Apparently they only belong to me in my head. Otherwise they belong to Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions and Gekko Productions. I do this for fun but what fun it is!

This came about because in Lost City 1 when Carter turns up at O'Neill's house saying she couldn't sleep, he said "you should have called". And that got me thinking. Is that what usually happened?

Chapter 1 – First time

It was 0115 and O'Neill wandered aimlessly through the corridors of the SGC. SG-9 were now 26 hours overdue and the niggling seeds of doubt that had been lying dormant since they had completed their last mission were now in full flower. It was always tough bringing a new team together, especially given the circumstances that meant a new SG-9 needed to be formed. The only surviving team member, Connor was now working with SG-6 – the new SG-9 members were awkward around him. Desperately wanting to be proud of their team, they were only too aware of the failure of the former team and it's insane commander.

O'Neill had trained the new team, hand picking the members and did his best to weld them into a fighting unit. He had believed that the completion of the last two highly successful missions had erased any doubts he may have had about their effectiveness as a unit. The moment that the team was reported overdue, all the ugly scenarios he had imagined sprang to mind again. He was worried, and there was no way he would be able to get the sleep his body craved. And so he walked the halls of the SGC, looking for distraction.

He thought he was headed for the commissary, but found his feet had brought him to Carters lab instead. As he rounded the last corner he was surprised to see a light shining through the open door. He stood and watched silently for a few minutes. He was always amazed that she could lose herself so completely in her work while on base. When in the field he could never have made it any where near this close with out her noticing. There her senses were as finely tuned, as any good recon soldier's should be. Here she was the ultimate science nerd.

O'Neill moved into the room until he was only a couple of feet behind her.

"Whatchadoin'?"

The slight jump was the only sign she gave that he'd surprised her. The self-satisfied smirk was quickly wiped from his face as she turned to face him.

"I'm studying the artifact that SG-5 brought back from P7X-237 last week – I think it may be some kind of power source, but I can't work out what for. You see sir, the composition of the energy crystals is…."

"Arrhh! I meant, Captain, it's the middle of the night – who works at this time when they don't have to?"

Her head dipped, and a self-deprecating grin flitted across her face.

"Me, sir. I couldn't sleep – kept thinking about SG-9. I thought this was a good way to stop going over and over all the things that could have gone wrong with the mission. It usually works for me, but I'm having trouble focusing tonight."

O'Neill looked at her – it had not occurred to him that Carter would be worried enough about the other SG teams that she would need to work to distract herself. He always assumed that her work distracted her so much that she did not notice when these crises happened. They'd been working together for six months now, and everyday there was something new.

He realised that she had spoken.

"Huh?"

"What about you sir? Why are you prowling the halls at this time?"

"Same reason. Planning a rescue mission while trying to convince myself that they've been trapped by a freak snow storm that will clear in a couple of hours and be followed by a clear spell that will last long enough for them to get back to the gate."

"Sir, the gate at P3X 897 is located in a tropical zone"

"Glass half empty there Captain…I did mention 'freak' snowstorm, didn't I?"

He was rewarded with a grin. O'Neill couldn't remember when it happened that he had made it his life's work to make that grin appear. He bounced on his heels a little.

"So, wanna help me plan this not necessary rescue mission, or run through all the cataclysmic scenario's that SG-9 may have encountered - we could go and eat cake while we do so?"

"Sure, why not". Carter gave an exasperated glance at the crystal array before her. "I'm not going to be figuring this thing out in a hurry anyhow." She pushed back her chair and O'Neill could sense her focus shift to the new problem – knowing that her mind had not entirely left the crystals – just moved that problem to another corner where her brain could continue to work interrupted while they discussed the different situations that SG-9 may have got themselves into.

By the time they reached the commissary they had already theorised on a number of different scenarios. Sitting down at a free table, the cake was forgotten as O'Neill reached for a napkin and started to sketch out a rough map of the area around the gate that SG-9 had travelled to. Other people moved in and out of the commissary during the night – janitors, late shift personnel looking for snacks, the waiting infirmary staff taking short breaks. There was a palpable tension in the air but the two officers at the table seemed unaware as they lost themselves in a session of "what if's" and "why don't we's".

Finally the sound they had been unconsciously listening for – the harsh klaxon and tannoy announcement of an unauthorised offworld activation. They reached the gate room in time to see all four members of SG-9 make their brief report to General Hammond – the monsoon season had hit P3X 897 and flooding had cut them off, resulting in a long and circuitous route back to the gate. No Goa'uld raid, alien infections or hostile indigenous life – no need for a rescue mission and no cause for concern. O'Neill realised his earlier doubts were long gone. Sometime in the hours he and Carter had spent discussing all the possibilities for disaster he had convinced himself that what ever had happened to delay the team that it would not have been a result of any lack of cohesion within the group.

He looked speculatively at her as they moved out of the gateroom. She was starting to look sleepy and he realised that like him, she was losing the nervous energy that had kept them awake during their vigil. They were due to leave on a mission late that afternoon and he needed her rested.

"Carter!" She swung back towards him. "Get some rest – do not go back to your lab, the energy source can wait till we get back, that's an order" She dipped her head in acknowledgement after a startled look at her watch. "And, thanks, for helping out, you know, with planning that stuff.. I know we didn't need it in the end, but it helped."

"Sure sir, any time – it helped me too. I think I may have come up with the solution to the crystal array while we talked. I'll see you in the ready room at 1600."

It was a different grin that came with that – the one he called the "wow" grin, the one that happened when some one praised or thanked her. He liked to think it was a little bit different when it was directed at him. He called a cheery 'Catchyalater" over his shoulder as he sauntered off and contemplated the various ways to interpret "any time".

But wait, there's more..