Chapter 3

A/N: hey this one will hopefully be a bit longer. sry but my spurts of inspiration come just like that… as spurts. Um… a note here to The Perfect Chicken – I know it needs to be longer! And the grammar… well that's what I have you and your sister for grin… j/k… maybe… but anyway you know I failed grammar so just forget it… oh and 'bad' word? What 'bad' word?… one more thing. Gorillas rule!

Now back to the matter at hand…

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Last time…

She had called Pete earlier to let him know she was back 'in town', and he had invited her over for dinner. She had thought she heard a female giggle in the background just before she hung up, but it must've been her imagination running away with her. after all she had been being a bit paranoid lately…

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Now…

The briefing ended and she made a beeline for the door hoping to get out of there without any further comment.

"Carter?"

No such luck. She turned slowly to face him making sure her face was devoid of emotion. "Yes, sir?"

Was it just him or was she being purposely cold towards him recently, he didn't think he done anything to upset her. But then again he could be wrong. "Could I speak to you for a minute?" he gestured towards his office.

"Of course General."

They entered his office and he shut the door behind him before going behind his desk to sit down while she chose to remain standing. She stared unwavering a point on the wall just above his head. –I will not make eye contact. I will not make eye contact. I will not…- she repeated to herself silently. They stayed that way for a few minutes before Jack finally spoke up.

"So?…" he started

"Yes sir?" she said finally looking at him. –Dammit I wasn't going to make eye contact,- she reprimanded herself.

"Is something bothering you Colonel?"

"Nothing sir. Why do you ask?" she responded coldly clearly wishing him to dismiss his query.

"Maybe its me but you seem a bit distant lately, as if I've offended you in someway…" he trailed off as her eyes flared in anger. She turned away from him and took a deep breath.

"Carter?…" he asked. When he received no response "Sam?…" he queried his voice much softer this time.

"What do you want me to say?" she asked still turned away from him her head bowed somewhat in defeat and her voice so low and choked with emotion that he almost didn't catch what she'd said.

"Excuse me?" he asked standing up somewhat bewildered.

"What do you want me to say?" louder this time and with quite an edge to it. "What do you want me to tell you? That everything's fine, that it will all go back to the way it was before, that I'll continue to pine away for you never asking anything in return." She turned to face him. "What do you expect from me? I wanna know… I wanna know what its going to take before you figure out that I can't keep going like this. It's either all or nothing I can't handle the in-between anymore. I've given you plenty of time to decide plenty of open opportunities to make the choice of where this was going and you've obviously decided you'd rather it be nothing. And now I'm here honoring what was obviously your decision and you ask me what's going on? I don't know what you want from me anymore."

He just stood there completely shocked wondering where on earth this had come from. He'd only wanted to know if something was bothering her, he hadn't expected it to be him.

She took a deep breath wondering where on earth that had come from and why'd she'd just told him all that… she really needed to get some more rest. And she needed to figure this all out, she made her decision quickly and looked back up at him. Confidently, "but I do know I have quite a bit of leave coming to me so if you don't mind I'd like to take about a week or so? It seems everything's spiraling out of control and I just need to get a grip."

He shook his head trying to figure out what had just happened and simply nodded at her and waved his hand a sign of dismissal.

She turned to walk out the door then paused in the doorframe glancing back at him over her shoulder before striding confidently out into the corridor resolute that she was going to figure this out… and wondering why on earth she had just told him all that. –I must really be losing it- she thought. She got in the elevator and headed toward the surface for once the thought of work needing to be finished didn't even cross her mind.

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A/N: so yea I'm not sure where this came from and I'll probably feel much different about it in the morning this was definitely not the way I had planned it to go but you know how it is sometimes these things have a mind of their own. Please review. Thank you.