Inescapable: Chapter 26

AN: Disclaimers etc in chapter 1. Its a bit short but on the upside it's nearly finished. I hadn't forgotten about it - just haven't had much time for writing and when I did I couldn't seem to find a proper ending. Anyways, sorry it took so long but here's another part. Enjoy!

Sam's teeth pulled at the skin on her bottom lip, or what was left of it. She had spent the better part of the past two hours procrastinating on a simple mission request. The device that SG-13 recovered on P3X-639 had been boggling her for the better part of the week and just this morning Daniel had come in with some translations that could help her. And they did, she knew what it was, she knew what it did, problem was she couldn't turn the damn thing on. Apparently it needed a coded control to initialise it, a control she was certain was back on P3X-639. All she had to do was request permission to go to the planet and look for it. Yup, that was all she had to do. Just walk up to the General and ask him.

Right, walking… she said to herself and looked at her legs. Ok… calling? Her eyes flicked to her phone. Nope. She chewed on her lip again, which was stinging at this point, and her eyes fell curiously on her laptop as another means to ask her question came to her. She winced; he would be really pissed if she emailed him when he was only a few floors down. It would, however, mean that she wouldn't have to face him and that was a huge incentive. She was supposed to be off today, she could pretend she was emailing him from home. Talking to him, the subject matter notwithstanding, would be hard. She would be tempted to relent, let him retire and have what she wanted. Very tempted. She was tempted to talk to him for just that reason but… as she had come to realise it just wasn't right. It was selfish and conceited to think he should have to give up everything for her. She had felt differently when he'd first suggested it, hell she was so overjoyed that he loved her that everything else was passing through her brain in a blur. When reality had settled back in, when she had returned to the SGC, when she had seen him at work, when she fully comprehended what he was giving up for her, she realised she couldn't let him. He was too important, too important to the SGC and the SGC was very important to him. She knew she was important to him too, but she had a feeling that reality hadn't quite set in with Jack as quickly as it had her. If he retired - if he was even allowed to retire - he would soon get bored, without the SGC Jack would be lost. Sure he would have her but with her still working at the SGC would the peppered days she would be able to offer him on her time off be enough? She didn't think so. She exhaled noisily, blowing her cheeks out and resigned to sending the email. It might make him mad, but he was already furious. Her fingers tapped for a few moments. Short and concise sentences. No smileys. And send! Done. She grimaced, almost holding her breath.

She received a mail just as Daniel walked in. "Hey," he greeted her. She acknowledged him with a short nod and a smile before quickly returning her attention to opening the reply. It was from him. "I thought you were supposed to be off today?"

"Aren't you too?" She countered as she clicked on the mail.

"Yeah but, you know, with the occasion and all I thought I'd-"

"Dammit!" She bit and Daniel raised his eyebrows. She took a calming breath and Daniel peered over her shoulder to see what had evoked that reaction. It was an email. It read 'BIG FAT NO!!!!!!!!'

"That's a lot of exclamation points," Daniel muttered as his eyes moved up to see the email was from Jack. He narrowed his eyes and moved so that he could speak to Sam's face. "You emailed him about the mission?" He asked, incredulous. Sam only shrugged. "Boy, you two are unbelievable!"

"Will you ask him?" She asked quickly, ignoring his comments.

Daniel chuckled at her desperation and waved the notebook he was holding in the air. "No way!"

"Please?" Her big sad eyes seemed to carry and endless echo of her pleading and he looked away from them. God help Jack, with puppy dog eyes like that she would be able to get him to do almost anything.

"I'm not getting involved again," he told her firmly, walking away. She hopped off her stool and followed him.

"Come on Daniel, you want to go as well. You can't tell me you're not interested after translating all the information SG13 brought back!" She argued passionately, following him to the door where he stopped, thinking.

"Sam…"

"Please, Daniel?" She begged. "Even if I asked him face to face he'll still say no because it's me asking."

Daniel sucked in a breath. She had a point. "Fine. I'll ask him." A smile broke out on her face and she hugged him briefly, bouncing back on her heels. Daniel pushed his glasses up his nose and raised his eyebrows. "He'll assume you've sent me and probably say no anyway." As he walked off, Sam hoped he was wrong. She could do with a few days off world.

"You know," Jack interrupted Daniel's speech about P3X639 with a quietly enquiring tone. "I thought you of all people would be with me on this."

"Um…" Daniel blinked and licked his lips.

"I suppose I have been off the team for quite a while," he continued, rising from his seat and pushing it back so he could walk around it. "And I guess it's only natural that you and Sam have grown close."

Daniel's mouth fell ajar but before he had gathered his thoughts, Jack was off again and moving closer to him. "I just thought that no matter the cause or the person, you would always choose the right side." Jack was standing only a meter from Daniel now and in the midst of the strange conversation his proximity was making Daniel very nervous and confused, definitely confused. "So you think she's right?" He demanded to know, edging closer to Daniel.

"Erm… what?" Daniel stuttered, cursing Sam. This was all her fault.

"I mean, do you think Sam and I should be together or not?" Daniel hated Sam right now, possibly more than Jack did. How in the hell was he gonna get out of this unscathed? He shifted his weight on his legs, pretending to think of the answer and then, miraculously, Jack's phone rang. Daniel's body sagged in relief, but it was short lived as he realised Jack wasn't moving.

"Are - Aren't you going to answer that?" He asked, motioning to the phone with a jab of his finger.

"Aren't you going to answer my question?"

"Jack…" Daniel knew he was in trouble. Jack was acting very strangely, these kind of crazy open conversations were seriously unusual not to mention the man looked a little unhinged. Daniel was afraid that whatever he answered would make things messy. "I… you know, you're already pissed off so… yes, yes I think you should be together. Always have. I just, I guess I never thought it would be this hard." Daniel fought the urge to shut his eyes at Jack's reaction and instead kept them open to see Jack shrug.

Turning slight from Daniel, as if ashamed to say it, he whispered, "You and me both." The phone stopped ringing, unnoticed. Daniel watched Jack still a moment then circle around animatedly. "She pushed and she pushed for this to happen and when I finally grow a pair and do what I've wanted - what we wanted for so long she suddenly calls it all off - as if it's totally her decision!" Jack arms swung in a blur through the air as his rant continued and his passion for the subject vented via his mouth. "Who does she think she is deciding what I should or shouldn't do with my life? Honestly, how can the smartest woman on Earth be so goddamn stupid? Did she suddenly have some kind of… of…?" He was almost yelling now, his face flushed with the effort. "Carter lobotomy?!" Daniel couldn't help a smile, a worried one, but a smile nonetheless. "In fact, you know what? I think it's about time I told her exactly how stupid she is." Jack strode purposefully past Daniel in a whirl and marched down the corridor leaving the archaeologist a little stunned in his wake.

"Oh boy," Daniel muttered to himself. He shook his head and vaguely registered a call over the intercom for Jack, something about a meeting. They'd be lucky if Jack heard it, actually they'd be a lot luckier if they just stopped calling him right now. He headed off towards the Control Room to tell Walter that Jack was unavailable for a while when the Sergeant himself came barrelling around the corner.

"Holy--" Daniel yelped in fright and jumped back just in time to stop Walter careening into him.

"General O'Neill?" Walter panted, bending forwards. "Where?"

"I don't think it would be wise for you to bother Jack right now, Walter…"

"Then it's a good think it's not Walter who plans to bother him!" A booming, distinctly irritated voice commanded Daniel's attention and before he could stop it from slipping out Daniel's lips whispered, "Crap…"

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