Things hadn't been going too well lately. It seemed like one thing after another. First he had been stuck on Edorra for three months, then he had been asked to sniff out a mole within the SGC, and had virtually destroyed his friendships with the rest of SG-1 in the process. Now here they were, stuck in a small cage each on some crappy planet. God only knew where Teal'c had got to. He hoped he was alright. Their captors had got it into their heads that they were spies for their enemies and were determined to prove it. Jack sighed. Could things get any worse? Jack looked up as the dark-haired man who appeared to be in charge of the outfit came in. Could that suit he was wearing get any tighter? Two guards behind him were dragging Sam between them. He glanced at Daniel, but his focus was on Sam. They put her back in the cage, and he watched as she ran a hand tiredly through her hair. She didn't look at him, but that was hardly unusual. They weren't exactly on the best of terms at the moment. They had barely spoken a civil word to each other in weeks. It wasn't like he hadn't tried to sort things out with her either. But every time he approached her she found something to do or somewhere else to be. In the end he had become as annoyed with her as she seemed to be with him and had given up, retreating behind his wall of sarcasm. Two could play at that game. But she had barely spoken a word to anyone in hours, and he was a little worried.
"You ok, Carter?" he asked.
"Fine, sir," she replied coolly. She didn't look at him though.
"Silence!" old tight-suit said.
They watched as the guards unlocked Daniel's cage and dragged him outside. Jack glanced over at Sam again, but she was looking studiously straight ahead.
"You sure you're ok, Major?"
"Yes, sir." Again she refused to look at him. Great. He felt like he was hitting his head against a brick wall. He tried again.
"Any ideas on how to get us out of these cages?"
This time she looked at him briefly. But it was more of a glare, and she returned to her observation of the table in front of her.
"No, sir."
"No thoughts at all?" Sam glared at the table.
"No, sir."
"Ya." He made a face at the ceiling and gave up making conversation for the moment. Daniel was returned a few moments later. He gave both of them a warning look as he was put back in his cage.
"You alright Daniel?" Sam asked, concerned. Daniel gave her a 'what do you think' look. Sam sighed.
Great, thought Jack. I get it. She's not talking to me, but Daniel's ok. Figures. He returned has attention to what the leader was saying. Some guy's body had been found. They suspected there was another one of them out there.
Teal'c.
They did their best to deny Teal'c's existence, but things deteriorated rapidly from there. Daniel refused to answer the questions fired at him, so they shot Sam with the zat, and before Jack knew it they had shot him as well. He was just coming round when a commotion broke outside, and the tight suits left to see what was happening. Soon Nyan was running in and they were out of the cages and involved in a fierce gun battle with the locals. They barely made it out alive, and with their new friend Nyan in tow.
Jack sat through the debriefing impatiently. He'd decided he wanted to have a chat with Sam about her attitude towards him lately. She was obviously pissed off with him about something, and he had a feeling it ran a little deeper than just his comments during his time as a 'traitor'. She had even stopped sitting next to him at the briefing table. She now sat as far away from him as possible. It really bugged him, but he couldn't put his finger on why. As soon as the briefing ended he made his way over to her side of the table, but General Hammond called him into his office, and he watched with irritation as Sam left. Later he tried to see her in her lab, but she wasn't there. Her lab assistant said she had left for the day already. He grudgingly accepted that he would have to wait until she came back for their next mission in two days time. Maybe a couple of days downtime would give her a chance to cheer up and get over whatever it was that was eating her.
*****
They assembled at the base of the Gate-ramp, checking their gear. Jack tried to lighten the tense room with a couple of jokes, but he got no reaction whatsoever from any of his team-mates. Even Sam, who always smiled at his jokes, barely glanced at him. He made a face and led the team up the ramp and through the gate.
They stepped out into a bright sunny day. Lush green fields surrounded the gate, with trees in the far distance. It wasn't long until they were chatting with the local people, exchanging information and pleasantries. It turned out that the planet was a copious source of naquada, which they were willing to share with Earth, in exchange for some help with one of the devices the local population had found. They suspected it was an advanced power source, but had failed to work out how to turn it on or make it work. Jack volunteered Sam to help the locals work on one of the devices, while he, Daniel, and Teal'c took part in a local festivity. He completely missed the glare she sent him as the men were lead off by several women to a large hall.
So while Sam worked on the device, the men worked on the local brew. This did not make Sam a happy camper, and even less of one the following morning upon discovering them severely hungover and feeling very sorry for themselves, after she had been up almost all night working.
"So you worked that thing out yet, Carter?" Jack asked when he saw her. He cautiously lifted his sunglasses to peer blearily at her.
Sam worked hard to keep her face neutral. He could be absolutely infuriating! She'd been up all night working while he'd been enjoying himself, and then had the audacity to ask if she'd finished yet! Stay calm, Sam. It won't do you any good to blow your stack at your CO. "No, sir. But they did say I could take one of the devices back with us and work on it there."
