Inescapable Chapter 11

AN: Disclaimer and all in Chapter 1. Thanks yet again for all the kind reviews! This one isa little longer and will hopefully keep you going for a while - I've a final year project to get done very sharpish and haven't a clue where to start. Whoever thought up 'Countdown' should be shot, along with my project supervisor who assumes I can make a computer game out of it. Anyway, enjoy!

"SG-1are suited up and ready to disembark, General," Walter informed Jack as he poked his head inside Jack's office. This was one mission he would gladly miss seeing off but it was procedure if not tradition and he wouldn't allow himself to be so petty. He nodded even though Walter had already left. Standing he patted at his shirt, frowning at the wrinkles in it and wondering if he looked as bad as it did. He started towards the 'Gate Room and promised he would stall no more. At the very least he was getting rid of them for a few hours. Daniel's exuberance earlier also gave Jack the hope that maybe he'd find something on the planet to study and dig at for a few days.

He strode on out thinking on what bliss it would be without Daniel's constant nagging and Carter's finely tuned ability to make his insides crawl into dark corners within him. Even Teal'c's compliant eyebrow was grating on him. Oh, yes, it would be perfect heaven! I might even catch up on The Simpsons, he thought with a contented smile and a bounce.

"So, kids," he raised his voice as he entered the 'Gate Room. "Off again." He shoved his hands in his pockets as they all turned to him. Carter took a small step towards him, Teal'c exercising his elastic eyebrow and Daniel only drawing weary eyes at him very briefly before turning back to the now rippling stargate. He pulled his eyes from Daniel and realised how close Carter had gotten in those few seconds, so close he had to resist the urge to jump backwards.

"Sir?" Her voice came out in a nervous whisper and he raised an eyebrow at her, worry tearing away at him furiously. "I was wondering if we could talk-"

"Later, Carter," he cut her off. This was not the place and by God it certainly wasn't the time. Her eyes dropped down for a heartbeat and shot back up with vehemence in them. Their intensity made him flinch, he blinked at it and then she was walking away, rejoining the team. He opened his mouth, unsure of what had just happened or in the speed of it all, what he thought had happened.

"I thought you were in a hurry to get rid of us, Jack." Only Daniel could say something quite as sarcastic and cutting all at the same time and actually get to Jack O'Neill.

Guessed I deserved that, he admitted.

He cleared his throat. "All right, you have a go, kids. Carter, make sure Daniel doesn't dig too deep a hole and fall into it."

She was already moving up the ramp at 'go'. Daniel was shaking his head and following which left Jack to stare at Teal'c's eyebrow once again, paused in front of him. Jack challenged it with two of his own. It relaxed and Teal'c eventually followed his team mates.

Jack released a breath he hadn't been sure he was holding. He dug his hands out of his pocket, swivelled on his feet and swung his arms freely as he headed for some peace and quiet.

"… Daniel has requested that he remain to study the ruins he found," Carter squinted at the sunlight and Jack inexplicably found himself squinting at the video feedback of her. "I can't see any other reason to stay but he feels it's valid." Jack sighed and leaned his weight onto his right leg, folding his arms.

Daniel and his rocks…

"Jack?" Daniel's head bobbed over Sam's and he all but pushed her out of the way as she gave him a seething look. Jack's eyebrows rose, waiting. "There is tremendous text here; it's in Ancient and I think - if I'm right - there's more about three klicks from here. Jack its got reference to-"

Jack's hand flew up and he yelped, "Ah!" Daniel quieted but pursed his lips in defiance. Carter's lips twitched just slightly and Jack glanced to her as he began to speak to Daniel. "Are you sure you'll find something here Daniel - something important? And when I say important I don't mean what kind of -"

"Yes," Daniel cut him off curtly. Jack glowered at him but nodded not missing Carter deflate in the background. "You'll need some additional supplies, I'll have some sent through. Anything specific?"

