Inescapable: Chapter 2

AN: Disclaimer and all in Chapter 1. Apologies for any spelling/grammer mistakes etc, I try my best but you always miss something! Oh, and thanks for all the kind reviews ... even if I do seem to be confusing a few people - sorry, it's a hobby of mine. I'll try to keep it in check!

I'd kill for a steak, Jack thought as he slid along the line of culinary disgusts on offer to the SGC's finest. Finest! Huh!

"O'Neill?" Jack whipped his head around; he had forgotten that he asked Teal'c to join him for lunch. The Jaffa had paused behind him with his token eyebrow that said a million things, standing to attention. That was why Jack liked Teal'c so much, when he thought something; he rarely said it unless it was imperative. Unlike Daniel and his never ending barrage of sentences that seemed to, like the archaeologist himself, often trip over themselves and certainly unlike Carter, who would pause, wince and come out with something that would encourage some sort of ruthless reaction inside him. Nope, Teal'c just had his trusty eyebrow, silent and only slightly frustrating at the worst of times. Jack smiled and the eyebrow twitched. He supposed he'd been staring into space too long.

"I've really gotta have a word with someone about the food in this joint," he remarked, turning and pushing his tray further, grabbing at a few things idly as he went.

"Is Colonel Carter joining us?" Teal'c asked as they found a table. Jack, just about to sit down, froze. He would kill Daniel if this was one of his insane plans. He lowered slowly into the seat opposite Teal'c and threw a confused glance at him, hoping silently that Carter wouldn't be joining them anytime soon. Teal'c's eyes moved to the table and Jack noticed the eyebrow again.

"You procured blue Jell-O," Teal'c said simply and Jack was about to argue when he followed Teal'c's eyes to his tray and spotted the offensive food wobbling at him in mock.

"Damn," he muttered under his breath, throwing the Jell-O a seething look. Most of the time when he went to lunch with Carter, which up until recently was quite a lot, he had always reached for the desert for her. She prattled on so much about the Jell-O at the back being the nicest and because she couldn't reach it, he always got it for her. Damn her. And damn blue Jell-O. "Felt like a change." Teal'c lifted his jaw a little but returned to his food without more question. Jack sighed in relief.

"Colonel Carter has informed you that she is to be married?"

Jack's sharp intake of breath brought a little food with it and he found himself spluttering and coughing to dislodge it.

"Are you all right?" Teal'c asked unperturbed as Jack finally began to draw breath again.

He glared at him, "Peachy." He cleared his throat and stabbed at the food that had nearly choked him, perhaps his potatoes were consorting with the enemy. He eyed the blue Jell-O suspiciously. "Caught wind of it, yeah." He absently answered the question.

"I believe it to be cause for a celebration," Teal'c began, eyeing Jack with a faint smile at the prospect of a party. "Even cause for… cake." The smile grew and Jack frowned at it. That would be one cake he would willingly miss.

"Cake, yes."

"DanielJackson."

Jack's shoulders tensed and it took a lot of self control not to curse as he felt Daniel behind him. "Hey guys!" Jack's eyes twitched with antagonism.

"We were just discussing Colonel Carter's engagement," Teal'c said as Daniel sat down keeping his stare on Jack, who was attacking his potatoes, head bowed. Daniel smiled and threw his eyebrows up as he looked at Teal'c. "I suggested there should be cake. O'Neill agrees."

"Really?" He looked back to Jack, seeing his eyes move to the corner only. "Sounds like a plan. I'll tell Sam, we could have a party." Daniel shifted in his seat, leaning towards Jack. "Your place?"

Jack threw his fork down and straightened up. "Hasn't been dusted in a while, Daniel," Jack spoke through gritted teeth, his eyes resting on Daniel. "Wouldn't want to… irritate your condition."

Daniel's lips quirked. "Fine, Sam's place then." He slapped the table as he got up to find Sam. As he left, he swore he heard Jack groan.

