Chapter 2: Getting to know you
"So, Major, tell me a little about yourself." Sam asked Kristi as she walked her to the labs.
"Well, ma'am…"
"Call me Sam."
"Sam, call me Kristi." She replied with a slight smile. "Let's see, I've been in Antarctica for the last year and a half, then before that I was in Russia for 6 years."
"Russia, huh? Have you met a man named Rodney McKay?"
"Yeah." Kristi smiled. "Rodney is a good friend of mine."
"Friend? How did you handle him?"
"Well, he defiantly had to grow on me. Actually, he used to talk about you, A LOT."
"Oh, great." Sam replied sarcastically.
"I finally got him to stop by telling him if I wanted to here so much about you I'd just talk to Jack."
At that comment Sam blushed slightly and shot Kristi an unreadable look. Kristi just looked back with a sly smile. "Of course, at the time he didn't know that Jack is my cousin, so he was defiantly shocked."
Both Sam and Kristi smiled for a moment at the thought of McKay's shocked expression.
"Sam, please forgive me if I come across to forward. I've gotten so used to working with civilians; it's kind of weird to be back on a military dominant base."
"It's ok, Kristi. This isn't your run of the mill base. So, how did you end up in Antarctica?"
"Well, when Rodney found out about the Atlantis expedition, he immediately called me. Considering the fact that Jack has the gene, there was a good chance I had it to, which I do. Anyway, he wanted me to go to Atlantis with him, and I was so ready to go, until a certain General made a request to keep me in this galaxy."
"I bet you were pissed."
"Just a bit." Kristi said with a very high level of sarcasm. "I got over it eventually. But, someone decided that since I had the gene I should stay in Antarctica and continue the research there."
"Well, at least there was a lot there to keep you busy. Speaking of busy, my home a way from home, my lab."
After a tour of the labs, Sam and Kristi went down to the mess to meet guys for lunch. As they walked in they were talking up a storm much like they had been for the last hour. Daniel and Jack turned towards them when they came in. Daniel's eyes looked with Kristi's for a brief moment, but he quickly turn away.
"Probably talking about some new science doohickey." Jack said to Daniel and Teal'c as he at another bite of red jello.
"That is probable O'Neill." Teal'c replied.
"Well, at least their getting along, right?" asked Daniel, who was trying to focus on his lunch and not Jack's cousin, who was walking over to the table still talking to Sam, soon to take the seat in front of him.
"So, Jack," Kristi asked "as much as I love it here, how bout we go out to dinner off base tonight? Maybe that place you told me about? What was it O'Malley's?"
"I can't tonight. We have a team scheduled to come in tonight, I have to stay on base. Maybe Daniel or Cater can go with you?"
"I can't go; I have a few experiments to finish up and a ton of paper work to do before we leave for P4X-237." Sam said disappointedly.
"What about you, Danny? Think you're up to showing Kristi around town?" Jack asked.
"Yeah, I'm all caught up. I could use some time off base."
"You don't have to if you don't want to." Kristi said looking at Daniel, secretly hoping he would go so she could get to know him better.
"No, it's ok, besides I could use some new dirt on Jack." Daniel laughed shooting a glance at Jack.
"That reminds me, I need to get you a room set up for tonight." Jack said to Kristi.
"Actually, I was going to stay off base tonight."
"Why?"
"I've been stuck on base in Antarctica for over a year now. I left one base and came straight to another. I was hoping for a short break from base life. I'm just going to get a room at a hotel."
"No way. You can stay off base, but at least stay at my place, ok?" Jack told her in a way that it almost was more of an order.
"Yes sir; do you have an extra key?"
"Do you still have you cabin key?" Kristi nodded. "Well, it's the same." Jack continued.
Sam giggled a little at that. "You have your cabin and your house keyed the same?"
"You know Jack; he likes to keep things simple." Kristi said back joining in Sam's slight giggle.
"Ok, Ok. I need to get going, you girls enjoy your lunch. Don't talk too much about me." Jack said glaring at his younger cousin. "That means you Kristi."
"Of course Jack."
"I too must be going." Teal'c said as he stood up to leave. "Daniel?"
