Day 1
"Captain Carter, your sample containers."
Sam looked up from the tiny hole in the ground to the big alien and squinted though he was blocking most of the sun from her view. "Thanks, Teal'c. I thought I had plenty."
"It was no trouble," he assured her and then turned away to rejoin Colonel O'Neill doing whatever it was the two of them did while she and Daniel explored the planets they visited. She supposed they kept watch. From what, though, on this particular planet, she was unsure. The UAV had picked up little more than ruins, mountains, and trees.
Behind her she heard a watch alarm go off. "Time to reapply, kids," the colonel's voice rang out.
Sam shifted back onto her heels, lifted her hat out of the way and dragged a hand across her forehead. It was damned hot on the planet despite the storm clouds that were intermittently blocking out the sun. She left the sample containers on the ground where she was working and got up to join the colonel and Teal'c over by the FRED. Daniel, on the other hand, went on about his business as if Colonel O'Neill hadn't ever spoken.
"Daniel! Sunscreen. Now. Before you die a slow death from UV radiation poisoning."
"That's not exactly what would happen, Jack," Daniel called back, as he snapped another photograph of a piece of ruin. "Besides, Sam said we'd have to be exposed for, like, two months without the benefit of sunblock or shelter before we'd even begin to develop lesions."
"But it's a crappy way to go. So come put on your sunblock."
"In a minute," the archaeologist decided.
The colonel huffed as he handed Sam a container of SPF 50. "At least one of you still listens to me."
"I sort of have to," she pointed out with a smile.
"And not that it doesn't give me a little thrill," he said with a rakish grin that made her cheeks flush, "but I think I'd enjoy it more if he had to. Just to get a dig in."
"Yes, sir," she said, hiding her wide smile by ducking her head.
"How much longer do you need?" He asked her, producing a second tube of sunscreen and flipping open the cap. He began to apply the product to his own arms.
"For the samples? Not long, really. I'm more interested in getting my hands inside the DHD. The crystal technology never gets old, no matter how often I see it."
"Aren't they all put together the same?"
"Yes, sir," she verified.
"And you want to open this one up, too?"
"Yes, sir."
He just shook his head at her. "Okay. Just don't... dismantle it."
Her shoulders fell. She couldn't help it. She liked taking things apart. And she knew she could put it back together. "Yes, sir."
He sighed. "Okay, okay. Just don't dismantle it hard."
She beamed at him. "Yes, sir." As she smoothed the sunblock onto her arms she considered their exploratory mission on this planet. It had been an action packed few months, really, and this seemed like an SGC sanctioned vacation. Even if they had just gotten back from 1969... which was kind of a vacation in itself.
This planet was quiet. It had been devoid of the Goa'uld for at least a generation, Daniel supposed, based on the condition of the ruins, though the original buildings appeared to have been more hut-like than they'd seen out of any Goa'uld previously.
"The language appears to be some derivative of Inuit," Daniel proclaimed, as he joined the rest of the group at the FRED.
Sam squeezed a dollop of cream onto her fingertips and passed the tube to him. She slathered the stuff onto the back of her neck and then onto her cheeks and nose and chin.
"Like Eskimos?" the colonel asked.
"Yeah."
"It's not exactly cold here," the colonel pointed out.
"You don't think the people could have adapted in the hundreds or thousands of years they'd been on this planet?"
The colonel didn't seem to have an answer.
"Besides, unless they were Goa'ulded, how could anyone have survived the radiation?"
"I suppose people could have evolved to survive longer in the sunlight here, but I still don't think anyone could risk long-term exposure," Sam said.
"We've never known a Goa'uld not to have slaves," Daniel said.
"And clearly, if there were buildings, there were people."
"Perhaps they were nocturnal," Teal'c said.
Sam, Daniel and Colonel O'Neill went quiet. Then, "Yeah," the colonel said, nodding, "perhaps they were."
Just then a bolt of lightning ripped across the sky.
"Whoa," the colonel exclaimed.
Thunder boomed a few seconds later.
"The storm must be close," Sam noted.
"Let's get back to it and get done so we can pack it in before we get rained out."
"Great, holing up in tents through a storm. Sounds fantastic," Daniel mumbled.
"Better than being out in the storm," Sam said. "Besides, we can play cards or something."