"Well, that should keep you happy," Jack replied, wincing at a loud noise. Daniel was the only one who caught the deathly look Sam sent him at that comment. How could he be so insensitive? Couldn't he see how exhausted she was? Jack stood.
"Ok, campers, let's move out. I wanna get back and get something for this lousy headache."
At the debriefing that followed their return, Sam once again took her position as far from Jack as possible. Daniel sat down to the right of her and Teal'c on her left, as though trying to give her some moral support, while Jack sat alone in his usual chair. She was exhausted and couldn't wait to get to her quarters to sleep - and out of her CO's irritating presence.
Hammond came in from his office, and took his seat. "So how'd it go people?"
"Real good, sir," Jack replied. "They have a great source of naquada which they're actually willing to share. And they also know how to throw one hell of a party."
This time he did catch Sam's glare, and he raised an eyebrow in query.
"Is something wrong, Major?" Hammond asked, aware of the tension within the group.
"No, sir," she quickly replied. She looked down at the pencil she was absently playing with. Hammond's attention returned to Jack.
Jack turned his head back from Sam to Hammond. "Uh, they also said we could borrow some device they found," he said, a little discomforted at her reaction. "They couldn't figure it out, but they said that if Carter can, we could have ourselves a permanent supply of naquada." He shot another slightly worried glance at his 2IC.
"Is that so, Major Carter?"
"Yes, sir."
"Carter said she would get on to it straight away, sir," Jack volunteered. The sound of Sam's pencil snapping filled the briefing room. They all looked at her. She put the two pieces carefully down on the table in front of her.
"I'll get straight on it, sir," Carter agreed, doing her best not to let her irritation show.
"Good. I look forward to reading your reports, SG1. Dismissed."
- Sam was still sitting in her lab staring at the device. She had poked and prodded it, run all the diagnostic tests she could think of, and she was no closer to figuring out what it was, how it worked, or even how to open it. She sighed and ran a hand frustratedly through her hair. She would much rather be in bed right then. She heard a soft tapping on her door, and looked up to see Janet coming in.
"I thought you would have given up and gone to bed by now," Janet observed.
"Oh, I'd love to, but Colonel O'Neill wants this ASAP," she replied, unable to keep the anger out of her voice.
"You know, sometimes I would love to..." Janet started, making throttling motions with her hands.
Sam gave a half smile. "Yeah, you and me both. But he's my superior officer, so what can I do?"
"Tell him to go and do something painful?" suggested a voice from the doorway. Daniel came in and pulled up a stool beside the two women. "You need to get some sleep, Sam. Another all-nighter won't help you solve this."
"I agree," Janet said. "Take a break and work on it tomorrow. It can wait. And so can he."
Sam shook her head. "No, I'd really better finish it. You know how he gets when something's not done when he thinks it should be. I really haven't the energy to face that."
"Sam, you haven't the energy to work on it now," Daniel started, "I know you were up all last night on that thing, and you've been working all day on it. Go. To. Bed."
"I will. Just another couple of hours should do it, I think," Sam insisted.
Daniel looked doubtful, as did Janet, but the sound of familiar footsteps approaching silenced them. A moment later Jack entered Sam's lab, and glanced quickly at its occupants.
"Hey," he greeted them, before turning to Sam. "You gonna have that thing ready by the briefing tomorrow morning?"
"Uh, I hope so, sir."
"I hope so, too. Goodnight all." And with that he turned and left again, not waiting for them to say anything. Janet put her hands out as though she would love to choke him.
"Why on earth do you put up with that Sam?" Daniel asked.
Janet and Sam replied at the same time, "He's the commanding officer."
Daniel shook his head in disgust, and stood to leave. "Don't stay up too late, Sam, ok?"
"I won't, I promise." She gave both of her friends a smile. "Goodnight guys."
****
Sam woke with a start. She lifted her head and glanced at the clock on the wall behind her. Oh, god, it was almost 0915, and the briefing had been due to start at 0900. She quickly stood up from her lab bench, grabbing her notes together, and running down the hallway. Of all the days to fall asleep in her lab! She reached the elevator and punched the down button impatiently. She flicked a quick look at the stairwell, wondering whether it would be quicker. The doors opened before her and she stepped in and hit the button for Level 27. She put her notes down and ran a hand through her tousled hair, noting with dissatisfaction her reflection in the metal doors. She straightened her fatigues and picked up her notes just as the doors opened. She jogged down the corridor and into the control room and up the stairs to the briefing room.
They were all sitting there waiting for her arrival. Great.
"Nice of you to join us, Major," Jack said sarcastically, tapping his pen on his notepad and glancing at his watch.
"Sorry, sir. I was held up."
