Jack sat up in bed, knocking the covers to the floor in his haste. He knew he was safe, but he still felt like he was hanging weightlessly above the floor of Loki's ship. He could still see the green orbs floating around him in their bizarre dance.
As he ran shaking hands through his hair, he breathed deeply, years of training kicking in automatically to help calm jangling nerves. He stood, he grabbed his robe off the nearby hook and flung it over his shoulders with the careless ease of one accustomed to moving without conscious thought. He padded into the kitchen, his body craving coffee despite the fact that he didn't need to be awake for several more hours.
As the machine purred and rumbled beside him, Jack leaned against the counter and rubbed tired eyes with the heels of his hands. He'd lost a lot of sleep to those damned nightmares, and nothing he'd tried had worked. He was tempted to call up Doc Frasier and get a prescription for those sleeping pills she was offering him every time she saw him lately. The dark circles under his eyes were aging him, betraying his stress to the world at large.
Jack gazed at the phone. He thought about talking with SG1. Telling them about the brief horror of waking up on an alien vessel, kidnapped from his own bed, and knowing deep down that he might not survive this one. Telling them what it felt like to be truly alone, without the team to rely on. He took a step towards the phone.
The coffeemaker coughed, signalling the end of its cycle. Startled, Jack moved back a step. He opened the cupboard, and cursing his habit of putting casual dishes on an upper shelf, he stretched for a mug. His fingers scraped the handle before finally catching hold, pulling it towards the edge. He filled it with coffee, and headed to the living room.
Taking a sip, Jack remembered his mother teasing him that all that coffee he drank in high school would stunt his growth. But if it hadn't affected him the first time he was growing up, chances were good it wouldn't do a damned thing the second time around.
Besides, he thought, sitting down on the sofa and opening a textbook, he had a lot of homework to finish for school tomorrow.
Maybe he could forget he was alone, even if only for a little while.
Author’s Note: Thanks tons to BabsN for her usual nurturing, nagging, and 'nspiration.
Feedback: Comments and criticism welcome, flames will promptly be doused in ice water.
© December 2003 The characters mentioned in this story are the property of Showtime and Gekko Film Corp. The Stargate, SG-I, the Goa'uld and all other characters who have appeared in the series STARGATE SG-1 together with the names, titles and backstory are the sole copyright property of MGM-UA Worldwide Television, Gekko Film Corp, Glassner/Wright Double Secret Productions and Stargate SG-I Prod. Ltd. Partnership. This fanfic is not intended as an infringement upon those rights and solely meant for entertainment. All other characters, the story idea and the story itself are the sole property of the author.