Disclaimer: I don't own anything. I'm only using these characters for cheap therapy.
Title: Ignorance
Spoilers: 100 Days
It had been three months since he had felt that unmistakable chill that came with Gate travel. He had believed that he would never experience it again. He had resigned himself to the fact that he would never return home and that he would spend what was left of his life on Edora, with Laira. But now he was standing on the ramp in front of the Stargate, looking up towards where his Commanding Officer, General Hammond stood in the Control Room. Beside him, the three members of his team. SG1. People he thought he would never see again. Standing there he didn't know how to feel. He knew everyone at the SGC would expect him to be happy about being rescued but to him, it wasn't a rescue. To him it felt like he had been torn away from happiness, from a life that he had found meaning in, found hope and love. It wasn't that he didn't enjoy returning to the SGC and the people that were considered family to him. It was that a large part of himself had been left behind on Edora.
"Good to have you back Colonel. SG1 will debrief in one hour." Hammond ordered with a small smile that conveyed a sense of relief at his 2IC's return. He knew that finally Major Carter would allow herself to sleep now that he was back. Her behaviour had concerned the General greatly, not only had the world's foremost expert of the Stargate not slept in the past three months but he had the question in the back for his mind as to whether or not this was normal behaviour for a second-in-command. As he stepped down off the metal ramp, Jack felt someone one brush hurriedly by him. He watched as Sam led the way out of the Gate Room in silence. She hadn't said a word to him since he said goodbye to Laira back on the planet. Jack followed her down the hallway towards the elevator that would take the whole team first to the locker room and then to the infirmary.
"Nice to have you back Colonel." Janet greeted him as SG1 filed into the infirmary.
"Hey doc." Jack replied casually, knowing there was bound to be some very large needles with his name on it after having been off world for three months straight.
"Sam, Daniel, Teal'c, I'll just give you a quick check up but Colonel I'm going to have to do a few more tests the usual." The Chief Medical Officer explained. Her words were met with a muttered, "oh for cryin' out loud" from Jack.
"Sam, you first." Janet said, gesturing to the bed in the far corner of the room, trusting the men to find their own way to beds. Pulling the curtain around the bed, Janet noticed that Sam looked visibly upset.
"Hey, you all right?" She asked out of concern for her best friend. Sam nodded vehemently,
"Yeah, I'm fine." She insisted, her voice not injecting much confidence into the statement. Janet shook her head,
"He hasn't said anything has he?" She guessed at the reason her best friend was so upset. Sam looked up at Janet and sighed, shaking her head.
"No, he just ignored me completely and walked over to Laira. It's like he hates me for finding a way to for him to come home." She explained with a tinge of anger and sadness.
"You know that's not true." Janet replied softly, trying to comfort her.
"No, I don't know, that's the problem." Sam replied, rolling up her sleeve so Janet could take a blood sample. Janet shook her head, making a mental note to use as many of the big needles as possible on the Colonel for his selfishness and insensitivity.
Janet was finished with Daniel, Teal'c and Sam in half an hour and dismissed them to prepare for the de briefing, but Jack had to remain for extra tests. After what felt like Jack had sat on a porcupine, he watched as she pulled out another large needle with a clear liquid in the tube.
"Ow! Doc!" He exclaimed as he felt an unusually brutal jab into his buttocks. Janet smiled to herself, satisfied that he was feeling pain, even if it was nowhere near the amount Sam was feeling.
"Sorry Colonel." She replied with little sympathy. Jack pulled his belt closed and pulled his shirt down over the top.
"How many more needles do you have to jab into me before I can go?" He whined. Tying an elastic band around his right arm just above his elbow, Janet picked up the empty syringe on the trolley beside her.
"I just need to take a blood sample and then you can go." She maintained, not even getting the chance to tape a cotton ball over the injection point before Jack disappeared from sight.
"All of the Edorians returned safely home and are now preparing to rebuild they're village." Daniel confirmed.
"And we'll provide whatever is necessary to help them. Well seems like everything thing turned out for the best. And as of now SG1 is being put on a week's downtime, especially you Major Carter." Hammond ordered, looking over at a very exhausted Sam, who simply nodded in reply.
