Days Like This

Sam learns that the old adage, "sometimes it just doesn't pay to get out of bed" applies even to theoretical astrophysicists every now and again.

Hi all! Started working on something short after my trip overseas. Seeing as all of my stories tend to be really long :) I thought I'd attempt a one-shot, light-heartedfic. Alas, I can't seem to contain myself to one chapter,but this story will only be about 3 or 4 chapters. Takes place around season 5 or so but no big spoilers...and for once, no children in my fic! Can you believe it? Hope you enjoy this look into a long, challenging day for Sam. No Sam/Jack ship in this one, but friendship and flirty focused a bit! Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 1 – Just Getting Started

Samantha Carter, Major in the USAF, assigned to the most highly classified program in the country, theoretical astrophysicist and certified genius extraordinaire, was exhausted; a state she seemed to find herself in more and more lately. Stealing a glance at her watch, Sam groaned softly. 0200. No wonder she could hardly keep her eyes open. She cast a glare at the object that was the cause of her latest state of fatigue.

It looked rather innocuous, really. Just an oblong rectangular metal box, about fifteen inches long by four inches tall, with two locks on the front. Two locks that she had spent the past twelve hours trying to open. They seemed to operate on a small electromagnetic field that was created by an equally minute set of crystals located on the back side of the box, but beyond that, Sam had no idea how to open the damned thing. And it was starting to make that small bubble of frustration that had started hours ago grow larger with each passing moment.

Sam backed away from the large magnifying glass that was pointed directly at the back of the box, tossed down one of several tools she had been using, and stretched her back, groaning out loud as the tension was slightly released. Figuring a little more stretching could only help, she arched her back even further. Her eyes blinked in surprise when the sound of her back cracking loudly was followed by a soft chuckle. She swung her head around swiftly and made a face at the man who stood in her open doorway.

"Sounds kind of like Jack's knees when he stands up," came the amused voice, accompanied by an equally amused look.

Sam rolled her eyes and turned to face the man more fully. "Funny, Daniel." She looked carefully at him, then cocked her head in confusion. "What are you doing up so late?"

"Or early," he supplied, looking pointedly at his watch.

Sam gave him a small smile. "Or early," she agreed, then waited expectantly for his answer.

Daniel waved the folder in his hand at her. "Just going over some last minute notes on the mining treaty with the Perovians before the briefing tomorrow… er, this morning I guess. There were a few…details that needed closer inspection." He frowned as he looked down at the folder, then looked back up at Sam. Taking in the fatigue around her eyes, his frown deepened. "You still trying to figure out that box SG-6 brought back from P5X-996?"

Sam sighed and turned back to her work table. "Yeah. Not having much luck with it, either. You'd think with the two locks and those crystals, it would just be a matter of finding the right combination, so to speak. But nothing I've tried has worked so far." She turned back to him. "I really wanted to have this figured out before we go and finalize things with the Perovians." She sighed again, ran her hand through her hair and shrugged her shoulders. "Don't think that's going to happen though." They both looked around her lab at the other projects waiting for her attention and Daniel winced in sympathy.

"Wish I could help but, seeing as our briefing is in," he checked his watch again, "Five hours, I think it's going to have to wait. We should probably go try to get some shut eye. You know how funny Jack gets when we're up all night working...seems to think sleep is an important commodity before a mission." They smiled and shared a look of understanding at his words before Sam turned to shut down her equipment. Daniel waited patiently by her door.

"Well, I won't tell him how late we were up if you don't," she said with a smile as she finished up and met him at the entrance to her lab.

"Deal," Daniel held out his hand and shook Sam's lightly. Then he raised his eyebrows at her in mock warning. "Just don't start yawning during my part of the briefing; it will be a dead give away."

"Me? Yawn? Never," she replied with a grin, then put her hand over her mouth as she did just that.

Daniel laughed as she gave him a slightly embarrassed grin, then led the way out of her lab. "Well, sleep well, Sam," he gave a small wave. "See you in a few hours."

"Night, Daniel," she replied with a smile. With one last look inside her lab, Sam sighed. She really hated leaving things half done but knew without a doubt that she couldn't be tired or distracted on their upcoming mission; even if it was just the finalization of a treaty.

