Fic: "Those Eyebrows-!" (Methods Of Governance Remix) [Stargate SG-1; Cam, Daniel; G]

[ll-cool-cj.livejournal.com]

Title: "Those Eyebrows-!" (Methods Of Governance Remix)
Author: pepper_field
Summary: Cam was trying to be cool about it, but this was the fifth time he'd traveled offworld, and the excitement wasn't showing any signs of wearing off.
Fandom: Stargate SG-1
Characters: Cameron Mitchell, Daniel Jackson
Rating: G
Disclaimer: Characters belong to whoever owns the Stargate copyright – story written for fun and not profit (more's the pity).
Original story: "Those Eyebrows-!" by Koanju

---

This was never going to get old.

Cam was trying to be cool about it, but this was the fifth time he'd traveled offworld, and the excitement wasn't showing any signs of wearing off. He glanced again at the Nathi ambassador. Both Daniel and the ambassador were starting to get twitchy about Cam's attention, but he just couldn't help it. The guy was so very... alien. He had that funky eyebrow thing going, and was tall and spindly in an I've-evolved-on-a-planet-with-lower-gravity-than-you sort of way.

Sure, okay, so Teal'c was an alien - but just yesterday he'd roped Cam into helping to collect his standing order from the Yankee Candle Company. It was hard to think someone as otherworldly when you'd seen them eating Krispy Kremes and bidding on Ebay for a Stormtrooper action figure ("I must have this additional one, Colonel Mitchell. It is in the original packaging.").

'Sides, acting like he'd just fallen off the turnip truck was driving Daniel nuts, and driving Daniel nuts was an old, established SG-1 pastime. Who was Cam to break with tradition?

"Mitchell, you've got to stop staring. You're making the Nathi nervous."

It was Daniel's fault, really. He asked for it. He did such a spectacular line in irritable - how could anyone resist provoking that? "I know that," said Cam, in his best tone of corn-fed wonder. "I'm just having flashbacks to watching Dune in college. Those eyebrows-!" He shook his head admiringly, and was gratified to hear the grinding of Daniel's teeth.

The Nathi ambassador drew himself up to his full height, and frowned at the group of Tauri. Daniel's eyes flickered nervously to Cam, who kept his expression bland, and let Daniel do the talking. In French, as it turned out. ("French?" "Yes. Why - d'you speak it?" "I do, actually – well, a little - and I don't understand a damn word you're saying." "Old French, Mitchell – about as related to Modern French as Old English is to Modern English." "Huh." "What?" "Oh, nothing." "What?" "Well, it's just, isn't it a little..." "What?" "Nevermind. Carry on." "A little what?" "Time's a-wastin', Daniel.")

---

Afterwards, Cam could pinpoint the exact moment he knew it was gonna go to hell. He'd not been listening to the conversation between Daniel and the ambassador, as he understood maybe one word in a hundred. Instead, he'd watched the body language. The ambassador's people might have been transplanted to a different planet centuries ago, but some things had stayed the same. And Cam saw the moment when subtle shifts in the ambassador's stance turned 'tall and spindly' into 'really very tall... and weren't the arms poking out from that ornate robe pure wiry muscle, no unnecessary body fat whatsoever...?'

Cam himself didn't need to shift. He'd had his hands on his gun, in a casually defensive stance, since they arrived. But he needed Daniel to move back. Right now.

"Yo, Daniel," he called, casually. Daniel glanced back, irritated.

"Mitchell, this is a very delicate-"

"Jackson," said Cam, sharply. And Daniel's eyes sharpened, actually focusing on Cam for the first time. A flicker of understanding passed between them, and Daniel used the excuse of looking at Cam to take a subtle step sideways, giving Cam a clear field of fire. Some part of Cam's brain noted this approvingly, along with the fact that Daniel's hands were on his weapon, seemingly without making any kind of antagonistic move. Daniel turned back to the ambassador and started to talk, rapid fire, his tone earnest and friendly.

But the ambassador snapped out something that needed no translation. Daniel fell silent when the guards appeared. Yeah, this was careening towards the point of no return.

"What's goin' on, Daniel?" Cam asked, as casually as he could whilst trying to move into a position to cover as many of the guards as possible.

"I don't know," said Daniel, smiling in a friendly-but-puzzled way at the ambassador. "I thought it was going swimmingly, myself."

"Looks like the ambassador didn't share that view."

"Apparently not, no. What's the plan?"

"Don't get killed on our fifth mission."

"That's a plan?"

"It's a fervent prayer."

During this exchange, they'd managed to edge closer together, covering a wider area with their weapons as the guards advanced, and getting out of each other's line of fire. Daniel took a moment to glance at Cam, giving him an assessing look, and then a brief nod. "We'll do just fine, Cam," he said, quietly.

Cam heard the double meaning, and quirked a pleased smile. "We gonna kick some alien ass, Doctor Jackson?"

