For the next few weeks, Daniel kept his thoughts to himself and watched as things slowly began to spiral out of control. Jack grew grumpier by the day. He yelled and screamed at the slightest problem and the sergeant assigned to him tried in vain to avoid him. His work was done, the teams were safe and the world of SGC proceeded without a hitch. It was just quite a bit more unpleasant than it had to be. He stopped eating meals with SG1, although occasionally he did meet Teal'c and he stayed on base a lot later than normal, holed up in his office mumbling over the massive amount of paper work he had inherited with his promotion. And he stopped visiting Sam's lab.
Sam stayed in her lab unless she was assigned an off world mission and she also stopped eating meals with her friends. She would occasionally met Teal'c for lunch, but Daniel and the General were apparently off her list. She spent her off hours with Pete and whenever Daniel called to try and get her re-involved with the team she declined, sometimes with a legitimate excuse and sometimes not. On missions she was all business and her mood reminded Daniel of Jack's dark ones. She'd stopped smiling. Her work was done, her team was safe and she worked more or less her normal hours. She didn't stop in to see the General as she had in the past and when they did have to interact, it was strained and sometimes volatile. Things had definitely changed.
Daniel sat in his office silently working on a translation. Teal'c sat in a chair nearby reading a book Daniel had given him on North American Animals. Suddenly the phone rang to life and Daniel lifted the receiver to his ear and responded. "Daniel Jackson."
"Dr. Jackson, you're needed in the control room, Sir."
Daniel frowned into the phone. He was rarely called to the control room and if so, it was over the base intercom, not the phone.
"What's the problem, Sergeant?"
"It's the General…and Colonel Carter."
"Ohhhh. Ok, we'll be right there." He looked at Teal'c and grimaced. "Let's go Teal'c."
"What has happened Daniel Jackson?"
"I don't know. That was Harriman, I guess Jack and Sam are at it again!"
Daniel stepped into the control room, empty except for Sergeant Harriman, and stopped momentarily. He immediately heard the angry voices coming from Jack's office and looked at the Sergeant with a frown.
"Where is everyone? What's going on?" He paused for a moment listening and then as the voices suddenly became much louder he questioned. "How long has this been going on?"
"I took the liberty of clearing the control room a few minutes ago. They've been up there for over an hour, but it just got…well, loud a few minutes ago."
"Ok. Teal'c looks like we're the Calvary. Don't worry Sergeant. They've always been very…vocal. I'm sure everything's fine, just a disagreement of some sort." Daniel's explanation and calm attitude seemed to reassure the Sergeant. He probably thought they were going to kill each other from the sound of the angry voices reverberating from Jack's office. Teal'c and Daniel had heard it before, but never quite this extreme.
They started up the stairs to Jack's office and the voices became louder. Daniel looked at Teal'c, dread evident on his face. "I think we should ask for hazard pay for this!"
"I agree, Daniel Jackson. This seems to be happening with increased frequency."
"Yeah. We've got to stop it somehow."
"I do not believe we can stop these occurrences, only postpone them. I believe it is up to O'Neill and Colonel Carter to put this to rest."
Daniel shook his head in agreement, crossed the briefing room and took a deep breath as he flung open Jack's office door. The action caused both Sam and Jack to stop short and look in his direction bringing a sudden welcome quiet to the room.
"Daniel, it is customary to KNOCK!" Jack shouted at him venomously.
"Sorry, Jack, didn't think you'd hear me. What's going on?" He looked from Jack to Sam, both obviously at a high level of anger. "Never mind, I think it's time for a break whatever this is!"
"Get out, Daniel. This is SGC business that doesn't involve you!" Jack's tone was cold and hard, warning him that there was no room for discussion.
"Is that right? Well, Harriman must agree – he cleared the control room ten minutes ago. Jack, what the hell is going on?"
"He did what!" Jack screamed and started for the door. Teal'c stepped into his path.
"O'Neill, may I be of assistance?"
"Yes, Teal'c you can get out of my way!"
"Sergeant Harriman is doing his duty as best he can, O'Neill."
"What does that mean?"
"You have never before addressed Colonel Carter in this manner. It is most unlike you, O'Neill. What has happened?"
Jack looked into the calm eyes of his Jaffa friend and noted that the eyebrow was raised to extreme heights. "We were just discussing…I guess we got a little carried away."
"A little…?" Daniel questioned. "Jack, Sam sit down! We have to stop this now before it gets any worse. What is up with you two?"
"I don't take orders from you, Daniel. I'm in charge here."
