Emmett stepped around Jaffer, watching the black lab carefully to make sure he didn't step on his tail or do something that might set him off.
"Relax. He's not going to hurt you." Jack said, walking over to his desk and sitting on the edge of it. "Close the door, please."
"So there'll be no witnesses?" Emmett asked, reaching behind him and closing the door, nonetheless.
That actually made Jack smile, although he was still angry enough with the cameraman that his smile wasn't completely humorous.
"I'm not going to hurt you, either," Jack told him, crossing his arms over his chest and using one foot to rub Jaffer's shoulder when the black lab came over and sat down beside the desk, still watching Emmett – although the suspicious look was gone from his eyes and his teeth were no longer visible.
"And Ben?"
"I didn't touch him." Jack assured him. "Not that I didn't want to, though, but he's not worth me getting into trouble for. I save that for special occasions. Like people who hurt those I care about..."
Emmett had just started to relax a little, but he was suddenly tense. Had Janet not had a good time the night before and mentioned it to O'Neill? Had he done something inappropriate without realizing it? Too many kisses? A touch he didn't realize he was making? Stepped out of line somewhere?
"I'm-"
"You haven't done anything," Jack said, watching as the interviewer's mobile face gave away his thoughts. Jack was good at reading other people's faces, after all.
"Then why are we having this discussion?"
"Because I'm going to give you a warning – and if you mention it to anyone – especially Janet Fraiser, I'll deny it and come find you in a dark alley somewhere. Then there'll be no witnesses..."
Despite the levity of the words, there was no doubt in O'Neill's tone that he meant it.
"What warning?"
"Janet had a good time last night. She seemed to, anyways." Jack held up a hand when Emmett started to say something. "What you two did is none of my business. Not now, not ever. I'm only mentioning that because she seems to actually... like... you."
"I like her, too."
"Yeah." Jack looked down at Jaffer for a moment. "I've liked her for a long time. We're friends. She means a lot to me."
That much was obvious.
"You're worried I'll hurt her?"
"I'm not worried you'll hurt her," Jack said. "That's what this warning is all about. You seem like a nice enough guy, Mr. Bregman, and so far everything I've seen you doing is backing that up." He didn't mention Sam, of course, and he didn't bother mentioning that he'd heard Bregman telling Ben Crane that Janet was a wonderful person – he'd just let the reporter wonder what he'd seen. "But if you hurt Janet – or play games with her that hurt her, I will kill you. I like her too much to allow anything like that to happen."
"I'm not planning on hurting her, Colonel," Bregman said. He thought he should be angry at the threats he was receiving, but surprisingly, he wasn't. He believed O'Neill. Believed that if he hurt Janet Fraiser – purposely – that Jack O'Neill, and most likely Jaffer – would come find him and make him pay, but he wasn't worried. He didn't plan on hurting Janet – he'd never hurt Janet – and he could see that O'Neill was simply trying to protect her. How could he be angry about that? It showed he was right about Janet, after all, that she'd have someone like Jack O'Neill willing to pull a would-be wooer aside and threaten bodily harm if she was hurt. "I like her."
Jack studied him carefully for a long moment, his entire body still except for the foot that was still rubbing Jaffer's side. Finally, though, he nodded.
"I like her, too."
"I can tell."
"She's saved my life more than once."
Emmett nodded, unsure what to say about that.
"She saved Jaffer's life once, too."
Which meant even more to him, Bregman could tell.
"I'm not planning on hurting her."
"Good."
Jack stood up, his arms dropping back to his sides.
"Let's go get some breakfast."
"What?"
"Breakfast," Jack repeated. "I interrupted yours, and I haven't had any yet. So let's go eat. I'm grumpy if I miss breakfast."
"You want to eat with me?"
"Why not?" Jack asked, genuinely amused – although he didn't let it show too much. "You know how to use a fork and a napkin, right? You're not going to embarrass me by being a pig, I assume."
With that, he headed for the door.
Emmett stared at him as he walked out of the room, with Jaffer an ever-present shadow at his right side. The man had been threatening him only a moment before and now he wanted to eat with him? What was that all about? Did he always change on a dime like this? Was it intentional, to keep him off guard? Did he-
"Are you coming?"
With a start, Emmett turned and headed for the door as well. This was crazy. Of course, the whole SGC was a crazy place, so he wondered why he was surprised.
OOOOOOOOOOOOO
"So..."
He looked down at the dog that was walking between him and O'Neill, and then over at Jack, who had looked over at him when he'd spoken up.
"Hmm?"
"Janet said she had a good time?"
"You had your doubts?"
"Not until you'd brought it up..."
Now Jack smiled.
"As far as I know, she did."
"Good."
"But then, I'm just a guy, and she doesn't tell me everything."
They walked into the Commissary, and Jack paused at the doorway, looking around to see if Sam had come in, yet. Nope. Daniel wasn't there, either, and neither was Ben Crane. His interrupted and untouched breakfast was still at the table – along with the tape Jack had brought over. And Emmett's breakfast. Jack wasn't all that surprised that the cameraman had lost his appetite.
"Go ahead and sit down," O'Neill said. "I'll join you in a second."
Without waiting for an answer, he and Jaffer crossed the room. Emmett ignored the curious looks of those around him – everyone had probably figured he and Ben were going to be killed – and went over and reclaimed his chair. Someone had already up righted the one Ben had knocked over.
He wondered where his cameraman was and if he was going to join them, and decided that as long as he was sitting with O'Neill, there was no way the younger man would eat with him. Ah well. He hadn't really liked the reaction to his dating Janet, anyways, and could do with a break from that. At least for the amount of time it took to eat his breakfast.
He was just reaching for the ketchup when he saw movement at the entranceway, and Samantha O'Neill walked in with Janet Fraiser and Doctor Jackson. Emmett wondered for a moment where Teal'c was, but he lost that train of thought when Janet looked his way and he felt his heart skip a beat when she smiled his direction. He waved back, wondering if she'd come eat with him, or if she was going to stick with Samantha and Daniel Jackson.
"There's Jack," Daniel said, gesturing towards the serving windows unnecessarily. Sam had seen him the moment she walked through the door.
"There's Emmett," Janet said, smiling over at the interviewer and feeling a surge of pure joy go through her when he smiled and waved. It had to be chemistry.
"I wonder where Jack's sitting," Daniel mused, looking at the empty tables. He didn't want to hang out at the door all morning. It shocked all three of them when Jack finished gathering a mountain of food and headed for the same table Emmett Bregman was already seated at.
"Uh..."
Yeah. That was how they all felt.
