Day Three

The rain starts before dawn. Hard.

Carter wakes when the first droplets fall, joining Jack at the opening of the cave they found as he watches it come down in sheets. Luckily, they'd moved inside to sleep last night. There's a little hole at the other end so they can have a fire just inside the opening of their temporary home without getting smoked out.

"Looks like a washout," Jack comments as she hunkers on the floor beside him. She snorts at his bad joke. "We're on vacation, my prime commentary is reserved for when we're on duty," he defends himself lightly.

"Does this really count as a vacation, Sir?"

"Not if you keep calling me 'sir'," Jack points out, but doubts she'll stop even if he makes it an order. She ducks her head. "And not when we talk to Hammond."

"You're still going fishing when we get home?" Her voice is soft and breathy, and he can sense her head near his shoulder. If he just turns a tad to his right…

"Oh, yeah," he says, just as softly. He won't lament about his cabin or the slight disappointment he felt when she turned him down. "Just think of this as downtime, relax and enjoy it, there's not much else to do. Besides, it's your fault you're here, you know."

Her head whips up. "Sir?"

Jack hasn't forgotten her little indiscretion. She followed him onto the Beliskner, into what was, at the time, a one-way trip. Don't get him wrong, Jack will do his duty and do everything he can to protect the planet, but he's not as hellbent on suicide missions as he was during that first mission to Abydos. That's partly due to the woman next to him. He's starting to understand the lengths she's, the whole team is willing to go to to save him. He's grateful. Really. Although he'd do the same for any of them, he's not sure 'thank you' adequately covers what she did. He just wishes Hammond wouldn't encourage them by overruling his commands. Stubborn son of a…gun.

"You know, Carter, I'm still pissed you disobeyed an order."

Her brow furrows. "General Hammond outranks you, Sir. He gave the order-."

"Before or after you convinced him there was a way off Thor's ship, Major?" Jack asks knowingly. He won't ask whether she had a plan at the time or just blagged her way on to the mission before she came up with the idea. Hammond would've asked Carter if there was another way, but it would've been her idea to press the issue. He does wonder if Hammond knew she planned to hijack the Stargate. He notices her flush as she looks at her lap. Busted.

"With all due respect, Sir, I wasn't going to leave you on Thor's ship to die." She meets his eyes as she utters the words carefully with determination.

"Look, Carter, I'm grateful," Jack continues, gentler. "Really grateful. What I'm trying to say is, if we were stuck here indefinitely, if they send a search party, it'll be for you, Carter, not me. You're more important than I am."

She frowns at him, somewhere between touched and disbelieving. "Sir," she starts, ready to contradict him. He stops her.

"You're a resource Earth can't afford to lose Carter," Jack tells her softly. "They'd be crazy if they don't after come for you."

"I can say the same about you, Sir," she tells him, averting her gaze.

"Carter, you're capable of some dangerous things if you are ever converted to the dark side. They'd be screwed if you were."

"I can say the same about you," Carter counters, with a hint of humour in her voice, with her eyes trained on something through the rain. "I'd do it again." She adds, as unapologetic as before.

Jack doesn't answer her. He probably shouldn't say anything even if he had an answer to give her. This is risky territory as it is.

Carter leans over to grab her pack, pulling out a canteen and two protein bars. "Breakfast?"

"Don't mind if I do," Jack replies, taking his bar from her. "Nothing to do except sit back and relax."

888

When the rain eases off around late morning, Jack and Carter stretch their legs and set off for the Stargate to meet Teal'c for their daily dial home. Nothing, nada.

Carter sighs. She braces her hands on the outer ring of the DHD and hangs her head. Jack glares at the stationary gate. He'd been hoping for something to happen, a glow of the chevrons maybe. Carter allotted four days to get the beta gate installed and working. This is day three.

Carter wanders down the steps, deep in thought. He recognises the look of guilt crossing her face.

"Do you wish to join me to visit with Bra'tac and Ryac?" Teal'c asks as Jack sidles up next to him to dial again.

"As much as I'd love to, Carter and I should probably hang around here," Jack admits, hoping the big guy will understand. Teal'c nods. Personally, Jack could do with a change of scenery, especially if they're due more rain. There are only so many games of tic-tac-toe drawn in the dirt on the floor of the cave he can stand. He'd give anything for a pack of cards.

"You and Major Carter are well matched to keep each other company," Teal'c comments as the last chevron engages.

Jack rears back, glancing over his shoulder out of habit. "Uh, T," he starts. "What exactly are you getting at?"

Teal'c stares back at him and Jack gets the vibe that Teal'c's about to pull the alien card on him, something that hasn't worked for a couple of years. "You and Major Carter are friends," he states simply. "I have witnessed you enjoying time together."

Jack scratches the back of his head. He doesn't really know what to say to that. He goes with honesty. "Yeah, we do."

"Then I do not understand you're question," Teal'c replies. He pauses as Jack thinks about it for a moment. He swears Teal'c is saying more than he actually is. "I shall see you tomorrow, my friend."

"See you tomorrow, buddy," Jack answers absently.

When Teal'c nods over Jack's shoulder, Jack realises Carter is watching them. He turns just in time to see Carter wave at their friend as he disappears through the Stargate.

888

The rain holds off for the afternoon as they make their way back to camp. With the clouds clearing and the sun high above them, the ground starts to dry out. They take the longer route of following the river, stretching their legs after being stuck in the cave all morning. They haven't really ventured much further than the cave, though Jack figures they should if they're here for much longer. Jack notes the water in the pool has ebbed away downstream, relieving pressure from the bank that was threatening to spill over. Carter's quiet as she collects berries on the trail back to camp in a basket Ryac gave them.

