SERIES/UNIVERSE: SG-7
DISCLAIMERS: M7 characters belong to Trilogy, et al, SG-1 characters belong to Gekko, MGM, and the Sci-Fi Channel. Original characters (by now, y'all know which ones they are) are all mine ... don't mind if you borrow them, just ask first, give them back intact and give credit where credit is due. Mindy belongs to herself and my neighbors, though she still thinks my family and I belong to her.
SPOILERS: For Mag7, all twenty-one episodes are fair game, along with my previous stories, and all five seasons of Stargate SG-1.
WARNING: This is a story about the return of Adriana and Buck's father. There will be references to the molestation suffered by Adriana, the murder of her mother, other references to violence against women. I will not be making these references graphic, but y'all need to be aware of it. I don't think any of us need graphic descriptions to know that these things are ugly.
ADDITIONAL NOTE: I'm sure most of the SG fans have, by now, seen the episode 'Heroes,' but for those who haven't, I'll not spoil it. I'll only say. . .it doesn't happen in my universe.
Sergeant Josephine Tanner was such a dead woman! When she got her hands on that woman, she'd ... she'd ... she'd... OOOOOOOOOOH!
Maude Standish was furious. Beyond furious, beyond frustrated. For most of her life, Maude did exactly what was necessary to survive, and if she had fun, who cared? But ever since she became friends with her worst enemy's older sister, she started to change. Started to care about things she never cared about before. Maude prided herself on being a shrewd businesswoman and even shrewder politician.
She wasn't much of a mother ... she never denied that. She loved Ezra, more than she ever loved anyone else in her life. But she wasn't much of a mother. Didn't know how to be a mother, never had an example of what a mother was supposed to do. So she raised him as best she could. Never felt guilty about it, until she met Josie Tanner. Josie, who raised her sister's child as her own, all by herself.
Josie, who was making her question every decision she made. At the age of fifty (well, it was more than that, but Maude wasn't telling how much more), Maude Standish was developing a conscience and it was all the fault of that woman! She should have known she was trouble, she was the aunt of Vin Tanner, after all. As soon as the thought crossed her mind, however, Maude dismissed it.
Yes, she was. But the boy's birth mother was Jessica Tanner, and Maude's own mirror in darkness. That was why Maude hated Jessica so much ... because the two women were so much alike. And that was always why Maude liked Josie so much.
The sergeant was her total opposite. She saw Maude for whom and what she was ... and accepted her anyhow. In the beginning, back when Josie's nephew first started dating that cute young archaeologist (whom Maude still thought belonged with Ezra, but no one asked her), Maude tried to figure out what Josie was in for. What was her angle, what was she trying to get from Maude?
She did the addition multiple times. She looked at it in every way conceivable. Josie didn't want anything from her. She was grateful to her, for helping to destroy Jessica's lies once and for all, but she didn't want anything from her. Maude had nothing she wanted. Josie had her daughter, she had her niece and nephew. Josiah didn't take much time at all to notice her. Maybe Josie wasn't as beautiful as Maude at first glance, but in the final game, she had something that Josiah desired, something Maude couldn't provide. Honesty.
There was nothing Maude could do for Josie. Nothing the younger woman wanted from her. She just offered her friendship, and Maude, out of sheer curiosity, accepted it. And that was the beginning of her conscience. That damn sergeant was rubbing off on her! That was the only explanation for the changes Maude noticed in herself over the last few months. There was a time she wouldn't have dreamed of spear-heading an exhibit like the one at the museum in a few days. The only appeal would have been for re-election purposes.
But this exhibit, Single Mothers through the Ages, struck a chord in her. Why women raised children alone, through the course of human history. It was actually suggested by that naive young woman, Charlotte Richmond, who thought there was still hope for her marriage. Maude felt like telling the girl, 'honey, I've been married many times, and let me tell you, the best thing you can do is dump that loser.'
However, she didn't. Instead, she listened as Charlotte mentioned that her own mother raised Charlotte by herself after Charlotte's father was killed. Margaret Allison was one of the most determined people Charlotte ever knew, and to this day, when people told the young archaeologist that she was anything like her mother, it was a huge compliment. And from that, the ball started rolling.
