by pebble/scifipony
Fandom: Stargate
Characters: Cameron Mitchell, Jonas Quinn
Words: 4,965
Tags: Friendship, Light Angst, Fluff, First Meetings
Warnings: None
Author's Notes: Originally posted to SquidgeWorld on 2025-05-18. Reposted here 2025-06-23.
Original author's note: Written for the Fandom Empire challenge on dreamwidth. My prompt this week was "Left Behind". As soon as I saw the prompt, my first thought was Jonas Quinn. It frustrates me to no end how he was just forgotten about by his former teammates, the SGC, and even the show's writers. The fact that they had Langara fall to the Ori and only mentioned it briefly in a passing comment is infuriating tbh. (Seriously, no one thought to ask "Hey, did Jonas survive? Has anyone heard from him?") Anyway, here's my little fix-it fic. Because I think Cameron and Jonas would have gotten along great if they'd had a chance to meet.
Langara had fallen to the Ori.
It was a simple, albeit tragic, new fact in the continuing war against the Ori. It was noted in a morning briefing, along with a list of other planets that had been lost. Cam had recognized the name of the planet at the time, but they’d been dealing with too many pressing matters to dwell on it for long.
Someone in the records division probably would have been given the task of updating all their files to reflect this new status for the allied planet. Jonas’s personnel file in both the SGC’s and IOA’s records had also been marked with the large, ugly “MIA” stamp that Cam had long ago learned to despise in this line of work.
And that’s likely where the story of Langara would have ended for the Stargate Program.
At least, it would have if Jonas himself hadn’t appeared in the SGC one night after an unexpected dial-in.
Cam technically wasn’t even supposed to be there at the time. His shift had ended hours ago. He just happened to be walking back through the control room when the alarm sounded, alerting the base to an unscheduled incoming wormhole. Given all the trouble they’d been having with the Lucian Alliance lately, Cam thought he’d better stick around long enough to see who their late-night visitor was.
To his surprise, a registered IDC was transmitted and Landry immediately ordered the iris opened. A moment later, there was a pale young man stumbling through the event horizon, carrying a single duffle bag and looking the worse for wear.
This was what lead to Cameron Mitchell’s first meeting with Jonas Quinn. He’d read the reports, of course, and knew of the man from his time serving on SG-1. But he’d never had a chance to meet him face to face before now.
Needless to say, Jonas’s sudden appearance in their gate room caused quite a ripple of surprise through the base. The personnel who were still around from when he was officially on SG-1 were happy to hear of his survival. Even those, like Cam, who only knew him by reputation were relieved not to have yet another name on the list of missing.
General Landry wanted a full debrief, of course, and so did the IOA. Jonas dropped the essential information while they were checking him out in the infirmary, but they wanted more.
Apparently, his resistance group was holding strong despite the rest of the planet caving to their new Ori oppressors. They were forced to operate mostly in secret now, with spies implanted within the various government houses and research facilities. Since their people weren’t yet capable of interstellar travel, they’d been isolated from any form of help during that entire time, and had no way of knowing how the rest of the galaxy was holding up.
Jonas told them he’d managed to stow away on an Ori transport ship that was taking out a shipment of naquadria. He’d snuck back off at the next stop on their route and made a run for that planet’s gate. After a few quick jumps to throw them off his trail, he was stumbling into the SGC, miraculously still alive and mostly well.
“I don’t have a whole lot of time here, unfortunately,” Jonas said while the doctor on duty was checking his pulse. “There’s supposed to be another Ori ship heading to Langara next week, so that seems like the best window of opportunity to sneak back onto the planet.”
“You’re going back?” Landry asked. His tone was surprised, but not exactly judging. Everyone at the SGC would be equally as willing to jump into danger if it was Earth on the line.
“I have to,” Jonas told them. No one argued with him.
The medical team cleared him fairly quickly. Other than dehydration and exhaustion, he was fine. They recommended rest. So, of course, the higher ups sent down word that he was to be debriefed immediately. Given how closely he’d been involved in Ori operations over the last several months, there were a lot of people interested in what information he could provide.
