This is going on much longer than I thought it would – not just in the
length of time it's taking, but in the length of time they're taking to
MAKE UP THEIR GD MINDS what to do! Sorry. Frustrated with my muse.
I think she's gone off to have a g and t somewhere. Just you wait 'til I
find her...!
Backpedalling
Silence fell as the laundry machine ground to a halt.
Jack looked confusedly at the tired archaeologist and patient jaffa.
He had forgotten his socks again and his feet were cold on the tiled floor, so he wanted the 'hellos' over with quickly. Why was everyone just standing there?
"We thought you might be, still.... asleep Jack." Daniel paused looking at Jack's shorts and bare feet. "So, where's Sam?" he finished innocently.
"Why Daniel?" Daniel's innocent expression always made Jack irritated, but he had not forgotten where his friend had just come from and in the same irritated tone continued, "You look tired Daniel, you should come in before I freeze my ass off."
"Thank you Jack.. Always thinking of other people – I'm feeling fine, thank you – bit of a headache, that's all." He looked around.
"And I guess Sam's still asleep?" Daniel added, with a rising intonation at the end, which made it sound like a casual question.
Jack narrowed his eyes, as he knew Daniel was fishing. Not, however, the kind he liked at all.
"Yes, I've just made the coffee to throw over her head to wake her up, of course she is you know what she's like." He continued ouching his way across the hall to the bedroom with the coffee. "She's just helping me with my, ..laundry.." He winced to himself at the weak lie but hey, who knew otherwise, he thought.
Daniel and Teal'c were still standing in the hall watching his progress.
"Sam?" Jack questioned the closed door. Sam meanwhile, was busy, quickly getting dressed, and did not hear him as her head was in her sweater at that moment.
For all the black ops that O'Neill had taken part in he was strangely inept at personal subterfuge.
He shouted.
"CARTER! ARE YOU DECENT?!"
He suddenly remembered his audience, and looked back at his friends, smiled, then shrugged as Carter opened the door.
Sam glanced down the hall then at Jack, and took a deep breath.
"Hi Daniel, Teal'c, great to see you back guys. Thanks. Sir. For the coffee." She took it from Jack smiling and nodding way too much.
"Hey, I was just putting the.. doing the stuff, when you came back; boy are we gonna do some exciting things today!"
She walked straight past Jack towards Daniel, and bear hugged him, nearly spilling the coffee in her enthusiasm.
Jack closed his eyes and shook his head in resignation. Sipping his coffee he walked into the bedroom to finish getting dressed. There would have to be some serious talk today, but first Daniel had to have a good time, or else, Sam had said, Jack could expect no more 'good times' of his own.
???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
"So, I figured if we start here," Sam pointed to a point on the map which Jack just did not recognise, "then you and Jack could meet us at the top of the lake with the car, and we can have lunch." Sam sat back, relieved that she could react as if things had not changed over the past 24 hours.
For the past hour, over breakfast, she had plotted out the activities for the day. A torn and creased map taken from Jack's glove box had been called into service. After peeling off suspect food items from the important areas on the map, Sam had drawn battle lines to show where she and Teal'c would be walking, and Jack and Daniel would be fishing.
The morning had moved swiftly on, and Sam was anxious to be doing things. Jack had noticed a change in her relaxed, happy attitude from earlier. He was worried.
Daniel was feeling better with some food and medication, but noticed a change in the mood of the group as well.
Teal'c listened. He understood.
Jack watched her hands move across the map, nervously tweaking the turned up corners as she talked about the best places for her and Teal'c to climb – there was an outcrop that could be easily ascended by the amateur climber. Jack had some equipment in the garage from an aborted attempt to do something other than fish.
He was so caught up in watching her; he was not listening to what she was saying.
"..Jack?"
"What?"
"You've got a cold box haven't you?"
"Yeah. For the beer."
"You can put some food in there as well?"
"Not if you want the beer."
Sam closed her eyes.
"Fine. Forget it, we'll leave it to get warm in the car instead."
