Disclaimer: I own none of these people, although I wish I did...


Jonas rapped smartly on Jack's door.

"Come on, Colonel, we're ready!"

Jack wrenched open the door and stared out at his teammates in surprise.

"Why… why are you here?" he said in complete confusion. He glanced at Carter, who shrugged somewhat apologetically. Jonas turned to her.

"I thought you were gonna..?" he asked her.

"Sorry," she said awkwardly. "I wasn't sure how he'd react to the idea, so I thought a surprise might work out better…" She turned to Jack. "Has it?" He raised an eyebrow at her.

"What do you think?"

Carter grinned. She knew that he was actually desperate to get out of there, but would never show it.

"Right," Jonas said. "We thought we'd take you out. It's about time you had some fun," he continued. Jack forced himself not to glance at Carter. "Teal'c's over at your place heating up the barbecue. There's a fridge full of beer, a freezer full of steak… come on. You can't tell me that that doesn't sound like a good time."

"Well…" Jack conceded. "What's the beer?"

"Guinness, sir."

"You know me so well," Jack replied, his usual levity returning. He walked out of his room, shutting the door behind him, and leading the way back towards the elevators. He purposefully brushed against Carter's shoulder when he passed her. She could feel her bare skin burning from the contact long after he'd passed.


Jonas was mercifully oblivious to Carter's awkwardness on the drive out to Jack's house. They had taken her car, as she planned to sober drive if necessary; but Jack had a spare room, and a couple of couches, and she knew that they would all end up sleeping there. She glanced sideways at him a couple of times, but he was staring dead ahead while chatting amiably with Jonas in the back. She had also managed to get them all the next day off – General Hammond did not need much persuading, as he too was anxious about Jack's well-being and knew that they could all do with some fun and relaxation time.

As soon as they got out of the car, they were greeted by the delicious smells of slowly charring sausages and steak. Although Jonas walked straight around the back to the garden and Teal'c, Jack paused for a moment, staring at his house.

"Sir?" Carter asked tentatively, coming to stand beside him.

"I'm fine, Carter," he said softly. "It's just been a while… I've changed so much since I was last here; I guess I somehow thought my house would have changed too." They stood there several moments longer, before Jack took a deep breath. "But enough of that," he continued brightly. "It's happy face time!" He contorted his face into a sillily huge smile that made Carter snort inadvertently. Grinning more naturally now at the fact that he'd made her laugh, Jack placed his hand on the small of her back and guided her towards the back garden. He only left it there for a few steps, but he felt Carter lean back into it slightly. He knew that she was having difficulty processing things right now, and that the physical contact was comforting.

"O'Neill!" Teal'c called jovially to him as he rounded the corner.

"Hey, T! Looks like you've got everything under control here," Jack replied, gesturing appreciatively at the barbeque and the slowly growing piles of cooked meat. "I'm gonna grab a beer, anyone want one?" They all replied in the affirmative, so Jack disappeared inside. Carter was always amused by the fact that Teal'c drank beer – his symbiote prevented him from feeling the more enjoyable effects of alcohol; he only drank it for the taste.

"Samantha Carter," Teal'c began. "Would you be able to bring some plates out for our meal? I am afraid that I overlooked that in my preparations."

"Teal'c, I'm ashamed of you," Carter chastised him, but her eyes were twinkling. "Of course, I'll be back in a second."

She walked into the lounge and through to the kitchen, where she found Jack awkwardly trying to close the fridge with his shoulder while his hands were full of beers.

"You alright there, sir?" Carter asked with an amused grin.

"Never better, Carter," he replied airily, almost dropping the beers in one hand but jamming his body up against the bench to catch them. Carter laughed and moved forward to help him pick them up. As she approached him, she could sense him recalibrating – from the Air Force Colonel to Jack.

She reached down and carefully extracted the bottles from between Jack's body and the bench, and offered them back to him.

"Sorry sir, I have to get plates…" she tried awkwardly to get him to take them, suddenly very aware that they were alone. Before she could move away, Jack reached up the hand that was devoid of beers and laid it on the side of her neck, just above her shoulder, his thumb tenderly stroking her skin. He could see the battle raging inside her.

"Carter, I…"

"Hey, Sam, you need some help with those plates?" Jonas' voice rang out from outside before he followed it in to join her. Jack squeezed her shoulder once before dropping his hand.

