Briefing Room

[Colonel Sharp]

Sharp raised an eyebrow. "What?" He shut up for a sec and heard the tiny murmer of voices. "What the hell..." He muttered under his breath as he opened the door.

[SilverRider]

<<From Infirmary>>

Still pressing the gauze, Davis entered the briefing room. She wasn't all that surprised to find it empty. Half of SG-1 was in foreston and SG-3 was hunting down something at General's request. SG-2 she hadn't seen since she came back. The only indication of SG-4 had been Larry and Vincent.

Glad for the silence she poured herself a coffee then walked over to the large window that overlooked the gateroom. Noticing the lack of activity she smirked as the rim of her cup touched her lips. But it was the gate she stared at. The whole damn thing had give her opportunities and opened doors that were beyond her imagination. Just as it had taken away what she held dear. Feeling her anger rise, she tired to calm down. She wasn't sure how she left about the device now. Too much had happened so far and in some sense too quickly.

She had to let go of her past in order to pave the way for her future. But how was she to do that she had no idea. Drinking her coffee she thought of those she and everyone on the base had lost. The unanswered question still hung in the air but no longer with the same heaviness it had been the weeks after Earth went up. She forced herself not to touch the raw wounds that were yet to heal. As the AU mission had opened quite a few yet again. Finding about Sharp and Paul had been on top her list.

The worse one had been seeing her father's counterpart. Davis pulled herself back before she could fall apart again. He wouldn't to see her like this. Claire knew that, but right now she couldn't help it but feel the void he had left. Chocking back the burning pain in her throat she tried to remember the good times and the sought the comfort from them.

She could see herself the past mission with SG-1 and saw how different that Claire had been someone Davis now didn't recognize. That innocence was tucked away for now. Was it for good, she couldn't say. As she drank her coffee she blank out to the things around her after she flopped herself on the chair and still facing the window.

[Gen Blue]

<< from General's office >>

Nick walked into the room. Noticing that the lieutenant seemed to be totally lost in thought, he quietly shut the door to his office then walked to the other door and shut it as well. Finally, he took a seat at the side of the table and purposely knocked his cup against the table. "Good afternoon, Lt. Davis. Hopefully the insanity will hold off for a while. What's on your mind?"

[SilverRider]

She heard the footsteps but made no connection that it was the general entering the room. Heard the doors close it still didn't register in the brain that anything was off. It made sense as to she was cut of from her surroundings, mentally. She was going to do this and even if she had to eat her damn cup.

The loud knocking of the the china on the table finally got through her hard head that someone was in the room and was trying to get her attention. She felt a bit baffled as to who it could be since she had lost the track of time. Hearing Blue's voice, she gave herself a good metal slap. Dumba$$, she scowled at herself, you were waiting for him.

Twirling the chair to face the man she gave a small smile at his words, "Sir, good afternoon," she greeting him in full professional style, as she set her cup down. The standing on attention for a senior officer was thrown out her brain for the moment.

"Hopefully," she agreed, "it's been too insane. Kinda made me wonder if we did come back to the right reality from the mission," then chuckled softly as she sighed, "But first things first, I would like to apologize to Janus for my earlier reaction. Having a wandering mind is not an excuse for my reaction."

Having said that she wiggled in her seat, she looked at him, studying him for a moment before speaking, "I would like to hand in my resignation as a member of SG-1. This decision has not been lightly, I'll assure you that. It is with much regret that I'm making this chose, sir." and showed in her voice and matched her expression on her face. Leaning back she waited for his reaction. She really wasn't expecting to be like Sharp's, yet only in a minor sense; that of a shock. She had to trust Janus to keep Blue calm.

[Gen Blue]

"Reaction?" Blue wrinkled his brow, trying to remember. "Oh, in the Infirmary," he said then shook his head, "Don't worry about it, Lt. I expect that's going to be a common occurance for a while. Janus is understandably startling to hear."
He was trying to put the young woman at ease, she seemed entirely too nervous to be here for just an apology.