Unfortunately, Teal’c was on Chulak, and Sam was at a tech conference. Daniel and Vala were technically here in town — on another ‘not-a-date’ — but neither of them really knew Jonas, so General Landry didn’t bother calling them back in.
That left their unfortunate guest sitting across a table from a series of unfamiliar faces, each one less patient than the last. One would think they could be a little less demanding for more details — especially considering what the poor guy must have gone through to get what little intel he had.
Jonas, meanwhile, was clearly struggling to hold onto his own patience, fighting to keep a grasp on his last shred of sanity. He looked exhausted and strung out and… well… pretty much like someone who’d spent the last several months watching their planet enslaved by power-hungry tyrants. The dread that was almost visibly weighing him down hung in the interview room like an unearthly presence.
Which is what finally prompted Cam into action. He was currently doing his best to shut down the newest in a long line of interrogators, this one a young IOA liaison. The man was putting up a good fight, of course, but Cam wasn’t willing to back down.
“Look at him,” he said, gesturing at the glass window between them and the interrogation room. “He’s about ready to pass out. Why can’t the rest of your questions wait until a decent hour?”
His gaze shifted involuntarily to the figure sitting despondently in the metal chair inside the room. The steeliness left his eyes instantly at the sight, as a pang of sympathy hit him. The poor guy had already been through enough these past few months.
“It’s standard protocol to debrief as soon as possible after personnel return to the SGC,” the annoying man shot back. “As someone still on our records as being part of the Stargate Program, that applies to Jonas Quinn as well. The IOA wants whatever intel he can give us.”
Cam tightened his fists behind his back to keep himself from decking the irritating IOA bureaucrat in front of him. He didn’t think General Landry would approve. Especially given the side-eye he kept getting from the general, as if the man understood exactly what Cam was thinking.
“You really think six hours to get some sleep will make that much difference in the fight against the Ori?” he said. “If they’re planning to invade us before morning, I don’t think any information he gives us is going to somehow prevent it.”
“He’s right, Pearson,” Landry said, finally coming to the rescue. “It’s late and we’re all in need of some sleep. Come back in the morning. Whatever questions you have will keep until then.”
After the man finally left, throwing a few token protests at them on his way out, Landry refocused his attention on Cam. “Show Dr Quinn to one of the guest quarters. Make sure he gets something to eat, too. We’ll reconvene at 0900 tomorrow.”
And, as much as he appreciated Landry backing him up against Pearson, that wasn’t exactly what Cam had had in mind. “Actually, General,” he risked interjecting. “I was kinda thinking along a different line. The kid is obviously dealing with a lot right now. What he needs is to get away from all of this—” he waved a hand vaguely, encompassing all of the SGC in the gesture “—for a little while.”
“You know I can’t authorize him to leave the base.”
“Why not?” he decided to push his luck a little further, careful his tone didn’t sound too challenging. “He’s been a member of SG-1 in the past, and still has active security clearance.”
Landry sighed. Despite shaking his head, Cam could see the man’s resolve wavering. “He’d need supervision while off base.”
“Fine, I’ll take him to my place. I’ve got a spare bedroom.” He shot another quick glance at the exhausted man sitting on the other side of the glass and tried one last plea. “Please, sir. He looks like he needs some time to not think about what’s waiting for him back home.”
The general finally caved. “Alright, but get him back here in time to meet with Pearson in the morning. The last thing I need right now is to have the IOA breathing down my neck.”
Cam tossed him a quick salute, grinning widely. “Yes, sir.”
Landry shook his head with a grunt, leaving before he had too long to reconsider his decision.
It didn’t take long to finish clearing the paperwork and gathering the single duffel bag Jonas had brought with him. Before long, they were leaving the base, headed for Cam’s apartment a few minutes away. Since Cam had ridden his motorcycle into work that morning, they were forced to borrow a car from one of the overnight base personnel. As much as Jonas’s face had lit up at the idea of riding on the back of the motorcycle, Cam knew better than to risk Landry’s wrath by getting the kid killed within his first hour outside Stargate Command.
