Three weeks, and Sam was almost used to talking randomly to the Jack O'Neill in her head. They had both tried, but they kept forgetting their rules, so Jack was being entertained with her own brand of sarcasm. All of the things she'd always wanted to say out loud, but couldn't, she was saying to him. In return, he frequently made her laugh with his scathing commentary on his own job, paperwork, Walter.
She and Pete were still seeing each other, although she had been careful about getting back into the physical side of their relationship. Luckily, she got so used to Jack saying things that it didn't interrupt her. Mostly.
Once or twice, they'd carried on conversations while she and Pete were making out. It was kind of weird. And the third time, the General caught on that she was with Pete, and that he was kissing her. And then he smugly informed her that if it were him kissing her there'd be no brain power left to talk to someone telepathically.
She didn't speak to him for nearly a day after that one.
When she finally did, she discovered he still had a horrible sense of timing. Pete was down for the weekend. ::Hey, Carter, Felger just came storming in to ask me--::
::Not now.:: Sam closed her eyes and groaned as Pete nipped his way down her stomach.
::But--::
::What's the problem?:: If it were quick, and he got his words out now, she could solve his problem before -- Pete slid lower, and she arched into his touch.
::Something about sub-mesonic particles emenating from an artefact SG-21 brought back.::
::What're they,:: She paused, breathing in slowly. Pete and his fingers and tongue were quite talented, ::--doing?::
::Collecting?::
Pete nipped at her, sliding his fingers in just so, and Sam felt the world disappear into a plain that lacked sight and sound. ::Oh, GOD.:: "Have Felger call me."
It took her almost a minute to realize she had mixed up the recipients of the messages. Pete's head was tilted as he stared up at her. "Sam?"
Closing her eyes, Sam fought against the urge to kill General O'Neill with her bare hands. "Sorry. Something I was thinking about."
"Ok. Was that -- did you --?" He sounded tentative.
"Oh, yeah." Letting out a breath, Sam smiled. "Definitely."
::Uh, Carter?::
::I'm not speaking to you right now. Possibly not ever.::
::Could make briefings short and sweet.::
::I'll make sure Daniel has lots to tell you about.::
::I'll make it mandatory that all briefings are only 15 minutes long.::
"Sam?"
She blinked down at Pete. "Sorry. Um, look...."
Pete climbed off the bed and stood, he ran a hand through his hair, "You're breaking up with me, aren't you."
"Well--"
"I've been waiting for you to just..." He sighed, "Realize it. You haven't really been here, in this relationship, that is."
"Pete, I." She stopped. Sam stopped trying to placate him, and really concentrated on what he was saying, and how she felt. And he was right. It wasn't something she'd wanted to think about because it meant another failed relationship. "I'm sorry."
"I don't know if it's your job, or someone else, or what. And..." He looked down and found his shoes. "And I'm not sure I mind. Either way, I don't think we could last. Not with you having to lie about what you do."
"Classified, Pete. Not lies. I can't tell you."
::Carter?::
::Still not speaking to you.::
"I know." He looked wistful for a moment, then picked up his jacket. "Look, I don't think we can remain friends -- I mean, what would we talk about?"
Yeah. She looked down, suddenly embarrassed to still be half-naked while he was still fully dressed. "Good luck on finding a woman who will love you." She meant it with sincerity. She'd liked Pete. She still did. Just, not enough to fight him over this. She hated having to lie to him.
He leaned over and kissed her gently. "Don't lock yourself away from the world, Sam."
"I won't." Her whisper echoed in the suddenly empty bedroom. The front door closed, the latch clicking all the way back here. A few minutes later she heard his car start.
And then he was really gone.
--
::See, I told you.::
::I hate you right now, and I'm still not talking to you.::
The SGC had been stunned by the sudden apparent estrangement of Colonel Carter from her boyfriend (which had killed several pools regarding her and the General) as well as General O'Neill. She seemed more irritated with the General than before, occasionally displaying a short temper that gave quite a few of the younger SFs a good idea of the kind of woman they wouldn't mind having. Strong, arrogant, a bitch. And yet she was beautiful and smart, and they loved that about her. If half of them weren't already in love with her, watching her bicker with the General sealed it.
