Unfortunately Stargate never has and never will be mine... Well that's if my plan for world domination falls through... haaaa...
Sam stood in her kitchen staring at the mountain of casseroles that had been given to her over the past couple of days. She leaned over one and poked it warily with a fork. She wasn't quite sure if it was the odd splodges within the dish that was unsettling or the green colour that reminded her of the Generals salsa experiment from last year.
'I never understood the connection between casseroles as funerals. I don't think I ever will.' A voice uttered from behind her. Sam turned round to see a rather bedraggled Cassie standing in the doorway to her kitchen with an 'acquired' air force bag slung over one shoulder.
'Me either. The last thing I want to do is eat any of this.' Sam agreed stepping forward and grabbing Cassie in a massive bear hug.
'I also wouldn't even go near that one, looks like something out of Jack's place.' Cassie stated as she looked over Sam's shoulder at the casserole Sam had been musing over.
'I take great offense to that statement Cassandra Frasier. My food is just fine.' Sam looked up to see the General leaning against her door frame.
'Yeah, if you'd like a bout of Salmonella.' Cassie retort turning to look at him. The General merely shrugged in response and handed Cassie her bag and indicated for her to go. As she left the room Cassie tossed her now dark brown hair over one shoulder and pulled a face at the General, who promptly pulled one back.
Sam smiled at their childish behaviour before opening the fridge and sighed at the other mountain of casseroles inside it. The General leaned in behind her and took a good look.
'Wow, people sure do love casseroles.' They both looked at each other for a moment before Sam reached in and grabbed several and handed them to him.
'Daniel, T! Get in here, we're gonna need a hand!' He called out of the kitchen as Sam got out plastic bags to chuck the casseroles into.
For the next twenty minutes the four of them scrapped out the concoctions and washed out the dishes. By the time Cassie came back the only evidence of the 'casserole swamp' as the General had christened it, was the array of dishes they had been delivered in shining on the counter.
'So Chinese?' Cassie asked holding the phone in one hand and leaning on the counter next to Daniel. As she hit speed dial 6 on the phone the Daniel and the General turned to stare at Sam, who placed her hands on her hip with a 'like you are any better' look on her face.
'Same old same old?' Cassie called from the living room.
The four of them called out their agreement, Daniel and Teal'c headed out with plates and cutlery. Sam reached up to get glasses and the General grabbed the beers and the diet soda.
'So how long do you think you have before Daniel corners you for a heartfelt conversation?' He asked as he shut the fridge with his back. Sam hummed slightly at him.
'I don't know, how long do you think you have before he wonders you how worried you all should be about me?' She countered walking past him out the door and down the hallway.
Sam heard him hum in response and she smiled warmly.
'At most? End of dinner... Oh that's going to be a fun chat.' Sam turned round to push the door open with her back, grinning at the General who was shaking his head and rolling his eyes.
'Yeah, somehow I think my chat with him is going to be even worse. Especially when he finds out about-'Sam stopped as she turned into the living room. For reasons, seemingly unknown, Cassie had leaped on Daniels back trying to grab at something in his hand.
'Get off!'
'NO! Give it back Daniel!
'NOOO!'
'ARGH!'
Sam just looked from one to the other before shrugging and placing the glasses on the coffee table and placing coasters under each one. She happened to glance up at Teal'c, and she quickly did a double take. Was he seriously Kel'nor'reem'ing?
Well mediating now...
How did he manage that with the racket the struggling pair where making?
Sam looked back at the General over her shoulder to see him recording the scene on his phone. Hopeless at technology her ass. She shook her head whilst smiling at him. She got up and took some of the bottles off the General, as he was slightly preoccupied. As she placed them on the table Daniel stumbled over and knocked the table causing a couple of the glasses to wobble dangerously. Sam leaned forward and grabbed them and whistled loudly at the wrestling pair.
'Sit. Now. Both of you.' She ordered pointed Daniel to one chair and Cassie to the couch. Both of them gave her apologetic looks, but it didn't stop Cassie from grabbing whatever Daniel had in his hand before scurrying over to her seat.
'Thank you Daniel I am going to have made more money out of you this week then I ever had over the past 6 years!' The General cheered as he placed the last few bottles on the table before sitting next to Cassie. Daniel glared at the General as he reached forward and snatched a bottle for himself.
'What else did Daniel do this week?' Cassie asked looking rather baffled as Sam started giggling at the increasing redness to Daniels face.
'Well you know Daniel pulled his disappearing trick again right? Well his reappearing trick did have a few issues...' The General started, sitting down, turning off his phone and grinning manically at Daniel. Cassie looked from one to the other looking increasingly confused. Cassie turned accusingly towards Sam as the General was so amused he was laughing silently.
'Sam what happened?'
'Well Daniel forgot a few items in his return. In fact he forgot all of the ones he left with.' Sam continued to laugh as she sat down next to Cassie with Daniel glaring at her. At which point Cassie had grown impatient so she elbowed Sam, and judging by the Generals grunt, she wasn't the only victim of her well aimed jolt.
