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"So how's it feel?" General O'Neill asked as he adjusted his pack.
Sam Carter looked up from the report in her hands in confusion. She stared at him momentarily waiting for him to clarify his question.
Around them the rest of SG-1, SG-3 and the VIP guests prepared themselves for their next trip through the Stargate to the Cimmerian home world.
Not receiving a response, Jack looked up at his second in command. With his eyes he indicated himself and then her body.
In that moment she understood and thought of her answer. "I'll admit sir, it's kind of strange… I don't know how you got used to it."
Jack looked up, "I never did…" He then smiled at her, "But now you know how I feel when you go through without me!"
"I'll remember that for next time," she told him seriously before she sent him a small smile, "maybe."
Jack ignored her last comment, "You know, you could still come with us."
Sam smiled back at him, "You'll be fine without me sir," she assured him. She then leaned in close to her CO, "But the researchers here…" she told him in a mockingly unsure voice.
O'Neill nodded his head, "Yeah… They'd probably blow up the planet if you weren't helping them out every once in a while."
Sam laughed, "Maybe sir!"
Jack looked up excitedly as an idea popped in his mind, "Hey I got an idea…"
He quickly shot her a warning glare before she could state the obvious reply. Instead, Sam bit back her reply and smiled knowingly at him.
"How about you schedule a break for… oh, say about… 1900 hours and join us as we meet the Tok'ra?"
She stared at him with a questioning look, was he really suggesting that?
"Right… no breaks… but you gotta eat!" he reminded her.
Sam nodded her head like a teenager who only half listened to their parent.
Daniel chose that moment to join them, "Sure we can't convince you to come along Sam?"
"Already tried Danny… her little doohickey's beckon!"
Sam and Daniel resignedly shook their heads, "They're not doohickeys sir."
Jack nodded his head and tried again, "Thing-a-majigs? …. Gadgets?"
Sam shrugged her shoulders, "Close enough, sir."
Daniel turned to Sam and pleaded, "Please don't leave me alone to deal with him!"
She smiled at him apologetically.
"Hey, I'm not that bad as long as you aren't digging for rocks!" he defended himself.
Daniel raised his eyebrows and grimaced as he indicated Jack, "See what I have to deal with?"
"Sorry Daniel, you're on your own this time… Me? I'm going to enjoy my little vacation!"
"Yeah sure, make fun now… We'll see who's laughing at the next review board!"
Daniel turned serious, "Do they even invite you to those things?"
Jack thought about it, "Uh…" He smiled when he saw the corner of Daniel's lips twitching with a smile.
Sam turned to her 'teammates' and put an end to the banter, "Say hi to Jonas for me."
"He's going to be disappointed at not seeing you…" Jack pointed out, hoping that it might change her mind.
"So will the Orbanians," Daniel pointed out. "They're probably going to explain some new discovery they made and we won't have anyone to understand!"
"I'm sure you guys will manage… And if the Orbanians have something to share have them explain it to Secretary Bretano."
They both stared at her skeptically. "He's an engineer," she explained.
"But he doesn't understand any of that stuff."
Daniel turned to Jack, "Neither do you Jack, at least he's a scientist!"
O'Neill nodded his head, "Good point… So the Secretary is in charge of bringing back any scientific information…" Looking around at the group of VIP's he continued, "I guess we'll put Cathy in charge of medical information and Jack we can put in charge of…" he contorted his face as he tried to come up with an area for him to report on. Not coming up with anything he shrugged, "Rulers?"
They stared at him.
"What? We can't give put him in charge of history, Daniel's already got that covered!" he tried.
Sam leaned over, "But maybe he'll write shorter reports, sir…"
A huge grin appeared on his face as he walked away in search of the President, "Maybe he's looking for another job…"
Daniel shook his head as he watched Jack approach his old friend and make his proposal. When he saw the President look over at him and laugh he turned to Sam, "My reports are not that long."
Sam looked over at him with a sideward glance.
"Well, okay… Maybe I get a little verbose…"
"A little?" she asked him.
"Look who's talking Sam!" he accused.
Sam shook her head, "Nope… I've learned to tailor my reports to him… Bullet points save me so much time!" she revealed to him.
A few minutes later the Stargate had been engaged and contact with the advance team on Cimmeria had been established.
General O'Neill was about to lead them up the steps to the waiting Stargate when he reached into his pocket and pulled a small object out and threw it at Sam who was standing off to the side, "And Carter…"
Sam quickly reached up and snagged the object out of the air. Realizing what it was she couldn't help but smile. She looked up from the apple she now held in her hands and answered his implied order, "Yes sir."
Jack looked over his shoulder, "I will find out if you don't eat that," he warned her.
Sam smiled warmly at him, a smile Jack happily returned. "I know sir… Be careful, sir."
"I always am!" he told her with one last look and smile before he stepped through the event horizon.
At the rear of the group, Robbie approached his best friend, "I want a full report when you get back Marine!"
Ryan smiled, "I'm sorry you can't come with us."
Robbie shrugged his shoulders, "It's okay… Colonel Carter promised to take me up in an F-302 later!"
The President smiled as he watched his friend revert back to a child, "You're going to love it!"
As Teal'c and Daniel stepped up to the event horizon Sam called out one last time, "Make sure he doesn't destroy any of our alliances!"
Daniel laughed while Teal'c merely turned to her and bowed his head in agreement as he accepted her mission.
Once the wormhole had been disengaged, the Vice President turned to Sam and noticed the look on her face. A look that conveyed her wishes that she could be joining the rest of her team. "I hate being left behind."
Sam turned to the Vice President and smiled as she remembered a familiar mantra, "No one gets left behind, sir."
Robbie Jackson nodded, "No… They don't… I always respected that about you ground troops…"
Sam nodded in agreement, "Yeah, I never really knew what that meant until I joined the Stargate program."
"They probably don't use that much in the lab," he teased her.
Sam couldn't help but smile at his joke. "No sir, they don't… But I have sat in your seat during Desert Storm."
"Right," he nodded his head, "forgot about that… Is there anything you don't do Colonel?"
Sam thought, "I don't knit, sir, even though General O'Neill did suggest I take it up once."
"Well that's reassuring to hear that you can't do everything!!" he told her as they turned away from the Stargate. "So, how about you show me some more of what you've done here?"
"It'd be my pleasure to, sir. Oh, and I spoke with one of the pilots, he'll have some time around 1300 hours to show you the F-302. And I should finish with the scientists by 1400, so I can take you up then, if that's all right with you sir?"
TBC
A/N: I'm trying to force myself to write the next chapter right now, so if I get some inspiring reviews you may get a treat!