In the Heat of Anger

By Karibou

Rating: M

Disclaimer: Sweaty, naked heroes do not belong to me. If they did, they'd be sweaty and naked on TV every week.

Classifications: Officially? Romance/humor. Unofficially? Cheap smut.

Seasons/Spoilers: Anything after Vala's addition to SG-1, perhaps late season 9/early season 10.

Summary: Sometimes things said in the heat of anger lead to unintended consequences.

A/N: This story actually has a second half, but it's just too far into NC-17 territory for me to responsibly label as "mature" and post on this site. Thus, the remaining (cheap smut) portion of the story is posted at h t t p/ sjalways-forever DOT jackandsamforever DOT net. Or, you can get the link from my homepage (glowingpuddle DOT com.) However, if cheap smut isn't your thing, the significantly less-steamy version of this story is perfectly understandable and complete in its current format here!

Pacing the spacious length of the reception hall, Jack speared another dark glare at his watch. Two hours, forty minutes, and at least thirty seconds had passed since anyone had seen his former second-in-command's lovely face. Squelching a wave of anxiety at her absence, he focused on the anger which was brewing in his gut. If and when he did get hold of her again, he was going to wring her gorgeous little neck.

Sweeping his gaze across the marble chamber, he peered first down the darkened corridor which led back to the sleeping chambers reserved for SGC guests. Then, more carefully, he focused his attention out the large marble archway which led into the rest of the palace. No sight of Carter – though the rest of the view was breathtaking.

His mission here was supposed to be simple. Accompany SG-1 and sign off on the trade agreement reached between Earth and the people of Klytharia. As the official Pentagon spokesperson, his presence was supposed to be merely a formality, with the real work being done by Daniel and Colonel Mitchell. However, shortly after arriving this afternoon, the team had split up for points unknown while waiting for the next day's summit, and Sam had gone MIA.

If he was being honest with himself, he wasn't as concerned with her safety as he was with… well, with her escort. It just had to be a young, ridiculously good-looking nobleman who'd been asked to show SG-1 the city. Jack cursed himself inwardly as a picture of Sam and Aldren – their guide – flickered through his head. Naturally, the young man had been thoroughly smitten with Sam, offering her a tour of the city.

Hell, he thought darkly, who wasn't smitten with Carter?

Sighing with annoyed concern, he glared accusingly at the empty doorway. Mitchell had been nice enough to hang around after dropping the bombshell that he'd seen Sam parading through the city nearly three hours earlier – with Aldren in tow, of course. Jack really didn't want to be bitter and apprehensive about Sam's whereabouts, but there was simply a large part of himself which didn't understand why she wasn't with him. After all, it had been many, many months since they'd been removed from the same, direct line-of-command. Why the hell hadn't he broached the topic with her before now? Mentally kicking himself, Jack knew he'd never get past it if she found another Pete-like character to fill the shoes that he should be occupying.

Another bitter gust of breath whooshed from his lungs in disgust.

"With all due respect, sir, don't you think you might be overreacting a bit? There's really no reason to think these people are anything less than friendly." Cameron's voice reflected the hesitance he felt in offering his opinion to a two-star general.

Jack felt his jaw crack with tension as he gritted his teeth. "Yeah." He snorted. "Friendly." Maybe a little too friendly. Especially that Aldren.

Especially where Sam was concerned.

Cameron, clearly confused by Jack's dark glower, stood silently for a moment. "Is there something you're not telling us? Some reason we should be worried?"

Snapping back to the present, Jack realized his personal crisis could be very close to putting their diplomatic mission in real danger. Sighing, he waved a hand absently. "No. It's just not like Carter to run off without telling anyone where she is." He flicked a glance at the other officer. "I would assume that she usually keeps you informed of her whereabouts while off-world?"

Mitchell seemed taken aback by the question. "Of course, sir." He sure as hell didn't want a Major General in the US Air Force thinking poorly of his command ability. "Though, we are a little more relaxed when in friendly company. I'm sure Sam would have checked in if she thought she'd be doing anything dangerous."

The emotional, hot-headed part of Jack's brain wanted to chew the subordinate officer out for sloppy leadership habits and breach of official protocol. However, the more rational part of him realized that he'd taken much the same approach when he'd headed SG-1. Nodding, he let the explanation stand.

When the sound of footsteps sounded in the marble hallway, Jack's eyes immediately flew to the arched entrance, hoping to see a familiar blond head appear inside. Much to his disappointment, the doorway revealed only Daniel and Teal'c.

