Sticks and Stones
Chapter 36:
When Sam woke, she began rubbing her shoulder. At first, she wasn't sure why her shoulder was bothering her then she remembered dreaming about the super soldiers and Anubis' home base. She knew she had been lucky to make it out of there intact.
She got to work early that morning and went to the commissary before making her way to her lab. She passed Teal'c's room on the way and grinned. She had remembered Ishta a couple days earlier, but she hadn't had a chance to talk to Teal'c about her yet. She knew he still visited her, since he had wisely used her recovery time to make several visits to see Ishta and his son.
Sam sighed as she reached her lab door. She was glad Teal'c had found someone special. The loss of his wife, twice, had been difficult for him even though he didn't show it on the outside. Sam assumed the life pacts of a hundred years or more made by Jaffa would increase the pain of loss.
As she sat at her computer to begin checking her email images of Teal'c and Ishta kissing in the gate room flooded her mind. Without any warning, flashes of Jack in the arms of a tall brunette appeared in her head. She gripped the table and her knuckles turned white. Sam saw herself pulling up towards Jack's house. Another car entered his drive. Sam stopped her car where she could see his house but not look like she was parked in front of his house.
She knew she didn't have any right to be here watching him. She knew better then to spy on a superior officer, a friend. She didn't move as the woman got out of her car and went to his door. She knocked. He smiled as he opened the door. They embraced, she looked up and their lips met. It wasn't a kiss shared by friends or family. It was the kiss of lovers. It was a deep kiss of passion. Sam waited until the door closed and she drove off.
As the memory assaulted Sam, she couldn't stop the tears. She raced from her lab to the women's bathroom just down the hall. She was thankfully alone. The feeling of betrayal hit her hard. She knew it wasn't rational to be angry he was seeing someone. She had no claim over him. The bile rose in her throat as she realized she had been on her way over to his house to try and discuss the unmentionable feelings she thought they shared. Seeing the super soldiers had impressed upon her the slim chances of ending this fight anytime soon and she had decided she didn't want to wait. She was going to request a transfer to another team if he reciprocated her feelings. She was so certain they both felt the same that she didn't even wonder what she would do if he told her no.
Sam washed her face and looked at herself in the mirror. Was he still seeing her? If he was, why hadn't he mentioned her? Could she be the real reason he kept telling her he wanted to wait? Sam shook her head. She needed answers and decided the best place to go was Daniel.
She entered his lab without knocking. He was working quietly on a parchment. Several books were opened around him. Sam was too upset to concern herself with interrupting politely.
"Did you know he was seeing somebody?"
"Sam?"
"Did you know General O'Neill was seeing somebody?"
"He was seeing someone a few weeks before you got hurt but it faded. I never got the feeling it was serious. Why do you ask?"
"If it wasn't serious why had they been going out for a year?"
"A year? It was maybe a couple of months, tops."
"Then we can't be talking about the same person." Sam paced the room. She was playing with one of the zippers on her pants pocket.
"When are you talking about?" Daniel got up and walked over to Sam. He stood behind her and put a hand on her arm. She turned towards him but she didn't meet his eyes.
"My shoulder was just about fully healed after my visit to see Anubis. I went over to his house to talk and I saw them."
"Maybe you misinterpreted what you saw."
"There wasn't any chance for misinterpretation." Her jaw hardened at the memory. Daniel pulled her closer.
"I'm sorry, Sam, but I didn't know about him seeing anybody seriously. He has had a few brief flings of little meaning over the years but few second dates. There's only one person who can answer your questions. Talk to him." Sam pulled away.
"Yeah, I'll do that." Sam backed up towards the door. "Thanks, Daniel. I'll see you later."
"Ok." Daniel's heart hit his stomach as she walked out of the room. She was getting hurt all over again and he hated watching it. He knew something was bothering her before she left on the Prometheus but she'd refused to talk about it. At the time, Daniel had assumed she was running from something. Now he knew she was running from a broken heart, again.
It was well after dinner when Jack and Teal'c showed up in Daniel's lab.
"Hey Danny-boy, wanna go out for drinks and some pool?"
"Is Sam going?"
"She wasn't in her lab."
"Did you look anywhere else?"
"Of course we did, Daniel. We checked all the usual places. I figure she went home at a reasonable hour. You're the only one I have to pull out of their lab tonight."
"How early did she leave?"
"I don't know. Why?"
"It's a hunch." Daniel picked up the phone. "Could you please tell me if Colonel Carter signed out today? What time? Thank-you sergeant." Daniel looked up at Jack.