"Dismissed." He ended the briefing, before getting to his feet, the officers at the table following him out of habit and respect. Jack looked over at Sam in concern, wanting to know what the General meant by mentioning her name particularly. But she had vanished from the room before he could even blink. Jack stopped Daniel just before he reached the Briefing Room door.
"Hey, do you know what happened to Carter?" He asked.
"Besides the fact that she hasn't slept for more than half an hour since you've been gone? She's probably upset by the fact you totally ignored her and walked away from her when she was in mid-sentence to say goodbye to Laira. Or it might be the fact that you didn't even thank her for finding a way for you to come back home. Or… I could be completely wrong." Daniel described, walking away from Jack to give him the chance to think over what he had just heard. Jack stood in the middle of the briefing room, slowly processing the information.
Did she really not sleep? Why? He had really been so ignorant of her? Jack asked himself, replaying the events in his mind. Jogging from the briefing room, Jack caught the elevator down to Janet's office. He knocked on the door, opening it to see the doctor sitting at her desk doing paperwork.
"Hey doc, can I ask you something?" Jack said, taking a step inside. Janet looked up from the report.
"Sure." She agreed, placing her pen down over her report to listen to what he had to say. Jack shoved his hands in his pockets nervously,
"Has Carter said anything about what happened on Edora before I came back?" He asked carefully, not knowing what, if any, information Sam's best friend would give him. Janet sighed, thinking it was about time that he woke up to reality.
"Well she believes you hate her for opening the Stargate on Edora." She replied frankly. Jack's eyebrows raised in surprise, his mouth dropping open slightly.
"I don't hate her, why would she think that?" He asked in disbelief.
"Because you ignored her completely while she was there instead of listening to her and thanking her for working so hard to find you a way back to Earth." Janet described, watching his face fell at the internal realisation of his actions.
"Ah crap." Jack muttered under his breath, realising how big of an ass he had been to her. Janet nodded in agreement with his comment,
"Yeah, I suggest you go now and make up for it while you still can." She replied, gesturing towards the door.
"Hey Carter." Jack greeted her as he entered the Astrophysics Lab, Sam's home away from home.
"What can I do for you sir?" Sam asked without looking up from her work, not wanting to meet his eyes.
"Oh nothing…" He replied, realising how foolish he was acting. The room was soon filled with an eerie silence, neither person knowing what to say.
"So, did ya miss me?" He asked cheerfully in an attempt to start a conversation between them. Sam closed her eyes,
More than you could ever know. She thought to herself before opening her eyes once again.
"Of course sir." She replied, still not looking up to face him.
"Well I just wanted to thank you for all the work you did to help unbury the Stargate back on the planet." Jack said, hoping to break through the barrier she had put between them.
"You're welcome sir." Sam replied dispassionately. Jack walked over to the lab bench and watched her for a few moments as she fiddled with the wires on the reactor.
"Carter?" He said enquiringly, knowing there was something else she wasn't telling him.
"Yes sir." She replied automatically.
"You don't believe me, do you?" Jack surmised, folding his arms across his chest. Sam dropped her screwdriver in frustration, she had hoped he would not push the issue.
"No sir, I don't." She replied, finally looking up from her work.
"Why?" He asked in equal frustration.
"Permission to speak freely sir." Jack shrugged his shoulders,
"When have you not." He replied jokingly in an attempt to lighten the mood. Sam took a deep breath to gather the courage to say what she had wanted to say since they had returned.
"Because when we arrived on the planet after the Stargate was unburied, you were only concerned with the people of Edora, especially Laira. I could tell you were considering not returning." She recalled, her voice was full of pain and resentment as she desperately fought to stop the tears that were forming in her eyes. Jack winced slightly at the pain in heard in her voice, feeling guilty at not realising how much of an effect his actions had had on her.
"I'll be honest with you, I was thinking of not coming back. I had spent three months on that planet, thinking that it was where I was going to spend the rest of my days. It had become my home. But when I saw my team and remembered all the missions and good times we've shared I couldn't turn my back on that. I know I would've missed it too much. The fire fights with the Goa'uld, Daniel getting excited over one of his rocks, Teal'c's strange sense of humour. Not to mention your thoroughly entertaining and highly stimulating briefings." He joked, rewarded by a small smile that Sam couldn't prevent from appearing on her face.
"And one particular thing I would've missed most." Jack began.