His apartment wasn’t very big or fancy. Given that he lived alone, and spent most of his time either off-world or at the base, he hadn’t felt the need for a large place. There was a spare bedroom, though. And a roll away cot for when other members of SG-1 would crash there.
Cam made up the cot and apologized at least three times for the less than stellar accommodations. Apparently a lumpy mattress wasn’t of much concern to Jonas, however, as he was asleep mere moments after collapsing onto the bed.
The next morning, Cam was awake bright and early. He always got up with the sun to take a quick run around the neighborhood, even on chillier mornings like this when his bad leg would act up on him. It helped him clear his head before dealing with all the nonsense his job threw at him.
When he got back, his guest was still passed out in the spare room.
Cam made himself busy preparing a full country-style breakfast. Pancakes, eggs, bacon, and hash browns. A tray of sweet rolls were added to the oven for later. He wasn’t as good in the kitchen as his mom, but she’d managed to pass at least some basic culinary skills onto him.
The food was done and in the process of being set out on the counter when Jonas finally emerged. Cam was satisfied to see that he was looking at least a little less dead to the world than he had last night.
“C’mon and fill up a plate,” he invited. “Sorry, I haven’t read many reports on Langarans, but hopefully something here suits your fancy.”
Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, Jonas refocused on the haphazard buffet laid out in front of him, his expression brightening at the sight. “This is perfect, thanks. Also, I did live on Earth for almost a year, so no worries in that area.”
“Oh. Right.” Cam felt more than a little stupid for his assumption, but Jonas looked amused rather than offended, so he chose to let it go.
The younger man piled his plate with more food than Cam would have expected, given his light build. The kid must have amazing metabolism, he decided. At any rate, Cam was glad he’d gone grocery shopping the day before.
He grabbed his own breakfast and they settled on the stools at the kitchen island.
“So,” Jonas asked, pouring a nauseating amount of maple syrup over every piece of food on his plate, “I heard you’re part of SG-1 now. How’s that been going?”
“Working out so far,” Cam replied neutrally.
It was the sort of non-answer he hated getting from other people. But, in this case, it was the best response he could give. Because this was the job of his dreams and he didn’t regret his choice at all, but that didn’t make it perfect.
He loved going through the gate. He loved working with the other members of his team. He loved looking up and seeing constellations no human had ever laid eyes on before.
But there were also the bad days. There were the days when they were two hours too late to stop a village from being wiped out. The days when he had to watch innocent people die, knowing there was nothing he could do about it. Worse, the days that left those doubts in his head about whether something actually could have been done, if different decisions had been made. Having to watch his teammates risk their lives over and over — always knowing that one of these days, their luck would run out.
And, after the especially bad days and the terrifying close calls, there were those nights when he and Sam would sit on his couch and get wasted on cheap beer and promise each other they’d never go back through the gate, only to gear up the next day and head out as usual.
No, to say the job was ‘good’ would be inaccurate, and ‘bad’ was unfair. So, neutral was the way to go.
Somehow, Jonas got it. He nodded once, the understanding in his sharp eyes reminding Cam that he’d been out there, too, and felt all of it before. He knew. It was a rare sense of camaraderie, and one that made Cam feel a little less like he was floating alone in the void.
“Do you miss it?” he asked.
Jonas took another bite of eggs as he considered his answer. He finally nodded. “Yeah. I mean, nothing feels the same after you’ve had a chance to travel through the gate. Getting to see the stars was the best thing that ever happened to me. But I’m also glad I left when I did. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been home when everything went down with the Ori.”
“I don’t think I could ever give it up,” Cam admitted. “Everything feels different now, y’know? I get antsy just having a long weekend. Couldn’t imagine having to stop completely.”
“Trust me, I get it. The key is finding a new adventure that has just as much purpose to you. I found scientific research on my home planet. Some people retire from the Stargate Program so they can settle down and raise a family. Maybe when you find your next mission, you’ll feel okay with leaving, too.”