Sam swiped her card through the security lock, watching for a moment as the door slid shut and locked automatically. Another yawn escaped her mouth, drowning out the sound of an instrument rolling slowly down her lab table and bumping into the back of the rectangular box. If Sam had seen the resulting light show displayed by this innocuous event, she would have been back in her lab in an instant. As it was, Samantha Carter turned her tired body away from her lab and headed down the corridor to her quarters, where she hoped to get a good refreshing four hours of sleep before she had to be up once again.

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Beep, beep, beep. Sam reached out and slapped the offending instrument that was making so much noise, rolled over, and promptly fell back asleep. She was unaware that the abused alarm clock rolled to the floor, its digital numbers continuing on their journey through time. Though normally she woke up quite quickly, it had taken her mind much longer than her body to shut down early this morning and so, she had just fallen into a deep sleep not more than two hours ago.

Forty minutes after the alarm clock plummeted to the floor, she was jolted awake by a loud pounding on her door. "Sam! Get up! You're going to be late!" Daniel's voice urged from the other side of the door.

Casting a quick glance at where the clock was supposed to be, Sam looked around in confusion. Her glance somehow landed on the floor, which was where the clock lay on it side and now read 0640. Sam swore loudly and jumped out of bed. "Dammit!" She hunted quickly around the room for her clothes. "I'll be there ASAP, Daniel. Stall for me, OK?" came the frantic voice from within the room. Daniel could hear drawers opening and closing recklessly.

"Uh, OK," he replied, then winced as he heard the unmistakable sound of a body part running into a piece of furniture, quickly followed by another loud curse. "Uh, I'll have some coffee ready for you too," he offered more loudly, knowing from his own experience that she would desperately need coffee. The only answer he could make out was another loud curse followed by equally loud muttering about people who scheduled briefings at such ungodly hours in the morning.

Daniel made a face and hurried away. Coffee he could do, and stalling, well, he was darn good at that if he did say so himself. Keeping Jack from noticing and commenting about Sam's lateness, well, that was a whole other story, he thought to himself as he rushed through the corridors.

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The four men had been sitting listening to Daniel go on and on about the great cultural alliance the Perovians would offer them, when Sam rushed breathlessly up the stairs to the briefing room. She stopped just outside the doorway, ran a hand through her slightly disheveled hair and tugged down on her blue uniform jacket before entering in what she hoped was a professional manner. She bit her lower lip for a brief moment when four pair of eyes turned to look at her as she entered.

"I'm sorry I'm late, General," she offered hastily as she crossed the room and took her seat next to Teal'c. The large man next to her eyed her with concern, gave her a slight bow in greeting, then turned his attention back to Daniel.

General Hammond eyed her carefully. "I understand the fact that you are extremely busy lately, Major Carter. We are all. Never the less, meetings have starting times for a specific purpose. I trust you will make sure this doesn't happen again," came the slight reprimand from the head of the table.

"Yes, sir," she replied apologetically. Across from her, she could feel her CO's gaze burning into her. She didn't even get to a silent count of two before she heard his caustic comment.

"Nice of you to join us, Carter. Hope we didn't take you away from something too important…like your beauty sleep." His eyes lingered on her unkempt hair and his eyebrow lifted questioningly. Although he knew full well that Major Samantha Carter wouldn't brush off a briefing just to sleep in a little, he was more than a bit puzzled by her actions. In fact, he was almost certain that she had spent a good portion of the night working in her lab: even after he had stopped in at 2300 and told her to hit the sack.

Sam winced at his comment and cast a quick glance at him. She knew she looked like she had just woken up; she could never fool him. She hadn't had a chance to grab a bite to eat much less shower. Since his comment required no direct response, Sam chose to remain quiet and tossed her gaze pleadingly up at Daniel, almost begging him to begin.

"Exactly what time did you go to bed, Major?" Jack persisted, not the least bit bothered by the glower Daniel now sent his way nor the guilty flush that stole across Sam's cheeks. Both responses, in essence, gave him his answer.

General Hammond stopped the verbal sparring from even getting started. "I believe Major Carter was working on something that I gave top priority to, Colonel." Sam cast the General a grateful look. "In addition," he continued, "I believe she has not had the best role model in getting to early morning briefings in a timely manner," he stated, pointedly looking at Jack.

Point taken, Jack cleared his throat and looked away. The General then turned back to Daniel, who still stood at the head of the table. "Can we please begin now, Dr. Jackson? And let's skip the cultural advantage components of this alliance. I think we've covered that in enough detail for the moment," he stated shortly.