"Yes, you are, Jack. I'm just asking you to calm down for a few minutes so we can discuss this. Sam?"
"I don't take orders from you either and I don't want to sit down!" Daniel felt the taste of panic rising in his throat, suddenly afraid that military discipline had finally broken down. He hated it most of the time, but Jack and Sam would be dangerously unpredictable without it.
Jack stared at Sam for a long time, the anger slowly dissipating, and then he sat heavily in his chair. "Sit down, Carter." Jack had regained most of his calm, his voice now soft and even.
Daniel released the breath that had been captured in his chest and watcher Carter closely, knowing instinctively she was about to challenge Jack's order. He couldn't figure why though, maybe it was just a "knee jerk" reaction to their earlier disagreement. Looking back at the pair facing off in front of him, he marveled again at how stubborn they both were – all he'd said was "sit down!"
"With all due respect, Sir, I prefer to stand." Daniel flinched. The military mode had returned, but 'respect' wasn't quite what was reflected in Carter's voice.
Daniel saw Jack clench his jaw and braced himself for whatever might be coming as Jack placed both hands on his desk and stood to his full height, towering over Major Carter in his most intimidating persona. Jack's eyes narrowed and he locked his gaze with Sam's making Daniel tense and cough nervously.
"O'Neill." Even Teal'c sensed the explosive nature of the situation and was attempting to intervene, which he almost never did. Now Daniel was extremely nervous…if Teal'c was worried…Daniel suddenly found himself trying to work out a strategy to place himself between Jack and Sam…if they continued at this rate himself or preferably Teal'c would have to step in.
Jack was still staring directly at Sam, but he wasn't moving. In fact the only detectable movement in either of them was the slight movement of muscles in Jack's face as he clenched his jaw tighter and tighter.
"This isn't the garden club, Colonel. In case you've forgotten, it's the United States Air Force and when I came to work this morning I was in charge of this facility. Now, unless you have orders to the contrary…Sit down!"
Sam opened her mouth to speak, but Jack cut her off. "Carter! One more word and I swear I'll have you thrown in the brig!" Sam looked as if her head was going to explode any second, but for once, she remained quiet.
"And Carter, you're right, you don't take orders from Dr. Jackson, but you will damn well follow my orders. Is that clear, Colonel?" Jack wasn't shouting, but his voice was 'booming' and he was very intimidating – the three people standing in that room knew him better than anyone, but they had never really seen Jack like this. This powerful, threatening, 'don't challenge me' GENERAL O'NEILL mode was new and they had front row seats for its premiere.
Jack watched as his three teammates subconsciously took a step back and although he should have been pleased, he wasn't. His gaze hadn't eased up the slightest bit and Carter had seemed to stand taller as Jack continued to stare at her, silently defying him, while he waiting for her to respond.
"Yes, Sir!" Finally her voice broke the strained silence.
"Now put your ass in that chair, Colonel or I'll have Teal'c do it for you!" Sam's eyes widened in surprise as she turned slowly to look at Teal'c, who was staring straight ahead, and then to Daniel who was tilting his head slowly to one side and finally looking back to Jack.
"Yes, Sir." And she dropped silently into the chair, still trying to rein in her resistance as Jack lowered his dominating frame into his own chair.
Daniel breathed a ragged sigh of relief and began to look around the room. On the desk were the remnants of two lunches. Jack's paperwork was strewn on the desk and the floor as if a sudden, violent wind had rearranged the documents, but Daniel suspected that Jack had created the disarray, his anger flaring recklessly into the air around them, disturbing all in it's path.
"Ok…so, you guys were having lunch…" He paused momentarily, looking back and forth between them, trying to reconstruct the events of the last hour, "and…and you got into an argument. I wasn't here for Jack to intimidate and…Sam wouldn't back down. Am I right so far?" He stopped and waited for an answer. Neither of them spoke or looked at him, it appeared they were now burned out from their argument and not interested in explaining. "Well?"
"NO!" Jack suddenly spit out the word. Daniel did not respond but looked to Sam who had responded at the same time, but with the opposite answer.
"Yes." She spoke again softly never looking up from her sudden, intense study of her hands.
"Right. Well, you two gave the control room crew enough gossip to last a few years! Unlike Teal'c and myself, they aren't used to your little idiosyncrasies; they thought you were going to shoot each other! I'm afraid you both have embarrassed yourselves unless we can find a way to fix this."
"We're not fixing anything, Daniel. I'm in charge here and I'll yell at who I damn well please!"