"… what do you think?" Daniel bobbed on his toes, anticipating Sam's answer. She had been trying to ignore him, busying herself with some doohickey while he relayed the plans that he, Teal'c and … reluctantly, Jack, had made. Her eyes flit up and she paused.

"That'd be nice," she said, sounding contrary to what she was saying.

"Great, I'll let the guys know."

Sam stared after Daniel as he left, sighing. She rested her elbows on her desk and wondered just how bad this little party could go. Daniel was being sly, without actually being sly … if that was possible. She couldn't have said anything other than yes, she couldn't have requested that Jack not be there and he knew it. How was she going to get through an evening of Jack in his recent mood while celebrating her engagement? Jack's mood hadn't been the chirpiest the last time she saw him and although that had been a while ago she assumed it hadn't changed much – Siler had acquired a few new wrinkles in the last few days alone. No, spending time with the General would not be fun.

This, unfortunately, was the least of her worries. General O'Neill would mope about and make her feel guilty, yes, but she could deal with that – quip at his sarcastic remarks, avoid his eyes, trade barbs if necessary and if that failed, drown it in a few beers. Her problem was going to be a matter of fending off a nattering, intrusive rock duster! Whatever he had planned, she had no doubt would cause waves, big, bad, violent waves. She would have to threaten Daniel in advance… and creatively at that.

Some covert plotting against said archaeologist would, if nothing else distract her mind for a precious moment until she found something to do. The last few days had seen her do, re-do, rip apart and do again anything she could set hands on and now she was relatively redundant. As she began to formulate Operation DustJackson her phone rang and she jumped a little. Shaking her head at herself she reached for the receiver.

"Carter."

"Colonel, its Siler…" he faltered a little and Sam sighed. What now? "Ah, we're having a little technical problem up here, could you lend your assistance for a few minutes?"

"We?" She couldn't help that coming out.

A silent, nervous pause then, "The General and I."

Not exactly the distraction I was looking for, she thought.

"Two minutes." She hung up and hopped off her seat heading to the General's office, hoping he would feel the need to leave before she got there and all she'd have to deal with was an edgy Siler.

As Sam neared Jack's office she spotted Siler almost levitating with anxiety in the hallway. She rolled her eyes and knew if she wasn't so averse to even being close to Jack right now, she'd berate him for damaging Siler's wellbeing. He was a walking bundle of nerves and she knew he probably had due motive to be.

"Colonel Carter!" He exclaimed her name with an absurd relief that made her wonder if he'd cry. She eyed him warily as he rushed to her. "It's his computer," he choked out. Carter nodded an 'ah'. She could handle a computer, even his. Siler would normally have been able to sort out the General's computer problems but as she studied him she feared his frayed nerves wouldn't allow much functionality in the vicinity of their cause. She moved to the door and as her hand hovered over the doorknob she felt Siler's hand gripping her arm. "I'm not sure…" he almost whispered, glancing about fretfully. "But I think his keyboard may be broken." She closed her eyes in answer and he scurried off with haste. Sam wished she could do the same.

Please don't let him be in here, please don't let him be in here, she repeated like a mantra, eyes clasped shut as if it was a silent, reverent prayer. She felt the cold metal of the door handle against her skin and turned it.

"Ah for cryin' out loud!"

Damn, she cursed, grimacing as she pushed open the door. She straightened her back and strode in confidently and anything but what she felt. His eyes which were burning holes in the monitor blinked to the intrusion.

"Carter," he said gruffly, still miffed with the computer.

"Sir," she greeted him, standing tall with her hands clasped behind her back. "Siler said you were having problems."

His eyes narrowed at her words and she realised she should quickly amend. "Technical problems." He cleared his throat and regarded her for a silent moment, thinking.

"This damn doohickey won't work!" He yelled, returning his attention and thankfully his frustration, to the computer. "I've tried everything!"

