"I was traded for a gun *only*!? And a *hand* gun at that!?" Sam Carter exclaimed questioningly. The debriefing was over and her three co-workers were attempting to calm her.
"Doctor, really, it's not that bad. That gun was more valuable than gold to them," Daniel Jackson replied.
"That's nice for them," she countered, very obviously not caring. She got up from her seat in the briefing room. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm feeling the need for a nice, long shower."
"Carter, c'mon, it could have been worse. It could have been P3X595." Jack O'Neill's words stopped Sam cold. Her expression went from hurt to a look of cold steel.
"That was *never* to be discussed," she responded, her voice matching her expression. The three men were taken aback. They weren't used to Sam reacting in such a manner.
Without another word from anyone, Sam left the briefing room and headed for the showers.
"Jack, what *did* happen after Teal'c and I left?" Daniel queried, finding it safe to speak again. O'Neill broke out of his self-induced reverie and looked at the archaeologist.
"I, uh... I gotta go," he answered, getting up and quickly exiting the room.
"There is something very odd occurring with O'Neill and Carter," Teal'c commented.
"You noticed that too, eh?"
***
"Carter! Carter, wait up!" Jack was attempting to catch up with the fuming captain, but she wasn't slowing for anyone. He finally caught up with her, but she ignored his presence. He had obviously pissed her off a lot. And now he had to try and fix it.
"Sam, please, can we talk?" The use of her first name seemed to give her pause, and she finally slowed to a stop, facing him.
"We agreed that..."
"No, *you* made *me* agree. I wanted to talk it out then, but you didn't. You wanted to pretend it never happened," Jack interrupted.
"Fine then, let's talk," she replied, crossing her arms defensively in front of her.
"Let's go into my office," Jack suggested, pointing out the direction with an outstretched arm. Sam lead the way down the indicated corridor, then waited for him to open the door, which he did. Once the door was shut and they were both seated, Jack behind his desk and Sam in front, Jack spoke.
"Alright. Why don't I tell you the way I remember things," Jack began.
"As long as I get to challenge any of your 'remembrances'."
"Fair enough." He paused, making sure there was nothing else she wanted to say before he continued. When there wasn't, he spoke again.
"We went through the 'gate to P3X595 with our usual uncertainty of what kind of people, if any, we would find. Ended up that the natives were friendly..."
"Quite friendly with you, if I recall correctly," Sam interjected, a smirk appearing on her face.
"What can I say, I'm a likeable guy," he responded, gaining a raised eyebrow from Sam. He continued.
"So the natives decided they wanted to throw us a party. Not wanting to offend them, we agreed. We enjoyed the food and drink, but you seemed to enjoy the drink more than the rest of us..."
"Whoa there! Who was it who gave me the most of the drinks?" she asked, giving him a pointed look.
"I didn't single you out. They were passing them around to us all. We all had our fair share," he replied, sounding mildly offended.
"Me more than the rest though," she argued, not giving in.
"It's not my fault you can't hold your liquor," he responded, leaving Sam briefly at a loss for words.
"Why don't you just continue," she finally said, sitting back in her seat further.
"Okay. We had all been drinking, all in the name of interstellar relations. You seemed to be becoming a little *too* friendly with some of the natives, so Daniel, Teal'c, and I figured it was a good time for us all to bow out of the celebration. You weren't too happy about it since we were interrupting your explanation of how to play strip poker," Jack attempted not to grin at this, and Sam flushed fiercely, "but we finally coaxed you into going back to your tent. You had passed out on the way, so we carried you to the tent and, we thought, put you to bed. Daniel and Teal'c had left and I was..."
"Wait a minute. Why hadn't you left with Daniel and Teal'c?" Sam questioned suspiciously.
"I... I was just making sure that everything was alright. You had been making noises just before we all left, so I told Daniel and Teal'c to go ahead. When I checked, you were still dozing, so I figured it was okay to leave." Sam still looked suspicious, but didn't say anything. She simply nodded, indicating for him to continue.
"So, just as I'm about to leave, you wake up..."
~ ~ ~
"Where are you going?" Sam asked, her voice disappointed, yet sultry. Jack turned around, looking at the captain. Despite her drunken state, she still seemed somewhat in control of her faculties. And she seemed to fairly eat him up with her gaze.
"I was going to get some sleep, just like you should," he replied, attempting to keep his cool. Sam pulled herself into a sitting position.
"Do you really want to sleep alone? It's much warmer here beside me," she suggested, smiling seductively as she patted the bedding...
~ * ~
"Okay, time out. I *never* said *that*," Sam protested.
"I'm just telling it as I remember it. And I remember you saying that, Carter," he replied, a small smile tugging at his lips, working its way up to his eyes.
"Well, I don't believe it."
"Who was the sober one there?"
"Not by much." Jack seemed to acquiesce slightly on that.
"Fine, but I was more clear-headed than you then, and I'm the one telling the story, so..." he trailed off, seeing if she was going to argue any further. When she didn't, he proceeded.
"So, you had just 'invited' me to stay..."
~ ~ ~
Jack couldn't help a smile. He looked down at his feet, keeping his hands in his pockets as he answered.
"Thanks for the offer, but I'll stick with the cold." He looked up, and saw a flicker of disappointment on her face, but she quickly hid it with a smile.
"Your loss, I'm sure there are others who will happily take your place," she commented, getting up from her bed. Jack stopped her from leaving before she got very far. He blocked her way, almost dancing with her as she attempted to get around him. Sam began to giggle. Jack sighed.
"Carter, I don't want you to get hurt. Please get back to bed and sleep it off. You'll only regret anything you might do if you leave this tent." Sam arched an eyebrow.
"Jealous?"
"*Carter*..." he trailed off, his tone warning.
