Day Six

They wake up to a warm day. They sort out camp first; stowing their blankets, dousing the fire before Jack refills the canteen and splashes water on his face. Carter does the same as Jack settles on a rock, waiting for Carter to join him before opening the wrappings surrounding the cake. Leftover cake makes a better breakfast than berries or fish. Jack's hit first by the waft of delicate spices then the moist texture. He eyes the cake, drawing out his examination till Carter snorts at him.

"Careful, Sir, I think you might drool on it," she teases him when his attention moves to her.

"Might? I think I already have, Carter," he shoots back. She rolls her eyes at him.

"Nice try, Sir, but you aren't keeping it all to yourself," Carter retorts, reaching out and tearing off a corner to pop it in her mouth.

Jack watches a beat longer than he should, wondering who or what he is more envious of as she chews thoughtfully. It's a tough call as she lets out a satisfied groan while her eyes light up and drop back to the cake in his hands.

"That good, huh?" Jack lifts an eyebrow.

Carter smirks as she nods and reaches back into his lap. Wordlessly, he holds out the cake so she can tear her half off. She snags it deftly and cradles it in her lap as she tears bites off. Jack turns back to the scenery lest being caught staring at her. His gaze falls naturally on the mountain and what he's come to think of as their ridge in the distance.

"What is it?" Carter asks, snapping Jack out of his reverie.

"Huh?" He asks, frowning at her. Her brow furrows, her eyes assessing him quickly.

"I never thought anything would distract you from the cake," she explains with a nod at the cake sitting in his hands.

"Ah," he says distractedly. "We need to start thinking about what to do if we can't dial home."

He knows she's already been thinking about it when she drops her gaze guiltily. He figures their little vacation won't last much longer. Days rather than weeks, he can feel the itch drawing him back. They can't sit idly by on this planet while the rest of the universe is fighting the Goa'uld. Neither of their consciences would let them. Logically, they can't stay here and remain reliant on Bra'tac and Ryac. Jack figures they have at least another week before they should leave the planet and start earning their keep at Bra'tac's camp. They're still in the middle of a war and neither Bra'tac nor Teal'c will remain idle for much longer. At least, they'll still be fighting the Goa'uld.

"Teal'c would prefer to stay with Bra'tac and Ryac," Carter says, echoing his thoughts.

"We have any teams off-world when the bugs tried to invade Earth?"

Carter shakes her head. "General Hammond recalled all teams when Thor beamed you out of the base."

"Well, I guess I should get used to getting my ass handed to me by Bra'tac then," Jack quips before finally popping a bit of cake into his mouth. He almost whimpers as the taste hits his tongue. "Mmm…Cake."

"I told you," Carter says warmly.

When Jack's eyes meet Carter's, she's smiling softly almost sadly. "What?"

"How long do we keep trying to dial home?"

"I don't know Carter, but we're not going to wait around for months when we have other options," Jack gruffly explains.

He knows he's said the wrong thing when she raises an eyebrow at him and he rethinks his wording.

Months.

Ah.

Edora.

A few months ago, he lasted a hundred days. He wasn't able to dial home, yet he kept busy with trying to find the Gate rather than focusing on the task of getting one to work. He was surrounded by a community, by Laira, and it took three months for his shock and panic to subside a fraction. He grew accustomed to his new reality yet he never forgot home, never forgot his team, his family. He'll never forget his heart pounding when his radio crackled to life and he heard the faint sound of Teal'c's voice.

It had taken Laira a hundred days to mourn her husband. When Jack reached that threshold, she'd expected him to do the same. He hadn't been ready, though he thought he should try. He still felt the pull of home, of his team. Something he never expected to feel after Charlie, something he didn't think he deserved to feel. He reluctantly let her take his BDU's, his only link to home, out of a sense of obligation. He didn't want to throw Laira's kindness back in her face after she took him in when he had nothing.

"This is different from Edora, Carter," Jack tells her. This time he has part of his team, he has her, the one who worked relentlessly to bring him home a few months ago. They aren't cut off from other planets, only Earth. It's not a bad planet to be stranded on. Unlike him, Carter has family on Earth. Sure, he'll miss Daniel, Cassie, Doc Frasier, Hammond. Her dad might be off somewhere with the Tok'ra, but she had started to reconnect with her brother and his family about a year ago.

She flushes, suddenly finding the cake in her hand fascinating. "I know that, Sir."

Perfectly even and professional. No inflection.

"I spent most of the time trying to dig up the gate," Jack admits, surprising himself as much as Carter. "I didn't know where to dig till I Teal'c signal came through. When they had time, some of the villagers helped me. I got to know people."

"That's understandable," she nods. "Being cut off, you make connections," she swallows.

"Carter," Jack sighs, questioning.

"I just," Carter bites her bottom lip as she breathes in. "It didn't seem like you wanted to leave when we came to get you. You never would have left any of us behind, and I keep wondering why you think we would leave you behind."

"You're worth more than I am, I'm expendable Carter."

"With all due respect, that's a load of crap."

"Not in the eyes of the Air Force," Jack argues.

"I wasn't talking about the Air Force," she retorts, her tone broking no argument.

"I know," he returns fiercely, almost a vow. Their eyes connect and they both know. They're both breathing deeply in the face of their admissions, knowing they're skirting the line of what they can and can't admit. Jack swallows and reluctantly tears his eyes away from hers. "We could always track down Dad, see if he can give us a lift home," Jack suggests, taking a bite out of his cake. Mentioning Dad is as effective as a cold shower. "Then I'd have to get used to him handing me my ass."

