Author's Note: I wasn't planning on writing the lunch scene, but since so many of you have asked for it, how could I say no? This would have been up much sooner if not for the fact that I tripped over Jasmine (my black lab) and ended up at the hospital getting x-rays of my ankle and wrist. (wrist is fine, ankle is badly sprained and bruising and swelling beautifully) So they gave me painkillers (yay, painkillers!) and I'm a little loopy right now... so I hope it doesn't come out in my writing!

OOOOOOOOO

"So what does this Cassie woman look like?"

"She's not a woman," Jack told him, scowling. "She's a girl. A little girl." His expression was fairly intimidating at the moment, and Ben decided it was definitely in his best interest to let things drop there, and not mention that at 17 a female was no longer a little girl. Besides, he had absolutely no intention of doing more than saying hello to the girl – young woman, since he was positive that Jack O'Neill would do everything he said he would. And if Jack didn't, the black lab that was walking beside him would.

They entered the commissary and Jack stopped at the doorway. Ben looked around nervously for Samantha O'Neill, but he noticed Jack didn't. O'Neill was looking down at Jaffer, and Crane realized why a moment later. The black lab's head turned, and Jack followed his gaze, and sure enough, there was the Major, sitting at a corner table by herself.

"He always knows where she is?" Ben asked, realizing O'Neill had used the dog's senses to find his wife instead of looking through the crowded room himself.

"Yup, he's my Sam Detector." Jack said, slapping Jaffer's shoulder affectionately and then walking off that direction.

Ben was just a bit more hesitant to follow. Despite the fact that he and Colonel O'Neill were sort of getting along, now, he really didn't want to be too close to Mrs. O'Neill. He was pretty sure he was going to do something or say something and set Jack off again – which was the last thing he wanted.

He watched as Major O'Neill greeted the Colonel with a smile, and Jaffer with a quick rub to his nose, then Jack said something to her and she looked over at Ben – who felt all the blood draining out of his face. Yeah, there was no denying it; Ben was terrified of Major O'Neill.

Jack waved him over, and he forced his legs to move, noticing that the Major was looking at him, concerned.

"Are you alright, Mr. Crane?" Sam asked, truly worried about how he was acting – even though it was how he always seemed to act.

"Um... yes." He heard himself croak out. "I'm... I'm fine, thank you. I just... I'm fine."

Sam smiled, although there was still a concerned expression on her face and in her eyes.

"I'm glad you decided to join us for lunch. Emmett wants to do our interviews soon, now that Jack's out of the infirmary, and maybe you can give us some tips on how to act in front of the camera..."

He'd rather eat nails than tell Jack O'Neill – or the missus – what to do. Even obliquely. Ben forced a smile.

"It's... um... easy. You just act like the person you're talking to is an old friend, and... um... pretend you're just catching up on old times."

"Let's go get some food," Jack said. He'd been watching the interaction between Sam and Crane carefully, but the young man seemed to be minding his manners – although he looked about ready to fall over. That was fine with Jack, since he definitely wanted the cameraman on his toes around Sam. She didn't need to put up with any young male macho shit, and Jack was fairly certain that she wasn't going to have to. Good.

"Yes, Sir..."

Ben followed Jack, who headed for the line of other Military personnel picking out what they wanted to eat.

"You can loosen up a little, Ben," Jack told him as he picked up a tray, and smiled at the young woman behind the counter. "Sam's going to think you're retarded if you keep stuttering like that."

"Sorry." Ben said, flushing. "She... well, she makes me nervous."

"She does? Or I do?"

"You do."

"Remember that."

He paled again, and nodded, and Jack handed him a tray. Finally relenting a little.

"Just behave yourself, and you have nothing to be worried about. Sam's terrific. Treat her like she was your mother." The words were out before Jack could realize that Ben's mother wasn't a role model for the younger man, and probably the last person he should have mentioned as someone to treat Sam like, but the cameraman didn't seem to notice.

"She's too young to be my mother, Sir."

"Then treat her like she's my mother."

Oh, yeah. How much more protective of his mother would O'Neill be than he already as of his wife? Ben had to smile at that. He'd probably die if Jack tried to introduce him to his mother.

"I'll work on it."

"You do that."

They loaded their trays – Ben noticed that Jack took a lot of food for a guy his size – and went back to join Sam and Jaffer, who had stayed with the Major since the commissary was crowded and he didn't want people tripping over him.

Jack sat down across from Sam – leaving Ben with the unenviable decision of whether to sit beside her or beside Jack. He swallowed, trying to make a snap decision so it wouldn't look like he was trying to decide at all, and failed when he started to sit beside Sam, then changed his mind and chose Jack as a safer bet. At least there would be no accidental touches or anything like that this way.

"So," Sam said, trying to relax the man, who really looked as if he were going to faint. (And Sam knew all about fainting, right?) "How long have you been doing camera... stuff?"

"Since I was little," Ben said, watching as Jack broke up a sandwich and put it on the floor for the black lab – which explained the extra food, he decided. "I've always liked taking pictures, and on my 8th birthday my dad bought me a video camera – which was even cooler – and I fell in love with it."

He hadn't stuttered once, Sam realized, and he was actually gaining color – which was good.

"Did you go to school for it?"

"Penn State," Ben confirmed. "I graduated from high school when I was 16 – an accelerated program – and then was accepted there. I graduated two years ago and have been doing freelance ever since."

"Why freelance?" Sam asked, curiously. "Shouldn't you have gone to Hollywood? Made movies?"

Ben smiled, and shook his head.

"There's probably more money in movie making, but freelancing means that I don't have to do anything I don't want to do, and I don't have to settle down in one spot if I don't want to. I can see the country this way, meet a lot of interesting people, and I'm more or less my own boss."

He looked around the room.

"I never would have seen this place if I was in Hollywood."

Sam smiled. The young man was an interesting guy when you managed to get him to talk.

"Are you married?"

He blushed.

"No."

"Girlfriend?"

His face got redder, and Sam smiled, despite herself. She was embarrassing him!

"Um... not right now, no."

"Probably never," Jack said, taking a bite of his sandwich.

Sam looked over at him, and then at Ben, who couldn't help but smile. Ah, he couldn't wait to see this Cassie Fraiser! She had to be something for O'Neill to be acting like this.

"What do-"

"I move around too much to have a girlfriend," Ben said, before Sam could ask what Jack had meant. "I haven't actually decided where to settle down, so I still use my father's address as my permanent one, and I spend more time in hotels than I do there."

"Ah."

Sam gave Jack a suspicious look, but he was concentrating just then on handing Jaffer down a bowl of chicken nuggets, so he didn't see it – or at least, he could pretend he didn't see it.

"So, tell me about your dad..." Sam said, rather enjoying the discussion. He was an interesting young man if you could get past the whole pale and afraid thing.

And so the lunch went...