The look on his face must have been telling, as Daniel stopped immediately upon entering the room and glanced back and forth between the two officers. "Something wrong?" he asked quietly.

Cameron gave his superior a moment to answer, but when it became clear that Jack was opting to remain silent, he cleared his throat and tried to be diplomatic. "General O'Neill is just a little concerned because Colonel Carter hasn't been seen in a few hours." He shrugged. "I thought she was probably just out getting to know the city better, but I suppose the General has been in more situations like this, and has plenty of experience on which to base his concern." His explanation sounded a bit contrived, even to his own ears. But, he couldn't very well say that he thought the other man was acting like a lunatic.

Daniel, however, apparently had no trouble reading between the lines. Turning to his long-time friend, he smirked dryly. "Jack? Any reason to be worried?"

Hating the knowing glint in the archaeologist's eye, he found himself growing increasingly defensive. "Aside from the fact that she hasn't been heard from in hours?" As soon as the words left his mouth, he felt his gut clench with anxiety yet again. Why the hell didn't that fact worry anyone besides him?

Teal'c raised an eyebrow. "But, O'Neill… Daniel Jackson and I were similarly out-of-contact. And yet you did not seem concerned about our condition."

Daniel smothered a grin as Jack leveled a malevolent glare at the Jaffa.

Cameron inched closer Daniel and leaned forward to whisper from the corner of his mouth. "Is there something going on here that I should be aware of?"

Glancing at Jack to be sure he was preoccupied enough to miss the conversation, Daniel's lips twitched. "You might say Jack is a little touchy when it comes to Sam," he whispered back.

Cam's eyebrows shot up. Glad that the general had turned his back on the room in apparent disdain, Cameron processed the unspoken meaning to Daniel's words very carefully. "Touchy how?" Heaven knew, he didn't want to make any unwarranted assumptions about the man who could make or break his career.

Daniel's eyes twinkled. "Well, ever since he and Sam have been removed from the same line of command, I think he's been a little, ah, preoccupied around her."

Not quite sure whether the archaeologist was pulling his leg or not, Cam glanced at Teal'c to see if he was following the exchange. Sure enough, the Jaffa was regarding him with a sage half-smile, seeming to confirm Daniel's explanation. Cameron was stunned. "Do you mean to say that…" he stopped, lowering his voice to the barest whisper, "General O'Neill and Colonel Carter are an item?"

Teal'c and Daniel exchanged knowing looks. It was Daniel who replied. "Not exactly." He smiled meaningfully. "But I'll eat my entire collection of Latin manuscripts if they aren't both wishing they were." Rolling his eyes, the archaeologist glanced at Teal'c again, this time with a long-suffering expression. "We really thought they'd have gotten it together by now."

To say Mitchell was surprised by the revelation was something of an understatement. "But…" he looked at the tense shoulders of his superior, seeing the man's anxiety in a whole new light. Suddenly, he turned back to Daniel. "How long has this been going on?"

To everyone's surprise, Teal'c answered the question before Daniel had a chance. "O'Neill and Colonel Carter have always behaved with the utmost honor," he whispered gravely. "They have tirelessly upheld the regulations imposed by your military, sometimes at great personal cost." At that, he and Daniel shared a somber look. Both men knew what had transpired nearly six years ago in the presence of Anise and her zatarc machine. Teal'c's voice was full of respect as he continued. "But none of us had any doubt that, were circumstances different, the relationship between them would be significantly more intimate."

Daniel smiled faintly. "In the two other realities we contacted through the quantum mirror, Sam was engaged to Jack in one, and married to him in another."

Mitchell looked flabbergasted. "Well, that wasn't in the official briefing report."

Chuckling softly, Daniel shook his head. "Teal'c said it best. None of us had doubts about Sam and Jack. Not even General Hammond – which is why, no matter what happened 'unofficially' between them, nothing will ever appear in the paperwork about it."

Cam, for his part, seemed to be absorbing the new information slowly. "Wow," he breathed. Then, glancing quickly at Jack again, he realized that the last time he'd seen Sam, she'd been in the presence of Aldren – a young, rather dashing Kytharian. "So… he's jealous?" he whispered incredulously.

Exchanging a look with Teal'c, Daniel nodded once. "That'd be my guess."