Carter wanted for all the world to say that machines don't respond to violence, and in normal circumstances she wouldn't have hesitated, if only to hear his retort and perhaps catch a glimpse of that smile. Instead, she bit her lip, reproaching herself for her thoughts and circled his desk to asses just what the General had tried and the damage he had inflicted in the process.

Expecting him to move, she stepped behind his seat and waited a moment. He didn't budge. She rolled her eyes; there was no way she was asking him to. She could be just as stubborn. She saw his hand rise and supposed he was about to strike the keyboard again. She quickly leaned over his right, blocking his target seeking arm. She reached for the keyboard and tapped it, looking at the screen.

It was frozen – a blank white screen. "What were you doing?" She asked casually, hoping it would help her fix it.

"I didn't do anything wrong if that's what you're saying!" He countered. Her eyes shot to him, with a furrowed brow. He could be such a baby sometimes.

"I wouldn't even suggest it, sir." The muscles in his face flinched, just slightly but she noticed it in her close proximity. Maybe she shouldn't have said that so insolently, not today anyway. Her eyes went back to the screen swiftly. He said nothing.

She tapped on the ctrl, alt and delete keys. Task Manager popped up. So he hadn't managed to break the keyboard. She skimmed through the applications. Only three. Two Office documents and … something else. Jack glanced distractedly over her shoulder, raising an eyebrow.

Thirty Goddamn seconds and she's got something up! I've been bashing the stupid thing for two hours, he complained silently

"Battle Run, sir?"

Oh crap…

"Huh?"

Carter leaned back from the screen to look at him. His eyebrows shot up and down quickly and he stared innocently at her, tilting his head when she continued to watch him. His lips twitched with a smile.

"It's a game, isn't it?" He scratched his cheek and turned his head. "Sir, I thought we weren't allowed to install gaming software on computers for many reasons the least of which security … I mean if someone managed to plant a virus on-"

"Ah! Ah! Ah!" Jack shouted, flailing his arms about, imploring her to stop with the babble. "Don't make my ears bleed, Colonel."

Her lips parted as if she would argue but she seemed to decide against it and instead stood upright. He could feel her shiny blue eyes judging him in her head how he would never let her aloud.

"I got bored, Carter! So sue me," he grumbled and she went back busying herself with the temperamental pile of junk he was pressed to call his computer. Sometimes he questioned if maybe the Colonel hadn't 'Cartered' it, for it certainly didn't like him very much recently. He glanced at her briefly. Mutiny. That's what she was up to, the computer, Daniel, Teal'c … maybe even Siler all in on it and she was leading it all! He rolled his eyes.

Too much of the game, old boy, he said to himself. It was a simple shoot the bad guys, save the world and get the girl kinda game – manipulating lines of technowhatsit stuff to do what he had once done for real. He glanced at Carter again who had gotten movement out of the mass of bolts before her. Well, two out of three wasn't bad, right?

"It should be fine now; I've removed the game, sir." He gawped at her as she gave him access to the computer. She shrugged. "It would probably cause the problem persistently and I'm sure you don't need endless interruptions to fix it."

Or you continually coming to fix it, he added mentally.

"Fine," he said, huffed as she made her way around the desk again.

"If that's all, sir?" She asked, standing before him again. He noticed she wouldn't meet his eyes and he felt a pang of guilt at it. He shouldn't be treating her so frostily. It wasn't right, it didn't feel right and yet he found he could react no other way recently.

"Daniel mention cake to you?" Her eyes darted from the floor and she hesitated a moment then smiled and nodded gently. "Right. It had better be a good one, Colonel."

"Yes, sir."

"Lots of frosting!"

"Yes, sir."

Her smile dared to grow a little as he regarded her with something other than a wish to look anywhere but at her for the first time in a long time.

"Dismissed."

My muse is protesting at being pushed so quickly … it's a demanding little thing. I don't want to mess this up and I have a few days of partying ahead so it may take a little while before the next one. As always I'm all for feedback!