"Oh well, in that case," he sneered. He watched as she obviously avoided taking her usual seat next to him, opting instead to sit on the opposite side of the table. This did not go unnoticed by the rest of those present. Jack glowered at his notepad.
"Well, Major, do you have anything to report? Any progress with the device?" Hammond asked.
"No, sir, I'm afraid not. It's taking longer than I thought."
Jack rolled his eyes and gave an obvious sigh.
"It might go a little better if you actually took a full night's sleep," Daniel said, looking pointedly at Jack. He looked back at Daniel innocently, as though to say 'what?'
"Are you working through the night again, Major?" Hammond asked. Sam caught a look from Jack.
"I'm fine, sir. Really."
"If you say so, Major. Just remember that we can't afford to have you collapse from exhaustion again. You take breaks when you need them, you understand?"
"Again?" Jack asked, confused. When had that happened?
"With your permission sir, I'd like to get back to work," Sam said, standing.
"Of course, Major. Dismissed." Sam nodded and gratefully left the room.
"Again?" Jack repeated, but they ignored him, leaving him sitting in the briefing room alone.
****
"Damn it!! Why won't you work!" Sam exclaimed, launching her pen across the room, just missing Daniel as he came in.
"Whoa. Not...going... quite as planned, huh?"
"Oh, I'm sorry, Daniel."
He bent and retrieved her pen. "I brought you a cup of coffee," he offered, lifting the cup up. "Peace?"
She gave a weak smile, and gratefully took the coffee he offered. "Thanks. I could really do with that." She took a relieved sip, and a look of bliss crossed her tired face.
"Better?"
"Oh, much."
"You fell asleep this morning, didn't you?"
Sam gave him a slightly guilty look. "Yeah."
"Sam, when will you learn? I could talk to him if you want."
"No! Really, Daniel, it's not worth it. Just another couple of days, and we have some stand down. I'll rest then. Really."
Daniel looked at her disbelievingly. "Unless Jack finds something else for you to look at. I can't understand why you put up with it Sam."
She shook her head. "It's my job, Daniel. The Air Force is all about putting up with jerks for CO's."
"Sure. I'll be back in an hour and we're going to eat something. Is that clear?" Daniel said in a rare show of forcefulness.
"Yes, sir!" she laughed, saluting him. He turned to go, and she returned her attention to the device before her. She picked up a small screwdriver, and prodded it. A bolt of blue light shot straight out and up the screwdriver, throwing Sam backwards across the room. She connected with the wall with a sickening thud, and fell crumpled to the floor. Daniel spun round at the sound, and at the sight of Sam's prone form, he launched himself at the phone to call the infirmary. Then he ran over to Sam, checking her pulse and her breathing. They were there, but only just.
"Sam? Sam can you hear me?" She did not respond.
Janet ran out of the infirmary with two of her staff and a gurney right behind her. She flew past Jack in the hallway, almost pushing him out of the way in her haste.
"Whoa!" he exclaimed, pressing himself against the wall. "What happened?"
"We got a call from one of the labs," Janet cried back to him. "Sam's been injured."
Jack stood there for a couple of moments the shock evident on his face. Then he ran after Janet. Nothing could have possibly happened to Sam. She was indestructible.
In the lab, Daniel was still trying to get a response from Sam, but to no avail. He looked up with obvious relief as Janet ran in.
"What happened?" she asked as she quickly assessed Sam's vital signs.
"I'm not sure," Daniel said. "I was just leaving. There was this sound, kind of like an explosion and I heard her get thrown against the wall. She's been out cold ever since. I think it was that device she's been working on." He looked up as Jack came in the room, and it was obvious that Jack had heard Daniel's last sentence, as he looked suspiciously over at the device still sitting innocently on the bench top.
"Bring that gurney over here!" Janet ordered. "I want to get her to the infirmary ASAP."
Janet's staff maneuvered themselves and the gurney so they could get Sam onto it as quickly and as comfortably as possible.
Jack wandered over to the bench to look at the device. "That thing did that to her?" he asked to no one in particular. Behind him, Sam was being wheeled hurriedly out.
"Yeah, well, maybe it wouldn't have happened if she'd actually been able to get some sleep the last few days," Daniel snapped as he followed Janet out. Jack stared after him blankly.
Jack came down to the infirmary a couple of hours later to check on Sam. He knew he'd acted like a complete asshole the last couple of days, but he couldn't seem to help himself. Every time Sam came in the room he lashed out at her. Truth to tell, he was feeling a little guilty.
He found Sam lying in bed, staring at the ceiling. For the first time he really noticed how worn out she looked.
"Hey, Carter. How ya feeling?"
She gave him a cursory glance, and returned her attention to the ceiling.
"I've been better."
Jack nodded. "I can see that." He winced as she rolled over and put her back to him.
