aurora_novarum: (daniel by moonshayde)
[personal profile] aurora_novarum
Title: Getting to Know...Me
Characters: Jacob & Selmak
Genre: Character study; vignette
Summary: In a free moment, Jacob contemplates his new life with Selmak's input.
Warnings: None

Disclaimer: Not mine, Sony outbid me. Selmak and Jacob and Stargate SG-1 are owned by MGM, Gekko, Double Secret and a host of other people and legal entities that are not me. Merely an homage. Not for monetary gain.

Author's Notes: Written as a belated birthday present to [livejournal.com profile] selmak. Thanks to quick betaing by [livejournal.com profile] abyssinia4077.




Jacob stood atop the sand dune, staring at the two moons rising over the horizon. "Holy Hannah," he whispered. Here he was, standing on an entirely new world. If his kids could see him now...and then he remembered seeing new worlds was his daughter's day job.

"A far cry from NASA, Sam," Jacob muttered to himself, then repeated, "Holy Hannah."

An emotion of amusement completely foreign to his feelings erupted from deep inside. "So young."

Jacob jumped. So overwhelmed with his new surroundings, he had forgotten for a moment that his thoughts were no longer his own.

"Your thoughts are still your own, Jacob. Just...more easily shared now."

"It's going to take me a while to get used to this," Jacob apologized...to himself. He could sense the inner laughter once again and shook his head. "By the way, it's been a couple decades and several hair follicles since anyone called me 'young'."

The laughter erupted vocally from him this time as they both shared the amusement.

Selmak responded, "I did not mean to insult you. Just noting that you are still so innocent as to the ways of much of the universe." Memories Jacob did not recall before flashed in front of him: battles, losses, loves and experiences he couldn't even comprehend at the moment overwhelmed him.

Jacob suddenly felt very homesick. Even now that he had someone sharing every waking thought, he felt lonelier now than he ever had before. He missed his home, he missed his kids; he missed, more than usual, his wife. The moons he had been admiring no longer seemed wondrous--just alien and a reminder of how far away he was from home.

He tried to get a grip on himself. He was career Air Force. He'd seen horrible things, he'd been in strange situations before. He had swallowed the pain and moved on. But how could he close off his thoughts from...himself?

"You do not need to hide your pain. I will..." Selmak paused, as if looking for the right term, "retreat."

Jacob's surprise and curiosity overcame his sadness. "You can do that?"

"In a manner of speaking. At least, during times like this. I am aware, but not...conscious of each passing thought. I have been trying to hold myself back from you, to not overwhelm you at once. I regret I let too much of myself free just now."

"You...I'm sorry. I'm used to flying solo in my head. I didn't mean to cause you pain."

"You are not. I just have my own grief to work through. We are both adjusting, and will need to get used to each other, and this new...aspect of...ourselves."

Jacob sent a wave of sympathy. "Saroosh. I'm sorry. From what little I knew, she seemed a very special lady."

"She was." This time the memories were softer, familiar. Grief was something Jacob knew all too well already. But strangely enough, he felt at peace as well. As if Saroosh lived on with him, in him, in much the same way Selmak did.

But this made him realize something else, a thought he hadn't expressed consciously in the rush of getting the Tok'ra reestablished on a new base. "So, um, you don't have buyer's remorse do you?"

He sensed Selmak stiffen. "We chose each other of our own free will, Jacob Carter."

"I know, I know. But like I said at the get go, we were both last choice before that ol' grim reaper. I'm afraid you've picked the bottom of the barrel with me."

Selmak relaxed. "I do not regret the choice. You have given me a freshness to my views that I have not experienced in centuries. Different planets; interstellar travel. It is all unreal to you. And yet, I sense you have lived a full life in Tau'ri terms with its own travails and cultural differences. I think we make a good match, Jacob Carter."

"I agree. Perhaps you can teach an old dog new tricks." Jacob chuckled. "Sorry, it's an Earth..."

"I understand." Selmak's thoughts sounded amused now.

Jacob smiled wryly. "You know, Sam figured we'd spend our time cracking each other up."

He felt a warmth within him, a strange sharing of the same memory from two perspectives. "I remember."

"I could start. A man, a bear, and a frog walk into a bar..."

The laughter came out of his mouth unexpectedly. "It's not honey-glazed!" Selmak almost choked between laughter.

Jacob tried to act offended. "You're not supposed to skip ahead to the punch-line."

Eventually Selmak stopped laughing. "Sorry, Jacob. Our mental link is a bit more whole than you realize. It'll take some getting used to for both of us."

"Baby steps. We'll hopefully have a lifetime to learn."

"I hope so. 'Baby steps' is accurate. It's like a rebirth in a way for both of us."

"Yeah, a rebirth." Jacob smiled as they directed their steps back to the Tok'ra cave. "Happy birthday, Sel."

"Happy birthday, Jacob."

