4.
Smells like rain
They all find their own way across the stream. Jack, with his long legs, makes an athletic leap, but she doesn't miss the low hiss that he makes on landing, which she suspects is the result of an old injury of some sort. He doesn't give anything away in his movements at least, but then, his back is to her and she can't see the expression he wears. She wants to ask him if he's okay, but thinks better of it; it's not something she'd do if she was out in the field with her commanding officer - and that's exactly what he is right now.
It's hard, though. Especially when walking along in silence for ages has given her nothing but time alone in her own head where her thoughts seem to swing between replaying the events of the previous evening, and contemplating their present situation.
All while she tries to stay alert, of course.
The result, she feels, is an amorphous lump clinging to the inside of her sternum like a weight; a general sense of foreboding that she's sure she shares with everyone around her.
She pushes the feeling further down for a moment while she picks her way over the stream using two of the sturdiest looking rocks. She can hear Daniel sliding down the bank just behind her, and Teal'c wastes no time in wading straight in. He marches across to join Jack on the opposite side like the force of the fast-running water is nothing at all.
She is reminded how thankful she is that the Jaffa decided to join them in their fight against the Goa'uld; she would hate to have this pillar of a man as an enemy.
Jack pauses long enough to make sure they're all safely across before continuing on down the trail; it's barely visible now as it curves between the trees, and she finds herself positioned right behind him again, consciously trying not to follow too closely. They haven't gone far at all when the sky decides to open up, and the sound of rain hitting the canopy of the forest is nearly deafening.
"Smells like rain, huh?" she yells at his back over the roar.
He turns, a small but steady stream of water dripping off the peak of his cap, and has the gall to grin at her. It's not an entirely happy expression, but there's something a little bit 'I told you so' about it.
He holds up his hands in a placating gesture. "Don't shoot the messenger, Carter."
She ignores the fact that he's called her 'Carter' - they're on a mission after all, and she can't really blame him for trying to create some professional distance. She's quite okay with letting him think she's not happy about it though, which she does by pointedly resting her hand on her own MP5 and arching an eyebrow at him.
"I'll try to remember that," she says, successfully suppressing a grin of her own as she watches his eyes flick down to her hand.
"If you don't, I will," says Daniel as he pushes past them. She almost misses his words, but when she realises what he's said, she can't help but smile.
She's still smiling as she turns back to face Jack. She can't read the look he's giving her now, and she has to blink rapidly to keep the rain out of her eyes as she looks up at him. He raises one arm, and she nearly takes a step back before she catches herself, but he simply grabs the peak of his cap and pulls it from his head. She finally realises what he's doing when the cap lands, askew, on her own head, but by then he's already got half his back to her.
She's not really sure what's just happened, but it feels, just a little bit, like an apology.
What exactly he's apologising for, she doesn't know. After all, she can't exactly hold him accountable for the rain - whether he predicted it or not.
She reaches up and grasps the cap, spending the next few moments readjusting the strap at the back of it and testing the fit. When she's got it just the way she wants it, she pushes her hair behind her ears and pulls the cap on, bringing the peak low over her eyes.
Yes, she thinks as she watches Jack get back out in front of Daniel, this is better.
It's slower going in the rain; the trail has become slippery as it channels small rivulets of water down what's left of the path. They are all soaked, but at least the rain is nearly as warm as the ambient temperature. It is not pleasant how the water sloshes around in her boots, though. It makes Sam think of trench foot, and that makes her wonder whether Jack ever fought in Vietnam.
She pauses, and watches him slither down a short incline a little way further down the trail.
There is so much that she doesn't know about him.
"So..."
She doesn't startle. She's getting used to this habit of Daniel's; the way he is just very suddenly there sometimes. She thinks it's probably from years spent studying in libraries - all that quiet and stillness. Or maybe it's because he seems to prefer the company of things that are not living.
It's like he forgets that real people need a little warning.
"Daniel," she says. She says it just the way Jack does. She does it on purpose.
Daniel's response is to blink at her a few times while a slight crease forms between his brows, and then he clears his throat. "I've been meaning to ask you something."
She has a pretty good idea what he wants, but she asks anyway. "About?"
"I get the impression - "
"Not really a question," she interrupts, and smirks at him before she starts moving again. He moves with her.