When Claire came to the real reason for the meeting, Nick thought to himself, No wonder Chris wouldn't tell me anything. Wrapping his hands around the cup and leaning both elbows on the table, the man frowned and stared at Davis for a moment, finally commenting, "That's a highly unusual request, Lieutenant. Most people clamor to join the flagship team. May I have your reasons, please?"
He knew that she wasn't required to justifiy her request but, if there was a problem within SG-1, he needed to know.

[SilverRider]

Claire listened quietly to Blue's comment. She was fully aware that this was a unusual request. Remembering Nat's words, about the General not being disturbed about this, Davis doubted that as the man's expression displayed. Taking a deep breath, she leaned over, silently looked at her mug for a moment, before her gaze landed on Blue's face, "I made a discovery during the course of the AU mission. Something least expected in any way, shape or form. If I recall correctly Colonel Sharp never disclosed his reasons to have me on SG-1. Only half of that came to light."

She closed her eyes as the flash of what she had seen in the AU came to her, "Sir, Colonel Sharp is under no obligation to have me on his team, just because I'm a daughter of his friend. I wasn't aware of babysitting being part of the job."

Thinking of her father filled her eyes with pain, looking at Blue with pleading eyes, "He's my last link to my dad and I'm not going to lose that with my sense of finding trouble. To preserve what I have now and with the new discovery. I have to leave. That's the only door open. That's my only choice."

For the sake of that she hope he would let her leave. But she was sure that Blue already knew the full reasons for her to be on SG-1.

[Gen Blue]

Blue leaned back in the chair and gave Claire an incredulous look, "Are you serious, Lieutenant? The United States Air Force is not in the habit of assigning persons to a primary team because they need 'babysitting'. I don't care who your father is."
He slid the chair closer to the woman, "I met your father twice and Generals Hammond and O'Neill spoke highly of him as well. If he, or they, thought you needed 'babysitting', it wouldn't be on an off-world assignment. Think about that for a few moments. I'll wait."
He reached over to retrieve his chai and sat sipping at the cooled liquid.

(( I can't remember what you were planning. Can you PM to me, please? ))

[SilverRider]

((I think she's behaving now ))

Claire winced at his words. She had been expecting something similar to this, but not to the same intensity. She had really misjudged the reaction. The error was all hers. At least she had heard from Blue himself that he had met, Paul.

She watched him sip his tea and felt the air in the room too heavy for herself. Don't stress, don't stress, she chanted to keep calm. But it did nothing expect bring out more of her unexplained anger within herself. Fisting her hand on her lap till they went pure white, she sighed deeply.

Without looking at Blue, she broke the spell of silence that was casted, "I'm just not sure what to think," she choked out tightly as she struggled to keep the forming tears from spilling, "I just don't know what to do. Staying isn't a option. Leaving like this isn't right as well. I don't want to strain what is left. I can't let go of what has happened. It's a struggle to come to terms with it."

Realizing she was going tremble, she got up and faced the gate. Admitting she was lost without one man would be more likely to be seen as a weak by the military, but she had done it.

"I just can't stay. But," she inhaled deeply, turned to face Blue, "I'm not trying to come across as a military brat, by implying the 'babysitters job'. If I am; I apologize for that. That's not my intention," she said with a soft voice.

[Gen Blue]

"I didn't really think it was," Nick said, waving away her apology, "It was a handy argument. Now that it's out of the way, let's get down to your real reasons."
He rose and walked over to the big window with her. Clasping his hands behind his back, the man looked out at the Gate. "We're an infinitely smaller group now. What would you do if I told you that, by leaving SG-1, you would have to take an outpost assignment? Cimmeria, New Hebridies, maybe Iberia? The garrison at Foreston? A liason to Riverton?"
He watched Claire's reflection in the glass. "You can't avoid serving alongside people with a personal connection to you. I know that you being Major Davis' daughter doesn't mean a hill of beans in the way Sharp thinks of you. I doubt if the rest of your team will care either. So, that only leaves you."

(( Doesn't mean a hill of beans = doesn't make a difference. ))

[SilverRider]

Claire stared at the gate as Blue ran the list of other options for her to pick out. One of choices didn't include the base. She had promised Sharp that even after leaving she would still hang around. With the options that were given, her promise would be thrown out of the window, but Foreston would be ideal. She was aware how small the numbers were. She had no response to his list. He wasn't going make it easy, she had expected that from him.

