"So you're not going?"
"I am not."
"How did you manage to get out of it?"
"I told O'Neill that I had made other arrangements."
Daniel scowled. He'd had other arrangements, but hadn't gotten out of the fishing trip.
"What other arrangements?"
"I am going to visit Ry'ak."
"Through the Stargate?"
"Indeed."
"Um... I just came from the Command center. They've found a glitch in one of the dialing protocols and are going to be doing maintenance on the gate for the next couple of days. Did you know that?"
Teal'c looked up from his lunch, the smug expression on his face changed to one of consternation.
"What?"
"They're double checking the gate to make sure that when we send someone somewhere, they actually end up going there."
"When did this occur?"
"Just now."
Scowling, Teal'c backed his chair away from the table and stood up. With Jack at his heels in an instant, the Jaffa headed for the door of the commissary. Daniel permitted himself a slight smile, and reached for Teal'c's abandoned burger.
Ha.
.......................
"I was going to go to Chulak, General Hammond."
Hammond nodded, then shrugged.
"I'm sorry, Teal'c. With this glitch, the programmers tell me that there's no way to be sure that the gate will go where it's dialed. We're going to do a full diagnostic to make sure things are right before we allow anyone through it. From either end."
"General Hammond, I-"
"Teal'c!"
The Jaffa's eyes closed, and Hammond thought he might have detected a note of resignation in Teal'c's posture. They both turned and saw Jack O'Neill walking through the door, Jaffer trotting next to him as if he owned the place and was just loaning it out to everyone else.
"O'Neill."
There was a definite glint of cheerfulness in Jack's brown eyes, and Teal'c was certain O'Neill had already heard about the gate.
"Guess what I just heard?" Jack asked.
"I cannot guess, O'Neill." He didn't want to guess.
"The gate's down. No one in or out for at least two days."
"Maybe longer," Hammond supplied, unaware that this was not something Teal'c wanted to hear.
"Maybe longer," Jack parroted, grinning.
"I have just been informed, myself, O'Neill."
"So..."
"General Hammond, I am willing to risk the glitch..."
"I'm not willing to risk you, Teal'c. Or Jack." Hammond looked down at the yellow lab, who was looking cheerfully up at the others, unaware that Teal'c was about as desperate as he'd ever been.
"Guess you can come fishing with us, after all," Jack said, kneeling down so he could give his blonde namesake a little scratching.
Teal'c sighed, but it was purely mental. Outwardly, aside from the fact that his face was completely expressionless, there was no sign that he was not happy.
"Fine. I will come fishing with you."
"Great! Why don't you pack, and stay at Daniel's tonight, so I can pick you both up together? It'll save time."
"Fine."
Still grinning, Jack gave Jack a final pat, and stood up.
"Well, I have some things I need to take care of before we go. I'll see you tomorrow morning, Teal'c." He smiled at Hammond, giving him a slight bow. "General."
"Colonel."
Jack left and Hammond turned to Teal'c, a look of pity in his eyes.
"Sorry, Teal'c."
"Not as sorry as I am, General Hammond." Teal'c gave Hammond a slight bow as well, and then headed for the door.
Great.
......................
"A glitch, huh?"
Jack nodded.
"Talk about bad timing..." Sam said, taking a sip of her coffee. She and Jack were sitting in the commissary only half an hour later. Jack was feeding Jaffer a snack, while he and Sam had a cup of coffee, and talked about the upcoming trip, and time off.
"No, Carter. Not bad timing. Good timing. Now he can come fishing with us."
She gave him a searching look, as if trying to figure out if he had anything to do with the glitch. The timing was just so perfect. Jack's expression was totally innocent, though, and Sam wasn't sure – for once – if it was the real innocent look, or if he'd just perfected his fake one so well that she couldn't tell them apart anymore.
"Yeah... I'm sure he was thrilled when you mentioned that..."
"He looked excited to me. But you know how it is with Teal'c. You can never really tell..."
"Yeah..."
You could tell. Sam could just see in her mind the look that had probably been on Teal'c's face when he'd found out he was stranded on Earth with Jack pressuring him to come fishing. A thundercloud came to mind. A big, black, bald, thundercloud, with a gold seal on his forehead.
"Well, I'm going to head out," Jack told her, looking at his watch. "How late are you staying tonight?"
"I'll leave here at five or so." Which meant she'd probably leave at 7. "Then I'll need to pack. You want company tonight? Or do you want to come pick me up in the morning?"
Like she ever had to ask.
"Come over," Jack said, smiling. "We'll have dinner."
"You cooking?"
"I'll dial the Chinese restaurant, and order the delivery."
"Fine."
She finished her coffee, and left, patting Jaffer's head softly, although she didn't do anything but say goodbye to Jack. Some day, that would change, but for now, while they were on base, it was just teammates and good friends. It was enough. Jack looked down to make sure Jaffer was done with his bowl of chicken nuggets.
"Ready to go home, little man?"
The black lab's tail wagged, and Jack smiled and stood up as well. They had some packing to do, and some dinner to order.
As they walked out the door, Jack bumped into a guy with a white lab coat on, and smiled. Normally he didn't have much to do with the gate technicians, but this one was an exception. There was always an exception, right?
Reaching into his breast pocket, Jack pulled out a pair of tickets and handed them to him.
"Right behind the Rockies' dugout, just like you asked."
"Thanks, Colonel O'Neill."
"Oh, no, Lieutenant. Thank you."
With his grin still firmly in place, Jack and his dog headed for the elevator. It was going to be a great week.