Maude acted as the contact person, for anyone who had an ancestress who raised children alone. And they were legion. Some by necessity, some by choice. Some mothers were prostitutes, and some were pillars of the community who lost their husbands to a variety of things. War, disease, murder. Family pressures. Maude helped with the exhibits, she provided money to rent the space in the museum. Most of the exhibits came from the last fifty years, since it wasn't exactly something which could be found from an archaeological dig. More's the pity. That would have been interesting.
But it wasn't until the last few days that Maude realized just how much her friendship with Josie Tanner changed her. She had information about the Wilmington family ... and she had no idea how to use it. Should she use it to her own advantage ... but, what was the point in that? How could she use that information to her advantage against either of the Wilmington siblings, when neither of them could give her money or power?
Besides, while Maude knew she had little in the way of scruples (and she was proud of that fact), the few scruples she did have protested at doing such a thing. She knew that Adriana Wilmington was molested by her father. At this point, in Stargate Command, it was more or less common knowledge. And one thing Maude Standish did despise ... someone who preyed upon a child, much less a vulnerable eight year old girl who just lost her mother.
Maude had information, from an old lover who was a police officer. According to a private investigation he carried out after his retirement, Avery Wilmington was not out of town when his young wife was murdered. That was his alibi ... and this information shattered that alibi. If he lied about one thing, how many other things did he lie about? The only thing which held Maude back now was finding out why he send that information to her? Was it because she was a senator, or something else?
Maude didn't like being undecided. She liked being decisive. And she stamped her foot angrily once more. Damn Josie Tanner! Her life was so much easier when she didn't have a conscience!
Avery Wilmington was very pleased with himself. Very pleased with himself, indeed. Of course, he wasn't nearly as happy that it took him nearly ten years to find his recalcitrant daughter. She was only seventeen when she abandoned him and her destiny ... she shouldn't have been so good at hiding from him. She could never hide from him while she lived under his roof. Perhaps that was the problem.
Perhaps he taught her too well, how to hide. That was part of the game, after all, part of preparing her for what was to come. She pretended to hide, to have a safe place ... but she was still his. She would never stop being his. No matter where she went, no matter what happened, she was his, and always would be. Either that particular lesson never sank in, or he never taught it to her properly. Avery thought about that briefly, frowning. Was it possible that he didn't teach his daughter properly? That she belonged to him, mind, body, and soul? Was it possible that she didn't understand her place in the world, as his immortality?
He didn't like to consider that possibility, but it was there. Why else would the child have left in the night almost ten years earlier? He broke her treasured water globes, one of the pathetic attempts at independence she exerted ... he thought when he did that, she would understand. He was breaking that bond between her and his bastard son. Buck. He was the one giving Adriana ideas about breaking free. Buck. Avery's throat closed up, thinking of the boy. No longer a boy ... no longer someone whom Avery could control.
He was fooling himself, though, if he thought there was ever a time when he controlled that boy, or his damn mother. Perhaps that was where he made the mistake, in allowing Bucklin access to his little sister. That made sense. He kept Katrien in line, until the end, by controlling her access to Adriana. But Buck was a totally different story. He underestimated Buck. He underestimated both of his children.
Avery looked over what he knew about Adriana's new life. She was now an archaeologist working for the government, for the military, to be exact. That surprised him. He never imagined that any child of his would be affiliated with the military ... much less both of them. Buck was a major in the Air Force, and Adriana was a civilian contractor at Cheyenne Mountain. Doing what?
He would have to find out. He knew that she had a steady boyfriend, an uneducated hick named 'Kevin Tanner.' What she was doing with him was anyone's guess. Maybe he was a charity case. Adriana was, even as a child, entirely too soft-hearted. She probably felt sorry for this Tanner, and talked herself into believing it was love. Not that Avery particularly cared, since he would kill the bastard.
Should he do it in front of Adriana, and force her to watch? Make her understand just what the consequences were for defying him? Or perhaps he should present her with the deed after the fact by showing her Tanner's dead body? Avery frowned, and frowned even deeper when he heard a noise from the room beside his. The child was acting up again. Even after her mother's death, Laura was refusing to behave.