"She left a little before 1000."
"That's pretty early, especially for Carter."
"Yeah, it is. Did she come and talk to you this morning?"
"No, why?"
"She needed to. I should have known she wouldn't do it." Daniel stood up and grabbed his coat off his chair. Jack reached out and grabbed his arm.
"Where are you going?"
"To find her."
"What's going on?"
"It's not my place to tell you." Daniel tried to jerk out of Jack's grip but he was unsuccessful. Daniel could see the barely controlled anger surfacing on Jack's face.
"Daniel, out with it. Now." Daniel shook his head but gave in.
"She remembered seeing you with another woman."
"When?" Daniel could see the truly confused looked on Jack's face. He felt sorry for him and angry with him at the same time.
"Just before she shipped out on the Prometheus." Jack let go. That explained so much! She had requested that mission without speaking to him about it. She had been so cold and distant before she left. Now he knew why.
"Kathy."
"Kathy?"
"It lasted a few months. I tried to pretend it was serious..."
"Is that why you introduced her to us?" Daniel didn't attempt to hide the contempt or anger in his voice. Jack didn't look at Teal'c, who he was sure would be disappointed in him.
"I guess choosing to keep her a secret should have been my first clue, huh."
"Ya' think?" Jack flinched from the brutality of Daniel's voice. "When did it end?"
"When Carter was lost with the Prometheus. The way I felt when she was missing..."
"Tell her."
"What?" Jack's eyes widened in horror.
"She needs to hear it from you and you need to know why she went on the Prometheus."
"Did she tell you?"
"She didn't have to, Jack." Jack lowered his head and raked his hand through his hair. "And by the way Jack, you're a total idiot for ever letting it get this bad."
"Thanks for the support."
"I concur, O'Neill. You and Colonel Carter have let this get out of hand. Honesty will be your only salvation."
"Easier said then done, Teal'c."
"I have never known you to be a man who took the easy road, Jack."
"Yeah, right. I'll go find her. I'll see you guys in the morning."
"Call me if you need back up." Jack waved as he walked out of Daniel's lab. His stomach was in knots. This had to be why she had gone out with that damn cop. All this time he had thought she'd finally given up on him. Now he knew she turned away from him to protect herself. She was protecting herself from him. He was the one causing her pain.
When Sam woke, she began rubbing her shoulder. At first, she wasn't sure why her shoulder was bothering her then she remembered dreaming about the super soldiers and Anubis' home base. She knew she had been lucky to make it out of there intact.
She got to work early that morning and went to the commissary before making her way to her lab. She passed Teal'c's room on the way and grinned. She had remembered Ishta a couple days earlier, but she hadn't had a chance to talk to Teal'c about her yet. She knew he still visited her, since he had wisely used her recovery time to make several visits to see Ishta and his son.
Sam sighed as she reached her lab door. She was glad Teal'c had found someone special. The loss of his wife, twice, had been difficult for him even though he didn't show it on the outside. Sam assumed the life pacts of a hundred years or more made by Jaffa would increase the pain of loss.
As she sat at her computer to begin checking her email images of Teal'c and Ishta kissing in the gate room flooded her mind. Without any warning, flashes of Jack in the arms of a tall brunette appeared in her head. She gripped the table and her knuckles turned white. Sam saw herself pulling up towards Jack's house. Another car entered his drive. Sam stopped her car where she could see his house but not look like she was parked in front of his house.
She knew she didn't have any right to be here watching him. She knew better then to spy on a superior officer, a friend. She didn't move as the woman got out of her car and went to his door. She knocked. He smiled as he opened the door. They embraced, she looked up and their lips met. It wasn't a kiss shared by friends or family. It was the kiss of lovers. It was a deep kiss of passion. Sam waited until the door closed and she drove off.
As the memory assaulted Sam, she couldn't stop the tears. She raced from her lab to the women's bathroom just down the hall. She was thankfully alone. The feeling of betrayal hit her hard. She knew it wasn't rational to be angry he was seeing someone. She had no claim over him. The bile rose in her throat as she realized she had been on her way over to his house to try and discuss the unmentionable feelings she thought they shared. Seeing the super soldiers had impressed upon her the slim chances of ending this fight anytime soon and she had decided she didn't want to wait. She was going to request a transfer to another team if he reciprocated her feelings. She was so certain they both felt the same that she didn't even wonder what she would do if he told her no.
Sam washed her face and looked at herself in the mirror. Was he still seeing her? If he was, why hadn't he mentioned her? Could she be the real reason he kept telling her he wanted to wait? Sam shook her head. She needed answers and decided the best place to go was Daniel.
