Evelyn knew Jack's missions had a bad tendency to be overdue, but when she didn't hear from him in two months she started to get worried. When she was unable to reach him for another week she started to get really worried. And when she failed to reach Sam as well she got scared. She took a deep breath and worked her way through the AF connections she still had until she finally got to Major General George Hammond.

"I'm sorry, Colonel", he said with a sigh. "I'm afraid we had to declare him MIA. Major Carter is working on a way to get to him almost 24/7."

Which explained why Evelyn couldn't get a hold of the major either.

"Do you know if he's alive?"

"We don't have reason to assume otherwise. It's just – difficult to get to him. But I have the uttermost faith in the major's abilities to work it out. We'll get him back, Evelyn."

She thanked the general and hung up the phone. What had he gotten himself into this time...why wasn't his team with him, and what the hell was 'difficult to get to him' supposed to mean?

When he finally called she briefly wondered if maybe she was getting too old for this. She had to sit down and take a deep breath. She listened to him trying to assure her that he was OK, and after a few minutes she actually started to believe him. And then there was a break. Silence. And a sigh.

"I'm an idiot, Evelyn."

"You are?"

"Oh come on, you could at least pretend to contradict me."

She smiled, but it vanished quickly.

"Where the hell were you, Jack?"

"You know I can't tell you. Uh, did you talk to Carter recently?"

"No, why?"

"Good."

"Good? Why on earth is that good?"

"Because she would have gone on a rant probably..."

"OK, so you've been an idiot about something that concerns her. More of an idiot than usual?"

Jack considered playing hurt, but she was right.

"Yes. More of an idiot than usual."

"Spill."

"That place I got stuck – it wasn't exactly that bad. Just that I couldn't get home. Like – being stranded on a remote island or something."

"M-hm?"

"Anyway I might have let myself be – dragged into – something."

"Jack, please. You're not making any sense."

He heaved another sigh.

"OK there was that woman, Laira."

"So you're saying you jumped into some kind of relationship while being MIA?"

He didn't say anything to that for a while.

"I didn't exactly jump, Evelyn. I felt – uh crap I thought I'd never make it home. I was -"

"Lonely."

"Yeah."

He drew a deep breath.

"She'd been giving me the eye from day one but I didn't think too much of it. But after three months of – being alone I gave in. She did me good, Evelyn..."

Evelyn smiled a little sadly. Her voice was soft when she went on:

"I don't see why you'd have to justify yourself. Not to Sam and certainly not to me."

"I keep telling myself that, too. But she's mad and I feel guilty and it – affects us."

"The team?"

"Yeah."

"Then talk to her. It's true that you don't owe her like you would if you were in a relationship, but you owe her as her CO. You have to rely on each other, and you don't need me to tell you that. You're an amazing commander, Jack. Don't let something like that stand between you and destroy the trust you had. Talk to her. Off base. Somewhere she feels safe enough to say what's on her mind."

~o0o~

When Carter opened the door Jack thought she looked really bad. Thin and even paler than usual, and if he looked close enough her eyes might have been red and a little swollen. Maybe this had been a bad idea...

The way she stood straighter when she realized it was him cut through his heart. Always the good soldier, no matter how spent she must be. He remembered the general's words – 'I'm sending Major Carter home for a few days. I doubt she's been sleeping more than three hours a night since you went missing.'

Now she lifted her chin in a way that couldn't possibly mean anything good.

"Sir?"

"Can I talk to you?"

"Sure. Come on in, sir."

He followed her into her kitchen. When she turned to look at him quizzically he said:

"Could you please drop the sir for the moment, Carter? And by that I mean that I'd like you to speak freely."

"Are you sure that's what you want, Jack?"

His gut clenched. He realized she'd never really been mad at him, or if she had she'd always reined it in, good soldier that she was. He nodded at her, bracing himself for what was to come.

"Have at it."

And all of a sudden she deflated. Bowing her head she avoided his eyes.

"It took me too long, didn't it?"

"What? What are you talking about?"

"It took my a freaking hundred days to figure out how to get to you. You grew tired of waiting."

"No! I -"

But it was true. He had given up. She had been working her ass off to get him home and he had given up and started making a life for himself on Edora.

"I was working night and day, Jack. I was – missing you so badly. And when we finally made it there I could see that it was too late. You weren't waiting for us any more."

Good Lord did she hear what he'd said to Laira?

"Sam, I was an idiot. I treated you like shit after everything you'd done...I'm just so used to you saving my sorry ass. I should have said thank you. I should have -"

Her eyes came up to meet his.

"Is it true? That you'd rather stayed on Edora than come back to Earth?"

He briefly closed his eyes. God how much he wanted her in his arms right now...

"No. It's not. I was lost, and confused, but I'm glad to be back. Home."

He opened his eyes pleading with her to understand. With you.

She straightened once more.

"Well I guess you don't owe me anything. It might be different if we had some kind of a – personal relationship, but since you're my CO..."

That hurt. It was true, and yet it wasn't, and it hurt.

"I always liked to think that maybe you saw me as a friend, Carter. Not just your CO."

She just kept looking at him, blue eyes bright with tears she stubbornly refused to shed. Her voice was low and so uncharacteristically insecure that it made him wince:

"Are we? Friends I mean?"

He took a step towards her.

"Of course. Come here."

She stepped into his embrace and buried her face in the crook of his neck.

"I missed you like crazy", she breathed, and his grip tightened.

"I'm here. You got me back. Thank you."

She drew a shaky breath. He pulled back to look at her.

"Are we good?"

Oh that smile, breaking through the tears that were silently running down her cheeks now.

"Yes. Yes we are."