Title: BrigaDOH!

Email: [email protected], Back evil leprechauns! With feedback, we can fight them!

Author's Notes: Full disclaimer in Part 1. The Brigadoon Riff! FINALLY Explained. Kinda. I just like Gene Kelly, ok? Shut up.

Part 3/6

Dusk had fallen in earnest by the time they made it back to the plaza. The older boys anxiously relieved them of their firewood before they'd passed the farthest cottage, racing to build up the meager fire they'd started in the common hearth. The younger boys had abandoned their intention to sulk over being forbidden to help with the fire when the girls enlisted their help in scattering small green leaves over a large, freshly swept area ringing the hearth.

Sid joined the group of men at the far end of the plaza who were clustered around a barrel containing something far more potent (and, presumably, better tasting) than the green beer. Seeing the enthusiasm with which the village men greeted Sid, immediately pressing a mug into his hand, Jack began to relax for the first time since Carter had led them away from the feast.

Instinctively he scanned the crowd for Sam, smiling as he found her crouched beside Danann behind an overturned bench. Inevitably, a battle had erupted among the children as they realized that the greenery they were meant to be scattering over the dance floor made for excellent fistfuls of ammunition. The older boys had pinned Danann and her group back against the cottage, but under Sam's direction, the girls had retaliated with a brilliant flanking maneuver and were now steadily forcing the enemy back toward the well.

Jack had become so engrossed in the game that he jumped a bit when Colin appeared at his elbow with a mug of whatever strong-smelling stuff had come from the barrel.

"Colin! Thanks. Sorry, I was just . . ." he motioned toward the laughing children.

"And I am sorry to interrupt, but Seanmháthair would see the four of you now. Teal'c is already with her."

"Oh . . . sure." Jack looked around. "I'll grab Carter. Seen Daniel anywhere?"

"I need only find Bridget," Colin smiled. "I will send him on, sir. Seanmháthair is resting in her cottage."

Jack stooped to gather a handful of leaves from the ground, edging casually along the cottage walls to stay out of Sam's direct line of sight. He hardly need have bothered. She was so engrossed in commanding her team that he was dumping his fistful of leaves down the neck of her jacket before she even registered his presence with a high-pitched shriek.

Jack only just managed to step out of the way of the rising block she instinctively threw as she whipped around to face her ‘attacker,' eyes flashing. The unwelcome thought that she was unbelievably hot when she was on the offensive flashed across Jack's mind. He forced it back with a laugh.

"Couldn't resist, General Carter," he said, extending a single clover as a peace offering. She gave him a withering look as she reached back to shake the leaves out of her clothing, "Awww. . . c'mon, it's a four-leaf clover! For luck."

"They're all four-leafed," she said, with more annoyance into her voice than she felt, "And not clover. They cut the shapes out of other leaves by hand. Can you imagine?"

"Then they're man-made luck," Jack insisted, tucking the shamrock behind her ear. "Best kind."

She looked up at him in surprise, one hand brushing over the clover, as if she didn't quite believe it was there. He grinned back, pleased out of all proportion when she made a point of arranging it more securely. "Man-made luck? You're gonna need it tonight."

"Oh am I?" He raised an eyebrow, his smile turning wicked.

Sam blushed, but didn't look away. "Count on it."

"C'mon," he said, reluctantly breaking the moment. "Grandma's waiting."

Jack and Sam were stopped dead outside of Cara's cottage by the unfamiliar sound of Teal'c's laughter.

"Whoa!" Daniel skidded to a stop behind them, "What is that?"

"That, Daniel, is the endangered Happy Jaffa in its natural habitat," Jack said, pushing the door open and sticking his head inside, "Knock knock!"

"Come in! Come in," Cara beckoned, wiping her eyes. "Teal'c was telling me some Jaffa jokes."

"Teal'c!" Jack tossed a handful of clover over the Jaffa's head, "Why would you do that to this nice lady?"

"It was Cara's wish that I should entertain her, until your arrival, O'Neill," Teal'c replied, brushing the greenery from his head as Daniel took a seat on the bench next to him.

Jack dragged a chair over next to Teal'c's, motioning for Sam to sit before pulling up a crate for himself. "Well, Teal'c, as a fun a guy as you are, I'm guessing that Cara had something in mind other than giving you notes on your vaudeville routine."

