There was a relaxed atmosphere in O'Malley's despite the bar and grill being full of Air Force personnel, about a dozen marines and a lot of civilians who'd all come to celebrate Siler's promotion and just hang out. The party had been in full swing when Jack arrived late in the afternoon and Daniel, Teal'c and Isaacs were already mingling with the others. He'd simply dropped off SG-1's gift on the assigned table, gotten a drink, congratulated Siler and found his teammates. Carter had had to work all day and only just arrived about half an hour ago.
Jack was currently seated in SG-1's booth while the guys were catching up with others. He took a sip of beer and observed Carter on the other side of the room, where she was animatedly talking to Siler. A small crowd of technicians – admirers, he thought grimly – had gathered around her. Walter, O'Brien, Simmons, Vern, Davis and some others with their backs to him were either contributing to the conversation or just gazing at her. She was caught up in whatever they were talking about and didn't seem to notice.
Jack noticed.
Even across the distance he could see her bright eyes, wide smile and the occasional touch of her hand and how the men were lured in by it. He couldn't fault them because he always got drawn in by her as well. Even now. The fact that she was unaware of her effect on most men only seemed to amplify it. Then again, she was aware of his feelings for her, or at least had been about a year ago, and still…
He shook his head, trying to dislodge the thought. She had made her choice and he had to accept it. He did accept it, it was just a bit harder to live with than he'd imagined. The memory of his talk with Daniel was still fresh in his mind and he clenched his fist. He could be a friend to Carter. He had to be, because over the past few weeks he'd found out he didn't like not seeing her. He'd tried his damnedest to avoid her on base and succeeded for the most part. A glimpse of her blonde head here or there, forcing himself to turn back around on his way to her lab, timing his trips to the commissary just so, taking the stairs rather than the elevator if possible and holing himself up in his office when he wasn't needed elsewhere. Whenever the pull became too strong, he'd pass by the conference room during a science meeting or he'd take a look at the control room when she was working there and move away without saying a word.
It made him feel pathetic.
As if the embarrassment of his notion that she was in love with him wasn't bad enough, he didn't need to see people pity him as he pined away for her. He'd already caught some speculative glances his way after news of her pregnancy broke and had carried on as if nothing was wrong. Telling everyone he was happy for her because she had finally followed his advice to get a life outside of the SGC.
As fate would have it, Carter chose that moment to appear at his table. "Hi, Sir."
"Enjoying yourself, Carter?" He asked, looking up at her and immediately feeling the warmth of her blue gaze.
"It's a little crowded."
Jack nodded in agreement after casting a look beyond her. Siler was a popular guy, always ready to help whoever needed it and never complaining when his efforts landed him in the infirmary. The turnout wasn't a surprise, although Jack suspected many of the SGC personnel also used it as an excuse to simply unwind. The venue was closed to outsiders so everyone felt at ease to let their guard down and relax. "He's a good guy," he said.
"Mind if I take a seat?"
She smiled but it looked a little strained. Upon closer look, he noticed dark circles under her eyes that her makeup couldn't completely conceal. They hadn't spoken since yesterday but he recalled her looking a little tired back then too. He tried to suppress the concern he felt for her – and her baby's – welfare and reasoned it was a natural side effect of her pregnancy. She was a big girl, she could take care of herself. "You don't have to ask, Carter, take a load off."
"I didn't want to impose, Sir." She must have noticed his confusion because she indicated the table and continued, "It's SG-1's table."
"Last time I checked, you're still part of the team," he said.
She slipped into the booth opposite him and raised her brow. "Technically, I've been reassigned."
That was true of course, but he didn't want her to feel like she'd been replaced. "Not in my book, Carter."
"Thank you, Sir."
"I added SG-1's gift to the pile," he said, gesturing at the table laden with gifts for Siler. "Your name's on the card as well."
"Daniel told me."
"Ah," he said, taking a swig of beer. Of course, Daniel had told her. Probably told her all about it already and now he had to find a new topic of conversation. "So, um, how's the new gig?"
Carter smiled knowingly at him and started talking about her new assignment. She kept her voice low and didn't go into too much details since there was still bar staff around, but told him broadly about her tasks and the projects she was currently involved in. Her enthusiasm made her eyes shine with excitement and he realized he missed it.
Missed her.