Carter mumbled something that, Jack had no doubt, was insubordinate when he saw Daniel roll his eyes. "What was that, Colonel?" He asked with a tilt to his head and authority in his expression.

"Nothing, sir," she said over Daniel's shoulder and Jack narrowed his eyes at her a moment.

"All right," he said with a jolt of his body that said he was wrapping up this little ditty. "Supplies will be there shortly, happy camping kids!" Carter gave him an even look as Daniel moved out of her way to let her at the camera again. "Report back in twelve hours, Carter." She didn't look happy.

"Yes, sir."

Nope, Jack thought, not happy at all.

"Don't go getting lost!" He teased as she reached up to terminate the link and paused slightly. He grinned at her. "And if you do, just click your heels, real hard, three times!"

He didn't get to see her reaction as she blinked into static.

"There's no place like home…"

"What?" Daniel asked as he heard Sam mumbling into her chest as she fiddled with the MALP. She simply shook her head in silence and he raised an eyebrow at her.

"We should get going, it'll be dark soon," Sam supplied with a grunt as she lifted herself from her hunkered position, gazing up at the sky that was still quite bright. Daniel gave her a look that was asking her what kind of crazy assumption that was. "While you were… translating, I had nothing better to do than extrapolate the sun's probable movements since we got here." She shrugged and bent down to pick up her pack, slinging it onto her back. Daniel gazed at her then glanced to Teal'c who regarded him with a look that told him he should know better. And he probably should but sometimes, her super-mind still surprised him.

She was pissed off at something, no, someone. One General Jack O'Neill to be precise and he presumed she wasn't entirely thrilled about staying on this planet for another minute, much less than twelve or more hours which led him to believe her present mood, had a lot to do with him and his ruins too. Yet, she wasn't really showing it, albeit for a few comments under her breath and a few melting glares here and there and those, he was accustomed to, perhaps from Jack but accustomed to nonetheless.

As they moved off, Teal'c, carrying the bulk of the supplies, setting off in front of them and Carter trudging a few steps ahead of him, Daniel decided he should at least talk to her, soothe her and try to explain that he really did need to study these ruins.

"Sam?" She looked briefly over her shoulder as he trotted up to walk beside her. "I know you wanna get back but…"

"Its okay, Daniel," she sighed, interrupting his would-be babbling apology. "I understand. I'm just anxious to get back." She breathed through her nose and bowed her head as if something was weighing heavily on her mind. Daniel frowned at her.

"Maybe if you asked Jack for a replacement, that you had something to take care of…" Sam looked at him, expressionless. The muscles in his cheeks trembled in a nervous gesture. "You're not really paramount to this mission…" Her eyes grew bluer and he noted the nerve he had struck. "What I mean to say is… that I would understand if you wanted to leave and I'm sure Jack would…"

"Would what?" She asked, looking away. For some reason Daniel expected that sentence to be spat from her lips. Instead it arrived calmly and indifferently.

He blinked and said, "Ah…"

"He won't even talk to me," she said in the same indifferent tone, staring ahead as if she was just making small talk. "Orders notwithstanding." She side-glanced to him and Daniel's mouth, that had been ajar, shut. He wasn't about to argue. Her eyes returned to Teal'c's back a few meters ahead.

Daniel watched her closely and he could only ignore her tone, seeing the pain in her eyes. Jack was hurting her. It was, perhaps, retaliation, but she possibly didn't see it that way. He felt his meddling gene reverberate inside him again and the tickling it caused brought a little hope fluttering up. Daniel Jackson needed to know what was going on.

"He's still smarting from the phone call," Daniel told her and her head whipped to him. Maybe I shouldn't have divulged that, he thought belatedly. Apparently, for all Sam knew, the phone conversation was nothing unusual.

"What phone call?" Apparently, Daniel added tiredly to his thoughts. He squinted his eyes and pushed his glasses up his nose, preparing himself for this conversation.

"The one where he called to talk and you told him you were busy with wedding stuff." He emphasised certain buzz words so she wouldn't miss their gravity even though he was sure she wouldn't to begin with.

