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"I'm going to ask the General why he chose P8X-539 instead of something like the tropical paradise of PX3-071…," Dragon stated.
Daniel smiled at her evaluation, "There certainly were more trees on P8X-539 than I would have expected for a planet that Jack would pick," he allowed.
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Ch 72: CONSIDERATIONS
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Over the next twenty hours, both Jack and Sam slept for long stretches with short periods of awareness and verbal interaction with the others. Teal'c, Jennifer, Dragon and Daniel were true to their word and utilized some of the pair's waking hours to relate some of the more dramatic moments from their months of searching for the missing officers.
No one questioned or commented on the sleeping arrangements where Jack was usually spooned up against Sam's back with an arm curled around her waist. And no one commented on the pair's continued need to keep in contact when awake. Sometimes it was just a hand on an arm… but no matter how minimal, the contact was always present.
On the second day after they had been healed by the Nox, Thor allowed them to move to private quarters alongside the rooms of their comrades. Without discussion, Thor provided the two of them with one room and a double-wide bunk.
Sam met Jack's eyes with a bit of humor and then went over and sat on the bunk. "So… do you think that they think… that we…?," and her voice trailed off as she looked at him both questioningly and yet knowingly.
He sucked in a quiet breath and then moved over to sit alongside her, "Probably…?" and he shrugged apologetically.
She nodded silently and studied the floor.
Jack shifted uncomfortably. They had worked so hard over the past four and a half months to not completely trash the boundaries imposed by military regulations and circumstance. There had only been one true kiss… and that had been in an interdimensional realm that he didn't begin to understand. Like Jack's Metaphysical Lake, they now had a metaphysical kiss that they'd shared in their minds.
"I'm not looking forward to writing up the report on the past four and half months," Sam commented wryly. She met his eyes for a moment and then went back to studying the floor, "I spent a lot of it either asleep or unconscious," she observed ruefully.
He opened his mouth to protest, but then his mind replayed images of her asleep in the tent, on the riverbank, snuggled up in his arms…, "I didn't mind the simply asleep times," he ventured softly.
She arched an eyebrow at him as she tried to sift through the various possible meanings of that statement, but she ultimately just gave him a soft, shy smile.
"The unconscious times I could have done without, though," he then pointed out and accompanied his words with a softening smile.
"Sorry about that," she apologized genuinely.
"Yeah, well," he replied vaguely as images of her body convulsing in the biopod flashed before his eyes. "Asgard CPR isn't too different from… our CPR," he murmured.
She looked at him quizzically, and he elaborated with, "He had to… shock you," and he saw comprehension in her eyes, "Repeatedly," Jack added and she winced.
"Guess I'd be pretty sore if it weren't for Anteaus and Lya," she ventured.
Jack nodded absently and then continued his previous train of thought, "And I really thought I'd lost you as we were coming out of that weird interdimensional-realm-space-place…," he deliberately mugged up the words… and was rewarded with a small smile on her face.
The smile faded, though as she tried to remember their time in that other space-time. "I remember struggling to just stay… aware… There was a lot of …nothing… It was like a sensory deprivation tank…," and her gaze became unfocused as she worked through the memories. "And…then… I… can't explain it… it was like I… found this place… where I could just… think…. about something or someplace… and I was there… sort of… but somehow I knew it wasn't real…," and her voice trailed off as she tried to put the experience into words.
"I was with you for the dirtbike – or mudbike – riding," he commented with a semi-accusatory grin.
"I… felt you… but I didn't believe that you were really there… I thought it was just part of the… illusions… or delusions…," she confessed.
"Oh, I was there," he stated categorically and then added, "And you were insane on that bike," he declared with both amusement and affection.
She shrugged, "It wasn't real, so I couldn't really get hurt," she stated.
"We couldn't get hurt," he qualified archly but tempered it with a smile.
"We," she allowed with a small smile and then continued, "That was another thing that wouldn't work in the 'real world'," and she mimed quotation marks with her fingers. "We wouldn't be able to ride double on one of those bikes, they are too small… and the weight of another person would have made the bike too hard for me to handle around the corners," she stated analytically.
He gave her a bemused smile, "It was still pretty thrilling," he commented.
She smiled shyly, "Yeah, it was," she admitted.
"And so was flying the X-302," he added and she gave him another small smile. "Not so sure about the 3-D physics and math, though… that may give me nightmares," he joked.
She looked puzzled for a moment and then her face reddened as she realized that he'd seen her visualizing and working physics and mathematics in her mind.
"You know, I've often joked that I could see the wheels turning in there," and he tapped the side of her head, "But now that I've actually seen what you're thinking in there, there's no way I'll ever be able to think of it as simple wheels and cogs."
She didn't say anything, but her face got a little redder with embarrassment.
"And I'm going to miss Jack's Metaphysical Lake," he quipped to lighten the tone and she gave him another small smile for his efforts.
"I remember… our time at the 'Gate," and she looked at him as they both remembered their strong emotions, admissions and discoveries. "And I remember sitting by the river… and not caring about coming back…," she confessed.
