Day Two:
"You missed a spot, Teal'c," Jack pointed out, touching his own chin with his index finger, and then using the rest of his fingers to detect any unshaved spots on his own face.
"I did not," Teal'c answered with certainty.
"I can see it! It's right under your bottom lip, right here!" Jack insisted, pointing at the spot on Teal'c's face.
"I am growing a telchek, O'Neill," Teal'c responded with his usual dignity.
"A what?" Jack asked, staring at the big man with a puzzled look.
"A telchek," Teal'c repeated. "It is customary to grow some kind of facial hair by your one-hundredth birthday. I have been remiss in this practice because I am not fond of facial hair. But Master Bra'tac commented on my lack of respect for Jaffa traditions last time we met, when we were searching for Kheb. I believe I will try a small telchek since the growing period will not be obvious to anyone but the three of us."
"Teal'c! I never knew you were so vain! Good for you!" Jack teased, carefully wiping his face after his shave and looking around for his missing team member.
Teal'c refrained from commenting on Jack's last statement and chose to address his commander's sudden restlessness. "She must not be done with her bath, O'Neill. She has only been gone for fifteen minutes. Remember she had to wait for us to finish with the bar of soap."
"Well, that's fifteen minutes too many. Paradise or not, I don't like any of us being without backup on an alien planet. I should have insisted on coming along. I don't want her alone out there." His dark eyes searched the lush vegetation in the direction he knew his 2IC to be.
"She would have refused to bathe again. She values her privacy greatly," Teal'c responded logically. "Your insistence on company while she bathed prevented her from doing so yesterday."
"Well, maybe she shouldn't bathe at all if she's going to be such a stickler for privacy. It's dangerous to be alone for so long in an alien place," Jack answered grumpily, standing up and glancing towards the small lagoon where Major Carter was currently taking care of her toilette.
"We were able to bathe. It would not be fair to prevent Major Carter from doing so." Teal'c did not want a repeat performance of the day before, when Major Carter's temper had flared at her CO's refusal to let her go bathe alone. She had huffily set up camp and refused to talk to either of them for the rest of the evening. Teal'c had agreed with Jack's orders the day before. It had been too close to sunset at the time, and he had not felt it wise to allow the Major to be alone at such an hour. This morning, however, there was plenty of daylight, and he knew that they were within shouting distance.
"Yes, and you watched my six while I bathed, then I watched yours. I don't know why she has to be so shy about us watching hers," he said with a mischievous smirk on his face, knowing there would be nothing he'd rather be doing than watching his second in command's bare derriere.
"I do believe you know the answer to your own question, O'Neill," Teal'c replied, a stern note in his voice.
Jack just smiled wider but continued to pace restlessly, and finished putting away his shaving gear. "I think I'll go make sure she's okay," he grumbled, sounding honestly concerned. "You can stay here and gather the wood for tonight's fire or you can come with me. Your choice!"
"I advise you not to interrupt her, O'Neill. You are courting Major Carter's displeasure again," he quickly responded, but Jack dismissed his reply with a wave of his hand and stomped away purposefully.
"Fine! You stay, then. Like it or not, I told her she could have twenty minutes. It's been twenty-two. We'll be back shortly." Teal'c watched Jack's form disappear into the vegetation surrounding their campsite and raised his eyebrows at his obvious concern. He thought the colonel should be more concerned for Major Carter's response when he invaded her solitude.
Jack approached the little hill that hid from view the beautiful lagoon created by the waterfalls flowing down from the mountains. A gurgling stream fell away from it, making its merry way through lush greenery and emptying the clear, cool water into the nearby beach. "Carter, get decent! I'm coming!" he yelled as he approached the top of the hill. He knew she would be near and probably almost dressed by now.
The sound of the breaking waves and the flowery scent of the breeze distracted him momentarily from his quest, and he stood on the top of the hill watching the shimmering ocean for a moment and taking deep breaths of the warm morning air. It really was a beautiful sight.
Then Jack turned toward the lagoon, and a truly spectacular sight took his breath away. Forget the ocean! Right below him, only fifteen feet away, under a cascade of clear water and framed by flowering bushes and luscious, green trees, stood his long-legged Major. She was stripped down to her black bikini bottoms and an equally black sports bra, rinsing her hair with what Jack thought were slow, seductive strokes of her hands. Her eyes were closed and her face up, enjoying the cool water as if it was God-sent, and he could see that she was smiling in delight.