Before Mitchell had a chance to explore that idea further, the sound of a musical giggle floated down the hallway, echoing through the large, marble-tiled reception hall.

It was a very familiar musical giggle.

Instantly, Jack's head swung around, apparently gauging the location of the sound with the full attention of his soldier's instincts. When an unmistakable voice followed the initial laugh, Jack's entire body seemed to sag slightly in relief. The sentiment apparently didn't last long, however, as the next voice which floated down the hallway was clearly male.

"…the city was ruled by whichever warring faction had taken control." As the footsteps drew near, the voices which accompanied them became understandable and Cameron quickly became aware of two things. One was that the voice definitely belonged to Aldren. And the second was that Jack looked as though he might start shooting something.

When the two figures finally materialized in the doorway, Cam felt a little like he was watching a Shakespearean drama unfold. Glancing at Daniel, he could tell the other man was also captivated by what was about to take place. Even Teal'c looked intrigued.

With eyes sparkling and cheeks flushed from her walk, Sam entered the room, blissfully unaware of what she was walking into. Seeing her teammates there, she smiled brilliantly. "Hi guys," she said breezily. "Aldren was just giving me a tour of the city. It's really amazing how much history the Kytharian people have managed to preserve here!" Unfortunately for Sam, her animated enthusiasm was only making her former CO's threatening expression grow darker.

Jack's reply was blisteringly cold. "Perhaps next time Aldren takes you on a tour, you might consider letting one of your teammates know where the hell you are."

Jerking her head sharply at his tone, Sam's entire body reflected her surprise. Slowly, she turned to face him. "I didn't realize I'd be missed," she said slowly. "Cam told us to take a break and meet here at 17:00." Glancing at her watch, her eyes seemed cautiously guarded. "By my calculations, I'm fifteen minutes early." When his eyes didn't soften in the slightest, she stiffened defensively.

Aldren looked as though he was about to come to Sam's defense, when Jack leveled a blatantly hostile glare at the man. The Kytharian seemed to understand that there was more going on here than he was privileged to. "I shall leave you to your friends," he said quickly to Sam. Bowing, he smiled politely. "It was a pleasure to share my city with you, Colonel Carter. Please let me know if I can similarly assist any of your colleagues." Then, with a pleasant smile toward Daniel, Teal'c and Cameron – and a skittish glance at Jack – the young man turned and took his leave.

When his footsteps had completely faded from the hallway, Sam's blue eyes speared Jack with a decidedly antagonistic expression. "What the hell was that about?" she asked hotly.

Across the room, Cam's eyebrows shot up. He knew Sam had history with the man, but he still couldn't believe that his polite, docile Sam Carter was speaking so boldly to a two-star general.

If Jack thought her remarks were bordering on insubordination, he gave no indication. In fact, he seemed more than ready to dive into the argument head-on. "You're asking me?" His brown eyes sparked with fury. "You virtually disappeared for the better part of three hours! Haven't you ever heard of a radio?"

Crossing the room in three angry steps, Sam reached up to her vest and yanked at something violently. Holding the item aloft, everyone in the room could see that it was her radio. "You mean this?" she spat sarcastically. "Maybe if you'd read my pre-mission briefing, you'd know that atmospheric conditions on this planet interfere with radio transmissions, rendering them mostly useless." Tossing the device down on a nearby pedestal, she glared at him with hostility. "Oh, that's right," she drawled sarcastically, "you don't do pre-mission briefings."

Beside him, Daniel lifted a hand to his mouth to smother the amused grin which was refusing to be wiped from his face.

Jack's expression turned murderous. Closing the minimal distance between them, he leaned forward menacingly. "If you knew that the radios didn't work, then why the hell didn't you tell someone where you were going to be?"

Though Jack's posture was meant to be brutally intimidating, Sam didn't back down an inch. Instead, she tilted her head upward to meet his glare with an equally irate one of her own. "I ran into Colonel Mitchell on my first leg of the tour with Aldren," she ground out deliberately. "I assumed that since my commanding officer wasn't requiring a more detailed agenda of my afternoon, you wouldn't be needing one either."

Cam winced as her insinuation sank in. You're not my CO anymore. He is. Shaking his head, he prayed her words didn't get him into any trouble.

Not surprisingly, Sam's explanation caused a slow flush to climb up Jack's neck. When he next spoke, the deadly calm in his voice expressed his rage far more effectively than shouting possibly could have. "You assumed wrong."