Avery Wilmington never stopped and thought about why he hated women so much. Indeed, in his own eyes, he didn't hate women at all. In his own eyes, he loved his daughter. He loved his wife, once upon a time, before she grew a backbone. A stubbornness which she passed onto their daughter. Avery didn't want to kill her. But she meant to take Adriana away from him, and that couldn't be allowed.
Adriana had to face her destiny. She could not keep running away. She was his daughter, his future, his immortality. She could not face her future if he didn't prepare her properly, and that was his entire focus. And Laura ... Laura would be his grandchild, the next generation. Another tool for his immortality. He could not yet decide what her part would be, in his immortality, but he felt the rightness when he saw her mother and Laura.
As he started to leave the room, a beeping noise attracted his attention. The computer came up with something. With his frown deepening by the moment, Avery returned to the machine and smiled slowly. Well now ... this could be interesting. According to the newspaper article which just came up, there was an incident involving his daughter and son a few weeks earlier at one of the local malls.
Apparently, one of his daughter's former co-workers at one of the places she worked while hiding from him accosted Adriana at the mall while she was with her boyfriend and several others. Avery read the article with interest, pulling out a pad of paper.
He would write their names down and investigate them, one by one. Maybe one of them had a weakness, something which he could use to his advantage. Kevin Tanner, he knew. Buck Wilmington he knew, of course, and Chris Larabee. That made him frown. Chris Larabee. He could be a problem. That was another source of Adriana's defiance. Her friendship with that man. Yes, he could be a problem.
Nathan and Rain Jackson. JD Dunne and Casey Welles. Mary Travis. Will and Charlotte Richmond. Josiah Sanchez. Josephine Tanner. Ezra Standish. Hmm. Laura forgotten for the moment, Avery began running those names through the computer. Perhaps one of them had a criminal record or some vulnerability he could use. Mary Travis was a widow with a young son, he quickly learned, whose husband was murdered. He wrote that down. He might need it at some point.
Josephine Tanner had no record, he discovered. She was disappointingly clean. As were the Jacksons. As were Dunne and his girl. Josiah Sanchez's name came up in conjunction with the death of an FBI agent a few years earlier. Unfortunately, it turned out that Sanchez was not guilty of any wrongdoing ... he was set up by the agent in question. However, it came out that Sanchez had a sister, Hannah, who was still mentally fragile. Hmm. Something to remember.
Ezra Standish ... former police negotiator. Son of Senator Maude Standish. Avery's eyes narrowed. They could be a problem. The son by himself could be a problem, as a former police negotiator. He would have access to old files, if he got it into his head to investigate. However, Avery would have to be very careful. As the son of a senator, Standish would be as dangerous to Avery dead as he would be alive.
Which left the Richmonds ... and some very interesting things. Will Richmond's name was listed several times in the police reports. Seemed he got drunk a lot and was insanely jealous of anyone who even looked at his wife. There were reports of him attacking a man who prevented his wife Charlotte from falling. Now ... that might be a place to start. Someone like Will Richmond was very easily used. They were incapable of thinking clearly, and that made them very vulnerable.
If he could direct that jealousy in a way beneficial to Avery, he could keep attention away from his daughter. A plan began to form in his mind. Richmond, from the accounts he read, didn't trust his wife, or any man who came near her. And he was showing signs of a drinking problem. Avery considered that, staring at the picture of Charlotte Richmond in the original account. She stood very close to his daughter, as did Mary Travis. Almost protectively.
That might work. It wouldn't be hard to do. Avery knew men like Will Richmond. He knew how easily such a man could be swayed. The fool already wanted to believe that his wife was untrue to him, for whatever reason. It would be too easy. Suggest to Will Richmond that his wife was being unfaithful to him. Richmond was a violent man ... it wasn't such a stretch to think that he would attack her, and distract everyone, even Adriana. With her guard down, worried about her friend, Adriana would stop looking over her shoulder. That would be all the opportunity he would need.
A few more things were needed for his plan to work. First and foremost, he had to monitor his daughter's comings and goings. Find out when she worked, what days, what hours. What did she do in her free time? What sorts of activities did she enjoy? Taking her at Cheyenne Mountain would be nothing short of suicidal. No, it would have to be while she was out in public. It would take time, but that was fine.