Jack carries a bag of cloths Teal'c gave him. Apparently, there's something similar to soap in there too. He eyes the rushing stream. The current is on the heavy side after the rain, meaning a dip is out of the question, but they can collect water for a wash. Or risk standing out in it for a cold shower.

"Do you think there's more rain on the way?" He calls, looking at the sky.

Carter tilts her head back to check the sky. "Looks like it's clearing," she shrugs.

"Yeah," Jack replies.

"What are you thinking?" Carter asks, interested by his train of thought.

"Exploring," Jack states. She raises her eyebrows, clearly as curious as he is. They should learn the terrain and have something to report to Hammond when they get home. If he and Carter scout the area, they'll have more than they preliminary tests the SGC has already run. This planet could be a viable option for another off-world site. He and Carter can cover a lot of ground in a couple of hours. More, if they have a few more days here.

By the time they reach their camp, the sun has chased away the chill from the earlier rain. They stow the wash bag and most of the berries. Jack grabs Carter's pack to refill their canteens and puts the remaining berries in a cloth before stashing them in the pocket where Carter stashes the protein bars. He turns to find her emerging from the cave with her jacket tied around her waist.

They walk past their little fishing spot from the day before, through the thickening forest, sticking to the river as a guide. Carter spots a small squirrel-like creature swinging between the trees while he notes more birds.

"If no one lives here, do you think we get naming rights?" He asks.

"P4X 234 has a certain ring to it, Sir," Carter replies.

Jack smirks at her. He's a terrible influence. "I guess you're right. My suggestions would get shot down anyway."

Carter laughs, light and freely as she shakes her head. "Let me guess, Springfield?"

"For a region," Jack weakly defends. She laughs harder. "Why do you think it's abandoned?"

Carter tilts her head to the side, considering the question. "The UAV didn't find anything remarkable. No traces of naquadah in the samples we collected. No evidence of settlements or mining, recent or otherwise. No evidence of inhabitants, not even ruins."

"Except the presence of a Stargate," Jack points out. "Had to have meant something to someone once. Doesn't look like they're coming back, though," he adds. "Carter, is this planet a viable option for a base?"

"It's a contender, Sir. There's water, safe plant life, lots of space," she tells him.

"So, why are we the only ones here?"

She lets the question that's been nagging him since they arrived linger. A seemingly idyllic planet with no one vying for occupancy? Jack's just waiting for something to rear it's ugly head or two. Carter doesn't answer him only tightens her grip on the P-90 in her hands. It's instinctual, natural. He's once again struck with how she manages to strike the perfect balance between soldier and scientist.

They keep going, joking easily, discussing what could be happening back home, how long till Hammond figures out Daniel can be a huge pain in the ass when they're not around to act as a go-between. Jack really envies the fine line Hammond strikes between humouring, genuine interest and irritation. It varies from person to person. "I say, he's about ready to shove Daniel through the Gate just to shut him up."

"I don't know, depends whether Janet cleared him for Gate travel after surgery. Not even the General would cross her," Carter considers it briefly. Jack suppresses a shudder, he wouldn't put it past the Doc to ground Daniel for the time they're away just so he has an excuse to stay at the SGC. "If Janet's cleared him, the General has probably sent Daniel to retrieve the beta Gate."

"You think they'll have problems installing it?"

She shrugs pensively. "I have confidence in Siler and his team. If they weren't good at their jobs, they wouldn't be at the SGC. However, there's so much we don't know about stargate's, there's always going to be a margin for error."

"We might be here longer than you thought?"

"It's a possibility."

"We better ration the protein bars."

They walk until they hit the end of the river, where it meets a vast lake about five-hundred meters between shores. Jack steps onto the rough sand and looks into the blue-green water, finding a small worm to bait his hook to catch dinner. Carter tests the water with her fingers, rinsing her hands.

She rocks back on her heels and stands to walk the short distance to Jack. She drops down beside him, looking longingly at the vast lake while self-consciously crossing her arms over her knees as she sits beside him, but doesn't say anything. They don't know how deep this lake is or if there's more than fish lurking in there. He can't see the bottom to assess the risk. The small pool back at camp is a safer bet. The water is clear and they can see the bottom. It's drinkable.

Carter gives the lake one last look before pulling her reel from her pocket. She casts the string, just as he demonstrated the day before. They sit quietly, locked in a waiting game with the fish. With one hand on his wire, Jack leans back.

"Looks like you're getting the hang of this," Jack notes the way she rests her wrist on her bent knees, while the other hand drops to the pebbles beneath them.

"I think you're just trying to convert me to fishing, Sir," she quips teasingly.

"Nah, you're pretty good as you are," Jack replies without thinking. He clears his throat when she discreetly sucks in a breath. "You know, for a fishing novice."

Her lips lift as she looks down, carefully holding the wire in the water as she examines the beach. He presumes she's checking for similarities and differences to write in her notebook.

Her hand closes around one of the pebbles, hefting it in her hand before flipping it to just the right position before letting it fly across the surface of the water. One, two, three, four, five skips and it sinks smoothly into the lake.

"Nice," Jack smirks. His hand searches for his own pebble to toss. He finds a relatively flat one, not too big or small. He knows her eyebrow is quirked in interest. He throws it and tracks it as it skims the water three times before diving. "Two out of three," Jack grouses.

Carter's already scanning the surrounding stones. She takes her time, examing a few, rejecting more before selecting her next contenders. Jack plucks two at random. Carter wins.