Leftovers, by Achaea (PG-13)

[figs_sg1_rec]

Rec Category: Jack O'Neill

Pairing: none
Categories: Jack O'Neill, gen, drama, episode related, hurt/comfort, team, friendship, humor, action/adventure 
Warnings: language, violence
Author on LJ: unknown
Author's Website: Acheaea at Heliopolis
Link: Leftovers

Why This Must Be Read: In Leftovers, Acheaea gives us Jack and the rest of SG-1, eager to get back to normal after the harrowing events of Out of Mind and Into the Fire. But when they return to the SGC after their two weeks of leave, Jack discovers that Hathor and her little "friend" have left him a deadly going-away present… one that might seriously jeopardize his future as the leader of SG-1.

In the days and weeks that follow, there's humor and teamy goodness and sheer Jack stubbornness as he claws his way past the symbiote's planted suggestions and reasserts control of his actions and impulses. Jack paying Makepeace to hit him, Daniel pulling the most outrageous of bluffs when they're in trouble off-world, Janet and Hammond in fine form, guest spots for Jacob and Martouf… It's all here, all satisfying, and all fun!

(Like many older stories archived on Heliopolis, there are some formatting problems with italicized words. Leftovers is good enough to make it worth reading anyway.)

Fully expecting the hoard of Goa'uld who seemed to always queue up to arrive at any planet that SG1 visited, Makepeace swiveled and brought his weapon up.

And discovered the four members of the SGC's delinquent team marching jauntily toward the Stargate and arguing cheerfully amongst themselves.

They had lost their weapons and packs, looked uniformly bruised, Carter's arm was bound, and for some reason O'Neill wasn't wearing a shirt, but for all that, they might as well have been taking a walk in the park on a spring day.

O'Neill spotted Makepeace and waved. "Sorry, false alarm," he called out, not sounding at all apologetic. "We're here."

Makepeace pushed up his helmet and shook his head. "Hell O'Neill, don't you have any mercy? Fourteen hours overdue! Hammond's having kittens."

"It's a figure of speech, Teal'c," O'Neill, Carter and Jackson chorused automatically.

Teal'c looked smug. "I believe I knew that," he informed them.

Makepeace eyed the foursome. Despite their condition, they looked more relaxed than he had seen them in weeks. And O'Neill looked like he could take down half a dozen Goa'uld riding charging rhinos without batting an eye.

Taking soil samples couldn't be that therapeutic. He had to ask. "So what happened?"

O'Neill waved a hand airily. "Oh, the usual. Rusty DHD. Jaffa."

"Indeed not," said Teal'c.

"Sort of Jaffa," O'Neill qualified obediently. "And a Goa'uld."

"In a way," added Carter.

"And then we escaped," O'Neill finished.

"Well, frankly I think they were pretty glad to get rid of us," Jackson admitted.

Makepeace stared at them. Maybe they were more seriously injured than he had thought.