Avery Wilmington was nothing if not patient. He waited ten years to reclaim his recalcitrant daughter. He would wait a little longer. And in the meantime, there was a little girl next door who was in desperate need of some disciplining. He would not make the same mistakes with Laura that he did with Adriana.
When possible, Adriana made it a practice to eat lunch with Vin at the SGC. They didn't always get home at the same time, and if he was off-world, she would often be asleep by the time he returned to the house they shared. And the reverse was true as well. While some time passed since Adriana's last venture off-world, it was just a matter of time before her turn came up. It would be the first time she was away from Vin for any length of time since their consummation ... and she wasn't really looking forward to it.
Fortunately, the scuttlebutt had it that the general was sending Will off-world sometime in the next few weeks. Adriana looked forward to the peace and quiet, if that was true ... while Stargate Command would never be totally quiet, it would be far more pleasant with Will off-world. That didn't stop her from feeling sorry for whatever poor unit was unfortunate enough to get the belligerent archaeologist for any length of time.
The SGC could use the rest. So could Charlotte, though Adriana was worried now. She couldn't stop thinking about Inez's words. Buck in love with Charlotte. Ever since her conversation with Inez, Adriana watched her older brother with her friend, and she now believed the saloon owner was right about those two. It was nothing overt ... that was what actually tipped Adriana off to the truth.
Buck never touched Charlotte, and that wasn't like him. Not in the least. He was an affectionate, demonstrative man. Buck was always touching someone, even if he didn't like them. He ruffled JD's hair, swept Adriana up into fierce hugs that often took her breath away. He draped a big-brotherly arm around Vin, put a gentle, supportive hand on Mary's shoulder when she needed it, and gave Chris a good slap on the back. He tossed Tansy into the air and gave both her and Billy piggy-back rides. But he never touched Charlotte. Not with his hands. Only with his eyes.
While Adriana was new to the relationship business, she learned a great deal by looking into someone's eyes. And when she was alert enough to do so, she would watch her brother's eyes whenever Charlotte entered the room. Saw the tenderness there. Which left her with a huge decision to make. She now accepted that Inez was right. What did she do with that knowledge, if anything at all?
Will was an asshole who didn't deserve his wife or daughter (either of them). But he was still married to Charlotte, and her friend was still determined to make her marriage work. Even after she gave up on Will, and that was inevitable ... even after that happy day, it would take time before she was even willing to look at another man. Adriana, who knew a few things about healing, knew that.
"Penny for 'em," Vin said softly, sitting down opposite her. Adriana smiled and reached over to squeeze his hand. Her love returned the hand embrace and said, "Now, since I know ya ain't thinkin' 'bout me or Bucklin with such a fierce look, I gotta figger it's Will again." Adriana just looked at her boyfriend. Since when wasn't it Will? Well, okay, there was the confrontation with James at the mall, but that was hardly typical.
"Too obvious. Sorry. Does it ever seem to you that the only thing we really talk about when we're at work is that idiot?" Adriana inquired in a low voice as Chris and Mary came over to join them. Most of the days when SG-7 was on an extended mission, Mary and Adriana kept each other company. Mary and Billy would go to Adriana's little place, or Adriana and Mindy would go over to the Larabee place.
"Hell, Drina, it ain't like we can talk about the fun stuff at work," Vin retorted. Adriana barely held back a laugh. There was that. She gave her boyfriend her most seductive smile, and Vin almost groaned aloud, muttering, "Aw hell, Drina, ya ain't playin' fair!" No, she wasn't, and she should be ashamed of herself. Only the ladies knew about the change in her relationship with Vin, none of the guys. It wasn't that Adriana distrusted Chris, or believed he would tell Buck ... she just wasn't ready to deal with any unnecessary questions.
"I'm sorry ... honest, I am. I'll try harder to be good," Adriana said with a rueful smile. Vin just gave her one of his heart-melting smiles, and Adriana forced back a whimper of her own. Damn him, and he accused her of not playing fair! The young archaeologist continued in a low voice, "But you're right, that's one of the few safe topics we can discuss at work. That's scary ... Will's stupidity and arrogance is a safe topic."
"Safe, but who would want to? That's a non-ending subject," Mary observed, sitting down beside Adriana. Vin scooted to one side, allowing his brother to sit down beside him, and Mary continued, "I have a much better topic for conversation than that arrogant booby." Adriana almost spat out what she was drinking, and Mary added, "What? You have better ideas for what to call him?"
