Had a rethink after heaps and loads of rewriting help from my chum
dietcokechicky Dena with regards to grammar, American speak, and story
thread. I hope you find that this runs a lot better than the chapter as it
stood before, cos I certainly do, and D's helped me to see a bit more of
where I'm going. From now on I hope you know who's speaking, who they are
speaking to, and maybe get the occasional laugh where you couldn't figure
what I was going on about before!
Chapter 4 Lunch
"This is not supposed to be how it happens." Sam said grumbling to herself as she sorted through the laundry.
"Whatever happened to 'don't worry Sam, we'll help', this is getting boring."
Placing her hands on her hips, Sam let out a large sigh and decided to hell with it. Let the guys sort their own dirty clothes.
She headed outside to get a spot of fresh air. To her surprise she found Daniel sitting quietly by himself with a cup of coffee. Didn't he say something about heading into town with Teal'c and the Colonel?
"Hey Daniel." Sam said quietly coming up behind the pensive archaeologist.
"What are you doing out here by yourself?"
"Just, being."
"Being?" Sam asked sitting down beside him.
"Just being." Daniel said a nod. "It's nice here. I know- nice is just the wrong word to use, but it just fit's you know?"
He took another large drink and marvelled once again at how he hadn't even missed coffee after he ascended. He hadn't really missed much of anything really. But this! This is what it was all about. Birds singing, light breeze bringing the scent of honeysuckle and evergreen and of course, the smell of coffee. Maybe he had missed all of this. Maybe it was precisely the missing that had enabled him to come back. To come here.
Sam nodded not really understanding where Daniel was coming from but wanting him to know that she was there for him.
Daniel shrugged his shoulders, unable to really explain it even to himself.
"There's just something about this place, you know? It's." Daniel faltered searching for the right word. "Its uncluttered here. A bit like Jack really."
Sam made a face. Right. As if Jack O'Neill was uncluttered.
"You don't agree." From the look on Sam's face, this was quite clearly a statement, not a question from Daniel.
"It's not that, it's great here, but I wouldn't call the Colonel 'uncluttered'. There's a lot of stuff up there," she said pointing to her head, " that he doesn't show. I just wish I knew what it was sometimes. He just won't let anyone in."
Sam had not really thought she would say that out loud - Daniel was right, something about this place made her feel different too.
"Sam. Did I imagine it or did Jack ask you to call him Jack? You just called him 'Colonel ' - that's not his first name, I know he likes to pretend it is sometimes, but for a change he was quite specific." Daniel quietly admonished.
"Yes I know." Sam said peevishly. "I always know when I say it, and so does he." She stood up abruptly and looked off in the direction that he and Teal'c had gone in earlier that morning. "It just helps to keep things..."
"Ah." Daniel said instantly understanding. "I see."
They remained silent for several moments each in their own thoughts.
"I'm really glad you're back Daniel, I don't know if I ever really told you that." Sam said leaning over and giving her friend a large hug.
"So am I Sam." Daniel said returning the hug. "Glad I'm back I mean."
"I missed you." Sam said quietly releasing her friend and taking a step backwards.
"I missed you too." Daniel replied, taking a sip of coffee. He closed his eyes thoughtfully for a moment before his lips turned upwards into a small smile.
"You know, I honestly don't remember what I missed." Daniel said with a twinkle in his eyes. "Apart from coffee that is."
Sam punched him on the arm. "You forget us, and remember coffee. That's just so. so you Daniel!"
"I may not remember much Sam. But I do know, that I tried to look out for you guys whenever I could."
"Then, in a way," Sam said smiling, "you never really left us."
"I was never far Sam. Never far." Daniel said as they both stared out onto the shimmering lake waters.
Jack meanwhile was having problems of his own. Having roped Teal'c into fishing with him, Jack had grudgingly acquiesced to a much-needed meal. Needed for Teal'c that is. Jack wasn't hungry.