"What's that sir?" Sam asked curiously.
You. Jack said to himself, knowing he couldn't say it out loud.
"Coming in here. Interrupting you when you're working and breaking all your little doohickeys." He replied, gesturing towards the experiment that sat in front of her. Sam smiled again, looking down at the object and then at him once again.
"But hey, to show how grateful I am, I'm planning a team outing. Ice skating. Should be fun." Jack suggested, rubbing his hands together in anticipation.
"I'd love to sir, but I have a lot of work to catch up on." She replied, referring about the piles of papers that covered nearly every surface of her lab. After all the only thing she had been working for the last three months was the partial beam accelerator. Jack waved her off,
"It'll be here when you get back. Once in a lifetime invitation. Who wouldn't want to miss watching Daniel and Teal'c learning how to skate? Cause you know Daniel's butt will meet the ice at least a dozen times before the end of the night." He guessed, hearing her stifle a laugh. Jack watched as Sam was trying to make a decision, her facial expressions lent towards work rather than fun.
"Come on… Do I have to make it my first official order since I've been back?" He threatened light-heartedly. Sam shook her head; he always played the "order" card with her.
"Okay, count me in." She resigned. Jack's smiled grew wider,
"Great. I'll pick you up at your place at 6?"
"Sure." Sam agreed.
"Good, remember to dress warm." Jack added as he left her lab.
"Okay, the trick to ice skating is to keep your balance at all times." Jack began his tutorial for Daniel and Teal'c's benefit. SG1 were all standing around the outside edge of the rink, preferring to start on solid ground. Teal'c and Daniel, decked out in full winter clothing, looked at each other totally lost. This non-verbal exchange did not go unnoticed by Jack.
"Just watch." He insisted, stepping through the entrance onto the ice. The whole complex was deserted except for them, something Sam had been suspicious of from the beginning.
"Just have your legs shoulder width apart." Jack instructed, standing still on the ice. Daniel and Teal'c nodded in co-operation.
"Okay, that's the hard part over. Now all that's left is moving on the ice. Allow me to demonstrate." He offered, taking off down the ice at a fast pace, rounding the corner at the bottom and skating expertly back towards them. He stopped just in front of the rest of the team, a sheet of thin ice flying from his skates.
"Piece of cake." He declared.
"Carter, how about you show them how it's done." He indicated over the rink, already knowing she had skated before. Shrugging her shoulders, Sam stepped out onto the ice and pushed off. However instead of heading round the circumference of the ice, Sam crossed over the middle. After gaining considerable speed when she reached about three quarters of the way across the ice she quickly whipped her body around and skated backwards, rounding the corner and heading back into the middle to complete a figure eight. Again, just before reaching the end of the ice, she turned around and took the corner backwards, before circling around once more and skidding to a halt just beside Jack. When she looked up at her teammates she saw they were all in awe, staring at her as if she was from one of the planets they visited.
"Whoa, Carter." Jack exclaimed, blown away by her brief display.
"Where did you learn to do that?" Daniel asked in a daze.
"I had some lessons when I was young." She explained, unable to remove the excited and proud smile from her face. She was especially happy to see Jack's reaction. As must as she cared to deny it, she had been intentionally trying to impress him. Needless to say, it had worked.
"O'Neill, I am afraid I will not be able to do what Major Carter just demonstrated." Teal'c said seriously. Jack looked over at her with a smile on his face.
"You don't have to Teal'c. That was extraordinary." He replied to Teal'c's enquiry but still looking at Sam. She blushed at his compliment, ducking her head to study the ice on her skates. Daniel caught a glimpse of the silent exchange between Jack and Sam and couldn't help but smile.
Glad to see everything's back to normal. He thought to himself sheepishly, before stepping over to the entrance onto the ice at his first attempt at ice-skating. Jack and Sam instantly appeared on either side of him just in case he slipped over. Stepping out onto the slippery surface, Daniel wobbled slightly but managed to keep his balance, breathing a sigh of relief.
"Okay your turn Teal'c." Jack coaxed his Jaffa friend. Receiving a characteristic Teal'c eyebrow raise, Jack watched as the big man of SG1 stepped out on to the ice. But as soon as he placed his two feet on the ground his skates slide forward out from under him causing him to fall backwards onto the ice. Both Jack and Sam's first reaction was to burst out laughing before skating over to help their friend to his feet.
