~~~o0o~~~
The airman on the sign in desk stared at her as a blob of red Jell-O slid down her arm, whilst she scribbled her signature, and landed with a plop on the page. She finished signing her name and held out the sign in sheet for him to take back. He didn't move to take it. Beside her, Jack cleared his throat and looked pointedly at the unfortunate airman. The man jumped and grabbed the clipboard out of her hand.
"Sorry sir, ma'am. "
Jack nodded, struggling to keep a straight face. He knew they must look one hell of a sight, covered as they were, from head to toe in multi-coloured blobs of Jell-O. A piece slid down a strand of his hair and landed with a splat on the floor. There was a strangled noise from the side of him and out of the corner of his eye he saw Carter bite her lip.
'Oh God, they had to get out of here. He was gonna lose it any second...'
"Carry on airman." He choked, grabbing Carter by the elbow and tugging her towards the elevator.
Reaching it, he punched the down button hurriedly, not daring to look at his companion, in case he lost it completely.
'Come on, come on...'
With a loud ping the car arrived and he dived inside, pulling his Second after him. It was empty.
'Oh thank God!'
The doors swished closed and Jack doubled over in laughter.
"Oh God - did you see the look on his face?!" Sam choked.
He laughed even harder at Sam's words and shot a look over at her. She was leant against the wall, laughing so hard herself, that tears were running down her cheeks. His breath caught in his throat.
'God, she was beautiful when she laughed...'
He forced the thought away, along with the sudden images of pushing her up against the wall and kissing her. He was not going to go down that route *again* tonight! He couldn't - not and remain in control.
Unaware of the path his thoughts had briefly taken, she continued.
"And when - and when that piece fell out of your hair..."
She had to stop, she was laughing so much. Her legs refused to support her any longer and she slid down the wall, leaving a trail of Jell-O behind her.
The humour of the situation won out and Jack burst out laughing again at the sight, falling to his knees. "I thought his eyes were gonna bug outta his head!"
The doors pinged and both of them looked up as they opened. Then they started laughing again.
Sergeant Siler took one look at the hysterically giggling officers - 'was that Jell-O?' - and decided it was probably best if he waited for the next car. He stepped back and the doors shut again, as the elevator continued on it's way. Siler shook his head. 'To think the fate of the world was in these people's hands...' It was a scary thought.
There was silence in the elevator for a second, then Jack and Sam exchanged glances and burst into laughter once more. Jack looked up at the level counter and realised they were nearly at their stop. He took a few deep breaths, trying desperately to regain his composure. Once he'd more or less got himself under control, except for the occasional snigger which kept forcing it's way out, he climbed back to his feet.
He grimaced when his knee gave a loud pop as he straightened. 'Ow!' He hated when it did that. Reminded him he wasn't getting any younger.
Sam winced in sympathy. "Ouch! Was that your knee?!"
He nodded. "Yup. Does that some times. Too many years flinging myself out of planes. Hard on the old joints."
"Now I know why Teal'c won't stand next to you, when you're warming up in the gym."
Jack sniffed disdainfully. "He just doesn't like to be reminded of his own mortality."
He held out his hand to give her a help up.
"Thanks, sir."
"No problem, Carter."
The elevator reached their level and the doors opened. They stepped out.
They were half way out of the door before Sam realised he hadn't let go of her hand.
"Uh, sir?"
"Hmmm?"
She looked down at where their hands were joined between their bodies. Jack eyes followed her gaze.
"Oh!"
He blushed and quickly let go of her hand.
"Sorry."
"That's okay, sir." She said, feeling strangely bereft without the feeling of his hand in hers.
"I just didn't want anyone getting the wrong impression."
Jack quickly stuck his hands in his pockets to stop himself for reaching for her hand again. "Noo. Cos that would be - bad."
Even if his mind was telling him it wasn't. He shook his head slightly. Probably a good job their evening had been interrupted. First he'd started the innuendos starting flying thick and fast - and what a very bad idea *that* had been, considering where it had led. Then he'd managed to go one better on the stupid front and nearly made out with her! In the middle of a public restaurant no less. Where *anyone* could have seen them. He didn't know *what* had possessed him to do that.
Okay, he *did*. He just hadn't believed he'd ever let his supposedly 'strong as steel' self-control slip enough, for it to ever happen. Showed how lousy his focus was at the moment. Especially around her. He *really* needed to get a grip...he was damned lucky she was so understanding. By all rights, he should be being hauled up on harassment charges right *now*. And then - and *then* - as if that wasn't bad enough, he managed to top it *all* by walking out of the base elevator holding her hand! Holding her *hand* for cryin' out loud!
Jesus, he was pathetic. Jack shook his head.