"Yeah," he agreed heavily, "And it was my job to bring us back," and he winced, "I just… wanted to stay there…," he admitted.
"And then I remember Jack's Lake… and I remember being tired… we took a nap…," she looked at him questioningly and he nodded his assent.
"And then Daniel and Teal'c showed up to rescue our asses," Jack added to the timeline.
She nodded again, "I remember Daniel and Teal'c joining us… and Teal'c used Kel'nor'reem to help us find the way out… and then things get patchy… hazy…," and she looked down in frustration.
"We were losing you," Jack reached over and pulled her into a hug. "And we almost did."
"Almost, but not quite," she pointed out, while returning his embrace.
"Too close," he stated.
"You brought me back," she stated with certainty.
"Yeah, that old green glow worked wonders," he cracked irreverently.
She pulled back from him a bit to look at his face, "The green glow…?" and he could just imagine the 3-D and multidimensional physics playing through her mind now… certainly not simple cogs and wheels, no sirree.
"Yeah, I had to do it twice," he affirmed.
"Twice?" she echoed as she thought through the possibilities.
"Yeah once to get you back… here," and he pointed at the floor to indicate this space-time realm, "And once more to help hold onto you while Anteaus and Lya healed you… holistically, I think they called it," he finished, proud at his recall of that last detail.
"I don't know holistic physics," she admitted with a wry grin.
"Well Thor seemed to work with them just fine," Jack commented and her brows lifted in surprise.
"Thor's advanced science with the Nox's… holistic medicine?" she questioned.
He shrugged, "You'll have to ask them how it all works – you and Hailey are the only two here who have a chance at understanding their explanations."
But Sam shook her head, "I think it's all way over my head."
"I saw what's in your head," he countered with widened eyes to emphasize his point, "And I doubt that any of this is beyond your understanding," he declared with confidence.
"I'm just glad that everyone is OK," Sam commented with feeling. "This green glow… and controlling the wormhole… it never occurred to me that we would be able to…," and here she grimaced, "tap into an already established connection… and divert the… travelers."
"Mmhm, pretty amazing," and he said it with the tone he often used at briefings. She caught his tone immediately and gave him a tolerant and bemused smile.
"The potential is astounding, though… the individual user interface… but dangerous too," she admitted now that they'd experienced more of what it could all do.
"Speaking of that," he remarked and she looked up quizzically. "I think we should consider not… including the whole green glowy, control-the-wormhole-with-the-mind thingy in our reports," he suggested and then waited for her response.
"That's a lot to leave out," she began with that simple observation and he nodded.
"We can deal with it," he countered.
"Why should we leave it all out?" she asked.
"Because the Asgard and the Nox said that it's unlikely that anyone else would be able to use the 'Gate the way that we did," and he waited and watched as that sunk in.
The expression on her face changed to one of reluctance as she remembered his explanation of their 'NID rankings', "So we could be pressed into service as guinea pigs and test subjects."
He nodded and then added, "And they said that the whole green glowy thing is a result of the combination of our position in space and our unique histories along with some minerals and stuff… that were present in higher than normal levels on P8X-539," and then he couldn't help adding, "It's too bad we never named that planet, I really hate having to refer to it by those silly numbers and letters."
"So the effect will wear off the longer we are away from the planet?" Sam asked astutely.
He nodded again, "I wouldn't have minded keeping the ability to… heal… you," he added softly.
"Yeah… that was pretty…cool," she admitted with a grin.
"So what do you think about not including that stuff in our reports?" he asked. He'd done something similar when he and his team had 'modified' their reports after coming back from Abydos the first time. Of course… that not-so-little lie had ultimately been discovered… He decided not to bring up that little fact as he glanced over at Sam.
She didn't answer immediately. They would be asking seven other people to lie along with them. Daniel, Teal'c, Dr. Rider, Jennifer Hailey, Thor, Anteaus and Lya. Of all of them, Jennifer Hailey was the one that bothered her the most. "I don't think we can ask Jennifer to falsify her report… she's just a young officer, just starting her career… if she lies here and is found out down the line, it would destroy her career."
Jack opened his mouth, but she continued, "And we'd have to live the lie forever after… and we'd be asking the others to live with that same lie hanging over their heads."
He nodded ruefully, "I figured you'd say that," and he gave her another hug as he thought fiercely about how he'd destroy anyone who tried to turn her into a lab experiment.
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As it turned out, the others had also discussed similar lines of reasoning.
The Asgard and the Nox had apparently conferred about the ramifications of the new Tauri experiments and had decided to recommend that the humans not share their new discoveries with the rest of their comrades back on Earth.
"We do not wish to imply that the Tauri are not an advanced culture," Thor began with that preface and Jack bit back an acerbic rejoinder that flitted to his lips unbidden. He saw Sam and Daniel wince at the Asgard's words and then gave them both knowing looks that pointed out his own diplomatic silence.