"I do not see what is humorous O'Neill." Teal'c stated, a distinct frown covering his face. They were now all on their feet standing on the ice, arms linked. Sam on the far left, then Daniel, Teal'c and Jack on the other end. Sam and Jack purposely placed themselves on the outside to guide their friends along the ice.
"Okay, so first what we are going to do is Carter and I are going to just drag you guys along, just get a feel for what it's like. All you two have to do is keep your feet straight and go along with us." Jack instructed them before giving Sam the nod to take off. As they glided along Jack continued to yell out instructions,
"Watch mine and Carter's skates. You push outwards and then pick up your feet and bring it back in shoulder width apart and push outwards again." After a few laps of the rink, they stopped at the entrance once more to begin the individual skating lessons.
"Okay Dannyboy, you're up." Jack decided, waving over the ice as if to introduce it to Daniel as his personal stage.
"Ah, I think Teal'c should go first." Daniel replied quickly. Jack shook his head at Daniel, a frown covered his face.
"Daniel." He said in a warning tone.
"Alright, alright." Daniel gave in, taking a deep breath before pushing off the side of the rink. He glided along slowly, staring intently at his skates as he concentrated on the movement of his feet. The only problem was that he was concentrating so hard on his feet that he didn't realise that the edge of the rink was coming at him until he was only half a metre away from it. Looking up, Daniel tried in vain to slow himself down by waving his arms wildly in the air but all it did was send him off balance and cause him to slip over and land butt first on the ice. Jack and Sam looked over at each other, each having to contain their laughter.
"Oops, guess I should have taught him how to turn." Jack murmured guiltily.
"Sorry Spacemonkey!" Jack yelled to Daniel.
"Don't call me Spacemonkey!" Daniel called back as he crawled over to the wall, angry at Jack's use of his nickname. Sam took off down the ice and help Daniel to his feet. After a few more group lessons in skating and turning corners they were all soon skating on their own, all be it slightly wobbly for Teal'c and Daniel.
"Hey Sam, remember any more figure skating moves?" Daniel asked as he and Teal'c lagged behind Jack and Sam. Jack looked over at her with a curious grin, Sam catching his eye as they came to a stop at the side of the rink. Daniel soon followed, puffing ever so slightly and then Teal'c who was still confused by the whole concept of ice-skating.
"What is the point of this exercise O'Neill?" Teal'c asked Jack, who had taken a seat on top of the wall.
"It's fun Teal'c, what can I say?" He replied, receiving a confused raised eyebrow in return.
"So I believe we were on the topic of Carter and her figure skating ability?" Jack prompted them, diverting their attention to a more exciting topic. Sam glared at him; she had hoped Daniel would forget all about it.
"Yeah, come on Sam." Daniel persisted. Sam sighed in resignation, skating into the middle of the rink and stopping briefly to say a prayer that she wouldn't fall flat on her butt and embarrass herself beyond belief. Especially in front of Jack. Taking off from the wall Sam skated a small circle around the very centre of the rink, mentally calculating the space she would need for her manoeuvre. After circling the centre, picking up speed as she went, Sam began to make the circle progressively smaller. When she reached the right circumference, Sam raised her leg out from behind her, skating on her right foot only before she began to rotate slowly on the spot. Bringing her leg back in close to her body, Sam began to spin faster, the faces of her friends becoming blurred. After a few seconds, she could feel herself slowing down. As she slowed Sam dropped her left skate on the ice behind her, her turning slowed down before she brought herself to a complete stop. She looked over at her friends and could see Daniel clapping. Teal'c had one of his rare smiles on his face and Jack was just staring out at her with an impressed but stunned expression on his face. Sam skated back over to them,
"That was most impressive Major Carter." Teal'c complimented her.
"Yeah, impressive." Jack replied dazed. Sam smiled, blushing involuntarily.
"Thank you Teal'c." She replied gratefully, all three of them turning to look at Jack, who eventually jumped from his Stare-At-Sam daydream.
"Anyone up for some hot chocolate?" He asked hurriedly. Daniel nodded vehemently,
"Coffee would be good." He commented. Jack shook his head,
"Nope sorry Daniel, I made sure they were completely out of coffee before we came." Jack told him with an evil smile.
