Contrary to popular belief, a wedding date is not a regular date. Regular dates, you see, can fall into several categories. The getting to know you date. The blind date. The all important third 'kiss or lets be friends talk' date. The possibilities are near limitless.

But there are only two types of wedding dates. Type number one is the 'I really need somebody to go with me' date; with this type, you can bring a friend with whom you have no romantic entanglements. Type number two...

Type number two is the 'coming out' date. This is the date in which you bring someone you've been seeing for awhile to a large function in order to let your circle of friends know you're serious about said person...

Sitting on her couch in her apartment, staring at the wedding invitation in her hands, Sam Carter found herself between the proverbial rock and the hard place. She could ask a friend to go with her…

But that would possibly put her relationship with Rodney on shaky ground. He was…sensitive. Perhaps overly so…and she knew that something like that would be a terrible blow to his ego; for though he seemed all bluster and snark, he was really very insecure under all those layers of bully.

Of course, she could also ask him to escort her…in true McKay fashion, he'd managed to find a way to be on Earth right when she found herself in need of him…

But that would mean arriving on his arm for the second time in public at a large soirée.

Once could be written off as friends going out together…

Twice made you an 'item'.

Sam wasn't sure she wanted to be an 'item' yet. Anything that required quotes around it was a big step. She liked Rodney well enough…yeah, sure, she was even kinda starting to think he might turn out to be less of a 'casual boyfriend' and more of a 'the one'--given enough time--but this invitation forced her into a decision long before she was ready for it.

She couldn't avoid going to the wedding of Jack O'Neill. They'd been friends and colleagues far too long for her to just skip out on him so, here she sat, turning the invitation over and over in her hands and glancing up at the telephone every few minutes.

Rodney was on earth. She was on earth.

Wait, wasn't that the excuse she'd used last time she needed a date? Huh. This was getting to be somewhat of a habit.

Sam didn't get much chance to ruminate on the fact that fate kept tossing her and Rodney directly in each other's paths, because the phone rang, trying to shake itself off the hook, startling her out of her reverie.

She reached over and snapped it up without even bothering with the caller ID. "Hello?"

Silence on the other end.

"Hello?"

A distinctly Rodney-esque clearing of the throat came from the other end. "Ah…Sam? I was just…ahum…"

One of Sam's eyebrows lifted. "What's the matter, Rodney?"

"I was rather expecting to get your voicemail, is all," was his reply. He cleared his throat again. "But ah…since you're home, I guess I'll talk directly to you."

"That is traditionally what telephones are for, Rodney. They were designed--"

"Yes, well, don't get me started on the lack of forethought on Bell's part when it came to the design of the telephone--"

"Rodney…"

"Yes, right, sorry. Ahem." She could practically hear him tugging at his collar. "So I'm uh…on Earth, you know."

She smiled. "I should hope so, otherwise you're racking up one hell of a long distance bill."

"Clever, Sam, very clever. Very droll." She pictured him rolling his eyes. "But I did call for a reason--other than engaging in such sparkling banter with you…"

Sam glanced down at the invitation in her lap. "Oh. Well, I was actually about to call you about something; but you go ahead Rodney. It's not important."

"Er…well, it's the damnedest thing," he said in that tone that indicated he was scratching his head over the whole matter, "I got home and checked my mail…and there's an...um…an invitation? An invitation to General O'Neill's wedding? And I'm kinda…I'm kinda at a loss, you know?"

Sam ran her fingers over the edge of the invitation, listening. "Yeah."

"I'm not his friend per se--I mean, unless you count the what, three times I've had extended contact with the man a 'friendship'--and I uh…well, I can't turn down a wedding invitation without seeming rude...and since he's a man in power nowadays, that'd be a bad move on my part, right?"

"Right," she replied automatically.

"But the thing of it is…the invitation says 'plus one'." Rodney cleared his throat again, sounding somewhat awkward. "And…uh…well, I mean, Teyla, John and Elizabeth all came back to Earth this time around--so I could take one of them--"

Sam teased him. "You'd consider taking Colonel Sheppard with you? How progressive, Rodney."

"That isn't what I meant and you know it! I'm just saying…there's people I could take as friends…but uh…I wanted to ask you instead. I--you don't have to, if you don't want to, I know we haven't been seeing each other very long and you probably got an invitation way before I did and already have a plus one, but I uh…I can't think of anybody I'd rather have as my plus one and--"

Sam's face split in a fond grin. "Yes, Rodney."

"Like I said, you don't have to if--what? What? Yes? You'll…? With me? In public? I mean, of course in public, we've been in public but uh…with all your friends and everything? At a wedding?"

"Yes, Rodney."

"Oh…well, that was easier than I expected. I thought you'd already have somebody…but apparently you've been waiting around for me, huh?" Something lecherous and altogether unwholesome crept into his tone. "So…now that the formalities are out of the way…what're you wear--"

"Don't go there, Rodney."

"I was kidding."

She continued smiling, despite herself. "Sure you were."

"Besides, it's not like we aren't dating…so, hypothetically, if I weren't kidding, would you tell--"

"Rodney…"

"Right. Yes. Okay. Hanging up now. "