"How can you eat your eggs that way?" Jack asked staring at the unappetizing menagerie of eggs, bacon and potatoes. All mushed up like that? It's not normal Tee.. ," at that point Jack took a deep breath and looked around as he remembered Teal'c's pseudonym " err..Murray."
Teal'c cocked his head to one side as a slight display of displeasure over his Earth name.
"O'Neill, the eggs end up going down the same way whether they are broken or not. I find the interplay of taste with the hash browns and bacon appealing."
"I see." Jack said tearing his eyes away from the brown, yellow and white attempt at an abstract work of art. " You're now an expert on taste aesthetics."
Teal'cs eyebrow arched in annoyance as he looked over at Jack's two eggs and toast.
"O'Neill, you have not eaten anything today".
"I'm not hungry."
"What is 'up', as you say?"
"Nothing." O'Neill said with a shrug as he looked out the window.
"Really?" Teal'c muttered as dryly as he could.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Jack replied irritably.
""I mean nothing O'Neill." Teal'c replied taking another bit of his breakfast mash.
He had long since learned that when O'Neill wanted to talk, he would talk. Otherwise, it was best to just be patient. And patience was something Teal'c had in spades, under normal circumstances.
Jack looked back to his companion and frowned, disappointed that he had not been goaded further.
"Well okay, if you must know," Jack said wincing slightly as a really bad 80's song came on in the background. "Have you noticed how weird Carter's been recently?"
"I have been ill O'Neill. I noticed very little."
Jack continued on not even bothering to listen to the fact that Teal'c had not noticed anything odd. "I'm glad you noticed it as well, as I thought I was the only one! Carter's been up early, dusting, cleaning, cooking.." He paused considering which one had been the biggest surprise. "Cooking! Carter doesn't cook! She avoids it like it's torture when we're off planet," O'Neill took a breath and paused to see if Teal'c had anything to say on the matter.
"She may enjoy cooking at home O'Neill. We have seen that Major Carter is meticulous about the orderliness of her laboratory and her home, from what I have seen, is always neat and easy to navigate." He paused and gave Jack a look. Unlike your abode."
Jack frowned again; aware that he had been baited but this time he refused to rise to it.
"In her own place maybe, but have you ever shared a tent with her?"
Teal'c took another mouthful of sausage and sighed, asking for patience which was beginning to leave him.
"Her stuff goes all over the place,." Jack said getting worked up. Her 'things' get into my gear- she throws her stuff everywhere! ." He lowered his voice and leaned over the table towards his friend, " I've found her underwear in some pretty strange places!"
"Really?" Teal'c said showing much more interest than usual at Jack's pronouncement.
"Would you stop that - for crying out loud! You're really creeping me out with this emotional stuff!" Jack took a deep breath and tried to come up with a succinct way of summing up what he was feeling. Which was freaked out. At Carter. "The point I am trying to make is that she's all neat and Miss Perfect in her lab and at home, but she's seriously out of sorts away from her home turf!" Please don't make me explain turf Teal'c, this is difficult enough, Jack beseeched his friend silently.
Teal'c finished his meal and washed it down with a healthy gulp of orange juice.
"Perhaps, O'Neill, she is nervous."
"Really? Why" Jack honestly didn't know what he wanted to hear, but he needed some advice and he sure as hell couldn't talk to Carter about it.
"Nervous of being watched by you."
Jack guffawed. "Right. Thank you for your input.." Jack said clearly annoyed. He crossed his arms and made Teal'c pay the check.
Daniel and Sam, meanwhile, had eaten as well, but were discussing other types of aesthetics, closer to Daniels heart.
Sam twisted Daniel's face first one way and then the other.
"Yeah, I have to agree Daniel - it looks bad. You need to get something else cold on that before it gets bigger."
"Are you sure it's not broken?" Daniel said gingerly touching his battered nose.
"Yes, " Sam said heading into the kitchen to find some more grossly out of date frozen food. " If it were broken, you would be in a lot more pain, and it would be even bigger than it is."
