A/N: You know, I talk about having a "muse," that funnels my creative energy into the finished product, but I swear, sometimes I think that's more than just a metaphor. That whole thermal imaging thing came to me about 3 seconds before I wrote it, which is really amazing, since I wrote the part about the UAV needing a thermal array the day before. Honestly, I only do what the characters in my head tell me to do.

That either makes me a really original writer, or just mentally ill.

Anyway, sorry for the delay. Life is so impossibly tedious sometimes – I prefer sci-fi any day!

Chapter 4

Daniel stood in the control room, anxiously staring into the watery surface of the event horizon and listening to the low crackle of static on the airwaves. Come on, Sam. Listen to what I'm telling you! As the pause from his teammates' position lengthened, Daniel felt the tension in his shoulders grow exponentially.

"Uh, Daniel… did you say Teal'c had that thermal data in a safe place?" Jack's voice wouldn't have sounded nervous to a passing acquaintance, but to anyone who knew him, the anxiety was rather pronounced.

Upon hearing that, Daniel nearly sagged with relief. Sam had obviously figured out what he'd been trying to explain. Breathing deeply, he spoke into the microphone. "Yes, Jack. I took care of it."

Another pause. "Well… Thanks." The awkwardness in Jack's voice was nearly palpable.

Daniel suppressed a grin. It wasn't often that he got to call Jack on a mistake of judgment. Sure, the Colonel fumbled factual details all the time, but he usually had perfect instincts when deciding on more subjective topics. Daniel couldn't help thinking, now that he'd gotten his point across, that he honestly might enjoy ribbing his old friend a little about it. However, as a second thought struck him, the smile faded. Teasing Jack might be fun, but he'd as soon cut off his right foot than hurt Sam.

Hell. Sam.

Daniel had been so caught up in his discovery that he hadn't stopped to consider how much he might be embarrassing Sam. In fact, now that he thought about it, he wasn't exactly sure what he'd been trying to accomplish by flying to the control room and interrupting his two friends. Obviously, if anything, er, extracurricular was going to happen, they'd had all night to…

He stepped on that thought before it had a chance to completely form. No need to paint a visual picture for himself, he thought, making a face. It wasn't as though he could actually do anything about the situation. A few million light years and a volcano stood between him and his friends. Plus, what exactly could he do? Warn them of the repercussions? Caution them to think before acting?

That was just ridiculous. He'd never met two more dedicated Air Force officers in his life. If they were going to throw regulations out the window and give in to their emotions, there had to be a good reason for it.

Besides which, Daniel didn't actually oppose the idea of them being together. He really didn't. Sure, he considered Sam to be almost a sister, and as such, he was very protective of her. And, sure, Jack wasn't exactly the model of "Mr. Right." But when the two of them were put together, it was impossible to deny that there was something deep, respectful, and very important between them. Daniel had suffered enough loss in his life to realize that such a connection shouldn't be ignored.

Which led him back to his original question. What was he trying to accomplish here? Suddenly at a loss for words, he tried to think of something to say that wouldn't alert the gate technicians, but would convey his feelings to his friends.

"Uh, sure, Jack. No problem. Just be careful out there. Find someplace safe to weather the eruption, and wait for things to cool off. We don't know how long you'll have to stay out there, so we're sending the UAV back with more food and medical supplies. We'll try to drop them near your current position." He swallowed, trying to emphasize his next words. "As long as you stay safe, you can almost think of this as a little vacation. You both have earned some time off, so try to relax and enjoy it. Maybe you'll have a whole new outlook when you come back." Daniel really hoped that didn't sound too terribly cheesy, but he couldn't be more profound without alerting everyone in the SGC to his real message.

Again, static greeted his words for a few moments. Then, much to his surprise, Sam's voice replied. "We'll do our best. And thanks again for the heads-up, Daniel."

Oh, if only he could pull her aside and tell her everything that was going though his head right now. However, since that wasn't possible, he shrugged and signed off quietly. "Just stay safe, you guys. And I'm sorry for waking you up so rudely."

Jack's voice crackled back over the speaker, tinged with wry amusement. "Yeah, well… We'll get over it, Danny. Just let us know if anything new comes up. O'Neill out."