Some of her arguments bordered on insubordination, but the General seemed to take it all in stride.
Just when the SGC had begun to wonder if they needed to lock the two in a closet together until they either killed each other or had sex, Dr. Jackson and his team deciphered the inscriptions in the temple.
--
"From what we can tell, the device was supposed to boost mental capabilities in -- and this is what is weird -- women."
Sam Carter frowned. "So, Daniel, you're saying they wanted their women... mentally more powerful?"
He pushed his glasses up his nose. "I think so. It's kind of unclear, but I think what it did was create a kind of psychic rapport between the woman and the man chosen for her."
"Man chosen?"
"Typically her husband, in some cases, it appears she was given rapport to her lover, or her cousin. I'm not quite sure how the bond is formed, but if the texts we translated are correct -- and this could be the source of the myth of St. Valentine." He rambled, "Which is really interesting and begs the question whether this started first, or that did. Or if the idea passed down through--"
"Daniel!" The General had a hand up. "What does Valentine's day have to do with an alien machine?"
"The myth about women -- the first man a woman gazed upon on St. Valentine's Day was the man she was destined to marry. According to our research, the first man the woman touches psychically is the man she is bonded to." Daniel flipped through his notes. "Not that we have any way of finding out, since only Sam was..." He blinked myopically, and stared at the suddenly flushed Colonel. "Uh, Sam?"
"Somethin' you wanna share with the class, Carter?" The General's tone was superior.
"Gosh, sir, I don't know what you're talking about."
"I believe Daniel Jackson, that Colonel Carter and O'Neill have been 'linked' since we left P4X-235." Teal'c said into the tense silence.
Daniel blinked again, "Well, that would explain..."
"Yeah." Sam refused to look at the General. "It's simply governed by, what, the first man the woman reaches out for?"
"Something like that. We're not completely certain, because we're not really sure how the machine works. But, Sam, this is great. It means it does work. So, what, you and Jack share the same mind now? Or emotions, or--what?"
"Telepathy." With a glance at the General (and here she'd sworn to not look at him), she sighed. "It's like having a private telephone line."
"I feel," Daniel said, "Like I've just been handed the rest of the puzzle pieces. Suddenly, all of those smirks you get in briefings make sense. Jack."
"Daniel."
"You've been talking to Sam. And Sam's been talking to you." He eyed them, "Now I know why she laughs when she's on watch."
"I do not!" Which wasn't quite true. Sam had broken the 'no talking while on watch' rule several times. Jack had a tendency to sleep badly when SG-1 was off world, so she... would tell him silly stories to put him to sleep.
"So, we know this telepathic bond definitely stretches a long ways, if the two of you can 'hear' each other on two different planets."
"Yes. Theoretically, I suppose it travels everywhere," Sam said.
"Hey!" Daniel pushed up his glasses and almost bounced in his chair. "I wonder if it passes between mirror universes?"
"Daniel--"
"No, this could be of benefit, Sam. Think about it. You get a bunch of women on base linked to a bunch of the men, and half the teams would move more cohesively, and--"
"Daniel." She interrupted.
"I think we should test and see if you can hear Jack, and he can hear you, from the other side of the mirror."
Scientific curiosity, as most of the SGC knows, is a bad thing. Sam Carter, sadly, didn't realize this. "That... actually, that could be something to try out, sir."
The General sighed, "We still got the controller for that hunk of metal?"
"Down with said hunk on level 29."
"Fine." The General stood and clapped his hands. "No time like the present, Danny, Carter. Let's go test this bond thingie."
--
They'd scanned through until they'd found a deserted-looking mirror universe. The mirror was in a similarly disused storage room, and Sam took a deep breath before stepping up to it. She was holding the controller, since it was the only way she could get back if (heaven forbid) the mirror shut down after she went through. She tossed Daniel a half-smile and reached out for the surface.
"Good luck."
::Don't let the bed bugs bite.::
A chuckle escaped her lips, and then she was touching the mirror. Energy rippled across her skin, tickling, almost. It was like the feel of the event horizon of a wormhole. Then the sensation was gone, and she found herself on the other side.