Nervous that one of them might actually say something that they couldn't later retract, Cam cleared his throat loudly. "Ah… Should we leave you guys alone?"

As if he'd forgotten the presence of his colleagues, Jack's glare flitted over to the other officer. "What?" His voice snapped with harsh impatience. Clearly, he didn't appreciate having his argument interrupted.

Teal'c, ever the diplomat, regarded Jack steadily. "It would appear that you and Colonel Carter require room for a more private discussion," he stated patiently.

Beside him, Daniel smothered a snort of amusement. Leaning toward Cam, he couldn't resist interjecting the thought which popped into his head. "They need a room, all right," he mumbled out of the side of his mouth.

Cameron bit his lip to keep from grinning at the archaeologist's innuendo.

Unaware of the joke, Jack was still glaring at Teal'c. "Fine." He barked. "Go."

Jaw dropping angrily, Sam made an affronted noise. "You've got to be kidding me!" she exclaimed. "You can't order them to leave just so you can yell at me!"

Turning back to his former second-in-command, Jack seemed almost gleeful to be picking up where they'd left off. "Huh," he said sarcastically, "looks like I just did."

That was enough of a cue for Cameron. Sam might be a dear friend, but O'Neill outranked him by a long shot. Turning on one heel, he started for the door, relieved to hear Daniel and Teal'c following suit. As they strode through the marble archway, the heated voices behind them seemed to grow exponentially more irate.

When they were safely out of earshot, Cameron slowed down and looked at his teammates with concern. "You think Sam will be okay in there?" he asked tentatively.

Daniel smirked. "Fifty bucks says that argument ends up in bed."

Taken aback by the archaeologist's blunt assessment, he opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off by the sound of Teal'c's amused response.

"We both know, Daniel Jackson, that I would be unwise to make such a wager." Looking back over his shoulder, a smile of satisfied approval settled over his sculpted features. "It is clearly a bet I would lose."

"Are you happy now?" Listening to her colleagues' footsteps recede down the hallway, Sam's voice crackled with restrained fury. "Or would you prefer to take me somewhere more conducive to hiding the body?"

Jack's jaw cracked as he clamped his mouth shut violently. "Don't tempt me," he growled.

Snorting in disbelief, Sam shook her head. "You really have a lot of nerve," she hissed. "You had no right to dress me down in front of my teammates – in front of Aldren." Her voice registered the level of humiliation she was feeling.

At the sound of the Kytharian's name, Jack felt the red haze clouding his vision intensify tenfold. "Oh, I'm terribly sorry. I wouldn't want to make you look bad in front of Aldren," he sneered sarcastically.

Sam's eyes narrowed, not liking his tone one bit. "You accused me of being irresponsible in front of a potential ally," she stated flatly. "Don't you think that was a little unprofessional?"

Jack could have bored holes in granite with his glare. "Unprofessional?" The question rasped out from between clenched teeth. "The only thing about this situation which seems unprofessional is your little pleasure stroll with the local pretty boy."

Sam's angry intake of breath hissed sharply through the supercharged atmosphere in the room. "You'd better not be accusing me of what I think you're accusing me of," she whispered tensely. Eyes clouding with angry tears, she felt her hands curl instinctively into fists. "Of all the people to fire off such a claim, I'd have thought you'd know better."

Still feeling sick over the thought of her laughing carelessly in the company of another man, Jack was nonetheless startled by the moisture starting to well in her blue eyes. "What the hell does that mean?" For the first time since their argument had begun, Jack's voice reflected more confusion than anger.

Choked with emotion, Sam's words emerged as little more than an angry whisper. "In all of our years working together, have I ever acted unprofessionally or broken any regulations governing my social conduct while on the job?" Her haunted blue eyes added an extra layer of significance to the question which he was obviously supposed to interpret.

Sighing with frustration over his inability to navigate emotional conversations, Jack was about to ask for further clarification when, suddenly, the meaning of her words struck him like a two-by-four.

She'd never broken the rules when it had come to him.

Why would he think she'd break them for someone else?

Still standing nose-to-nose with her, Jack heard his ragged breathing echo through the chamber as the last remnants of his earlier rage drained slowly from his body. Now, as he stared into a pair of enormous blue eyes which glistened softly with tears, he found himself overwhelmed with remorse. "Ah, hell," he muttered. "Carter, I'm–"

No.