"You're as bad as Jack," he says. She sees him shake his head out the corner of her eye, but there is humour in his tone that she hears even over the cacophony of sound that fills this alien forest in the grip of a storm.
She likes Daniel. Very much. So she's almost sorry for teasing him.
Almost.
"You get the impression that I'm as a bad a Jack?" she replies. She does not look away from the path at her feet.
"Sam," he says, and she feels pressure on her arm where he's obviously reached for her. "How do you and Jack know each other?"
The concern in his voice stills her, and she knows that she's wrong: she has no idea what he wants.
They are silent for a moment, and she finally allows herself to look him in the eye.
"He didn't tell you?"
"No." He lets his hand drop away and Sam wonders how close he and Jack actually are; how much Daniel knows about Charlie, about Sara, because he almost looks disappointed. Disappointed in Jack? In her? She isn't really sure.
She hopes he doesn't think she had anything to do with Sara leaving.
"He saved my life," she says, and that crease between his brows deepens.
"Recently." He says it like it's a statement but she knows that it's really a question.
"A long time ago."
She walks on before he can respond, and he follows closely. She's glad that he doesn't try to stop her again because, honestly, she feels much more comfortable simply concentrating on where her feet are going instead of watching his sharp blue eyes examine her like an artifact. He's reminded her that it's been only days since Major Davis walked into her office in DC and turned her life upside down; she's not quite done processing everything yet.
"Look, Daniel," she says, polite but firm. "If you want to know about Jack's life, I think you should be asking him."
He doesn't reply immediately, and the sound of the rain is like white noise being pumped into a room, getting steadily louder the longer he remains quiet. Sam knows that isn't actually true - that it's all about perception.
It still feels a bit like a thunder clap when he eventually responds, though.
"I'm not asking about Jack."
She's the one who stops this time. She's dimly aware that Jack and Teal'c are getting further and further away from them. She should be concerned, but at the moment it's actually comforting; it makes her feel like she and Daniel are the only two people on the planet.
Her eyes find his, but Daniel continues before she can respond.
"Yesterday... what you said about Sha're..." he says, and pauses, his gaze distant for just an instant before focusing back on hers. "I thought I could return the favour."
She dips her head and looks away for a moment.
"You looked like you needed someone to talk to," she says quietly. She realises now what he's trying to say, but she can't even begin to compare his situation with hers; guilt tugs at her insides at the thought.
"Exactly," he says. There's a small smile pulling at his mouth, and it feels like a gift. Sam smiles back.
"So..." he adds, and this time she laughs.
"Some other time maybe," she says before setting off again.
"I always say that there's no time like the present," he counters, quickly following her. His words are light though, and she knows he's not trying to pressure her.
"Oh you do? Dr. Daniel Jackson? Archaeologist to the stars?" She throws the words back over her shoulder and is rewarded with a bark of laughter from him.
They continue on for a few minutes, a comfortable silence finally settling between them.
They don't get very far before she hears it.
It's hard to make out over the steady drone of the rain, but she's been listening to that particular sound for nearly half an hour; she's gotten used to it's rhythm. What she hears doesn't fit.
She's pretty sure it's laughter; high and trill over the lower frequency of the rain. It's there and gone before she can get a sense of its direction, and she stops abruptly. Daniel puts a hand firmly on her shoulder to stop himself from walking into the back of her, and she leans back into the pressure to stop herself from pitching forward.
She glances back at him and then instinctively scans further down the trail in an effort to locate Jack; she can just about make out Teal'c's hulking form through the trees further ahead.
She can't see Jack.
She can't see him.
She feels her heart rate spike involuntarily.
"What's wrong?" Daniel asks, his words a breath across her ear.
"You didn't hear that?"
"Hear what?"
She pauses, straining to hear those notes that just didn't fit, but it's more of the same; water falling on the earth, the leaves, the branches - even the peak of the cap she wears.
Jack's cap.
She doesn't realise she's been holding her breath until she releases it.
"Laughter," she says finally. "I think."
"Sam..."
"There's someone out there, Daniel." Her tone is almost harsh, but she knows she heard something, and she wants Daniel to understand that. "Out in this forest - and off the path - in the middle of this storm."
She hears him draw in a breath before she carefully steps away from him. He is still nearly right behind her and although his proximity is reassuring, it's also limiting her mobility. Her hand falls to her weapon, and for the first time in a long, long time, she doesn't fight her military training.
