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Joining the Club
TtH Prompt: #98 Club Summary: Col. Mitchell is less than pleased about the newest member of his team. “With all due respect, sir…” Lieutenant Colonel Cameron Mitchell started. “This discussion is over. This came from the president himself. She’s a member of your team. You’re just going to have to deal with it,” General Landry said unapologetically. Mitchell looked through the window at the petite blonde who was spinning in circles in one of the large black chairs at the briefing table. “But she’s so tiny. She’ll be a hindrance.” “I’m going to forget I heard that since it borders on sexual discrimination. Even General O’Neill assured me that she can handle everything here.” “What does her file say?” Cameron asked, his blue eyes never leaving the spinning chair. “Not much.” “Huh?” Cameron said, turning to look at his CO in confusion. “It’s been heavily edited. Even I don’t have a high enough clearance to read her file,” Landry said. He opened it to reveal paragraph after paragraph blacked out. “So she’s staying?” Cameron asked, returning his gaze to her. She stopped mid-spin to wave and grin impishly at him. “Yes.” “What’s her name again?” “Buffy Summers.” Cameron shook his head ruefully as he left. Buffy was a name for a poodle, not a young woman. He sighed and sat down across from her. “Mad ‘cause I’m joining your little club?” She shrewdly asked. “No… Maybe… This isn’t what I had expected at all.” “Sorry.” “It’s not your fault.” “Actually, it is. I asked to be here. Or insisted is more like it,” she said hesitantly. “That part maybe, but not before.” He ran a hand through his short brown hair before explaining. “I was promised any position I wanted once I was fully healed. I wanted SG-1.” Buffy gave him a strange look. “You are on SG-1.” “No, I wanted to be a member with the other three original members – Sam, Teal’c, and Dr. Jackson. Instead, I get here and discover it’s just me. The others went their separate ways. It’s… Well, it’s not fair,” he concluded. “But Dr. Jackson is still here.” “Not because he wants to be. He’s still waiting for that bond with Vala to dissipate,” he said sullenly, looking at his right hand as he rubbed at an imaginary smudge on the table. “I agree it must be hard, but there’s an upside.” He snorted. “There is. You get to form your own team. Well, other than me, you’ll get to work with people you hand selected…” “I would have selected them!” “Fine, then think of this,” she said sternly. “You don’t have to worry about inadequately filling someone’s shoes or try to fit in a tight-knit group. It’s hard to do that. Besides, you seem to have some sort of hero-worship thing going on there. Trust me, you should never work with your heroes,” she ended bitterly. He looked up at her in surprise. There was pain in her eyes and he thought over her words. Begrudgingly he admitted to himself that she was right, and he wasn’t being fair to her or the other applicants. “Let’s start again. Lt. Col. Cameron Mitchell, leader of SG-1,” he said, holding out his hand. “Buffy Summers, new teammate,” she said, shaking it. “Let’s form our own little club.” “Let’s do,” he said, suddenly feeling better about the whole situation. Buffygate Menu What If You Want It? |