He didn't know anyone else who was as enthusiastic when talking about their work. Daniel was also passionate but that was mostly vocal and occasionally paired with some overeager facial expressions. Carter practically lit up from within and even though Jack didn't have a snowball's chance in hell of ever completely understanding her genius, he always enjoyed simply watching her. Maybe a little too much, though.
"How is Lieutenant Isaacs working out, Sir?"
"Oh, you know," he said, looking around until he recognized the guy's military buzz cut among a couple of science geeks. "Takes some getting used to."
She looked a little disappointed with his generic answer. "He hasn't landed you in hot water yet, I suppose that's a plus."
The memory of their last mission had him rolling his eyes. "No, just our gear in an icy river."
"Rookie mistake."
He returned her smile and shrugged. "He's a good kid, I guess. Has potential."
"That's why I recommended him."
"You did good."
She looked pleased and took a sip of her drink. "I'm glad he's fitting in well."
Jack wasn't quite ready to say that, he still merely thought of Isaacs as his temporary fourth. Not really as one of the team. But he would admit the Lieutenant wasn't half bad. To himself at least. "We'll have to wait and see how he handles himself when things get dicey."
"You've been training with him, I'm sure he'll do fine."
"Can't be worse than Daniel's first few weeks, I guess."
Grinning, she rolled her eyes playfully, before glancing over at Isaacs. "According to his file, he thinks on his feet, keeps his cool and is a good shot, even in stressful situations."
He nodded in agreement, having read the file after discussing the guy with Hammond. "Mostly training scenarios and a few missions on other teams, though. Not the same as being on SG-1."
"We did have a habit of attracting trouble."
"The last few missions have been cakewalks," he said, choosing to ignore his rough tumble and subsequent minor injury. Then he narrowed his eyes and pointed his bottleneck at her. "Hey, maybe you were the trouble magnet."
He was rewarded with one of her blinding smiles and it socked him in the gut. "I seem to recall getting us out of trouble on a regular basis. Maybe you guys are just being more careful now that I'm not around to save your butts. Sir."
"Maybe, Carter. Maybe."
The smile slid off her face as she leaned back and yawned, looking mildly embarrassed. She muttered an apology and stretched her arms, causing her dark sweater to pull tightly across her chest.
Jack's gaze dropped to her breasts, definitely fuller from pregnancy, and swallowed hard before averting his eyes. The sweater was kind of bulky and up until moments ago, it had hid her changed physique rather well. Now, he noticed the outline of her swollen belly before she straightened up and the sweater fell just so, hiding her curves.
Trying to ignore the obvious, he glanced around the bar in search of another topic. Maybe he could signal the guys to join them, before things would get awkward. Isaacs had moved elsewhere and Jack couldn't spot him, but Daniel was talking to a couple of nurses and Teal'c was in conversation with Reynolds. Neither noticed him. "Looks like Siler is leaving," he said, indicating the group of techs.
"Said he had to go home in time for his son. Wife is working the nightshift."
"He has a kid?" Jack frowned, wondering why he'd had no idea. "Wait. Siler's married?"
Carter raised an elegant brow. "His boy's name is Sylvester. You'd be surprised at the things people share with me since finding out I'm pregnant."
Tipping his beer to his lips, he took a sip and gave it some thought. It wasn't all that surprising, really, the same had happened with Charlie. People suddenly started talking to him about their family, especially their kids as if they felt it was important to share – from one parent to another. "I wonder how he explains his frequent injuries and infirmary stays to his wife."
"Probably the same way everyone else with a partner does."
"Think we should call the guys over and get something to eat?" He asked after checking his watch. She probably hadn't eaten yet, having come straight from the base to O'Malley's and he doubted she'd be up to cooking or even ordering takeout by the time she got home. Besides, he could eat.
She bit her lip, thinking. Then she cast a look around and smiled, before nodding at him. "They're already coming over."
"Hey guys," Daniel said, before sliding in the booth next to Sam. "Teal'c and I figured we could order something to eat now that the party's over."
"O'Neill, Major Carter," Teal'c greeted. "I shall assist Sergeant Siler with his collection of gifts and then I shall retrieve Lieutenant Isaacs and join you for sustenance."
Jack waved him off and flagged down a waitress. "I'll have a steak, rare, with everything and baked potato. Oh and another beer."
Daniel ordered the same for himself and Isaacs but doubled the order for Teal'c and requested a fruit juice for the Jaffa.