“Maybe,” he shrugged, not fully convinced. He huffed in amusement. “Apparently some people found their reason to leave in heading to another galaxy.”
Jonas grinned, eyes lighting up. “Sam told me about the Atlantis expedition the last time she visited. Can’t believe I missed the discovery of Atlantis by less than a year.”
Cam smiled, the enthusiasm in the young man’s voice reminding him of Sam and Daniel when they’d go off on a tangent about their fields of study. “You’re a fan, I take it?”
“Dr. Jackson and I both did a lot of research on the lost city and had so many theories. Neither of us considered an entirely separate galaxy, though.”
“To be fair, I don’t think that’s the first place anyone would look for a lost city.”
“Have you seen it?”
“Oh, yeah. I’m jealous now, actually. Sheppard’s gang gets to hang out in a fancy high-tech city of the Ancients, and we work in a concrete bunker.”
“Man, I bet it’s amazing,” Jonas sighed.
Cam didn’t miss the longing in the other’s eyes. It was the same look he’d had the first time he sighted an F-302. “Have you thought about signing up again?” he suggested. “Between the Wraith and those Asuran replicators, I’m sure they’d appreciate all the volunteers they can get.”
“You have no idea how much I’d love that.” The smile faded, though, as he shook his head. “Maybe someday. But, for now, I’ve gotta get home. There’s still an army of Ori trying to take over the galaxy.”
“Well, you never know. Might solve the whole problem next week, and then you’ll have a clear schedule.”
Jonas laughed. “Well, it’s nice to know your time in the field hasn’t dampened your optimism.”
“Never.”
“Good. The team can use a little positive thinking.”
Maybe he was reading too much into it, but Cam was relieved to hear that endorsement from him. There were days when he still felt like an outsider or ‘the new guy’ on the team. It was nice to have an SG-1 veteran give him that stamp of approval.
Once the food was gone and the dishes taken care of (Cam’s Midwest manners made him turn down the help at first, but Jonas was apparently also raised by polite parents and refused to leave the kitchen until the work was done), they settled onto the couch with some beers.
“Feels a bit early for these,” Jonas commented lightly.
Cam shrugged. “Some days, it’s never too early. Besides, I figured you could use some before facing those IOA assholes again.”
Jonas grimaced and agreed on that point. “I think it’ll actually be a relief to go back to the Ori when this is over,” he joked. “At least those priors never made me fill out any paperwork while talking my ear off.”
“Yeah,” Cam laughed. “I’d love to see one of those IOA guys go up against a prior to see who can talk longer. My money would be on that Pearson guy, personally. He gave me quite an earful last night.”
“I didn’t meet him.”
“Yeah, that pleasure is still waiting for you in about an hour. I’m surprised you could remember, though, with all the people parading through the room last night.”
Jonas tapped his forehead. “Photographic memory.”
“Ah. That explains a lot, actually.” He realized a second after he said it how it might sound, but Jonas’s amused smile assured him it was okay. He tried to explain anyway, “Just different things Sam used to say. About how you were… very observant. And apparently a walking encyclopedia.”
“It’s okay,” Jonas said. “I know there were a lot of people here who thought I was a little, well, weird.”
Cam shrugged. “Eh, in the Stargate Program, weird is pretty normal. It’s the seemingly mundane people who always turn out to be the brain-sucking aliens in disguise. Besides, I think we all have to be at least a little unhinged to step through that gate in the first place.” He took another sip of his beer. “So, you’re really heading back out there, huh?”
“I have to. As long as there’s a resistance movement on Langara, we still have a chance against the Ori.”
“Hey, I get it. Trust me, I do. If I was stuck on some other planet and knew Earth was in trouble, there’s just about nothing out there that could stop me from coming home.” He paused and let out a sigh. “It’s hard, though. Letting you go back out there knowing we can’t send any kind of help right now.”
“Even if you could, this is something we’d have to do ourselves. We let our planet be torn apart in a civil war, folded when the Goa’uld showed up, and let the Ori roll in with barely a fight. It’s time for the Langaran people to learn to stand up and actually protect our home.”
