O'Neill banged on the door to the bathroom. After unpacking, they had decided to wash before leaving the hotel again.
"I'll be out in a minute."
"What's talking you so long?" He sighed.
"I'm shaving my legs." She replied simply.
"I didn't need that information, Carter." He heard her laugh softly from the bathroom.
"Okay, you can have the bathroom now." Sam unlocked the door and he got up.
"Thank you!" He retorted in a semi-sarcastic tone. She was wrapped in a large, fluffy white towel, and her hair was still wet. He unconsciously let his eyes travel her body as she walked past him through the doorway, and watched her walk over to the bed before shutting the door and turning the lock.
When he reappeared, he saw her dividing things into piles to go inside their bags. His rucksack had been packed with spare weapons and rounds, and she had most of the papers, money and everything else in her smaller shoulder bag.
"I've packed th-" Sam turned to face him and turned quickly away. Seeing Colonel O'Neill on a daily basis was bad enough, but seeing him half naked - no, with just a towel wrapped round his waist - was just going to fuel her...unprofessional thoughts. Mentally she slapped herself on the wrists. "Couldn't you have gotten changed in there?"
"Couldn't you!?"
"Well you wanted the bathroom!" She retorted, sitting down hard on one of the chairs near the window.
"Carter?" He spoke softly after a few moments. She could hear his light footsteps behind her, but wouldn't let herself turn around to look at him.
Reaching over, he put a hand on her shoulder to make her look up at him. Her eyes didn't show the anger he was expecting, but sadness.
"I'm sorry, sir. That was disrespectful-"
"No, Carter. They shouldn't have put us in this situation." He let his hand drop from her shoulder.
"Just get dressed before I do something stupid." She said wryly, and pulled her knees to her chest to rest her chin on; and gazed out of the window.
"Are you decent?"
"Well, that's a matter of opinion..." He quipped as he walked over to her bed to pick up his rucksack.
"Oh," Sam got up. "Catch." She threw a small, unloaded gun towards him, and put another in her bag.
"Are we going then?"
"Yeah, I need to get some sun cream though or I'll look like a tomato. I can't find mine anywhere." They moved towards the door.
"Could you *be* wearing any less clothes?" He added as she turned the key. Sam looked down at what she was wearing; a strappy top and some denim shorts. Well, maybe they *were* a bit on the short side, but still - she wanted a tan!
As they walked towards the elevator, she felt his hand placed gently, and cautiously at the small of her back, and she smiled softly to herself.
Rubbing the last of the sun cream into her face, she put her sunglasses back on. They provided useful cover for looking out for Peterson, but also, she had discovered, meant that she could look at O'Neill without him catching her very often. Not that she did, of course...
Moving the straps of her top across, she saw O'Neill glancing at her.
"Do you want me to put sun cream on your back?" Okay, maybe that wasn't such a good idea.
"Thanks." She moved closer to him and passed him the bottle, and they sat in silence for a few minutes.
"I wish you could do this more often." Sam leant into his touch as he massaged the sun block into her skin.
"So do I..." he muttered quietly.
"What?" She looked at him.
"Nothing." Sam turned away again as he continued to rub her shoulders.
"So...what's this Daniel said about you shedding a tear when I was dying because of Jolinar?" O'Neill stopped the movement of his hands and flinched.
"I've finished with the sun cream now." He changed the subject, and Sam heard the lid clip back on the bottle.
"Keep going, it's nice." she mock-moaned, and he brought his fingers back up closer to her neck as she continued to look out for Peterson. They hadn't seen him at the hotel, but he would probably be going to one of the open-air café's for lunch. From their spot at the trunk of a large tree, they had a view of most of the restaurants surrounding the park.
"Would it be wrong of me to say I'm enjoying this more than I should be?" O'Neill's voice cut through her musings.
"I was keeping that thought to myself." she smiled back at him.
A large group of teenagers walked passed them, followed by a man in a suit and sunglasses.
"Sir?" She nodded in the direction of the man, who was now looking at the menu outside one of the restaurants.
"That's him," he confirmed. The man had now sat down at one of the small tables outside. "We should wait for a few more minutes, and then go and have a drink over there."
They stood up and walked slowly over to one of the nearest café's, and looked at the menu before working their way round to the correct one. Out of the corner of her eye, Sam could see that he now had a companion who was smoking a cigar.
After looking at the menu, they walked in and sat a few tables away from the pair, where they could hear the conversation faintly. It appeared that they had almost finished their drinks and were getting ready to leave. Sam could make out the sound of fabricated laughter, and that the other guy was going to pay the bill.
"I'll see you tomorrow at two O'clock then." Peterson stood up.
"Here?" The other guy clarified.
"Yes." He walked off, and in the direction of the hotel.
The air temperature had dropped dramatically as O'Neill and Carter walked slowly back to the hotel, the long way around the park.
"So, there's nothing we can do until they meet tomorrow?" Sam spoke into the phone to Daniel, who was now in the country with the others.
"No. Call me just before you get there, and the backup will be there. When I walk past the restaurant, that's the signal to let you know that everything's in place and you can arrest him any time after that."
"Okay. Bye," she hung up the call on the mobile and slid it back into her pocket. "I'll tell you back at the hotel." She looked at O'Neill, who nodded.
As they walked off, he slid an arm around her waist and they continued slowly.
"Are we going to eat at the hotel?"
"The restaurant looked nice." He replied.
"Yeah..." Sam trailed off. "Do you think the alternative reality was trying to tell us something?" She asked, and they stopped walking and turned to face each other.
"What?"
"We were engaged to be married."
"You never joined the military."
"Hmmm." Sam looked up at him briefly before they continued walking in silence along the dark path.
"Your hand's migrating." She said after a while.