"Oh, do let's, Colonel Mitchell."

---

When it was all over, and they stumbled through the Gate, hot on the heels of Sam and Teal'c, Cam and Daniel dropped to the ramp and exchanged a look. Cam couldn't help but grin, grimy and exhausted though he was. "That was my first simple-mission-that-went-to-hell," he said, proudly.

Sam groaned. "Don't you start." She and Teal'c exchanged a long-suffering look.

Daniel poked him in the arm. "Newbie," he said, affectionately.

Cam grinned, and reached up, ruffling the archaeologist's hair and knocking his glasses askew. "See, I knew you'd have to chill out and start liking me sometime," he said, smugly.

"Gah! If you're going to act like an annoying younger brother, that time is far distant."

"Hey, show some respect for the team leader, Jackson." Three different hands swooped out to smack him on the head. "HEY!"

"Team leader," huffed Sam, linking her arm with Teal'c as they strolled away. "These flyboys are all the same, aren't they? Think they're king of the world, just 'cause they've got wings and a Y chromosome."

"Indeed."

Cam glanced at Daniel. "How 'bout a democracy?"

"I like to think we're a technocracy," replied Daniel.

"A what?"

Daniel smiled enigmatically, and pushed himself to his feet with a groan, following Sam and Teal'c. "Or maybe a tetrarchy," he called back.

"Wait, hold up, what does that...?"

Yeah. They were going to be just fine.

---

END.

Comments

[oxoniensis.livejournal.com]

Loved this! So perfectly in character - it put a smile on my face.

[pepper-field.livejournal.com]

Hee! I'm not used to writing Cam in particular, so I'm glad I got him right. Thank you!

[verstehen.livejournal.com]

Hee! This is awesome. You managed to expand the drabble into an actual scene, add male bonding, and keep the two line sentence that inspired the drabble!

[(Anonymous)]

Phew - I'm so glad you liked it! I was worried - it's the first time I've done a remix, and it did feel like I was clomping in big boots all over someone else's idea... *g*

*wipes brow*

[minnow1212.livejournal.com]

Hee! This was a lot of fun.

>"That was my first simple-mission-that-went-to-hell," he said, proudly.<

Bwah!

[pepper-field.livejournal.com]

Ah, Cam's such a cutie, isn't he? *g*

Thanks, glad you liked!

[eve11]

This was too funny. The dialogue is spot-on, and I love the references to Dune! And Cameron gets called "Newbie", lol!

[pepper-field.livejournal.com]

Ah, Dune is all Koanju's - I had to go look it up! *g* And, thank you - this is only the second time I've written Cam, so I'm very pleased to hear I've got it right. I watched a lot of season 9 in preparation. It's a hard job, but someone has to do it. *g*

[6beforelunch.livejournal.com]

This was great. Everyone was spot-on and it was packed full of wonderful character moments. Loved Teal'c's standing order with the Yankee Candle Company.

It was hard to think someone as otherworldly when you'd seen them eating Krispy Kremes and bidding on Ebay for a Stormtrooper action figure ("I must have this additional one, Colonel Mitchell. It is in the original packaging.").

Hee!

"That was my first simple-mission-that-went-to-hell," he said, proudly.

*snicker* Oh, Cam. You're just lucky the rest of SG1 thinks you're cute. ;)

[pepper-field.livejournal.com]

I did a lot of communing with season 9 team before writing, I'm glad it seems to have paid off.

And, y'know, Teal'c has to get those candles somewhere... He must run through an awful lot of them. *g*

[wildestranger.livejournal.com]

Heh. Delightful. :)

[pepper-field.livejournal.com]

Hee! Thank you!

[aurora-novarum.livejournal.com]

Oh, this was wonderful! I really enjoyed the Mitchell/Jackson action sequence. Already starting to read each other a little. Nice job!

[pepper-field.livejournal.com]

*g* Well, I'm glad you thought there was an action sequence - I kind of bailed, halfway through on that! *g* And yeah, I like the growing bond - they seemed to get on really well quite quickly in the show, so Koanju's story got me thinking about the first few missions, before the team had clicked - Daniel's reaction to someone essentially doing what he'd done at first: being all puppyish-excited about it all. :)

Thank you!

[loozy.livejournal.com]

Hihi... Hihihihihi...

I love the breaking Mitchell in- fics that still show the rising affection the old members are developing for him :)

[pepper-field.livejournal.com]

:D Me too. It's interesting how 'old' SG-1 react to the newbie in their midst - someone who isn't quite as jaded about the going-on-missions-through-a-freakin'-wormhole biz. *g*

Thank you! Glad you liked.

[winterfish.livejournal.com]

Really enjoyed this. Loved Cam pushing Daniel's buttons, and team bonding, yay! :D

[pepper-field.livejournal.com]

Eeeeeveryone loves to push Daniel's buttons. Who wouldn't? *g*

*loves the team*

Thank you!

