’s training had started early in life and it was hard to break.
Hanging up the uniform, her eyes were drawn to the newly minted clusters she had pinned to the shoulders, only to find them surprisingly lacklustre. Her mouth opened in wondered surprise as she plucked them off her uniform and held them in the palm of her hand. They weren’t shiny at all, in fact they were even a little scratched. And she saw the left one, though it had been carefully polished, had the slightest black tinge to its edge, almost as if it had been burnt at some point. She curled her fingers around them, their dulled edges digging into but not piercing her skin.
Jack had never been a man of words, and though their months back and forth between Colorado and Washington had helped, it certainly hadn’t cured the problem. She understood him anyways, she always had.
You can do this, they said. You’re ready. I’ll be right here if you need me. I’m so proud of you. I’ll miss you. I’ll be waiting. I love you.
Sam slipped the newer, shining clusters from her shoulders onto the clean uniform and transferred Jack’s onto the shoulders of her base uniform. She could do this. But it sure felt better knowing that part of her family was there with her. She touched the metal again. Always.
Part 2
It was, conveniently enough, tangled within her underwear that Vala had chosen to hide. Sam ignored the disapproving note that her friend and pinned to white-cotton regulation underwear (Boring, Samantha. We must shop.) and carefully removed the items concealed between the few more delicate articles she had packed. Her face reddened, annoyingly so, as she lined up each item alongside her suitcase on the bed. No one could ever fault Vala Mal Doran for being underprepared.
Refusing to think about how Vala had purchased these items without her own money, credit card, or permission to leave the base unescorted – oh dear God, who did she take with her?? – she swept the items into one of her now empty bags and slipped it under her bed. She’d take a closer look later.
5. She was almost beginning to think that Jack wasn’t hiding amongst her luggage (surely he hadn’t been around when this infiltration had been going on, after all) when, suddenly, there he was.
She had been transferring her second dress uniform from its hanger bag to her wardrobe at the time. he knew the opportunity to wear her dress blues would be few and far between on the civilian based Atlantis, but Sam’s training had started early in life and it was hard to break.
Hanging up the uniform, her eyes were drawn to the newly minted clusters she had pinned to the shoulders, only to find them surprisingly lacklustre. Her mouth opened in wondered surprise as she plucked them off her uniform and held them in the palm of her hand. They weren’t shiny at all, in fact they were even a little scratched. And she saw the left one, though it had been carefully polished, had the slightest black tinge to its edge, almost as if it had been burnt at some point. She curled her fingers around them, their dulled edges digging into but not piercing her skin.
Jack had never been a man of words, and though their months back and forth between Colorado and Washington had helped, it certainly hadn’t cured the problem. She understood him anyways, she always had.
You can do this, they said. You’re ready. I’ll be right here if you need me. I’m so proud of you. I’ll miss you. I’ll be waiting. I love you.
Sam slipped the newer, shining clusters from her shoulders onto the clean uniform and transferred Jack’s onto the shoulders of her base uniform. She could do this. But it sure felt better knowing that part of her family was there with her. She touched the metal again. Always.