Un-used by Jojo

[Report This]
- Text Size +

Story Notes: Matter of Tact 02: Email: randomleaves@yahoo.co.uk

Season: Future-ish, with Season 7 spoilers (just the really, really big one)

Archive: SJD, yes!

A/N: Thanks to Melly and Emry. And feedback? I {{knuffel}} feedback.

"So, you're just going to hang around for a couple more weeks?"

"Yeah."

"Any... particular reason?" Daniel asked. In the background, he could hear murmuring and Jack wondered who was in the room with him. Couldn't be anyone he knew or Daniel would have said so. "No, no, just leave it there, I'll deal with it in a moment. Thanks."

Guessing that second part wasn't to do with him, Jack held the phone between his shoulder and jaw and opened the fridge, searching for something to drink. "Noooo," he said, slowly. "Just thought I'd... chill for a while. No reason to get up there right this second, Daniel. I do have the rest of my life to fish."

Freaky thought, though it was.

"Um... yeah. Do you want to meet up? I mean, I know you're coming down for Janet's Christmas thing - if only to protect me from Cassie's advances - but we could always get together before then."

Jack winced. The Christmas party. Damn. Cassie's sudden and inexplicable crush on Daniel had completely come out of left field and had terrified Daniel so much that he felt it necessary to have a chaperone with him at all times.

Jonas thought it was hysterical. In fact, Jonas liked to chaperone Daniel and then 'disappear', leaving Daniel *with* Cassie. Jonas was evil like that.

Hmm. Milk?

Thoughtfully, Jack opened the milk and sniffed it. "How can you tell if milk's off?" he asked.

"It smells bad."

"Milk never actually smells *good*."

"Well... does it have a best before date on it?"

Jack checked the side. Then checked the other side. Checked the lid. The bottom. "No, it doesn't. I think it might have rubbed off."

"If it's rubbed off, chances are it's been in there too long anyway. Throw it out."

He grimaced. Some ideal from his upbringing was simply revolted by the idea of wasting good food or drink, but Daniel was probably right. He couldn't remember buying the milk and chances were it was long overdue. Even though things hadn't started growing in it yet. Shame. He liked looking at moldy things.

He took it over to the sink.

"So?"

"What?" Jack asked, watching the ghostly liquid drain away down the drain.

Daniel sighed. "Do you want... one moment, Jack. Hi. Yeah. Is that all of it?" There was a muffled noise in the background and Daniel's voice became more distant. Then it came closer again. ".... be kidding. I can't believe.... all right, it's not your fault. Just... go back to doing whatever it is that you do."

Jack grinned and turned the tap on to wash away the remnants of the milk. "A little harsh there, Daniel."

"He's an idiot. Seriously. I don't know where they're getting these kids."

"Kids?"

"Okay, so he's probably about thirty but, you know, that's young to me."

"You're thirty-six."

Daniel cleared his throat. "Those six years are really important. Anyway," he said, apparently really keen to change the subject, "do you want to meet up or what? You, me, Teal'c and Jonas? And Sam, too, if she's not busy."

"Sure," he said vaguely, pulling open the door to the garbage pail and dropping the milk carton inside. Damn. Looked like he needed to take out the trash.

"Doubt Sam'll be able to make it. You know, I think she's dating someone."

Jack froze automatically. A couple of years ago, those five words would have sent him into complete shock. Things were different now.. "Really? What makes you think that?"

"You know, your acting skills are getting worse."

Busted, he thought, cringing. What could he say? It was hard lying over the phone - he usually put all his effort into creating a good, blank face which was pointless when you were speaking to someone via what was essentially a bunch of little wires. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh come on, Jack," Daniel said, almost laughing. "You can't tell me it's not you she's been seeing out of work."

"It's not!"

"Then you're lying."

"She's not 'seeing' me. We're not dating or anything."

"So you are... meeting up outside of work in less than formal occasions."

What the...? Had he always been this irritating? "We just hang out, Daniel. We're friends."

"Like you and me."

No way! "Yeah."

"O-kaay. So when are you seeing her next? I mean, when are you meeting up next in your completely friendly circumstances?"

Jack narrowed his eyes and pulled the trash bag out. He was beginning to get a crick in his neck from holding the phone so long so he tied the bag and dropped it on the kitchen floor. "Don't you have work to do?"

"You called me."

"And I'm seriously regretting it," he announced, holding onto the phone with one hand and picking up the bag by its strings. "And, for your information, I'm seeing her tonight."

"What are you doing?"

"We're going..." Ah, hell ,"towatchamovie."

"What was that?"

He gritted his teeth and walked to the front door. "We're going to watch a movie."

"Together."

"No, Daniel, we'll be in separate theaters. Yes, *together*."

"Right."

Then there was silence.

Opening the door, Jack stepped out onto the porch with the bag. "You sure as hell better not be laughing right now, Jackson."

"I'm not laughing. Really." Another suspiciously long pause. "What are you going to watch? Together," he added, all innocence.

