Chapter Four
Creeped out by the grins on the Carters' faces, Jack peeked at Daniel and Teal'c. Both of them were fascinated by the Carters. Jack almost pointed out how quickly Daniel had forgotten about the machine, but he didn't want to draw the other man's attention back to it. Instead he took a deep breath.
"Ok, we're staying here until first light. Then the five of us are going home, fixing this mess, and no one will ever again challenge me when I say we're not playing with the local toys, all right?"
Teal'c offered no argument; he simply nodded his acceptance. The Carters both ducked their heads in shame at having caused their own mess. Daniel was annoyed, but couldn't really dispute the announcement since he might easily hade made the same mistake as Sam if he'd been given a chance to fiddle with the device. Jack didn't want to fathom having two Daniels because he knew that situation might well drive him completely out of his mind.
Satisfied that no one was going to argue with his decree, Jack continued. "I've had some sleep, so I'll take watch now. Teal'c will follow me and then hopefully it will be light enough to head home." He knew Daniel wanted to say something about not having a watch because he undoubtedly still yearned for a chance to play scientist, but Daniel smartly said nothing. Jack watched as Carter 1 opened her mouth to object, but she never actually voiced a complaint. He was leery of spending any time with the Carters until he knew for certain which one was real. There was just too much trouble he could get himself into.
Even as he situated himself to sleep, Daniel looked longingly at the device. Jack wanted to smack him. "No, Danny, you can't touch it." He couldn't believe Daniel hadn't learned a damn thing from the experience. Of course, he wouldn't have believed it if Daniel had simply accepted his order either.
"Fine." Grumbling, Daniel lay down to sleep.
Teal'c was already meditating, leaving Jack essentially alone with the Carters again. Carter 1 was eyeing the copier just as Daniel had. Carter 2 was staring at their pack. Since Carter hadn't been wearing it while she was working, there was only one pack. Jack watched as Carter 2 slowly moved toward it, keeping a distrustful eye on the other version of herself.
Her instincts being as sharp as they were, Carter 1 noticed the slight movement and her head snapped to face the other. "What are you doing?"
Carter 2 glared. "None of your damn business."
Carter 1 approached her and folded her arms across her chest, trying to look menacing to her double. "It's my pack and therefore my business."
Jack was horrified. He was afraid of siding with either, but he didn't think it was a good idea to let them fight it out. "Carters." Although had there been mud and bikinis involved, he might not have been so quick to intervene.
Carter 1 turned to face him; her glare back in place. Carter 2 had the most pathetic look in her eyes. Neither bothered to argue.
He muttered a string of curses under his breath, he'd really been hoping that with a warning they'd be able to work it out themselves. He was going to have to take sides. He could just tell. He nodded at Carter 2. "What do you need out of there?"
Carter 2's face blushed so deeply that Jack could see it in the dim light of the fire. "A blanket, sir. I'm cold."
He nodded at Carter 1. "Are you cold?"
She looked downright offended. "Of course not, sir."
And once again he was faced with a dilemma. Carter was never one to admit weakness, even in such a way as to reveal that she was cold, which would explain why she blushed at having to tell him. Then again, Carter would generally rather freeze to death than tell him such a thing, which would explain why she'd denied it. He sighed, remembering exactly why he preferred to leave the thinking to those who were better at it. He shrugged at both of them before he addressed Carter 1. "If you're not cold, then is it really going to bother you if she uses the blanket?"
"No, sir, not at all." She forced a smile at Carter 2. "Be my guest." Then she looked back at Jack, for once not glaring. She looked sheepish. "Sorry, sir."
"Just try not to let it happen again."
She nodded vehemently. "Absolutely not, sir."
Jack settled down, resting his back against his pack. He really hoped the Carters would go to sleep, thus sparing him the trouble of having to deal with them. It really wasn't at all what he'd ever imagined when he imagined two Carters, which he promised himself was something he would never admit imagining to either Carter. He watched as Carter 2 carefully unzipped the pack and removed the blanket. She knew exactly where it would be and was every bit as anal retentive about how she replaced the other items as he ever remembered her being. But then, Carter 1 was watching her every move like a hawk, exactly the same way Jack had witnessed Carter watching whenever anyone else touched her stuff.
He turned away and wondered why it was that Carter never got along with herself. When that alternate reality Carter had shown up years earlier, they'd hated each other and hadn't been all that good at pretending not to hate each other when Jack suggested they get along. Sure they were able to work together for a common purpose, but Carter had always been able to work with everyone, even people she was only working with in order to get something finished so they would go away. It was alarming at how very badly Carter reacted to herself. He wondered if it was a self-esteem issue. Maybe deep down, despite the confidence she projected, she wasn't sure of herself at all. Although, Jack would have thought that would make her more understanding and not less.
Carter 2 crossed in front of him, distracting him from his thoughts. His heart sped up and slightest bit when she settled down next to him, which was his standard reaction to being close to Carter. It was the Carter he'd misguidedly decided was the real one, but her behavior threw him. She was sitting way too close and, most surprisingly, had rested her head on his shoulder. Normally, Jack would have been unbelievably happy with such an open display of affection. As it were, he was terrified. He froze for several minutes, afraid to do anything. Eventually, his eyes darted over to glance at her, assuring himself that Carter, in any way, shape, or form, had put her head on his shoulder. Then his eyes moved the other way, meeting the startled eyes of the other Carter. She'd assumed a position much like his, leaning against her pack with her arms resting on her knees. Her mouth was hanging open in shock. Her mouth worked to form words, probably to promise him that she would never do such a thing, but in the end, the shock faded and the angry glare returned.
Jack started to wonder if maybe that was the real reason she didn't trust other versions of herself. Perhaps she was afraid that another woman, even if or especially if that other woman was her, would destroy that thread between them. His heart nearly broke at the thought that he'd been mentally siding with the fake one, while the real Carter was crushed and hiding it behind military protocol.
Of course, when he went to move Carter 2 away from him, he couldn't do it. He was blinded by the thought that he could have been right in the first place and then he'd be hurting the real one by rebuffing her attempt to reach out to him. So he sat still, painfully uncertain as to the right course of action and intensely aware of how very angry Carter was going to be with him in the end over everything even though she'd never admit it. He promised himself he would never again imagine two Carters because it wasn't nearly as much fun as he thought it would be.
Hell, it wasn't any fun at all.