She turned away to continue talking to the others, which irritated him more than if she had shouted at him.
He continued to watch her.
"...Yeah, but I wondered if we can make it a bit earlier – I'm going to get tired."
"Yes, DanielJackson. I also become tired when awaiting the attentions of a piscine. O'Neill's company is also, so, enlightening."
Although Jack wasn't really listening to the conversation, and was thinking about the past few hours, he could spot an insult from a long way off.
"You're just sore 'cos I wanted to use your staff weapon as a rod."
"No, O'Neill you wanted to shoot the fish."
Jack knew he was making the joke to lighten the developing sense of tension.
"It was a bad day. Hadn't had a bite." He explained to the room in general.
Jack had a feeling it was a good description for the way the rest of the day was going to work out.
Plans made, the team packed up the gear they needed. Daniel was in his room, and Teal'c was out in the car, so Jack finally had a chance to corner Sam to find out what was wrong.
Sam hadn't said a word after they had left the table, and Jack was unsure what the problem was. Other than it was him, of course.
She was just about to head out the door, when he put his hand on her arm, and gently turned her around to face him.
"Hey, what's up?"
She was going to answer in a non-committal way so that she could get out the door and avoid his attentions, but then realised that she owed him a lot more than that.
"I'm sorry .. There's something about this, this.. being faced with going back tomorrow, and being with Daniel and Teal'c that's made me realise my.. our responsibilities... we should have talked about it properly when you brought it up – it seemed a million miles away then."
She turned more fully to face him, as he held her by the shoulders. She looked uncomfortable, just talking to him.
"Let's get on; let's go, now – I don't want to ruin this for Daniel."
"Sure, OK, but I wish..." Sam pulled away before he could finish, and she headed towards the car, just as Daniel came out of his room.
"I have no idea if I've got everything, and I really want to take my book on Phoenician..." Daniel was putting things in a bag but he ground to a halt when he saw a very confused Jack looking out the door.
"Jack?"
No answer.
"Jack, what's the matter?"
"What?" He turned towards Daniel, and without thinking what he was saying, answered Daniel with a question.
"Have I done something wrong? Everything was fine before you two came back, and now she's gone all 'I've got a lot on my mind' again."
Daniel thought for a second how best to reply. Then, knowing that this subject would come up anyway, at some point, tried to reason with his friend.
"Firstly, thanks for saying you're glad we're back." Sarcasm was always a good opener, he thought, as he put his bag down, and went over to sit on the arm of the chair, facing the doorway. Jack followed him with an appropriately contrite expression, and stood waiting for Daniel's conclusion.
"Secondly, the thing we're not talking about involves a more than just you two and could get you into heaps of trouble, you know that. That is the problem isn't it, this thing that you always said could never happen?"
Jack looked down, played with a loose tile on the floor with his boot, then rubbed at one eye with the back of his hand, as if trying to wake himself up.
"Daniel, we can't talk about this, not now.."
"Jack, we are never going to talk about it if we don't now. Either you two will carry on until someone's hurt, or you won't talk about it to each other, and SG1 will be history. You could get court-marshalled or worse."
"Worse. I could lose her the job, her career, respect.."
Then Daniel realised that Jack had already thought about it all, and that for a brief period of time he had tried to change the world, and run a personal life parallel to a career that was their life.
Jack had some things on his mind and he was just beginning to get them together to explain to Daniel when Teal'c appeared at the door. Realising that an important discussion was about to take place, he was loath to disturb them, but felt that there would be opportunity for them to talk later.
"O'Neill. I need the keys if I am to drive, and I suggest that we leave otherwise we will have no daylight left."
Jack reached into his jeans pocket to take them out, and replied only half heartedly,
"Beer, fish and friends. Perfect combination. Not necessarily in that order."
He ushered both men before him; Teal'c went back to the truck, and Daniel hung back as Jack locked the door.
"Later, Daniel."
Daniel nodded, and left Jack to follow behind.
