Obsession
Daniel knew exactly where to find them.
He made his way down the hall and came to a slow stop just outside the doorway to her lab.
Sam sat hunched over her laptop, brow furrowed in concentration as she tapped away furiously at the keys. No doubt she was on the cusp of some scientific breakthrough... again.
Jack was perched on a stool, a similar expression on his face. Except that he was trying to master that yo-yo trick that looked like a swing... rock the cradle? Was that it?
Daniel took a small step forward, shoved his hands down into his pockets and shifted a bit of his weight against the doorframe. Neither of them seemed to noticed him, or if they had they had no intention of letting him know it. That would spoil their game.
He loved watching his two friends like this, and it had made him forget what he'd wanted to talk to them about. They both seemed so engrossed with their respective activities, but to Daniel they looked... whole... complete. There was a pattern to them, like a circle. No. Like a yin yang. Yes, that was it. He could see it. And he could tell by their body language - the way Sam's head was tilted just so, the way Jack's body leaned towards her - that they weren't really obsessed with what they were doing.
Nope, Daniel wasn't going to spoil this little game... even if he was being ignored.
A Moment in Time
He didn't know how many loops he'd been through, but he was SOOO over it.
And then he'd kissed her. So emphasis on the was.
Now he just wanted to do it again and again and again... and again. Now, suddenly, the idea of kissing Carter every ten hours until the end of time, sans consequences, seemed pretty damn appealing.
He definitely wasn't telling Teal'c about this. No, Teal'c might just decide to explore the idea of making him very dead every ten hours until the end of time. Who knows how many different ways a Jaffa has to kill a man?
And then there was Sam. Carter. He'd have all the time in the world to get to know all about her. But she'd never remember even one of their conversations... not a single one of the moments they would share. She didn't even remember their kiss.
This wasn't the way. Jack knew he'd have another window of opportunity. Someday. And when it happened he'd get to kiss Carter every day for the rest of his life. And she'd definitely remember.
Never Again
Never again would Teal'c look at Colonel Carter in the same way.
Warrior, protector, mother, friend, sister. She was still all these things. But now there was more. And it was most surprising. He thought that his surprise must be plainly evident as he evaluated her... attire with a sweep of his eyes and a raise of his eyebrow.
He believed the tau'ri referred to this as a 'sex kitten'.
"Teal'c! D'you ever hear of knocking?!"
Colonel Carter seemed surprised also.
It took him mere moments to realise his danger, deftly avoiding the boot O'Neill had hurled at him.
"Get out!"
"I will take my leave immediately O'Neill." He said as he stepped back out of the room and closed the door.
O'Neill paused and then shouted through the door, "Golf later though, buddy?"
"Indeed."
He could hear Colonel Carter's laughter quite clearly as he made his way back down the hall. He would also never again visit the O'Neill residence without calling first.
Busted
"Carter?"
"Hmmm..?" She dragged her eyes up from the device which she was balancing precariously in one hand, multi-meter in the other. For once in Sam's life, she wished the Colonel wasn't so fond of frequenting her lab. She could tell by the tone of his voice that he wanted something, and she could tell by the way he was bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet that it wasn't even something serious. He was bored, and she just didn't have the patience for it today.
She threw him a look that would slice a lesser man asunder. "Do you need something, sir?"
It was her best shot but he didn't even flinch. "May I use your computer?"
"Don't you have your own sir?" She smiled sweetly. "In your own office?"
"That would mean I'd have to go to my office, and your computer's right over there, Carter."
Oh why did he have to be so obtuse? "Go ahead sir." She focused back on the task at hand.
"Hey Carter, it's locked, what's your password?"
"Fishing."
It was out of her mouth before she'd even thought about it.
She dropped the device, fumbled awkwardly, and raised her eyes slowly to meet his gaze, trying very hard not to grimace.
He quirked an eyebrow. She was definitely busted.
To Oz
Sam wondered for the hundredth time how she'd managed to let Daniel and Teal'c talk her into letting them have a Halloween party in her house. She sat on the front steps, nursing a whiskey sour. Daniel had put something in it that was disconcertingly green, and more than a little off-putting. She put the cup down and glared at it.
She heard the door open and close. Music spilled out momentarily and suddenly there were a pair of legs hovering by her shoulder. She didn't look up, but glanced across at the shoes attached to the legs. Standard military issue. But was that… straw? What the…?
