Characters:Sam Carter, Daniel Jackson, Jack O’Neill, Teal’c
ESRB Rating: Everybody
Themes: St. Patrick’s Day, friendship, family, teamy goodness

Written: March 17th, 2009

It started as a joke the first year he was with SG-1.

Teal’c, Sam and Daniel were having breakfast in the commissary when Jack had come over with his Fruit Loops and pinched Daniel’s cheek hard.

“Ow?!” Daniel put a hand up to his face, rubbing fiercely.

“You’re not wearing green,” Jack said smugly, sliding into the seat across from Carter. And it was true: Jack, Sam and even Teal’c were wearing the green BDUs. Daniel had opted for the blue since that’s what was clean.

“So?”

“And it’s St. Patrick’s Day?”

Daniel had just pursed his lips while Sam hid a smile behind her toast.

“What is St. Patrick’s Day?” Teal’c asked, abandoning his Cheerios.

Before Daniel could say anything, explain about the life of a missionary, Jack leapt in with talk of leprechauns and pots of gold, having to wear green, and of course the drinking and the singing of songs.

“Like ‘Danny Boy’,” Jack finished with a flourish of his spoon. Daniel pursed his lips harder.

Maybe to put Daniel at ease, Sam had shook her head and said, “Does anyone really know the words to ‘Danny Boy’ these days?”

“Carter! I’ll have you know I know all the words to ‘Danny Boy’.” Jack put his hand against his heart like he’d been mortally wounded.

“You… do?” Sam didn’t quite know what to make of that.

To which Jack broke into song. For Jack. It was more like spoken word with a few bars of harmony thrown in, but the song was unmistakable.

Oh Danny boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling!
From glen to glen, and down the mountain side,
The summer’s gone, and all the flowers are dying.
‘Tis you, ’tis you must go and I must bide.
But come ye back when summer’s in the meadow,
Or when the valley’s hushed and white with snow,
‘Tis I’ll be here in sunshine or in shadow,
Oh Danny boy, oh Danny boy, I love you so.

Jack paused to mime his undying love to Daniel across the table. Daniel ate his waffle with his head bent.

And if you come, when all the flowers are dying,
And I am dead, as dead I well may be,
You’ll come and find the place where I am lying,
And kneel and say an “Ave” there for me.

And I shall hear, tho’ soft you tread above me,
And all my dreams will warm and sweeter be,
If you’ll not fail to tell me that you love me,
I’ll simply sleep in peace until you come to me.

I’ll simply sleep in peace until you come to me.

“That was… impressive, sir.” Sam’s eyes were a touch wide. Jack’s grin was rakish.

“Your voice could be most pleasing, O’Neill.”

“Thank you, Teal’c.”

“With some training,” the Jaffa added with his dry aplomb. Jack’s grin slid into a stern frown. What did Teal’c know about Earth music anyway.

The second St. Patrick’s Day of SG-1 found them locked in a jail cell off-world. The crime was heresy against the Gods, something they were familiar with at this point.

Jack and Sam whistled ‘Danny Boy’ to cover the sounds of Sam picking the cell’s lock.

They had to be quiet as they snuck back to the gate under the cover of darkness, but Daniel had that damn song stuck in his head for days after that.

The year SG-1 as a whole was in the infirmary with lacerations and burns from the Goa’uld’s pain sticks, Jack hummed a few bars to Frasiar by accident as she doled out his pain meds.

“It’s tradition,” he mumbled against his pillow.

“Of course it is, Colonel,” Janet had said soothingly.

“Give it to Daniel?”

“I will, sir.”

The fifth year, the year Daniel was gone, Jack took his team out to O’Malley’s for their green beer special. No one sang anything, but Jonas — tipped off by Teal’c — had learned all the words anyway, just in case.

The sixth year, the year Daniel was back, Jack took his team out to O’Malley’s for their green beer special again. This time they all sang, including Daniel, for Jonas Quinn.

One year it falls on a weekend, so Daniel thinks he’s safe. Though at this point he’s learned to take it in stride. It’s part of being a team, a family. So he’s surprised when his phone rings and it’s all of them: Jack, Sam and Teal’c’s distinct baritone, singing to him.

“You guys,” Daniel grinned.

“Happy St. Patrick’s Day, Daniel,” Sam chimes and he can hear the toothy grin in her voice.

“We’re doing steaks at my place,” Jack announces. “Daniel, go get T. Carter, you bring your potato salad.”

The year Jack is made a General and is put in command of the SGC, he stands in the control room while the rest of SG-1 heads up the ramp. Just before they reach the event horizon, it’s Sam who hums the opening bars, Teal’c quick to join. They sandwich Daniel between them and his smile is lopsided.

Sam asks, “Didn’t think we’d forget, did you?”

“A guy can hope, can’t he?”

“Will you never learn, Daniel Jackson?”

The first year Vala is on the team, and she asks about the holiday, Daniel is quick to explain the man, the missionary, his work and message, and why he’s the patron saint of Ireland. He gets it right for the alien this time, he thinks.

None the less, she comes in that day sporting sparkly green shamrocks in her hair and a bright green scarf she makes ample use of throwing over her shoulder dramatically.

“But I explained…” Daniel began hopelessly.

“Yes, and you left out all of the best parts. Mitchell had to explain those to me. When do we get to the drinking?”

Vala spends the day pinching Daniel despite the fact he’s wearing the green BDUs.

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