Quarters

[Tracy Jane]

[Kate's quarters]

Kate heard the voice and jolted upright, shocked at a third presence in the room. As she saw her dark-haired friend, her footwear clattered to the ground as she stared, wide-eyed at Jaime.

She chewed on her lip as she continued to stare, lost for words. What was she supposed to say? Or do? Or say? She hadn't seen this woman in weeks, well a few weeks, well before she knew about....

Kate shook her head, a physical manifestation of her emotional attempt to cleanse herself. She didn't want to face those thoughts and those things. She continued to twitch her head, like a small muscular tick, as she donned her boots.

She was so engrossed in her troublesome thoughts, she had forgotten that she hadn't yet greeted Jaime, and continued her mundane, calming rituals with shoelaces, unaware that the woman was still awaiting a response.

[ShelBel]

[ Kate Howard's Quarters ]

Jaime blinked at Kate's response- or rather, her lack of. She turned and gave Jensen a questioning look. He stepped into the room, laying a hand on Jaime's arm as he passed and clearing his throat, looking vaguely troubled.

"Kate?" he said softly, kneeling next to her as she continued to tie her laces. "Jaime stopped by to say hello..."

Jaime swallowed and motioned toward the door. "I'll go. Obviously she's still... not quite herself." She reached out and touched his arm. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset her."

"That's okay," Jensen said quietly, turning to look at Jaime. "It was worth a shot. Thanks for giving it a try..."

[Tracy Jane]

[Kate Howard's quarters]

Kate's head was bobbing up and down gently in response to Jensen's words. She looked up, but not directly at Jaime as she spoke. "H... how was the... the mission?" she asked nervously, feeling self-conscious at the human contact.

Somehow speaking to Jensen was different. Though it was still difficult, it was different and she was able to get by because he knew her so well. She could almost communicate without words. But Jaime....

[ShelBel]

[ Kate Howard's Quarters ]

Jaime paused at Kate's halting words and came a little closer, staying behind Jensen and leaving Kate that buffer. She knelt down to be more on a level with Kate.

"It was good, actually," she smiled. "Any time I come home without being attacked by a wild animal is a good mission for me. Kate, it was so cool- in the alternate reality, that beast that attacked SG-3? They're SENTIENT there. Have a fascinating culture, and they co-exist peacefully with the humans. And the Iberians have a settlement there as well... they're still maddeningly superior, but they sent back some things with us that I think are pretty important, even though we haven't really figured out what they do yet. Dr. Almodeus is working on them at the moment."

She scooted a little bit closer. "I met so many people, Kate, it was weird. The AU version of Major McKinnon? Complete @$$. He tried to come on to me. Their General Blue- Belosouv- had died shortly before we got there from a massive stroke... much like I imagine our General would have if Janus hadn't been there." She paused for a moment, thoughtfully. "Some were the complete opposites of what they are here- and some were almost exactly the same."

She peered at Kate and decided that now was definitely not the time to bring up Cathy, the baby, and the time she'd spent with the liason to the Iberians. A quick glance at Jensen confirmed that now was REALLY not the time to bring up his brother Dean in the AU- he had enough on his hands at the moment.

"It was a really... illuminating... experience," she said softly.

[Tracy Jane]

[kate howard's quarters]

Kate watched intently, a captive audience, waiting for the story she wanted to hear. She could see in Jaime's eyes that there was more than was being let on. Jaime of all people should have remembered Kate's talent for reading between the lines.

She wanted to hear about Jim, the man she had held so dear before he went missing, she wanted to hear about Jensen and about herself, how she was coping. If their Kate had coped, perhaps there was still some hope left for her.

Kate reached out for Jaime's hand, her face expectant.

[ShelBel]

[ Kate Howard's Quarters ]

Jensen watched as Kate reached out to Jaime, his eyes meeting the young tech specialist's with a small nod of encouragement. So far so good...

Jaime took Kate's hand, smiling. "There's more, but I don't think sitting on the floor in your quarters is the place to explain," the young woman said softly. Jensen didn't miss the meaningful glance she sent in his direction. Oh ho, so she's got something for me as well? he thought, curiosity piqued. This could be interesting.

His mind whirled for a moment, going over options. Given Kate's reaction to Jaime's relatively non-threatening presence, he doubted that the Mess was a good idea. But his gut told him that getting out of quarters was what the major needed, so he just needed to figure out a relatively quiet spot where they could have some lunch...

"The Lounge," he said softly. Jaime looked at him in surprise.

"Pardon?"

He laughed a little, patting Jaime and Kate's joined hands. "Sorry. Thinking out loud. How about having lunch in the Lounge? Its usually pretty quiet, and I know we can have food in there without too much trouble. What do you say, Katie?" He turned back to his friend. "Jaime can go ahead and scout it out for us and call down the all-clear. Then she could go down to the Mess and grab a few things to eat and bring it up. That is, if she's willing, and if it's okay with you."

Jensen looked from Kate to Jaime. Jaime smiled.

"Willing and able," she said, squeezing Kate's hand gently. "If it's okay with Kate."

[Tracy Jane]

[Kate Howard's Quarters]

Kate frowned and looked at Jensen. The evil, scheming... but she couldn't deny her interest. Jaime's expression had piqued her interest and Jensen knew it. She had been refusing to eat for days, but if she refused to eat, she wouldn't get to hear whatever it was that Jaime was keeping to herself. And the fact that she was so hesitant to share made Kate all the more determined to find out.