Adriana shook her head, trying to swallow properly. No, actually, she didn't. She just didn't expect to hear something like that come out of Mary's mouth.
Her best friend continued, looking somewhat mollified, "I don't know if you know about this, but Maude and Josie are spear-heading a museum exhibit ... single mothers through the ages. Apparently, Maude got the idea after hearing Charlotte talk about her mother. They've been collecting artifacts from donors ... letters from single mothers on the prairies to their families back east, if their families were speaking to them, and things of that nature."
Vin asked, looking interested in this museum exhibit, "Single mothers through the ages? Ya think they'd be interested in my mother's things?" Adriana had to realign her brain, for she was thinking about Jessica Tucker, instead of Julia Tanner. Mary frowned thoughtfully, and Vin continued, "Ain't real sure what Aunt Josie has already that belonged to Mama, but I'll see what I can find, if she thinks it'll help."
"I'd talk with your aunt, Vin. I know Josie and Maude aren't limiting their exhibit to widows and unwed mothers ... there are also the women who raise their children alone while their husband is away at war. Josie said you'd know what I was talking about, Drina," Mary observed. Adriana nodded, her eyes shifting to Chris. What was he thinking about, she wondered, what was going through that very complicated brain of his?
She found out a minute later, when Chris said, "Mary, why don't you tell Vin what you know? Little princess, let's take a walk." Adriana glanced first at her half-eaten lunch, then at Vin with a slight frown, and Chris added almost gently, "It won't be more than five or ten minutes. Promise." Vin looked up at her, his blue eyes promising to be there when she returned, and Adriana rose to her feet.
"Back in a few, y'all. Mare, make sure no one steals my boyfriend while I'm talking to the man in black here," she requested. Vin just smiled at her, and Adriana was in danger of melting all over again. Damn. She had to be careful of that. Every time he smiled at her like that, she was in danger of jumping him right here and right now. That would not be a good career move ... amusing as hell to everyone else, but not so good for her.
"You know what's going on with Buck?" Chris asked as they got a respectable distance away. Adriana looked up at the colonel, startled. Not just at the topic, but at how she was thinking about her brother only moments earlier. Chris continued, "He ain't acting like himself. He's been too quiet. I always worry when Buck's quiet. Is he sick, or is there something else goin' on that I should know about?"
What to tell him? Adriana was in a quandry, because she knew nothing for certain. But someone had to watch Buck's back. She was trying to, but since Will's head was up and locked again (as usual), she had her hands full just watching Vin's back. Adriana didn't trust Will not to attack Vin again in the hallways of the SGC. Her former friend was being so erratic ... maybe she should tell Chris what she suspected.
"I don't know anything for sure," she replied hesitantly, "but something was brought to my attention recently. I think Buck has fallen in love. I mean, really fallen in love." Chris stopped and looked at her more fully, his green eyes narrowing.
However, he didn't say anything. Instead, he allowed her to continue, "This is bad, because of ... well, because he's fallen in love with a married woman whose marriage is over. She just won't admit it's over. I wouldn't tell you so much, Chris, but I really need help. I want to watch his back, but I'm also watching Vin's back. And I don't fully trust JD, not yet at least. He's trying, but ... "
"But once JD figures out that Buck's falling in love with Charlotte, all bets are gonna be off," Chris observed grimly. Adriana looked at him quickly, and Chris added, "You said he was in love with a married woman whose marriage is over, but she ain't admitted it to herself yet. That could only be Charlotte Richmond, little princess." Adriana sighed, acknowledging this point. Chris promised, "And don't you worry ... I'll watch Buck's back. You take care of yourself and Vin, and Charlotte, as much as you can."
Because she needed reassurance, Adriana asked, "Chris? Could you make sure Buck doesn't do anything stupid? I mean ... it's just a matter of time before Will goes too far. And if he hurts Charlotte or Tansy ... you know my brother. He's never forgiven himself for what happened to me." She looked at her foster brother imploringly. That was what scared her more than anything else about this situation. Buck could be damn hot-headed when it came to a woman being hurt. And if it was a woman whom he loved ... well, it was a scary thought.
