Sam gazed down at the lake, watching as the softly rippling water reflected the alien sun. Its rays penetrated her black t-shirt, warming her skin, and reminding her of Earth summers spent playing baseball on the asphalt streets that criss-crossed the base housing units. Except that if she closed her eyes, she wouldn’t smell gasoline from their neighbour's beat up Chevy down the street that, according to her father, was a driving disaster waiting to happen. Nor would she make out the scent of the waffles her mother used to make. Instead of the hot, still air that always seemed to make you sweat that little bit more, a breeze blew softly over the water, cooling down her slowly overheating skin.
Squinting her eyes, she could just make out the lone form of Colonel O’Neill sitting at the water’s edge. His gun and boots lay forgotten behind him, his attention centered on his makeshift fishing rod.
Smiling to herself, Sam walked down the hill, her eyes fixed on her CO’s back. Even though he didn’t turn even once, he didn’t seem surprised when she laid down her jacket next to him, and sat down.
“Catch anything yet, Sir?”
His attention didn't waver from his improvised bobber. “No, not yet, Major.”
She smiled as she watched him, rarely having seen him this relaxed.
“And before you say anything...”
“I wasn’t!” She protested, but stopped as she saw him grin.
“It’s not so much about the catching, it’s about the act of fishing.” He told her knowingly.
“I’d prefer if you’d catch something because I, for one, wouldn’t mind something else to eat tonight.” She sighed and pulled her legs up, resting her chin on her knees.
Jack smiled and turned towards her. “What, you don’t like Teal’c’s cooking?”
“Actually, if I have to chose between you, Teal’c, or Daniel, Teal’c is probably the best cook.”
“Ah, Carter. That hurt!” Jack said in an insulted tone, but the twinkle in his eyes suggested otherwise.
Sam couldn’t help but chuckle. Lowering her gaze, her eyes unintentionally settled on his feet. Strangely, he seemed to enjoy walking around barefoot. As soon as they had discovered the lake, knowing they would be stuck on the planet until the other Stargate could be made operational, the Colonel had declared he was on vacation, and that he intended to spend his time the same way he had planned before Thor snatched him away.
Fishing.
Apparently, the O’Neill way of fishing was done with bare feet. Realising she was staring, she quickly looked back towards the water, and they lapsed into a comfortable silence.
Drawn in by the peace and beauty of the planet, it took a moment for Sam to realise the Colonel was talking to her.
“I knew I’d get you to come fishing with me sooner or later,” he concluded knowingly.
Sam laughed. “This doesn’t count. Sir,” she added hastily.
“What? Why not? You’re here with me while I’m fishing, aren’t you?” He smirked.
“It’s not like I chose to come fishing with you. We got stranded here!” She protested, knowing it was futile.
“Ah, I beg to differ.”
She raised an eyebrow. “How can you not agree on that?”
“Well,” Jack turned his attention fully towards her now. “I’m pretty sure you were about to agree to come with me, if it wasn’t for our little grey buddy.”
“I very much doubt it, Sir.” Sam protested, although she wasn’t all too sure who she was trying to convince. If she were honest with herself, she knew she’d been very close to agreeing to join him.
“Oh, come on Carter. Who are you trying to fool? You wanted to come fishing with me.” He looked way too pleased with himself.
“I very much doubt that even if I had agreed to join you, we would have done anything even resembling fishing.” She defended herself hotly, only to realize, too late, what she had just said. She hoped the Colonel wouldn’t have noticed her remark, but even as she felt her ears starting to tingle, he spoke up.
“So what would we have been doing then?” he asked.
Oh crap.
Maybe she should just get into the water, and hang on the end of his fishing line because she was doing a very good impression of the creature he was trying to catch. And damn him for finding this all so amusing.
“It’s not a trick question, Carter.” He finally gave up on getting her to answer.
“Could have fooled me,” she murmured, and took the excuse to turn away from him.
He must have heard her remark, they were too close not to, but she was thankful he didn’t comment on it. Well, almost.
“Why did you ask me anyway?” Great, she thought. Her brain had officially decided to abandon her.
He shrugged. “Because Minnesota is nice. I think you’d like it there. Besides, it’s always more fun to have someone to keep you company.”
In the back of her mind, Sam briefly wondered who else had kept him company while he was fishing. But then again, he didn’t strike her as the type that constantly needed someone around. But still, she had to wonder... “What if I had said yes?”
His line briefly dipped underwater but then stilled again.
When he finally answered, his voice was unusually quiet. “We’d have gone fishing, just like we are now.”
She swallowed, and forced herself to turn back towards him. Their eyes met instantly, and she tried to ignore how close they were sitting to each other. “Are we? Just fishing?”
“Carter,” he whispered, and she closed her eyes. She wasn’t sure she wanted to hear what he was going to say. If being on an alien planet in the company of Teal’c had already brought them this close to crossing a line she had refused to even see a while ago, then ...
“I think I caught something.” She opened her eyes and stared at him in confusion, before she realised he was looking at the bobber. When she turned, she saw it being pulled into the water.
Working together, they managed to pull the fish out of the water. Colonel O’Neill was looking extremely pleased with his catch.
“What happened to ‘it’s all about the act of fishing’?” Sam smirked as she picked up their vests and his boots, while the Colonel carried the fish.
He grinned. “I caught something. And must I point out to you that this fish is the same size as the bass I told you I have in my lake?”
Sam rolled her eyes. “That hardly counts, Sir. This is an alien fish, not Minnesotan bass.”
“So? I caught it!”
Sam groaned in feigned annoyance, actually finding his behaviour disturbingly endearing.
“Sir?” She asked as they made it back to the camp.
“Hmmm?” His eyes were exploring the clearing as he looked for Teal’c.
“Could you keep asking?” Did she just say that? Maybe the fish ate her brain.
The Colonel’s eyes, wide with shock, flew toward her. Then, a slow smile curved his lips as realisation dawned.
“Sure thing, Carter.”
THE END
Story Notes: Set/Spoilers: In between Nemesis and Small Victories
Huge big thanks to my beta's chiroho and hyari. This is the first time I ever edited a fic this much. Hope it shows!
Huge big thanks to my beta's chiroho and hyari. This is the first time I ever edited a fic this much. Hope it shows!
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 ]