"Sir…" Carter whispered, but he had already picked up the beers and was walking away. "Th-thanks, Jonas, that would be great," she replied to him, her voice louder and more confident now, pushing down her emotions.

"Hey, you alright?" Jonas asked as he reached her, suddenly concerned.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Sure?" He was sceptical.

"I'm fine, Jonas," Carter said, more pointedly now, through gritted teeth.

"Alright, alright," Jonas said, raising his hands in supplication. "You know I'm always here if you ever need to talk, about anything." Carter nodded. "Anything," he added meaningfully. Carter narrowed her eyes at him and handed him some cutlery.


The excursion was a success, for all four of them; things had been tough lately (when were they not?), and it was a relief for them to just be away from the base for a while. Carter finally began to relax, and suddenly felt incredibly lucky to be sitting there with three of the people she cared about the most. She glanced over at Jack as he told a joke, and saw with relief that he too was starting to unwind. Jonas caught her eye and he grinned at her and nodded – their plan had worked.

"So, what do you guys wanna do now?" Jack asked of his teammates after they'd finished eating. Two heavily piled plates of charred meat and four beers down, he was feeling decidedly better about his life and future prospects.

"I thought we could watch a film, O'Neill," Teal'c piped up.

"Oh yeah? Anything in mind?"

"Actually, yes. I have brought one which I think should be quite enjoyable," he continued, pulling a DVD out from somewhere. Jack squinted at it.

"'Galaxy Quest'?" he said sceptically.

"Do you object?"

"Nah," Jack replied after some thought. "Why not?"

Back inside, curled up on the couches with some fresh beer, Teal'c started the film. They weren't even five minutes in before Jack had come up with a rather elaborate drinking game (including rules such as, 'Drink every time Carter gets angry at their science' and 'Drink every time Alan Rickman looks like he wants to shoot someone').

An hour and a half later, when it was over, a rather large pile of empty bottles had accumulated and they were all in fits of giggles – except for Teal'c, who was quietly watching them with a great deal of amusement.

Jonas and Teal'c had automatically sat together on one of the couches, and Jack had accidentally spilled his beer all over the arm chair on their way in; this meant that Carter had to share a couch with him. Although she was already feeling the effects of the alcohol before the film started, she was still a little wary of being in such close proximity. However, with Jack's drinking game in place, she loosened up considerably.

Shortly after they had sat down, Jack had put his arm up on the back of the couch behind her. By the end of the film, it was draped around her shoulders and she had nestled herself up against his side.

Suddenly, Carter stood up.

"You okay?" Jack asked her, slightly concerned by how much she was swaying.

"Yeah," she replied, a little unsteadily but with the unbridled optimism of the very drunk. "Just gonna go to the bathroom." Jack's eyes followed her as she left; he felt unexpectedly cold without her next to him. But then Jonas struck up an in depth conversation with him about the plight of the Thermians against Sarris in relation to their own struggle against the Goa'uld, and Jack put aside his previous thought.

A minute later, Teal'c announced that he, too, was in need of the bathroom, and left the lounge. In the hallway, he waited patiently for Carter to return. She was caught by surprise when she almost walked into him.

"Samantha Carter," he said quietly.

"Hey, Teal'c! Gee, you scared me!"

"I am sorry; it was not my intention to do so. I merely wanted a word."

Carter was a little suspicious, but allowed him to continue.

"Fire away…"

Teal'c looked slightly uncomfortable, which in itself was worrying. He paused a moment before speaking, as if trying to order his thoughts.

"I have noticed that your behaviour this evening is… somewhat out of character for you." Carter dropped her gaze, knowing exactly what he meant. "I only want to ensure your safety and happiness, and you know that I don't want to pry into your personal affairs but to this end I must ask – is there something that you are keeping from us?"

Carter raised her head again to look into his large, dark eyes. She felt herself getting a little teary; it meant so much to her that she had friends like Teal'c who cared about her and would stand by her no matter what. She expressed as much to him, although not quite as succinctly.

"Of course, Samantha Carter," Teal'c replied, as if stating the obvious. "You are very dear to me. I would do anything in my power to protect you."

Wiping away a tear, Carter barely knew how to respond.