"I've got stuff I can go over," he said offhandedly.
"Sure," she said idly, she'd just offered to get the sour look off his face. She'd rather shoot the shit with the colonel anyway. In the off moments on missions he'd get to telling stories of his earlier years in the field. His stories were ripe and ribald and never failed to make her chuckle.
"I'll play cards with you, Carter," the colonel offered, bumping her shoulder with his.
"Thanks, sir."
They all broke off in different directions as the storm threatened and the sky turned darker. Daniel went back to his ruins to take more pictures, Sam went back to finish collecting samples so she could get to the succumb to the more alluring pull of the DHD, and Teal'c and the colonel went to securing the FRED and the camp respectively.
She was just pulling the cover plate off the DHD when the first drop of rain splashed down on her forearm. "Damn it," she cursed lowly.
"Now now," she heard from just behind her, "it'll still be here tomorrow."
She looked over her shoulder to see the colonel looking down at her, his weight settled back over his heels, his hands folded over the top of his MP5. How long had he been standing there? She hadn't even heard him approach.
She slotted the cover plate back into place then spun in the dirt on her heels. He reached down a hand for her. She reached up and grasped his hand, palm to palm, and he hauled her to her feet. She was momentarily flummoxed by how close they were to one another and the tan-ness of his skin, the lines around his eyes, the flecks of gold in his irises that just caught the last rays of light struggling through the heavy storm clouds. She felt awareness flop around in her belly and she smacked it down. He wasn't a man, damn it, he was her commanding officer.
She was still casting around in his eyes for her better judgment when all hell broke loose. The skies opened up and rain poured down around them. Her t-shirt was instantly plastered to her body. He grabbed her upper arm and propelled her towards the tents.
She watched as Daniel and Teal'c dashed into the one farthest away as the colonel steered her towards the one closer by a few feet. He pushed her through the flap none too gently and was already zipping things up when she turned around. She could feel rivulets of water making their way down her neck into the back of her t-shirt and her trousers were sticking uncomfortably to her thighs. Her initial instinct was to take of her sopping wet clothes. And her dry things were right within reach. But... protocol said you didn't change in a mixed-sex tent. And honestly, with the moment she'd just had at the DHD, she realized exactly why such protocols were in place.
But apparently she must have looked as pathetic as she felt because even in the low light he said, "You look like a drowned rat."
"How is it you don't?"
"Because I'm rugged, Carter. Built for the inclements."
She snorted. "Right."
"I'll turn around, if you want to change."
"Maybe my shirt," she hedged.
"Whatever you like," he offered, and he sounded sincere, even presented her, immediately, with his back.
She dallied only a moment before lunging at her pack. She pulled out a fresh t-shirt and pair of trousers. If he was going to give her the time and space to change, she might as well take it. She hurriedly stripped out of her wet clothing sparing only a moment to appreciate standing behind him first topless, in a regulation sports bra, and then a moment later, in just a t-shirt in panties, letting her brain flit through the possibilities for a nano-second before reminding herself, yet again, that he wasn't a man. At least as far as she was concerned, he wasn't. Even if he looked like a damn fine specimen of a man with that hair finely greying at the temples and...
Nope, Sam, stop it.
"Done," she said as she buckled her belt back into place and he turned around. His eyes fell to her hands and it felt a little illicit but it wasn't like his eyes did anything, they just... looked... at the brass and her short nails.
"Better?"
"Much."
"Good."
He pulled his hat off and raked a hand through his hair. "There's a flashlight around here somewhere..."
"Oh!" She rummaged around near her pack and found the flashlight slash lantern and switched it on into lantern mode and watched the place light up. She could see the way, then, that his wet shirt clung to his chest and she thought, for a moment, that maybe they'd been better off in the near dark. She realized, idly, she must be getting ready to start her period. She was always a little lusty around about that time.
"We don't really need it..."
"The batteries'll last," she said with a shrug, "we might as well use it."
"Yeah. Besides, these old eyes don't focus as well in low light anymore."
She scoffed.
"Shooting for brownie points, Carter? I already said you could take the DHD apart. But I think it's going to have to wait until tomorrow."
"I think so, too. By the time the storm lets up it'll probably be getting dark. Maybe we should have just gone home early."