"I am not."
"How did you manage to get out of it?"
"I told O'Neill that I had made other arrangements."
Daniel scowled. He'd had other arrangements, but hadn't gotten out of the fishing trip.
"What other arrangements?"
"I am going to visit Ry'ak."
"Through the Stargate?"
"Indeed."
"Um... I just came from the Command center. They've found a glitch in one of the dialing protocols and are going to be doing maintenance on the gate for the next couple of days. Did you know that?"
Teal'c looked up from his lunch, the smug expression on his face changed to one of consternation.
"What?"
"They're double checking the gate to make sure that when we send someone somewhere, they actually end up going there."
"When did this occur?"
"Just now."
Scowling, Teal'c backed his chair away from the table and stood up. With Jack at his heels in an instant, the Jaffa headed for the door of the commissary. Daniel permitted himself a slight smile, and reached for Teal'c's abandoned burger.
Ha.
.......................
"I was going to go to Chulak, General Hammond."
Hammond nodded, then shrugged.
"I'm sorry, Teal'c. With this glitch, the programmers tell me that there's no way to be sure that the gate will go where it's dialed. We're going to do a full diagnostic to make sure things are right before we allow anyone through it. From either end."
"General Hammond, I-"
"Teal'c!"
The Jaffa's eyes closed, and Hammond thought he might have detected a note of resignation in Teal'c's posture. They both turned and saw Jack O'Neill walking through the door, Jaffer trotting next to him as if he owned the place and was just loaning it out to everyone else.
"O'Neill."
There was a definite glint of cheerfulness in Jack's brown eyes, and Teal'c was certain O'Neill had already heard about the gate.
"Guess what I just heard?" Jack asked.
"I cannot guess, O'Neill." He didn't want to guess.
"The gate's down. No one in or out for at least two days."
"Maybe longer," Hammond supplied, unaware that this was not something Teal'c wanted to hear.
"Maybe longer," Jack parroted, grinning.
"I have just been informed, myself, O'Neill."
"So..."
"General Hammond, I am willing to risk the glitch..."
"I'm not willing to risk you, Teal'c. Or Jack." Hammond looked down at the yellow lab, who was looking cheerfully up at the others, unaware that Teal'c was about as desperate as he'd ever been.
"Guess you can come fishing with us, after all," Jack said, kneeling down so he could give his blonde namesake a little scratching.
Teal'c sighed, but it was purely mental. Outwardly, aside from the fact that his face was completely expressionless, there was no sign that he was not happy.
"Fine. I will come fishing with you."
"Great! Why don't you pack, and stay at Daniel's tonight, so I can pick you both up together? It'll save time."
"Fine."
Still grinning, Jack gave Jack a final pat, and stood up.
"Well, I have some things I need to take care of before we go. I'll see you tomorrow morning, Teal'c." He smiled at Hammond, giving him a slight bow. "General."
"Colonel."
Jack left and Hammond turned to Teal'c, a look of pity in his eyes.
"Sorry, Teal'c."
"Not as sorry as I am, General Hammond." Teal'c gave Hammond a slight bow as well, and then headed for the door.
Great.
......................
"A glitch, huh?"
Jack nodded.
"Talk about bad timing..." Sam said, taking a sip of her coffee. She and Jack were sitting in the commissary only half an hour later. Jack was feeding Jaffer a snack, while he and Sam had a cup of coffee, and talked about the upcoming trip, and time off.
"No, Carter. Not bad timing. Good timing. Now he can come fishing with us."
She gave him a searching look, as if trying to figure out if he had anything to do with the glitch. The timing was just so perfect. Jack's expression was totally innocent, though, and Sam wasn't sure – for once – if it was the real innocent look, or if he'd just perfected his fake one so well that she couldn't tell them apart anymore.
"Yeah... I'm sure he was thrilled when you mentioned that..."
"He looked excited to me. But you know how it is with Teal'c. You can never really tell..."
"Yeah..."
You could tell. Sam could just see in her mind the look that had probably been on Teal'c's face when he'd found out he was stranded on Earth with Jack pressuring him to come fishing. A thundercloud came to mind. A big, black, bald, thundercloud, with a gold seal on his forehead.
"Well, I'm going to head out," Jack told her, looking at his watch. "How late are you staying tonight?"
"I'll leave here at five or so." Which meant she'd probably leave at 7. "Then I'll need to pack. You want company tonight? Or do you want to come pick me up in the morning?"
Like she ever had to ask.
"Come over," Jack said, smiling. "We'll have dinner."
"You cooking?"
"I'll dial the Chinese restaurant, and order the delivery."
"Fine."
She finished her coffee, and left, patting Jaffer's head softly, although she didn't do anything but say goodbye to Jack. Some day, that would change, but for now, while they were on base, it was just teammates and good friends. It was enough. Jack looked down to make sure Jaffer was done with his bowl of chicken nuggets.
"Ready to go home, little man?"
The black lab's tail wagged, and Jack smiled and stood up as well. They had some packing to do, and some dinner to order.
As they walked out the door, Jack bumped into a guy with a white lab coat on, and smiled. Normally he didn't have much to do with the gate technicians, but this one was an exception. There was always an exception, right?
Reaching into his breast pocket, Jack pulled out a pair of tickets and handed them to him.
"Right behind the Rockies' dugout, just like you asked."
"Thanks, Colonel O'Neill."
"Oh, no, Lieutenant. Thank you."
With his grin still firmly in place, Jack and his dog headed for the elevator. It was going to be a great week.