He watched as Sam's brow creased and she cast her eyes down, thinking. It wasn't often Daniel saw Sam Carter look baffled but when her eyes returned up to him they was a haze of confusion dulling their typical brightness.

"I didn't talk to him, Daniel," she said slowly as if checking and re-checking her memory.

Daniel was off already saying, "Exactly! You see that's the problem, if you two could just sit down and talk without one of you hiding or running away or pulling rank… things would be fine. The truth would come out, Jack would say how he feels, you'd say how you feel and it-"

"No!" Carter stopped dead in her tracks, frustrated with Daniel's ranting. He carried on a few steps and whirled around in a token 'startled Daniel' fashion that left him blinking furiously and his eyes darting about waiting for something to launch at him from some hidden direction. Carter threw her eyes up and continued, "I mean, I haven't spoken to him, Daniel," she said forcefully. "Not on the phone or in person. God knows I've been trying but…"

"Then… he lied to me."

"Why would he lie to you?" She asked as she closed the distance between them.

"Is there something wrong?" They both turned to Teal'c, they're minds still on the matter. Sam shook her head distractedly and they all continued walking. "I believe we are nearly there," Teal'c said pointing to some ruins over a few ridges.

"Daniel, you're not staying on your own." Sam shouted across to him as he was furiously taking another rubbing from the wall.

"Sam, I'll be okay on my own," he shouted back, not even lending his eyes to her. Sam released a calming breath, her lips in a whistling shape and licking them, she strode over to Daniel.

"If memory serves me, Daniel, you are never okay on your own." Daniel, who was now kneeling, flicked his eyes up to her, looking at her above the rim of his glasses. "I refuse to be the one who has to explain how you died … for the billionth time." Daniel gave her a withering look.

"I'm sure Jack would get a kick out of it," he mumbled, glancing back down.

Sam wished, with a sigh, that she could do what Jack did mostly in this situation - grab Daniel by the scruff of his shirt and drag him away. But, as much as she knew she was able and as much as she would secretly revel in it, she wasn't daring enough. She was no Jack O'Neill. She sighed on her silent admission as she remembered how much easier things were when he was in the field with them.

"Now. Daniel." Her voice held enough bite to make an army of Jaffa stand to attention and Daniel almost fell back on his ass at the sharp flinch his muscles made.

"Fine," he whinged, scrambling around him for all the notes and rubbings he had, gathering them into a haphazard mess in his hands and stuffing them into one of his notebooks. He jumped up with vigour to meet Sam's eyes. He gave her a nod, not wanting her to think he was deliberately trying to disobey her, he just had so much to learn and the trip back to the 'gate to report would cut precious time from that.

"Teal'c you packed up?"

"I am."

She nodded, watching Daniel stuff his notes into his pack and secure it on himself as they set off. The sun had gone down and although she disliked travelling in darkness, they had to report or the General would be concerned. She hadn't thought to mention it to him earlier, being too preoccupied with her anger, something that she would berate herself for the whole way back to the stargate. Hopefully, General O'Neill wouldn't question why it was dark, or maybe she could just radio… save herself the grief.

"… so Daniel's been engrossed in the ruins but there isn't much else around. Teal'c and I did a little recon close by but the whole place seems to be uninhabited… we haven't seen sign of any habitation besides the ancient ruins."

"All right, Colonel," Jack's voice said over the radio. He had been surprised to hear her, rather than see and hear her, she noted, at the beginning of her report, but he hadn't voiced the concern. "Any idea how long it'll take for him to finish colouring on his walls?"

Carter looked to Daniel. He urged her with his eyes, ignoring Jack's choice of words. "He wants to stay for another few days, sir." She heard a sigh at the other end. They had already been there for a few days with the original ruins and the more Jack wanted peace for a while, he would feel safer having them home sooner rather than later.

"Fine, but keep reporting, Colonel."

"Yes, sir."