No wonder she had lost track of time! She looked like she was enjoying the water much more than she enjoyed playing with her doohickeys, if such a thing were possible. Her hands left her hair and slowly came down her neck to her chest, her fingers disappearing inside the bra as she stroked her breasts, rinsing away the last vestiges of soap.
Jack choked, and he looked away, again to peruse the rolling ocean, trying desperately to control the involuntary response of his body at the sight of his semi-naked subordinate. She was gorgeous. No. She was downright delectable! And he felt like a pervert for catching her unawares, touching her body absentmindedly and making his insides quake with need.
But Jack could not help himself. He felt as if a magnet was pulling his body around, and he looked at her again. He stood, frozen in place, and watched, mesmerized. She was standing close by, but she could not hear him from under the roar of the waterfall, and she continued to sensuously stroke her soft curves as she stood there, daydreaming, while Jack swallowed hard and stared at her wet, lean body with famished eyes.
This was just too much! He had valiantly fought his feelings for his 2IC for what seemed like ages, and he had successfully respected the boundaries the military imposed on both of them. He had occasionally bent those boundaries enough to give her an admiring glance or throw at her a flirty remark, which she seemed to enjoy. He had also enjoyed his own private Carter fantasies, sometimes as he watched her hike ahead of him in an alien planet or as he watched her sleep while they camped out at night. But he had never allowed himself the luxury of openly ogling her like this, when she might have an opportunity to catch him doing so. The fatigues she normally wore helped to discourage such behavior, but now those were carelessly discarded on top of a rock, and there was nothing to prevent him from enjoying the view that he normally only took pleasure in while he dreamt of her at night. Teal'c had been right. He should have stayed away!
Jack, in a flash, remembered the past few strained months and what they had done to their currently tense relationship. He remembered Carter's stricken eyes when he had turned away from Laira back in Edora, right after asking his new lover to come back to Earth with him. He had felt like a bastard then, but he had done it out of obligation. He had slept with Laira. After three months of loneliness, of waiting, and of frustration, he had given in to his weakness. He had made love to the alien woman, imagining the whole time that he was making love to the blond, blue-eyed siren that kept teasing him in his dreams.
Laira had made it clear to him that she wanted him whole, body and soul, not just as a sex partner. And when he had finally given in, it had been because he had felt he would be stuck on Edora for years. And he couldn't bear the thought of being alone for so long in an alien place. Then his team had rescued him the next day!
He had done the honorable thing. He had asked Laira to come along and share his life, like she had shared hers with him. He had almost melted with relief at her refusal to leave Edora, and he had felt he had been given a reprieve, until he had met the wounded blue eyes of his Major. He had been at a loss for words and had had no idea how to repair the damage. Trying to do so would have meant addressing an issue that neither had ever acknowledged existed.
Then he had had to desert them and supposedly go back to Edora to retire. His next mission had required secrecy and deceit, and his team had suffered as they had watched him abandon them and everything they thought was important to him. He remembered the pain shining brightly in Carter's eyes as he had walked away from them. He remembered her trembling lips and her stoic, rigid stance as they had bid him goodbye with a final salute. And he had felt his heart break as he had watched her valiantly control her tears.
Those large, clear blue eyes had spoken volumes then. And now, suddenly opening under the clear water, they widened in surprise and shock at finding him watching her with ravenous eyes. Sam gasped and took a step back, seemingly at a loss. But then she silently and slowly stepped away from the waterfall and came to stand closer to him, her hands unconsciously crossing over her chest, her fingers digging into her upper arms. She felt shy, that was obvious, but she did not berate him, or turn away, or lower her eyes to the ground in embarrassment like she so often did. She just stood there, holding his gaze in naked, wet glory, and stared back, her lips slightly parted and her body shaking slightly. Jack vaguely wondered if her shaking was a result of the cold water or the intense emotions currently sizzling between them.
Jack did not know what she was thinking, but he was encouraged by her posture. She seemed to be beckoning, her eyes wide with expectation. His eyes kept raking her body slowly and hungrily, and he took a tentative step toward her, ready to stop and reassure her if she panicked. But she didn't. She firmly stood there, waiting for him, and he took a few more silent steps until he was within reaching distance. His chocolate eyes seemed darker as he took in her red, parted lips, her wet skin, her shaking hands, and they came back to her eyes to find them screaming her own hunger at him. His hand lifted involuntarily, reaching for her.