The journey was about an hour, and most of the time the travellers kept to their own thoughts. Daniel and Jack in the back started a small argument over doughnuts, but this was soon halted by Teal'c looking over his shoulder, advising that it would ruin their meal, and that the selection of doughnuts without him was strictly off limits.
Sam thought about what she wanted, how incredible the past twelve hours had been, and could she continue as if nothing had happened. Could they grab what peace they could when they both had leave? Would it be enough? Would they be found out? Her thoughts were interrupted by the presentation of a ring doughnut being shoved into left ear.
"Or would you prefer the one with the bits of chocolate on?"
She managed a small smile in return.
"This one's fine, and they're called vermicelli, Daniel."
Teal'c decided to ignore discussions pertaining to food.
During the next hour, the conversation was sparse; just were some grumbles about lack of facilities on Jack's vehicle.
"I need to pee."
Then, helpfully,
"I can pull the car over...".
Response,
"Have you seen the size of the bears out there? I have, and I don't want to meet one of those with a cold a...."
Terse reply,
"Then wind the damn window down!"
And so on.
Teal'c finally pulled up by the side of a vast lake, with the sun high in the sky warming the still damp grass. Teal'c had thoughtfully picked a spot with some shade, as Daniel would be conscious of the bright sunlight.
"Hey, Danny boy, are you gonna help me or are you just a passenger on this trip!"
Daniel reluctantly removed his head from his bunched up jacket where it had been resting quite happily for the past fifteen minutes.
"Yeah, damn fish, all he ever thinks about, what did they ever do to him.."
"What Daniel?"
Jack had heard his mutterings, and knew that really, Daniel was having a good time. All this space, the sun, maybe he could get some colour in his cheeks for a change. He had still bought his "book of the week" with him anyway.
He looked over at Sam, sitting in the front passenger seat, waiting for Teal'c to finish helping Daniel and him. Time was passing. He had to think what they were going to do.
The boot slammed shut and woke Sam from her reverie. She looked back at Jack and Daniel, as they pulled away and half waved. The time was going slowly. She had too much time to think about what could go wrong, so she devoted herself to the next couple of hours with Teal'c.
Backpedalling
Silence fell as the laundry machine ground to a halt.
Jack looked confusedly at the tired archaeologist and patient jaffa.
He had forgotten his socks again and his feet were cold on the tiled floor, so he wanted the 'hellos' over with quickly. Why was everyone just standing there?
"We thought you might be, still.... asleep Jack." Daniel paused looking at Jack's shorts and bare feet. "So, where's Sam?" he finished innocently.
"Why Daniel?" Daniel's innocent expression always made Jack irritated, but he had not forgotten where his friend had just come from and in the same irritated tone continued, "You look tired Daniel, you should come in before I freeze my ass off."
"Thank you Jack.. Always thinking of other people – I'm feeling fine, thank you – bit of a headache, that's all." He looked around.
"And I guess Sam's still asleep?" Daniel added, with a rising intonation at the end, which made it sound like a casual question.
Jack narrowed his eyes, as he knew Daniel was fishing. Not, however, the kind he liked at all.
"Yes, I've just made the coffee to throw over her head to wake her up, of course she is you know what she's like." He continued ouching his way across the hall to the bedroom with the coffee. "She's just helping me with my, ..laundry.." He winced to himself at the weak lie but hey, who knew otherwise, he thought.
Daniel and Teal'c were still standing in the hall watching his progress.
"Sam?" Jack questioned the closed door. Sam meanwhile, was busy, quickly getting dressed, and did not hear him as her head was in her sweater at that moment.
For all the black ops that O'Neill had taken part in he was strangely inept at personal subterfuge.
He shouted.
"CARTER! ARE YOU DECENT?!"
He suddenly remembered his audience, and looked back at his friends, smiled, then shrugged as Carter opened the door.
Sam glanced down the hall then at Jack, and took a deep breath.
"Hi Daniel, Teal'c, great to see you back guys. Thanks. Sir. For the coffee." She took it from Jack smiling and nodding way too much.