"Always in a hurry, Jack, even when there is nothing but time," Cara shook her head fondly, "I wished only to tell you that the draoi brings good news. All will be well."

"I . . . didn't even see Sid come in here," Daniel said, craning his neck toward the door. "I thought he'd tied himself to that barrel of . . . whatever it is."

"He has," Cara said with a slight frown, "Sid's being in his cups is the surest sign that all is well. Now, you must have questions for me, friends."

"Ooh, me first," Jack waved his hand. "Where the heck are we?"

"P3X-1708," Cara replied innocently.

"You see? She's funny. This is how I know we're gonna be good friends." Jack told the rest of his team. "Seriously . . ."

"You also called our village Brigadoon once . . ."

Daniel spewed a mouthful of alcohol, prompting Teal'c to pound him on the back. Sam stared at Jack in disbelief.

"Teal'c!" Jack pointed accusingly, "Sometimes . . . on movie nights . . . he insists on Gene Kelly."

"Indeed I do not, O'Neill!" Teal'c indignantly thumped Daniel a bit harder than intended, nearly knocking him to this floor. "It is you who admire this actor. I find his tendency to break into song and dance at inappropriate moments most unrealistic."

"Anyway," O'Neill said pointedly ignoring Sam who was clearly storing away the information for later blackmail, "What do you call this place?"

"For some time, we have called it Eire. Before that . . . until you came . . ." her face darkened, "The Goa'uld called it their last stronghold. It was not ours to name."

"The last stronghold?" Jack blinked in surprise.

"Wait . . ." Sam glanced toward Jack with a brief, apologetic smile. "Cara, as much as I'm dying to hear all of this, should you be telling us? The timeline . . ."

"You must trust us, Samantha." Cara leaned forward to touch her hand. "All will be well." Sam frowned slightly as Jack threw her a questioning look, then shrugged and held her peace

"Cara, what year is it?" Daniel asked, still wheezing slightly.

"2030 in your reckoning."

Jack let out a long, low whistle.

"And by your reckoning?" Teal'c asked, a trace of suspicion in his tone.

"That is a more complicated question," Sid said from behind them. "Seanmháthair, you should have called me."

"I was . . . fairly certain you would arrive just when you were needed," Cara said with a disapproving glance at his mug.

"Time behaves differently . . ." Sam repeated, almost to herself.

"Indeed," Teal'c nodded, "It passes more quickly here than on Earth."

"But not always," Sam turned in her seat to catch Sid's eye. "I'm right, aren't I? The children here know us. Danann can't be more than 10 years old. But the statue is dated 2010 . . . "

"The year you ‘drove the snakes out'," Sid replied noncommittally, settling himself on the other end of Jack's crate.

"On this day," Daniel said slowly. "So it's been exactly twenty years for us . . . how long has it been for you?"

"If I knew, I'd tell you," Sid raised his mug cheerfully toward Daniel.

"Wha . . . hey!" Jack sat up and looked around excitedly, "It is like Brigadoon, isn't it?"

"Jack," Sid set his mug on the low table next to him with a deliberate thump. "I know you don't remember any of this, but that analogy tends to get you punched."

"Fred Astaire man, are you, Sid?" Jack said, eyeing him warily.

"The movie is a cultural nightmare, Jack. And for a Celtic culture that identifies with Earth's Ireland, comparing them to Scots . . ."

"I meant the ‘outside of time' ‘appears only every 100 years' thing, Daniel, " Jack snapped.

"Oh," Daniel said sheepishly. His eyes widened, "Oh!"

"The Colonel's right." Sam looked up from the floor.

"It happens, Carter," Jack grumbled. "Don't have to sound so surprised."

"The village is only accessible----what---every ten years? Twenty?" Sam ignored him, looking from Sid to Cara.

"Ten-ish," Sid said. "Haven't really repeated the experiment enough to say for sure, but in 2010 we defeated the Goa'uld, 2020---very big party. And now, here you are."

"Then we have never before traveled out of our own timeline to reach this place," Teal'c gave Sid a sharp look, "Are you not concerned by this?"

