Something Borrowed by Rachael Sabotini (Personal item challenge)

[wickedwords.livejournal.com]

Challenge: Personal item challenge
Title: Something Borrowed
Author: Rachael Sabotini
Summary: It wasn't his personal item.
Gen, Sheppard, 270 words

Many thanks to z_rayne, who did an amazingly fast beta on this.


Something Borrowed

It wasn't his personal item.

John's personal item had been a sharp leather portfolio, the kind he'd used when he had pulled desk duty at the pentagon, before they shipped him to McMurdo. He'd been able to stuff a lot of flat things in it, including the swimsuit edition of Sports Illustrated and its accompanying free "great moments in football" DVD. The fact that it contained the best football game ever had been a good enough reason for including it all on its own.

He'd added a few other things: pictures that were important to him, mostly landscapes and planes rather than people; an agate he found on the beach when he was ten; his mother's gold cross.

He'd never thought to bring a poster. But Colonel Sumner had.

Sumner had brought art supplies with him, all wrapped up in a fancy black tube. In with the papers and ink had been a poster of Johnny Cash, the Man in Black in perfect condition; Sumner hadn't lived long enough to even unpack it, let alone put it up on his wall.

So John put it up for him, right over his bed. He had the man's job; it was only fair he take the poster too. As he slid his hands over it, smoothing it out and making sure there were no crinkles, his hand seemed to bunch into a fist of its own accord; John leaned his head down against it, not seeing anything, breathing hard. He stayed like that a moment, then pulled back and stepped off the bed, making sure it was straight.

Hell of a way to get a poster.

Comments

[ltlj.livejournal.com]

Oh, great character moment. I really liked this.

[wickedwords.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[movies-michelle.livejournal.com]

What a lovely little moment. It says a lot about John, but also about Sumner, which I find fascinating. Since we don't see enough of Sumner to know what he was like, personally, I like the added depth of what it says that this by-the-book (we assume) military guy had art supplies and a Johnny Cash poster. Very nice.

[wickedwords.livejournal.com]

Thanks! Sumner has to have brought something with him, and it struck me that it might have been the Johnny Cash poster, especially as we see it in John's apartment that he's never owned, filled with things he has not had, where dead people come to party. If it's not John's, but is instead Sumner's, that makes it all the more creepy. And I'm good with that. *g*

[zoerayne]

Very nice. I like stories that show the emotional repercussions of the things John's had to do since coming to Pegasus.

[wickedwords.livejournal.com]

I'm big on the tiny little moments, and love him dealing with grief in his own way. Thanks.

[raviahmad.livejournal.com]

Yeah, great snippet that illuminates the kind of guy Shep really is. ANd all without saying a thing or even doing much. Very nice.

[wickedwords.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[micehell]

Only 270 words, but they pack a lot of weight. Great moment.

[wickedwords.livejournal.com]

Glad you liked it. My gen stuff is a lot like that, just tiny missing scenes and moments that occur to be that fit in between the lines of the show. Thanks.

[cathexys.livejournal.com]

oh, that was wonderful! i loved the touches of past from the desk duty to his mother's jewelry. And a softer side of Sumner with the art supplies and the explanation for the poster. Very cool!!!

[wickedwords.livejournal.com]

When I realized that the airlines call purses, briefcases, and backpacks all single 'personal items', that's when I realized how much you can carry if that's what a 'personal item' is, and no wonder John has so much stuff. *g* Thanks.

[sage]

Oh, subtle and gorgeous. *loves*

[wickedwords.livejournal.com]

It's something that's running around at the back of my mind for awhile, and finally just took form. Thanks!

[porntestpilot.livejournal.com]

Oh, really lovely and wow, I like that idea. Especially since the Johnny Cash does match Sumner a little more. Hmm.

[wickedwords.livejournal.com]

Cool! Please feel free to spread the idea around. *g* Thanks.

[morena-donn.livejournal.com]

Oh, this is perfect. That poster has always bugged me: it just doesn't feel like John to me. But hanging Sumner's poster is definitely something I can see John doing.

Thanks for fixing this *g*

[wickedwords.livejournal.com]

I love hearing that something worked so well that it fixed canon for you. *g* Thanks!

[isiscolo.livejournal.com]

Aie! I liked the way this returns to canon and shows it in a new light.

[wickedwords.livejournal.com]

Canon can be fun. *g* Thanks!