With her other hand she slowly reaches for the PTT button to activate her radio. She's not sure if they're actually being watched, but she's not taking any chances.
"Colonel," she says as lowly as she dares. The radio crackles loudly and she flinches; she has been behind a desk for far too long, she thinks.
"Affirmative,"comes the response. She's stupidly relieved to hear his voice and she quickly pushes the feeling away.
"We may have a situation here," she says. Her hand slides back and down across her MP5 and finds the polymer grip.
"You heard it too?" The rain is creating some interference and his voice pops over the t's. She blinks, unsure of whether she's heard him correctly, but the sound of Daniel's radio crackling to life behind her makes her think that she has.
"I didn't hear anything, Jack," he says.
"Both Teal'c and I heard it," Jack says. "We're coming back up to you."
"Don't you think you're overreacting?"
"Stay put, Daniel."
Daniel huffs, but doesn't argue. It's clear from Jack's tone that it's an order, and it seems that even Daniel knows when not to push it.
Sam trains her eyes on the path and waits. Teal'c appears quickly, Jack close on his heels. The Jaffa arches an eyebrow at her as he comes to a stop by her side, but his gaze doesn't linger, instead turning outward into the forest. She momentarily wonders if he's seeing things that they can't, but quickly shakes the thought from her mind when she sees the grim set of Jack's mouth.
"Jack," says Daniel. He is still behind her and she steps to one side to make room for him; she gets the distinct impression that she doesn't really want to get between these two men when they disagree with each other.
"Daniel," Jack counters.
Daniel narrows his eyes, and she doesn't miss the glance he shoots her way. "Even if there is someone here watching us, it doesn't make them hostile."
"No," Jack says, drawing out the vowel. "But given the current conditions you can be damn sure they weren't out for a nice stroll in the woods when they just happened to spot us."
"I believe someone has been observing us since we crossed over the bridge near the Stargate," Teal'c says, continuing his slow study of the trees around him.
"They could just be curious." Daniel gestures at their surroundings and finishes with a shrug before letting his arms drop back to his sides. "Or afraid."
"I don't like being watched," Jack says. His voice is like steel, and he exchanges a look with Teal'c before returning his attention to Daniel.
"Nor do I," Teal'c adds.
Daniel folds his arms across his chest and purses his lips. Sam knows that he's holding back. His hair is plastered to his forehead and he looks utterly miserable, but there is a glint in his eyes that she can see despite his rain streaked glasses; it nearly matches the one in Jack's.
Sam isn't quite sure where her thoughts fall on this. Her stomach turns uncomfortably at the idea of being watched, and she knows that Jack feels at a strategic disadvantage in this situation. It's obvious Daniel sees things differently.
But then, based on what she's read about the man, he always has.
"So what do you want to do?" Daniel says, cocking his head to one side.
She looks from one to the other only to meet with Jack's steady gaze. His eyes flick upwards for just a second, and she's sure it's the cap he's looking at. Maybe he wishes he hadn't given it to her - or maybe it's something else entirely. She thinks it must be the latter because the line of his mouth softens slightly.
"What do you think, Carter?" he says. There is just a hint of the same softness colouring his tone.
She swallows thickly. As a soldier, she thinks that arming themselves to the teeth and retracing their steps in search of some indication as to who - or what - may be following them, is the way to go. But she is not a soldier, and she's beginning to realise that her tendency to act like one is part of his problem; why else would he ask her opinion on this?
Why else would he give her his cap?
She thinks about being a young, eager lieutenant, and suddenly she's back at Hurlburt Field by a dark hangar in the dead of night, with the same man in front of her offering a surprising choice.
"I think... we communicate."
His eyebrows climb towards his hairline at her response, but after a moment he gives a small nod, and Daniel visibly relaxes.
Teal'c remains silent where he stands just outside of the little triangle that she, Jack, and Daniel have formed.
"OK, you two," Jack says, and his eyes find and hold hers. "You're up".
A/N: Yikes. I can't believe how quickly this update got away from me. I am so sorry. Life gets in the way a lot these days. :-)
As always, thank you so much all followers/favouriters/readers/reviewers! I don't think I would have had the guts to write this sequel if it wasn't for you.
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of the Stargate franchise. All other characters mentioned in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.