WEDNESDAY

She was up at six. Apparently some habits were hard to break. Looking at the time, she knew Janet would be at work, decided to call her.

"Hey, how's the house painting going?" Janet asked.

"Not good." Sam admitted.

"Well, you could always get the boys in to help you. You know they would if you asked." Janet said. She'd started calling the men of SG1 'the boys' several years ago, although Teal'c, Jack, Daniel and Jonas had no idea the two of them ever used that phrase.

"No, that's not it. I just can't seem to get started." Sam admitted. "How's J..how's everyone?"

"Well," Janet said with a sigh. "Teal'c is his usual self, so stoic he makes me ache just to look him. Jonas is wandering around, looking lost and confused, and a bit scared, and trying to hide it, poor boy, and to be honest, Daniel's doing much the same. He's not coping well with coming back, especially as he can't remember a thing, doesn't know why you're annoyed at him , doesn't know why Jonas is here, the whole lot, and Mackenzie seems to think its better he remembers naturally, so nobody's telling him a thing. I don't know who I feel most sorry for, him or Jonas."

"That doesn't sound good. And how's...?"

"Jack?" Janet interrupted, cheerfully saying the name Sam could never bring herself to say, for some reason. "He's spending a lot of time with Daniel, then he goes and spends time with Jonas. Underneath that hard-assed bastard act he's a good guy, really."

"Yeah, I know. Janet.."

"He's missing you."

"I've only been gone two days." Sam didn't need to ask who Janet meant.

"But he's missing you."

"Janet, I met someone." Sam said, apprehensively. Janet had always been in favour of Sam and Jack getting together, and she scornfully dismissed Nareem, Joe and the others as 'a complete waste of time'.

"Is he nice?" Janet asked.

"Yeah. I mean, he's good-looking, and kind, and divorced, and..normal. He's ordinary."

"I see." Janet said, understandingly.

"Janet.."

"Honey, you do whatever you have to be happy. If that makes you choose an everyday, quiet life, that's your choice."

"Thanks, Janet." Sam said gratefully.

"Is he as hot as Jack though?"

"Janet!" Sam laughed, and put the phone down. Then she called Steven. And asked him out for a drink, that night.

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Second date, and Sam was nervous. She didn't know why, things had gone fine the other night. Maybe it was because it was the first time in ages she hadn't talked about work..in fact, not been allowed to. This man knew only what he saw on the surface. He'd never even seen her in uniform. He didn't know she could kill a man from quite a distance. He didn't know she'd saved the world. He didn't know her previous lovers had died. He didn't know that she was the person the most intelligent people in the galaxy, the Asgards, came to for help.

To him, she was just the nice woman who'd split paint over him. She was just Samantha. And it was refreshing, to be with someone who didn't know her past, and didn't know her dark side, and didn't know exactly what she was capable of, and didn't stir her emotions and….

"I just have to..umm.." Steven stood up and looked around.

"At the back, next to the bar." Sam said, pointing out the restroom.

"Oh, of course. Right in front of me. Sorry." He said, smiling, and leaving.

Sam smiled. He was nervous. Nervous about being on a second date with her. That was so sweet. She felt herself relax. This was all so peaceful. So normal. She could sit here, and have a drink with a guy who wasn't an alien, and for once she was actually on Earth. And no-one was going to come in and start shooting, and no-one was going to die any time soon, and there were no complications, there was just Sam, and a man, and nothing else. No rules. No watchful eyes. Just..normality.

She looked round, over at the couples, doing what she was doing, just having a quiet drink. Over at the bar sat one young couple. He was talking, gesticulating, explaining something, and she was giggling. No, not just giggling, laughing so hard she kept putting her hand up to cover her mouth. Her eyes were filled with tears, she was laughing so much, and she kept glancing up with glowing eyes, at the boy opposite her, who occasionally paused to smile secretly, before he continued acting dumb to make her laugh.

The scene seemed oddly familiar, but Sam didn't know either of them..until she realised. That was what her and Jack were like sometimes. He played dumb, doing stupid things like looking through the telescope during the day, to make her laugh, and she remembered giggling so much every time she was with him..well, every time they weren't actually about to die, that is, and she suddenly realised she hadn't laughed that hard with ..well, with anyone. She had a sudden desire to call Jack..the Colonel, just to hear him, just to laugh like that.

"I'm back." Steven announced, sitting down. "Do you know those two?" he asked, following Sam's gaze to the couple.

"No, it's just..tell me a joke, Steven." She asked.

"A joke?"

"Yes. Make me laugh. Please?"

"Ok." He said dubiously. "Well, there were these two nuns in the bath..no wait, I can't tell you that. Well, there was six-inch pianist..no…no way can I tell you that. To be honest, Samantha, I'm not much of a guy for the funnies. The only jokes I know are …..dirty jokes." He said, stumbling to a halt. Sam started to say she didn't mind dirty jokes, but she got the feeling he wouldn't get that. He thought she was too..good, too pure for dirty jokes. It made her feel special, but also hemmed in. Was she never to hear a dirty joke again? Or express any kind of impure thought? She wasn't the porcelain doll Steven seemed to think she was.

"Did I do something to upset you?" Steven asked anxiously.

"No, it's ok." Sam said. She was being silly. So he thought her something precious to be protected. What was wrong with that? Smiling, she asked for another drink.

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