The Colour of Pain Chapter 8
Note - 'The Giggle Loop': the danger that the more you try to suppress laughter in important silences, the harder you want to laugh. (From TV Tome on Coupling, BBC)
**
They'd been training together for several weeks now and Jack had noticed definite, positive, changes in Carter. She could easily have passed the fitness evaluation but Hammond wasn't yet ready to submit her for her psych eval. Neither Jack nor Janet thought she was quite ready for it. However, while she wasn't exactly chatty, she no longer appeared to be trying to avoid him like the plague. She was still taking all her meals back to the lab instead of eating in the mess, but that was about to change. Jack had a plan and he'd enlisted Daniel, Teal'c and Janet to help him.
**
Jack tapped the crudely drawn map on the whiteboard behind him with a pointer.
"Everybody clear?"
Daniel raised his hand like a schoolboy and made a face.
"Jack, you don't think this is all a little OTT? We're talking lunch here, not planetary invasion!"
"This has got to go like clockwork! Military precision, Danny-Boy, or she'll smell a rat and bolt for it!"
"I think Daniel's right Colonel, you might be over planning this," suggested Janet.
Teal'c leaned over.
"DanielJackson, what is this… Oh Tee Tee?"
Jack slammed the pointer stick down on the desk in front of him.
"Excuse me, but who has the best knowledge of tactics and planning in this room? Who's spent the last 3 and a half weeks in close contact with the subject? Who's the damn Colonel here?"
Teal'c face remained impassive, Daniel was only partially successful in trying not to laugh and so it fell to Janet to speak on behalf of their little kidnap group.
"Colonel, I'm going to get in line with Sam and ask her to join me for lunch. You can do whatever you want. Sir."
Daniel's attempts at avoiding laughter were failing and Jack could see he was falling into the Giggle Loop. He sighed, defeated by their mutiny.
"Ok, new plan. We surround her in the lunch queue and don't let her leave till everyone's finished. Agreed?"
**
It proved surprisingly easy in the end. She seemed rather resigned to being stuck in the mess hall over lunch and didn't argue. It wouldn't have mattered if she had, of course, but Jack wasn't sure if her giving in so easily was a good sign or a bad one. Although she didn't really talk, she didn't appear to be ignoring them either. She seemed to be paying attention, even as she played with her food, smiling in all the right parts of the conversation. Usually the parts where he was the butt of the joke but Jack didn't mind, as long as she kept smiling. He did get his own back though by recounting the story of how, on a recent mission, Daniel had managed to mix up the local words for "daughter" and "pig". The part where he'd been thrown face-first into the stinking pig pen by the bar maid's father, while profusely apologising at the top of his voice, brought gales of laughter from both women. Jack rather suspected Janet had a bit of a soft spot for Dr Danny, who was blushing furiously and cleaning his glasses rather aggressively on his t-shirt.
**
He'd had a bit of trouble keeping up on the home stretch. Hell's teeth, the bionic Woman was fitter than him now! They were on the grass outside the base entrance, cooling down. Jack winced as he heard his knee click, loudly, as he stretched.
"Sure you don't fancy another couple of miles, Sir?"
Such a sweet tone. Dammit, was she teasing him?
"No, no, Major, I think you've run far enough today. Besides, we have to get showered and changed soon if we're going to make that movie."
That should throw her off balance!
"Movie? What movie?"
He shook his head and shrugged his shoulders.
"Don't know, it was Daniel's idea."
He hoped he got to Daniel first to tell him about "his" idea.
**
"I guess I got the night wrong."
Daniel glared at Jack for getting him into this mess, plus, he was missing a great looking documentary on the History Channel too. By the time they'd made it to the cinema, the only shows left were; a film that had been declared possibly the biggest turkey since Battlefield Earth ("Hey, I quite liked that!" exclaimed Jack), the late-night horror movie, and some new WW II film which, unsurprisingly, no-one was in the mood for.
Jack tried not to sound too happy or look too gleeful.
"Oh well, nevermind. We'll just have to go get a drink then. Where's the nearest tavern, Danny-Boy?"
**
She'd protested. It wasn't too far, it was out of his way, she'd be fine, but the Colonel had insisted on walking her home anyway. Wishing she'd chosen better shoes as her feet were starting to ache, Sam fumbled for her keys and a thought struck her.
Should I invite him in?
Where were the damn keys? She groaned, they weren't there. No, wait… She felt the cool metal in her hand and pulled them out of her bag.
"Found them," she smiled brightly.
"Oh good. For a moment there I was afraid I was going to have to carry you home with me," he deadpanned.
"Do you… want to come in for coffee, Sir?"
"Thought you'd never ask, Carter!"
The look of schoolboyish happiness on his face was too much. Sam couldn't confess to her temporary moment of insanity and send him away.
**
In the end, it hadn't been too bad. He'd stayed for an hour or so and they'd chatted about this and that over a few cups of decaf coffee. They both agreed not to mention the "decaf" part to Daniel.
**
End of Chapter 8