"Are you saying I've got a big nose?" Daniel said nasally, accepting the frozen peas from Sam and heading to the couch.
"Oh stop complaining! Lie down and take it like a man Jackson. I'm heading back to tackle the dishes."
Daniel gave a mock salute with his free hand, "Yes Sir!" and lay down as ordered.
Sam rolled up her sleeves and began to fill the sink up with warm sudsy water. Naturally Jack didn't have a dishwasher. Why would he? The man lived on takeout food! How he managed to get take out dozens of miles from civilization was beyond her. Maybe Josie got them for him - she lived closer to town. Sam started to get irritated by someone she knew nothing of. At least the unknown woman had a first name, which she, apparently, did not. "Carter this, Carter that." Sam muttered as she savagely started rinsing the poor plates and cutlery. Maybe she should break something, just accidentally, to make herself feel better.
It was well into the afternoon as Sam considered crockery mutilation, and Jack and Teal'c were about to move on.
Teal'c finished his meal and insisted on leaving a very generous tip as Jack continued to yammer on about Major Carter's supposed problem.
"O'Neill," Teal'c began after deciding enough was enough and his friend needed to desist with this conversation. "I have said less than ten words since you have brought the subject up, you on the other hand have discussed it at great length for the past 30 minutes. What does this tell you?"
Jack shut his eyes briefly, then opened them quickly as he remembered that he was driving, "It tells me that I'm bellyaching about something that's really my problem." Jack sighed and was silent.
Teal'c was thankful for the quiet as they drove out towards the lake. Regrettably, Jack still believed his freezer was stocked with a wide assortment of frozen foods.. He did not know that half of his freezer had already melted on Daniel's face.
They arrived at their destination and said very little as Jack unloaded the fishing gear and attempted to sort out his tangled line. After much cursing, he settled down and began to fish in earnest.
Jack happily searched for the elusive crappie, with the help of a few beers, and Teal'c just as happily leaned back against a tree, covered his face with his hat and proceeded to nap.
"T?" Jack whispered nudging his friend's side.
"Whatt?" Teal'c answered not bothering to open his eyes.
"Wake up." Jack slapped his boot with his hat. "I have to tell you something."
"Of that O'Neill, I am not surprised."
"This thing between me and Carter, it's gonna hit the fan soon."
"Indeed" Teal'c said not really paying Jack any attention. There were no Jaffa present and he required rest. At least rest from one Colonel Jack O'Neill.
"I said, wake up! I need to tell you something! Jack said clearly annoyed. You can at least pretend to be interested!"
"I am, quite simply, all ears O'Neill."
Jack turned towards him to make sure his eyes were open, then proceeded.
"You listening?"
"I am listening O'Neill." Teal'c said with a Jaffa sigh. "Please continue, as it will be dark soon and I wish to drive back. You have consumed too many beers."
"Yeah, well y'know it's been a while since I've been, well, close to someone." Jack said awkwardly. "Work always gets in the way and all of that."
As much as Jack wanted to talk, his self-protection mechanism kept changing the subject. Teal'c had patience for this kind of thing as he was years older than O'Neill, and could see the way the younger man's mind worked. Plus he listened more than he was given credit for.
"Did I tell you once that Danny set me up on a blind date?"
"Yes." Teal'c said with a nod. "I believe I came with you 'in case she had a friend' as I recall."
"What? Oh, right. She was more interested in you anyway; incidentally where did you two go for the rest of the evening?" Teal'c puffed out his chest slightly and said nothing.
'Bastard'. Jack thought.
He looked into the middle distance, whilst adjusting his line, "All I could think about was Sam, - how much smarter Sam was than that woman, how her hair wasn't as nice as Sam's, her eyes." "I'm just saying that the date was a bust." Jack was about to continue with something else when Teal'c held up a hand.
"O'Neill." He said quietly.