"Sorry."
"It's okay."
"I'll be out in a minute."
"What's talking you so long?" He sighed.
"I'm shaving my legs." She replied simply.
"I didn't need that information, Carter." He heard her laugh softly from the bathroom.
"Okay, you can have the bathroom now." Sam unlocked the door and he got up.
"Thank you!" He retorted in a semi-sarcastic tone. She was wrapped in a large, fluffy white towel, and her hair was still wet. He unconsciously let his eyes travel her body as she walked past him through the doorway, and watched her walk over to the bed before shutting the door and turning the lock.
When he reappeared, he saw her dividing things into piles to go inside their bags. His rucksack had been packed with spare weapons and rounds, and she had most of the papers, money and everything else in her smaller shoulder bag.
"I've packed th-" Sam turned to face him and turned quickly away. Seeing Colonel O'Neill on a daily basis was bad enough, but seeing him half naked - no, with just a towel wrapped round his waist - was just going to fuel her...unprofessional thoughts. Mentally she slapped herself on the wrists. "Couldn't you have gotten changed in there?"
"Couldn't you!?"
"Well you wanted the bathroom!" She retorted, sitting down hard on one of the chairs near the window.
"Carter?" He spoke softly after a few moments. She could hear his light footsteps behind her, but wouldn't let herself turn around to look at him.
Reaching over, he put a hand on her shoulder to make her look up at him. Her eyes didn't show the anger he was expecting, but sadness.
"I'm sorry, sir. That was disrespectful-"
"No, Carter. They shouldn't have put us in this situation." He let his hand drop from her shoulder.
"Just get dressed before I do something stupid." She said wryly, and pulled her knees to her chest to rest her chin on; and gazed out of the window.
"Are you decent?"
"Well, that's a matter of opinion..." He quipped as he walked over to her bed to pick up his rucksack.
"Oh," Sam got up. "Catch." She threw a small, unloaded gun towards him, and put another in her bag.
"Are we going then?"
"Yeah, I need to get some sun cream though or I'll look like a tomato. I can't find mine anywhere." They moved towards the door.
"Could you *be* wearing any less clothes?" He added as she turned the key. Sam looked down at what she was wearing; a strappy top and some denim shorts. Well, maybe they *were* a bit on the short side, but still - she wanted a tan!
As they walked towards the elevator, she felt his hand placed gently, and cautiously at the small of her back, and she smiled softly to herself.
Rubbing the last of the sun cream into her face, she put her sunglasses back on. They provided useful cover for looking out for Peterson, but also, she had discovered, meant that she could look at O'Neill without him catching her very often. Not that she did, of course...
Moving the straps of her top across, she saw O'Neill glancing at her.
"Do you want me to put sun cream on your back?" Okay, maybe that wasn't such a good idea.
"Thanks." She moved closer to him and passed him the bottle, and they sat in silence for a few minutes.
"I wish you could do this more often." Sam leant into his touch as he massaged the sun block into her skin.
"So do I..." he muttered quietly.
"What?" She looked at him.
"Nothing." Sam turned away again as he continued to rub her shoulders.
"So...what's this Daniel said about you shedding a tear when I was dying because of Jolinar?" O'Neill stopped the movement of his hands and flinched.
"I've finished with the sun cream now." He changed the subject, and Sam heard the lid clip back on the bottle.
"Keep going, it's nice." she mock-moaned, and he brought his fingers back up closer to her neck as she continued to look out for Peterson. They hadn't seen him at the hotel, but he would probably be going to one of the open-air café's for lunch. From their spot at the trunk of a large tree, they had a view of most of the restaurants surrounding the park.
"Would it be wrong of me to say I'm enjoying this more than I should be?" O'Neill's voice cut through her musings.
"I was keeping that thought to myself." she smiled back at him.
A large group of teenagers walked passed them, followed by a man in a suit and sunglasses.
"Sir?" She nodded in the direction of the man, who was now looking at the menu outside one of the restaurants.
"That's him," he confirmed. The man had now sat down at one of the small tables outside. "We should wait for a few more minutes, and then go and have a drink over there."
They stood up and walked slowly over to one of the nearest café's, and looked at the menu before working their way round to the correct one. Out of the corner of her eye, Sam could see that he now had a companion who was smoking a cigar.
After looking at the menu, they walked in and sat a few tables away from the pair, where they could hear the conversation faintly. It appeared that they had almost finished their drinks and were getting ready to leave. Sam could make out the sound of fabricated laughter, and that the other guy was going to pay the bill.
"I'll see you tomorrow at two O'clock then." Peterson stood up.
"Here?" The other guy clarified.
"Yes." He walked off, and in the direction of the hotel.
The air temperature had dropped dramatically as O'Neill and Carter walked slowly back to the hotel, the long way around the park.
"So, there's nothing we can do until they meet tomorrow?" Sam spoke into the phone to Daniel, who was now in the country with the others.
"No. Call me just before you get there, and the backup will be there. When I walk past the restaurant, that's the signal to let you know that everything's in place and you can arrest him any time after that."
"Okay. Bye," she hung up the call on the mobile and slid it back into her pocket. "I'll tell you back at the hotel." She looked at O'Neill, who nodded.
As they walked off, he slid an arm around her waist and they continued slowly.
"Are we going to eat at the hotel?"
"The restaurant looked nice." He replied.
"Yeah..." Sam trailed off. "Do you think the alternative reality was trying to tell us something?" She asked, and they stopped walking and turned to face each other.
"What?"
"We were engaged to be married."
"You never joined the military."
"Hmmm." Sam looked up at him briefly before they continued walking in silence along the dark path.
"Your hand's migrating." She said after a while.
"Sorry."
"It's okay."