Chris understood, for he nodded and gently squeezed her shoulder. Adriana relaxed every so slightly. It still wasn't over. She had the uncomfortable feeling that the other shoe had yet to drop. But at least she wasn't alone. Adriana Wilmington never asked for someone else to carry her burdens ... all she asked, and all she would ever ask, was that she didn't carry her burdens alone. But with her family at her side, she would never be alone again.
"What d'ya s'pose they're talkin' 'bout over there, Mary?" Vin questioned. His brother and girlfriend were deep in conversation, Chris lowering his head as he and Adriana talked. Mary shook her head thoughtfully, though Vin didn't buy that for a moment. Even if Chris didn't tell his lady what was going on, Drina kept very few secrets from her best friend. And Vin told her that, adding, "I think ya know, even iffen ya don't realize it."
"I'm honestly not sure, Vin. I know Adriana's worried about Charlotte, but that's nothing unusual. I really thought, after we got back from the wagon train mission, that Will would get his act together, but he just keeps spinning out of control," Mary replied. Vin shrugged. Though Will Richmond was one of the few topics he and Drina could discuss safely at work, he preferred not to even think about the man.
"Iffen ya ask me, I think he was spinnin' outta control even then. Will ain't never been a man who could take bein' challenged. Drina, and Charlotte, and a lotta other people done that, and more. I think he started realizin' that he coulda lost Charlotte for good, and that scared 'im so bad, he overreacted," Vin replied. He knew it sounded like he was making excuses for the archaeologist, but that wasn't the case at all.
But, in some ways, he could understand the other man's point of view. His own relationship with Drina, this new part of his relationship with Drina, was so new. Sometimes, when he stopped to think about it, it took his breath away ... and scared the hell outta him. Not just that he was with Drina, but how he felt about her. He loved her so much ... and he would kill for her without a second thought.
On the other hand ... Mary pointed out quietly, "But Vin, he is driving Charlotte away. With his jealousy and his drinking. There will come a time when her patience will run out. Not her love. She still loves him, and maybe there will always be a part of her that does. But Charlotte only has so much patience, and she has to think of her daughter. You wouldn't make the mistakes Will has made. Not just because you're a different person, but because you have a totally different outlook."
Vin looked at his friend in surprise, and Mary continued, "Vin, you have a strength that he lacks. You love Adriana, so much that it sometimes makes your throat hurt. With that love comes respect and trust. You trust her to do what she has to, you trust her to take care of herself. You respect her enough to know when to back off, and when to come forward and hold her. You don't try to protect her from herself, much less when she doesn't need protecting."
Now Vin understood what she was saying. But Mary went on, "Will lacks that. He doesn't love Charlotte as much as you love Adriana. He doesn't trust her, and he doesn't respect her. Charlotte ... like I said, she still loves Will. And there's still a part of her that blames herself for Allison's death. She's holding onto her marriage, but she's not happy. Nor is she willing to accept the truth, that Will's unhappiness is his own fault, that he brought the suffering on himself. She didn't make him suffer ... it was his choice."
It was harsh, but Vin knew it was true. He asked softly, "Ya think this is what Chris and Drina are talkin' about over there?" By all rights, it shouldn't have been. There were a lot of other things to discuss, but it was a long time since the pair was on a mission together, and SG-7 wasn't due to go out again for a while. He wasn't asking her about an archaeologist who might be accompanying them. Especially since they would probably take Josiah when they did go back out, unless it was part of a joint mission. They weren't talkin' about work. Chris would never touch Drina the way he was doin' right now if it had to do with the SGC.
"I think that's part of it. I'm not sure about the rest. Chris doesn't talk to me that much about the Richmonds. I think he gets fed up with the subject, and I don't blame him. It's bad enough that we have to put up with Will around here ... him and his self-centeredness. And I'll be the first to admit, I can be self-centered and judgmental. But I hope I don't make everyone miserable when I'm trying to work things out," Mary added.
Vin smiled at his friend, replying, "Well, not no more, ya don't. Maybe when ya first got here, and ya was still tryin' to prove yourself, but not no more. Tell me the truth, Mary. Are ya happy with my big brother?" Mary looked once more over at Chris and Drina, her green eyes shining with affection and laughter. Her expression gave him the answer, but Vin wanted to hear her say the words.