Carter shakes her head as she rolls her eyes, picking at her half of cake. "Dad likes you." He throws her a look, dubious and questioning, receiving a shrug for an answer. "He does," she insists, though it's clear she doesn't understand why either.

Jack figures if Jacob knew what he was thinking, of the blurring lines between himself and Carter, the older man wouldn't like Jack as much.

"What's the first thing you're going to do when we get home?" Carter asks a moment later, valiantly trying to divert the conversation to safer topics.

"I'm going to head up to the cabin," he answers.

"Really, Sir?" She counters playfully. "I thought you'd have enough of fishing after this week."

"Nothing compares to the thrill of catching a bass this big," Jack says, spreading his hands wide as she eyes him sceptically.

"The bass gets bigger every time you say that," Carter replies with a wide smile.

"Just you wait, Carter, you'll see," Jack taunts her. There are no fish in his pond. It's the act of fishing that's important, not the fish. He's fairly confident she'll get it when she agrees to accompany him. "What about you?"

She wrinkles her nose, a little cautious and Jack bites back a remark about her quarks and lack of life beyond the program. "I'm calling dibs on the locker room, Sir," Carter says after a beat.

Jack takes a discreet whiff of himself. Their cool pool of water and the soap Ryac gave them can only do so much. It doesn't compare to a long, hot shower or fresh clothes. Not with Carter occupying the next stall, obviously. "That's a good call."

He finishes his half of the cake by popping it into his mouth and chewing thoroughly to make it last. He sputters on the last crumbs when she quietly asks, "Why did you ask me to go fishing with you?"

Carter's blush spreads quickly across her face and neck as she refuses to look at him. She tears her last mouthful in half and swallows it quickly, her fingers lingering on her lips in a poor shot to hide from him.

"I don't know," Jack replies honestly when everything in him is telling him to downplay it, joke it off to make it easier for both of them to deny whatever has been lingering between them for a while. He shrugs. "I thought you might like it instead of tinkering away with your reactor."

"You're right, I would," she breathes out. "Before this week, I would never have imagined you sitting next to a pond for hours on end."

"We haven't sat on our asses the whole time, Carter, we've scoured the surrounding area," Jack argues good-naturedly. "Again, not much different to the cabin except the trails are established and maintained by the Rangers." He gives her an appraising look. "Growing restless, Major?"

"A little," she admits, stretching a little.

"Why don't we make the jog to the 'Gate a little interesting?" He asks, rising to his feet as she does the same.

"How?"

"If you win, I catch and cook dinner and take the first watch," Jack tells her.

"If you win?" Carter prompts, a small smile forming.

"You come to the cabin with me, when we get home."

Carter contemplates his terms for a beat before agreeing. "You're on, Sir."

"Alright, on three?" She nods. They ready their selves as he counts down, "One, two-Hey!" Jack calls as Carter takes off with a laugh.

Jack starts running after his second in command while she races ahead. Her movements are graceful and fluid as she runs along the path they've forged over the few days they've been on the planet. Jack follows her, picking up his pace, a smile forming on his own face as they approach the 'Gate. His heart thumps loudly as the adrenaline kicks in as Carter dodges a large root sticking out of one of the older trees. Jack, confident in his ability to navigate the denser path as she nears the treeline, breaks out into a sprint to catch her. He misjudges the height of the root as he tries to leap over it and just catches his toe but it's enough to cause him to fall. Unable to recover his footing, he goes down with a groan, landing in a heap at the trees' base.

"Sir?" He's still lying on the ground as Carter jogs back to him, leaning over to check on him. "Anything hurt?"

"Just my pride, Carter," Jack quips as he rolls on his knees to stand.

"You owe me dinner, Sir," Carter teases, straightening her back and holding her hand out to help him up.

"You cheated!" He accepts her hand and they stand close as Jack pretends to be indignant, basking in the easy teasing. "You owe me a rematch," Jack argues, dropping her hand yet he doesn't step away.

"You owe me dinner," Carter retorts with a giggle.

This is easy with her. They grow quiet as Jack itches to reach out for her hand again. His eyes drift to her lips briefly. Her eyes widen briefly, though she doesn't move away. "This is why I asked you, Carter," Jack admits quietly.

The air grows thick around them, pushing them forward a fraction. Her tongue darts out to wet her lips. "I know."

Jack sways forward.

"O'Neill!"

They jump apart and Jack's head snaps up. Teal'c stands at the edge of the clearing, his staff weapon held in his hand. Jack raises his hand in acknowledgement, "Good to see you, T."

Jack glances apologetically at Carter only to find her professional expression slide into place as she turns to greet their friend, their moment lost. The Jaffa looks impassively between them, keeping his thoughts to himself. He turns on his heel as they fall into line with each other.

Bra'tac and Ryac are waiting next to the DHD as they approach and they exchange pleasantries as Teal'c dials Earth. The chevrons lock in order and they all hold their breath as the wormhole forms and blossoms out of the large ring before settling within its' confines.

"'Bout bloody time," Jack grumbles "Thanks for the help, Bra'tac," Jack directs at the older man.

"The least we can do for allies, we do not know when we will require refuge."

"Let me know when I can return the favour," Jack nods.

He and Carter head up the steps to wait for Teal'c as he says a quick farewell to his son and mentor, hugging the young to his chest for a brief hug.

Carter catches his eye. "Is this what it's like at your cabin?"

"Yeah," Jack replies.

"I think I'm going to love it there," Carter whispers.

"Yeah, I think you will."