God, he would be glad to get back in uniform. It might make things easier to deal with, because right now when he looked at her? All he could see was the woman who'd felt so *good* beneath him just half an hour earlier. Damn.
Jack made a conscious effort to gather together all his less than appropriate thoughts and lock them away. Along with all the rest of the stuff he did *not* think about, *ever*. That was more than enough of that. For now anyway. He was gonna have to drag it out again at some point. It had thrown him so badly off balance, he knew he wouldn't have a choice. He couldn't *not* deal it. He needed to get things straight in his head again. Just...not right now.
God, he really hoped he wasn't going to dream tonight. It didn't take an astrophysicist to figure out exactly what type of dreams they would be. Or their end result.
And as good as that was, it always left him feeling vaguely sad and pathetic that it was the only way he could get any kind of action. It was one of the reasons he hadn't turned down Laira's advances. Yeah, so the alcohol had interfered with his thinking - it did have tendency to short-circuit his moral compass after all.
But darn it. Laira was a good looking woman and he'd wanted some. Badly. He was only human for cryin' out loud! Just because he'd been celibate the past few years, didn't mean he was dead from the waist down. He missed having regular sex. A lot. Shame he couldn't remember a hell of a lot of it, but that was the consequence of drinking too much. Let that be a lesson to you children....
He shuddered at the sudden thought of how things might have gone if he'd let himself get completely smashed tonight. He could see it now:
'Yessir that's correct. I took my 2IC out to dinner, sir.'
'And what happened then, Colonel?'
'Ah well sir, then I got drunk and seduced her into having sex with me in the elevator, sir.'
Oh yeah, he could see the impending court martial now....
He caught Carter giving him a concerned look.
'What are you thinking about?' it seemed to ask.
'Oh you sooo don't wanna know the answer to that. No *really*, you don't.'
He settled for a shake of the head. 'Nothing.'
They continued walking.
Carter kept looking around her self-consciously when the base personnel stared at them, as they walked past. Jack nudged her shoulder, trying to lighten both their thoughts.
"Hold your head up and ignore them." He said.
She gave him a puzzled look. He answered with a slightly smug grin.
"You out-rank them. They can't say anything."
She burst out laughing. After the signing in fiasco, it didn't take much to set her off.
"Sir, that's *evil*!"
He waggled his eyebrows. "Doesn't make it any less true though!"
~~~o0o~~~
The airman on the sign in desk stared at her as a blob of red Jell-O slid down her arm, whilst she scribbled her signature, and landed with a plop on the page. She finished signing her name and held out the sign in sheet for him to take back. He didn't move to take it. Beside her, Jack cleared his throat and looked pointedly at the unfortunate airman. The man jumped and grabbed the clipboard out of her hand.
"Sorry sir, ma'am. "
Jack nodded, struggling to keep a straight face. He knew they must look one hell of a sight, covered as they were, from head to toe in multi-coloured blobs of Jell-O. A piece slid down a strand of his hair and landed with a splat on the floor. There was a strangled noise from the side of him and out of the corner of his eye he saw Carter bite her lip.
'Oh God, they had to get out of here. He was gonna lose it any second...'
"Carry on airman." He choked, grabbing Carter by the elbow and tugging her towards the elevator.
Reaching it, he punched the down button hurriedly, not daring to look at his companion, in case he lost it completely.
'Come on, come on...'
With a loud ping the car arrived and he dived inside, pulling his Second after him. It was empty.
'Oh thank God!'
The doors swished closed and Jack doubled over in laughter.
"Oh God - did you see the look on his face?!" Sam choked.
He laughed even harder at Sam's words and shot a look over at her. She was leant against the wall, laughing so hard herself, that tears were running down her cheeks. His breath caught in his throat.
'God, she was beautiful when she laughed...'
He forced the thought away, along with the sudden images of pushing her up against the wall and kissing her. He was not going to go down that route *again* tonight! He couldn't - not and remain in control.
Unaware of the path his thoughts had briefly taken, she continued.
"And when - and when that piece fell out of your hair..."
She had to stop, she was laughing so much. Her legs refused to support her any longer and she slid down the wall, leaving a trail of Jell-O behind her.
The humour of the situation won out and Jack burst out laughing again at the sight, falling to his knees. "I thought his eyes were gonna bug outta his head!"
The doors pinged and both of them looked up as they opened. Then they started laughing again.
Sergeant Siler took one look at the hysterically giggling officers - 'was that Jell-O?' - and decided it was probably best if he waited for the next car. He stepped back and the doors shut again, as the elevator continued on it's way. Siler shook his head. 'To think the fate of the world was in these people's hands...' It was a scary thought.