"Yes, I am, Vin. Sometimes, I wake up in the morning, to find him lying beside me, and I can't believe it's really happening. We still fight, and we still argue. Oh, do we argue! But in spite of everything, we've finally found our way to each other. And what really amazes me, Vin, is that neither of us has even tried to change the other! That was one of the reasons I was afraid of getting involved with your brother," Mary replied.
Vin knew her well enough to realize that Mary was afraid that she would try to change his brother. He also knew her well enough to know why she was afraid of that. Mary was a headstrong, determined woman. She had a good heart, but was known for going about things the wrong way. Chris was equally headstrong and determined ... that was part of the reason why sparks flew between them in the beginning.
Vin wasn't here in the beginning of SG-7. He came to the unit about two weeks after it was created. But he did see the way Chris reacted to Mary when he first met them both. He told her now, this woman who was his sister in more ways than one, "Ya don't got nothin' to worry about there, Mary. Chris is too damn stubborn to let any woman change him. 'Sides. Yer happy, and that means ya ain't in the mood to change him."
Mary smiled, replying, "You know, you're right. When you love someone, you don't want to change them. Vin, I was married once before. I was happy with Stephen. I was happy to be his wife, and Billy's mother. I never wanted to change him. I never wanted to make him 'better' somehow. And after he died ... I suppose I lost myself for a while. And maybe it's just because I didn't want anyone else to feel the way I did. Being at the SGC, it made me remember who I really am ... whom I've always been. I just didn't realize it."
For some reason, those words struck a chord in him, and Vin thought about how he ended up here. Not just in the SGC, but here, in this place, in this time. He had a brother ... not just by choice, but in blood. He had a woman whom he loved and who loved him. He had his brothers and sisters in the SGC, in SG-7. And none of it would have been possible, if not for the paths he took. The paths which made him into the man he was. With that in mind, he asked slowly, "Do ya feel the same way 'bout Drina? I mean, bein' her friend?"
"Well ... yes, I suppose I do, now that you mention it. Come to think of that, it's true of all relationships. Whether you're talking about friends, lovers, parents, children, brothers or sisters. I suppose it's all the same. We sometimes drive each other crazy, and get on each other's nerves. We both have our foibles, and our bad moments. But when everything is said and done, at the end of the day, I don't think I would want her any other way. She wouldn't be Adriana then, and that would be a loss. Vin ... where are you going with all this? What's going on inside that mind of yours?" Mary asked.
Vin shook his head, murmuring, "I ain't rightly sure. Just some things that have been goin' 'round in my head, the last few weeks. I guess talkin' about Will and Charlotte, and everythin' else ... it got me thinkin,' about the choices we make. We make them choices, because of what we are, of who we are, and those choices make us into someone, too. I ain't rightly sure, why I'm thinkin' about this. I ... "
He stopped and looked into his friend's concerned green eyes. Vin was fairly certain that Mary knew the whole truth about him and Adriana. His lady told him that she wasn't ready to share 'them' with the entire base, but Mary weren't the entire base. She was Drina's best friend. Vin said slowly, "Don't know if ya know about this, but Drina's been havin' nightmares. 'Bout her ma. I s'pose I been thinkin' 'bout this, because a that."
Mary understood what he was saying, as well as what he wasn't saying. She leaned forward, her eyes flickering toward Chris and Drina once more, then murmured, "You're talking about her father, aren't you? Vin ... would you like Ezra and me to start investigating the murder of Adriana's mother?" Vin looked down at his hands, then back at Mary. She was staring at him intently. She wanted to do this. She, of all people, understood what this meant to him, what it meant to them both.
And she, of all people, could do this. She and Ez. Vin nodded, saying softly, "I got this feelin' in m' gut, Mary. It's been close to ten years since she ran away from home. Her pa's been trackin' her down all this time. Reckon it's just a matter of time before he finds her. And when he does ... " Vin let the words trail off, but it wasn't necessary to say anything further. Mary held his eyes, then nodded very slowly. Vin relaxed, ever so slightly. This was just the first step ... but it was that first step that was always the doozy. At least now, he would have help in protecting his lady. He wouldn't be doing this alone.
To be continued...
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