She looked up then. The floppy hat hid most of his face. He grinned at her. Or was that a grimace?
"Hi Sir!" She beamed. "Having fun?"
"Yeahsureyoubetcha"
Definitely a grimace. He made no attempt to move.
"Sir, why don't you sit? You're giving me a crick-in-the-neck."
"Actually, I'd rather you stand Carter." He offered her his hand.
Now she was confused, but she accepted his hand and he hauled her to her feet. She straightened her dress and threw him a questioning look. "Sir?"
"I was hoping we could get the hell out of Dodge."
"Wrong movie sir." She smiled, watching his eyes follow her outfit all the way down to the shoes. Red ones.
"Ah. Dorothy, eh?"
"And you must be…?"
"Funny Carter."
"Your car or mine sir?"
"Yours. I can't picture Dorothy and Scarecrow riding around in a shiny, black, truck."
"But a classic Volvo is better?"
"Yeah, well, your house looks kinda… occupied, and I don't believe any twisters were forecast for this evening."
Sam ducked her head and tried so hard not to laugh. "Let's go."
"Don't you need to go get your keys?" He looked puzzled. She fished her keys out of the little pocket in her dress. His eyes widened in surprise. "You've been planning your getaway all along!"
"We going or what?" She tilted her head defiantly and smirked at him. She could see his jaw tighten, but he had that glint in his eye. She turned on her heal and he followed her silently across the street to where the car was parked. They climbed in.
Suddenly, Sam felt very uncertain. "Should we invite the rest of the gang sir?"
"Nah, I think Dorothy and Scarecrow should fly solo on this one. And lose the 'sir', Dorothy." His tone was flippant. She regarded him minutely and caught his eye. Not a hint of a grimace on his face now, and she smiled to match his.
"Where to then?"
"To Oz!" He crowed.
Irregular Orbit
They'd been travelling through space for what felt like forever. Jack snapped the screen on his Gameboy Advance shut and tossed it towards his pack, which was perched open-mouthed against the bulk-head of the tel'tak. He missed his mark completely and the console clattered across the floor.
Jack winced. Teal'c shot him a look. It was the 'condescending' eyebrow, as opposed to the 'puzzled' or 'teasing' one. Jack knew them all. He didn't like the condescending one. Even Teal'c, normally patient and stoic, seemed to be getting cabin fever.
Since they'd dropped out of hyperspace, Daniel and Carter had been busying themselves by discussing the various planetary bodies in the immediate vicinity. Jack watched Carter's hands. The speed of their movement seemed to synchronise with the level of excitement in her voice. Calm and mellow tones matched slow, smooth, movements. A rising pitch accompanied frantic darting. They made Jack think of little birds. Swallows, maybe.
She started drawing circular shapes in the air with the tip of her index finger, talking about regular and irregular orbits and gravitational effects. Jack listened. He always listened to Carter – he just didn't always have time to hear all the details. But he had nothing but time at the moment, so what the heck?
He sat quietly, back up against the wall, knees up a little, and started picturing himself as an orbiting moon circling a planetary body. In his reverie, Carter was definitely the planetary body, and he was bound by her gravity. Captured. Never quite able, or willing, to escape.
"Sir?"
"Huh?"
Apparently, he'd been a little too quiet. Or he'd been watching her a little too attentively. Yep. Judging by the look on her face, she thought he was pretty irregular too.
Triumph
He'd fought and won many a battle. He'd even saved the planet a few times along the way. But this one had been the longest and the hardest. This was the one he'd actually thought he'd lost that day she hummed in the elevator.
So when he saw her walking down the aisle towards him, radiant and angelic and wearing the biggest smile he'd ever seen, he wasn't surprised that he was feeling more than utter and complete happiness. He'd won, or rather, they'd won. This is what triumph really felt like. And he knew she felt it too.
Have a Little Faith
Sam thought Teal'c looked like a kid in a candy store. Well, technically, waiting in line for candyfloss was pretty much exactly that. He was definitely the biggest kid Sam had ever seen. He had a look of absolute wonder on his face as he watched the sugar spin into glossy strands, like gossamer. He'd probably never look at spider's web the same way again.
