Short and fluffy!
Chapter 23 – A Quiet Room
The ride back down into the depths of the mountain was made in relative silence as each member of SG-1 mulled over the events of the last hour. While all four of them were thinking of the strange turn of events regarding the men who had attempted to abduct JJ, Sam was also thinking about the rather odd behavior exhibited by both Colonel O'Neill and Malcolm Barrett. She wasn't totally oblivious when it came to men showing an interest in her. From their discussion last night, Sam was more than a little certain that both her and Jack still harbored strong feelings for each other. And Malcolm had been more friendly and solicitous than was deemed necessary for having worked with him only one other time. But still, the looks the two men were shooting at each other seemed a bit out of place.
Sure, Jack was upset with the NID in general and was most likely taking out his anger on Malcolm. But Malcolm also seemed to harbor feelings of resentment toward the Colonel that had nothing to do with this operation. Sam shrugged her shoulders; maybe she'd have to ask Jack about it later. Then again, maybe not. Sometimes it was better to just let sleeping dogs lie, so to speak.
Jack's thought's, too had not been completely limited to the exchange of prisoners and all of the other information they had recently been given. He would have to be blind not to have noticed the interest Barrett had shown in Sam. The way the other man had quickly risen to her defense was a dead give-away. He wondered if there was something there he didn't know about. And what had the two of them been talking about while he was helping to secure the vans? After that whole Kinsey incident, when he had been accused of assassination, Jack had never really discussed Malcolm Barrett with his team. Maybe he would have to remedy that.
When they reached the level the infirmary was on, Jack and Sam stepped off the elevators, promising Teal'c and Daniel they would meet up with them in the commissary. JJ was sure to be hungry by now; hopefully he wasn't giving Janet too much trouble.
Jack glanced at Sam as they walked. She had been awfully quiet since they came back down and he was starting to get concerned. Maybe she was upset with him. Maybe she was thinking about JJ. Maybe she was thinking about Barrett. Seeing that they were close to their destination, Jack made a quick decision. Grabbing her by the arm, he ducked into a small, empty conference room that was sometimes used by medical personnel discussing a case.
Sam was startled to say the least when she felt Jack grab her arm and drag her into the conference room. She stood in the middle of the room, blinking against the lights that Jack turned on after he had closed and locked the door. She looked at him in confusion but waited patiently for him to explain himself.
Now that he had her alone, Jack didn't know what to say. He couldn't very well come out and say, "So Carter, you have the hots for Barrett? Cause he certainly seems to have them for you." No, that wouldn't come across very well. He decided to be much less direct.
"You OK, Carter? You've been awfully quiet since we said our good-byes to our 'guests'."
Sam frowned. For this he had dragged her into an unoccupied room? "I'm fine sir. Just thinking about things."
Ah, here was his opening. "What kind of things?" he asked in as nonchalant a voice as possible.
She looked at him out of the corner of her eye as she walked around the small room. Deciding to be deliberately vague, she answered, "Well Sir, a lot of things have gone on in the last hour or so. Don't you think that's more than enough to keep my mind spinning?"
"Well, yes, there is that. Was there anything more specific that is on your mind?" he tried again.
Sam looked him full on this time, cocking her head slightly as she tried to read his expression. She crossed her arms and thought…two could play this game. "Actually Sir, there was something else that was bothering me. I noticed how you and Malcolm didn't get along too well. Seeing as you've never met before, it struck me as rather odd."
Jack's eyebrows rose. What a minute, it felt like the tables were being turned here! Reverting to his tried and true method of sarcasm, Jack responded, "Of course we didn't get along, Carter. The man's NID. You know I don't trust those guys anymore than I trust the Tok'ra. Except for your dad of course," he quickly amended.
"Of course," she smiled lightly. "I just had the feeling there was something else about him that bothered you. Malcolm was very helpful the last time I worked with him, and you can't say he wasn't helpful this time, even though things didn't work out exactly how we wanted them to."
"No, they didn't," Jack agreed, leaning against the wall and watching her closely. She had left him an opening so he was going to try for a more direct approach. "Did you get to know Barrett very well the last time you worked with him?"
Sam shrugged her shoulders. "Pretty well. It took a while for both of us to begin to trust one another, but once we did, we worked well together." She noticed his frown at that and worked hard to keep herself from smiling. She had a pretty good idea what this was all about now, but she wasn't about to blow his cover, so to speak.
Jack tried once again for a look and tone of indifference. "Barrett seemed glad to be working with you again, however brief it may have been. He was very…attentive, shall we say?"
Sam did smile at that, but quickly turned around once again so he couldn't see her smile. "It was nice to see him again as well. I think he would have liked our...working relationship, to last a bit longer this time."
"He said that?" Jack asked with surprise.
"He just mentioned when we were topside how he wished that when we saw each other, it wasn't always in such dire circumstances."
"And you would like the chance to work with him again as well?" Jack asked, disconcerted by the way his heart sped up while he waited for her answer.
Sam turned around once more to look at him. She'd better end this now or they might dance around the subject for a long time. "Honestly? I wouldn't mind, Sir. Malcolm's a nice guy and he knows his stuff. I really don't want to be in the position to have to work with the NID anymore than you do. But if we have to, I do trust Malcolm. In a purely professional sense, of course," she added meaningfully.
Though not always the quickest on the uptake, Jack did get her meaning. He straightened up from beside the door and walked toward her, stopping a foot away from her. "Glad to hear that Carter," he said quietly.
"Is there anything else on your mind, Sir?" she asked just as quietly.
"Yeah." He brushed a lock of hair behind her ear. "Do you think we should go and rescue JJ from Doc Frasier? He's bound to be getting mighty hungry."
Sam laughed up at him, "It might be Janet who needs the rescuing, but yes. I definitely think it's time we went and picked up our boy."
"Our boy," Jack repeated quietly. "I like the sound of that Carter. I like it a lot."
She smiled again before stepping around him and heading for the door. They'd definitely better go and get JJ before someone had to come and rescue them from each other!