"Damn you Jack." Daniel murmured to himself. Jack looked over at him suspiciously,
"I'm sorry what was that Daniel?"
"Nothing, hot chocolate sounds good." Daniel replied taking off towards the rink exit.
It was quite a bit warmer in the café then it had been on the ice. They had all peeled of their thick jackets and beanies and scarfs, except for Teal'c of course whose beanie remained to cover the emblem on his forehead. They sat in a booth, Sam and Jack on one side, which wasn't a coincidence at least in Jack's eyes, and Teal'c and Daniel on the other. A young woman with curly red hair and fair complexion walked over to their table, greeting them with a smile.
"Hi, what can I get for you?" She asked politely.
"Four hot chocolates with marshmallows." Jack ordered. The woman looked around the table at the other three people and they all nodded in confirmation.
"Okay, they'll be ready for you in a few minutes." She replied before heading off towards the kitchen. Jack leant back his chair with a satisfied smile on his face, it had been a great night.
"Jack, did you hire this whole place out for the night?" Daniel asked as he attempted to warm his nose with his hands. Jack nodded,
"Yep."
"How did you get them to do it on such short notice sir?" Sam asked, knowing Jack had only planned for them to go ice-skating that afternoon.
"I just happened to mention that I was an Air Force Officer and I just happened to mention that I know the President. They were more then happy to let us have it for the evening." Jack explained coyly, ignoring the indignant stares he was getting from Sam and Daniel.
"But there is something else that we have to do tonight." He said, before digging into his bag and pulling out a digital camera. Sam and Daniel groaned,
"Hey! When I was stuck on that planet I didn't have anything to remember you guys by. And we all know I'm getting old and my memory's going on me. So tonight I want to get pictures." Jack argued stubbornly. He looked over at Sam and Daniel and they eventually nodded in agreement.
"Good."
Soon after the waitress returned with a tray of steaming hot mugs. Placing it down on the table, she passed them out to each person.
"Excuse me, would you mind taking a photo of us?" Jack asked courteously.
"Sure." The woman replied, taking the digital camera from Jack and taking a few steps backwards to get everyone in the picture. Jack and Daniel leaned in over the table so their heads could be seen in the shot.
"Say "spacemonkey"!" Jack exclaimed, seconds later the flash went off and the waitress handed the camera back to Jack. Flicking through the memory Jack found the picture and couldn't help but smile. Both he and Sam were smiling, Teal'c had his stoic expression but Daniel had turned his head towards Jack because of the "spacemonkey" comment and the waitress had captured his angered expression in all its glory. Sam leaned over his shoulder for a look and stifled a giggle when she saw Daniel's face.
"That's definitely your good side Daniel." She commented, hiding her smile behind the mug of hot chocolate that had been placed in front of her. Daniel frowned in reply and tried to snatch the camera away from Jack to get a look at the photo, but Jack was too quick for him.
"Yeah, that's definitely a keeper." Jack added, purposely teasing Daniel.
"How about I get a photo of the CO and 2IC of SG1 together again?" Daniel suggested, wanting to divert away from his particularly bad photo op. Jack and Sam looked at each other; unsure whether or not it was a good idea.
"Sure." Jack replied, making the decision for the both of them, handing over the camera. Jack shifted left, closer towards Sam and stretched his arm over the back of where she was sitting. Sam moved slightly to the right, resting her hands on the top of her legs. As she waited for Daniel to take the photo, Sam jumped slightly as she felt Jack's hand rest on hers under the table. Keeping her eyes on the camera to avoid Daniel or Teal'c becoming suspicious, Sam turned her hand over in his, squeezing his hand in a silent reply.
The cute couple. Daniel thought to himself mischievously as he took the photo. He waited for a few seconds to see how it turned out and couldn't help but smile.
They look good together. He handed the camera back to Jack, who couldn't resist the urge to take a peek at the photo himself. It was even more personal and special to him because he knew something that Daniel didn't.
