"This is weird."
Lieutenant-Colonel Samantha Carter looked at her lunch companion levelly, and raised an eyebrow, waiting for an explanation.
"Us."
"Us…as in…?"
"Leaving. The SGC. It feels like we've been here forever."
"You wanted to go," she pointed out, digging into her lunch.
"Well, yes, but, this all seems so……final. Its over."
"I hate to play devil's advocate," she countered with the smirk she'd picked up in recent weeks, "but the place will carry on without us."
"Not the SCG. SG-1. They'll designate a new group of people and we'll just…not be SG-1."
At this she did raise an eyebrow. The man sat beside her could be exasperating sometimes. "What did you expect? That we'd eventually retire from SG-1 in a loud parade of colour and accolades, and SG-1 would be dedicated to our memories forever?"
"No," he quickly clarified, "but I expected, I don't know, something. Something more than us all just…fading away."
"We're not exactly dead yet," she commented, amused despite herself. He was being serious, she reminded herself, don't make fun of him when he being so earnest.
"I know that."
"Well, if anyone would, you would."
The look he shot her was attempted puppy-eyed masking irritation.
"Its just…we're all leaving."
"You said that."
Silence broke over their table, as they both regarded their lunch. They often ate together, but rarely in silence. One of them always felt the need to break it with a comment or remark.
This day was no different.
"So… heard anything from Teal'c?"
He nodded. "Apparently the Jaffa are having trouble adapting to freedom. They're politely fighting over what to do next. He and Bra'tac are still very much respected, but other leader figures are starting to challenge them."
"How's Teal'c?"
"He sounds…tired, to be honest. As much as he ever does. But happy. He's getting to see a lot more of his family than he ever did here. And Ishta.
Anyway, when are you heading off?" he asked, changing the subject, although a slight smile still played across his face as he recalled the conversation with his beaming, normally stoic friend.
"Day after tomorrow. I've still got to get everything packed, so if you're free this evening, you can lend a hand."
Now it was his turn to raise an eyebrow, "Is that an order, Colonel?"
"Sorry." She grimaced. "I didn't mean it like that."
"Sam. I'm teasing. 'Course I'll help. What're friends for?"
She smiled. "Heavy lifting, if we're anything to go by these days."
"Well, in your case, yes. And I suspect that a certain friend might be helping you unpack in Nevada," he probed, giving her a meaningful look.
"Policy is; don't ask, don't tell."
"Last time I checked, Sam, I wasn't military."
She regarded him for a moment. "Let's just say it's a case of scratching each other's backs." She paused, as much because it annoyed him as anything else. She really had been picking up bad habits these last few weeks.
"My friend helps me unpack… and I help him unpack." With a wink, she picked up her tray. "See you this evening, then."
He watched her go, and then turned to the third person at their table, who'd been uncharacteristically silent throughout the exchange.
"If she's this bad now, what's she going to be like when she's actually dating you. I'm almost relieved I'll be on the Prometheus."
Jack just grinned like that cat who'd caught the cream. "Shoulda stuck around just to find out, Daniel."
AN: I promise, this didn't start off as one of those fics, cos I think its fairly obvious. I just got ¾ of the way through, and realised that I hadn't mentioned his name. Feedback please – first fic with actual conversation in it – so I need to know if I should go back to the other stuff (yes that is a blatent plea to read my other stuff). Also first not purely Sam/Jack fluff fic, so yeah – I need to know, cos my unofficial beta's off having fun and games. And given that this is saved on my computer as "qualitative pharmacology" so no one knows what it is, there's no one else to ask