The radio signal cut when the stargate closed. Sam tucked her radio back into her pocket and looked at Teal'c. "We'll set up camp here for tonight. I noticed a good spot over there." She pointed into the distance a bit and Teal'c followed her finger, turning back briefly to agree with her assessment.

As Teal'c walked off to begin setting up the tents she noticed Daniel coming over to her. "He seems in a better mood."

"Teal'c?" Daniel smiled at her frown.

"Jack," he clarified.

"Oh, really?" She wondered with a tone that said she didn't believe him, following Teal'c to help out. "Good for him," she called back.

"Hey."

"Hey," Carter said softly with a smile as Daniel poked his head into her tent.

"Did I wake you?" He knew he hadn't, he had heard her sighing for the past hour. She shook her head and he walked on in, sitting down beside her. Carter, sat up, rolling down her sleeping bag a little as she did.

"So…" she began but tailed off in hesitation.

Daniel had gotten the feel from her during their makeshift dinner that she had wanted to talk but was reluctant. She had gone to bed before him and Teal'c and so he had assumed she changed her mind.He had only been lying in his tent for less than ten minutes when he heard discontented noises coming from hers. After about an hour, Teal'c turned to him and said, "You are having trouble sleeping, DanielJackson." Daniel just rolled over and raised an eyebrow, something Teal'c was already doing. "Perhaps you need to … talk about it." Daniel smiled at the Jaffa's subtle attempt to urge him to lend Sam an ear and so he nodded and headed to do just that.

"Why do you think he lied to you?" She asked the question playing on her lips.

"I don't know," Daniel said in his rushed manner that was preceded by a disturbed expression and left him frowning at the floor. "Maybe to get me off his back," he shrugged.

"You were on his back?" Sam queried with a quirk to her lips. Daniel shot her a half amused half irritated glance. "About?"

He couldn't believe she had to ask! "About you!"

"Me?"

"You, him..." He said with a raised voice, gesturing with his hands. His eyes and his hands moved to gesture at her hand as he continued to speak, "…that damn ring…" He tailed off as Sam's hand, curled over the sleeping bag, jumped. He stared at her hand, her ring finger in particular and then he slowly found his way up to her head, where he found a blush colouring her cheeks mercilessly. His mouth fell open and he faltered only a second before spluttering, "Where is it?"

Sam glanced down to her hand, straightening her fingers out and examining them. She lifted her eyes sheepishly to Daniel. "I gave it back."

"Y-yo-you gave it back?" She nodded, avoiding his eyes.

"I didn't think it right to keep it when I wasn't planning on marrying him," she offered as an answer.

"Oh, my," Daniel said, shocked. This, he hadn't expected. "So…"

"So…"

"Pete?"

"Gone."

"Gone…"

"Daniel?"

"Yeah?"

"Did I do the right thing?"

Oh boy, Daniel thought. Instead, he took a deliberate breath and said, "I think you're the only one who can answer that, Sam." She looked disappointed and the hopeful eyes that were fixed on him were covered quickly with her lids. Her eyelashes fluttered a little and she dropped her head into her chest before looking back up with a short, quick smile that certainly didn't portray her thoughts. Daniel felt horrid, he had all but pushed her into this and he had been certain it was what she wanted and now… now that the consequences were falling into his lap he wasn't so sure he should've pushed anything at all. She was unhappy, very, and so was Jack.

"I do think you need to tell him, though." She lifted an eyebrow to his suggestion then looked away quickly.

"I've tried." Daniel winced at the crack in her voice. He reached across and grasped her hand, covering the mockingly naked finger from sight and giving it a comforting squeeze. She rested bleary eyes on his.

"It'll work out, Sam." She nodded at him but clearly wasn't so sure.

"Goodnight, Daniel," she said, pulling her hand out of his gently.

He stood and watched her with pity in his eyes as she nestled back into her sleeping bag.

"Night, Sam."

He walked out of her tent, wishing he hadn't started meddling in her life at all and cursing the particular part of him that wouldn't let such things lie.

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