More happy snaps were taken, more hot chocolate was drunk, and there was more ice-skating to be had that night. The team finally left the rink at 10 pm. Jack drove everyone home, dropping Daniel and Teal'c off first at Daniel's apartment for their sleepover and then headed straight to Sam's house. As he pulled up to the curb outside her house, Jack watched as Sam got out of the car and reach for the back door to get her skates from the back seat. Pulling a note from his jacket pocket, he slipped it quickly into her skates, making sure she didn't see him. Driving along the quiet roads of Colorado Springs, Jack smiled to himself as he imagined her reading the note.
Once inside her house, Sam peeled off her thick jacket and hung it on the coat rack beside the front door. Walking over to her closet, Sam dropped her skates to the floor for storage when a white flash dropping from her skates caught her eye. Bending down Sam picked up a small piece of paper, confused at to how it would have gotten there. She opened the note carefully, recognising the message was in Jack's handwriting.
You wanted to know the reason why I came back.
It was you. I couldn't imagine never seeing that beautiful smile of yours again.
Jack
P.S. I heard about you hardly sleeping the whole time I was gone…
You know you wouldn't have been able to get away with it if I wasn't off world.
Sam smiled to herself,
"That's all I wanted to hear."
One week later…
Jack stood in the Gateroom at the base of the ramp, ready for SG1's mission to P9W 482. In his hands he held two of the photos he had taken from the night they went ice-skating. Looking at the photo of him and Sam always made him smile, remembering back to that moment when she squeezed his hand under the table. A secret moment they were able to share, without the prying eyes of the military critiquing their every move. The sound of the Gate Room door opening interrupted Jack's daydream and he looked up to see the object of his thoughts walking towards him.
"Teal'c and Daniel should be here soon, Teal'c's just helping some equipment Daniel wants to take." Sam reported, seeing Jack had his wallet open and was looking at something inside.
"What are you looking at sir?" She asked curiously. Jack tilted his wallet towards her to let Sam see the picture. Sam smiled and blushed when she saw the photo. Her memory going back to what had happened under the table in the café and the note she had gotten from Jack. She had put it in her jewellery box that night for safe keeping. Looking up at Jack, their eyes met for a brief moment, long enough for Sam to receive Jack's message loud and clear,
"I missed you."
"Hey guys, what are you looking at?" Daniel asked curiously as he dropped the mountain of equipment he was carrying on the ground. Jack quickly swapped over the photos, replacing the one of them with the group shot.
"Just the team photo that was taken at the ice skating rink." Sam replied. Daniel frowned,
"I thought you said that you were going to delete that shot." He pointed out angrily.
"I was going to, but then it's just such a nice photo that I didn't have the heart to do it." Jack replied with a sly smile on his face as Teal'c joined the rest of his teammates.
"Chevron 7 locked!" The Lieutenant declared. Jack, Sam, Daniel and Teal'c turned to see the event horizon explode from the centre of the gate and snap back to form the shimmering blue event horizon.
"SG1, you have a go." General Hammond said from the control room. As if they could read each other's mind, all four of them stepped up onto the ramp in unison. Jack looked over at Daniel, who still had a sulky pout on his face.
"Don't worry Danny. It's not as if the whole base is going to see the photo." Jack comforted his friend with a friendly slap on the back, throwing a wink at Sam, before stepping through the event horizon.
MEANWHILE ON SUB LEVEL 16…
Major David was at his computer writing his latest mission report when he received an email. Leaving his report, David clicked on his mailbox and opened the email. It took several seconds for the picture to load but when it did David couldn't help but burst out laughing.
"Hey, Jones!" He called out to his teammate in the next room. Jones walked into the room,
"What's up?"
"Have you seen this picture of Doctor Jackson?" Pointing to the screen where there was an image of the rather angry archaeologist. Jones looked over David shoulder and grinned,
"Well judging by the long list of address in the TO section, it's been sent to every person on this base."
~Fin
Well there's a little ditty that I felt I needed to write after 100 Days.
SORRY! But the writer's disease struck me again! 11 pages!
Hope you enjoyed it.
As always, my Golden Rule of Fan Fiction
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O'NeillRoxMyWorld
P.S. If they bring Laira back into the series I will personally shoot Jonathan Glassner and all the other producers, writers and directors except for Richard Dean Anderson, because he's too much of a legend. Anyone agree with me?
P.P.S Oh my gosh, has anyone noticed that in "Without a Trace" the "main couple" is also named Jack and Sam? Bloody copycats.