"I'll have the same," Carter said, indicating Jack, "but with French fries."
"And a diet soda?" He asked.
She grimaced and shook her head. "I'll have some orange juice."
The waitress jotted everything down and smiled. "Coming right up!"
Daniel excused himself to go talk to Balinsky whom he'd just spotted and suddenly it was just the two of them again.
"You wouldn't believe the amount of caffeine in a diet soda." Carter said, an awkward look on her face.
"No need to explain."
Then she yawned again and rubbed a tired hand over her face. "Must be the lack of caffeine. Sorry."
Jack tilted his head and gave her a good look. She looked exhausted and he couldn't help but wonder if she got enough sleep. Maybe convincing her to come out tonight hadn't been a good idea. Overtaxing herself like that couldn't be good for her or the baby. "You okay, Carter?"
"I'm fine, Sir."
"You don't look fine."
A mutinous look appeared on her face, "I'm telling you, I'm fine. Sir."
He gave her a pointed look. "I'm not… criticizing. Sheesh. I was just wondering how you're feeling," he said. The words had barely left his mouth before he was kicking himself for asking.
"Honestly?" she asked, eyes wide. "Maybe a little tired."
"You been sleeping okay?"
She looked startled that he'd asked and he reminded himself that they didn't usually discuss such things. "Um, yeah. Pretty much. Most of the time, anyway."
"Well, which is it?"
"I nap a lot and even get over eight hours every night." She flushed and he wondered if she was embarrassed over it, even though that didn't make a lot of sense; she was only human. "But I still feel tired all the time and at night I wake up a lot. I've, er, become very restless."
He made a vague gesture to indicate her abdomen. "That's not unusual, is it?"
"My obstetrician says it's normal. It's just… very frustrating."
"Yeah."
Carter shifted and leaned in closer, blue eyes shining. "I've started keeping a box of crackers on my nightstand because I get hungry all the time. It's ridiculous."
Chuckling, he sat back and took the last swig of his beer. Over the top of her head, he spotted Daniel making his way over to them alongside Isaacs and felt relieved. Spending one-on-one time with Carter, especially outside of work, wasn't the best thing for him right now. "They guys are back."
"Hey," she said as they reached the table, smiling her megawatt smile.
"Major Carter, hi," Isaacs said, a bit of awe in his tone.
She simply nodded in acknowledgment. "Lieutenant."
Daniel rolled his eyes at their newest teammate and slid in the booth next to her. "Teal'c is almost done helping Siler." Then he turned to the Lieutenant, "Can you pull up an extra chair?"
"Food should be here soon," Jack said, after checking his watch. "Any time now."
"I can take the chair-"
Jack cut her off with a dismissive wave of his hand. "Don't be ridiculous, Carter. Let the new kid take the chair."
Isaacs nodded in agreement and took a seat on the chair he'd just pulled from around the corner. "The booth is much more comfortable, Ma'am."
"Alright," she said, although she'd looked like she wanted to protest. "Thank you."
Jack looked around the table, trying to determine whether it was a good idea to get them all together when Carter apparently felt like she wasn't part of the team anymore. However, there didn't appear to be any tension between his former 2IC and the new kid, which was good.
Teal'c appeared behind the Lieutenant and inclined his head towards everyone as he retook his seat next to Jack. "Sergeant Siler has received numerous gifts in celebration of his promotion."
"Good, he deserves it," Daniel said, smiling.
"Indeed."
Daniel was telling Isaacs about some of Siler's recent accomplishments, including related infirmary visits, when the waitress reappeared with their orders. It took her two trips and a lot of balancing but everyone got their meal and drink. A silence descended on the group as they dug in.
Isaacs was the first to break it, looking over at Carter. "How far along are you now, Ma'am?"
"Seventeen weeks."
He seemed encouraged by her smile and continued in the friendly and easy-going manner he had, "My wife was so happy when the first trimester had passed; her morning sickness had been really bad." He paused, clearly proud, "Our daughter's second birthday is coming up in two months."
Carter took another bite of her steak and while Jack thought she looked a little uncomfortable talking about her pregnancy with someone she barely knew, she replied, "I've barely suffered from any nausea, fortunately. Just exhaustion."
"Do you dream a lot? My wife had lots of strange dreams in her second trimester."