Fin.

Date: 2007-09-18 12:15 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] selmak.livejournal.com
oh! That was lovely!!! Thank you!!! :)

Helena

Date: 2007-09-18 01:15 am (UTC)
ext_3557: annerb icon with scenes of all team variations, my OTP (Default)
From: [identity profile] aurora-novarum.livejournal.com
You're welcome! I wanted to do something for my fellow radioactive fangrrl! Let's hope this coming year is a better deal health wise for both of us. :-) [my b-day's in a couple weeks]

I was going to write you, but my internet connection went blooey right after I posted this.

Date: 2007-09-18 02:59 am (UTC)
ext_3557: annerb icon with scenes of all team variations, my OTP (Default)
From: [identity profile] aurora-novarum.livejournal.com
P.S. And HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!

Date: 2007-09-18 01:15 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] beanpot.livejournal.com
That is excellent. I love anything that explores this relationship further and this hits that spot perfectly.

Date: 2007-09-18 01:30 am (UTC)
ext_3557: annerb icon with scenes of all team variations, my OTP (Default)
From: [identity profile] aurora-novarum.livejournal.com
Aw. So glad it "hit the spot." :-D

Date: 2007-09-18 01:47 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] triciabyrne1978.livejournal.com
This is lovely!

I miss Jacob!

Date: 2007-09-18 02:25 am (UTC)
ext_3557: annerb icon with scenes of all team variations, my OTP (Default)
From: [identity profile] aurora-novarum.livejournal.com
Thank you! (I miss him too).

Date: 2007-09-18 01:59 am (UTC)
beatrice_otter: Me in red--face not shown (Default)
From: [personal profile] beatrice_otter
Thank you so much for writing this! Jacob is my favorite character, and the Tok'ra have never gotten enough love. A very well-written vignette about Jacob joining the Tok'ra hit the spot.

Date: 2007-09-18 02:24 am (UTC)
ext_3557: annerb icon with scenes of all team variations, my OTP (Default)
From: [identity profile] aurora-novarum.livejournal.com
Aw, so glad you enjoyed this little look at Jacob and Selmak. :-) Yay for Jacob! (I love him too).

Date: 2007-09-18 02:44 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] astrogirl2.livejournal.com
Yay, Jacob & Selmak! I am hoping this will prove inspirational. :)

Loved the joke-telling.

Date: 2007-09-18 03:02 am (UTC)
ext_3557: annerb icon with scenes of all team variations, my OTP (Default)
From: [identity profile] aurora-novarum.livejournal.com
YAY! Yes, be inspired. Go forth! Write! :-D

Seriously though, glad you enjoyed it. The joke is my favorite part too.

Date: 2007-09-18 02:55 am (UTC)
ext_2207: (Default)
From: [identity profile] abyssinia4077.livejournal.com
Hee! I still love this. You don't see much of those two learning to get used to each other - and, really, Jacob realizing the galaxy isn't what he thought.

I love their banter and mild awkwardness and what they already share.

Yay fic1

(also, you so posted this the day the secondary characters carnival of squee went live - you should go link it there)

Date: 2007-09-18 03:05 am (UTC)
ext_3557: annerb icon with scenes of all team variations, my OTP (Default)
From: [identity profile] aurora-novarum.livejournal.com
Yay! Thanks again for the betaing job. You don't really see much of Jacob adjusting to Selmak. He's all fully fine by the time SG-1 meets with him again (well, except for Mark issues).

The who what with carnival of squee? I thought that was like a challenge/ficathony thing like five things or something and got intimidated. Is it just for anything?

Date: 2007-09-18 03:14 am (UTC)
ext_2207: (Default)
From: [identity profile] abyssinia4077.livejournal.com
You are welcome - happy to help. and, it's true, we don't see it. One of many, many things we don't see.

go take a look - through Splash's LJ. It's a low key thing - just anything celebrating love for (in this case secondary characters) created recently. I think. Fic, pictures, icons, anything.

Date: 2007-09-18 11:49 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] moonshayde.livejournal.com
If you had done this a few days earlier, you could have made the Carnival of Squee!

Nice story. Miss Jacob :(

Date: 2007-09-18 01:26 pm (UTC)
ext_3557: annerb icon with scenes of all team variations, my OTP (Default)
From: [identity profile] aurora-novarum.livejournal.com
Yeah, [livejournal.com profile] abyssinia4077 told me to post it there, so I did...but I still don't quite understand it, and think I missed it. Oh well, Julie seems to run it, and she can bonk me on the head if she needs to.

And thanks for the feedback! Jacob is not dead, just on a super sekrit mission! ;-)

Date: 2007-10-01 10:43 pm (UTC)
ext_2131: picture of a fish with lots of green (Default)
From: [identity profile] holdouttrout.livejournal.com
This is very fun. Love it.

Date: 2007-10-02 04:12 am (UTC)

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