Unite and Surrender

Episode tag to "Divide and Conquer"

"This must be hard for you."

Daniel's words stop Jack mid-walk. He is on his way to the elevators when he hears Daniel from around the corner, where he's probably waiting for a ride up himself. Before Jack can decide if he wants to keep going or turn around, he hears Carter's voice, and it keeps him right where he is.

"It's weird, you know. Of course, I'm sad about Martouf, but most of the feelings I'm feeling are not mine. They're Jolinar's." Her answer loosens the rope that was looped tightly around his chest.

"So, you're, um..., you didn't have feelings for him?" Daniel's words immediately pull on the loose ends again. It's like Carter and Daniel play tug of war with him in the middle. Right now, the rope is taut, and it almost feels like he can't catch a breath. After all that happened today, Jack doesn't want to know.

"I liked him as a friend. But not more."

The robe loosens again. Jack didn't mean to eavesdrop, but now he's glad he knows. He squeezes his eyes shut, not ready for a 28 story elevator ride with Carter. As he turns around, General Hammond is right behind him.

"Jack, going home?"

Jack feels caught and is annoyed by Hammond's rhetorical question.

"Yeah," he says.

Obviously, he thinks and follows the General around the corner to the elevator where Daniel and Carter are already waiting. If she believes he has been standing there listening, she doesn't show it.

"Major, Dr. Jackson. I'm glad to see you all go home. It's been a long day," General Hammond says.

Tell me about it.

Hammond and Daniel seem high-spirited and chatty—they did sign a historical alliance after all. While Jack slips into the elevator and leans back onto the wall, he is just happy that they do the talking. He has said enough for today. Maybe for the entire next week. Carter stands in the other corner and is just as quiet as he is. He tries to catch a glimpse of her without turning his head to her. From what Jack can see, she looks perfectly normal, but underneath, he notices uneasiness. He's not sure if the unknowing Daniel and Hammond are the better elevator company or if he would prefer Janet and Teal'c. Scratch that. Nothing is worse than those compassionated glances Janet tried not to send his way.

"Colonel," Hammond's voice rips him from his thoughts. "So what exactly happened with your Za' Tarc testing?" Hammond turns around slightly and looks at him, then Carter. "I'm very glad how it turned out, but no one had time to catch me up yet."

The rope around his chest is tightening again. Usually, he doesn't have to deal with nervousness. No matter if the ship he's on is going to explode, or Earth is about to be taken over by replicators, not even when he asked Sarah to marry him. Jack O'Neill is a man made from cool. Just that lately, his cool got some severe cracks. Only hours ago, when he was strapped to a chair and forced to commit to his feelings for Carter, his heart was pounding at an insane pace—even faster when Carter spoke about her feelings.

"I was scared and overwhelmed," Carter said.

"Why overwhelmed?"

"Because of the feelings I felt and that I saw reciprocated in his face."

Speaking it out loud made it much more real. Hearing it from her, even more so. Words made everything less safe, words had no limits, words made their own world. In their case one, they would never be able to visit.

"Argh, some hiccups in the Tok'Ra tech," Jack stutters and can't stop himself from looking to Carter, who seems just as nervous.

"This alliance will give us more power, so we're not going to get in a situation like this again," Hammond says. Jack knows he's talking about the most recent Atoneeks wristband incident that somehow led to this very moment. Even though Hammond can't see him, Jack nods. His eyes are tight to Carter's, and his mind can't form any words. It's the first time they are in the same room since they decided it to leave it the room.

Jack doesn't know what he wants to say to her, but the urge is so overpowering that when Daniel and Hammond step out of the elevator, he quickly brushes her hand and says, "Carter, uhm there was this thing you said I needed to see… you know that thing. That device." He knows he must sound nuts, and Daniel clearly doesn't buy it, but before either Daniel or Hammond can say a thing, and before Carter gets the chance to step out, the elevator closes and takes Jack and Carter back down.

Jack is glad she doesn't question why he kidnapped her. She just stands next to him, and for the first time, he feels at ease. It doesn't seem like she wants to get away from him. With a sigh, he leans back onto the wall and just like before he stares straight ahead.

There's nothing to say really. He's not even done processing. Not until six hours ago, he hadn't admitted his feelings for Carter to himself. After they escaped from Apophis's ship, he just stuffed the moment of realization so far in the back of his mind and didn't allow himself to get close to it, that somehow he was able to forget it. Now it's all he can think about. Suddenly all those weird thoughts and feelings from before make sense. In a flashback, he revisits all the moments that made him fall for her, and when he's totally honest, it goes all the way back. Attraction came first. But he was a grown man and could deal with a little crush. Sure, that shower incident had provoked some dreams, but that didn't make someone fall in love. He can't really pinpoint to the moment yet slowly, and surely feelings sneaked into his heart, and now they were in this dilemma. Carter knew what he felt. Jack knew she felt the same way, and they had decided to ignore it.

Two men are fighting for what to do next. The Air Force Colonel who knows it's against the rules, and he's better off starting to ignore it before it becomes even more of a problem. And there is the man, Jack O'Neill, who feels a pleasant tingle in his stomach when he realizes that this beautiful, smart, young, force of a woman next to him has a thing for him.

When Jack risks to look over, Carter turns her head too and smiles softly. The elevator comes to a stop at ground level. The doors start to open, revealing the face of Major Wade. Before the doors open wide enough for Wade to step in, Carter jumps forward and presses the button to close the doors, then hits surface level. They hear Wade curse from outside and smile awkwardly at each other.

They ascend for another 28 flights of silence. Only now Jack doesn't feel like they need to talk. They're going to be fine. Just because they admitted how they felt, doesn't mean it's going to change anything. The feelings were there before, and they ignored them. They would just keep doing exactly this. What else should they do?

Spoiler alert: some weeks from now Jack would hand in his resignation and kiss Carter in front of Hammond. That's how well his plan will be working out.