"I'm feeling rather tired, sir. If you don't mind..."
"Uh... sure. I'll come by and see you later, ok?" He was more than a little disappointed when she didn't reply. He made a pained face and took the hint. He left quietly.
****
Jack wandered into the infirmary the next morning to see how Sam was doing. He saw Janet appear from behind the curtains around Sam's bed.
"Hey, Doc. How's she doing?"
"Alright, all things considered." She looked at Jack with barely concealed irritation.
"Which things?" Jack was determined to get to the bottom of this now.
Janet stopped and looked carefully at Jack, and saw that for once all traces of nonchalance and sarcasm were absent. He appeared to be sincerely worried. She sighed. "Colonel, she's worn out. She needs some rest."
He nodded absorbing this information, and glancing towards Sam's bed. "When do you think she'll be up and about again?" he asked softly, the worry still evident on his face, if not in his voice.
Janet shrugged. "When I think she's ready, and not before," she replied sternly. Then she lowered her voice and whispered, "She'll be fine, Colonel. Really. Just give her a couple of days of good rest, ok?"
He gave Janet a small smile. "Thanks, Doc," he whispered back. "Can I see her?"
Janet nodded. "Sure. Just don't stay too long. Let her rest."
He nodded and made his way to the curtain.
Unbeknownst to Jack, however, Sam had heard the entire exchange, but unable to see his face she had not taken it as sympathetically as Janet had done. She was furious. She was lying in the infirmary, and he was still asking when she would be able to return to work! Sam truly hated Jack in that moment.
Jack pulled the curtain aside in time to see Sam roll over, facing away from him once more.
"Ya know, it's difficult to have a conversation with someone who has their back to you," he observed. Sam did not reply. He pulled up a chair, and sat down, letting out a long slow breath.
"Carter, I think we need to talk."
She remained unresponsive, and he reached out to gently touch her shoulder. "Sam..." She flinched away.
"There's nothing to talk about, *Colonel*," she replied coldly.
Jack shook his head. "No, Sam, I think you're wrong. There's a problem here, and I'd like to see it fixed. I'm not going anywhere until you listen."
She rolled back over then to look at him. "And it's always about what you want, isn't it, Colonel?" she snapped loudly. Jack opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted by Janet's swift entrance.
"Colonel, I think it would be best if you leave now," she said diplomatically. "For both your sakes."
"Doc..." Jack started.
"Colonel," Janet replied, the warning evident in her voice. Jack sighed and left.
Janet watched him go and then turned her attention to Sam, gently pulling the covers up over her shoulders. She noted the tears brimming in Sam's eyes.
"You know, he is worried about you," Janet said in a quiet voice.
"Yeah, I'm sure he is. No one else has a clue how to get that damn device to work," Sam said bitterly. She had every right to be mad with him. But why did she still feel terrible for pushing him away?
"Sam..."
Sam deliberately closed her eyes. She didn't want to hear.
"He wouldn't have come if he wasn't worried about you."
"You've changed your tune," Sam snapped.
Janet looked offended, and a little annoyed. Jack had made an obvious effort to make amends, and Sam was now the one being pig-headed. Why was she doing this to herself? It was obvious to anyone who knew her how much she cared for Jack. "Who are you trying to punish here, Sam? Him? Or you?"
Sam opened her eyes to stare at Janet accusingly.
Janet raised an eyebrow. "Think about it," she suggested.
And with that thought Janet left, closing the curtain behind her sharply.
A few days later Sam was out of the infirmary and back in her lab working on the device once more. She still hadn't got any further than she had before it zapped her, but she was more determined than ever now to get it to work. Yet instead of making progress, she was simply becoming more and more frustrated, and not only with the device. Janet's question about who she was trying to punish bothered her more than she cared to admit, and she was desperately trying to avoid analyzing why.
But deep down she knew. She was furious with herself for caring about the Colonel; for letting herself fall for her CO. Stupid, Sam, really stupid! Another of Janet's comments drifted through her mind - this one from when Jack had been stranded on Edora.
'You miss him, don't you?'
"Yeah.'
'Is this a problem?'
'No, no not at all.'
Of course it damn well was a problem! Look at where it had got her! He obviously didn't give a damn about her, and that was tearing her up inside. Not that it would ever be possible even if he did care about her, regulations forbade it.
Damn it. She should have transferred as soon as she realized she had inappropriate feelings for her CO. Then she wouldn't be in this stupid mess.
"Hey, Carter," Jack called from the doorway. "How's it going?"
"It'll be done as soon as possible, sir," she snapped. "It'd be done a lot sooner if you'd stop bugging me," she muttered under her breath.
"Excuse me, Major?"
"Nothing, sir," she snapped.
"For cryin' out loud, Carter! *What* is your problem?" Jack's temper was quickly reaching breaking point. He'd tried several times over the last few days to talk to her, but she constantly blew him off. He was thoroughly sick of it.