"It is unnecessary to yell, O'Neill."
"Teal'c! Sometimes it is!" He spoke louder than he had intended and his voice reverberated off the walls of the small office.
"Ok. Ok. Is this business? Or is it…something else?" He looked from one to the other – neither one responding. "Ok. Something else. Then we need to settle this somewhere else – not on base. Agreed?" Both shook their heads in agreement.
"Ok, good. Can we let this go for now and meet later…how about your place, Jack? I think we should discuss this without involving the rest of the base, just the four of us. What do you say? I think that would be best for both of you."
"Yeah, ok." He agreed somewhat regrettably, paused and then continued. "Why the hell are you here anyway, Daniel?"
"Um. Sergeant Harriman called me, Jack."
Jack cocked his head and waited for Daniel to explain
"He was…concerned. Better me than the SF's don't you think? I guess he didn't want to see Sam, or you thrown in the brig. I suspect he thought I…we,' he corrected and indicated himself and Teal'c, "had seen you two go at it before since we've been on the same team for seven years."
Sam looked up wide-eyed realizing for the first time that he was right. She had been standing toe to toe with the General, her commanding officer, although she was fighting with Jack. "General? Sir, I am sorry. I meant no disrespect, it just got…I let myself…well…I'm truly sorry, Sir."
'Ok! Good' thought Daniel, but as he turned to look at Jack the smile that had just started to dominate his face suddenly disappeared and he thought he saw that other General O'Neill returning. Jack didn't look like he was going to let this drop. Jack's hard scowl was still directed at Sam and Daniel admired the fact that she attempted to communicate at all.
Daniel and Teal'c waited for Jack to relax; to forgive Sam for whatever she'd done or said – she did, after all, seem sincere, just as earnest as she had been at the height of the argument. Daniel lowered his eyes and started to smile as he saw "that look" beginning to form in Jack's eyes – the one that meant that this (whatever it was) was truly over and they would return to normal. But just as suddenly…it disappeared and the cold, angry scowl returned as the "other" General took over and spoke harshly to Sam.
"Dismissed! Colonel."
Daniel sighed to himself and spoke to his friends again. "Ok, then. Let's all go down to the commissary and have some dessert." Jack looked at him as if he'd finally lost his mind. "You need to put up a front for those people out there, Jack. You don't have to tell them anything, but you damn well better put up a front and show them you both haven't lost your minds."
Frustrated, Jack raised his eyes toward the ceiling and let out a sigh. "All right. Give me a minute." Jack stood and turned his back on the group while they filed out into the briefing room. Sam stood alone for a moment trying to regain her composure while Daniel and Teal'c exchanged looks and waited for them to complete their transition back to professional military mode.
Jack started toward his office door, but suddenly changed his mind. He was still angry and a slice of pie wasn't going to fix that. The argument flashed again through his mind and his anger increased exponentially. Damn, Daniel for interfering anyway! He was in charge here and no one was going to order him around, not Carter and certainly not Daniel!
Jack stopped at the threshold and looked at his team waiting for him to join them as his anger threatened to consume him again. "Go without me, I've got work to do." Carter spun on her heels to meet his steely gaze and saw the anger he held in check rising again to the surface.
"Jack!" Daniel called out in exasperation.
"Send Harriman in here, Daniel." It was an order with no room for interpretation. He turned and retreated into his office, slamming the door behind him. The rest of the team exchanged brief glances, Sam's eyes raging with her own renewed anger and then changing slightly as a bit of sadness seeped through.
"He just needs to calm down, Sam."
She looked at him with hardened eyes not even trying to conceal the anger there, "Yeah, right!"
A few minutes later, the rest of SG1 walked through the control room and Sergeant Harriman stood with his mouth slightly ajar. Daniel smiled at him in his normal fashion as they passed. "We'll be in the commissary if you need us, Walter."
"Yes, Sir." And as Daniel passed him Walter smiled and raised a thumbs up his way.
Suddenly, Daniel stopped and regretfully turned back to Harriman. His hand slid from just below his nose to cup his chin and after a brief pause, he moved it to run through his hair as he grimaced slightly and looked up at the Sergeant. "He wants to see you, Walter." He thought he saw a dreaded expression flash across the Sergeant's face, but the man recovered quickly.
"Yes, Sir. Just as soon as I get the control room manned."
"Uh, yeah…don't take too long, ok?"
He nodded and then immediately lifted the phone to his ear as Sam, Daniel and Teal'c headed down the hallway to the commissary.