~~~o0o~~~
Sam frowned as an insistent noise penetrated the haze of emotional musings in which she was currently immersed. She lifted her head and looked around. She blinked when she saw the source.
"Sir, that pile of Jell-O is beeping."
He gave her a startled look and then looked where she was pointing. She was right. It *was* beeping. Reaching over, he pulled a face and stuck his fingers inside. Wiggling his hand around, his fingers brushed against a hard surface and grabbing hold he pulled the object out, only to find himself holding his cell phone. 'Euww, gross! How the hell did *that* get in there?!'
Holding it between a finger and thumb he shook it vigorously, attempting to remove some of the gunk, then had to make a grab for it with his other hand, as it slipped from his grasp. 'It's never gonna work right again...'
Grasping it gingerly, he ran his thumb over the screen and holding it up to the light, peered at the Caller ID. 'Oh crap.'
Looking over at Carter, he said: "It's the base."
Thumbing the Call Accept button, he forgot and pressed the phone against his ear. 'Ugh!'
Yanking it away again, he pulled a face. Sam grimaced in reaction. 'Euww - Jell-O in your ear...'
Holding it slightly away from his ear, he said: "O'Neill."
Sam watched with interest as he listened to the person on the other end - she couldn't quite hear what was being said - and gave an occasional nod or "uh-huh" in response. The emotions flicked over his face. Guarded caution turning to annoyance, then a flash of surprise - which was followed by a large grin - and acceptance. Finally he said: "We'll be there in twenty", hit the Disconnect and put the phone in his pocket.
She raised an eyebrow. 'So?'
She needed to know what was going on.
He grinned again. "You're needed on base."
She sighed. Great. Just great. The first time she'd managed to get away from the place in three months and they wanted her back! Why was it everyone was always bitching at her to go home and then when she did, they called her back again? Couldn't she get even *one* night to enjoy herself? And people wondered why she had no life....she was severely tempted to tell them where to shove it.
"Did they say for what?"
The grin widened. "It's a surprise."
Her eyes narrowed. "Colonel..."
He laughed and held his hands up. "It is, I swear! I'm not allowed to say any more."
She shook her head, knowing better than to push him any further. She could tell when he'd made his mind up about something and his current - rather mulish - expression, told her he wasn't gonna budge any further on this.
"Guess I'd better call a cab." She said quietly, wondering whether any company would actually agree to take her, covered in Jello as she was.
"No need." Jack said briskly, climbing to his feet and brushing his pants down. "I'll take ya."
He frowned as the Jell-O stuck to his hand and he shook it violently, trying to get it to let go. Giving up, he wiped it back on his jeans. Only to be struck in the back of his head by a well-aimed shot of Jell-O. She couldn't help it. The look of total shock on his face made her burst into giggles.
"Ay!" He yelled, spinning round to face the room at large. "Don't make me come over there and kick your ass!"
There was a pause. She had to admit Sam mused, from where she was sat on the floor, he did cut a rather imposing figure. Obviously the Jell-O throwers thought so as well.
"Sorry." Came the meek reply.
"So you should be." Jack said and turned back round to face her, Jell-O falling off his back to land on the floor with a squelch.
"You good to go?"
Swallowing her giggles, she protested.
"You need to get cleaned up!"
She didn't know why she was nervous about having the Colonel take her - well, actually she did. And it wasn't just because of what had almost happened.
Imagine the rumour mill if she turned up with her CO; both of them in civvies and covered in Jell-O. The base gossips would have a field day with that one - they'd probably have her being pregnant with his child by morning....
"So do you."
"Yeah, but I can do that at the base."
"So can I."
"But your truck - " she protested weakly, gesturing at herself.
He laughed. "Not a valid argument Major, since I'm gonna make a mess of it the moment I sit down anyway. Come on Carter, I took you out this evening, I screwed it up - "
She opened her mouth to protest.
"Ah-ah!" He said waving a finger at her. "Don't interrupt. The least you can do is let me try and make it up to you, by escorting you back again."
He looked down at his shoes. "Look, I know I haven't proved it very well tonight, but I can do the whole 'officer and a gentleman' thing if I try, you know."
'Well since he put it like that....'
Sam swallowed the lump that had appeared in her throat at his words.
"Of that I have no doubt, sir."