"You *really* wanna know what my problem is, sir?" she asked, her voice rising.
"If I didn't wanna know, I wouldn't have bothered to ask!" Jack almost shouted.
"*You*! You are the problem, *Colonel*!" she said, throwing her pen on the bench and standing up.
"Excuse me, *Major*?" he asked warningly. "I come in here and *politely* ask how it's going..."
That did it. Sam had barely been holding her temper in check the last few weeks, and now she finally lost it. "*Politely*? If that's you being polite, I'd hate to see you being rude! You *never* politely ask me to do anything, you *never* say please, and I have *never* once heard you say thank you! To anyone!" She advanced on him, pointing her finger accusingly at his chest. "And you wanna know why General Hammond was worried that I'd collapse *again*? It was because I spent *three* months working night and day to get your ungrateful ass back here from Edorra. I worked myself half to death for you, and you couldn't have cared less. In fact, you didn't want to come back at all!"
Jack reached out and took her by the shoulders, giving her a small shake. "Look, Carter, I..."
She fought against his hold and pulled away from him. "I'm not finished! And as for your behavior after that, you just expected me to forgive and forget didn't you? *Daniel* got an apology, but what did *I* get?"
"Carter! I've explained all of that!" Jack was equally angry now; they were both shouting.
"Yeah, you explained, but you never apologized! Do you think that just because I'm under your command I'll just sit at your feet and accept it when you treat me like dirt?"
"I do *not* treat you like dirt! And if you can't stomach taking orders, *Major*, then I suggest you..."
"And you always expect me to come up with answers to everything!" she interrupted again. "If there's a problem, it's 'oh, Carter will fix it'! 'Carter will know the answer', 'Carter will stay up all night, *again* and get it solved'! Well, how about *you* try it for once, sir?" She reached out and grabbed the device she'd been working on, and shoved it at him. "*You* figure out how this damn thing works!"
"Carter!" Jack yelled as she pushed past him. He shifted the device in his hands as he turned around, moving to put it back on the bench so he could follow her. All of a sudden the device emitted a loud, high-pitched humming noise, and several parts of it opened up to reveal the iridescent blue interior. Jack stared at it before meeting Sam's eyes. Inwardly he groaned. This was just what she had been trying to get it to do, he knew. She looked at him, back down at the device and turned and left, slamming the door behind her. It took a huge measure of resolve for Jack not to throw the troublesome device against the wall.
****
They studiously avoided each other over the next few days, while their tempers cooled. Then Bra'tac appeared unexpectedly with his wounded apprentice through the Stargate, saying that Apophis had attacked Chu'lak in an attempt to find the Harcesis child. It was quickly decided that they would journey to Keb in the hope of reaching the child before Apophis and his army.
Their mission was fraught with tension. Jack was grumpy and impatient, Sam was unusually quiet, and only spoke when directly spoken to. Daniel and Teal'c were subdued not only in reaction to the mission, but also to the problems they knew their friends were having. The uncomfortable atmosphere was apparent even to Bra'tac. He was about to ask Teal'c about it when they spotted the footprints. It was quickly decided to follow them, and they headed deeper into the forest.
Sam was trying to think of some way to breach the growing gap between herself and her CO. She'd fully expected to be formally reprimanded , and was very surprised when nothing happened. She walked carefully through the forest, behind Daniel for once rather than the Colonel. Daniel seemed to be doing his best to keep them apart, obviously worried they'd go for each other again. Well, that wouldn't happen. They were both far to well-trained and professional to let their personal differences come between them on a mission.
Well, for the most part anyway.
Sam watched as Daniel seemed to find something in the bushes in front of him. He carefully parted the ferns, only to have something leap out of them at him. Sam immediately raised her weapon at the bushes as Daniel fell back in surprise. But the large black object merely squawked and flew away.
"Carter?" the Colonel yelled, his voice obviously worried.
"It's alright, sir. It's just a bird," Sam called back, with a trace of her old humour lacing her voice.
That was when they discovered the bodies of the Jaffa and the priestess, and they pressed on. Eventually they came to a small building, built in a style very reminiscent of a Buddhist temple. Hesitantly they made their way inside, where Daniel immediately started to pull of his gear.
"Daniel?" Jack asked in that sarcastic slow drawl of his.
"Jack?" Daniel replied, mimicking Jack.
"Whatcha doin'?" Jack continued in that same tone of voice.
"Well, something about this place says we all shouldn't rush in there waving guns around," Daniel replied carefully, as though explaining his thoughts to a child.
"He is right; this is sacred ground."
