Takes place around Nemesis.

Jack's POV

I sauntered into the Infirmary to check on Daniel. Turned out it was appendicitis. Doc had whisked him into surgery and whipped out the thing and he was doing good now. But he wouldn't be able to go back on duty for a couple more weeks.

So that meant down-time. Two weeks of down-time. Me; I was heading for my cabin. My cabin. My lake — with no fish. There was something so … Zen about fishing. Nothing to do with fish; just the act of fishing. Sadly, no-one seemed to get it.

Then I thought about Teal'c. The big guy meditated — he'd get it. Maybe I should drag him with me one day. Land of sky blue waters, home of the loon, mosquitoes … Probably best not to mention the mosquitoes, though. Ever since that big honkin' ugly space bug on BP6-3Q1 had tried to turn him into more big honkin' ugly space bugs, T wasn't exactly fond of the things.

Huh. Can't say I blamed him.

I headed over to Daniel's bed. "Hey," I greeted him.

"Hey," he replied. Yep; we were such great conversationalists.

"How're you doin'?"

"Good …". Daniel looked at me. "Did you get your hair cut?"

"Yeah. Why?" I resisted the urge to smooth down the cowlicks I just knew were there. Even military-short, my hair tended to be chaotic.

"No reason."

"Can I see your scar?" I asked. I was in a damn good mood, and it was showing itself in childishness.

"No."

Fine. "Fraiser says it'll be about a week before you get out of here."

"You know; it's funny. I mean after everything we've been through these past few years. And of all things it's my appendix that lays me out …".

Yeah. Hilarious.

"But it's not going to be a week," Daniel continued. "I mean … I practically feel fine now."

Right. Sure. Okay! I decided to test him. "Wanna go fishing?"

Daniel sat up slightly, trying to hide a grimace. Considering how much damn time he spent in that bed, you'd think he'd have gotten better at it. Oh, you hypocrite, O'Neill!

"Actually I wouldn't ... uhh … No; you know, I think maybe I will stay here for two or three … three days."

I hid the smirk. I knew it. "Bye," I said casually and strolled out of the Infirmary.

Sam's POV

I pulled my welding mask over my face and set the naqadah reactor firmly on the counter, thinking with pleasure about the week ahead of me. Not that I was glad that Daniel was in pain down there, but nevertheless … It gave me a chance to catch up on the backlog of experiments waiting for me.

I yawned slightly and poured a cup of coffee, grabbing a slice of cherry pie out of the small refrigerator to go with it. Mrs. Chapman's cherry pie. I'd met the sweet little old lady a couple of days after Janet's party when I'd been returning the Colonel's empty dishes and we'd hit it off immediately.

Once I'd disabused her of the notion that I was the Colonel's 'sweetheart' — talk about embarrassing! — we'd chatted for a while, then she'd trotted into her house to emerge with two pies. One cherry for me, and one apple-cinnamon for the Colonel. "This young man told me how much you liked my pie, dear," she'd said, pressing the pie into my hands. She tutted. "And he also said you don't eat enough." She looked me up and down. "Such a pretty girl, but you're too thin."

I took a bite of the pie, giving a quiet moan as the slightly tart fruit burst in my mouth and mingled with the sweetness of the pastry, then put it to one side as I switched on the welder. Then I grinned to myself. Five. Four. Three. Two …

"Carter!" Those were the dulcet tones of my commanding officer.

And there he was — almost on cue. Dressed in cargo pants, white tee shirt and black leather jacket, he looked casual and relaxed. And not attractive at all. Uh-uh. No way. I put the welder down and lifted my hood. "Sir; hi!" I said. "How's Daniel?"

"Oh, he's gonna be fine. What are you doing?"

I knew better than to presume that he actually cared. I just didn't want him distracting me, so I decided to blind him with what he called 'techno-babble'. "Uhh … I'm getting ready to do a detailed analysis of the decay rate of naqadah within the reactor. It's really quite amazing. Unlike plutonium, naqadah actually has a …".

"A-ah!" The Colonel got a pained look on his face. "I'm on vacation!"

"Yes, sir." Hah! One-nil to me.

"So are you."

Subtle, mon Colonel. "I know. It's not that I'm happy that Daniel's in excruciating pain or anything like that, but I've actually been looking forward to an opportunity like this for some time."

The Colonel grimaced. "You know, maybe it's just me, but I thought that when one actually got some leave, one actually left! Look, Daniel's recuping, Teal'c is off world visiting his kid somewhere. Personally, I have a date with a little lake in Minnesota where the bass grow that big." He opened his arms to indicate the size.