Sam saw his hand approach her face, and she closed her eyes, knowing that she should back up, that she should stop him somehow, but she couldn't. She wouldn't. She waited for his touch, she welcomed it, and when his fingers traced her jaw, she unconsciously leaned into his hand, keeping her eyes closed and relishing the feathery sensation of his fingertips on her skin.
Jack thought he was dreaming. He was sure the bubble would suddenly burst and he'd find himself alone in his bed, at home. He only got to do this in his dreams. But now he could feel the dampness of her cheek under his fingers, all sound deafened by the water falling relentlessly next to them. His thumb joined his fingers to stroke her face more urgently, dreading that at any second, she was going to come to her senses and flee. But she still didn't, and he took one more step, invading her personal space. She did open her eyes then, but only to look up at him in anticipation, clear longing and deep, powerful feelings in the aquamarine depths, encouraging him to do more.
Sam had been daydreaming. She had been reveling in the sensuous feel of the water streaming down her almost naked body, and she had been thinking of him. She had been picturing his dark eyes on her, his hands on her breasts, and his mouth tasting hers. She had pictured his strong hands divesting her of her remaining garments and running calloused fingers through her sensitized flesh, reaching forbidden parts, stroking her into mindless bliss. This was an old fantasy. She often imagined what her CO's hands could do to her, and she often found ecstasy with only the help of his image in her mind and her own fingers, alone in her bed at night. Now he was here, as if summoned by her desire, and she couldn't turn him away.
She watched in fascination as conflicting emotions warred in his face, his eyes intensely searching hers, and his hand trembling on her cheek. He was asking her if he could proceed. He was asking himself if he could continue to obey the rules and turn his back on her now. And he knew he could not. Only she could end the moment. His will was a pool of desire at her feet, and the only thing preventing him from taking her right there and then was the fear of scaring her and losing her completely because of his lack of restraint.
"Jack," she finally whispered. And that was enough. He was a goner. He took one more step, firmly grasped her neck, pulled her mouth to meet his, and his lips covered hers in a voracious kiss, his need for her overpowering everything else. If she had said "Sir", he would have continued to restrain himself. But she had used his name. She had shoved aside the flimsy, tenuous barriers still standing between them at that moment.
Sam moaned with desire, her own hands tightly fisting his t-shirt and pulling him toward her as he devoured her eager mouth. His hands left her face, and one of them tangled in her wet hair and held her head captive, while the other one came around her shoulders and crushed her against his chest as his mouth continued to ravage hers, eliciting whimpers of passion from her. "Sam," she heard him say, his voice gruff with passion, his hands now roaming her bare skin. And she took delight in the fact that he had not called her Carter.
Sam was lost in overwhelming feelings. Her heart was racing inside her chest, and her knees were weak with hunger. She could feel the throbbing in her core clamoring for him, and she thought she would collapse. But his arm was like a steel band around her, holding her against his solid body, and she could feel his own desire hard against her belly, grinding against her in frantic hunger.
"Sam, I want you," he growled, briefly pulling away, and she could feel him trying to apply some restraint. His mouth had left hers and was now lost in her neck, and he seemed to be grasping for control. "You don't know how much…"
"I want you, too," she whispered back, her mouth hovering close to his ear. "I always have," she added. His confession had opened the gates, and she did not hold back any longer. Her mouth searched out his again, and they locked into another long, greedy kiss. Both his hands were now lost in her body, stroking her bare skin and seeking the hidden parts under the black underwear. Sam thought she'd die of pleasure and was oblivious to her surroundings, but she suddenly felt Jack tense up, and his hands stilled on her skin. She opened her eyes at the same time that he pulled away from the kiss and turned his head to quickly look over his shoulder.
They both saw Teal'c's retreating back as he walked away toward the campsite. Jack had sensed him standing behind him the moment the Jaffa had crested the hill, and seen his friend turn away after he had discovered his teammates in a fierce lovers' embrace.
"Oh, God!" Sam said, her head dropping against Jack's chest, and the ardor of the moment dissipated like morning mist, slowly but surely. "What are we doing?" she moaned softly. She clung to him, both for support and to hide her sudden discomfiture at the situation. Clarity was not a thing that was always welcome.
