He hung his coat up on the coat hook and felt her brush past his back as she made her way into the lounge. He made sure his jacket had no creases in it then left it hanging and made his way to the kitchen that was separated from the living room by a half wall.

The air in the house was chilly - just like the atmosphere - so he flicked the switch on the wall and the central heating came on. He could see down into the lounge and to Sam who was balanced precariously on the edge of her seat as though she was going to say her piece then leave.

Grunting he leaned down and pulled one beer from the fridge and closed the door. He had yet to switch a light on so he had an advantage on Carter. She had her back to him so he used his Black Ops training and made it as quietly as humanly possible into the lounge and sat down in a seat to her left. She noticed him and therefore noticed he had only one beer.

"You know, you really shouldn't drink and drive." She said as her first line and he grunted again.

"You can talk, you had more than me." He sipped his ice-cold beer and leaned back into the armchair. He watched her face change as shadows fell across it as a car passed outside his house.

"I cycled, there's a difference." He didn't even smile. She cleared her throat and continued. "Sir, I know you have gone through something that I...none of us can ever fully comprehend -"

"You can't comprehend. Full stop." He interrupted sending her a glare but he doubted she would have noticed in the darkness.

"*But* we wanted to help and we didn't know how." She stared at him with big blue eyes and his self-being began to crumble until-

"Wanted. Past tense meaning not any more. You've said enough now please - get out." He said it calmly and with as much force as he could muster but she stayed rooted to the spot.

"Sir-" She began but he was on his feet.

"I said get out." He pointed to the door but she still stared at him unmoving.

He saw her shoulders straighten and her chin rise. She was getting ready for battle...and he was defenseless. Who was he kidding? There was no *way* he could intimidate her into leaving. No *way* she would leave without saying what she wanted to say.

"Sir, we did - *do* - want to help you but every other time we have tried you just shut us off. Why should this time be any different?"

He waited a moment praying that the Asgard chose this moment to need him for some weird 'lets-blow-this-ship-up' mission. None came.

"Because I needed to talk about this! This isn't something that can just go away if I block it out long enough! How could I have spoken to Sara about it unless she has miraculously received clearance that I don't know about? I can't talk to Sara; I never have been able to talk to Sara. I needed to talk to *you*!" He closed his mouth with an audible click unable to believe that he had just said all that.

"The talk to me now!" She pleaded but he was already shaking his head.

"No. The time for talking has finished. I don't need you anymore...I'm sure I'll find some other brick of Naquada to talk to. Now I am ordering you to *leave*."

She sat for a moment but eventually stood and made her way to the door never once taking her eyes off him until she got to the step and had to turn around or else she would have fallen. With a quick look over her shoulder she picked up her jacket that he hadn't realized she'd taken off and made her way to the door.

"Sir...if you change your mind..." She opened the door a crack waiting for his response.

"I won't."

He turned away from her and waited for the creak of the door as she left, several seconds past until it happened but it stopped halfway through the long creak it made.

"Sara." He heard Carter say.

Shit.

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