JamSack: Thanks!

Payne N. Uranus: LOL! Hope you are better now.
BookWorm37: Ok, YOU were the one who said that! So, I hope you don't mind me using it. (hug), All hail BookWorm37!
twix: lol,
Vid Z.: I shall do my utmost best!

I hope y'all like this chapter! (And thanks for reviewing for the last chapter!)

"Sir!"

He looked up. "Carter?"

She stifled a loud sigh. "I- please, sir, can we STOP watching this?"

"It's the Simpson's!"

"Do you know where my dad is?" She asked, suddenly aware she hadn't seen him that day.

"Nope."

"Can we turn this off?"

"Nope."

She leaned against the pillow and wondered if she could survive 12 more days with him. Right now, seemed improbable...

He hit the remote button and the TV screen went blank. She gave him a small smile. "Thanks."

He sighed. "Soooooooooo..."

She sighed loudly and turned over, taking her book with it. The room was silent for several long minutes. Carter was acutely aware of the fact that her CO was staring at her. She finally gave up and rolled over, carefully of course. (She DID have a broken leg...)

"What?" she snapped.

"Nothing..."

She tossed her novel on the nightstand. "You are staring at me."

Jack shook his head. "I wasn't! Ok, I was... sort of, but-"

"Jack!" Cassie squealed racing into the infirmary, "Tell Daniel I can have coffee!" she demanded.

"She can have coffee." Jack repeated obediently to the archeologist as he raced in.

"Jack! Coffee stunts growth." Daniel complained.

"It's the last cup, isn't it?"

Daniel glared at him. "Jack, that isn't the point..."

"HA! It is!" Jack crowed.

Daniel spun around and stormed out.

"He's just mad 'cause Uncle George won't let him go off world with SG-9." Cassie said sagely.

"How do you know that?" Sam asked.

Cassie shrugged and arranged an innocent look on her face. "I heard it somewhere."

"Cassandra Fraiser! You listened outside General Hammond's office!" Sam scolded.

"Well, it's the only way I HEAR things!" she complained.

Jack and Sam exchanged mirth filled glances.

"What?" Cassie demanded. "Stop laughing at me!"

"I'm not laughing Cassie. Laughing means noise will issue from my-"

Cassie sighed. "You are incorrgible."

"Indeed." Teal'c said with a raised eyebrow.

Jack wasn't sure how to answer that so he settled it by demanding pie. Teal'c was dispatched with orders to return with pie for him and cereal for Carter.

"So, what are we going to do today?" Cassie asked, settling herself on the edge of Sam's bed.

"We?" Sam asked. "I am going to talk to you, read my book, convince your mom to let me take a shower..."

The 17 year old raised an eyebrow. "Boring," she declared. "I have an idea. I sneak snow into here and we have a snowball fight."

"NO!" Jack and Sam said loudly.

She pouted. "Why not?"

"You'll make a mess."

Cassie sighed. "Fun sucker."

Teal'c returned with the requested food and the infirmary was quiet for a while, the silence only broken by the teen's chatter. Jack was absorbed in his own thoughts until he heard:

"So, I was thinking, when you guys are ok, we could all go to your cabin for a while, whaddya think Jack?"

"What?"

She giggled. "Sam, you, at your cabin?"

"Cassie!" Sam reprimanded turning a bright red.

"Oh, and me, mom, Daniel and Teal'c of course." she hastily added.

"Yeah..." Carter muttered, "Sure that's what you were thinking."

Cassie smiled unrepentantly. "So, I heard you kicked stalker boy's rear to Canada."

Carter stiffened slightly. "I did not."

Cassie stared at her. "But Mom said-"

"I take responsibility," Jack said raising his hand.

Cassie grinned. "YOU Jack... interesting..."

"Stuff it Cass."

She got up and stole the remainder of his pie. "Gotta go flirt with Bert and Ernie, see ya!"

Carter laughed. "She's one of a kind sir."

"Ahh, she's not bad... for an alien."

The afternoon passed swiftly, the monotony only broken by the teenager and doctor. Daniel was still sulking.

Dusk came and with it a grouchy Daniel and an annoyed Teal'c. Apparently the shipment of his candles had been changed and they were all pink. Things like that irritated the guy...

"No."

"Oh come on..."

"Dr. Fraiser has said that you are forbidden to touch anymore confectionary or gelatin, indeed, you are forbidden anything from the dessert bar."

"C'mon Teal'c... just a sliver?"

"No."

"Pllleeeasssse?"

Teal'c ignored him. "Do you require anything Major Carter?"

"I'm fine, thank you Teal'c."

As Teal'c left, a cell rang.

"It's mine," Sam called as everyone fumbled for his or hers. "Hello?"

"Hey Sam."

She swallowed hard. "Hi Pete."

Jack looked up.

"Babe, I'm sorry 'bout running out, I-"

"I understand," she interrupted. "My dad was…"

"Your CO was pretty bad too. What is it with that guy calling your dad 'dad' and stuff? I mean… he isn't your brother… is he?"

"No!"

Jack gave her a curious look.

"Pete, I can't talk right now, I-"

"Sam, I-I wasn't going to do this but… will you marry me."

Carter stared wide-eyed at the phone. "What?" she hissed.

"Will you marry me?"

"I… Pete, I-"

"Hey Sam, sorry about being gone so long, I had to-" Jacob began breezing in.

"Sam?"

"Hey Dad!" JAck called loudly.

"Give me a minute Pete," she said quietly, "I'll call you back."

She hung up and stared at her dad. "Where have you been?" she demanded.

"I was shopping!" he said defensively. "Gave the packages to the nice SF's outside."

She tuned out and stared at her phone. He proposed… Pete had proposed…

"Carter?" Jack asked softly, "What did Pete want?"

"He proposed." She said quietly.

"He WHAT?" Jacob roared.

"Do you love him?" Jack asked tonelessly.

She shook her head. "Not like that."

"Are you sure?"

Her phone rang. She answered it.

"Sam?"

"Hi Pete."

"Um, sorry to bother you but I-"

"I'm sorry," she whispered, "I really am."

He was silent for a while. "That's a no?"

"Yeah."

"Is that Colonel O'Neill isn't it? I always knew that bastar-"

Carter hit the off button and flungher cellphoneacross the room. "I said no," she said calmly. "Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to take a nap."

When she woke up, the infirmary was empty excepting a sleeping Jack. She vaguely noticed her bed was back where it belonged.

She said no to Pete.

A tear trickled down her cheek. She hadn't wanted to hurt him. He had loved her... and she had loved that.

"Carter?" Jack asked quietly, "you going to be ok?"

She nodded. "Yeah," she said softly. "I'm just tired... of hurting people."

"Carter..." Jack said slowly. "You don't hurt people. You help people."

She looked at him. "Do I?"

"Yes."

She swallowed hard. "Sir, do you... do you still have..." she trailed off and stared at him, silently pleading for him to help her out.

"Yep," he said quietly. "I-"

Daniel hurried in. "Jack! Guess what?"

"What?" Jack snapped.

"I..."

And while Daniel talked excitedly about getting to join the three day journey with SG-9, Jack thought about all the ways he could get back at Daniel... maybe switch his coffee to decaf...

"Sir? you alright?"

He looked up. "I'm fine." he saidsoftly, "I'm fine."

Carter met his eyes and silently they agreed to put the subject behind them once again...

But yeah right...

Sorry 'bout the slow update and rather dumb, angstychapter. I miss my beta! (sob)

Yep, I got rid of Pete for good...(unless of course, I killed him...) (don't be mad people, I know you all like him)

Well, thanks for reading it and...

PLEASE REVIEW!