Thirteen

What in hell can take so long about getting that damn beast out of Evan's head, she wonders not for the first time since she sat down in the observation gallery of the room they decided to use for the extraction about an hour ago. They'd been fussing around down there for over an hour now and they haven't even brought him in yet. Is it really… "Permission to enter the room, ma'am?" Holy fuck.

She nearly fell off her chair at the almost timid voice coming from the door behind her. Dammit, this is the second time in the space of an hour that she let someone else get the better of her. First Colonel Carter and now… Lieutenant Simmons. She has unfolded the legs she had drawn to her chest until a moment ago and turned around and lo and behold… there isn't only Lieutenant Simmons standing in the door way but also Sergeants Meyers and McPherson behind him.

What. The. Fuck? She told the guys at the SGC repeatedly not to inform Evan's team of this because they are on leave as well and it was enough that the leave of their boss was ruined. Whoever called them… will have to answer to a seriously pissed off Laura Cadman when this is all over. Now however… sending the guys away would just be cruel so she sighs quietly and says, "Permission granted."

Trying a nervous smile, Simmons enters, followed by Meyers who looks uncharacteristically serious and McPherson who appears to be not quite his usual stoic self. Obviously… someone filled them in on the full extent of this and they're smart enough to have a inkling about what this must be doing to her. They sit down beside her – Simmons to her right, Meyers to her left and McPherson next to Meyers – and for a moment, no one says anything.

Then she decides she can take the direct approach because this time she's the ranking officer here – a strange realization after such a long time on Atlantis where being a Captain is only marginally more important than being a Lieutenant or even a NCO with Majors running around in relative abundance – so she asks no one in particular, "Why are you here?"

After another moment of silence, Meyers clears his throat and simply says, "You just don't let down the boss, ma'am," as if that explained everything. And perhaps it does.

Because she understands this, it actually surprises her to hear Simmons quietly add, "And you don't let any other team member down either, ma'am." Whoa. Did he just say… what she thinks he just said?

She's just a little miffed at him because in her current state of mind… it's almost enough to make her teary-eyed to hear this from Simmons of all people. There's so much to that little sentence that she feels a little choked up for a few moments. Then she's finally able to buck up and keep her wits about her and she simply replies, "Thanks guys." However, she doesn't want them to think her a sentimental fool so she adds with just the right amount of consternation, "But whoever told you about this will be in deep shit when this is over." And into the direction of Meyers, "And I really hope Jessi will kick your ass for abandoning her like that, Sergeant."

"If you want to, you can tell her yourself, ma'am," he replies, sounding like his usual laid-back self again, "because she's in the infirmary on the emergency team. In case something goes wrong here, you know." The sheer… audacity of that makes her turn to him and give him the narrowed eyes. For a moment, the little half-smirk stays but then he has the decency to blush and offer her a, "Which of course it won't, ma'am."

She nods, still giving him the reprimanding look, and retorts, "Right. Of course." At this point… she hears something that sounds like a suppressed snort from behind her and catches McPherson's face shifting minimally into something that could be very close to a minute grin. For some reason… this whole situation makes her unable to keep up her stern façade and the insanity of the last few hours and the relief that it will be over in maybe one or two more hours find their way through her screwed up brain.

Cracking an involuntary grin, she turns back to the room, puts up her feet on the small sill below the window in front of her and crosses her arms in front of her chest. The guys obviously see this as a sign to get themselves comfortable as well and all of a sudden having to wait for the Tok'ra to get this over with… doesn't seem so hard anymore.

A/N: To be honest, the inclusion of Lorne's team into the story had been a rather spontaneous decision but I felt like they had a right to be there as well. He's the boss, after all. Also, I developed a fondness for scenes with Laura and the team because it's something I haven't explored very much until now. BTW, mac apparently hates me now (she told me so when I told her I can see the biathlon races live and she can't, although she lives much closer to Vancouver than I do...). Hopefully not enough to stop betaing for me ;).