She entered his lab without knocking. He was working quietly on a parchment. Several books were opened around him. Sam was too upset to concern herself with interrupting politely.
"Did you know he was seeing somebody?"
"Sam?"
"Did you know General O'Neill was seeing somebody?"
"He was seeing someone a few weeks before you got hurt but it faded. I never got the feeling it was serious. Why do you ask?"
"If it wasn't serious why had they been going out for a year?"
"A year? It was maybe a couple of months, tops."
"Then we can't be talking about the same person." Sam paced the room. She was playing with one of the zippers on her pants pocket.
"When are you talking about?" Daniel got up and walked over to Sam. He stood behind her and put a hand on her arm. She turned towards him but she didn't meet his eyes.
"My shoulder was just about fully healed after my visit to see Anubis. I went over to his house to talk and I saw them."
"Maybe you misinterpreted what you saw."
"There wasn't any chance for misinterpretation." Her jaw hardened at the memory. Daniel pulled her closer.
"I'm sorry, Sam, but I didn't know about him seeing anybody seriously. He has had a few brief flings of little meaning over the years but few second dates. There's only one person who can answer your questions. Talk to him." Sam pulled away.
"Yeah, I'll do that." Sam backed up towards the door. "Thanks, Daniel. I'll see you later."
"Ok." Daniel's heart hit his stomach as she walked out of the room. She was getting hurt all over again and he hated watching it. He knew something was bothering her before she left on the Prometheus but she'd refused to talk about it. At the time, Daniel had assumed she was running from something. Now he knew she was running from a broken heart, again.
It was well after dinner when Jack and Teal'c showed up in Daniel's lab.
"Hey Danny-boy, wanna go out for drinks and some pool?"
"Is Sam going?"
"She wasn't in her lab."
"Did you look anywhere else?"
"Of course we did, Daniel. We checked all the usual places. I figure she went home at a reasonable hour. You're the only one I have to pull out of their lab tonight."
"How early did she leave?"
"I don't know. Why?"
"It's a hunch." Daniel picked up the phone. "Could you please tell me if Colonel Carter signed out today? What time? Thank-you sergeant." Daniel looked up at Jack.
"She left a little before 1000."
"That's pretty early, especially for Carter."
"Yeah, it is. Did she come and talk to you this morning?"
"No, why?"
"She needed to. I should have known she wouldn't do it." Daniel stood up and grabbed his coat off his chair. Jack reached out and grabbed his arm.
"Where are you going?"
"To find her."
"What's going on?"
"It's not my place to tell you." Daniel tried to jerk out of Jack's grip but he was unsuccessful. Daniel could see the barely controlled anger surfacing on Jack's face.
"Daniel, out with it. Now." Daniel shook his head but gave in.
"She remembered seeing you with another woman."
"When?" Daniel could see the truly confused looked on Jack's face. He felt sorry for him and angry with him at the same time.
"Just before she shipped out on the Prometheus." Jack let go. That explained so much! She had requested that mission without speaking to him about it. She had been so cold and distant before she left. Now he knew why.
"Kathy."
"Kathy?"
"It lasted a few months. I tried to pretend it was serious..."
"Is that why you introduced her to us?" Daniel didn't attempt to hide the contempt or anger in his voice. Jack didn't look at Teal'c, who he was sure would be disappointed in him.
"I guess choosing to keep her a secret should have been my first clue, huh."
"Ya' think?" Jack flinched from the brutality of Daniel's voice. "When did it end?"
"When Carter was lost with the Prometheus. The way I felt when she was missing..."
"Tell her."
"What?" Jack's eyes widened in horror.
"She needs to hear it from you and you need to know why she went on the Prometheus."
"Did she tell you?"
"She didn't have to, Jack." Jack lowered his head and raked his hand through his hair. "And by the way Jack, you're a total idiot for ever letting it get this bad."
"Thanks for the support."
"I concur, O'Neill. You and Colonel Carter have let this get out of hand. Honesty will be your only salvation."
"Easier said then done, Teal'c."
"I have never known you to be a man who took the easy road, Jack."
"Yeah, right. I'll go find her. I'll see you guys in the morning."
"Call me if you need back up." Jack waved as he walked out of Daniel's lab. His stomach was in knots. This had to be why she had gone out with that damn cop. All this time he had thought she'd finally given up on him. Now he knew she turned away from him to protect herself. She was protecting herself from him. He was the one causing her pain.