Mitchell and Anderson both slept the night through. Obviously, they weren't
quite as up to a long day of walking as they thought they were, although
they'd never admit it. Jack knew this, though, since he was the same way –
most Military people were – and he decided that since they'd made such good
time that day, they'd set a slower pace the next one, just to keep the two
from wearing out more than they already had. Twice during the long night,
O'Neill changed the ice pack on Mitchell's ankle, once when he went onto
his watch, and the next time when he came off it. Consequently, when the
younger Colonel woke up the next morning, she found that her ankle was in
far better shape than expected.
She opened her eyes to find that the sun was already coming up, which meant that she'd slept more than fourteen hours – absolutely unheard of for her – and Anderson sprawled comfortably next to her. A quick check of her surroundings as she sat up yawning showed Carter and Teal'c had the watch, with Jack and Dr. Jackson both sleeping close by as well.
Quietly, to avoid waking anyone prematurely, Melony got up. A quick stop to take care of personal needs and then she was at the small fire, looking for some breakfast.
"Good morning, Colonel Mitchell." Carter greeted her with a smile.
"Good morning, Major." She saw the cup of coffee in Carter's hand. "Please tell me there's more of that somewhere?"
Sam laughed and gestured to the old fashioned percolator that Jack and Mitchell had taken from supply. Instant coffee was fine when you were desperate, but brewed was much better, and they'd both decided it was worth the extra pack space.
"Thanks."
"How'd you sleep?" Carter asked as Melony dug out a tin mug and poured a cup of coffee, taking an appreciative sniff of it before she took her first sip.
"Great, thanks." She gestured with her cup towards the sleepers. "How long have they been asleep?"
"A few hours. I'll wake them in an hour or so. Colonel O'Neill says we're making good time so we're sleeping in."
"Sounds good." Of course, that was Jack's way of saying he didn't want to tire everyone (mainly SG-2) out, but Mitchell wasn't going to complain. She was feeling better today, but she knew she'd been wiped the day before. Otherwise she'd never have slept for so long. And obviously Anderson was in the same shape, because he was still out.
"Did Anderson take a watch last night?"
"No, he's been asleep all night as far as I know."
Mitchell nodded, and dug out an MRE. She didn't mind spaghetti and meatballs for breakfast. Mainly since her days and nights were so screwed up anyways that it didn't feel like breakfast.
~*~
The rest of them woke up not much after she did, and Mitchell watched Anderson carefully as she ate her breakfast, watching how he moved to see if he was feeling any worse or any better. He seemed to be okay. He certainly was cheerful enough when he came over to the fire and had his morning coffee with her and the others.
"We'll take it easy today," Jack said as they were packing up. "Melony, you have rear with me, Teal'c and Daniel take flanks and Anderson, you and Carter have point. Don't get us lost, Anderson."
"Yes, Sir."
They headed out, and Melony fell into step beside Jack, who had been watching her that morning just as carefully as she'd been watching Anderson, and for the same reason.
"How's the ankle?"
"It feels fine, Jack," she told him, honestly. It felt a lot better than the day before.
"Good."
She knew he had something else on his mind, though, just by the way he was still looking over at her as they walked, and she wondered what it could be. They had a pretty good relationship, and there were very few things that one wouldn't discuss with the other, so whatever it was, it had to be either extremely personal, or something that was he knew was a touchy subject with her. Or both.
She gave him a while to broach whatever it was, but when they'd been walking in almost complete silence for over half an hour and he was still quietly studying her, she finally gave up and brought it up herself.
"What's bothering you?"
He scowled. "It shows, huh?"
"A little, yeah." A lot, really, but only because she could read him as well as anyone – and better than most.
"Anderson."
She raised an eyebrow at that. "What about him?"
O'Neill seemed truly uncomfortable, now, and it was Melony's turn to scowl. "What about him, Jack?"
"You and he are pretty close?"
"Yes."
"What kind of guy is he?"