"What?" Jack replied in his normal timber.
"A bear is watching us from the trees." Teal'c stated calmly.
"You're kidding." Jack replied whipping his head sharply to the left.
" I am not."
"Crap."
Chapter 4 Lunch
"This is not supposed to be how it happens." Sam said grumbling to herself as she sorted through the laundry.
"Whatever happened to 'don't worry Sam, we'll help', this is getting boring."
Placing her hands on her hips, Sam let out a large sigh and decided to hell with it. Let the guys sort their own dirty clothes.
She headed outside to get a spot of fresh air. To her surprise she found Daniel sitting quietly by himself with a cup of coffee. Didn't he say something about heading into town with Teal'c and the Colonel?
"Hey Daniel." Sam said quietly coming up behind the pensive archaeologist.
"What are you doing out here by yourself?"
"Just, being."
"Being?" Sam asked sitting down beside him.
"Just being." Daniel said a nod. "It's nice here. I know- nice is just the wrong word to use, but it just fit's you know?"
He took another large drink and marvelled once again at how he hadn't even missed coffee after he ascended. He hadn't really missed much of anything really. But this! This is what it was all about. Birds singing, light breeze bringing the scent of honeysuckle and evergreen and of course, the smell of coffee. Maybe he had missed all of this. Maybe it was precisely the missing that had enabled him to come back. To come here.
Sam nodded not really understanding where Daniel was coming from but wanting him to know that she was there for him.
Daniel shrugged his shoulders, unable to really explain it even to himself.
"There's just something about this place, you know? It's." Daniel faltered searching for the right word. "Its uncluttered here. A bit like Jack really."
Sam made a face. Right. As if Jack O'Neill was uncluttered.
"You don't agree." From the look on Sam's face, this was quite clearly a statement, not a question from Daniel.
"It's not that, it's great here, but I wouldn't call the Colonel 'uncluttered'. There's a lot of stuff up there," she said pointing to her head, " that he doesn't show. I just wish I knew what it was sometimes. He just won't let anyone in."
Sam had not really thought she would say that out loud - Daniel was right, something about this place made her feel different too.
"Sam. Did I imagine it or did Jack ask you to call him Jack? You just called him 'Colonel ' - that's not his first name, I know he likes to pretend it is sometimes, but for a change he was quite specific." Daniel quietly admonished.
"Yes I know." Sam said peevishly. "I always know when I say it, and so does he." She stood up abruptly and looked off in the direction that he and Teal'c had gone in earlier that morning. "It just helps to keep things..."
"Ah." Daniel said instantly understanding. "I see."
They remained silent for several moments each in their own thoughts.
"I'm really glad you're back Daniel, I don't know if I ever really told you that." Sam said leaning over and giving her friend a large hug.
"So am I Sam." Daniel said returning the hug. "Glad I'm back I mean."
"I missed you." Sam said quietly releasing her friend and taking a step backwards.
"I missed you too." Daniel replied, taking a sip of coffee. He closed his eyes thoughtfully for a moment before his lips turned upwards into a small smile.
"You know, I honestly don't remember what I missed." Daniel said with a twinkle in his eyes. "Apart from coffee that is."
Sam punched him on the arm. "You forget us, and remember coffee. That's just so. so you Daniel!"
"I may not remember much Sam. But I do know, that I tried to look out for you guys whenever I could."
"Then, in a way," Sam said smiling, "you never really left us."
"I was never far Sam. Never far." Daniel said as they both stared out onto the shimmering lake waters.
Jack meanwhile was having problems of his own. Having roped Teal'c into fishing with him, Jack had grudgingly acquiesced to a much-needed meal. Needed for Teal'c that is. Jack wasn't hungry.
"How can you eat your eggs that way?" Jack asked staring at the unappetizing menagerie of eggs, bacon and potatoes. All mushed up like that? It's not normal Tee.. ," at that point Jack took a deep breath and looked around as he remembered Teal'c's pseudonym " err..Murray."