"Ah-yeh..." Jack muttered at Bra'tac's agreement with Daniel
Sam stepped forward to help Jack out of his gear as well, reaching for the clip on his right shoulder and undoing it just as he was reaching for it himself. He glared at her, as though disgusted with her for touching him. She glared back. Fine. She wouldn't bother again. She firmly squashed the hurt feeling way down inside her. Jack gave his orders and followed Daniel inside, leaving Teal'c and Sam on watch.
They waited for hours. Jack eventually came back out again and sat on the steps. He barely glanced at Sam as he explained the situation, clearly disgusted with the whole thing. They waited some more, until Jack finally had had enough and headed back inside for Daniel.
They found themselves once more in the briefing room, explaining what had happened to the General. Once again, Sam had taken position on the opposite side of the table. Jack sat glowering at his notepad. Everyone in the room was aware of the tension between SG-1's two officers, including General Hammond, and he called them both into his office after the others had been dismissed. It was obviously time to call a halt to whatever it was that was causing so much antagonism between the pair. They followed him in and stood stiffly at attention beside each other as the General took his seat. He looked slowly from one to the other.
"I don't know what is going on between the two of you, and quite frankly I don't care. But whatever it is, it's beginning to affect the workings of not only SG1, but also the rest of this base. I am fully aware of the shouting match the two of you had a few days ago, and I am *not* impressed. I am ordering you to sort this out before I'm forced to take action. Is that clear? Colonel O'Neill?"
"Yes, sir," Jack ground out.
"Major Carter?"
"Yes, sir!" she said staring at wall behind the General.
"Good. Dismissed."
****
"Carter?" Jack began as they left the control room.
"Sir, I have to check on the lab," she said, still refusing to listen to him. She wasn't ready to go into any explanations of her actions right now. She quickly left him standing in the hallway, exasperated.
****
They stepped through the Gate on yet another mission - but this one had the appearance of being relatively peaceful. The MALP had picked up no sources of technology or civilization, so it was basically a recon mission. Jack privately wondered whether Hammond had deliberately scheduled it that way - what with his order for him and Carter to sort out their problems. He knew that Daniel and Teal'c were giving them sideways looks, wondering when the next explosion was going to occur. Jack was determined that wasn't going to happen. Events had conspired against them over the last two days, and they had been unable to sit down and talk. Well, unable on his part anyway. Jack had been called in to give a detailed briefing to several high-ranking officials, and Sam had been tied up in the labs working on some major experiment. Or so she said - and that had been relayed through Daniel, of course. She still hadn't spoken to him directly. He knew they had to sort this out, not only for the sake of their friendship, but also for the sake of the team.
Taking a look around he decided there was very little threat. For once they were in a wide-open space -the Gate was placed in the middle of a huge grassland, almost prairie-like. He caught Daniel's eye and indicated with a sharp movement of his head that he and Teal'c should go in the opposite direction from Jack and Sam. She wasn't looking; instead she was fishing around in her pockets for sample vials. Daniel nodded, and he and Teal'c headed off to the west. Jack watched as Sam bent down and took some soil samples. Now was the best time, he decided. There were no distractions out here; no one could barge in or overhear what they said. He knelt down next to her and gently took the vials from her grasp.
Sam was tense. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Jack motion to Daniel and Teal'c to go in the other direction. She'd been dreading this. She nervously busied herself with vials for soil samples, trying to prolong the inevitable. She was surprised when he knelt next to her and took the vials from her hands.
"Sam..." he started. She was a little taken back at his use of her name rather than her rank. Finally she looked up. He appeared slightly nervous. She nodded, and sat down. He did the same.
"You wanna start, or shall I?"
"Maybe you should, sir."
Jack nodded, and tried to come up with the most appropriate words. Apologies weren't exactly his strong suit after all. "I'd like to apologise. I know I've been a complete jerk these last few weeks and I'm sorry." Finally he worked up enough courage to look at her. She was staring at him wide-eyed. What? He bristled, did she think he was incapable of making an apology?
"Apology accepted, sir," she replied.
"What? Just like that?" he asked.
"Sir?"
"You don't want an explanation?"
"Sir, you're my CO, you don't need to apologise to me."
"Dammit, Sam! I'm not apologizing just as your CO here. I'm apologizing to a friend." Could she not for one minute forget their working relationship? Alright, he had been an asshole, but he had thought that before all this started they had a good friendship. Had he been wrong? Had his actions completely destroyed that? "We are still friends, right?" God, that was one of the most difficult questions he'd ever had to ask. Please say yes, Sam!
Sam sighed, and drew her knees up to her chest. "I'd like to think so..."
"But?" Jack's heart was in his mouth.
She looked at him then. "You need to accept my apology too. We were both stupid."
"You had more reason to be..."
"Don't interrupt, sir," Sam ordered, smiling at his surprised expression. "You need to treat me more as a friend, too, if that's what you want me to be. I know we have to keep up the chain of command, but even on downtime you're giving me orders."