The conversation soon drifted to lighter topics. Everything from Langara’s latest scientific breakthroughs to which Earth movies Jonas still needed to see (Cam was appalled no one had shown him Top Gun yet) to a quick explanation of American football. Cam was surprised how easy Jonas was to talk to. Even when they briefly got onto quantum physics, Jonas made sure never to leave Cam in the dust the way Daniel and Sam often did, breaking things down as needed without being condescending.
Cam’s original goal had been to help Jonas relax and forget his problems for a little while, but he found himself benefiting from it almost as much. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt so at ease.
It was just about time to pack up and head into the base when Cam’s cell phone went off. He groaned as he retrieved the device, assuming it was someone from the SGC calling to remind him of their upcoming deadline. To his surprise, it was the opposite. Apparently SG-12 had returned this morning with some new scientific discovery that could prove revolutionary in their technology development program. It was at least interesting enough to have pulled the IOA’s attention for the morning.
“Congratulations,” Cam said as he hung up the phone. “You’ve been granted a stay of execution. The lab geeks managed to draw the IOA’s focus off you for a while. I guess alien tech is more interesting than you are.”
“Should I be relieved or insulted?” Jonas joked.
“Hey, I’d take the reprieve. Anything to delay dealing with Pearson.” He glanced at his watch. “They pushed your meeting back to the afternoon, so we’ve got about five hours before we need to go in.”
Jonas nodded, considering that time frame for a moment. “Yeah, that should still work. As long as I’m on P4X-991 by tonight, I can still make my ride back to Langara.”
“In that case, I say we make the most of the day.”
“What did you have in mind?”
“Grab your jacket,” Cam said with a grin. “I’ll get the car keys.”
They were technically still driving the borrowed vehicle from the previous night, but apparently no one at the base missed it enough to call them yet, so Cam assumed it wouldn’t hurt to hold onto it for a few more hours. And it was being used for a good cause.
The drive out of town wasn’t too long; it was still early enough, and on a weekday, so there was hardly any traffic to contend with. Before long, they were heading down a quiet road through a more rural area. Trees grew close on either side of the road, the branches of the larger ones hanging overhead. A gentle autumn breeze was moving through, sending colorful leaves drifting down around them as they drove.
Jonas rolled down his window and leaned farther outside than was probably safe. Seeing the look of pure awe and excitement on the young man’s face, however, kept Cam from dragging him back into the safety of the vehicle.
“I take you don’t have scenery like this back home?”
Not taking his eyes off the brilliantly colored trees rolling past, Jonas shook his head. “I grew up in the city. My family went out to the countryside a few times on vacation, but it never looked like this. The trees here are gorgeous.”
“Well, it’s not always like this here, either. You just happen to be lucky enough to be here in the fall.”
It wasn’t much farther before they reached their destination. Cam pulled the vehicle into a gravel parking lot and turned off the engine. They climbed out, Jonas scanning every inch of the display before them.
“The farmer’s markets around this time are something else,” Cam told him, guiding him towards the row of tents and booths. “All the extras from the harvest, plus plenty of home-crafted goods for people to buy as early Christmas presents.”
They worked their way down the center aisle at a leisurely pace. Cam had been hoping the opportunity to explore some less-curated Earth culture would appeal to the scientist, but he was unprepared for how excited the young man got. The awed look in his eyes as he excitedly looked over every object and food item in the booths was oddly heartwarming. Cam knew that feeling from his own early days on SG-1. There was something about getting to see and experience alien cultures that still sometimes felt surreal.
“What’s this?” Jonas asked, turning around to show Cam a wooden box carved into a heart shape.
The dark wood, somewhat uneven edges, and thick layers of lacquer were familiar to him as someone who’d dabbled in woodworking as a hobby growing up. The obviously handmade nature of the box somehow made it so much more charming than anything he’d seen in a store.
“It’s a keepsake box,” Cam told him. “People keep things that are important to them in there. Often, it’s objects that remind them of someone they’ve lost. Or it could be personal memories, like photos or movie tickets.”
