A/N: Well...this is my first posted fic. Like most of my writing, it didnt quite turn out the way I wanted. Just an odd little kinda-sorta S/J fic. Hope you enjoy.

Special Thanks: To my dearest beta. I'm ever so grateful Ash-uh-lee!

Disclaimer: I, in no way own Stargate...promise.

It had been four hours. Four hours of back-braking labor, and four hours of the horrible smell of paint mixed with Chinese food and beer. But at least they had finished.

She had retreated to the couch less than an hour ago, leaving him to the lay-z-boy in the corner. He sat quietly, worn out, slowly rolling the neck of his Heineken bottle between his palms. His knees cracked as he shifted his position, and he ignored the dull ache in his back.

Brown eyes glanced warily at the T.V.. It was blaring some cheesy cops-and-robbers show and by the way her blue eyes kept fluttering closed, she didnt seem very interested.

He tilted his head to the side and watched her curiously. She looked different. But he couldnt place it.

It might have been her hair. It had gotten longer than he thought. The blonde wisps framed her face, and barely brushed her collarbone. She shifted suddenly, throwing him off his train of thought. She reached a lithe pale arm over the couch, pulling the crocheted blanket that had rested over the back down onto her shoulders. A little sigh bubbled from her, and without warning her eyes flitted from the T.V. to him. She raised a questioning eye-brow at him when she realized hed been watching her. He was tempted to look away, like it never happened. Instead, he grinned. Her tired eyes watched him for a second, curiously, before the corners of her lips twitched into a smile. She nestled further into the couch, and turned back to the T.V..

He let out a breath he didnt know hed been holding, and her lips quivered, like she was resisting the urge to smile. He ducked his chin down to his chest. It was an interesting sight. For once her brown wasnt furrowed in concentration, and her nose wasnt buried behind some complicated doohickey. For once she wasnt prattling on in some techno-jargon that couldnt have possibly been English.

She was...relaxed.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

TBC Please review, and be nice!