"I'm still finishing up I'll see you in a while." He said turning to Kristi. "So, let me hear some dirt on Jack, he doesn't talk too much about the past or his family."
"Well, there is a lot to tell. But, I don't know about telling embarrassing stories about Jack in the middle of the commissary."
"That might be a good idea." Sam laughed.
Beep, beep, beep.
"Damn," Sam said looking down at her pager. "That's my cue to go back to work. You guys have fun."
"Are you sure you can't make it to dinner?" Kristi asked.
"Wish I could, but I need to finish my experiment before we leave."
"See ya later Sam." Daniel called out to her as she left the commissary. "So, what exactly do you do? I know you said the whole biochemistry thing, and Jack mentioned something about you being an actual Doctor."
"Yeah, well, I originally got my first degree in Biochemistry, and then went on to get my medical degree. I don't practice or anything, or at least recently, I mainly got it because it makes it easier to get on certain research projects."
"So, why are you here going on this mission?"
"I heard about a resent mission from SG-7. They heard about a river from the locals on P4X-237."
"Yeah, I remember. The locals said it had some healing properties, but SG-7 didn't really check it out."
"Well, they did bring bask some water samples, which happened to have found their way to me when a friend of mine at area 51 called with some questions. After looking at the results, I felt the river could use a little more looking in to."
"Ah, so you came all the way here to go check out a river?"
"Yes, and to see Jack, not to mention who could past up a chance to go through the Stargate?"
"So, are you and Jack close? I think I've seen your picture at his house, but you looked a lot younger."
"Yeah, he's actually more like a brother to me; his Mom adopted me after my parents died when I was 6. We used to be a lot closer, but you know how work is. We don't really tell people that we are related. I think I've only told one person before. We haven't spoken much in the last year; we had a little falling out."
"What happened?"
"Well, I was supposed to go on the Atlantis expedition. Rodney figured I had the gene…"
"Rodney?"
"Yeah, McKay. I believe you have met him."
"Yes, but how do you know him?" Daniel said with a slight eyebrow raise.
"I worked with him in Russia while he was there, we're good friends." Daniel could tell by the tone in her voice that there was more, but decided to leave it alone and let her finish her story.
"Anyway, so I have the gene, big surprise since Jack has it too. Rodney talked to Dr Weir and got me on the team. A couple of weeks before they left he got a call saying that I was to be removed from the expedition. No explanation, nothing, just which I wasn't going."
"Jack said no." Daniel replied with sympathy.
"Yep, later that afternoon Rodney gave Jack a call while I was there. They got in to quite an argument over the situation. When I finally got the phone we had the basic baby sister argument, you know I'm an adult, I can make my own decisions, you don't know what your doing, ect, ect, ect. The phone call ended with me calling him an ass and not to expect to hear from me for a while. Speaking of which, I need to go talk to Jack. I've barely spent two minuets with him."
"OK, how 'bout dinner at 6?"
"Alright, I'll meet you at Jack's office at 0800." With a smile Kristi got up and walked towards Jack's office.
"Knock, knock. Is the old General to busy to visit with his kid sister?" Kristi giggled as she stuck her head in Jack's office.
"Naw, I guess I could spare a few minuets for a way to smart for her own good Major." He smirked back at her. "So, I thought you weren't talking to me?"
"I had a nice chat with Mom."
"Ah, and what did she have to say?"
"Well, besides the fact that you never call? That you love me and you only were being an ass because you couldn't stand losing me."
"She did not say that I was being an ass."
"Actually she did, and she said that I was being stubborn."
"You? Stubborn, never."
"Hey, I learn from the best."
They talked for about an hour. They talked about Antarctica, and Russia, about Jack becoming a General in command of the SGC. They discussed how their work takes over their lives and how their co-workers become like family. Kristi tried to Jack to talk about Sam, knowing that he has feelings for her from the way he talks about her in letters and phone calls, but didn't push the subject. Both of them were slightly surprised at how quickly their relationship returned to the way it was before the events of the last year. By 1500 Jack had to get back to his never ending paper work and phone calls, so Kristi left for Sam's lab leaving Jack feeling a little jealous that he was not going with them on the mission the next day.