There was silence in the elevator for a second, then Jack and Sam exchanged glances and burst into laughter once more. Jack looked up at the level counter and realised they were nearly at their stop. He took a few deep breaths, trying desperately to regain his composure. Once he'd more or less got himself under control, except for the occasional snigger which kept forcing it's way out, he climbed back to his feet.
He grimaced when his knee gave a loud pop as he straightened. 'Ow!' He hated when it did that. Reminded him he wasn't getting any younger.
Sam winced in sympathy. "Ouch! Was that your knee?!"
He nodded. "Yup. Does that some times. Too many years flinging myself out of planes. Hard on the old joints."
"Now I know why Teal'c won't stand next to you, when you're warming up in the gym."
Jack sniffed disdainfully. "He just doesn't like to be reminded of his own mortality."
He held out his hand to give her a help up.
"Thanks, sir."
"No problem, Carter."
The elevator reached their level and the doors opened. They stepped out.
They were half way out of the door before Sam realised he hadn't let go of her hand.
"Uh, sir?"
"Hmmm?"
She looked down at where their hands were joined between their bodies. Jack eyes followed her gaze.
"Oh!"
He blushed and quickly let go of her hand.
"Sorry."
"That's okay, sir." She said, feeling strangely bereft without the feeling of his hand in hers.
"I just didn't want anyone getting the wrong impression."
Jack quickly stuck his hands in his pockets to stop himself for reaching for her hand again. "Noo. Cos that would be - bad."
Even if his mind was telling him it wasn't. He shook his head slightly. Probably a good job their evening had been interrupted. First he'd started the innuendos starting flying thick and fast - and what a very bad idea *that* had been, considering where it had led. Then he'd managed to go one better on the stupid front and nearly made out with her! In the middle of a public restaurant no less. Where *anyone* could have seen them. He didn't know *what* had possessed him to do that.
Okay, he *did*. He just hadn't believed he'd ever let his supposedly 'strong as steel' self-control slip enough, for it to ever happen. Showed how lousy his focus was at the moment. Especially around her. He *really* needed to get a grip...he was damned lucky she was so understanding. By all rights, he should be being hauled up on harassment charges right *now*. And then - and *then* - as if that wasn't bad enough, he managed to top it *all* by walking out of the base elevator holding her hand! Holding her *hand* for cryin' out loud!
Jesus, he was pathetic. Jack shook his head.
God, he would be glad to get back in uniform. It might make things easier to deal with, because right now when he looked at her? All he could see was the woman who'd felt so *good* beneath him just half an hour earlier. Damn.
Jack made a conscious effort to gather together all his less than appropriate thoughts and lock them away. Along with all the rest of the stuff he did *not* think about, *ever*. That was more than enough of that. For now anyway. He was gonna have to drag it out again at some point. It had thrown him so badly off balance, he knew he wouldn't have a choice. He couldn't *not* deal it. He needed to get things straight in his head again. Just...not right now.
God, he really hoped he wasn't going to dream tonight. It didn't take an astrophysicist to figure out exactly what type of dreams they would be. Or their end result.
And as good as that was, it always left him feeling vaguely sad and pathetic that it was the only way he could get any kind of action. It was one of the reasons he hadn't turned down Laira's advances. Yeah, so the alcohol had interfered with his thinking - it did have tendency to short-circuit his moral compass after all.
But darn it. Laira was a good looking woman and he'd wanted some. Badly. He was only human for cryin' out loud! Just because he'd been celibate the past few years, didn't mean he was dead from the waist down. He missed having regular sex. A lot. Shame he couldn't remember a hell of a lot of it, but that was the consequence of drinking too much. Let that be a lesson to you children....
He shuddered at the sudden thought of how things might have gone if he'd let himself get completely smashed tonight. He could see it now:
'Yessir that's correct. I took my 2IC out to dinner, sir.'
'And what happened then, Colonel?'
'Ah well sir, then I got drunk and seduced her into having sex with me in the elevator, sir.'
Oh yeah, he could see the impending court martial now....
He caught Carter giving him a concerned look.
'What are you thinking about?' it seemed to ask.
'Oh you sooo don't wanna know the answer to that. No *really*, you don't.'
He settled for a shake of the head. 'Nothing.'
They continued walking.
Carter kept looking around her self-consciously when the base personnel stared at them, as they walked past. Jack nudged her shoulder, trying to lighten both their thoughts.
"Hold your head up and ignore them." He said.
She gave him a puzzled look. He answered with a slightly smug grin.
"You out-rank them. They can't say anything."
She burst out laughing. After the signing in fiasco, it didn't take much to set her off.
"Sir, that's *evil*!"
He waggled his eyebrows. "Doesn't make it any less true though!"
~~~o0o~~~