[fantasyenabler.livejournal.com]

Wow, what a fantastic idea. And delivered with such a bare minimum of carefully chosen words. Beautiful, absolutely beautiful.

[wickedwords.livejournal.com]

I'm really glad you liked it. Thanks.

[elfbystarlight.livejournal.com]

Oh, very nice... this is going to be one of those things that fits so well into canon that I'm going to remember it, but never remember that it wasn't on the show. And, at some point, probably go mad rewatching all twenty-eleven seasons (we hope) because I'm *sure* it mentioned that *somewhere*....

[bibliokat.livejournal.com]

*giggles* So I'm not the only one who does that. Good to know;)

[cofax7]

his hand seemed to bunch into a fist of its own accord; John leaned his head down against it, not seeing anything, breathing hard. He stayed like that a moment, then pulled back and stepped off the bed, making sure it was straight.

Excellent character moment there. And a fantastic last line. Nice job.

[wickedwords.livejournal.com]

Cool! I'm glad you liked the story. It was great to meet you at vividcon; I haven't been involved in SG1 fandom, so it was nice to put icons and faces and names all together. Thanks!

[dvslj.livejournal.com]

I loved this. Short, but packed a good punch. Very cool.

[wickedwords.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[minnow1212.livejournal.com]

Oh, wonderful. Packs a punch.

[wickedwords.livejournal.com]

Thanks! It was one of those bits that just suddenly fell together from a lot of little things I had been thinking on. I'm glad you liked it.

[pollitt.livejournal.com]

Wow. Just...wow.

From,

the girl who sat next to you from Santa Barbara to L.A. back in the day...Escapade 2001

[wickedwords.livejournal.com]

Hey! Cool to see you. *g* Thanks!

[lalejandra.livejournal.com]

I like this a lot.

[wickedwords.livejournal.com]

Thank you.

[crysothemis.livejournal.com]

Wow, this is amazing. In fact, it makes such perfect, ah-hah! sort of sense, that I'm going to confuse it with canon from now on.

On purpose.

;-}

[wickedwords.livejournal.com]

LOL! It's the on-purpose that gets me. *g* Thanks!

[bibliokat.livejournal.com]

Now *that* makes sense!

P.S. The portfolio idea is brilliant. I'm gonna remember that in case the government ever recruits me. Hey, alien kids need teachers too...?

[wickedwords.livejournal.com]

The airlines say a 'personal item' is a backpack, purse, briefcase, or laptop. So who am I to argue with airline guidelines. *g* Thanks!

[the-green-sheep.livejournal.com]

... oh.

It's a gorgeous concept, and a gorgeous story. John and Johnny Cash never made much sense, but this... this is a hundred kinds of right. And did I mention very powerful, and it made me cry a little? Yeah.

[wickedwords.livejournal.com]

Oh, honey. {{hugs}} John's just like that. He's good a bottling things up; he doesn't even think about the fact that he's not thinking about stuff, until sometimes, it just kinda comes out. Thanks.

[mmmchelle.livejournal.com]

This is why you asked about the poster. I was wondering.

Nicely understated, hon. I liked it immensely.

[wickedwords.livejournal.com]

It was just one of those things that I wondered, and then it hung out in my back brain for a bit (as things tend to do), until *poof*! An image appeared and I had to write it. Really, though, I should go back to my remix and the plotty stuff now, or maybe write something where the characters get naked. I'm thinking nudity is a good thing.

[direaliete.livejournal.com]

Very intense! :)

[wickedwords.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[twoweevils.livejournal.com]

I enjoyed the way this took one little item, barely seen or remarked upon, and gave it a reason for being there. Also, I loved the idea of Sheppard packing things inside the one item he was allowed. If anyone would think of that, he would.

This is one of those things that should be canon, because it's perfect.

K.

[wickedwords.livejournal.com]

Thank you. *g*

[spark-variance.livejournal.com]

Wow, that was excellent! The last line was great. I also loved the idea of Sumner and his art supplies - it definitely makes him seem more of a person and not just a throw-away character like on the show.

A wonderful John moment as well, with just a moment of weakness showing just how much he is really effected (affected? I always mess those up...) by events.

Keep up the good work! :-)

[wickedwords.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I'm glad you liked it.

[daemonluna.livejournal.com]

Ooh. This was short, and pointed. I love the last line.

[wickedwords.livejournal.com]

Poor John. He never gets anything clearly on his own merit; there's always a cloud of circumstances around him. Thanks!