Klaxons began blaring, and Sam had less than a second to turn and spot the automated weapons-system in the corner before blue zat fire slammed into her, and her muscles froze. Moments later, blackness engulfed her.
--
She and Pete were still seeing each other, although she had been careful about getting back into the physical side of their relationship. Luckily, she got so used to Jack saying things that it didn't interrupt her. Mostly.
Once or twice, they'd carried on conversations while she and Pete were making out. It was kind of weird. And the third time, the General caught on that she was with Pete, and that he was kissing her. And then he smugly informed her that if it were him kissing her there'd be no brain power left to talk to someone telepathically.
She didn't speak to him for nearly a day after that one.
When she finally did, she discovered he still had a horrible sense of timing. Pete was down for the weekend. ::Hey, Carter, Felger just came storming in to ask me--::
::Not now.:: Sam closed her eyes and groaned as Pete nipped his way down her stomach.
::But--::
::What's the problem?:: If it were quick, and he got his words out now, she could solve his problem before -- Pete slid lower, and she arched into his touch.
::Something about sub-mesonic particles emenating from an artefact SG-21 brought back.::
::What're they,:: She paused, breathing in slowly. Pete and his fingers and tongue were quite talented, ::--doing?::
::Collecting?::
Pete nipped at her, sliding his fingers in just so, and Sam felt the world disappear into a plain that lacked sight and sound. ::Oh, GOD.:: "Have Felger call me."
It took her almost a minute to realize she had mixed up the recipients of the messages. Pete's head was tilted as he stared up at her. "Sam?"
Closing her eyes, Sam fought against the urge to kill General O'Neill with her bare hands. "Sorry. Something I was thinking about."
"Ok. Was that -- did you --?" He sounded tentative.
"Oh, yeah." Letting out a breath, Sam smiled. "Definitely."
::Uh, Carter?::
::I'm not speaking to you right now. Possibly not ever.::
::Could make briefings short and sweet.::
::I'll make sure Daniel has lots to tell you about.::
::I'll make it mandatory that all briefings are only 15 minutes long.::
"Sam?"
She blinked down at Pete. "Sorry. Um, look...."
Pete climbed off the bed and stood, he ran a hand through his hair, "You're breaking up with me, aren't you."
"Well--"
"I've been waiting for you to just..." He sighed, "Realize it. You haven't really been here, in this relationship, that is."
"Pete, I." She stopped. Sam stopped trying to placate him, and really concentrated on what he was saying, and how she felt. And he was right. It wasn't something she'd wanted to think about because it meant another failed relationship. "I'm sorry."
"I don't know if it's your job, or someone else, or what. And..." He looked down and found his shoes. "And I'm not sure I mind. Either way, I don't think we could last. Not with you having to lie about what you do."
"Classified, Pete. Not lies. I can't tell you."
::Carter?::
::Still not speaking to you.::
"I know." He looked wistful for a moment, then picked up his jacket. "Look, I don't think we can remain friends -- I mean, what would we talk about?"
Yeah. She looked down, suddenly embarrassed to still be half-naked while he was still fully dressed. "Good luck on finding a woman who will love you." She meant it with sincerity. She'd liked Pete. She still did. Just, not enough to fight him over this. She hated having to lie to him.
He leaned over and kissed her gently. "Don't lock yourself away from the world, Sam."
"I won't." Her whisper echoed in the suddenly empty bedroom. The front door closed, the latch clicking all the way back here. A few minutes later she heard his car start.
And then he was really gone.
--
::See, I told you.::
::I hate you right now, and I'm still not talking to you.::
The SGC had been stunned by the sudden apparent estrangement of Colonel Carter from her boyfriend (which had killed several pools regarding her and the General) as well as General O'Neill. She seemed more irritated with the General than before, occasionally displaying a short temper that gave quite a few of the younger SFs a good idea of the kind of woman they wouldn't mind having. Strong, arrogant, a bitch. And yet she was beautiful and smart, and they loved that about her. If half of them weren't already in love with her, watching her bicker with the General sealed it.
Some of her arguments bordered on insubordination, but the General seemed to take it all in stride.
