Don't own them, the usual stuff. I had this song stuck in my head for the longest time and figured this would work. Written spring of '04. Spoilers for Meridian. (You know, I swore to myself that I would not do a cheesy Meridian tag. Yeah…look what happened.)
"Dammit!"
Jack stopped outside of the lab, hearing the smash of something breaking, followed by a string of profanity that would make even a Marine blush. He decided to take his chances and poke his head around the corner.
"Carter, you okay?" His response was a glare and a grunt over the top of a table. Pieces of coffee mug were scattered around the floor, coffee formed into small pools. "Oh. Need some help?"
"Gee, sir. Thanks for offering," she replied with a definite tone in her voice. Wordlessly he walked over to a cabinet and pulled out a broom and dustpan, and started to sweep the shards in a pile.
"I'll ignore that, Major."
Sam slumped back against the wall, sitting on the floor. "Daniel gave me that mug," she said quietly. Jack looked closer and saw that one of the pieces had small blue writing on it. "He made it himself one year. He translated a few proverbs and quotes into Egyptian and had it painted on it." Jack looked over at her, noticing the dark bags under her eyes for the first time. If he wasn't mistaken, her uniform was a little baggier that usual also.
"Go home, Carter." He saw her open her mouth and held up a hand to stop her. "Ah! Don't make me order you. Do yourself a favor and get some sleep."
"Okay, sir." A hot bath and a warm bed did sound good after all, she thought.
Wow, she must really be out of it, Jack thought as he swept the pile into the dustpan, and leaving it by the bench.
After changing into civvies, she headed up to the suface and signed out at the front desk. "Night, ma'am," the airman said. Sam gave a nod and a small smile in return and walked out to her Volvo.
"Hey, Carter! Going now?" Sam looked up in suprise from unlocking the driver door. Jack was waving from in front of his F250, Teal'c standing by him. "Watchya gonna do?"
"Um, go home, sir, like you told me too."
"Teal'c and I are going out for a late supper. Wanna come?" Teal'c gave a Jaffa-like grin and bowed his head slightly to her.
"No, thanks. All I want is a bed right now. Have a good time, sir, Teal'c." She gave a weak smile and climbed in her car. Jack didn't miss the yawn as she drove past.
When she got out of the SGC gates and onto the highway, she reached over and turned on the radio, needing the calming noise.
Jack pulled out of the parking ramp a few minutes later with Teal'c and followed Sam's route.
"Why are we tracking Major Carter?" Teal'c asked.
"I just want to make sure that she gets home okay," he said defensively, reaching over and turning on the radio. Teal'c rose his eyebrow and looked out the window.
".....and that was Carly Simon with her hit number, "You're So Vain"! Reminder folks, this is Request Thursdays, and up next, one of my favorites. Listen in people, and see if you can name the song and artist!" Sam reached over to turn off the station, getting annoyed at the announcer's perkiness. Instead, the volume turned up, unexplainably. The first few strains of the song came on and she gave up trying to fiddle with the settings.
"When I die, and they lay me to rest,
Gonna go to the place that's the best,
When I lay me down to die,
Goin' up to the spirit in the sky.
Goin' up to the spirit in the sky
That's where I'm gonna go when I die,
When I die and they lay me to rest,
I'm gonna go to the place that's the best.
Prepare yourself, you know it's a must
Gotta have a friend in Jesus,
So you know that when you die,
He's gonna recommended you
To the spirit in the sky
Goin' up to the spirit in the sky,
That's where I'm gonna go when I die,
When I die and they lay me to rest,
I'm gonna go to the place that's the best."
Sam found herself pulling over to the side of the road, tears running down her cheeks. The song continued.
"Never been a sinner, I've never sinned
I got a friend in Jesus
So you know what when I die,
He's gonna set me up the spirit in the sky
That's where I'm gonna go when I die,
When I die and they lay me to rest,
I'm gonna go to the place that's the best.
Oh..."
Jack had turned up the radio, and both he and Teal'c were listening intently, not knowing the truck was slowing down and people were passing them.
"Set me up with the spirit in the sky
That's where I'm gonna go when I die
When I die and they lay me to rest,
I'm gonna go to the place that's the best
Goin' up to the spirit in the sky,
That's where I'm gonna go when I die,
When I die and they lay me to rest,
I'm gonna go to the place that's the best.
Go to the place that's the best,
Go to the place that's the best,
Go to the place that's the best......"
"...and there, listeners, was one of my favorite songs of all time. Guess it yet? That was a song by Gareth Gates called, "Spirit in the Sky." That was a special request tonight, ladies and gentlemen. This is from Daniel, to Jack, Sam, and Murray. He tacked on a special note too. He says, "Not too worry, because for a spirit in the sky, I'm always there. Don't worry about me. Love always, Spacemonkey." Sounds like a lot of hidden meanings in that message tonight. So Jack, Sam, and Murray, hope you were listening tonight! Stay tuned for the following messages from our sponsors..."
Jack and Teal'c sat in a shocked silence, as they passed a black car on the side of the road. Jack blinked, and looked in the rearview mirror, quickly braking and pulling on the shoulder. They both turned in time to see a lady fall out of her car and brace herself against the hood.
Sam suddenly needed fresh air. Pulling the keys from the ignition, she opened the door and stumbled out into the cold air. A feeling of vertigo caused her to grab a hold of the hood. She heard footsteps and looked at Jack and Teal'c running towards her through blurred tears. She suspected that they had heard the song. Both looked shaken, even Teal'c.
Jack and Teal'c knew that she had also heard the song due to her condition. Something caught their eyes and the three looked up at the same time. The night sky brightened as star, after shooting star streaked across the night sky. After a few minutes, the fire storm stopped and all was silent. A warm breeze gusted from the forest, causing them to come out of their stupor.
Silently, they all looked at each other, and without saying a word, they walked back to their respective vehicles. Sam drove on home, and Jack and Teal'c to Jack's house. Sam, after a glass or two of wine, went to bed. Jack and Teal'c, after a few beers and soda for Teal'c, sat and did nothing, eventually putting in Star Wars. No one spoke the entire night after the fact, but all slept just a little calmer and deeper than they did for a long time.
A draft of wind wafted around a lab at a military base and in the morning, a blue Egyptian coffee mug would be sitting on a desk.