Jack dropped the radio and looked over at Sam. She was staring numbly at her hands, apparently digesting the previous conversation. In a moment, she raised her eyes to his, meeting his gaze head-on.

"So," he asked conversationally, "what the hell do you make of that?"

Sam looked baffled. "I have no idea. Clearly he knew what was going on in here." They both winced in unison as they considered that fact. "Still," she continued, "near the end, I almost think he was apologizing for interrupting." Her voice was incredulous.

Jack shook his head slowly. "Yeah, well, I guess we should throw all of this into the same, future, 'pizza and beer' conversation that we're scheduled to have. Right now, we've got bigger issues."

Sam sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose. How, she wondered, was it possible that the imminent eruption of their underfoot volcano was suddenly her second biggest worry this morning? Struggling to regain her focus, she started making a mental list of what needed to be done.

Jack watched her transformation from Sam Carter, vulnerable, sexy, fantasy girl into Major-Doctor Samantha Carter, scientific genius and extraordinary soldier. It was really something to see. And, oddly enough, he wasn't sure which one of his Carters he preferred. They were both quite fascinating.

For her part, Sam was able to jump into 'business mode' with relative ease, considering her state of emotional turmoil. The ability to do so stemmed from years of experience with life-or-death decisions that hinged on instant action. Without thinking, she crawled out of her bedroll and started dressing in her now-dry, though still rumpled BDUs shed the night before. Her brain was preoccupied with thoughts of their best chance at safety. She knew from their earlier aerial appraisal that there were some shallow caves near the base of the mountain, not far from their current location. Since there were no paths through the thick forest, it would be slow-going, but…

Her thoughts stopped mid-stream as she became aware of the intense stare being leveled at her by her still-undressed CO. Suddenly, she realized that she'd been tugging on her pants without thought for her silent audience. The look in his eyes was a combination of shocked disbelief, mute appreciation, and raw physical desire. Swallowing hard, Sam tried to think of something to say that would lessen the tension in the tent.

Jack had been about to start dressing beneath his bedroll when he'd been stunned to see his preoccupied second-in-command wiggle out of her covers and start pulling on clothes without a hint of modesty. His first instinct had been to turn away and give her some privacy, but he found it impossible to tear his eyes off of her.

Score one more for the hormone department.

Miles of long, slender legs seemed to extend from her trim, curvy torso. Her full lower lip was being worried by her small, even teeth, and her blue eyes were totally preoccupied with whatever science facts they'd be needing to stay safe over the next few days. She was gorgeous, witty, and sharp as a tack. All in all, she was the most powerful temptation that Jack had ever come into contact with, and it was all he could do to keep his hands off of her. When she suddenly grew still and stared into his eyes, she looked like a startled doe caught in the headlights of an oncoming car.

For a moment, the universe ground to a halt as electricity shot between their locked gazes. The knowledge of their mutual longing was like a physical presence in the small space, forcing them to admit their desires silently to themselves and each other. In a shattering moment of clarity, Jack realized exactly why those fraternization rules existed. Given the present situation, he knew it was all or nothing between them. There was no way he could ever have just a little bit of Samantha Carter. If he gave into those pounding emotions, he'd completely lose his objectivity and be unable to function as an effective officer. The fact that he was wasting valuable escape time staring at her in her underwear was enough proof of that. It was a sobering thought.

Finally, with Herculean effort, the officer side of Jack's brain wrestled control of his body. Forcing himself to look away, he snorted a dry, audibly-strained laugh. "Carter, if we keep this up, it's gonna take four extra-large thick crusts and a case of Budweiser to get through that conversation of ours."

Sam smiled in spite of the tense situation. "Sorry, sir. I wasn't thinking." Then she stopped and amended her previous statement. "Or, rather, I was thinking. Just not about the fact that I had company in the tent."

Keeping his head turned, Jack spoke with wry amusement. "Not a problem, Carter. I'm used to being forgotten when you or Daniel get caught up 'science-geek' mode." He paused. "It's just that you're usually not half-naked when it happens." He didn't add that it was somewhat humbling to be overlooked when, just moments prior, he'd been kissing her senseless.