"Hey, I was just putting the.. doing the stuff, when you came back; boy are we gonna do some exciting things today!"
She walked straight past Jack towards Daniel, and bear hugged him, nearly spilling the coffee in her enthusiasm.
Jack closed his eyes and shook his head in resignation. Sipping his coffee he walked into the bedroom to finish getting dressed. There would have to be some serious talk today, but first Daniel had to have a good time, or else, Sam had said, Jack could expect no more 'good times' of his own.
???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
"So, I figured if we start here," Sam pointed to a point on the map which Jack just did not recognise, "then you and Jack could meet us at the top of the lake with the car, and we can have lunch." Sam sat back, relieved that she could react as if things had not changed over the past 24 hours.
For the past hour, over breakfast, she had plotted out the activities for the day. A torn and creased map taken from Jack's glove box had been called into service. After peeling off suspect food items from the important areas on the map, Sam had drawn battle lines to show where she and Teal'c would be walking, and Jack and Daniel would be fishing.
The morning had moved swiftly on, and Sam was anxious to be doing things. Jack had noticed a change in her relaxed, happy attitude from earlier. He was worried.
Daniel was feeling better with some food and medication, but noticed a change in the mood of the group as well.
Teal'c listened. He understood.
Jack watched her hands move across the map, nervously tweaking the turned up corners as she talked about the best places for her and Teal'c to climb – there was an outcrop that could be easily ascended by the amateur climber. Jack had some equipment in the garage from an aborted attempt to do something other than fish.
He was so caught up in watching her; he was not listening to what she was saying.
"..Jack?"
"What?"
"You've got a cold box haven't you?"
"Yeah. For the beer."
"You can put some food in there as well?"
"Not if you want the beer."
Sam closed her eyes.
"Fine. Forget it, we'll leave it to get warm in the car instead."
She turned away to continue talking to the others, which irritated him more than if she had shouted at him.
He continued to watch her.
"...Yeah, but I wondered if we can make it a bit earlier – I'm going to get tired."
"Yes, DanielJackson. I also become tired when awaiting the attentions of a piscine. O'Neill's company is also, so, enlightening."
Although Jack wasn't really listening to the conversation, and was thinking about the past few hours, he could spot an insult from a long way off.
"You're just sore 'cos I wanted to use your staff weapon as a rod."
"No, O'Neill you wanted to shoot the fish."
Jack knew he was making the joke to lighten the developing sense of tension.
"It was a bad day. Hadn't had a bite." He explained to the room in general.
Jack had a feeling it was a good description for the way the rest of the day was going to work out.
Plans made, the team packed up the gear they needed. Daniel was in his room, and Teal'c was out in the car, so Jack finally had a chance to corner Sam to find out what was wrong.
Sam hadn't said a word after they had left the table, and Jack was unsure what the problem was. Other than it was him, of course.
She was just about to head out the door, when he put his hand on her arm, and gently turned her around to face him.
"Hey, what's up?"
She was going to answer in a non-committal way so that she could get out the door and avoid his attentions, but then realised that she owed him a lot more than that.
"I'm sorry .. There's something about this, this.. being faced with going back tomorrow, and being with Daniel and Teal'c that's made me realise my.. our responsibilities... we should have talked about it properly when you brought it up – it seemed a million miles away then."
She turned more fully to face him, as he held her by the shoulders. She looked uncomfortable, just talking to him.
"Let's get on; let's go, now – I don't want to ruin this for Daniel."
"Sure, OK, but I wish..." Sam pulled away before he could finish, and she headed towards the car, just as Daniel came out of his room.
"I have no idea if I've got everything, and I really want to take my book on Phoenician..." Daniel was putting things in a bag but he ground to a halt when he saw a very confused Jack looking out the door.
"Jack?"
No answer.
"Jack, what's the matter?"
"What?" He turned towards Daniel, and without thinking what he was saying, answered Daniel with a question.