She figured it out. He thought that she and Anderson had more of a relationship than just teammates, and the big brother mentality had kicked in and now Jack was going to find out all about the guy. Something Melony wasn't going to have anything to do with, and wasn't going to make easy for him.
"Why do you ask?"
"Just curious."
Bullshit.
"He's my second in command, Jack. We have the same relationship that you and Major Carter have." That was a calculated response, because Mitchell knew that had more than just platonic feelings for Carter, even though it wasn't something they'd discussed, of course.
Jack scowled, wondering what she knew about him and Carter. They hadn't talked about it, but he also knew that Mitchell was observant enough to be one of the few people outside of SG-1 that might know how he truly felt about his own second in command.
"That's the wrong answer, Melony."
She laughed, knowing then that her guess was spot on. He WAS fishing for information. They walked in silence for a while, but it was a comfortable one. Jack knew that Melony would tell him what he wanted to know; he just had to wait for her to decide when to tell him. Finally, she spoke up again, after making sure that no one else was close enough to hear.
"I don't know, Jack." She admitted. "Anderson's really a great guy. Smart, funny, and there's no one I'd trust more to watch my back." Except O'Neill himself, probably. "Remember I told you that he was hit in the original ambush and I wasn't sure he was going to make it?" Jack nodded. "It was probably... no, it was definitely more personal than it should have been, and I wasn't just worried. I was scared."
"But he made it."
"Yeah. Which makes me grateful that I never had the heart to heart with him I'd thought about having."
Jack understood that completely. He also knew he wasn't the one to give her advice about relationships with her co-workers. Luckily, Mitchell wasn't asking for advice. But she was done discussing Brad with O'Neill, and she knew the perfect way to get the conversation elsewhere.
"So...?"
"Yeah?"
"As long as we're sharing... what about you and Major Carter?"
"We're not sharing," He told her, far more sharply than he'd actually intended. Melony, of course, didn't take it personally. She'd known what his response was going to be – not the exact words, but the exact tone of voice he was going to use – and he hadn't failed. She grinned, and Jack realized he'd been handled fairly skillfully. He couldn't ask her anything about Anderson, now, or she'd just turn the tables on him and ask about Carter.
"Damn it."
She laughed.
"I'm going to make you walk with Daniel," He warned her, but now his tone was far less serious.
She shuddered, pretending to be horrified. "Don't do that. He's still eating those damned apples."
She opened her eyes to find that the sun was already coming up, which meant that she'd slept more than fourteen hours – absolutely unheard of for her – and Anderson sprawled comfortably next to her. A quick check of her surroundings as she sat up yawning showed Carter and Teal'c had the watch, with Jack and Dr. Jackson both sleeping close by as well.
Quietly, to avoid waking anyone prematurely, Melony got up. A quick stop to take care of personal needs and then she was at the small fire, looking for some breakfast.
"Good morning, Colonel Mitchell." Carter greeted her with a smile.
"Good morning, Major." She saw the cup of coffee in Carter's hand. "Please tell me there's more of that somewhere?"
Sam laughed and gestured to the old fashioned percolator that Jack and Mitchell had taken from supply. Instant coffee was fine when you were desperate, but brewed was much better, and they'd both decided it was worth the extra pack space.
"Thanks."
"How'd you sleep?" Carter asked as Melony dug out a tin mug and poured a cup of coffee, taking an appreciative sniff of it before she took her first sip.
"Great, thanks." She gestured with her cup towards the sleepers. "How long have they been asleep?"
"A few hours. I'll wake them in an hour or so. Colonel O'Neill says we're making good time so we're sleeping in."
"Sounds good." Of course, that was Jack's way of saying he didn't want to tire everyone (mainly SG-2) out, but Mitchell wasn't going to complain. She was feeling better today, but she knew she'd been wiped the day before. Otherwise she'd never have slept for so long. And obviously Anderson was in the same shape, because he was still out.
"Did Anderson take a watch last night?"
"No, he's been asleep all night as far as I know."
Mitchell nodded, and dug out an MRE. She didn't mind spaghetti and meatballs for breakfast. Mainly since her days and nights were so screwed up anyways that it didn't feel like breakfast.