"Nothing," Jack responded regretfully, his hands now softly stroking her wet hair. "It's all right. Nothing has happened. Go ahead and get dressed. I'll wait for you up there." Jack spoke softly as he slowly took a step back, releasing her. But his eyes were still intense as he searched her face. She kept her eyes veiled under her lashes, and he gently cupped her chin and lifted her face to his. "You haven't done anything wrong, Sam. Nothing happened. Just… get dressed. We'll talk later, okay?"
Sam nodded miserably, tears threatening to fall, and she turned to shakily pick up her clothes. Jack painfully walked away and stood on top of the hill, intensely staring out into the ocean, now almost silver under the bright sun of midmorning. He waited for her to dress and catch up with him. He then tenderly and wordlessly took her hand and brought it up to his mouth for a gentle kiss. "Come on," he urged with a smile. "I bet Teal'c is famished."
Day Three:
Sam sat against a palm tree on the warm sand, dreamily staring at the breaking waves and the cavorting little birds that played and fished in the shallow water. She was sad. She was troubled. And she was embarrassed.
She had avoided Teal'c eyes all the previous day, agonizingly skirting around him as they hunted and then prepared dinner. His silence and obvious understanding had just made it harder for her. Jack had acted as if nothing had happened, but she had heard him say to Teal'c, "Thanks, buddy," as they had returned to camp. The Jaffa had just nodded and said nothing.
Aside from looks burdened with meaning and discomfort, she and Jack had not talked about what had transpired by the waterfall. After dinner they had just cleared up, gotten as comfortable as possible close to the fire, and gone to sleep. Well, at least Jack had gone to sleep, and Teal'c had sat against a tree and kelnoreemed. Sam had first watch, and she had filled her eyes with Jack's sleeping form while she silently berated herself for her lack of shame and control. When Jack took over, she just awkwardly said good night and turned her back to him, curling up into a fetal position. And she had finally fallen asleep.
As she remembered the previous evening, Sam felt, more than heard, Jack approach her from the campsite. It was the moment of truth. They had to talk. And they had to do so before they returned to Earth. Since they were going to try to dial out later, after dinner, now was the only chance that remained for them to have that conversation.
"Hey," he said softly as he sank to the sand next to her.
"Hey," she responded dutifully. She could see Teal'c sitting by the campsite, trying to kelnoreem by the cooking fire, which took the place of his missing candles. Last night's session had obviously not been enough. And she wondered if the tension between them had had anything to do with his lack of rest.
"Carter, we need to talk," Jack started, looking at her sideways.
"I know, Sir," she agreed with a shy smile. "I'm sorry… I…" she started to say, but Jack stalled her.
"Hey, hey! Definitely not your fault! The blunder was mine, Carter. I am man enough to admit that," he said firmly, now looking straight at her.
"No, Sir," she shook her head, closing her eyes, "not true. It was my fault, too. I… I wanted you to…" she stammered, but then took a deep breath and let her head drop, unable to continue.
"I know. I know you wanted to, but I was the one that acted, the one that started the whole thing. And I'm sorry. Not because I didn't want it or enjoy it… I did!" He gave her a brief, wicked smile that made Sam relax somewhat. "But because I know that deep inside, that's not what you want. That's not what you would have decided to do, given a clear mind, and in another time and place. And I want you to know that I understand if you decide you can't work with me any longer. I'll even understand if you decide to file a complaint."
"A complaint! What… what do you think I am? A hypocrite?" Sam asked, flabbergasted. She suddenly felt angry, and braver. "Let me make something very clear to you, Sir. I wanted to… I wanted you, as much as you wanted me. And I still do. But you are right. I don't want this to happen because it would change things. It would mean I would have to leave SG-1. It would mean that we couldn't fight together anymore. And we both know that we are needed where we are right now. We make a good team, a fantastic team. You would miss me, and I would miss you as my CO. Our priorities have been clear for years, and they have to continue to be."
Jack looked at her for a long moment, knowing that she was right, and admiring her strength of character, her conviction, and her self-sacrifice. At the same time, he hated the fact that she was right and fervently wished that there was a flaw in her reasoning. He wished that she wasn't so honorable and such a stickler for regulations. But he knew there wasn't a flaw to her reasoning, and he knew that she would not break the rules. So he just nodded.
Sam sighed and looked away, far away into the ocean, and her lips trembled. Deep inside, she wished he hadn't accepted her decision so readily, but she realized that he was also a pragmatist, like she was. There was no room for indulgence in their own desires. The mission had to come first.
