Evil Author Day: How to Make It Work

Title: How to Make It Work
Author: Ladyholder
Fandom: The Sentinel, Stargate Atlantis, Stargate SG1
Pairing: Jim/Blair, Jack/Daniel, John/Rodney
Word Count: 1674
A/N: Part of the Young Sentinels and Guides series

 

 

 

In recent months, industry watchers have noticed a change happening in the largest family owned and operated Energy Company in the US. Sheppard Industries CEO, Patrick Sheppard has always been an intensely private man, with little known about his family. But some matters have come to light over the last eighteen months.

It has been a matter of public record that one of the sons of Patrick Sheppard is a Sentinel. What was not been previously known was that during his tune at North Western University, John Sheppard registered his bond with a Wolf level Guide. A Dr. M. Rodney McKay, of British Columbia, Canada.

Normally, even this wouldn’t be news, but six months before, John Sheppard was granted his request to be emancipated before he finished his final year at college. What could have caused the eldest son of Patrick Sheppard to file for such life changing paperwork?

        Gossip Column

        People Magazine

“So, Sheppard is going to be graduating from flight school in about a month. What do you say about us showing up to lend our support?” Jack O’Neill asked his Guide.

Attention firmly centered on the food he was preparing for their dinner, it took Daniel a few moments to make sense of what he had been asked. “Sure! I wanted to see Rodney before the Air Force assigned John to his next posting. I might have a suggestion or two for him for him on the careers he can pursue while John is a junior officer.”

O’Neill moved to stand behind his Guide, carefully looping his arms around his waist. “What is going through that genius brain of yours?” he asked with wary curiosity.

Daniel was silent for several moments before he spoke again. “You know we’ve been hearing rumors about a project that could use both of our skills, something to that if it gets out, will shake the world to its foundations?”

O’Neill had been hearing far more than that in the way of rumors, but the holding of the information was, as always, his privilege to protect. “Something like that,” he agreed dryly.

The look Jackson sent him was intensely dry, and Jack knew his Guide was aware that he was being humored. “John is too green right now for him to get picked for whatever is going down. But there are several different test pilot programs going on around the country that might need someone with his skills. And Rodney has that brand new Masters in Engineering to go with his Doctorate in Astrophysics plus some contract work he did. So I would think they would be a very employable package.”

Jack leaned back against the counter to consider what his Guide had proposed. It might be feasible… “’I know some of the guys in charge of evaluations over at Nellis… They are always looking for good pilots. Worst comes to worst, he might have to do a tour or two to get some practical air time in before he can be tapped,” he allowed.

Daniel smiled at him briefly before returning his attention back to the food he was cooking. The wave of affection Jack felt through the Bond was nice too. “On a different note, what are you doing this Wednesday?”

“”Uhm… What does my book day?” Daniel asked as the Sentinel went into the living room.

The appointment book Daniel was referring to was the only way the man could stay even halfway organized. To say that he was a good fit for the absentminded professor stitch wasn’t that big of a stretch. The only way they had found over their years together to keep him on track, was to write *everything* down in a central location. So far, it was working. Jack was happy with the arrangement because his Guide was less overworked. Daniel was just happy he wasn’t forgetting commitments again.

A quick flip of the pages and Jack confined the activities scheduled for Wednesday. “Looks good. You have a morning meeting with your department chair and that is it, no classes to teach. From the notes, it looks like you put that it was a two hour meeting only and not scheduled to run any longer. I’m going to be penciling an event in for the whole afternoon.”

Jack took a deep breath through his nose. From what his sense of smell was telling him, dinner had hit the point where he would call it done and he could hear Daniel starting to plate it up. The table was already set, there was a nice yeasty beer by his seat and the meal his Guide had made was full of his favorites. Yeah. Daniel knew something was up.

“So the event on Wednesday is going to lead to some changes. The Colonel is gonna have to find something for me to do while waiting for my new orders,” Jack commented as he served both of them from the communal bowl.

Daniel tasted his dinner and then hummed. Jack wasn’t sure if the surge of happiness was from the successful dinner or the thought of his upcoming promotion. His Guide swallowed his food carefully before saying anything. “Do you think you are going to get posted in the Middle East? Or somewhere else in need of a Lt. Colonel?”

Jack considered what he know of the geopolitical situation around the world. “I think too that the Middle East is more likely. Possibly Turkey or Saudi Arabia. Things are starting to look shaky in that region and the Air Force knows I speak several versions of the local languages. Plus I have you, as my ace in the hole. No one can resist your smile,” the Sentinel said fondly.

Daniel was very carefully eating his dinner, and grandly ignoring the magnificent blush climbing up his face at the compliment. Jack’s gaze was admiring and he knew what it did to his partner. Swallowing heavily, more due to the lusty looks than dinner, the Guide nodded. “If nothing else, I can act as translator and cultural expat while we are there. And assist the base in making some decent strides in understanding why the locals act like they do, when looked at from a Western point of view.”

“Sounds like a plan, Danny-boy. Sounds like a plan,” Jack agreed before drinking his beer and starting to eat his dinner. He was going to need the energy later to say thank you to his Guide for indulging him this way.

 

 

 

“So we are thinking that O’Neill will put off forming a Pride around himself and his Guide for a while longer. In the past, they both stated that the time wasn’t right for them to start the process of consolidating a Pride. Not to say that there hasn’t been an informal one following them from posting to posting. Recently, O’Neill was promoted to Lt. Colonel and from the scuttlebutt I have been hearing, he is being fast-tracked full bird.” Jim informed the room at large.

As the Alpha Prime of North America, Ellison kept a careful eye on the current Pride leaders and the up and comers. Some of the men and women who had he personal power to form Prides weren’t always the people he wanted running the regions under him. When O’Neill finally gave in to what biology and culture was requiring of him, Jim knew that the area the man controlled would be *calm*, and he was looking forward to that. The current Primes in the change of the various regions were nodding along with him, accepting the information as given.

Blair picked up the conversation with the next topic on the schedule. “I have an S&G pair that I expect to form a Pride around them within the next six months. This pair is very young and due to the Sentinel being in the Air Force, he will be moving with some frequency. Do we have policies in place for when they get transferred and their Pride moves with them?”

The Council’s legal representative cleared her throat leaned forward to answer The Alpha Guide’s question. “So long as all or most members of the Pride are willing to go, the US military has been willing to move Prides before. Since the S&G Pair are presumably both Air Force, they should be okay.”

Blair sat back and made a note on the file in front of him. “Only one of the Pair is military. The Sentinel is the Air Force member, his Guide is a scientist. He has stated that he will be able to work anywhere, and has mentioned that he will be focusing his Career towards being a consultant. The first job he has lined looks to be one of those that will help make his name. He has two PHD’s and is on his way to a third. From what he has told me, we will be hearing the results of his job within the next four to six months. I know he has filed for several patents as well.’

Jim grinned at that news. It looked as if John a-and Rodney were settling into their adult roles, “Blair? How do you know they will be gathering a roving Pride?”

“Huh?” His Guide looked up from the paperwork in front of him and stared at him blankly. Jim waited patiently, not pushing the issue and he could feel the curiosity of the other people around them. He no longer had a true Pride to run, but this was enough. Jim smiled slightly as he watched the fierce intelligence of his Guide bloom within his eyes and waited for the answer to his question.

“Why will Sheppard and McKay going to be forming a Pride around them that will follow them to hell and back?” Blair clarified as he played with the pen he had been taking notes with.

Every head in the room nodded. It wasn’t that they were puppets on his string, Jim knew, it was more curiosity at how the shaman had arrived at his conclusion.