Author's Note:

Thank you so much for all the reviews and kind words!

Hehe, I love the fact that you can't guess who I used to be on this board – very cool.

Anyway, maybe I should give you another clue – I used to be (sorta still is) on some of your favorite author list and was nominated (but did not win) for a few fanfiction awards in the past. I have written comedy, angst, drama and romance for a couple of genres, but most Stargate.

Now anyone want to try and guess?

XXX

Before Sam could say or do anything he had hung up, almost like he was afraid that she would get time to get her thoughts together and cancel their dinner date, and with that she was left alone with only the dark disconnected tone of the phone and her shock at realizing that she was actually going to go on a date with General Jack O'Neill.

XXX

THE DATING GAME – CHAPTER 2

'I am going to go on a date with Jack O'Neill!' was the first thought that came to her mind when she woke up the next morning with a sudden start.

For a few moments she allowed herself to remain in the same position. She was sitting in front of her lab table with her head rested on the dark wood and her arms stretched out around her, a little bit of saliva was dripping slowly from the side of her mouth.

Opening her eyes, blinking a few times, she lifted her head, yawned and raised her left arm slightly to stare at her watch. "Crap!" she exclaimed upon seeing the time. It was 7:30 am and she was about a half an hour late in providing her report to the new General of the base.

Cursing softly under her breath, she jumped up from her seat and struggled to get a disarray of paperwork together in something that resembled a neat pile. It was as she leaned across the table to get another piece of paper with a heading that stated, "Report on device found at PX-9020…" that her elbow accidentally knocked over a blue coffee cup, resulting in the cold contents spilling over everything in the nearby area.

"Shit!" she shouted and tried to get as much of her report as was possible out of harm's way, but without much luck. All her hard work – her report and notes – were drenched completely in a dark brown liquid.

"Sam?" she suddenly heard behind her.

"What!" she snapped and twirled around, only to come face to face with the SGC's local Archeologist and one of her closest of friends, Dr Daniel Jackson.

Wiping a hand over her face, sighing, she lowered her head slightly in guilt upon seeing the frown playing on Daniel's forehead but did not say anything additional.

"Everything okay?" Daniel asked and took a few steps forward; his hands were tucked deeply in the pockets of his pants.

"Yes…I-I'm sorry I snapped at you Daniel," Sam apologized. Turning around she stared at the mess on her table in dismay before adding, while pointing at the disorder, "It is just that I worked until very late to get this report ready and now…" She could not finish her sentence, was only able to dart her eyes between Daniel and the table with frustration clearly etched all over her face.

Grimacing Daniel said, "I'm sorry Sam…that's why I'm here too. When you did not show up at the meeting, nor answer your phone the General sent me to come and see where you were and what were keeping you up."

"Right…uh-," hurrying over to her computer she started typing at a furious pace on her keyboard, "give me a few moments…should be able to print at least a preliminary copy of my findings on the device for the meeting…" the rest of her words became unintelligible as she continued working, although now and again muttered words like, "the nerve of him…who does he think he is…this is all his fault," was clearly audible.

"Sam," Daniel stated after a few minutes of staring at her stiff backside with a slightly raised eyebrow. When she did not reply he asked again, "Sam?" Still she did not respond, her whole attitude said she was too much involved with her own thoughts at that moment.

Pressing his tongue against an inner cheek and pushing with a forefinger the spectacles closer to his eyes he crossed the distance between him and Sam slowly.

"Wanna talk 'bout what's troubling you?" Daniel asked.

"Huh?" Sam turned her head around, but it was clear that her thoughts were miles away, "What are you talking about?"

Scratching with a finger softly against his bottom lip he appeared thoughtful before responding, "You know what I'm talking about Sam. The lateness getting to the meeting, the coffee spilled over your important paperwork, the clear agitation noticeable in your stance. Everything is so out of character for you." Putting a gentle hand on her shoulder he added, "Yep…I will definitely say something is seriously bothering you this morning."

"I…nothing's wrong," she replied, but her whole attitude stated differently.

"Right…" he replied with a trace of sarcasm in his voice and removed his hand from her shoulder. "So you are just acting this way due to having climbed with the wrong foot out of bed."

She first tried to deny again that there was anything amiss and then upon seeing in Daniel's eyes that he was definitely not going to fall for it she added softly, "If it's all right with you I'll rather no discuss it," before turning her attention back to the information displayed on her screen.

"Sam-"

"Daniel please…just leave it at that…okay?"

Grabbing the pages coming out of her printer she checked them over quickly for any mistakes, raked a hand through her golden hair to try and straighten it out as best as possible.

Forcing a false smile to her lips she addressed Daniel again, "How do I look?"

Nodding his head, but refusing to meet her smile with one of his own, he said, "You look fine."

"In that case…shall we?" Sam stated and made her way to the exit, not once looking back to see whether Daniel was following her or not.

"Why do I feel that somehow this have something to do with Jack?" Daniel murmured under his breath with a strange glimmer in his eyes, before proceeding to follow Sam out of the lab.