"Daniel'd have had a conniption fit if you'd have even suggested it," the colonel said with a wave.
"He does have more work to do on the ruins..."
"But you're done getting the samples?"
"Yes, sir."
"Then the General will be happy. Mission's a success as far as he's concerned."
"Do you ever think he gives out cakewalk missions sometimes when things have gotten a little..."
"Hairy?"
"Yeah."
The colonel shrugged. "He says no. But Hammond's a good guy. If one came up, he might just move things around so that the right team got it..."
"And you think we were the right team this time around?"
"Things haven't been bad..."
"They've just been pretty full out lately."
"Yeah."
"Yeah," she said with a soft sigh. "This is actually kind of nice."
He grinned at her. "That big ol' brain of yours needed a break?"
"Maybe."
"And yet you still want to take the DHD apart?" He asked, his grin widening.
"Yes, sir."
He laughed. "Okay." He leaned over and pulled a pack of cards out of his pack. "So, I ever tell you about the time Kawalsky and I ended up in Tijuana?"
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Day 2
Jack woke up the next morning to the sound of Carter's watch alarm going off in the seconds before his own joined in. She stirred next to him, a tangle of arms twisting around her head then arcing in a graceful stretch that pulled his eyes towards her chest. He rolled his eyes at himself. She was his captain, his second in command, she might have well have been Kawalsky for all his body should be concerned. But something deep in his belly tightened painfully as she arched her back into the stretch and pointed out, rather unhelpfully, that shedefinitely wasn't Kawalsky.
It had been two years and he'd adjusted to her just fine. He liked her. He trusted her. He just had these... moments... where in his body forgot that it wasn't allowed to appreciate her the way it apparently wanted to. And she was a very appreciable woman. Even if he was too old for her. Not that it mattered.
"Morning, Colonel," she mumbled, without even looking at him, apparently sure he'd awoken immediately to the sound of their alarms, just as she had.
"Morning, Carter."
"Think Daniel's got coffee made?"
"Why do you think I put him on last watch?" Jack asked. Truthfully, he put the civilian on last watch for two reasons: the younger man was always the first to fall out at night and he was the most in need of a solid stretch of sleep. Teal'c didn't sleep and he and Carter had been trained to take watches. The coffee thing was just a bonus.
Carter pushed herself up and out of her sleeping bag and reached for her boots, apparently intent on coffee. Once she had hers on, she reached for his and passed them over to him. It was a nice little gesture, a feminine one, one that made him smile at her, and that made her smile back. Just a quick flash of bright eyes and white teeth, and then she was scrambling out of the tent, probably unsure of why he'd smiled at her at all.
The truth was, he thought as he put on his boots, that he liked the way Carter made him feel. She laughed at his jokes, she smiled at him just right, if he squinted really, really hard, he might just think that she liked him. And it felt good to think that a woman so bright and beautiful might be interested. Oh, he knew it was wishful thinking. He knew she was just being friendly, but it still felt good so he let the little bit of fantasy play out. What it might be like to be the object of Carter's desire.
Besides, mostly they were too busy to dwell on that sort of crap anyway, so it wasn't like it really went anywhere. It was more passing fancy than anything else. A bit of harmless fun. And if it meant he sometimes checked her out when she wasn't looking, well, he knew how to not be a pig about it.
Jack made his way out of the tent and sure enough, Daniel had coffee made. And Carter handed him a cup as soon as he joined the rest of the group around the now pitiful excuse for a fire. Daniel could do a lot of things, but keep a fire going wasn't one of them.
Once they'd all had coffee and taken their latrine breaks, they broke camp and stowed their gear on the FRED. Daniel still had some exploring to do on the ruins and Carter wanted to get her hands inside the DHD – to do what he wasn't sure, she'd said they were all the same. Truthfully, though, he'd watch her take apart a toaster oven to get to see that look on her face of complete rapture. Like the universe was a wonder. And maybe the crystal technology really was that cool. Stuff like that was lost on him.
So for a few hours Daniel took photographs and catalogued things and Carter reverently took the DHD apart, dismantling it gently, per his instructions the day before, and then, after she'd run her fingers over every facet of crystal in a way that made his own body start to sing, she'd put the thing back together.
"You sure it's going to work?" he asked her.