"Uh, certainly General," Daniel replied. Before he began to lay the groundwork for the alliance with the Perovians, Daniel nodded his head toward the coffee mug just in front of Sam. Teal'c unobtrusively slid the pot of coffee over to her, and she took it with a grateful smile directed toward both men. Her smile disappeared when she went to pour herself a cup, as only a few drops trickled out. Sam looked accusingly around the table, wondering who had taken the last drops. Daniel just shrugged his shoulder in confusion, and Teal'c gave her a quick shake of his head. Sam then turned her gaze on her CO, who returned the look with a knowing smile.

"You snooze, you lose, Carter," he stated with a twinkle in his eye, reaching for his own full mug and taking a sip. He sighed pleasantly in an exaggerated fashion, then turned his attention to Daniel. "Proceed Danny boy," he said as he made a waving motion with his hand. Sam glowered at Jack for a moment, then opened the folder before her. She quietly talked herself out of killing her CO the next chance she got.

Several minutes later, Sam bit back a yawn as Daniel began to explain in more detail what they might expect once they arrived on the planet. Though she was discreet in covering her yawn, it didn't escape Teal'c's notice. With an assuredness of purpose that only he could pull off, Teal'c reached across the table, grabbed Jack's full mug, slid it across the table, and traded it with Sam's empty one. She gave him a smile of delight upon receiving the full mug and raised it eagerly to her lips. Both she and Teal'c ignored Jack's aggravated, "Hey!"

Hammond shook his head, wondering to himself how this group managed to continue to be one of the SGC's finest when they couldn't even make it through a briefing. "People!" The one word was enough to get everyone back on track, although Jack still sent angry darts of annoyance across the table, which Sam and Teal'c dutifully ignored.

Sam sipped at the mug of coffee and kept her attention focused on Daniel, who had another fifteen minutes of discourse to share with them. She seemed to be doing a fairly good job of keeping any more unwanted attention off herself until she heard Daniel say, "There is one thing that we have to be a little…uh, sensitive about." He cast a quick glance Sam's way, then turned back to his notes. "It seems that the Perovians are a fairly patriarchal society."

As soon as she heard the words, Sam closed her eyes and groaned inwardly. Not another one, she thought to herself. Just last week, when they had engaged in a meet and greet with the people on P4Z-199, she had been forced to remain outside the temple while the "men" talked, so as not to defile their holy temple. She'd had a hard time not showing them the true meaning of the word defile. And the week before that, her presence had been questioned on another mission by the locals, who seemed to think a woman's place was either in the cooking rooms or in a man's bed. Much to her chagrin, more than one of the male inhabitants on that planet had invited her to become part of the latter group. Thankfully, her team mates had kept her away from the more insistent of the men for the remainder of that mission.

Sam opened her eyes and looked at Daniel. "And what exactly do you mean by the statement that the Perovians are fairly patriarchal, Daniel," she stated with a slightly biting tone. "Either they are, or they aren't." She considered him for a moment as he gathered his thoughts. "And why didn't you mention this to me earlier?" her voice rose a notch. Sam was more than a bit put out that, during their late night meeting, he hadn't thought to mention this unsettling fact to her.

Teal'c answered the first question when Daniel began to squirm. "The Perovians are indeed a patriarchal society, Major Carter. While the women are given many freedoms, they are not allowed to partake in certain activities. One of these is working within the Naquadah mines. It is deemed an unsafe and unclean environment for Perovian females. I believe that any female who enters the mining compound is severely punished."

Sam's gaze turned back toward Daniel after Teal'c's explanation. "Great. And do they happen to know that the SGC's foremost expert on Naquadah mining happens to be a woman, and that the only way I can do my job is by going into the mines?" Daniel gulped audibly at her sarcastic tone.

Jack raised his finger. "That appears to be where we've hit a bit of a snag, wouldn't you agree Daniel?"

Daniel let his gaze sweep the room, then cleared his throat. "Uh, yes, just a bit." He turned toward Sam, his eyes apologetic. "I'm sorry Sam. The reason I didn't mention it earlier is that SG-9 has been doing the preliminary discourse with Morren, the leader of the Perovians. They've been, well, trying to prepare him for your presence." She raised her eyebrows at his words and waited for him to continue. "I'm afraid he's not been entirely convinced quite yet." Daniel winced at his own words and pushed his glasses back up on his nose. He knew how Sam felt about these types of situations and had been hoping that everything would have been sorted out by now.