~*~
The rest of them woke up not much after she did, and Mitchell watched Anderson carefully as she ate her breakfast, watching how he moved to see if he was feeling any worse or any better. He seemed to be okay. He certainly was cheerful enough when he came over to the fire and had his morning coffee with her and the others.
"We'll take it easy today," Jack said as they were packing up. "Melony, you have rear with me, Teal'c and Daniel take flanks and Anderson, you and Carter have point. Don't get us lost, Anderson."
"Yes, Sir."
They headed out, and Melony fell into step beside Jack, who had been watching her that morning just as carefully as she'd been watching Anderson, and for the same reason.
"How's the ankle?"
"It feels fine, Jack," she told him, honestly. It felt a lot better than the day before.
"Good."
She knew he had something else on his mind, though, just by the way he was still looking over at her as they walked, and she wondered what it could be. They had a pretty good relationship, and there were very few things that one wouldn't discuss with the other, so whatever it was, it had to be either extremely personal, or something that was he knew was a touchy subject with her. Or both.
She gave him a while to broach whatever it was, but when they'd been walking in almost complete silence for over half an hour and he was still quietly studying her, she finally gave up and brought it up herself.
"What's bothering you?"
He scowled. "It shows, huh?"
"A little, yeah." A lot, really, but only because she could read him as well as anyone – and better than most.
"Anderson."
She raised an eyebrow at that. "What about him?"
O'Neill seemed truly uncomfortable, now, and it was Melony's turn to scowl. "What about him, Jack?"
"You and he are pretty close?"
"Yes."
"What kind of guy is he?"
She figured it out. He thought that she and Anderson had more of a relationship than just teammates, and the big brother mentality had kicked in and now Jack was going to find out all about the guy. Something Melony wasn't going to have anything to do with, and wasn't going to make easy for him.
"Why do you ask?"
"Just curious."
Bullshit.
"He's my second in command, Jack. We have the same relationship that you and Major Carter have." That was a calculated response, because Mitchell knew that had more than just platonic feelings for Carter, even though it wasn't something they'd discussed, of course.
Jack scowled, wondering what she knew about him and Carter. They hadn't talked about it, but he also knew that Mitchell was observant enough to be one of the few people outside of SG-1 that might know how he truly felt about his own second in command.
"That's the wrong answer, Melony."
She laughed, knowing then that her guess was spot on. He WAS fishing for information. They walked in silence for a while, but it was a comfortable one. Jack knew that Melony would tell him what he wanted to know; he just had to wait for her to decide when to tell him. Finally, she spoke up again, after making sure that no one else was close enough to hear.
"I don't know, Jack." She admitted. "Anderson's really a great guy. Smart, funny, and there's no one I'd trust more to watch my back." Except O'Neill himself, probably. "Remember I told you that he was hit in the original ambush and I wasn't sure he was going to make it?" Jack nodded. "It was probably... no, it was definitely more personal than it should have been, and I wasn't just worried. I was scared."
"But he made it."
"Yeah. Which makes me grateful that I never had the heart to heart with him I'd thought about having."
Jack understood that completely. He also knew he wasn't the one to give her advice about relationships with her co-workers. Luckily, Mitchell wasn't asking for advice. But she was done discussing Brad with O'Neill, and she knew the perfect way to get the conversation elsewhere.
"So...?"
"Yeah?"
"As long as we're sharing... what about you and Major Carter?"
"We're not sharing," He told her, far more sharply than he'd actually intended. Melony, of course, didn't take it personally. She'd known what his response was going to be – not the exact words, but the exact tone of voice he was going to use – and he hadn't failed. She grinned, and Jack realized he'd been handled fairly skillfully. He couldn't ask her anything about Anderson, now, or she'd just turn the tables on him and ask about Carter.
"Damn it."
She laughed.
"I'm going to make you walk with Daniel," He warned her, but now his tone was far less serious.
She shuddered, pretending to be horrified. "Don't do that. He's still eating those damned apples."