Jack noticed her trembling lips and his heart lurched. He desperately sought a way to stop her tears. The last thing he wanted was to see her sad, and he finally said, "Can we at least flirt?" sounding like a whinny little boy begging for candy.
Sam reacted as he expected, and she chuckled, shaking her head. She turned to look at him, now with a bright smile on her face, even if her eyes were still watery. "Yes, Sir. We could still flirt. Why miss ALL the fun, right?"
"That's my Major!" he smiled back, a wicked look on his face. "I knew you wouldn't be cruel enough to completely clip my wings. I do so enjoy seeing you blush for me!"
"I know you do," she responded, her eyes sad, but her smile in place. "I hope we can continue to work together and not let… this… interfere with our duties, Sir. I would feel terrible if it did."
"Aw, Carter! What's a little sexual tension between good friends? It'll just add a little zest to our boring jobs, that's all! You don't need to worry. I'll never do anything to hurt you or your career. I promise." Jack was smiling and playing with the sand, giving her his most nonchalant attitude. But Sam realized it was all an act on her behalf, and she loved him even more for it.
"I know you won't. Sir… I wish…" she started to say, but then changed her mind and looked away from him, knowing that it was better to leave her feelings unvoiced. She felt him looking at her, and she turned sad, blue eyes towards him, not knowing what else to say.
Jack held her gaze and winked at her playfully, but then he said softly, "Some day, Carter."
"Yes, Sir," she answered, her smile still sad, but hopeful.
Day Seven:
Teal'c observed in slight amazement as his two teammates cavorted like children in the clear waters of the lagoon. Major Carter was, again, stripped down to her black underwear, and her CO was wearing nothing but his boxers. They were currently competing at holding their breath under water, the latest of many silly games they had come up with in order to kill time while they waited to leave the planet.
After the third day, when the colonel had again insisted on accompanying his major to bathe, she had seemed to make a decision, and she had invited Teal'c along as well. She had reached the lagoon, stripped down to her underwear without hesitation, and proceeded to lather the last of the soap on her beautiful, firm body. Teal'c had been amused, but had secretly enjoyed the view and had settled down to wait until she was done. Jack had sat next to him and had chatted nervously about anything and everything that came to his mind. They had bathed together, the three of them, ever since, despite the lack of soap and the increasingly disgusting smell emanating from their well-worn fatigues.
They had tried to dial out every evening since the third day on P4X-234, with no success so far. Major Carter had told them, from the beginning, that at the very best and barring complications, it would take the SGC at least three days to unpack, transport and install the Beta Gate. They would try again that afternoon, but Teal'c doubted that they'd be going home tonight. Something had obviously gone wrong with the installation.
"AAGHHH!" he suddenly heard Major Carter shriek. "You cheated!" she accused her CO as she broke surface and wiped water away from her eyes.
"I did not!" countered a smirking O'Neill, floating a few feet away from her.
"Yes, you did! You're not allowed to tickle me to make me come up for air," she complained, her smile stripping her complaint of all seriousness.
"You never said anything about no tickling!" O'Neill argued.
"All right, then. Since it seems necessary to spell out some very obvious rules to you, no touching is allowed, period!" she commanded in a stern voice.
"Och! You're no fun at all!" he whined, his evil grin full of double meaning.
"God! You're impossible!" she complained, rolling her eyes and turning to Teal'c, who was sitting calmly at the edge of the lagoon, enjoying the warm sun, and also stripped down to his boxers. "Teal'c! You come and teach him a lesson!" she commanded.
"I can remain under water for a total of eleven minutes under the worst of circumstances, Major Carter. There would be no contest," he replied calmly, a pleasantly relaxed smile on his face.
"That's what I mean! How about keeping him under water for eleven minutes?" she suggested evilly as she walked up to him and sank down by his side, obviously tired of playing.
"Does that mean you don't like me anymore?" Jack yelled from the water, still floating away, a satisfied grin on his face.
"Who said I ever liked you?" she threw back at him testily, then lay on her back and closed her eyes, trying to hide a smile. "Teal'c, get him off my back for a while, will you? I need a break," she begged quietly.
"What are you two conspiring?" they both heard Jack shout from the water as he swam.
"What would be the swiftest way to eliminate an annoying CO!" she shouted back from the ground, not bothering to open her eyes.