Her gaze drifted upwards and she squinted into the clear, blue, sky. It was a gorgeous day for a fair. She knew she should be enjoying it, but she just couldn't shake the heaviness she could feel in her chest. All the activity around her seemed trivial as she thought about what they had to overcome – the danger they were facing into. These people couldn't imagine the kind of terror that could come sweeping out of that beautiful sky. It chilled her to the core.
Someone was tugging on the sleeve of her coat. She dropped her eyes and was immediately enveloped in Cassie's beaming smile. She grinned back.
"We HAVE to go on the big one!"
"Do we?"
"Some of my friends are here. They'll think I'm chicken if I don't go!"
"Yes, Carter, you don't want them to think she's yellow do you?" The Colonel stood right behind Cassie, hands in pockets, cap pulled on backwards. He caught her gaze and held it. His expression was inscrutable. One corner of his mouth was curved up in a mischievous grin, but his eyes were soft and searching. Sam felt exposed, like he knew exactly what she'd been thinking.
"PLLLEEEAAAASSSEE!" Cassie bounced around. Sam looked from her to the Colonel and then headed for the rollercoaster line. They both followed closely.
"Is 'adrenaline-junkie' Carter scared of rollercoasters?" She'd been kicking little rocks around in the dirt for the last ten minutes as they waited for their turn. He was definitely picking up on her weird energy.
"I just don't like them sir. I know how many G's that thing pulls and the whole thing gets taken apart and put back together every week. I look at them and I see all the potential… problems."
"I get it. But the math is with us on this one. And you know all about that, Carter." He paused, and bumped his shoulder against hers. "Don't lose sight of the good stuff."
Finally, they climbed into their seats. Sam sat in front with Cassie. The Colonel sat by himself just behind them. As they hit the top of the rise, she felt his hand squeeze her shoulder.
"Have a little faith Sam."
Sam knew he wasn't talking about the rollercoaster. Probably never had been. She smiled, closed her eyes, and reached for the sky.
Seeking Solace
Boots off, feet up, book hovering precariously in front of his face, Daniel was very pleasantly relaxed as he stretched out on Sam and Jack's couch to read. It had been a while since he'd been to their place, but when he was here, it always felt like home. Like he belonged. The team dynamic lived on.
Sam was threatening to disturb his peace though. She had started in the bedroom. Daniel could hear things clattering around up there. Soft thumps followed by the loud slamming of cupboard doors. Then thump thump thump thump thump… across the ceiling. She was heading for the stairs.
Then she was like a whirlwind sweeping into the lounge, blasting all the doors on the entertainment unit open, ripping CDs and DVDs out, and depositing them all over the floor. He groaned inwardly.
Jack came in from the kitchen, scanned the carnage, took one look at his wife who was up to her elbows in discs, and made a hasty retreat upstairs. Daniel knew the scene up there wasn't much better.
"Jack?!" Sam yelled.
Daniel winced. She was sitting right next to his head.
"Yes?" Jack shouted from the safety of the stairs as he slowly made his way back down.
"You don't happen to know where my Sarah McLachlan album is do you?"
"Who? What?" Jack was just inside the doorway now.
"Sarah McLachlan. The album's called Solace."
Daniel's eyes widened. Oops.
"Sorry. Never heard of it." Jack shrugged.
Sam huffed and went back to scrounging through the piles. Daniel tried to hide his reaction, ducking back behind his book, but he was sure Jack had spotted it. He stole another glance at Jack. Yep. He was still looking at him. His face was impassive, but his eyes danced dangerously.
Daniel was SO getting blackmailed.
It's Complicated
He's in love with her. She's in love with him.
Easy, right? It shouldn't be complicated at all. Shouldn't be.
But then there are gates to the stars. And there are wormholes.
And along with that there are aliens, and snakes that live in your HEAD and control your BRAIN!
An ex wife, a dead son, and a SOON to be ex fiancé. Oh, and that creepy ascended guy.
Secrets and conspiracies and secret organisations with hidden agendas who plot to keep them apart!
Bureaucrats and politicians (don't forget the sneaky senators!).
They've been copied and cloned and memory stamped too.
There was that time he was frozen in ice and then she went and got herself kidnapped by metal BUGS (and that's just one of the more recent 'adventures').
Then there are the rules and regulations and codes of conduct. Those are the worst of all because they both swore an oath and are true to their word.
So he's in love with her, and she's in love with him, but they have to leave it in the room, and neither one of them are actually OK with that.
Yeah... it's complicated.