"Thank you, Teal'c," she managed, not quite sobbing. "There is… something… bu-but, but, it'll be okay. Eeeverything will be fine… I think." Teal'c laid a hand on her shoulder, and she instantly wrapped her arms tightly around him and let herself be comforted by his presence.

Walking back into the lounge several moments later, she received some very worried looks from the two men there. Jack sprang to his feet.

"Carter, are you okay? What's wrong?" He was instantly at her side, a hand on her arm. She then realised that she had shed a few tears talking to Teal'c and that her eyes must be red. She hurriedly wiped them away.

"Yes! No, I'm fine, everything's fine… everything will be fine," she rambled, trying to reassure him, although he didn't look convinced.

"…okay," he said, and led her back over to the couch. When they sat down, she immediately resumed her position against his side. Jack raised an eyebrow at her, but she just smiled innocently and shrugged. He rolled his eyes at her, which just made her laugh.

"So much for sober driving, huh?" Jonas joked.

"Come on, we all knew that was never gonna happen," Jack replied.


"So, what's the plan now?" Jonas asked cheerfully when Teal'c returned. Jack thought for a moment.

"You guys feel like playing some poker? It would be a shame not to take advantage of Carter's drunken state by taking all her money," he quipped.

"Hey!" Carter exclaimed, punching him in the stomach. He pretended to have had the breath knocked out of him and gasped for air, but squeezed her shoulder gently. This had Jonas doubled over laughing.

"Relax, I'm kidding," Jack chuckled. "But seriously, poker?"

"That sounds enjoyable, O'Neill."

"Great! If Teal'c thinks it'll be fun, then you know it will be." Jack stood up and rummaged around in a cupboard until he found a pack of cards. He didn't notice how Carter slowly fell sideways without him to prop her up.

Two hours later, Carter sat looking smug with a surprisingly large pile of money in front of her. Jack glared at her.

"And hopefully that will teach you never to doubt me when I'm drunk," she stated matter-of-factly. Jack glared at her.

"Last time I ever bet on anything with you," he grumbled. Carter gathered up her winnings.

"I think it's about time to call it a night, don't you?" She was looking at Jonas, who had been yawning for the last hour and now looked as though he were about to collapse.

"Wouldn't dream of it," he yawned. She grinned at him and stood up.

"You can have the spare room, Jonas, you look like you need it," she said, almost giggling. "Teal'c and I can have some girl time in here." Teal'c raised an eyebrow at her.

"Now that's something I'd like to see," Jack said in amusement. "Come on, kids," he continued, standing up and shooing them, "it's time for bed." Carter pushed herself up and leaned against Jack for support.

"Come, Jonas Quinn," Teal'c said, standing also and offering his hand to Jonas. "I will show you where the spare room is." They left, with Jonas mumbling vaguely something about never drinking Earth alcohol again, and Jack and Carter were alone. Jack inwardly thanked Teal'c for giving them a moment. The Jaffa was far more insightful than Jack often gave him credit for.

"You doing okay there, Carter?" he asked of the woman still leaning on him.

"I'm great," she replied, looking up at him with a smile and adoration in her eyes. She slipped her arms around him and buried her face in his shoulder.

"You don't drink all that often, do you?" Jack remarked airily as he returned her hug.

They stood in silence for a few moments, enjoying the brief respite from their daily lives and feeling content at last. Then Jack drew back slightly and cupped her face in his hands. Carter's breath caught in her throat and an eternity seemed to pass as she looked into his eyes. With almost agonising slowness, he leaned down and touched his lips to hers. It was the most innocent kiss, but it meant everything. After a moment, he leant back again.

"Goodnight, Sam," he said softly.

"Goodnight, Jack," she breathed. And then he was gone.

It took an incredible force of will for him to leave her there, but there was no other option. Jack walked back to his bedroom, finding Teal'c waiting outside the lounge door. They shared a look, which intimated everything the other needed to know.

"Thanks, T," Jack said quietly. Teal'c inclined his head.

"Take care, O'Neill."


AN: Come on, we've all been waiting for it. I thought we needed something a little lighter to take a break from the angst for a while. Don't worry, the next chapter will be full once again of Jack struggling with his demons and Carter's terrific hangover ;) Thank you to everyone who's reviewed and everyone who for some reason has stuck with me this far xxx