The A-Team: Search for the Absconded Muffin

by Grace

~*~
"Alright, now you try - go on!-" Sarah waited in anticipation, her elbows resting on the counter.
Teal'c spoke with perfect pronunciation"I pity... the fool...?"
Sarah giggled slightly as she replied,"ok, now say 'foo' instead of fool," she recited the classic line with inflection as the bell above the door jangled. A gust of wind rolled along the tile floor as Grace stepped inside removing her scarf.
"You would think March would be colder- oh- good morning T-Man, that your ride outside?" her voice had a tinge of disappointment. After spotting the khaki Jeep beside theside entrance she had sped her stride in hopes of seeing Cam Mitchell. They had last spent time together when she dropped him off at the departure gate at the airport. He was leaving on special assignment to Iraq for 5 weeks, and though only one week had elapsed she still couldn't shake the feeling that part of her heart had drifted much further away than the Middle East. At first she thought that meant Cameron had been killed, but 3 days in he called her, the connection was terrible.
"It is the vehicle I am currently utilizing, but I do in fact drive it... do you need a ride?"
Teal'c's comment brought her back to earth-"Ha ha," she replied sarcastically "No, I don't need a ride, I just know someone else with a- nevermind. Don't you have to be at the museum by now?"
"I have not watched the clock, I apol- I....pity the foo'." He lowered his head slightly and Grace stifled her laughter until he made it out the door.
"Please tell me we aren't watching the A-Team for movie night- how did that conversation get started?"
"I called him 'Mr. T' by accident and he insisted that I teach him a line, that boy must definitely needs to learn some affect- did you get it?"
Grace opened the bag that she had hoisted on the black marble bar a moment ago. Reaching in, she pulled out a box wrapped picuresquely in brown paper and twine. At the top corner in small writing was Sarah's name, nearly obscured by the variety of air lift stickers slapped on every side.
“Of course, you would be the one to get a package from your swamped archeologist- I think our guys are getting rather attached…” Grace envisioned Cameron in a desert tent somewhere calling her on the phone with a smirk on his face. She began to unzip her coat as Sarah struggled with the package, eventually pulling Sarah’s keys from her own pocket to open her pocket knife and hand it to her with a sisterly look. The thick tape nearly obscured her name and it seemed sand was accumulating over the bar as each layer was torn off.
“Good night! Did he wrap it in a sandbox?” Grace laughed as Sarah finally got the last strand of packing tape out of the way.
Inside was the standard brown environmental wrapping material you’d see in any artifact packing crate- Sarah smiled “I feel like I’m going to find the chalice of Pharaoh or something!”
She slowly pealed back the first layer and saw something gold underneath- “What is this!”- her voice rippled with excitement. She hefted from the box a large book with a cover ornately decorated in scrollwork and gold leafing. “Oh my... what is...” Her fingertips flowed over the raised impressions of hieroglyphs and she could almost feel the history contained there. The binding looked sturdy enough and after examining the spine she dared to open the cover. Of course the book cracked in protest, and she watched the pages slowly float back into place as she reached for them, looking for a title. Grace was curious, but spent her time digging deeper in the package looking for a note- there must be some kind of explanation. Her searching paid off as she found an white linen envelope with the word “instructions” written on it.
“Sarah- look at this-” she had to place it on the book to divert her attention.
“Instructions? Why would he write that?” Sarah grabbed it and opened it slowly- still imagining the fragile pages of the book open beneath her.
Inside were two pages, she sat down at a stool to read them, once and awhile glancing at the book. Grace wanted Sarah to read it out-loud but just as she thought to suggest it the buzzer rang from the kitchen and so decided to run back and check on the muffins baking in the oven. She took only a few minutes to place them on the cooling rack, then she heard a voice from the lobby-
“Hello? Is anyone there- ?” the female’s voice was raised with a slight accent.
As Grace walked back to the lobby she noticed a familiar face – Vala strummed her fingers on the countertop, noticed sand stuck to them and awkwardly brushed it off onto her cargo pants. She wore a lumpy knit hat over her ebony pigtailed hair, and upon seeing Grace she smiled and hopped up on a stool.
“Ooh, good- you’re here then, I was wondering if I could have that drink I tried out last time- something Ah-mart-e-o?” she stumbled over the last word.
Grace looked around for Sarah- the box, book, and letter had disappeared too- no doubt she had gone upstairs or something?
“What?” Vala looked self-conscious as Grace eyed the counter where the box had been- “Are you… alright?”
“Oh- what- yes, yes, I’m fine. Amaretto Macchiato is it-” she repeated the name sounding out the syllables again as Vala repeated them to herself in a whisper.
“ah-ma-re-toe mak-ee-ah-toe. Right, can I have two please?” she had a glint in her eye.
“Both barrels this morning? What’s the occasion?” Grace asked still wondering where Sarah had disappeared to so quickly.
“Looooong meeting ahead, you people love your lectures…” she sighed and spread her palms out on the marble counter and began stacking the sugar packets into a pillar.
“You people... who?” Grace couldn’t imagine what Vala meant and wondered if she should be offended.
“You, um- Americans” she let out a nervous giggle – “you love lectures!” she added gusto as she said the last word and quickly changed the subject. “So, did you watch LOST last night?”
“Oh no, I missed it! Oh well, I’ll just have to catch it online- don’t tell me what happened!” Grace shot a mockingly stern look Vala’s way “I’ve been following this show forever; I can’t believe its going to end.”
“What do you mean- how long have they been stranded on that island?” Vala was now curious about her favorite new television program. Grace might have had no idea about Vala being from another galaxy, but she had noted the fake laughter at any general TV or movie quote. Because of this Grace often wondered if it was perhaps that Vala was not allowed to partake in this type of entertainment, strict upbringing perhaps…
“Hmm, let me see…” Grace added a bit of whip cream, a chocolate kiss (Vala’s favorite must-have for every drink), and plastic lid. “Originally they were on the first island for at least 2 seasons, the second island they’ve been on for maybe... 7?”
“The FIRST island?!” Vala reached for the drink while exclaiming. Grace grimaced at the volume, “sorry. Don’t know my own strength I guess”- Vala raised her eyebrows surprised, smelled her drink, and hopped off the stool walking backwards toward the door. “Well then, I’ll see you later – have a good day, bye bye then,” she smiled broadly and Grace, noting the look, glanced down to the marble counter where she had sat the cooling muffins minutes before- one was missing.
“Bye Vala...” Grace conceded with a smile knowingly as the lumpy hat and leather jacket glided out the front door making the bell ring across the empty lobby. She smirked to herself a moment and then realized Sarah had not yet surfaced. “Sarah?” she called in the lobby, feeling it to be the most impotent search and rescue mission ever launched.