Sam felt a flutter run through her system. She flipped her phone shut and stared at the wall. This was an interesting turn of events. A call from her CO on a Saturday. Certainly nothing she had expected when she was planning her day! How could she say no to homemade brownies, though? Hurrying to her closet, Sam hunted for something a bit more presentable than a ripped pair of jeans and a hideously ugly cat sweater. She had planned to spend the afternoon doing research, but if someone wanted to share brownies, she wasn't going to argue with them.

So she pulled on her nicest jeans and a simple but pretty blue top. Staring at herself in the mirror, Sam felt a pang of unease. She was completely at ease with the three men on a mission or at the SGC, but they hadn't really ever hung out much outside of work. The day Daniel had moved into his apartment, she and Janet had helped and enjoyed a pizza with the Colonel and Daniel, but that was about it. Teal'c hadn't been allowed off base at that time. The recent crisis with the crystal entity that had made itself into a frighteningly good copy of the Colonel provided Teal'c with his first opportunity to get out and see a bit of Earth. Of course, that hadn't exactly been a night on the town. She blew out a breath and gave her hair a quick brush. This might be very interesting.

It sounded like the Jaffa was getting another chance to experience Earth culture. Colonel O'Neill had said that Daniel and Teal'c were making brownies. Sam smiled, remembering how eager Teal'c had been to sample a brownie after they discussed them the other day in the commissary. She had felt bad to have to break it to him that she was not at all good at baking. She wondered how Daniel had wound up baking brownies with Teal'c. Baking seemed an unusual hobby for the archaeologist, but on the other hand, Sam really found that nothing surprised her about Daniel. If he turned around and delivered a baby someday, she wouldn't blink an eye.

Grabbing her keys, Sam hurried out the door. She would have been lying if she'd said she wasn't the tiniest bit nervous about hanging out with her team outside of work. They had become very comfortable around one another very quickly. Something that wasn't surprising given the life and death nature of their work. Even so, Sam found herself wondering what it was going to be like hanging out with the three men. She imagined her CO could be a great deal of fun outside of the 'office.' Also, a great deal of trouble. He had a wicked sense of humor and enjoyed bending rules. It would be interesting to see how he acted when he wasn't in charge of a mission.

But how relaxed would he be if his subordinate was around?

Heading toward Daniel's apartment, Sam wondered how Teal'c and Daniel would be when off duty. Neither one of them struck her as being particularly fun. In truth, Teal'c still kind of scared her at times. And Daniel...he was so incredibly brilliant and she already loved him like a brother, but she could almost believe it when the Colonel claimed that Daniel did nothing but teach himself new languages in his spare time. No matter how she looked at it, it just didn't seem like they were going to be a very lively bunch. Sam took a deep breath and decided she would go into it with the same perspective as she used when going to family reunions.

Be polite, get in and get out.

Sam heard them before she was even halfway up the staircase. Shouts and the sounds of people and things tumbling to the ground. Grabbing the railing in surprise at a particularly loud shout, Sam stared wide-eyed up at Daniel's door wondering what on earth was going on behind it. She almost turned right around and ran away. For a moment, all was quiet and Sam continued warily up to the door. About to knock on the door, she heard another shout and a terrible thud and her hand was on the doorknob, opening it before she even knew what she was doing.

Her jaw dropped.

They were wrestling in the living-room. Teal'c was standing in front of the window, staring down with the considering gaze of a parent watching their over-exuberant children at play. The Colonel had Daniel pinned down and looked rather triumphant about it. A beeping timer suddenly went off and Sam jumped in surprise. All three men looked up, saw her, and smiled.

"Hey, Carter! Just in time." The Colonel said. He had seemed about to say something else when he abruptly found himself thrown to the side and, a split second later, pinned to the ground in a much more painful hold than he'd been using on Daniel.

Daniel grinned triumphantly, "Yeah, Sam, just in time for you to watch me use your move."

"Your move?" Jack stared up at his very confused Captain as she stood speechless in the doorway. "You taught him this move?"

Sam nodded, still not quite able to speak. Teal'c crossed the room with a kind smile, a brief inclination of his head, and headed for the kitchen to address the brownies.

"Well, good job, Carter!"

"Thank you, sir." Sam smiled. She watched as Daniel helped pull the Colonel to his feet and they headed toward her. Before she could say anything else, they heard Teal'c's urgent voice from the kitchen. In fact, Sam thought there was a distinct edge of panic in his tone.

"DanielJackson, I believe the brownie has been sufficiently baked. Please come at once."

Daniel wasted no time; he rushed past Sam without a single word. She thought he looked oddly panicked as well. The Colonel rolled his eyes at her and said softly, "It's their third batch."

Sam's eyes widened and she stared out into the kitchen. Teal'c and Daniel were leaning over the open oven. The Jaffa had two ridiculously small purple potholders on his hands and Daniel inserted a toothpick into the brownie with all the precision of a brain surgeon. She whispered, "Third batch?"

The Colonel nodded, "I haven't dared ask. I checked the trash and all I know is one looks like a brick, one is a pool of goo and one didn't make it past the mixing stage. Something about the eggs…"

About to ask another question, Sam was interrupted by Teal'c's insistent voice.

"You must check one inch from the edge of the pan, DanielJackson." He held the recipe book for Daniel to see. "One inch."

Daniel tossed the first toothpick on the counter and pulled out a second one. He let it hover over the brownie, glancing up at Teal'c in expectation. Sam thought he looked a bit irritated with the Jaffa. Daniel usually loved teaching about Earth culture and practices, but perhaps baking three batches of brownies had spread his patience a bit thin. Teal'c nodded approvingly and Daniel inserted the toothpick. It came out perfectly clean.

Sam almost laughed out loud at the twin expressions of overjoyed relief on Daniel and Teal'c's faces. The Colonel snorted and rolled his eyes again. He said loudly, "So can we eat this one, boys?"

Daniel shot him a dirty look but Teal'c held the brownie up triumphantly. "We may now partake of this delicacy."

Don't worry...there's another chapter to go. Some team-bonding ahead. :D Thanks for reading!