"You would miss me and you know it!" he threw back at her, and then started to swim away from them, still too energized to relax. Teal'c knew, from the previous days' experience, that he would be swimming laps for a while.
The Jaffa had observed, with a mixture of relief and bafflement, how the first days' tension between O'Neill and Major Carter had turned into easygoing, blatant flirtation and bantering. He knew they were keeping their distance from each other, for the most part, having obviously decided that the breach of regulations he had witnessed on their second day on the planet was not something they were going to allow themselves to do again. They had been together, the three of them, constantly since then. And Teal'c realized that they were using him as a buffer, effectively preventing temptation from raising its tantalizing head again.
The Jaffa was glad to see that his two teammates seemed happy and comfortable with the new arrangement, and he had to agree that the current state of affairs was preferable to the previous constant tension caused by their unspoken attraction to each other. Now this attraction was acknowledged and accepted and, Teal'c assumed, dealt with in a mature, logical way. He wondered about the words that had been spoken, but suspected that neither person would ever feel comfortable sharing such intimate details with anyone.
"Your relationship with Colonel O'Neill seems to have relaxed considerably during the past few days, Major Carter," he found himself saying before he even knew he'd broached the subject. It was not like him to talk about personal matters with the only woman on the team, but their relationship had also grown significantly closer during the years they had been fighting side by side, and his comfort level with his teammate was high.
Sam, although somewhat shocked by Teal'c's unexpected comment, did not open her eyes to look at him and mulled her words before she replied. "I guess we have reached a sort of understanding on how to deal with each other," she finally replied.
"That is what I had surmised," he responded in a soft voice, watching the colonel swim vigorous laps across the tranquil lagoon. "I am glad for both of you, and I am sure that your relationship will eventually develop into the sort of relationship you both desire, when the time is appropriate."
Sam had to open her eyes and look up at Teal'c after this remark. He looked down at her and gave her a slight, understanding smile, and she smiled back. "Thank you for understanding, Teal'c," she said sincerely. Her friend just smiled slightly wider and nodded, then looked at the colonel again, who had swum back and was standing waist deep at the edge of the lagoon, wiping off excess water from his hair. Teal'c observed O'Neill as he started to walk towards them, a slightly uncomfortable look on his face, and instantly knew what the commander was thinking. Teal'c's physical closeness to the major and their quiet, private talk had not gone unnoticed.
"What are you two planning now?" he asked grumpily. "And whose turn is it to cook dinner tonight? I'm hungry!"
"It's your turn, O'Neill," Teal'c responded, straightening up and effectively distancing himself from the prone woman at his side. The last thing they all needed was for jealousy to be thrown into the mix. "And you still have to catch dinner."
"Aggh!" Sam interjected, still not opening her eyes. "I'm sick of the little critters. I wish we had at least one ration bar left. I'd rather eat cardboard tonight!"
Teal'c raised a surprised eyebrow at her, wondering who, in his or her right mind, would prefer a ration bar to meat cooked over an open fire. The rabbit-like, abundant small animals on which they had been feeding since their third night on the planet were quite tasty in his opinion.
"What, exactly, would you do for a ration bar?" Jack asked, shaking off water like a dog, and then standing over his Major. Hearing this, Sam finally opened her eyes and caught his cunning smirk.
"Have you been holding out on me? Do you have one left?" she asked hopefully, coming up to recline on her elbows.
"I might," he responded. "So what would you be willing to do, Carter?"
"I might refrain from kicking your butt, for one," she threw at him with a taunting smile.
"That'd be `refrain from kicking your butt, SIR'," he taunted back. He then reached for his jacket and very slowly retracted a sad looking ration bar from his pocket. He then dangled it from two fingers, an evil smile on his face.
"Weeeell, Carter?" he asked, swinging the bar back and forth, "what are you willing to do?" His face abruptly lost his smirk, and his eyes grew wide, right before he ran for his life. Sam was on his heels, shouting at him.
"Hand that over or I'll have to hurt you!" she yelled as she ran, kicking sand as she chased her laughing CO.
"Teeeal'c, bring our clothes!" was the last the Jaffa heard as his two teammates disappeared over the hill. He just shook his head and started gathering their smelly fatigues, ready to go back to the campsite.
Day Nine:
"YYYEESSSS!" Jack exclaimed as the wormhole stabilized, punching the air in triumph. "We are going home, campers!" He immediately punched the code into his GDO and started to approach the gate.