He bit down, halting the lame apology mid-sentence. She deserved better than that. She deserved…

The decision was made instantaneously. Before he had a chance to second-guess his instincts, or convince himself that she'd never welcome such an action, Jack's muscles took over and reacted with the battle-tested speed he'd repeatedly staked his life on over the years. One second, she was inches away from him, standing rigid with humiliation, and the next second, she was pressed mercilessly into his embrace as his mouth covered hers in a blatantly possessive kiss.

Sam's higher brain never had a chance to object. Instinctively, her hands curled into his chest and tightly gripped the front of his shirt, while her mouth opened beneath his like a flower seeking life-giving rain during a drought. Before her mind had even the slightest chance to contemplate his actions, her whole body had responded with blatant, unbridled enthusiasm.

And, honestly, when her mind did catch up, it wasn't in much of a mood to argue. She was finally in the arms of the man she'd been dreaming about for nearly a decade.

Whimpering softly, she slid her hands up the solid wall of his chest and over his shoulders, eventually threading her fingers into the thick, silver hair on the back of his head. Giving herself totally to the blazing heat which was tearing through her, Sam plastered herself against the hard planes of his body in an effort to get closer to him.

Faced with the scorching fury of Sam's uninhibited passion, Jack felt his control slide precariously out of reach. Almost against his will, he found his hands roaming into dangerous territory – down the smooth line of her back to the gentle curve of her derriere. Instinctively, he pulled her hips snugly against his, pressing her provocatively against the undeniable evidence of his baser urges.

Her response was visceral. Momentarily dragging her mouth from the fevered intensity of his kiss, she gasped audibly and tugged his lower lip gently between her teeth. The sudden need to feel his body against hers was irresistible, prompting Sam to tilt her lower body more snugly against his arousal. As pleasure exploded violently through her body, she dragged her teeth along the line of his jaw with a tiny moan of ecstasy.

Jack sucked in a blistering lungful of air, overwhelmed by the frenzied enthusiasm of her response. Closing his eyes tightly, he choked back a growl of approval as her mouth began teasing the curve of his right ear. After years of imagining this moment, he was powerless to resist the narcotic effect of her touch.

As her lips gently caressed the tender flesh of his earlobe, Sam was made aware of his inner struggle for control by a muscle twitching in his jaw. Aware of what the unconscious signal meant, she was suddenly terrified that he might call a halt to this moment of bliss. Using her current position to her advantage, she leaned forward until her breath rushed softly against his ear. "Jack," she whispered desperately, "please don't stop."

Her frantic plea ricocheted through his consciousness with the impact of a bullet. Stop? Was she kidding? He was pretty sure it would be easier to stop breathing than it would be to let her go at that moment. Barking out a harsh chuckle, Jack cupped her bottom possessively. "Do you really think I was plotting my escape?"

Sam smiled into the crook of his neck. Pressing a soft, wet kiss onto the fevered skin she'd discovered, Sam shivered at the sensation of his intimate caress. "It just looked like maybe you were having second thoughts."

As her words registered, Jack stopped dead in his tracks for a moment. Then, pulling away, he met her gaze with a look of such confused disbelief, it was almost comical. "Are you serious?" His mouth twitched. "Which part of my conduct in the last thirty seconds gave you that idea? This part?" he asked, gently squeezing her derriere to remind her exactly where his hands were situated, "Or this part?" This time, he shifted his hips slightly, nudging his arousal against the apex of her legs.

Gasping at the pleasure which erupted in her body at his actions, Sam's eyes fluttered closed reflexively. "You–" She broke off sharply, unable to produce a coherent thought. Finally focusing her scattered wits, she managed to form a phrase which made some degree of sense. "Your jaw," she rasped harshly. "It does this twitching thing when you're conflicted."

Jack's lips curled into a smile at the revealing nature of her comment. "Sounds like you're an expert on the subject." A knowing gleam flickered in his eyes.

Sam felt herself flush under his scrutiny. Still, she'd waited a long time for this moment. She wasn't about to back down now. "I've had years to make in-depth, scientific observations," she replied tartly.

Shifting his hips again, Jack reveled in the resulting shiver which rippled through her body. He waited patiently for her reflexive tremors to fade, observing her reaction with undisguised interest. As she slowly regained her bearings, Sam's passion-clouded eyes fluttered open and sought out his face. Meeting her gaze steadily, Jack's expression was blisteringly intense. "Well, Colonel," he murmured quietly, "if I seemed conflicted, it was probably just because I didn't want to stop long enough to get you somewhere a little more private."