Jonas peppered him with a dozen more questions on the box before his attention was diverted to the funnel cakes. Not even bothering to hide his amusement, Cam followed in his wake. He was glad the market was able to appeal to Jonas’s interests as an anthropologist.
“Sam was really failing as an Earth tour guide if she didn’t take you to any local markets when you were here before,” Cam commented at one point.
“We didn’t get out of the mountain much,” Jonas said with a shrug. “Stargate Command didn’t like to let me or Teal’c leave the base unless we had to.”
Cam felt stupid for not realizing that sooner. He’d noticed Teal’c’s treatment, of course (and raised many complaints with Landry about it) but he’d forgotten that the same would also have applied to Jonas. He suddenly wondered if Vala ever felt singled out in the same way — something he’d have to remember to talk to her about later.
The time passed far too quickly. Before long, it was time to head back.
Cam bought them an assortment of corn dogs, funnel cake, and various random foods that Jonas had been eager to try. They ate their makeshift lunch on the drive back to the apartment.
Under the pretense of being a good host, Cam offered to carry Jonas’s bag out to the car — using the opportunity to sneak the memory box inside. He hadn’t been able to resist buying it and filling it with some little trinkets of Earth memorabilia. Maybe it was partly to assuage his guilt over sending the poor guy back into a war zone with no backup, but he wanted Jonas to have some good memories of a day when he wasn’t having to look over his shoulder every minute.
The briefing was both as boring and excruciating as they’d expected. Cameron, standing watch in the observation room, had to admire Jonas’s patience in dealing with the IOA and SGC representatives. He was far more diplomatic than Cam knew he would be under the same level of interrogation.
They did manage to get it all wrapped up by the deadline. With only an hour left to spare, Jonas was packed and ready in the gate room. There were a few extra provisions and some radios in Jonas’s backpack that hadn’t been there when he’d arrived — probably someone’s attempt at making up for the fact that they were essentially cutting loose one of their own without even trying to help. He’d been grateful for the radios, though. Apparently the resistance was having issues with keeping their communications from being picked up by the Ori.
“Sorry we can’t do anything more to help,” Cameron said as they watched the gate spin through its dialing sequence. “I guess we’re stretched a little too thin right now as it is.”
“It’s okay,” Jonas assured him. “Really. The science team gave me a lot of tips on what they’ve learned so far about the Ori technology and weapons. That’s a huge help. Plus, just knowing you guys are all safe makes the trip worth it. I was worried when we lost contact with Earth.”
Cameron shook his head in a mix of disbelief and admiration. He wondered if being so genuinely kindhearted was common among Langarans, or if Jonas was truly one of a kind. He had a feeling, if their situations were reversed, he would not be so gracious in overlooking how the Stargate Command higher-ups were treating the situation on Langara.
“Well, hopefully when the dust settles on this whole business, you can come back for a real visit.”
“I’d like that. You guys can show me some of those movies you mentioned.”
Cam shook his head. “Still can’t believe you’ve never seen Top Gun,” he muttered. “I’m definitely gonna have words with Sam about her movie choices.”
Jonas laughed. “Well, it’s something to look forward to, at least. And you’ll have to come visit my planet. Once we get it rebuilt a little, of course.”
The last chevron locked into place. They stepped clear of the event horizon until it settled. Then Jonas shouldered his pack and gave Cam a warm handshake as he bid his farewells.
“Thanks for showing me around today. It was nice to forget about everything for a while.”
“Same here,” Cam shot back. And he meant it. With everything going on lately, it had been a welcome reprieve. “Take care out there.”
“You, too.”
And then he was gone. A few quick strides up the ramp and he vanished through the event horizon.
One visit lasting less than twenty-four hours that would be boiled down in the daily reports to whatever useful intel he’d relayed during the briefing sessions. It seemed a bizarre footnote to add to the file of someone who had helped Earth countless times in the past.
Cameron hoped it wouldn’t be the last entry in that file. Because, whatever else changed around the SGC on a regular basis, there was one thing he had to believe would always be true: No member of SG-1 ever gets left behind. And none of them are forgotten.
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