"Drey'auc's sexual appetite increased greatly. Is it not the same for Tau'ri females with child?"
Jack nearly choked on his beer at Teal'c's announcement and had to clear his throat a few times before he could speak. "Um, well… Daniel?"
Daniel rolled his eyes. "You do realize I'm the only one at this table who has never been in the process of becoming a parent, Jack?"
"Every pregnancy is different, Teal'c. The morning sickness Lieutenant Isaacs mentioned for example is quite common, but I barely experienced it. It's all down to the hormones involved in pregnancy, physical changes and how a woman's body responds to them." Carter explained it in her techno babble voice, but Jack couldn't help but notice that her blush went all the way down her neck and disappeared into her sweater.
"You should ask Fraiser about it, T," he said, smirking. "I'm sure the Doc could answer all of your questions about Tau'ri pregnancies."
The Jaffa inclined his head, acknowledging the comment but Jack wasn't sure if he'd actually do it.
"So, um, Sam," Daniel said, clearly intending to change the topic, "how's the house hunting going?"
She shrugged dismissively as she cut into her steak. "I haven't made a lot of progress yet. Didn't have much time or energy."
That seemed to be all she had to say on the subject. The guys noticed as well and started talking among themselves, while Jack returned his attention to his meal. The food was good and the company not bad, either. He glanced over to his current teammates and was pleased to see them all getting along, even Teal'c was a rather active – for a Jaffa, anyway – participant in whatever story Daniel was relaying to Isaacs.
"Jack?" Daniel asked, sounding like it wasn't the first time he'd called him.
"Yeah?"
"Do you know how we got back in here? I mean, last I'd heard we," he indicated himself, Carter and Jack, "were banned from entering the premise."
Jack grimaced at the reminder and noticed the eager face of Isaacs. The Lieutenant often asked them about their adventures, seeming to relish the retelling by Daniel even though he had access to SG-1's mission reports. "The Air Force paid for the damage and then some," he said. "And I believe Hammond got in touch with the owners after learning about Siler's plans to host his party here." In fact, Jack had reassured the owners in person that they wouldn't cause any trouble, but they didn't need to know that.
"Certainly brings back memories," Daniel said, smirking.
Jack's eyes automatically searched out Carter's and he could tell her thoughts were heading the same direction as his. He swallowed as an image of her standing behind the force field, awaiting capture or worse flashed through his mind's eye. It brought back other memories too. Like the time they were suspected of being zatarcs: the sacrifice he'd been willing to make if it meant the possibility of saving her. His confession of feelings while hooked onto the alien lie detector… Looking at her now, pregnant with another man's child, he wondered if they'd made the right decision back then.
"Colonel?"
"Sorry," he muttered, realizing he was staring at her and tried to sound normal. "Just… thinking."
She gave him a look he couldn't interpret before looking away. "We never should have agreed to be guinea pigs," she said, speaking to the guys.
Daniel agreed with her and started explaining the side effects of the armbands and whatnot to Isaacs, while Teal'c occasionally chimed in with his observations during that time.
Jack, however, was finding it hard to concentrate and kept thinking back to that time and the feelings he'd experienced and expressed. He snuck a few glances at Carter, who was keeping her head down and focusing on her meal, and wondered what was going through her mind. Did she have any regrets about how things played out?
He looked up when he felt someone's eyes on him and realized Teal'c was regarding them both. The careful consideration he could read on the Jaffa's face drove home the realization that it didn't matter what she thought or felt; their moment, maybe, had come and gone. She had moved on and it was time for Jack to do the same. Like he'd told Daniel, he would support her as a friend.
Nothing more.
Jack raised his brows at Teal'c, who in turn looked sharply towards Carter. It had been his intention to let him know he got it and that the big guy didn't need to worry about him, but then he saw the way she was pushing her food around her plate rather than eating it. Her body language, while subtle, exuded exhaustion and he figured a bit of friendly concern was allowed.
"Lieutenant Isaacs," Teal'c's deep voice suddenly sounded, "earlier you questioned my skills in the match played on the billiards table. I hereby challenge you to prove your prowess."
Isaacs stammered in agreement, eyes wide and pushed his empty plate aside. Daniel simply grinned until Teal'c called on him to function as arbiter in their pool game. The trio left the table and Jack turned to Carter. "You hanging in there, Carter?"