He raised his gaze to look at her and she looked steadily back.
'You okay with this?' His eyes said.
'Yes, sir.' she answered silently.
And she meant it. If tonight had proved anything, it was that somewhere in the last three months, her feelings for him had definitely changed. When she looked at him now, she didn't see her friend and mentor who had always been there for her, these past few years. The man whom she looked up to, almost more than anyone else on the planet. The man who made her laugh. She didn't know what it was *exactly*, that she saw when she looked at him now...but it was definitely something more than it had been. It was...deeper. And that scared her. Because it changed things. It upset the status quo and she didn't know how to deal with it. Or even if she could.
And if she didn't know any better, she'd say he was feeling something too. Which was a shock and yet...in a way, it was also comforting. He may not feel the same way as her - which wouldn't be difficult since she didn't have a clue how she felt herself - but at least it meant they were still friends, if nothing else. So long as that was the case, then they could deal with anything. Even - god forbid - inappropriate feelings.
A look of relief flickered through his eyes. She smiled and held out her hand, letting him help her up. He squeezed her hand gently before letting it go.
"Besides," he said slyly, "You did promise me the use of a shower..."
She snorted as they walked towards the exit. "You'll have to wait until I've had my own, sir. Ladies privilege."
He gave a mock sigh. "The sooner we get separate locker rooms the better. You'd think after three years in operation, they'd have got round to it by now...just make sure you don't use all the hot water."
She laughed. "I won't sir, don't worry."
They collected their jackets in silence, ignoring the smirk on the clerk's face at their appearance. Jack took great pleasure in shaking his arm a little and dripping Jell-O over the guy, as he handed over the ticket for their jackets. It was no less than he deserved. He was probably the only person in there who wasn't covered in the stuff. He was gonna get it big time when some of the more - inebriated - people found their way out.
Sam chuckled. "That was a little unfair, sir."
Jack sniffed. "He was laughing at me."
"*I* laugh at you."
"True. But I've already covered you in Jell-O."
She blushed. She'd been doing that a lot tonight.
They walked back to the truck.
"Carter..." Jack said, breaking the sudden silence. "Have I got Jell-O in my ear?"
~~~o0o~~~
Sam frowned as an insistent noise penetrated the haze of emotional musings in which she was currently immersed. She lifted her head and looked around. She blinked when she saw the source.
"Sir, that pile of Jell-O is beeping."
He gave her a startled look and then looked where she was pointing. She was right. It *was* beeping. Reaching over, he pulled a face and stuck his fingers inside. Wiggling his hand around, his fingers brushed against a hard surface and grabbing hold he pulled the object out, only to find himself holding his cell phone. 'Euww, gross! How the hell did *that* get in there?!'
Holding it between a finger and thumb he shook it vigorously, attempting to remove some of the gunk, then had to make a grab for it with his other hand, as it slipped from his grasp. 'It's never gonna work right again...'
Grasping it gingerly, he ran his thumb over the screen and holding it up to the light, peered at the Caller ID. 'Oh crap.'
Looking over at Carter, he said: "It's the base."
Thumbing the Call Accept button, he forgot and pressed the phone against his ear. 'Ugh!'
Yanking it away again, he pulled a face. Sam grimaced in reaction. 'Euww - Jell-O in your ear...'
Holding it slightly away from his ear, he said: "O'Neill."
Sam watched with interest as he listened to the person on the other end - she couldn't quite hear what was being said - and gave an occasional nod or "uh-huh" in response. The emotions flicked over his face. Guarded caution turning to annoyance, then a flash of surprise - which was followed by a large grin - and acceptance. Finally he said: "We'll be there in twenty", hit the Disconnect and put the phone in his pocket.
She raised an eyebrow. 'So?'
She needed to know what was going on.
He grinned again. "You're needed on base."
She sighed. Great. Just great. The first time she'd managed to get away from the place in three months and they wanted her back! Why was it everyone was always bitching at her to go home and then when she did, they called her back again? Couldn't she get even *one* night to enjoy herself? And people wondered why she had no life....she was severely tempted to tell them where to shove it.
"Did they say for what?"
The grin widened. "It's a surprise."
Her eyes narrowed. "Colonel..."
He laughed and held his hands up. "It is, I swear! I'm not allowed to say any more."