"You always follow them," he pointed out.
"That's because I can never tell whether it's my CO giving me orders or my friend trying to push me around."
"What do you expect when you always call me 'sir' or 'Colonel'? I do have a name you know. You could try using it."
Sam smiled again. "Is that an order, sir?"
Jack smiled too. "If it has to be."
Sam gave him one of her 100-watt smiles then. He'd really missed those. Then he sighed again, and she sobered.
"Thank you for getting me back from Edora, Sam. Contrary to popular opinion, I am glad to be back."
"You didn't seem to be," Sam said softly. "In fact you seemed angry. Especially at me."
"And after you spent all that time working on that thing too. Yeah, I know. But I'd barely got back when Hammond landed that whole Black Ops thing on me. Look, about what I said in the corridor that time? About not being the same since I met you?" Sam stared at the ground and nodded. "It was true. I haven't been."
She looked up at him then, finally catching the meaning he'd originally intended with that comment. She blushed.
"And if I ever ask you to work on something and you're too tired to do it, say so, okay? I don't need my second in command collapsing from exhaustion. Just tell me I'm being unreasonable and I'll shut up."
"Sure you will, sir," she replied in disbelief, but her voice was teasing. "There are very few things in the world besides a zat that would shut you up."
He gave her a mock glare. "Watch it, Major." She grinned, and then it was her turn to sober.
"I meant what I said in the lab that day though, sir, although I shouldn't have said it like that. You lay too much reliance on my abilities. I'm not this complete genius you seem to think I am. I can't solve everything."
"I don't expect you to! Is that what you think?" He winced as she nodded. "It's just that that brain of yours has got us out of so many bad situations, I guess I've come to expect it. And you never disappoint me."
Sam couldn't tell him that it was that fear of disappointing him that drove her to making the impossible happen. "But what if one day I can't come up with the answer?"
"Then we'll worry about it then. Don't go borrowing trouble, Carter. Come on, we'd better find the other two before Daniel gets himself in trouble." He stood up and turned to help her up as well. She looked up at him and held out her hands.
"What possible trouble could he get himself in out here?" she asked as he pulled her upright. The weight of her backpack over balanced her slightly and she fell forward against Jack.
"You know Daniel, he'll find something," Jack replied as he steadied her. She looked up at him, his hands resting lightly on her shoulders, hers on his chest. Sam felt her stomach drop as it always did when he touched her. She couldn't move away if she tried. She felt his hands tighten, and almost expected him to draw her closer for a moment, before he relaxed his grasp and moved away. She sighed inwardly. She had to get rid of these schoolgirl fantasies. As if Colonel Jack O'Neill would ever look at her that way!
Jack pushed Sam away, desperately trying to regain his composure. Get a grip, Jack! She'd your 2IC. Remember the regulations!
"Ok, let's go rescue Danny," he said, leading off in the way the other two members of the team had gone. They found them not too far away sitting and talking. As Sam and Jack approached, they looked up apprehensively.
"Uh...hi," Daniel greeted them, looking from one to the other. Well, they were both still alive, and neither looked hurt... "Everything ok?"
"Yes, Daniel, everything's fine. We haven't killed each other."
"Sam?" Daniel asked, obviously wanting her reassurance.
"Yes, Daniel, everything's alright now."
"So did you two find anything interesting, or did you just sit here and talk?" Jack asked. Daniel gave Jack a dirty look.
"There's nothing here to find, Jack. And if there is, it's buried god knows how many meters underneath this grassland," he complained, gesturing to their surroundings.
Jack nodded. "Home then?" The others quickly agreed, and they headed back to the Gate.
****
A few weeks later SG-1 plus Janet and Cassandra were gathered at Jack's place. Since Sam and Jack had resolved their differences, they group had been spending more of their downtime together again, like they had done before Jack had been stranded on Edora. Sam and Jack's relationship had returned to what it had been previously - flirting, joking, more flirting, and a bit of bickering thrown in for good measure.
On this particular occasion, Cassandra was curled up on the couch with her head on Janet's lap, completely oblivious to the people around her. Janet absently stroked her daughter's hair as she followed the conversation of her friends at her feet. Sam was curled up in front of the fire, hogging its warmth, and the rest of her team were spread around her - Daniel to her right, Teal'c to her left, and Jack in front of her. Janet watched amused as neither Jack nor Sam could keep their eyes off each other, though they desperately tried to hide it. Janet shared a glance with Daniel and grinned. Daniel rolled his eyes.
Sam finally caught Jack staring at her. She raised an eyebrow at him.
"It's good to have you back, Carter," he said raising his beer bottle at her. She looked surprised. That had been the last thing she'd expected him to say. She looked at him, confused. He shrugged, discomforted.