Now she was really sure that Nat's assumption was off target by far. Not only he was making this hard, he wasn't going to let go this easily.

"I can't avoid it, that's true. But I can't serve alongside them with the state I'm in. We both know that. One misjudgment from me on the mission. We all more like to end up in the infirmary or worse; captured. Your flagship team is your asset that you can't afford to lose, sir. So far I have offered nothing but trouble to the team. Off world trouble."

Remember how Sharp had reacted to her news of leaving, "Maybe it matters to him, maybe it doesn't. He's the only one who can answer that for you. The rest of my team doesn't even know. Major Ashwood found out over the course of the mission. Doctor Black and Lt Whitely are still in the dark.

Why it matters to me? I do not know. Maybe I know, but I haven't sought the answers within myself. At this stage I can't say why it matters, in some odd way. sir, it just does matter."

[Gen Blue]

"Hrrrmmm," Blue grunted. He bounced on his toes a couple of times before thudding his heels back to the floor. Turning away from the window, he said, "A team is more than a group of people who work together. They're also a support group. Each person has their strengths and weaknesses which should be compensated for by the others. None of them are perfect and anyone can make the mistake that spells disaster."
Walking over to the table, Nick picked up his cup and drained the last of the tea. Thumping it back on the surface, he added sternly, "However, what each member does have to have is confidence and, if you're that uncertain of your own abilities, you don't belong on a team, Lieutenant. Request granted. You're assigned to the Language Lab until further notice."

(( Don't run off right away. ))

[SilverRider]

She didn't move from where she was, as Blue moved around. She knew he was right. Each person had them. She had to find her own strengths in order to get a better understanding of who she is.

The sternness in his voice made her feel cold, gulping hard as she heard his words of not belonging on a team hurt, deeply she admitted to herself. She had a composed face with no expression, when she turned to look at Blue, "For now I'm uncertain," she walked over to table, "Thank you, sir."





((She's still here ))

[Gen Blue]

The general 'mmmmm'd again, he hated having such an obviously talented person stuck in the bowels of the base instead of out in the field. "Dismissed, Lieutentant Davis. Leave your unit patches with Sgt. Mykonos."
Pushing open the door to his office, Nick hesitated halfway through and spoke without turning around, "Claire? Don't take too long. I need you out there."
The man moved into the other room without another word, leaving the door hanging open.

<< to General's office >>

[SilverRider]

Her hand went in her pocket immediately, where the remaining patches were stored. Taking them out she looked at them, "Yes sir I will," she confirmed. She would really miss seeing them on her jacket. She had worn them for god knows how long. It would odd not to have them with her.

"Your a part of this team," Sharp told her.

She remembered Sharp's words from last night. Davis knew he was right, in spirit she would always be SG-1, if she physically was no longer part of the team.

Davis gave them a brush with her fingers when Blue calling by her first name caught her attention, her gaze traveled to his back. The soft tone was far from the one he used earlier. He was hurt by her decision that was clear. Hearing the remaining of his words her throat tightened, tears build in her eyes, watching him leave, "I'll try not talking too long and you will have me out there soon, sir," she whispered as wiped her eyes gave herself a good moment to close the lid on her feelings.

Returning the patches to her pocket, she gave quick look a the gate. It be a while before she would go off world. Sighing she turned and followed Blue. She just hoped that the rumor mill didn't start at all.





<<To Blue's Office>>

((Italic in blue is a flash back))

[Colonel Sharp]

<<From Control Room>>

Sharp and Thor stood quietly for a few seconds in the elevator- Chris looking down upon the top of his head. 'How the hell do I start a conversation? 'Oh hey- whats up?' or 'Did you hear about Lt. Suchinsuch?'. Seriously wha-' *Beep* The elevator had reached the next floor in what seemed like an eternity.

Sharp led the Asgard into the briefing room, spotting the general about to head down the stairs. "General!" He threw up a hand in a 'waiting' manner.

Thor walked over, in front of Sharp. "Greetings from the Asgard, General. I am Thor." He nodded his small gray head.

Chris stood behind him, shrugging, nodding.