Sam thought for a moment, heaved a sigh, then slapped her folder closed. The continued frustration of running into these types of situations and having to fight for respect off-world, her heavy workload, and her lack of sleep, caused Sam to be much more caustic that she normally would have been; especially in the presence of General Hammond. "Well, I guess that means someone else will be going in my place." She put her hands on the table and rose to her feet. "Let me know how it goes."

Not expecting a reaction like this from the usually composed Major Carter, all four men stared at her for a moment before General Hammond barked out, "Major Carter, you have not been dismissed. Resume your seat immediately." She flushed, then instantly did as ordered. Sam looked down, still angry but also somewhat abashed at her outburst. She shot a quick glance at Jack, who sat regarding her with a puzzled frown.

When the General began to speak, Sam hesitantly met his irate gaze. "While none of us here presumes to understand the difficulties you may have faced recently with certain alien cultures not accepting you as a full-fledged member of SG-1, you never-the-less are a member of the US military. And as such, you will refrain from making any such outbursts in the future, do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, sir," Sam mumbled quietly, not quite meeting his gaze but instead focusing her attention on a spot just behind his shoulder. Jack watched her carefully, his frown deepening. This wasn't like Carter at all. Yeah, she'd had it a bit tough lately and she had a heavy workload, but she never, ever lost it during a briefing. He acknowledged to himself that his own teasing earlier probably hadn't helped matters. Maybe he'd better talk to the General after this mission about lightening her load a bit... and making her take a vacation.

Wanting to get everything back on track, General Hammond directed their attention back to Daniel. "Dr. Jackson, I don't believe you were quite finished."

"Uhm, no, not quite." Daniel gave Sam a sympathetic look before continuing on. "Sam, while Morren hasn't been convinced about allowing you to go to the mines, he is willing to meet with you…well, with us…and discuss it further. I'm sure we'll be able to convince him that we can't complete negotiations without you," he assured her with a smile.

"Piece of cake, Carter," Jack added helpfully. "You can talk a person into just about anything. Or just confuse him with lots of big words…you're pretty darn good at that!" he grinned at her, relieved to see a small smile pass her lips, although she wouldn't meet his gaze.

"I am most confident in your abilities to convince Morren of the necessity of your presence, Major Carter," Teal'c added his own two cents worth with a nod of his head.

Feeling slightly better by their show of support, Sam raised her head and smiled slightly at all three men. "Thanks guys, I appreciate the show of support." She cast a glance at the General, then took a breath. "And I do apologize for the outburst, Sir. It won't happen again."

Jack waved his hand at her. "Think nothing of it. I was about to yell at Daniel myself." Sam bit back a smile when Jack gave the General an innocent look upon catching the older man's glare.

Shaking his head once more at the team before him, General Hammond rose to his feet. "If that is all, Dr. Jackson, SG-1, you have a go." He looked at Sam, who had risen to her feet along with Jack and Teal'c. "I am sure you will accomplish your mission with the utmost sensitivity, Major Carter. I need not remind all of you how imperative this alliance is for Earth," he looked expectantly at the four people standing around the table.

All kidding aside, Jack answered for them. "No, Sir. You don't."

"Good. Then you are dismissed. You leave in one hour. And Major Carter?" When she turned to look at him, his eyes softened. "I suggest you get yourself a proper cup of coffee and some breakfast before departing." Sam smiled and mumbled a "Yes, Sir" in agreement. Then the General turned and left the room, retreating to his office to fill out the never ending paperwork that accompanied his job.

Jack clapped his hands together. "Well kids, looks like we have some wheeling and dealing to get done. Sure hope the weather's nice. I really hate trying to broker an alliance in crummy weather. Just spoils the mood!"

Teal'c raised an eyebrow, Daniel rolled his eyes, and Sam remained quiet, her eyebrows knit in a slight frown. Daniel looked hesitantly at her, wondering at her silent contemplation. "Sam? You OK with all of this?" When she didn't respond right away, he took a step closer. "Look, I'm sorry…"

She looked up at Daniel then and waved away his apology. Shaking her head, she said, "It's fine Daniel. I was just thinking." She ignored the "Big surprise there" comment issued from Jack.

Taking another step closer, Daniel asked with concern, "What were you thinking about?"

He was surprised to see the small grin escape her lips. Sam cocked her head playfully. "Well, I was just wondering… I won't have to wear a dress there, will I?"