She jumped, he'd snuck up on her. She spun on her heels in the dirt and looked up at him from her crouched position. "Yes, sir."
"Good because it looks like a storm is moving in."
She looked dubiously up at the sky. Storm clouds were, indeed, collecting.
He handed her a rain slicker, folded up neatly in a little square. "You might want this."
"Thanks, sir."
He waved her off as she shook the slicker out and put it on. They still had samples to stow on the FRED and a bit of work left to be done and she barely had the poncho on before raindrops started to fall.
"Good timing," she said.
He shrugged. He'd always had good timing. He lifted the hood of his own slicker into place and went to help Daniel secure the last of his things before water ruined them.
It took only minutes for the rain to turn into a deluge and for the winds to turn gale force. He watched as Carter shouldered her pack and made a dash for the DHD, ready to dial. She looked at him for direction and he made a dial it up motion in the air with his finger and she began slapping at the glyphs on the device.
Moments later the familiar kawoosh broke through the sound of the storm and Jack used the remote to maneuver the Fred through the gate and sent their supplies home. Around them, the storm was turning into a rager. Carter still stood at the DHD but Teal'c and Daniel – who was busy sending his IDC – were on the gate platform.
"Go! Go! Go!" His voice forced Carter into action and he saw her make her move from the DHD towards the gate.
Jack waved wildly for his team to hustle through the gate. The storm whipped his rain poncho around into his field of vision and he saw lightning come damnably close to striking the DHD. "Go!" he shouted again though his voice was probably lost to the howling wind.
Daniel first, then Teal'c disappeared through the gate. Just as Carter reached the top of the platform another bolt of lightning came down and made direct contact with the DHD. The gate seemed to surge and then blink out.
"Carter!"
"Sir!" she turned and shouted back but he wasn't sure if she'd heard him or if she was trying to get his attention.
He ran the rest of the way to the platform and looked up at her from the bottom of the steps. "Carter, the DHD was hit." He gestured towards it and it was, indeed, smoking and the pedestal casing had been blown apart.
She looked puzzled.
"Lightning."
Her mouth formed an 'o' and she nodded. A gust of wind blew rain into her face and she wiped her eyes. "I can fix it!"
"Negative, Captain. I just watched two lightning bolts play chicken with that DHD, you're not going in," he shouted back.
She looked at him helplessly as if she didn't know what to do if he wouldn't let her fix it.
"We need to find shelter until this storm passes."
"What about Daniel and Teal'c?"
"For now we'll have to assume they made it home safe," he said and gestured her down the steps.
"But, sir!"
"What do you expect to do, Carter?"
"Just let me try to dial it."
Frustrated, he waved her forward and watched vigilantly for more lightning as she tried, with little success, to dial their home coordinates.
"It won't dial home, sir!" she shouted over another particularly bad gust of wind.
"Shelter, Carter."
"Yes, sir!"
They made a run for the mountains they'd been camping at the base of for the last four days. He pointed out the cavern Daniel had found and discarded as not very interesting on the first day. He followed her in, dropped his pack, then dug around for a flashlight to shine around the cavern. Damn, but that rain had been cold.
Underneath his poncho his BDUs were wet. Those slickers were little good in winds as high as they'd just experienced.
"It's like a hurricane out there," Carter said as if she were reading his mind. "But according to the UAV mapping, we're nowhere near water."
"I don't care why it's storming. It's cold and wet. That's enough info for me."
She grinned at him, "Yes, sir."
Inside the cavern, without the wind, the temperature was almost comfortable and it didn't take long for his body heat to catch up with his sodden clothing. Carter wasn't quite as lucky and she shivered from time to time. "We can't build a fire in here," he told her, "no ventilation. But when the storm clears we'll see if we can find something else."
"I'm fine, sir. And when the storm clears I want to look at that DHD."
"It took a direct hit."
"It looked like it."
"But you think you can fix it?"
"I don't know, sir, we'll have to wait and see."
It rained well into darkness before clearing enough to leave things workable and first she'd tried working on the guts of the DHD by the light of his flashlight - which he pointed where she asked with absolutely zero grumbling for which he was rather proud of himself. In the low light, though, she had little luck.
They rolled out soggy bedrolls and camped overnight in the cavern.