Teal'c cocked his head to one side as a slight display of displeasure over his Earth name.
"O'Neill, the eggs end up going down the same way whether they are broken or not. I find the interplay of taste with the hash browns and bacon appealing."
"I see." Jack said tearing his eyes away from the brown, yellow and white attempt at an abstract work of art. " You're now an expert on taste aesthetics."
Teal'cs eyebrow arched in annoyance as he looked over at Jack's two eggs and toast.
"O'Neill, you have not eaten anything today".
"I'm not hungry."
"What is 'up', as you say?"
"Nothing." O'Neill said with a shrug as he looked out the window.
"Really?" Teal'c muttered as dryly as he could.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Jack replied irritably.
""I mean nothing O'Neill." Teal'c replied taking another bit of his breakfast mash.
He had long since learned that when O'Neill wanted to talk, he would talk. Otherwise, it was best to just be patient. And patience was something Teal'c had in spades, under normal circumstances.
Jack looked back to his companion and frowned, disappointed that he had not been goaded further.
"Well okay, if you must know," Jack said wincing slightly as a really bad 80's song came on in the background. "Have you noticed how weird Carter's been recently?"
"I have been ill O'Neill. I noticed very little."
Jack continued on not even bothering to listen to the fact that Teal'c had not noticed anything odd. "I'm glad you noticed it as well, as I thought I was the only one! Carter's been up early, dusting, cleaning, cooking.." He paused considering which one had been the biggest surprise. "Cooking! Carter doesn't cook! She avoids it like it's torture when we're off planet," O'Neill took a breath and paused to see if Teal'c had anything to say on the matter.
"She may enjoy cooking at home O'Neill. We have seen that Major Carter is meticulous about the orderliness of her laboratory and her home, from what I have seen, is always neat and easy to navigate." He paused and gave Jack a look. Unlike your abode."
Jack frowned again; aware that he had been baited but this time he refused to rise to it.
"In her own place maybe, but have you ever shared a tent with her?"
Teal'c took another mouthful of sausage and sighed, asking for patience which was beginning to leave him.
"Her stuff goes all over the place,." Jack said getting worked up. Her 'things' get into my gear- she throws her stuff everywhere! ." He lowered his voice and leaned over the table towards his friend, " I've found her underwear in some pretty strange places!"
"Really?" Teal'c said showing much more interest than usual at Jack's pronouncement.
"Would you stop that - for crying out loud! You're really creeping me out with this emotional stuff!" Jack took a deep breath and tried to come up with a succinct way of summing up what he was feeling. Which was freaked out. At Carter. "The point I am trying to make is that she's all neat and Miss Perfect in her lab and at home, but she's seriously out of sorts away from her home turf!" Please don't make me explain turf Teal'c, this is difficult enough, Jack beseeched his friend silently.
Teal'c finished his meal and washed it down with a healthy gulp of orange juice.
"Perhaps, O'Neill, she is nervous."
"Really? Why" Jack honestly didn't know what he wanted to hear, but he needed some advice and he sure as hell couldn't talk to Carter about it.
"Nervous of being watched by you."
Jack guffawed. "Right. Thank you for your input.." Jack said clearly annoyed. He crossed his arms and made Teal'c pay the check.
Daniel and Sam, meanwhile, had eaten as well, but were discussing other types of aesthetics, closer to Daniels heart.
Sam twisted Daniel's face first one way and then the other.
"Yeah, I have to agree Daniel - it looks bad. You need to get something else cold on that before it gets bigger."
"Are you sure it's not broken?" Daniel said gingerly touching his battered nose.
"Yes, " Sam said heading into the kitchen to find some more grossly out of date frozen food. " If it were broken, you would be in a lot more pain, and it would be even bigger than it is."
"Are you saying I've got a big nose?" Daniel said nasally, accepting the frozen peas from Sam and heading to the couch.
