Author's note: Taylor, thanks for all the convention info – however, in reference to everyone's names being written down in some book since they're born, if that was the case then why wasn't Neville and his grandma (and family) certain if he was magical enough to get into Hogwarts like it says in the book? Obviously there's a discrepancy there, but I thought I'd point that out. Maybe some are written down and some aren't, but it's obvious they don't know everyone going to Hogwarts from the day they're born. Anyways, good info! On with the story.
OOOOOOOO
"Did he tell you what was bothering him?"
Daniel shook his head as they all watched Jack walk away.
"He said he was fine."
She nodded.
"Fine… why am I not surprised?"
"Because that is the same word O'Neill uses every time he wishes to avoid discussion of any subject that is troubling him."
Daniel and Sam looked at Teal'c, who looked back at them, without guile, making it impossible for them to see if he was doing that on purpose. Like he always did.
"Yeaaah…" Daniel frowned, and looked at Sam. "Why don't you go see if you can get him to talk to you? He's not listening to me."
"What makes you think he'll listen to me?"
"You're… I don't know…" Daniel shrugged. "He's not going to talk to me, so you're the other choice."
They both turned and looked at Teal'c, who scowled – a truly frightening sight.
"I do not wish to confront O'Neill on his current disposition."
And they both knew that Jack would never open up to him. For that matter, he probably wasn't going to open up to Sam, either. She, at least, could read O'Neill's moods well enough to get out of the line of fire in case he blew up.
Daniel looked back at Sam, who sighed.
"Fine. But not now." He had a headache, and there was no way she was going to try and talk to him when he had a headache. "I'll talk to him after dinner – before the movies."
OOOOOOO
They had dinner together, but they didn't eat in the hotel restaurant. Jack asked if they minded eating somewhere else – away from the noise of the convention, and the little kids running around screaming spells and waving sticks at everyone – and the others readily agreed. Jack wasn't the only one not all that used to having a lot of kids underfoot, after all. He was just the one that was most vocal about how annoying it was.
They found a relatively quiet bar several blocks walk from the hotel and sat at a table, watching a Seattle Mariner's baseball game while they ate. Jack didn't eat as much as the others – he'd had a fairly large meal only a couple of hours before – but he nursed a beer while they ate, and munched on appetizers to keep them company while wishing for a good hockey game. (Of course, who isn't wishing for a good hockey game right about now?).
Twenty minutes before the movie was scheduled to begin back at the hotel, Sam looked at her watch.
"We'd better get back."
Jack scowled.
Sam wasn't even fazed. She was far too accustomed to that look to be intimidated – although at first it might have had that effect on her. She smiled, feeling fairly good herself.
"Come on. You can share my popcorn."
"I'm not going to the movie, Carter."
He stood up with the others, though, and they paid their bill and headed back outside. It was getting dark; there were clouds moving in, now, and they'd probably be rained on any minute, now, but the walk back to the hotel wasn't too bad, even if Jack did drag his feet just a little.
Sam lagged back with him, mindful of her promise to try and find out what was bothering Jack, and Daniel and Teal'c ended up almost a block ahead of them. They stopped for a red light, and while they were watching the cars go by, Sam cast a surreptitious glance at him. His expression was still somewhat tense, and his posture told her that there was still something wrong – even though he'd been fairly decent company over dinner.
As the light turned, and the little walk signal came on, Sam nonchalantly as possible cleared her throat.
"Are you okay?"
Jack looked over at her, and she saw that his eyes were as bleak as the graying skies. He shrugged and forced a smile, however.
"Yeah, Carter. I'm fine."
Yeah. There was that word again. She was quiet as they walked, trying to figure out how to ask him the same question again without making it sound like she was nagging him about his emotions – which of course, she was. She walked beside him as they entered the hotel lobby, and to his surprise, followed him up the hall to the elevator instead of heading towards the banquet room, where kids and adults were already forming up, blankets and pillow in their hands, since they would be more or less sitting on the floor during the show, and there was no reason not to carry a blanket or pillow to sit on. Daniel and Teal'c weren't in the line, but they weren't anywhere else that Sam could see, either. Obviously, they were making themselves scarce.
The elevator was empty, as was the hall when they got out of it, and when they reached Jack's door, Sam tried again, knowing she was running out of time and chances.
"It's probably pretty hard… finding out that you've got a brother you didn't know about…"
It was a bit more direct than she'd meant to be, but she couldn't think of any other way to broach the subject.
Jack frowned.
"He's not my brother, Carter."
"You still say that? Even after all-"
"He might have the same father," Jack interrupted, waving a hand irritably, "But that doesn't make him my brother. Daniel's more of a brother than this Voldemort guy is. For that matter so is Teal'c – and he's…" Jack trailed off, knowing that the hall of a hotel wasn't the place to mention Teal'c's differences.
"Then what's been bothering you?" Sam asked, surprised. She had assumed – incorrectly, obviously – that the whole long-lost brother thing had been the reason for O'Neill's withdrawn moodiness.
"Nothing's bothering me."
He unlocked his room, but Sam followed him in when he opened the door, pressing the issue, now.
"Something is, sir. You've been quiet ever since you went off with Professor McGonagall."
Exasperated, Jack sighed. Why was she so stubborn? Couldn't she just take his original answer as the final answer?
"Nothing's bothe-"
"Sir."
Her blue eyes were locked on him, now, and he knew she wasn't going to leave. Especially since the door was closed and she was leaning back against it, as if to block his escape. Where had she learned such interrogation techniques?
"It's nothing, Carter."
"It's something. I might be able to help…"
"You can't."
"I might."
"No one can."
"You don't know that for certain, sir. It-"
"It was about my son, all right?" Jack snapped, angry with her for forcing him into this corner.
