Author's Notes: At last! Part of SG1 finally arrives! Thanks for hanging in there (buggirl!).
Bernadette looked up as she saw a dust cloud in the distance. Knowing it was still a way off, she continued to delicately clean the few new potsherds she and Otto had found just that morning. She couldn't help but feel optimistic: since Daniel had arrived a few days previously, it seemed the tides had turned. The potential for discovery was so thick in the air it was almost palpable. Finishing her task, she looked up and found that she could now make out the shape of a jeep in all the dust. Whoever it was wasn't so far away anymore; in fact, whoever it was had almost arrived. She dusted her hands off on her pants and rose, pulling her long, dark hair into a loose knot, held in place by a pencil. She went to the embers from the morning's fire and began looking for a clean mug. By the time she had found one and poured some coffee, the stranger had pulled up to the camp and was stepping out. Bernadette walked up to him cautiously, though still intending friendship.
"Hello." the man called out when she reached a reasonable speaking distance.
"Hello." She replied, noting that his accent was American, taking in his salt and pepper hair, about 6'2" frame, and athletic build as well as his casual demeanor. "Can I help you?" she held onto the coffee cup offering of peace until she was able to more accurately assess whether he was friend or foe.
"Yes! No!" He started, then seemed to change his mind. "I don't know." He offered a hand "Jack O'Neill." and smiled charismatically.
She extended her hand as well. "Bernadette LaVoie." Though this man appeared informal and even... irreverent, she suspected he was military. "Do you have business here?" In spite of her suspicions, Bernadette found herself holding out the cup of coffee.
He accepted it and smiled again. "Thank you, ma'am." He politely took a sip. "Actually, I'm looking for someone."
"Who would –" Bernadette began, but was interrupted by a voice from behind her.
"Jack?" Daniel was walking toward them, apparently, having just come out of his tent.
O'Neill looked away from Bernadette. "Daniel! Hey!" he raised his arms in apparent victory, paused, and then lowered them a bit self-consciously.
"What are you doing here?" Daniel stopped between the two, crossing his arms over his chest and looking positively befuddled.
"It's good to see you, too." So, this man was no stranger to sarcasm, Bernadette noted.
"Daniel, you know this man?" she questioned.
Daniel turned his attention back to her. "Yes. He's a friend." Bernadette smiled genially, mentally giving herself a point for placing her trust correctly in this stranger, but also wondering at why Daniel hadn't expounded a little more.
"We work together..." O'Neill supplied. "Go way back... though I imagine not as far back as you... all." He paused, then amended "All of you.' gesturing toward the various tents.
"You work together?" Bernadette pried, feigning ignorance. "Are you an archaeologist?"
"Me? Good god, no. Are you kidding? All the rocks and the boring –" O'Neill replied quickly, before catching himself. "– ah, no. No, I'm not an archaeologist."
She continued to smile. "Well, maybe you can shed a little light onto what it is that Daniel does exactly."
Jack leaned in a bit closer. "To be honest, ma'am, that's never really been made clear to me." So he was just as clever as Daniel, Bernadette decided, and funny as well.
"Aren't you charming?" Seeing she wasn't going to get much out of either of them just yet, she conceded temporary defeat. "Well, I've got some work to finish up before the sun drops; will you be staying, Mr. O'Neill?"
"Oh yeah! Wouldn't miss it!" again, Bernadette noted the sarcasm.
"Until later, then." She nodded to both of them and gave Daniel a pat on the arm. "We'll have to introduce you to everyone."
"Lookin' forward to it!" Jack called at her retreating form.
"Jack." Bernadette could still hear Daniel's repeated query. "What are you doing here?"