Just when the SGC had begun to wonder if they needed to lock the two in a closet together until they either killed each other or had sex, Dr. Jackson and his team deciphered the inscriptions in the temple.
--
"From what we can tell, the device was supposed to boost mental capabilities in -- and this is what is weird -- women."
Sam Carter frowned. "So, Daniel, you're saying they wanted their women... mentally more powerful?"
He pushed his glasses up his nose. "I think so. It's kind of unclear, but I think what it did was create a kind of psychic rapport between the woman and the man chosen for her."
"Man chosen?"
"Typically her husband, in some cases, it appears she was given rapport to her lover, or her cousin. I'm not quite sure how the bond is formed, but if the texts we translated are correct -- and this could be the source of the myth of St. Valentine." He rambled, "Which is really interesting and begs the question whether this started first, or that did. Or if the idea passed down through--"
"Daniel!" The General had a hand up. "What does Valentine's day have to do with an alien machine?"
"The myth about women -- the first man a woman gazed upon on St. Valentine's Day was the man she was destined to marry. According to our research, the first man the woman touches psychically is the man she is bonded to." Daniel flipped through his notes. "Not that we have any way of finding out, since only Sam was..." He blinked myopically, and stared at the suddenly flushed Colonel. "Uh, Sam?"
"Somethin' you wanna share with the class, Carter?" The General's tone was superior.
"Gosh, sir, I don't know what you're talking about."
"I believe Daniel Jackson, that Colonel Carter and O'Neill have been 'linked' since we left P4X-235." Teal'c said into the tense silence.
Daniel blinked again, "Well, that would explain..."
"Yeah." Sam refused to look at the General. "It's simply governed by, what, the first man the woman reaches out for?"
"Something like that. We're not completely certain, because we're not really sure how the machine works. But, Sam, this is great. It means it does work. So, what, you and Jack share the same mind now? Or emotions, or--what?"
"Telepathy." With a glance at the General (and here she'd sworn to not look at him), she sighed. "It's like having a private telephone line."
"I feel," Daniel said, "Like I've just been handed the rest of the puzzle pieces. Suddenly, all of those smirks you get in briefings make sense. Jack."
"Daniel."
"You've been talking to Sam. And Sam's been talking to you." He eyed them, "Now I know why she laughs when she's on watch."
"I do not!" Which wasn't quite true. Sam had broken the 'no talking while on watch' rule several times. Jack had a tendency to sleep badly when SG-1 was off world, so she... would tell him silly stories to put him to sleep.
"So, we know this telepathic bond definitely stretches a long ways, if the two of you can 'hear' each other on two different planets."
"Yes. Theoretically, I suppose it travels everywhere," Sam said.
"Hey!" Daniel pushed up his glasses and almost bounced in his chair. "I wonder if it passes between mirror universes?"
"Daniel--"
"No, this could be of benefit, Sam. Think about it. You get a bunch of women on base linked to a bunch of the men, and half the teams would move more cohesively, and--"
"Daniel." She interrupted.
"I think we should test and see if you can hear Jack, and he can hear you, from the other side of the mirror."
Scientific curiosity, as most of the SGC knows, is a bad thing. Sam Carter, sadly, didn't realize this. "That... actually, that could be something to try out, sir."
The General sighed, "We still got the controller for that hunk of metal?"
"Down with said hunk on level 29."
"Fine." The General stood and clapped his hands. "No time like the present, Danny, Carter. Let's go test this bond thingie."
--
They'd scanned through until they'd found a deserted-looking mirror universe. The mirror was in a similarly disused storage room, and Sam took a deep breath before stepping up to it. She was holding the controller, since it was the only way she could get back if (heaven forbid) the mirror shut down after she went through. She tossed Daniel a half-smile and reached out for the surface.
"Good luck."
::Don't let the bed bugs bite.::
A chuckle escaped her lips, and then she was touching the mirror. Energy rippled across her skin, tickling, almost. It was like the feel of the event horizon of a wormhole. Then the sensation was gone, and she found herself on the other side.
Klaxons began blaring, and Sam had less than a second to turn and spot the automated weapons-system in the corner before blue zat fire slammed into her, and her muscles froze. Moments later, blackness engulfed her.
--