"Just… a long day, Sir," she said, abandoning her plate.
He tried to gauge whether she was being honest or putting on a brave front for fear of being seen as weak. Sometimes her old insecurities, no matter how irrelevant, still popped up. "Sure? No one will think any less of you, you know."
She pursed her lips together and glanced at her watch. "Maybe I will call it a night."
"Gotta be up bright and early tomorrow," he said, teasingly.
"And you all have the day off, I remember."
He saw her reach for her bag and waved her off. "Don't worry about the bill, Carter. I'll take care of it."
"Sir-"
"My team," he said, gesturing to indicate the whole table, "my treat."
After a moment, she nodded and pulled out her keys. "Okay. Thank you, Sir."
"You're welcome."
"Tell the guys I've gone home? I don't want to interrupt their game."
Jack watched as she got out of the booth and righted her sweater, hiding any indications of her pregnancy. When he looked up, he realized she'd been watching him watch her and he cleared his throat awkwardly. "So, um, this was nice. Been a while since we've done a team get together… I'm also glad we can talk about stuff as friends now, you know?"
Something flashed over her face but it was gone before he could name it and then she gave him a small smile. "Sure. Thanks again."
"Good night, Carter. Drive safe." Jack craned his neck and watched as she made her way over to the exit, pondering their little exchange as he sipped his beer.
The bottle was almost empty by the time Daniel joined him, a curious look on the archaeologist's face. "Where's Sam?"
He tipped his head in the direction of the door. "Left early. Tired."
"When?"
"A few minutes ago," he said, shrugging. "Why?"
Daniel slid in the booth and frowned, before holding up a familiar-looking jacket. "I think she forgot something."
Jack cast a look around until his eyes landed on the CMO, over at the bar. "Give it to Fraiser. She's probably working tomorrow."
"Maybe I should drop it off at Sam's."
"She went home to get some rest," Jack pointed out. "Besides, she'd only need it to walk to and from her car."
Daniel sighed and put the jacket down. "You're right. She probably has more than one, anyway."
"How did the game go?"
"I gave up after Teal'c won the three rounds," he said, smirking. Then he placed his elbows on the table and leaned forward. "How did it go with Sam?"
Frowning, Jack took a swig of beer to forestall a reply. It had gone as well as could be expected considering the situation, he supposed. "Fine. We talked, as friends."
Daniel reached for the glass he'd abandoned earlier and spared him a glance. "That's all?"
"What do you want me to say? I told you, we can be friends. We are friends."
"Just like that?"
He didn't think it was that easy, but he was trying. He'd made a decision and it was time to move on, to save them all embarrassment. "She's moved on. I'm trying to support her as a friend."
"I'm glad," the archaeologist said.
"Well, I'm not exactly thrilled but then we've already had that discussion." He made a dismissive gesture with his hand when Daniel opened his mouth again, somehow sensing the guy wanted to talk about it some more. Jack wasn't in the mood. He glanced over at the pool table, not surprised to see Teal'c and Isaacs still playing. The Lieutenant had been awed by all three of them when he joined SG-1 but Jack suspected there was also an intimidation factor that prevented him from saying no to Teal'c.
Daniel was nursing his drink and sat back when a waitress came to collect their plates. "You know," he said after she was gone, "maybe it's time for you to, um, get out there."
"You mean like dating?"
"Yes," he replied, unconcerned with Jack's tone, "Move on… you know, find someone."
Jack was ridiculously glad he hadn't called Carter by name, all too aware of the lingering SGC personnel around them. Not that he thought anyone was eavesdropping, but still. He wasn't ready to date anyone though and he certainly wasn't going to take relationship advice from Daniel of all people. "I don't think so."
Daniel rolled his eyes. "Come on, Jack. It would be good for you. See that woman over there? She's been trying to catch your eye all night."
"Drop it, Daniel." Jack wasn't interested in anyone else and he certainly wasn't going to date someone from the SGC, regardless of how nice she looked. He'd long ago learned he wasn't really the type for casual relationships or whatever they called it these days. Besides, aside from his unresolved feelings for Carter and all the baggage he had, he didn't think it was fair to subject a woman to his dangerous lifestyle.
"But-"
"Let's go save Isaacs from Teal'c," Jack said, interrupting him and getting up. He'd order them another round, maybe play a game of pool himself and then he'd be calling it a night as well.