"Nevermind. Anyone else for another beer?" he asked, getting up. They all said no, and he headed into the kitchen for another for himself. Sam stared after him, perplexed. What had just happened? She sat up and looked over at Janet for a possible explanation. Janet shrugged and nodded her head after Jack, and mouthed 'go!' Sam frowned and followed after him.
Jack was closing the fridge and opening his beer as she came in. He looked up as she came in and took a healthy swig. He felt he needed it to get through the coming conversation. What on earth had possessed him to say that?
"What did you mean by that, sir?" she asked.
"Jack," he replied. Was it so very difficult for her to call him by his name?
"Jack," she agreed. She watched nervously as he took another swig of beer and turned away from her slightly to lean against the bench.
"I just meant it was nice to have you back here with us. You stopped coming for a while."
"I think we all did, s...Jack," she corrected herself. She watched Jack nod. What was going on here? She unconsciously moved closer, coming to stand next to him. He looked down at her.
"Yeah," he admitted. Oh, what the hell, he thought. They were friends, right? "I also meant it's nice to have the old Carter back. The one who laughs at my sick jokes, who tries to explain things to me... You know," he finished nervously, fiddling with the label on the beer bottle. Why was he acting like a nervous teenager all of a sudden?
"Well, your jokes have improved over the last couple of weeks," she admitted with a smile. He glanced at her and chuckled, taking another swig. He moved to go back into the living room and Sam moved to let him go pass, but moved in the same direction as he did. They did a small dance around each other as Sam tried to let him pass but kept getting in his way. She stopped and laughed, looking up at him. He smiled down at her. Their gaze locked and held, and Sam raised her hand to Jack's chest as he lowered his head. Their noses brushed gently as they drew closer. Sam felt Jack's breath on her cheek and she closed her eyes. Their lips touched and parted, once, twice, three times. Then Jack slipped his arms around her waist drawing her close as he pressed his lips firmly on hers. Sam's last coherent thought was 'finally', as she pressed herself against him, enjoying the feel of his tongue running across her lips. She opened her mouth with a sigh. They kissed slowly, neither wanting to break the spell, or push too far too soon. Their tongues explored and caressed, each trying to memorise the feel of the other. Their hands slowly wandered, exploring each other's body as their tongues explored their mouths, finding all those places that made each other gasp. Eventually the kiss slowed and their lips parted, only to meet lightly and swiftly, once, twice, three times. Jack let out a breath and straightened, giving Sam a small smile.
"Uh...Jack? Janet and Cass are off now," came a voice from the living room, and they sprang apart.
"Ah, ya, Daniel, be right there!" Jack called. Looking back down at Sam he smiled again, but this time a little sadly.
"We shouldn't have done that," Sam said for him.
He sighed. "No... Look Sam, I..."
She shook her head. "I understand. We'd better..." She motioned to the other room.
He nodded. "Yeah." He hesitated. "Sam?"
"Yeah?"
"We're ok, though, right?"
Sam nodded. "Of course."
Jack grinned, feeling better than he had in many weeks, and led the way back into the living room.
end
Story Notes: Email: amariedixon@yahoo.com, kiwilass@btinternet.com
Category: Sam and Jack friendship/romance
Warnings: Major spoilers for the end of season 3 - see below.
Spoilers: Everything from the episodes 100 Days through to Crystal Skull
Season: 3
Archive: SJadult, Heliopolis, Sam and Jack Relationship Archive, anywhere else, please ask.
Status: Complete
Feedback: Is always welcome.
Notes: Annie and I wrote this a loooong while back, and since I had nothing better to do lately, I've finished it off. Basically, we were wondering why Sam went from being very cool towards Jack when he got back from Edorra, [see New Ground, Shades of Grey, and Maternal Instinct. She was *so* not impressed with him] to being all smiles again in Crystal Skull. Well, anyway, we got to thinking, then writing, and here we are :) Hope you all like it. It's just an extra 'behind the scenes' thing really.
Sorry, but there is no sex anywhere in this fic. ;-)
Category: Sam and Jack friendship/romance
Warnings: Major spoilers for the end of season 3 - see below.
Spoilers: Everything from the episodes 100 Days through to Crystal Skull
Season: 3
Archive: SJadult, Heliopolis, Sam and Jack Relationship Archive, anywhere else, please ask.
Status: Complete
Feedback: Is always welcome.
Notes: Annie and I wrote this a loooong while back, and since I had nothing better to do lately, I've finished it off. Basically, we were wondering why Sam went from being very cool towards Jack when he got back from Edorra, [see New Ground, Shades of Grey, and Maternal Instinct. She was *so* not impressed with him] to being all smiles again in Crystal Skull. Well, anyway, we got to thinking, then writing, and here we are :) Hope you all like it. It's just an extra 'behind the scenes' thing really.
Sorry, but there is no sex anywhere in this fic. ;-)
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 ]