A/N Thank you for the Lovely reviews! Just to say this is set after season 4 at least at the moment...
Back to the previos mission on the Tokra homeworld.....
Jack and SG1 stood from their chairs, the alliance meeting had just finished and they were ready to turn in for the night but Jacob approached them and began to speak
"Jack would you and SG1 like to join us for a little celebration in aid of a very productive meeting?" Jack looked from team-mate to team-mate; he knew that Daniel would love the idea of experiencing this and Teal'c well he looked indecisive, willing to go with whatever his decision was. Then he looked at Carter and into her eyes, he could see that she longed to spend some time with her father. For this reason alone he said
"Alright then Jacob, you've twisted my arm" Jack smiled at Sam as he saw how her eyes lit up and her smile beamed. No one missed this shared look and Jacob replied just loud enough for only Jack to hear.
"I'm sure I wasn't the one that twisted it" Jack was the only one who heard this and he suddenly didn't feel at ease in being in Jacob's presence any longer.
"Right then we'll see you later" Jack and the rest of SG1 turned to leave heading for their resting quarters.
As they walked to their rooms Sam slowed to fall in pace with Jack, she studied his features as they turned into the rooms but his impassive face revealed nothing. Daring to risk everything she said
"Thank you sir" she added with a smile to tell him that she knew the only reason he was letting them go to this celebration thing was because she had mentioned earlier that she was missing her father and had wanted to talk to him about something.
"What for Carter?" he was playing dumb letting her take the easy way out, she had always managed to turn a simple conversation into a near emotional confession but each time she would suddenly back out, this time he would try and keep it simple for both of them.
"Sir you know what for, for letting me spend leisure time with my Dad, it means a great deal to me so thank you because I know you really want to spend as lesser time as you can with the Tok'ra" she had not backed out this time and had even tried to lighten her sincere gratitude with sarcasm just as he might off if he was nervous. He didn't want to go down that route again, getting so close to letting go, only to have her back away, not ready to let go after all. 'Not this time' he thought.
"That's alright Carter it will give everyone a chance to relax, I guess" Carter frowned she knew that this was unlike Jack; normally he would be the first to want to admit his feelings towards her but not this time she thought.
"Sir please listen to me" he turned to her, she had seen that look upon his face before, it was one of defeat, one of hurt, just like the one she had seen when she held Martouf as he died in her arms. Her and Jack had been getting along great like something that had been lost, no not lost, something that had been pushed far down in to the depths of their hearts had been swimming to the surface once again and it gave them such a comfortable and secure relationship. She was beginning to wonder if Jack was feeling the same things, she had thought he did earlier that afternoon but his attitude at this moment now made her doubt her first hypothesis.
"You know I care about you but the problem is I don't know if you care about me in the same way?" She had blurted it out, she couldn't look up to see his reaction, so scared of if she had crossed the line and got it all wrong. It was more of a question rather than a statement and she had said it so fast as if her body had pushed it out unable to keep it in any longer, it had startled her as much as it did Jack.
"Excuse me? Care about you? Of course I do and you know it! But I'm sorry that it isn't the same way as you care for me. You know that with everything that has happened to me that my emotions don't work like yours. So all I can say is sorry and if you want a transfer or anything like that then that's ok with me. I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable," Jack had just told her he cared about her even though he knew the feelings were unrequited. He was truly sorry to her that he couldn't control his professional feelings any longer. He was shocked at the face that he saw before him, this was what she wanted, she had started this he thought and he had even given her a way out, she could leave if she wanted.
"Fine ok then no worries Colonel O'Neill I was mistaken then, I just thought… but I realize now that I have been misled into believing that… I won't bother you again on that matter, Sir." Sam turned away from him, so that he could not see the traces of tears forming in her eyes. She had truly thought he felt the same way but he just admitted it to her that he didn't, though he cared it was nothing more than he cared for Daniel or Teal'c and as she turned she could hear the faint whisper of a sorry pass his lips.
"But Sam didn't realize that Jack had just said he cared for her too much because one, Sam thought he didn't love her back and two because Jack is useless with words" Daniel paused from his story.
"Well that's typical of them two but that doesn't explain why he slept with Anise" Janet was still perplexed as to why someone who hates the Tok'ra so much would even contemplate sleeping with one. It was a typical Jack like thing to do.
"Jack thinking that he had blown any chances that he had with even being friends with Sam and well you know what Anise is like when she see's something she wants" Daniel seemed very embarrassed by what he was about to say.