Sam sat back on her heels and wiped the back of her hand across her damp forehead. She fought to steady her exerted breathing as she looked at the now clean wood floor of 'their' temporary home. The space was only about 300 square feet, with a fieldstone hearth at one in and a wood cooking stove and sink with pump at the other. The ceiling was open to the ridge pole, with thick beams spanning the space, and the interior was well lit by the large windows on three of the four walls. The glass was smudge and dusty, and that would be her next project.
But right now, she needed a drink and to get some of the grime off her hands and face. After several pumps at the sink, cool water poured over her hands and she splashed it on her face, sighing at the sheer pleasure of being clean. Cupping her hands, she drank deeply, then used the bar of homemade soap on the sink board to wash away the dirt. As she patted her face dry, she heard the sound of horse hooves and a squeaky wagon wheel in the yard.
"Carter!" came Jack's voice from outside, and she had just enough time to yank off his grimy tee shirt she had 'borrowed' for the job, and pull on her black sleeveless tank before the cabin door opened. "Hey, Carter. Come on."
She followed him outside, and saw Aaroon opening the tailgate of the open wagon with his two oldest sons, Trallen and Ebresh. The wagon was piled high with various pieces of furniture, most appearing well worn but sturdy.
"Good Day, Samantha," Aaroon said, raising a hand in greeting. "I see that you and Jack are making progress on this long-forgotten homestead."
Sam shielded her eyes with her hand. "It's not nearly as bad as it looks once I got through some of the layers of dirt. Thank your brother for allowing us to stay here until we manage to get home."
"I will. And he was most honored to offer. This was, in fact, the same building he and his wife began their union in. They stayed here five cycles before he took over our parents' farm and moved there. You are welcome to stay as long as you need."
Sam nodded. "Thank you."
Jack lifted a small table from the wagon and set it down on its four legs. Trallen climbed up and handed him two chairs. Then came a rocking chair and a long bench. Finally, two small down mattresses and the disassembled parts of two beds. Ebresh handed Sam a pile of linens and towels, which she carried into the cabin and set on the clean floor. One by one, the pieces of furniture came in, and the empty space looked more like a lived in home.
Her home with Jack.
For now, anyway.
The thought made her skin flush hot, and she seriously considered sticking her head under the water pump to cool off. She walked to the basin and leaned into the edge, trying to ignore the amazingly wrong thoughts in her head. Sam was so intent on calming her senses, she didn't hear Jack come in until he stood behind her and his fingers grazed her arm.
"You okay?"Sam jumped and turned, finding herself chin to chest with Jack, and sandwiched between him and the sink. "What? Oh, yeah. I'm fine. Just... tired. I'm tired. This floor was ... I'm just tired." She closed her eyes and clamped her mouth shut to stop the senseless string of words coming out of it.
""Look at it this way. Tonight we sleep in beds, Carter." He gripped her shoulders and shook her gently. "Beds. Warm, soft beds. After six weeks of hay lofts, we get beds."
Sam smiled and looked up at him, forcing herself not to think about how natural he looked wearing the loose fitting, natural weave shirt common to those native to the planet. The collar was open, revealing some of the dark hair on his chest, only slightly sprinkled with gray. But the hollow of his throat was just about eye level. If she leaned in...
"Sound... sounds good, sir."
"Great." He patted her arm before turning and leaving the cabin.
Sam expelled a long breath and turned to splash cold water on her face.
"Dial again, Sergeant. Please."
"Yes, Doctor Jackson."
Daniel stood behind Sergeant Harriman, his arms crossed over his chest, and watched as the dialing program commenced. One by one, the Sergeant named off each connection. "... Chevron Five encoded. Chevron Six encoded..."
Daniel held his breath.
"Chevron Seven will not engage."
"Huh..." Daniel crossed his arms over his chest and tapped his lips with his index finger. "This is... odd..."
"That is our fifth attempt to redial P9X-4EV in twenty-two minutes, Daniel Jackson. There appears to be a malfunction with the Gate."
Daniel pressed his lips together, analyzing each piece of information. Six of the seven chevrons were lit, but the final chevron refused to lock.
"Dial the Alpha Site."
"Sir?"
"If we can dial the Alpha Site, we know it's not the Gate. It's our connection to P9X-4EV."
Sergeant Harriman nodded, and re-entered the coordinates. The inner ring turned with its familiar grind, and one by one the chevrons locked into place. Including the seventh. The event horizon erupted into the Gate Room. Daniel stared through the glass, hoping the missing piece of the puzzle would somehow appear. Sergeant explained to Captain Sheffield that they were just testing the Gate, and then they shut down.
"Dial P9X-4EV," Daniel said as soon as the room was silent again. "Please."
No one said anything for several moments, then Sergeant Harriman said softly "Yes, Doctor Jackson."
"Please let me know if we make a connection," he asked over his shoulder as he walked up the spiral staircase to the briefing room above.
Once there, he dropped into one and rested his chin on the heel of his hand. Well, this was interesting... Minutes later, he heard footsteps on the stairs and looked up to see Colonel Reynold's reflection in the glass.
"What happened, Doctor Jackson?"
"Apparently, the Gate is malfunctioning."
"And?"
"And Sam and Jack are still on P9X-4EV."
"Explain."
He ran down quickly the conversation he had with Jack, clearing the return to Earth through Sam, and the way the Gate hadn't seemed to connect right away. And how the Gate wouldn't reconnect.
"How long were you back here before you attempted redial?"
"Uh, maybe ten minutes. I went to my lab, grabbed what I needed and met up with Teal'c in the Gate room. When Sergeant Harriman attempted to dial, nothing happened."
"And that was..."
"Twenty-seven minutes and forty-two seconds ago," Teal'c filled in as he reached the top of the stairs. "We are still unable to make a connection."
Colonel Reynolds sat down and drummed his fingertips on the tabletop. "How long did they expect you to be gone?"
"An hour at the most."
Colonel Reynolds paced the carpet along the bank of glass facing the Gate Room, his hands clasped behind his back. As he walked, Teal'c sat down beside Daniel and the two of them watched him for several minutes.
"Standard Operating Procedure an off world team cannot be contacted is to attempt contact every hour on the hour. Until we are able to either fix the damn problem, or dial through again, we will continue in that manner."
"For how long?" Daniel asked. "How long do we just dial before we try something else?"
"And what will our next course of action be?"
Daniel pointed towards Teal'c. "Good question."
Reynolds snapped his head around to glare at them, and Daniel glanced at Teal'c. The big Jaffa arched a single brow.
"We will attempt redial at the top of the hour. Right now, I get General Hammond on the horn." Colonel Reynolds turned on his heels and headed for Jack's office. "Next time General O'Neill decides to skip the planet..." he mumbled, but never finished the thought.