Sam felt her heart thunder violently in her chest at the raw power radiating from him. Magnetically, she felt her eyes drawn to the sculpted fullness of his mouth. Sighing in satisfied defeat, she gave into the irresistible urge she'd been fighting for the better part of a decade and leaned forward to meld his lips with her own.

The moment her mouth touched his, Jack was lost. Groaning in surrender, he dove headlong into the blazing kiss with unchecked enthusiasm.

"Hello everyone! Sorry I'm–" The musical voice of Vala Mal Doran burst into the chamber with breezy cheer, only to stop mid-sentence as she realized what she'd just walked in on. Absorbing the fevered embrace of her two colleagues, she finished her statement lamely. "…late." Then, with an impish smile, she couldn't help but add, "Though it's apparently a good thing I wasn't any later. Lord knows what I might have interrupted five minutes from now."

As the first strains of Vala's greeting echoed through the chamber, Sam stiffened automatically and tried to pull away from her former CO. Jack, however, held her snugly in place – partly because he couldn't bear to be separated from her delightfully curved body, and partly because if she moved too far away, his own painfully aroused condition would be blatantly obvious to their new audience.

Flushing to the roots of her hair, Sam waved feebly. "Hi Vala," she mumbled.

The other woman grinned mischievously. "Well, hello Samantha." Nodding toward Jack, she didn't seem at all put off by his impatient glower. "General O'Neill." Then, with a saucy tilt to her head, she swept her gaze over their entwined limbs. "Having a good afternoon?"

In spite of his present discomfort, Jack felt his lips twitch with amusement. "You might say that," he drawled. Then, with a roguish gleam in his eye, he flicked a glance down the narrow corridor which led back to their private sleeping quarters. "Though I can think of at least one way it might improve."

Laughing appreciatively, Vala immediately caught his reference. "Well then, don't let me keep you," she purred. Turning quickly on one heel, she only paused once to grin over her shoulder at the couple. Waving glibly, she departed with a knowing wink.

Even as her footsteps faded in the distance, Sam felt the heat of embarrassment flare in her cheeks. "Jack," she hissed awkwardly.

He turned his attention to her, a wicked twinkle in his eye. "What?" Seeing the utter mortification written all over Sam's face, he shrugged lightly. "Hell, I figure she just saved us the trouble of having to tell everyone."

Smiling in spite of herself, Sam shook her head. "I suppose that's one way to look at it."

Fixing his gaze on her lovely features, his eyes darkened with intensity. "So, how about it, Colonel?" With another quick glance toward the sleeping wing, he clearly expressed the direction of his thoughts. "Interested in picking this up someplace less public?"

Sam felt her breath catch in her throat as the enormity of this moment settled upon her. "Very interested," she replied softly, feeling as though she might burst into flames with anticipation of what was about to unfold.

"Well then…" Unexpectedly, he lifted her as though she were weightless and cradled her against the wall of his chest. With a wicked grin, he turned toward the small, side door of the reception hall, walking purposefully toward his bed chamber.

Sam chuckled in surprise as she was swept into his arms, feeling giddy and intoxicated. Smiling, she realized that Vala was certainly right about one thing.

It was going to be a very good afternoon.

Humming cheerfully under her breath, Vala strode into the dining hall where the rest of SG-1 was currently having dinner. Practically dancing up to her friends, she draped an arm over Daniel and slid into the seat beside him. "You are never going to guess what I just saw," she said to the team, bubbling with excitement.

Cameron rolled his eyes, reaching for a glass of something sweet and fermented. "Sam and General O'Neill going at it in the reception hall?" he asked sarcastically, eyeing Daniel and Teal'c pointedly. Clearly, he seemed to believe that such an occurrence would be laughably impossible.

Vala's face clouded with a frown. "How did you know?" she asked disappointedly. "They couldn't have been there for very long," she explained with a pout. "Looked like they were just getting warmed up when I walked in."

Inhaling sharply in surprise, Cameron found a large quantity of the Klytharian beverage rush into his windpipe. As he reflexively coughed and sputtered, his eyes darted to the other two men at the table.

Daniel shrugged at his choking colleague. "Told you so," he said with a knowing smirk, holding his hand out expectantly.

Teal'c nodded in agreement, eyeing Cameron with a look of pity. "In the future, Colonel Mitchell, you might want to carefully consider my words of wisdom before placing any wagers."