Murder was too good for him. "I don't know," Jack said, trying to sound really casual. "Some... thing. There was a guy in it that Carter likes."

"I see."

Dumping the trash out front - and marveling at the way his cordless phone was still working out there - Jack wiped his hand on his jeans and wandered back inside. "You see what? Don't say things in that tone, Daniel."

"I didn't say anything in a tone!"

"Yes, you did."

"I'm just sayin'..."

"Saying what?" Jack demanded, closing the front door just a little too hard.

"Well, if it was us going out, you'd know the name of the movie."

Shit! "It's just slipped my mind, that's all. It'll come back to me," Jack protested, already going to find the note he'd written to himself for the timings of the movie Carter wanted to see.

"Jack?"

"What?" he said, going to his note board and scanning all the little memos he'd left himself.

"Why are you defending yourself?"

"What?"

"You're perfectly free to date Sam. You're not her CO any more. I don't care. Teal'c doesn't care. Jonas doesn't care. General Hammond would probably be thrilled."

Jack paused. "I guess..." He ran his thumb over the corner of the note board. "I guess I'm just used to it, that's all," he said quietly.

"You'll have to get un-used to it."

Slowly, Jack smiled. "Trust me, Daniel, I'm getting un-used to it pretty damn fast."

*

Why was it doing this to her?

Pouting - and checking, while she did so, that no one was around to see her do it - she kicked the table leg. Damn machine.

Maybe it wasn't a machine.

Maybe... it was decorative.

Maybe...

She glanced at her watch. Half past five.

Maybe she wouldn't work this out by the time the Area 51 geeks got here and snatched it out of her hands.

Crap.

She put down the latest load of computer print outs of the tests she'd run so far and tapped her fingers on the table. Ooh, that reminded her.

Going quickly over to her laptop, she pulled open her To Do list and swiftly typed 'do nails' onto the list. Scanning up the page, she smiled faintly at the things she had to do before that night. Wash hair - use special coconut conditioner, polish nice boots, shave legs, iron shirt, iron slacks, find matching underwear, do nails.

Hmm. Maybe slacks were too much. Jeans would probably be better. Plus, was it really necessary to shave her legs? After all, it wasn't like they were seriously dating and there wasn't any chance at all that he would...

Hmm.

She put her hands on her hips and stared at the screen.

"Sam?"

She turned around and smiled, grateful for the distraction. "Hi, Daniel, how are you?"

He let go of the door jamb and wandered into her lab, looking at the device (Decoration? Ornament? Paperweight?) on her desk. "You figured it out yet?"

"No." She nearly very nearly, pouted but decided not to since he would inevitably laugh at her. Which was fair considering she would do exactly the same to him. It was her CO privilege now. She'd learned from the best, after all.

"I was just speaking to Jack," Daniel said conversationally, leaning against the table and picking up a screwdriver to examine it.

"Oh really? How is the Colonel?" she said in a bright, disassociated voice.

Daniel looked at her shrewdly. "He's forgotten the name of the movie you're going to see tonight."

Sam scowled. Damn. She'd thought she'd be able to keep this one quiet for a little while longer. "We're just seeing it as friends."

"Oh, Jack made that perfectly clear."

"He did." Wait. "He did?"

Apparently, this was too much for Daniel, who laughed. "Damn, I thought I could keep that up for much longer. God, that was way too easy. Why didn't you tell me?"

"Tell you what?"

"That you and Jack are... you know."

"We're not!" she exclaimed, hotly.

"I don't mean *you know*. I mean..." Tiredly, Daniel put down the screwdriver and scratched his forehead. "Sometimes, I think Jack rubbed off on you way too much, Sam."

"I wish," she muttered.

Oh God, did she say that aloud? She was *definitely* shaving her legs this afternoon.

Daniel made a face. "Too much information there, Sam."

She winced. "Sorry."

"What movie are you going to see?"

"Um... I have no idea, actually. Some movie with that girl the.. he... *Jack*," that was still surprisingly difficult to say, "likes."

"But you don't know the name."

She glanced at him. He looked unaccountably amused by that. "No, sorry, it's slipped my mind."

Daniel nodded. He grinned. He patted her on the back. "You can be just... so adorable sometimes."

Sam's eyes widened. "Daniel, are you all right?"

"Yeah, yeah, fine. Peachy." He turned around and walked off, murmuring to himself, "Man, I've really got to get laid."

Giving him an odd look, Sam leaned on the table. The screwdriver, which had been balancing on a messy stack of papers wobbled. It rolled off the papers and bounced onto the table a couple of times, sending out vibrations that she could feel under her hands.

The paperweight emitted a mechanical sounding 'whirr' and her head jerked towards it, her eyes narrowed.

Hmm.

--------------

End Notes: "Liked? No. Adored, loved, wanted to have its little fic babies - YES!"
http://www.randomleaves.com

Table of Contents | Reviews - 1 |

[Report This]

You must login (register) to review.