She shook her head, knowing better than to push him any further. She could tell when he'd made his mind up about something and his current - rather mulish - expression, told her he wasn't gonna budge any further on this.
"Guess I'd better call a cab." She said quietly, wondering whether any company would actually agree to take her, covered in Jello as she was.
"No need." Jack said briskly, climbing to his feet and brushing his pants down. "I'll take ya."
He frowned as the Jell-O stuck to his hand and he shook it violently, trying to get it to let go. Giving up, he wiped it back on his jeans. Only to be struck in the back of his head by a well-aimed shot of Jell-O. She couldn't help it. The look of total shock on his face made her burst into giggles.
"Ay!" He yelled, spinning round to face the room at large. "Don't make me come over there and kick your ass!"
There was a pause. She had to admit Sam mused, from where she was sat on the floor, he did cut a rather imposing figure. Obviously the Jell-O throwers thought so as well.
"Sorry." Came the meek reply.
"So you should be." Jack said and turned back round to face her, Jell-O falling off his back to land on the floor with a squelch.
"You good to go?"
Swallowing her giggles, she protested.
"You need to get cleaned up!"
She didn't know why she was nervous about having the Colonel take her - well, actually she did. And it wasn't just because of what had almost happened.
Imagine the rumour mill if she turned up with her CO; both of them in civvies and covered in Jell-O. The base gossips would have a field day with that one - they'd probably have her being pregnant with his child by morning....
"So do you."
"Yeah, but I can do that at the base."
"So can I."
"But your truck - " she protested weakly, gesturing at herself.
He laughed. "Not a valid argument Major, since I'm gonna make a mess of it the moment I sit down anyway. Come on Carter, I took you out this evening, I screwed it up - "
She opened her mouth to protest.
"Ah-ah!" He said waving a finger at her. "Don't interrupt. The least you can do is let me try and make it up to you, by escorting you back again."
He looked down at his shoes. "Look, I know I haven't proved it very well tonight, but I can do the whole 'officer and a gentleman' thing if I try, you know."
'Well since he put it like that....'
Sam swallowed the lump that had appeared in her throat at his words.
"Of that I have no doubt, sir."
He raised his gaze to look at her and she looked steadily back.
'You okay with this?' His eyes said.
'Yes, sir.' she answered silently.
And she meant it. If tonight had proved anything, it was that somewhere in the last three months, her feelings for him had definitely changed. When she looked at him now, she didn't see her friend and mentor who had always been there for her, these past few years. The man whom she looked up to, almost more than anyone else on the planet. The man who made her laugh. She didn't know what it was *exactly*, that she saw when she looked at him now...but it was definitely something more than it had been. It was...deeper. And that scared her. Because it changed things. It upset the status quo and she didn't know how to deal with it. Or even if she could.
And if she didn't know any better, she'd say he was feeling something too. Which was a shock and yet...in a way, it was also comforting. He may not feel the same way as her - which wouldn't be difficult since she didn't have a clue how she felt herself - but at least it meant they were still friends, if nothing else. So long as that was the case, then they could deal with anything. Even - god forbid - inappropriate feelings.
A look of relief flickered through his eyes. She smiled and held out her hand, letting him help her up. He squeezed her hand gently before letting it go.
"Besides," he said slyly, "You did promise me the use of a shower..."
She snorted as they walked towards the exit. "You'll have to wait until I've had my own, sir. Ladies privilege."
He gave a mock sigh. "The sooner we get separate locker rooms the better. You'd think after three years in operation, they'd have got round to it by now...just make sure you don't use all the hot water."
She laughed. "I won't sir, don't worry."
They collected their jackets in silence, ignoring the smirk on the clerk's face at their appearance. Jack took great pleasure in shaking his arm a little and dripping Jell-O over the guy, as he handed over the ticket for their jackets. It was no less than he deserved. He was probably the only person in there who wasn't covered in the stuff. He was gonna get it big time when some of the more - inebriated - people found their way out.
Sam chuckled. "That was a little unfair, sir."
Jack sniffed. "He was laughing at me."
"*I* laugh at you."
"True. But I've already covered you in Jell-O."
She blushed. She'd been doing that a lot tonight.
They walked back to the truck.
"Carter..." Jack said, breaking the sudden silence. "Have I got Jell-O in my ear?"
~~~o0o~~~