"Spoilsport," she replied, a pout turning down her mouth. She turned back to the bed, much to O'Neill's relief. Jack went to leave again, but just as he was at the tent opening, Sam made a break for the opening, giggling as she brushed past
him. He reached out and just grasped her by the fatigue sleeve. Jack tried to get a better hold of her, but she fought him, laughing the whole time as if it was all a game. Finally he was able to take hold of both her arms.
"Did you not understand me, captain?" Sam stopped laughing, looking now like a chastised child.
"I'm sorry," she replied, her voice quiet. Jack felt a twinge of guilt, but he knew he had to be firm with her.
"C'mon, let's get you to bed." She smiled shyly at Jack, but said nothing, allowing him to lead her back into the tent. She seemed to tire slightly as they reached the bed, leaning on him. He supported her easily, but then suddenly found himself falling forward as Sam pulled him into the bed with her.
"Oops!" she pronounced, feigning innocence...
~ * ~
"I was not 'feigning innocence'. I lost my balance and tried to regain it by holding onto you. The fact that you couldn't keep us both upright..."
"Alright, alright. I'll allow you that. It being an accident.."
"And it was."
"... is possible," Jack finished. "May I continue?"
"Please do." Jack shook his head at Sam's rather righteous expression.
"So we fell onto the bed..."
~ ~ ~
Jack lay on top of Sam, exasperated at what seemed to be her latest ploy to convince him to stay. He attempted to be upset with her, but he was then more concerned with trying to stop her from undressing him, which she was in the process of doing.
"Carter, will you... could you not..." Jack interjected as he fought off her questing hands. He was able to finally get a hold of her hands, keeping them against the bed. "Dammit, Carter! Why won't you listen!?" he questioned, breathing hard from fighting her off.
"Why should I?" she asked defiantly.
"Because, it's for your own good."
"Maybe I'm tired of being good," Sam threw out, surprising the colonel.
"Sam," he said softly, "you're not thinking clearly, you're drunk..."
"I've never thought more clearly," she interrupted, actually sounding sober. Jack gazed at her. She was holding up the defiant expression well, but he could see it slowly cracking as he watched her.
"Sam, I..." The captain looked away from him, attempting to hide her face.
"Could you just go? I promise I won't leave the tent," she requested, her voice beginning to crack with emotion. She bit her lower lip, seeming to hope the tears would be held off by doing this. Despite her attempts, a lonely tear made its way down her cheek.
Jack reached up, releasing her left hand as he brushed at the dampness now apparent on her face.
"Sam, it's okay," he stated. She shook her head violently, then pulled herself from underneath him, curling up.
"*Just* *go* *away*," she restated, stressing each word. "I don't need your pity." The last sentence had been so muffled by the pillows that Jack almost didn't catch it all. The colonel hesitated, considering staying anyway, but then he decided it would be better to wait until she was entirely sober. She was a bit too emotional right now.
Pulling himself off the bed, he walked away.
~ * ~
"And that's where it ends," Jack finished, leaning back in his chair. Sam was looking at him as if he was not telling the truth. "What?"
"That's not the end," she stated.
"Well, there was the next morning.."
"No, before that. Just as you left, I remember..."
~ ~ ~
As Jack reached the tent opening, he stopped briefly, turned and said, "It's not pity", then left the tent.
~ * ~
Jack tried not to look at Sam as he answered this 'addition' to the story.
"Uh, yeah, I may have said *something* like that." Sam suddenly felt like she had the upperhand.
"Now why would you say 'something like that'?" she queried, her tone almost joking. Jack got up from his chair and walked around to the front of the desk, leaning against it. He let out a long, drawn out breath before he responded.
"I admit, I respect you, as an officer and even as a scientist..."
"Theoretical astrophysicist," she interjected, feeling like she was coming back to herself.
"Same difference," he responded, flashing her a smile before continuing. "But I do respect you, and I wasn't being nice out of pity." Sam looked at Jack long and hard, trying to figure out if there was anything else he was hiding. There seemed to be nothing else, but she could never be sure with this man. There always seemed to be a 'punchline' somewhere.
[But maybe not this time,] she thought.
"So, does the *majority* of my recollection match yours?" Jack finally asked.
"More or less, except of course for the parts where I was actually unconscious." The two of them grinned at each other, feeling as if things were going back to 'normal'. Jack got up from his perch to open the door, and Sam got up from her seat.
"So, you respect me, eh?" she teased as she stopped in front him at the door.
"Yeah, but I also figured you'd kick my ass if I did allow anything to happen," he tossed out, a mischievous grin appearing near the end of his statement. Sam shook her head, feeling foolish for actually thinking he'd give a 'straight' compliment. She walked out of the office, the colonel seconds behind her.
"So, we've 'cleared the air'?" he asked, now behaving almost like an eager puppy.
"I'd say there has been some clearing. For now." She glanced at him and saw him smiling contentedly.
"I'll try to be more careful then," he joked.
"You do that. Or I just may have to... keep you in line," she shot back, grinning at him. She was definitely feeling much better now.
Jack left her to enter the empty locker room alone, but as she headed back towards the showers, she could have sworn she heard him say, "Promises, promises."
The End
Story Notes: Spoilers: "Emancipation"
This is my 'answer' to the fic challenge I put out on the Sam and Jack list. Anything *following* three tildes (~) and ended as (~ * ~) is a flashback/remembrance. Everything else is meant to be taking place in the present, which is directly after the episode "Emancipation".
This is my 'answer' to the fic challenge I put out on the Sam and Jack list. Anything *following* three tildes (~) and ended as (~ * ~) is a flashback/remembrance. Everything else is meant to be taking place in the present, which is directly after the episode "Emancipation".
DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognisable characters, settings, etc, are the property of their respective owners. Any original characters and plots are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended. ... [ read more ]