"Not especially. I've seen the final reel," Sid took another swig from his mug. "I've known this was going to happen. I've made the necessary arrangements. Like I said, it's all gonna be ok."

"But time here . . ." Sam cupped her hands together, a sure sign that a complicated analogy was on the horizon.

"Ah! Carter! Me first," Jack interrupted, turning to Cara. "When do we go home?"

"You will return to Earth 18 hours after you left it." She replied carefully.

"With respect, Seanmháthair, that . . . doesn't really answer the question," Daniel said hastily, silencing Jack with a sharp look. "How long will we be here with you?"

"When the full moon wanes," Sid replied.

"So, when's that? Two, three days?"

"The full moon here lasts as long as it needs to. You will be with us as long as you need to be." Sid peered into his mug, then stood. "Now, I need a refill," he took a step toward the door only to find Jack blocking his path.

"Um . . . excuse me, you're planning on keeping us here?"

"Jack," he spread his arms, his sleeves unfurling like wings. "Do I look like I could keep you here if I wanted to? I'm just a guy in a robe."

"Who happens to know the future," Sam said moving to Jack's side.

"It's the past for me, Sam, so not that impressive." Sid smiled. "No one comes to this place who doesn't need to. And no one leaves before they're ready. Cryptic-sounding bullshit, Jack, I know. But it's all I've got."

Jack looked over his shoulder to Cara, "So we'll be back before anyone at the SGC expects us?" She nodded.

"And nothing we learn can alter our future?" Sam directed her question to Sid.

"Not a thing," Sid said without a trace of the playful expression he normally wore. "I promise."

"But I don't see how . . ." Sam began to protest.

"And I'm sorry to tell you that that's going to drive you crazy Sam. And I'm not much help. I just tell it like it was," Sid cast another impatient glance at his empty mug. "Your time here is completely consequence free. Which, if anyone's asking me, might be part of the point. But that's really Daniel's department."

Stepping around Jack, Sid flung open the door to reveal every last one of the villagers slinking guiltily away from what had obviously been a huddle outside the door. "Very subtle," he said, shaking his head as he made a beeline for the barrel.

"You can trust him, Jack. You will trust him one day." Cara rose from her chair with a broad smile, "Now, I think we should join the celebration before Oscar falls through the roof," she added as an ominous scrabbling sounded from above.

Jack motioned for the others to stay behind as Cara made her way through the door.

"So, what do we think, kids?" He looked from Teal'c's impassive face to Sam and Daniel's thoughtful expressions.

"It's impossible, Sir. Time just can't fluctuate the way Sid describes . . . it's . . . I . . . " Sam stammered.

"Carter?"

"Yes, sir?"

Jack held his fingers an inch apart, "Little picture, ok? Do we trust this guy or try to find our own way out of here?"

"I don't see what choice we have," Daniel said with a shrug. "There's no telling where or when we'd wind up if we tried to go through the gate."

"DanielJackson is correct, O'Neill. Our options are limited." Teal'c said after a moment.

"Yeah," Jack looked thoughtful. "That should bug me, shouldn't it?"

"Sir?"

"Options. Big fan. Gotta have ‘em. Usually I'd be getting cranky right about now. Mostly, I just want a beer, though. How about you, T?"

"I, too, find myself strangely . . . unconcerned."

"Ok, anyone see any lava lamps? Disco balls? Anything that might explain our sudden zen-like state?"

"The Light!" Sam chewed on her lip thoughtfully, "I don't know sir . . ."

"It's not like that," Daniel cut in, "The light was an addiction. It took away the will to do anything at all. This . . . this place! It's the opposite, really. I feel . . . I want to know everything. Study everything."

"That's true, sir." Sam gave a firm nod. "I'm curious. I have so many questions. I'm don't feel apathetic. I'm just not . . . worried."

"Me neither," Jack caught Teal'c's eye. "Weird, isn't it?"

"Indeed."

"So . . . we think it's safe to enjoy ourselves?" Jack looked around as the others nodded. "Good enough," he stepped toward the door.

"Jack? I'd still wouldn't accept cake from any strange women if I were you . . ." Daniel said with a sly smile as he followed him through the door.

"Good thinking, Dannyboy. Try to remember that when Bridget offers you her pastry."


Continue on to Part 4