"However, we believe that it would be most dangerous for the six of you to share this knowledge with the others on your planet," Anteaus spoke up in his serene tones.
"It is highly unlikely that others on your planet would have much, if any, success with the Stargate's individual interface," Lya picked up the explanation.
"Consequently, there are those on your planet who would most likely treat you as little more than test subjects," Thor continued solemnly and Jack wondered idly if the three aliens had rehearsed their delivery.
"Jack and I have discussed this a bit," Sam replied. "The ramifications of lying or withholding the information are too complicated and we can't live with the constant possibility of tripping over our own lies."
Jack picked it up there, "We're going to have to trust that this information won't be perverted, or used by the wrong people in the wrong way. We're always trying to convince advanced civilizations that we should be entrusted with technological advances, but if we don't trust ourselves…?"
As he finished, Jack met Sam's eyes and she read his concern again. 90-X and 90-Z… the NID rankings floated through her mind. "My report will recommend that this portion of the Stargate remain offlimits and classified until such time that we can be sure that we can control the interface in a fairly safe manner," Sam added and then elaborated, "I will stress the dangers, unpredictability and remote chances for success, along with the probability for damage and downtime to the Earth's only Stargate."
"So… no obfuscation," Jack summarized and then added a mock-offended, "What?" at everyone's look of disbelief after his choice of words. "I do know some big words you know… I even like some of them… like obfuscation… I like that word," and he gave them all another smug smirk.
"We will honor your choice," Lya spoke for the Nox.
"As will the Asgard," Thor agreed.
"While we do not believe that you are choosing the safest course of action, we admire your honor," Anteaus added.
"I don't think that the Asgard and the Nox should stress the dangers too much," Daniel cautioned and Jack quickly nodded his understanding and agreement.
"He's right, if you stress the dangers of this 'individual interface' too much, there are some folks back on Earth who will see that as a challenge to work on it," Jack explained.
Thor nodded, "I understand. I have often observed such behavior from you, O'Neill," and the others quickly tried to hide their smiles. Jack narrowed his eyes at the assembled personnel and was surprised to see small smiles evident on even the normally placid faces of the Nox.
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As the room broke up into several smaller conversations, Jack caught Sam's questioning look. Nodding, he took a deep breath and spoke loud enough for his voice to carry across the various side discussions, "There is one other thing that Sam and I wanted to talk to you all about," and the room quickly fell silent as seven expectant gazes focused on the two officers.
"We just wanted to explain… about us," and Sam gestured between herself and Jack.
"Right," Jack agreed and then fell silent again, giving her an apologetic look.
"We know that it probably looks like… we slept together… which we did… but just not in that way that you're thinking…," Sam floundered for the appropriate words.
"Right," Jack added not-so-helpfully and she rolled her eyes.
"Look, it was cold, or rather, I was cold and we slept together to share body heat…," and she groaned mentally at how feeble that sounded.
"She really was like a popsicle," Jack chimed in with and then sent her another apologetic shrug before looking down at the floor.
"So we slept next to each other… we didn't take things farther than that," Sam finished and then looked around for their reactions. Teal'c nodded slightly and maintained a respectfully sage look. The others seemed to be still considering the probabilities.
"And we became really good friends," Sam added.
"Friends," Jack echoed and nodded his head in agreement.
"It was either that or we would have killed each other," Sam added dryly and with a raised eyebrow.
And that finally elicited some grins and small chuckles from the rest of the group.
"And we decided to wait until we got back to Earth… before exploring the possibilities of anything else," Jack finally offered something substantive and the two officers watched for their friends' reactions.
"So… after we get back… you two…?" Daniel asked vaguely, allowing Jack and Sam to fill in the details.
Jack glanced at Sam and met her eyes for a moment and then looked back at Daniel and the others, "Well, General Parker is CO of the SGC now, so…," and Jack shrugged.
"So you won't be our CO anymore," Jennifer added diplomatically, and with a small smile.
"Right," Jack confirmed the younger officer's conclusions.
"Right," Daniel said softly and shook his head with wonder. He and Teal'c had felt their two friends' feelings for each other in that interdimensional realm. "Four and a half months… Does the Air Force give medals for self-restraint?" he asked the three officers present.
"Da-aniel," Jack groaned while Sam blushed.
The archeologist just shrugged with mock innocence, "Just asking…"
"At any rate," Sam's tone was one of amused sufferance, "We just wanted to make sure that you all understood that we aren't… that we weren't…," and her voice trailed off uncertainly again.
Silence answered them for a few moments as their friends thought it over and then Teal'c spoke up, "We understand," the Jaffa replied with his deep somber tones and the others nodded their agreement.
"Good, we didn't want you to think we were jumping each other every chance we got," Jack quipped, but when Sam closed her eyes with embarrassment, he hastily amended, "Or even once," and then she looked at him with a pained expression tinged with amusement. "Shut up?" he asked.
"Please," she replied pleadingly, but he saw the smile threatening the corners of her mouth.
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TBC
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