P3X 234 was a very hot, very primordial planet. They had found some caves near the stargate that offered some protection from the elements and there was an over abundance of fruit to supplement the MRE's they had with them. Which was as well, because as the days stretched on they began to wonder how long they were going to be stuck there waiting for the gate to finally connect to Earth.
The three of them had arrived on the planet exhausted, totally drained from their experience on Thor's ship. It was something of a shock to find Thor's stasis pod already gone when they arrived and a holographic message from the Asgard letting them know he was safe but not offering a lift home. O'Neill spent the first two days commenting on that until Teal'c asked with uncharacteristic irritation to stop. He would have been upset except that T's comment and his reaction produced a whole new grin from Carter – which he promptly named the "Teal'c - I can't believe you said that!"
They settled into a routine pretty quickly. Mornings were spent foraging for fruit and fishing. Needless to say, no fish ever supplemented the MRE's and fruit. They dozed through the middle of the day and in the evenings they collected firewood and continued with the chores of keeping the camp in order. Three times a day they would try dialling home. The wormhole would not connect and Carter started to worry about all the things that could have gone wrong with their plan. Not the least of which was that the Asgard ship had not been destroyed and that the replicators were already taking over Earth.
They would talk over the possibilities each night after Teal'c would start to Kel No Reem. On the third night, O'Neill could sense that she was starting to believe her worst fears so he began to make up outlandish scenarios just to make her laugh.
"You know, they're just giving themselves time to get everything ready … Tickertape parades in all the worlds major cities don't organise themselves. The President and the Queen of England and Presidents of Russia, China and France all have busy schedules. It's going to be hard getting them together for afternoon tea. I hear that the Queen has been bugging my Mom for the recipe of my favourite cake. She'll need some practice to get it right. Apparently, Canada is debating whether to give me Lake Winnepeg or Lake Manitoba. I'm sure Hammond is getting slowed down by Daniel constantly whining that he should be allowed to be in the parade too, even though he wasn't actually on the mission with us…."
He kept on and on about the worldwide celebrations that were being planned to commemorate the destruction of the replicator riddled Asgard ship. She joined in after a while and added a few absurdities of her own. They eventually ran out of steam and lay on their bedrolls chuckling softly. A comfortable silence grew between them.
O'Neill propped his chin on his hands and directed his gaze toward her. It was the softly intense gaze she had come to love and dread, the one that made her shiver and melt at the same time.
"I was wondering…. you were almost going to say yes, and then you changed your mind. Why?"
A direct question. Not one to ignore. Not one that would go away, not with him lying over there with all the time in the world. One for which she owed him a truthful answer.
He waited patiently while she gathered her thoughts. He knew her, knew that the answer she gave him would be the truth, even if it was a truth that neither of them would be comfortable with.
After a few minutes she shifted around so that she could look him in the eye.
"I was going to say yes. Then Major Wood came into the hallway and he'd have heard anything that we said. No one would think twice if you took Daniel or Teal'c to Minnesota. But me? Understand this - I would love to go fishing with you. I would even consider leaving my laptop at home. But no one would ever believe we could be just fishing. There are so few women in my position and everything we say and do goes under the microscope. The fraternization rules… I wouldn't…. but there'd be no innocent until proven guilty for us."
She looked at him miserably. She thought she saw his lips soundlessly mouthing "us". She took a deep breath. This was where it got tricky. "If things were different….. If those rules weren't an issue, then I would accept with no hesitation" He lifted his head and his gaze became even more intense.
"But…"
He sighed and dropped his chin back into his hands.
"What we do is important, I don't have to tell you how much. Right now we fight the fight, side by side, together. I watch your back, you watch mine. Not just you and me, but the four of us, we make a difference. I'm not ready to change that, to give that up. I don't think you are either."
She waited. Eventually he said softly, sadly, "No"
She smiled. "I want you to keep asking though. I need to keep telling you no, but I'd like to hope that one day, I'll be able to say yes."
But wait, there's more..