"Have I done something wrong? Everything was fine before you two came back, and now she's gone all 'I've got a lot on my mind' again."
Daniel thought for a second how best to reply. Then, knowing that this subject would come up anyway, at some point, tried to reason with his friend.
"Firstly, thanks for saying you're glad we're back." Sarcasm was always a good opener, he thought, as he put his bag down, and went over to sit on the arm of the chair, facing the doorway. Jack followed him with an appropriately contrite expression, and stood waiting for Daniel's conclusion.
"Secondly, the thing we're not talking about involves a more than just you two and could get you into heaps of trouble, you know that. That is the problem isn't it, this thing that you always said could never happen?"
Jack looked down, played with a loose tile on the floor with his boot, then rubbed at one eye with the back of his hand, as if trying to wake himself up.
"Daniel, we can't talk about this, not now.."
"Jack, we are never going to talk about it if we don't now. Either you two will carry on until someone's hurt, or you won't talk about it to each other, and SG1 will be history. You could get court-marshalled or worse."
"Worse. I could lose her the job, her career, respect.."
Then Daniel realised that Jack had already thought about it all, and that for a brief period of time he had tried to change the world, and run a personal life parallel to a career that was their life.
Jack had some things on his mind and he was just beginning to get them together to explain to Daniel when Teal'c appeared at the door. Realising that an important discussion was about to take place, he was loath to disturb them, but felt that there would be opportunity for them to talk later.
"O'Neill. I need the keys if I am to drive, and I suggest that we leave otherwise we will have no daylight left."
Jack reached into his jeans pocket to take them out, and replied only half heartedly,
"Beer, fish and friends. Perfect combination. Not necessarily in that order."
He ushered both men before him; Teal'c went back to the truck, and Daniel hung back as Jack locked the door.
"Later, Daniel."
Daniel nodded, and left Jack to follow behind.
The journey was about an hour, and most of the time the travellers kept to their own thoughts. Daniel and Jack in the back started a small argument over doughnuts, but this was soon halted by Teal'c looking over his shoulder, advising that it would ruin their meal, and that the selection of doughnuts without him was strictly off limits.
Sam thought about what she wanted, how incredible the past twelve hours had been, and could she continue as if nothing had happened. Could they grab what peace they could when they both had leave? Would it be enough? Would they be found out? Her thoughts were interrupted by the presentation of a ring doughnut being shoved into left ear.
"Or would you prefer the one with the bits of chocolate on?"
She managed a small smile in return.
"This one's fine, and they're called vermicelli, Daniel."
Teal'c decided to ignore discussions pertaining to food.
During the next hour, the conversation was sparse; just were some grumbles about lack of facilities on Jack's vehicle.
"I need to pee."
Then, helpfully,
"I can pull the car over...".
Response,
"Have you seen the size of the bears out there? I have, and I don't want to meet one of those with a cold a...."
Terse reply,
"Then wind the damn window down!"
And so on.
Teal'c finally pulled up by the side of a vast lake, with the sun high in the sky warming the still damp grass. Teal'c had thoughtfully picked a spot with some shade, as Daniel would be conscious of the bright sunlight.
"Hey, Danny boy, are you gonna help me or are you just a passenger on this trip!"
Daniel reluctantly removed his head from his bunched up jacket where it had been resting quite happily for the past fifteen minutes.
"Yeah, damn fish, all he ever thinks about, what did they ever do to him.."
"What Daniel?"
Jack had heard his mutterings, and knew that really, Daniel was having a good time. All this space, the sun, maybe he could get some colour in his cheeks for a change. He had still bought his "book of the week" with him anyway.
He looked over at Sam, sitting in the front passenger seat, waiting for Teal'c to finish helping Daniel and him. Time was passing. He had to think what they were going to do.
The boot slammed shut and woke Sam from her reverie. She looked back at Jack and Daniel, as they pulled away and half waved. The time was going slowly. She had too much time to think about what could go wrong, so she devoted herself to the next couple of hours with Teal'c.