'He appeared in my office, buck naked.' Cassie stopped and stared at the General.
A moments silence passed over the room as Sam and the General still shook shake with silent laughter, Teal'c continued to mediate and Daniel sunk back in his chair clearly wishing that the Earth would swallow him whole.
'Seriously?'
'Cass, I'm the one who was subjected to that. I would not kid about it. The image is forever burned into my retinas.' The General stated, shuddering at the last part.
'You have GOT to get me pictures! I can get exxxxxcellent money for those!' Cass looked towards the General and then to Sam and back again. Daniel groaned and turned bright red. Cassie looked at him with a decidedly evil look on her face drumming her fingers together.
'Ask her why she didn't want me picking up her phone!' He looked at Cassie in a smug manner as all colour drained from her face. The General arched his eyebrow at Cassie as she tried to avoid the stares of the three men in the room, by fiddling with her phone.
'New boyfriend?' Sam asked mischievously as she got up to get the food. Now she had the pleasure of viewing the colour drain from the Generals face. Teal'c's face twitched in a manner Sam hadn't observed before.
Uh oh.
Maybe she shouldn't have said anything.
Sam rubbed her eyes wearily as she packed the cutlery into the dishwasher. She leaned against the counter sighing and closing her eyes. Daniel and Teal'c had just left and Cassie had crashed about half an hour before.
'Carter, you head to bed, I'll finish up here. Go on.' The General walked into the kitchen and placed a hand on her shoulder. Sam just shook her head at him.
'Not yet, every time I try to sleep my mind just races. No rest in that.'
'Then go and sit down and I'll tackle this.' Sam arched her eyebrow before sitting up on the counter.
The General stared at her before shaking his head and clearing everything away.
'So how's the rest of your family?' He asked whilst packing things away into the fridge.
'Well the kids are okay and Laura's doing her best but Mark...' Sam looked down at her legs swinging them slightly. She took in a deep breath and gripped the countertop tightly.
'Mark is trying to understand why he didn't get to say goodbye and how it happened so quickly. He's also not too pleased with me at the moment.' Sam felt her shoulders shake and watched as her knuckles turn white. She started as the General sat up on the counter next to her and gently placed a hand on top of hers.
'It's just hard dealing with everything, I feel like I can't breathe sometimes.'
'You need a break Carter. I know that doesn't come easily to you, but I think we all need one. We're all going to miss Dad. He was great man and a great friend.' Sam turned her head and looked at the General and smiled softly at his warm expression.
'A break sounds good, and thank you, he thought the same of you.' Sam nudged her shoulder against his. Jack smiled brightly at her and threaded his fingers through hers.
The pair sat there in peace for a spell. Sam blinked when she felt Jack rub her ring finger and saw him look down in confusion.
'It's gone.' Sam whispered, reluctant to break the peace that had settled in the room around them.
'Ah.' Luckily for Sam, Jack clearly didn't feel the need to elaborate further. The calm settled over the room once again.
Sam took in another deep breath as they sat in the stillness of the now dimly lit kitchen.
'So you're actually willing to take a break from all the madness around here?' He asked in the same hushed tone as she had earlier, apparently as unwilling to break peace as she was.
'It's about time I did.' Sam nodded looking down at their entwined hands.
'Can you remember the last time you did?' He asked her in a joking manner nudging her shoulder.
'Can you? And being in a stasis pod for four months doesn't count!' Sam retorted nudging him back. Jack chuckled lightly before turning to look at her.
'So what are you going to do for this break?' Clearly he had acknowledged that they were equally as bad for relaxing.
'No idea. Suggestions?' She asked arching an eyebrow at him, as she looked at him he looked into the middle distance thinking deeply. He even went so far as to stroke his chin to aide his musings.
'Well, first things first. You must be away from technology and all forms of doohickies and technobabbling. Secondly, I think it should be a team thing, T is going to be leaving soon and Daniel... Well we both know that the Daedalus is nearly ready so he'll be leaping on that ride soon enough. So...' He trailed off looking at her hopefully.
'Land of sky blue waters? Loofas? Home of the loon?' He asked smiling widely at her. Sam giggled as she remembered the first time they had this conversation.
'Ya sure ya betcha' snookums!' Sam finished before laughing loudly and then trying to stop herself as she remembered that Cassie was asleep down the hall.
'You are probably the first Lt. Colonel to ever call a General 'snookums' you know that?' He looked at here, eyes glittering in amusement and pride.
'I'm probably the only one who could get away with it!' Sam replied throwing back her shoulders slightly, grinning at him.
'The only one with the nerve perhaps? Besides whadda say? Bring the boys and Cass do absolutely nothing but fish?' He nudged her shoulder again and she smiled broadly at him.
'Yes.' No hesitation, no hedging.
Just yes.
'Sweet.'
Oh god a Threads one-shot... I feel terrible about it, it's been done so often and sooo well but this was the only story I could actually finish at the moment... I have about five other stories that refuse to be completed...
So sorry about this, but I hope it's a little bit different to others you may have seen!
Please read and review, be as honest as you like!
Once again, apologies for the lack of imagination... eeep