Quickly pulling on the rest of her clothes, Sam chuckled softly. "Don't feel too bad sir. Once I was on the phone with my brother when I had to put him on hold to turn off one of my instruments. When I reached over to hit the switch, I saw something really interesting and spent the next hour running simulations. When I finally remembered that I'd put Mark on hold, I was mortified. He'd long since hung up, of course." She smiled, remembering the incident. "He still kids me about it." Tucking the last of her t-shirt into her fatigues and securing the top button, Sam took quick stock of her appearance. Satisfied that she was now appropriately covered, she cleared her throat. "You can turn around now, sir."

When Jack turned back, he forced himself to keep his eyes off her. She might be fully dressed now, but the image of her long, bare limbs was still fresh enough in his memory to be emblazoned in his mind's eye. Just because she was no longer half-naked didn't mean he wouldn't imagine her that way. He was about to reach for his own clothes when he realized she was staring at him. "Uh, Carter?"

She blinked, looking puzzled. "Yes?" Then, seeing him gesture to his own discarded BDUs, she blushed furiously and issued an "Oh!" of embarrassment. Immediately, she jerked around and faced the wall of the tent. "Sorry sir."

Feeling somewhat appeased by her obvious interest in his own half-naked figure, Jack smiled. "No problem, Carter." As he swiftly donned his clothes and thought about their present circumstances, however, he felt the tension in the tent start to ratchet up again. They were stuck, millions of light years from home, facing yet another life-or-death situation. And this time, they were utterly, completely and thoroughly alone.

Jack bit back an oath of annoyance. After one afternoon of watching her backside, he'd been unable to resist temptation when faced with close quarters alone with her. If they were stuck in the wilderness for days or, heaven forbid, weeks… He swallowed hard. He knew his limits when it came to resisting the forbidden fruit that was Sam Carter, and he recognized one fact with unblinking certainty.

The officer half of his brain didn't stand a chance.

An hour later, Jack stood on the edge of the clearing, waiting for the UAV overhead to drop its cargo. The camp was packed up, and they would be ready to move out as soon as they obtained the supplies that had been sent from the SGC.

With easy precision, the remote aircraft dropped a single, small package from its underbelly before slowly circling back in the direction of the stargate. Jack watched as a tiny parachute slowed the package's descent. In moments, it settled to the ground with a gentle thud.

Impressed with the accuracy of the UAV's operator, he idly wondered if Teal'c was behind the controls. The large Jaffa had taken quite a liking to simulated combat video games, and was always eager for a chance to show off his eye-hand coordination. Walking over to the plastic container, he quickly detached the nylon parachute.

"Everything okay over there, sir?" Sam called from across the clearing. She was in the process of taking one last set of readings from her instruments before their departure.

"Just fine. I'll get this stuff into our packs, and we'll head out," he called back. Seeing her nod and resume her work, he turned his attention to the container. It wasn't terribly large, as the UAV couldn't handle much extra weight, but Jack knew it would contain an array of food, clothing and, most importantly, medical supplies.

Opening the sturdy, plastic carton, Jack was startled by the first thing he saw. It was a note, clearly written in Daniel's spidery, rushed handwriting.

Jack,

Don't worry. I packed this myself.

Daniel

Puzzled by the message, Jack began pulling items out of the bin. Spare BDUs, a host of yummy MREs, and a frighteningly thorough collection of medical supplies (did they expect someone to get hurt?) were all crammed neatly into the box. Jack was beginning to feel completely baffled by Daniel's note when he reached the bottom of the container. Suddenly, his friend's cryptic message made sense.

There, wedged between an extra emergency blanket and a pack of water-purification tablets, sat a giant, economy-sized box of condoms.

For a moment, he was too stunned to move. Then, stifling a noise that was half-groan, half-chuckle, he quickly snatched the box and hastily shoved it into the bottom of his pack.

Glancing over at his second-in-command, he was not surprised to see her bent over one of the gadgets stuck in the ground. Once again confronted with the sight of her shapely bottom, Jack closed his eyes and prayed for strength.

It was going to be a long mission.

To Be Continued…