Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with Stargate; it all belongs to MGM or Gecko Film Corp. All I own is the plot and original characters.

AN: Thankyou to everybody who reveiwed! It's really nice to get some feedback.

Chapter 2: Team Night?

Rebecca Mayers looked at the seven people that were sitting around her in Colonel O'Neill's living room. There were the three men that she had met in the supermarket, and three that she had been introduced to only that day.

Last of all there was Sam.

She was sitting in between Colonel O'Neill and Daniel Jackson on the couch. Teal'c was sitting in a chair opposite them and next to General Hammond. Rebecca, herself, was sharing another couch with Janet Frasier and her daughter Cassie.

Rebecca's children, Sarah and Kellie and General Hammonds grandchildren, Kayla and Tessa, were playing outside.

"So Cart-" O'Neill was cut off by a shrill squeal of delight from outside in the backyard.

Seven heads turned to look out the window simultaneously.

Sarah was hanging from a low tree branch by her hands trying desperately to stay off the ground. Then, after a minute or so, she let go and Kayla tagged her it, and ran off, and the whole process started again.

"Off ground chasey, sir?" O'Neill looked at Hammond.

He held up his hands, "It was something they learnt at school. I think."

O'Neill looked at Sam for a moment, before both of them shrugged. Bec studied them carefully for a minute, before shaking her head slightly. They had been looking to the other for conformation all afternoon.

Daniel glanced at her before a look of inspiration spread over his face. He leant forward in anticipation. "So, Rebecca, do you have any good stories about Sam doing awful things at school?"

"So the real reason I was invited comes out!" Bec laughed. "Well. There was this time in Science, Sam and me both-" She looked at Sam and changed her mind. "No, I promised I would never tell anyone about that incident. There isn't really anything to tell about her that would be shocking. I was the wild one out of the three of us."

"Thankyou, Bec. I'm glad you decided not to tell. I might have been forced to do something I'd regret."

"Threats, Sammy?" Five collective eyebrows rose.

Sam mock frowned at her. "Don't call me that Bec. You know I hate it."

"Sorry."

"Yeah, you sound really sorry."

"Of course I do."

They looked at each other and burst out laughing.

xxx

Bec leaned on the rail of Colonel O'Neill's veranda, watching her children, General Hammond's grandchildren, Murray, Cassie, and Doctor Frasier play soccer.

General Hammond was umpiring.

Sam and Colonel O'Neill were sitting together on the grass watching them play also. Rebecca had gone inside for a drink of water, and when she had come out was mesmerized by the scene in front of her.

Her friend and the Colonel had caught each others eyes quite a lot that afternoon. From the looks of their posture they were doing it again.

"It's sad, isn't it?" Doctor Jackson's voice came from behind her suddenly, startling her.

"Sad?"

He nodded towards the two again. "Sam and Jack. They've been like that for years, but they can't do a thing about it because of the air force regulations."

"I was wondering about them. They have quite a few…"

"Moments?"

"I suppose you could say it like that. For years?"

"Yeah. They hide it well though. It's only when one of them nearly dies that you could tell, and then only if you know them well."

Bec's first thought after that was 'Is he joking?' but he did not appear to be.

"When you put it like that, it is sad."

They both watched in silence as Doctor Frasier threw herself down next to Sam, and Murray followed her standing. After a minute, Murray pulled O'Neill to his feet and they made their way up towards the veranda.

"Doc threatened us with big needles if we didn't go away, and come and get Rebecca." O'Neill explained to Daniel. "Something to do with us being male."

Daniel and O'Neill shrugged together.

"I guess that's my cue then." Bec said inching slowly away from them.

"Wait a second, Rebecca." The Colonel moved to block her path. "You could tell us the story you were going to before. Carter won't know." He grinned jokingly.

"I don't think so, Colonel." Bec smiled and started to move away.

"Wait." It was Daniel that spoke this time. "Could you tell us what Sam was like when she was younger?"

Bec looked at him, and then round at the others. "Okay." She said slowly, taking a breath. "She was a lot different than she is now. In high school she was very shy, wouldn't talk unless spoken to, that kind of thing. That was her dad's influence, I think. She missed him a lot, especially after her mom died. In a way, I'm surprised she actually went into the air force, because, at the time she really resented it because her dad was hardly ever there."

She paused and looked at Sam.

"Was science her favourite subject?" Colonel O'Neill asked jokingly.

"You know, it wasn't. Sure, she was good at it, but it was English and History that she really loved for a while there. She used to really love Music for a while as well, played piano, but, she stopped after her mom died. I think that she only started really liking science, was after we started doing physics."

Daniel and Colonel O'Neill's mouths were wide open.

"Played piano?" One of them asked.

"English and History?" The other breathed.

Rebecca laughed. "Yeah. She used to work hard too. Lauren and I always were trying to get her to relax, but it never worked. She probably hasn't changed in that regard at all."

"You're not wrong." Colonel O'Neill muttered. Bec smiled.

"Sam was a good friend, and she got me out of a lot of trouble during school. I think one time she even took a detention for me, so I could go and work on another assignment."

"She took detention for you?"

"Yeah, she took the blame, and stayed after school for three days. Her dad was absolutely furious."

"I bet he was." Daniel said softly.

Bec looked at Sam again and saw Doctor Frasier and her friend beckoning to her.

"All right, I think if you guys want to know anymore, you should talk to Sam." With one last smile, Bec stepped off the veranda and made her way towards the two women waiting for her.

xxx

It was only on her way home that Rebecca realised what Daniel had implied when she had been talking to him.

'It's only when one of them nearly dies that you could tell, and then only if you know them well.'

She had brushed it off when she was talking to him, but now she thought about it, it was quite a weird thing to say. How often would they nearly die, working in deep space radar telemetry?

And Sam had said she was injured in a lab accident. How many of them do you have that leave you on crutches for weeks?

Bec thought back over the afternoon, trying to think if there had been any other things that didn't measure up.

Then something Sam had said when they had started eating lunch sprang up at her.

(Flash back)

"Grub's up!" Colonel O'Neill shouted, putting down a plate of food on the table.

Everyone sat down.

Daniel raised his glass. "To getting off of crutches!"

They all repeated the sentiment, smiling.

Sam raised her glass again and said, "To good friends, and for those who didn't get back home."

They all drank again, and started eating.

(End Flashback.)

'For those that didn't get back home?' Rebecca wondered.

What was her friend doing?

'Well, one things for sure; it's not deep space radar telemetry.' She thought grimly.

AN: I am soo sorry this took so long to post. I have been incommunicado for quite a while because i have been at a place with absolutely no internet access.

Anyway, i hoped you liked this chapter, and please review!

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