A/N: They mention Teal'c's 'tash and not Carter's new do? It always bugged me when she had such fab hair and then they changed it. This is just a little ditty that could explain it.

Sam looked at the random hair growth on Teal'c's chin. Being the bald and stoic man that he was, she had always assumed that he must have some strict shaving regime. In her experience, most men with facial hair did. But then most of the men she had dated were military or wore some sort of uniform and so were rarely allowed to display any form of beard or moustache. The rare man that wasn't , was always a fascination to her. She remembered freaking one guy out when he realised that she was watching him trim his beard.

Teal'c tilted his head and stared at her, and Sam realised that she was doing it again. A brief standoff occurred between the two, before Sam turned to look away, a slight blush on her cheeks.

Sam turned her attention back to her own hair. The planet they were stranded on was warm and somewhat humid, a light mist sometimes clinging in the air in the early or late hours. A small lake soon became their only place to wash, and Sam found herself basking in the sun some mornings just to let her hair dry. She gazed at her reflection in the nearby water and scrunched up her nose. Her hair had grown a little and was now starting to curl and frizz. It was certainly different, she thought, as she tilted her head and narrowed her eyes.

Teal'c broke her train of thoughts, announcing his intention to go check the Stargate again. That had become another of his rituals on this planet, as well as his facial grooming. Sam had felt somewhat at a loss at what to do with herself, after the Jaffa had taken over what she had assumed would be her role.

She watched his retreating form before sparing a glance at her other companion. Colonel O'Neill was sitting a few feet away, a slight smirk on his lips and his eyes glued to her face. His smile grew wider once she realised that he'd been watching her the whole time.

"I quite like it," Jack said, motioning at her with a stick in his hand. "Your hair – it kind of looks all tousled... suits you, in fact..." He stopped, almost looking embarrassed when Sam didn't say anything and continued to stare at him.

In truth, she was a little shocked, but after a fleeting moment, it disappeared and a smile crept across her face. "Thanks," Sam muttered, and turned back to the water, suddenly unable to look him in the eye.

A small chuckle resounded from the man beside her and Sam glanced up again to see her commanding officer shake his head at her. She could feel her cheeks beginning to redden as she caught his eye, the laughter gone and now replaced be something else she didn't dare to name.

"Looks good...." He added.

Lips poised to speak, Sam was about to reply when the sound of footsteps averted her gaze, and she watched as Teal'c returned from around the corner, a grim look on his face. Sam chanced a look at the Colonel but the mood was gone and he was back to shuffling dirt around on the floor with his stick.

Smiling to herself, Sam turned back to her reflection, tucking her bottom lip between her teeth to stop herself from grinning.

-0-

Sam sat on a bed in the infirmary, the dirty orange tunic now discarded and replaced with a military issue black t-shirt. She sighed as Janet finished off her examination, asking her some questions and writing a few notes down on the clipboard. Running her hand through her hair, Sam frowned. It was short and spiky. She pulled at some strands and narrowed her eyes, somewhat oblivious to the woman in front of her until she spoke.

"Sam?" Janet peered at her curiously. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah..." Sam murmured.

"Are you sure?"

Nodding, Sam replied, "They cut my hair..."

Janet tried to give her an encouraging smile. "It will grow back."

Sam bit her lip. "But I liked it how it was..."

She looked up and Janet simply smiled at her. Giving her a quick pat on the arm, the doctor mentioned something about checking some results, before wandering off. With the doctor now gone, Sam could see the Colonel sitting on the bed opposite her, his shirt also removed but the beanie hat still remaining. He caught her eye, noticing the grip on her hair, and Sam smiled sadly, dropping her arm to her side.

Returning her smile, he said, "Like the doc said, it will grow back."

Sam shrugged. "Won't be the same though, will it?"

He didn't answer, and they shared a long look before Sam hopped off the bed and eventually disappeared.