"Really," I said sarcastically. After nearly four years serving with Jack O'Neill, I'd gotten pretty good with the sarcasm.

"Oh yes! What I am describing here, Carter, involves a very special element."

I gestured to my equipment, trying not to smile. It was nice to see the Colonel so enthusiastic for something. "This is fun to me, sir."

"Well … If playing with your little reactor sounds better than exploring the lakes and natural beauty of Northern Minnesota, there's not much I can do."

"Was that an invitation … sir?" A small part of me wanted to go with him, but most of me balked.

"Nothing wrong with that is there?" the Colonel asked in a would-be innocent tone. "A couple of co-workers, friends if you will, fishing. It'd be fun."

It actually sounded nice. Maybe … No. Better not. Janet had been giving me some pretty meaningful looks lately, and after that whole Edora thing, I thought I'd better tread carefully around her for a while. Even the suspicion of improper conduct could ruin a career. "Wow. I appreciate the offer, sir," I said. "Really. Sounds great … but I should …".

"No sweat!" he interrupted. "See ya in a week and by all means, have fun."

The Colonel strolled out of my lab. I shook my head and bent back to my work. Then I paused. Actually … the hell with it. I could use a vacation, and maybe it was time for me to get a life outside of the SGC. Going to Minnesota was a good start, and I enjoyed spending time with the Colonel. He was funny and clever; I'd like to get to know him better.

I headed out into the corridor, looking for the Colonel.

I saw him strolling along ahead of me and jogged after him as he turned a corner. "Colonel!" I called.

He stopped and turned round.

And I … chickened out. "Uhh … Have a good time," I said.

"Land of sky blue waters? Loofahs. Yeah, sure ya betcha … snookums. Mosquitoes …".

A bright light surrounded the Colonel and he disappeared. For a second I was stymied, then I ran and hit the alarm.

Between Seasons 3 and 4

P3X 234

We'd sent Thor's stasis pod through the Stargate a couple days ago and had been dialing home every half hour or so. No joy. I kicked the unresponsive DHD out of sheer frustration. "Stupid, worthless, hunk of crap!" I yelled.

"Hey, take it easy, Carter!" the Colonel said, coming up from behind me. "You'll figure it out. You always do."

"Yeah?" Part of me was pleased at his confidence in me, part of me felt like it was just another responsibility. The job of the 'brainiac'. "Wish I had your faith, sir," I sighed.

"Hey …". He nudged me and passed a bottle of water over. "We've been in worse situations than this."

I couldn't deny that. But … "Don't you ever get tired of it?"

He squinted at me in the bright sunshine. "Carter?"

"The endless fighting … the battles … Don't you ever want a … regular life?" I sighed. "Or is it just me?"

"Carter." He looked at me seriously. "Don't kid yourself; we all want that sometimes." He took a drink of water. "But … we're doing good. Making a difference. It's important."

"Yeah." I opened the water bottle. "It's just … you've been nagging me for a while now to get a life. But you spend nearly as much time on the base as I do."

"Ah, it's different for me, Carter," he returned lightly. "For one thing; I'm higher ranked than you … much more paperwork." He grimaced, then smiled slightly. "Also, I've had the whole family thing … wife, kid, mortgage. And it was good while it lasted." He folded downward to lean against the DHD. "You deserve a chance to have the same."

"You deserve it too, sir," I said. I knew he blamed himself for his marriage falling apart, but to my mind, it took two to make — or break — a relationship. And even if he had been a rotten husband, which I doubted, no-one could deny how great a father he was.

Not 'had been' — 'was'. Two of the Colonel's "kids" were here with him right now and one was in the Infirmary. Several more were scattered across different worlds. Not that I saw him as a substitute father. He was my friend and I was proud to know him.

He gave a short cough and looked closely at me with his intense brown eyes. I returned the steady gaze, appreciating the rare openness of the man. "Maybe one day," he said. He touched my cheek gently, then got up, holding out a hand to yank me to my feet. "And now … back to work, Carter!"

"Yes, sir," I said, dusting off my pants. "And … thanks."

"Welcome," he replied. "Think I'll go and bug T for a while; maybe find out what that thing on his chin's about."

I laughed. "Just don't touch it this time, sir," I advised, recalling the ferocious glare the Colonel had received from the big Jaffa when he'd attempted to tug it.

"Yeah, sure, ya betcha!" he caroled and strolled away, hands stuffed in pockets.

I shook my head, then got back to work. I wasn't sure exactly what had happened, but something had … changed. Whether it was a change for good or for ill, I didn't know. Only time would tell.

THE END