Pray this can't be the way

[sgmitchell.livejournal.com]

He appreciated having a room to himself, even if it was clearly designed for a second party as well. For now, it was his alone. He appreciated that.

The room was about all he really appreciated since the attack of the crew-zombies. The idea was far more cool on paper than it was actually sitting on the roof of the Vatican, mowing down potential crewmates. Still, it was better than mowing down familiar ones. He appreciated that, too.

He appreciated the cute, glowy new look for Stacy, too.

He didn't appreciate the idea of his universe destroyed by something they'd never even gotten the chance to see--let alone fight. He didn't like the idea of being one of the last survivors of his own universe. Whether or not Ronon and Jackson counted as his own universe or another. He appreciated the cute voice. He didn't believe it. He wouldn't believe it, even if she showed him the destruction. None of this was necessarily real. He functioned within it as he needed to, but he wasn't about to fall for something SG-1 already fell for before. The zombies didn't exactly make the place more credible, either.

He frowned, studying the food goop in front of him.

His home-his family. Everyone and every thing he cared about was not gone. He wouldn't leave it to chance and hope that some of the people he cared about might have been alive--he wouldn't accept that their survival meant the deaths of an entire universe were acceptable losses. He wasn't about to accept a 'might' for saving all of them, if they did someone else's dirty work for them. That wasn't how he did things. He wouldn't be manipulated, and...he refused to believe that SG-1 failed. That Stargate Command, and all of their allies failed to protect not just their galaxy, but their universe.

He refused to believe he'd failed to do the one thing that mattered. He couldn't. Not now...not ever.

Comments

[sgmitchell.livejournal.com]

"If I were trying to charm you, Doctor Brennan, I'd be more specific."

[bone1ady.livejournal.com]

"Good, because I don't find you charaming at all."

[sgmitchell.livejournal.com]

He smiled. The woman could be very abrasive when she wanted to be. "But someone uncharming with pies."

[bone1ady.livejournal.com]

"No, someone who says they know how to make pies," Tempe corrected him. "That is a big difference."

[sgmitchell.livejournal.com]

He tilted his head, and squinted at the woman. "You're not big on trust, are you?" Not that he could particularly blame her..but why doubt someone about pie?

[bone1ady.livejournal.com]

"Not with people I don't know," Tempe answered with an arched eyebrow. Who really trusted people they didn't know? Stupid people, that's who.

[sgmitchell.livejournal.com]

"We are on the same team."

[bone1ady.livejournal.com]

"We are on the same ship," she corrected again. "I doubt we'll ever be working together as a team," she pressed her lips together. She already had a team. Booth - who was here on the ship somewhere, Angela, Hodgins and Zach. Granted the last three weren't there, but she already had a team.

[sgmitchell.livejournal.com]

"We're on the same crew. We both fought off zombies. Apparently, that's not the first time the crews' been marshaled together to fight something." He shrugged, and continued to smile. "We're on the same side, at least. A certain amount of trust comes with that."

[bone1ady.livejournal.com]

"Good because I already have a team," Tempe repeated taking a deep breath. It had taken her time to considered the people she worked with at her lab her team, who knew how long it would take her to consider anyone on the ship - outside of Booth - part of her team.

"Perhaps, but I don't know you or don't know your work ethics. I don't understand how you can just expect me to have any level of truth in you." She looked away, folding her arms under her chest.

"But you're right," she said softly after a few moments of carefully thinking. "We did partake in the zombie problem, so maybe I could try to trust you. A little bit at least."

[sgmitchell.livejournal.com]

He completely understood her sentiment. Really, he did. SG-1 was his team, as far as he defined a true team, and it would be quite some time before he could see Team Papa on the level of SG-1. Let alone the rest of the ship.

But just because someone wasn't 'team', didn't mean he wouldn't hold them to dinner.

"Enough for pie?"

[bone1ady.livejournal.com]

"Maybe," Tempe said cracking a half smile as she looked back at him. "But it better be really good pie."

[sgmitchell.livejournal.com]

Hey, there it was. A smile. She was capable of those after all. "My momma's recipe is nothing short of the world's best."

[bone1ady.livejournal.com]

"I suppose I'll find that out," Tempe said and shook her head. "If I get food poisoning I'll hunt you down and break the Phalanges in your right hand." She might be joking, it's hard to tell with her.

[sgmitchell.livejournal.com]

It doesn't matter what Phalanges are, he doesn't want anything broken in his hands. Which wouldn't be a problem anyway, because he does not poison people with his food, thank you. "But then I'd have to follow you around and complain about how you went and messed up my filagrees."

[bone1ady.livejournal.com]

"Phalanges... Pha-lan-ges," Tempe corrected him. "Do you even know what Phalanges are?" She lifted her hand and wiggled her fingers at him. "Phalanges."

She eyed him, and shook her head. "No you wouldn't. Because you'd know by then that I could easily break the Phalanges of your other hand."

[sgmitchell.livejournal.com]

Fingers, right. He didn't like the idea of getting his fingers broken.

"What kind of a doctor breaks fingers?" He offered his best, cute smile. "But then I'd complain about both, and you'd have no more fancy fingers to break. You'd just have to watch movies and listen to my complaining."

[bone1ady.livejournal.com]

"A Forensic Anthropologist type... Who just happens to know the best way to break a bone so it's very very painful." Tempe stated smugly.

She really wouldn't break his fingers... Not unless he invaded her personal space and then tried to get all touchy-feely, and then she'd wipe the floor with him.

"And what makes you think that you'd be following me around?" She lifted an eyebrow in question.

[sgmitchell.livejournal.com]

Oh, he knew it could be quite painful. But really, on the damage scale, it was fairly low. High on the inconvenience one, though. Doctors...

"Because if you were to unjustly attack my hands, I'd be forced to."

[bone1ady.livejournal.com]

"Well if food poisoning was involved, it wouldn't be unjust, would it?"

[sgmitchell.livejournal.com]

"There won't be, so it would be." It made perfect sense to him.

[bone1ady.livejournal.com]

"We'll see," Tempe shrugs. He's prepared now, so she doubts he'll be trying to poison her. And that's a good thing.

[sgmitchell.livejournal.com]

Maybe. Or maybe he'll do it just because she doubts it now.

"I'll take that as a compliment."

[bone1ady.livejournal.com]

"But it wasn't one."

[sgmitchell.livejournal.com]

He arched an eyebrow. "So?"