Sam smiled at his enthusiasm and started to pick up her P90, getting ready to step into the event horizon. She glanced at Teal'c, whose relieved expression was telling. The Jaffa had been bored out of his mind during the last week, while she and Jack had actually managed to enjoy the down time. The only thing they had missed was soap and clean clothes. Well, those and a few more MREs, as far as Sam was concerned. Teal'c had missed his candles, and she was sure her CO had missed beer most of all.
But Colonel O'Neill had especially complained about the lack of shaving cream and had vowed to carry more soap in his pack from now on. Teal'c was sporting a funny-looking fuzz under his lower lip. Sam didn't like it, but she had refrained from saying so when Teal'c had asked for her opinion. "It's… striking," she had responded awkwardly, but Teal'c had smiled, taking it as a compliment. Jack had been teasing the Jaffa mercilessly about it, but had stopped when Teal'c had imparted, with an eyebrow raised up high, that only women in Chulak would comment on a man's facial hair. It was considered an invitation to courtship. When Jack wouldn't believe it, Teal'c had explained the custom further. If a woman touched a man's whiskers, she was making a pass at him.
"So, what happens if a man touches another's whiskers?" Sam had asked, genuinely intrigued. Teal'c had calmly replied, "The use of blades would be required." Jack had said nothing to that, and had refrained from mentioning the "telchek" again.
Thinking of the past few days, Sam smiled, remembering the last ration bar and how her CO had finally given it up, insisting that she needed it more than he. She knew that he had just been unwilling to get physical over the treat, afraid of what such close and playful contact might bring about. So was she. She had been hesitant about how to proceed once she had cornered him after chasing him all the way back to the campsite. And she had been deeply grateful when he had tossed the bar at her good-naturedly, taking pity on her and letting her off the hook.
Spending nine days stranded on P4X-234 had actually done wonders for her relationship with her CO. All the bitterness and resentment she now realized she had been carrying inside since the Edora incident were now gone. During their enforced closeness, they had reached a different level of camaraderie and comfort with each other, and she felt she now understood her CO better. If nothing else, she now felt more relaxed around him, and was now able to enjoy his wacky personality without feeling tense, guilty or uncomfortable.
She had also gotten closer to Teal'c. During brief but revealing conversations with her Jaffa friend, she had learned more of his history, as well as gotten to understand his motivations. Although his decision to turn against Apophis had not come easily, it had been something that Teal'c had felt like doing for many years. When Jack had asked for help in freeing those prisoners years ago, Teal'c's mind had already been half made up. He had observed and assessed Jack from the moment he had been captured, and he had realized that his opportunity to do what his heart dictated had finally come.
Sam's musings were interrupted when Jack suddenly turned to glance at her, waiting at the top of the platform, and he signaled Teal'c to wait. The Jaffa paused by the event horizon, not looking at them, and Sam realized that he was trying to offer them a measure of privacy during their last few moments on the planet. Frowning in wonder at her CO, Sam stood and waited for him to say something. But he only gazed at her, and then she knew what he was thinking.
"It's back to business as usual, Sir," she stated with a cheerless smile on her face.
"Yes, it is, Major," he agreed, a pensive look on his face. "But I'm still planning to go fishing, and you're still invited." His gentle smile let her know that the pressure was off, and he meant for nothing to happen if she said yes. He honestly just wanted her company, and she felt no tension or concern in considering his invitation. Still, she knew that avoiding temptation was the best policy.
"We'll see, Sir," she smiled brightly at him, and proceeded to enter the Stargate. She did not think she'd be ready to go fishing with her handsome CO any time soon, but keeping him wondering was going to be fun.
The End
Story Notes: Spoilers: Urgo, Maternal Instinct, 100 Days, Shades of Gray, Nemesis
Author's Note: I always wanted to write about what must have gone on between Jack, Sam and Teal'c during those idle days in a paradise planet. This is a piece that fits between "Journals-Season 3" and "Journals-Season 4" of my "Journals" series. Thank you, Barb, my fantastic Beta, for your great work on this one as well!
Author's Note: I always wanted to write about what must have gone on between Jack, Sam and Teal'c during those idle days in a paradise planet. This is a piece that fits between "Journals-Season 3" and "Journals-Season 4" of my "Journals" series. Thank you, Barb, my fantastic Beta, for your great work on this one as well!
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 ]