"Oh stop complaining! Lie down and take it like a man Jackson. I'm heading back to tackle the dishes."
Daniel gave a mock salute with his free hand, "Yes Sir!" and lay down as ordered.
Sam rolled up her sleeves and began to fill the sink up with warm sudsy water. Naturally Jack didn't have a dishwasher. Why would he? The man lived on takeout food! How he managed to get take out dozens of miles from civilization was beyond her. Maybe Josie got them for him - she lived closer to town. Sam started to get irritated by someone she knew nothing of. At least the unknown woman had a first name, which she, apparently, did not. "Carter this, Carter that." Sam muttered as she savagely started rinsing the poor plates and cutlery. Maybe she should break something, just accidentally, to make herself feel better.
It was well into the afternoon as Sam considered crockery mutilation, and Jack and Teal'c were about to move on.
Teal'c finished his meal and insisted on leaving a very generous tip as Jack continued to yammer on about Major Carter's supposed problem.
"O'Neill," Teal'c began after deciding enough was enough and his friend needed to desist with this conversation. "I have said less than ten words since you have brought the subject up, you on the other hand have discussed it at great length for the past 30 minutes. What does this tell you?"
Jack shut his eyes briefly, then opened them quickly as he remembered that he was driving, "It tells me that I'm bellyaching about something that's really my problem." Jack sighed and was silent.
Teal'c was thankful for the quiet as they drove out towards the lake. Regrettably, Jack still believed his freezer was stocked with a wide assortment of frozen foods.. He did not know that half of his freezer had already melted on Daniel's face.
They arrived at their destination and said very little as Jack unloaded the fishing gear and attempted to sort out his tangled line. After much cursing, he settled down and began to fish in earnest.
Jack happily searched for the elusive crappie, with the help of a few beers, and Teal'c just as happily leaned back against a tree, covered his face with his hat and proceeded to nap.
"T?" Jack whispered nudging his friend's side.
"Whatt?" Teal'c answered not bothering to open his eyes.
"Wake up." Jack slapped his boot with his hat. "I have to tell you something."
"Of that O'Neill, I am not surprised."
"This thing between me and Carter, it's gonna hit the fan soon."
"Indeed" Teal'c said not really paying Jack any attention. There were no Jaffa present and he required rest. At least rest from one Colonel Jack O'Neill.
"I said, wake up! I need to tell you something! Jack said clearly annoyed. You can at least pretend to be interested!"
"I am, quite simply, all ears O'Neill."
Jack turned towards him to make sure his eyes were open, then proceeded.
"You listening?"
"I am listening O'Neill." Teal'c said with a Jaffa sigh. "Please continue, as it will be dark soon and I wish to drive back. You have consumed too many beers."
"Yeah, well y'know it's been a while since I've been, well, close to someone." Jack said awkwardly. "Work always gets in the way and all of that."
As much as Jack wanted to talk, his self-protection mechanism kept changing the subject. Teal'c had patience for this kind of thing as he was years older than O'Neill, and could see the way the younger man's mind worked. Plus he listened more than he was given credit for.
"Did I tell you once that Danny set me up on a blind date?"
"Yes." Teal'c said with a nod. "I believe I came with you 'in case she had a friend' as I recall."
"What? Oh, right. She was more interested in you anyway; incidentally where did you two go for the rest of the evening?" Teal'c puffed out his chest slightly and said nothing.
'Bastard'. Jack thought.
He looked into the middle distance, whilst adjusting his line, "All I could think about was Sam, - how much smarter Sam was than that woman, how her hair wasn't as nice as Sam's, her eyes." "I'm just saying that the date was a bust." Jack was about to continue with something else when Teal'c held up a hand.
"O'Neill." He said quietly.
"What?" Jack replied in his normal timber.
"A bear is watching us from the trees." Teal'c stated calmly.
"You're kidding." Jack replied whipping his head sharply to the left.
" I am not."
"Crap."