[cofax7]

Oh, Cam, you dork! Cute.

[pepper-field.livejournal.com]

*g* Isn't he just. But so cute...

[paranoidangel]

I love Cam in this, he's so funny! And the whole team's so cool. I especially like Teal'c buying stormtrooper action figures on e-bay.

[pepper-field.livejournal.com]

*g* Teal'c is, at heart, a complete nerd. In my mind, anyhow. *g* You can bet he'd battle to the death with the other Ebayers, too... heh.

And, thanks! Glad you liked. The team is love.

[lastscorpion.livejournal.com]

I was LOL at He had that funky eyebrow thing going, and was tall and spindly in an I've-evolved-on-a-planet-with-lower-gravity-than-you sort of way. I love the way you did all the characters, too. So many funny lines! Yay!

[pepper-field.livejournal.com]

*g* That's what appeals to me about Stargate: the humour. Glad it worked. Thanks!

Those Eyebrows (remix)

[sunnyd-lite.livejournal.com]

acting like he'd just fallen off the turnip truck was driving Daniel nuts, and driving Daniel nuts was an old, established SG-1 pastime. So nominal team leaders MUST ensure everyone underestimates them? He sure absorbed the subtext!

Lots of lovely lines. Great team interaction and a nifty expansion of the original!

Re: Those Eyebrows (remix)

[pepper-field.livejournal.com]

Ah, Cam's quick on the uptake... yeah, he's doing a bit of a 'Jack' - I guess he's read all the mission reports, and seen what works. *g*

Thank you! I love writing the team, and the original kickstarted me into writing characters I wouldn't normally focus on, so it was fun for me, too!

[holdouttrout.livejournal.com]

Very nice! I like the part about Cam noticing exactly when things went wrong. And the teasing was great!

[pepper-field.livejournal.com]

Hee. I think he's pretty sharp, and hides it a little less than Jack - plus I guess they'd need to be good at reading body language, in that job, because not everyone has Daniel's gift of the gab. Thank you!

[aoife-hime.livejournal.com]

Hey, thanks for sticking a link to this on your LJ - it was excellent! I thought you handled Cam's characterization quite well, as well as the new team banter and dynamic.

[pepper-field.livejournal.com]

:) The more people reading it, the merrier. Glad you liked! This is only the second time (I think...) that I've written Cam, so I'm just getting used to him - all the praise has encouraged me no end. It's hard to write him not as a combination of Jack and Jonas, but I'm getting there... *g*

[chillin13.livejournal.com]

This was fun. From Cameron reading body language of aliens to having fun annoying Daniel. And from new guy to blending in well with the team. Good stuff.

[pepper-field.livejournal.com]

Aw, thank you! I enjoyed writing it - I don't write Cam much, or Daniel, but they're a lot of fun. All the possibility for snark... *g*

[abyssinia4077.livejournal.com]

Ack! I just came over here to rec this and realized I was a horrible person who never left a comment to tell you that you rock!

I love this story - love Teal'c not seeming alien and Daniel's passive calmness and Cam's eager puppyness and the last teamy bit. *squishes team*

[pepper-field.livejournal.com]

Oh, excellent, more feedback! I rarely think to check this story, I forget I won't see the feedback otherwise.

Thank you! Glad you liked. Shall have to find where you recced it, now, 'cause I can't remember. You're probably not going to see this feedback, so I'm just rambling... *g*

[skidmo-fic.livejournal.com]

Ooh, very nice! I love Cam-getting-used-to-the-team-getting-used-to-Cam stories, and this one was loverly.

[pepper-field.livejournal.com]

:D Thank you! I almost never write Cam, so I'm really pleased this one worked out.

[rat2002.livejournal.com]

Cam heard the double meaning, and quirked a pleased smile. "We gonna kick some alien ass, Doctor Jackson?"

"Oh, do let's, Colonel Mitchell."


Little cartoon mice come suddenly to mind... but for the life of me i can't remember what cartoon.

I loved it, very funny!

[pepper-field.livejournal.com]

...Er, okay! :D Well, let me know if you remember the cartoon, 'cause I have no idea. I may well be referencing something in the depths of my brain without knowing it, that does happen with me. Heh.

Thanks for the feedback! Glad you liked.

[l-jade.livejournal.com]

Three different hands swooped out to smack him on the head. "HEY!"

*giggles* I really want that to happen in the canon... Mitchell so deserve that on season 9 :)

[ladybirdness.livejournal.com]

oh wow....this is 42 kinds of funny it really is..and I love it
*loves Cam I does*

[runonmoonlight.livejournal.com]

Really really funny. I loves it! *g*

[also, lmfao Teal'c! ("I must have this additional one, Colonel Mitchell. It is in the original packaging." -- I just have this image of him like, picking it up at the post office in his cowboy hat, don't ask why]