The lounge seemed like a good idea, theoretically speaking. It was rarely in use, it was quiet and out of the way and it was comfortable. And it would keep Jensen happy if she left her quarters and tried to behave rationally.

She nodded her consent to Jaime, then allowed her eyes to wander around the room as her mind also drifted.

[ShelBel]

[ Kate Howard's Quarters ]

Jaime waited for Kate's response and was pleased when the major nodded her assent. "All right then," she said warmly, getting up. "Off I go on my little recon mission. I'll call down when I get up there. Then while you two are coming up, I'll bop down to the Mess and see what they've got."

"Talk to Henry," Jensen told her. "And tell him who the food is for. He knows what Kate likes."

"Will do," Jaime nodded. "Okay then, I'm off. Talk to you in a couple minutes." With that, she left the room and headed for the elevator.

<< to the Lounge >>

[ShelBel]

[ Kate Howard's Quarters ]

The phone rang and Jensen moved to answer it. The extension showed it was the Lounge, but he answered formally anyway, just in case. "Dr. Winchester."

Jaime's giggle bubbled over the line. "Oooo, so official," she teased him. "Lounge is clear, by the way. I'll head down to the Mess. Henry, right?"

"Yep," Jensen replied with a grin. Her enthusiasm was contagious.

"See you in ten," she said with a little laugh, and hung up. Jensen replaced the receiver and turned to Kate.

"Ready to go?" he asked her quietly.

[Tracy Jane]

[kate howard's quarters]

Kate rolled her shoulders and nodded. At this point, her curiousity was overwhelming her sense of fear and she was determined to get to the bottom of Jaime's big secret.

She shoved her hands in her pockets and walked towards the door, feeling the slight constriction in her chest where her nerves still had hold. She forced herself to smile and be jovial with Jensen, despite this fear, knowing how it put him at ease.

"Was she flirting with you again?" Kate scolded gently but in good humour, though she conceded that there was a little jealousy deep down.

<<<to lounge>>

[JacksonMiracle]

<<From Science Labs>>

[NPC Mary Irving-Her Quarters]

Mary slowly swipped her card through the reader and dragged herself into her quarters. It wasn't quite lunch time, and despite skipping breakfast, the young nurse didn't feel a bit hungry. She sat down slowly on the edge of her bed with a sigh, and hugged one of her pillows close to herself. The embroderied design on the pillowcase was one that she had created herself. It was odd how many things she had forgotten that she had ever done while in highschool. With a sigh, she leaned back on the bed, and before she could even comprehend that she had closed her eyes, Mary had fallen into an exhausted sleep.

[Jynjyr]

<< from Mess Hall >>
[ Kym Tyler's quarters - level 6 ]

Kym entered her room, sat on the end of her bed and took off her boots. Walking to the corner, she stuck her toes into one of her sneakers and kicked it up into the air, catching it as it came down. She laughed at the sillines and did it to the other shoe too.
The picture on her dresser caught her attention, she could hear her grandmother's voice telling her she would break something if she kept that up.
"Yes, Grandmother. I'm still playing games," Kym sat down to pull on the shoes, "I haven't broken anything yet."
The woman took the blousing bands off her trousers and tied the ankle cinches instead. If she didn't, the trousers would drag on the floor.
"Okay, let's go see if I still have any kind of a jump shot."

<< to Hangar Bay >>

[Gen Blue]

<< from Brig >>

Moving quickly, Blue slammed into his quarters, letting the door bounce off the wall and slam shut. He stripped off his uniform, leaving it laying on the floor wherever it fell. It took him only a moment to haul his backpack out of the closet and toss in clean underwear, socks and teeshirt. His personal kit of soap, shampoo, razor and brush were already in the pack.
The only real care he showed was in removing two of his favorite shirts from the dark end of his closet. One was folded neatly and placed on top of the rest of his gear.
The other he slipped onto his arms and tucked in the waistband of a pair of well worn jeans. A belt around his waist, sneakers on his feet, and a gray leather jacket zipped up tight completed his preparations.
A quick pat to make sure the pistol was in it's ankle holster and the zat was at the small of his back and Nick was out of the room as violently as he entered.

<< to General's office >>

[Gen Blue]

<< from General's office >>

Callista ran as fast as she could without tripping on her skirt. The door hadn't shut before she was unbuttoning her vest and kicking off her shoes. The woman knew that Blue meant what he said. In 10 minutes, he would leave with or without her.
She was terribly concerned over why he was so upset. He wasn't that upset when Earth was destroyed. Poor Galen. It's not his fault.
Cal did take the moments to hang up her Iberian dress properly. He didn't even notice that it's a different color. Gentle Lady Callista. She laughed shortly. Who would have ever thought I was a 'gentle lady'?
Even during her musings, she was rushing around getting packed and ready to go.

<< to Hangar Bay >>

[ShelBel]

<< from the Infirmary >>

[ Dr. Hermione Lancaster's Quarters ]

Gus approached Hermione's quarters with a small knot of nervousness in his stomach. He wasn't sure what kind of condition the psychologist would be in; Rowena had had several checkups since her run-in with Kate and Jensen and althought was she improving physically, her mental and emotional state was inconclusive. The cadet simply wasn't talking to anyone about anything.

Hesitating for just a moment, he drew a deep breath and then knocked on Hermione's door.