Chapter 5: Way to Help, T
Disclaimer: Only my stuff is mine.
A/N: IMPORTANT: Okay, so some of you have asked me to continue longer after I deliver the "punchline." There are two reasons why I haven't done this. One: People's reaction to what was said turn out to be repetitive and a bit unbelievable. Two: Because these are supposed to be short little stories…possibly leading up to the last chapter where something big happens.
BTW: I know Felger doesn't show up till much later, but it fit the story. It's fanfiction…cut me some slack. LOL.
Small spoilers for "Divide and Conquer."
I am very sorry if that's disappointing or something. I'll do my best, though!
This one is a kinda sorta mild, but rating and warning still stand. Teal'c screws up! WooHoo!
Thank you very much to all who reviewed! It is very much appreciated!
ENJOY!!
Sam stared at the computer screen, pointedly ignoring the nervous man beside her. The SGC had just hired a new scientist, a Dr. Jay Felger. When he had been introduced to Sam he had made some lame joke about his name and the coffee brand 'Folgers.' Sam hadn't been paying attention; she was, instead, trying to pull her hand away from his sweaty palm. He had been very…reluctant…to let her go.
Sam grimaced inwardly. She really didn't need the unwanted attention from the new guy. Hell, she didn't want attention from anyone…except the one man she wasn't allowed to have it from. Sam shook her head slightly, trying to focus on the numbers flashing across the screen. She was trying to teach Felger how to work the gate diagnostics, but, as far as she could tell, his gaze hadn't left her face.
She prayed that the gate would have an unscheduled activation or she would be needed elsewhere, but today was one of the rare quiet days. Unfortunately.
Sam jumped when she heard the colonel's voice behind her.
"Hey, Carter!" he boomed, standing behind her and to the right. He had just come up the steps into the control room.
Sam shot to her feet, something she hadn't done around him since they had first met. "Sir!"
Jack stopped rocking on his heels and stared at her in mild surprise. "Ookay." He drew out the word, continuing to look at her like she'd grown another head. Sam cleared her throat and averted her eyes, coughing embarrassedly. Deciding to ignore the unusual reaction he took a few steps closer to her, looking over her shoulder at the computer screen. "Whatcha doin'?"
"I'm…ah…running a gate diagnostic, sir." Sam said, her eyes meeting his. Jack could have sworn that something like a plea just flashed through them. Noticing the man standing next to his 2IC, saluting Jack, but eyes fixed to Sam he understood why Carter was so…excited…to see him.
"Oh?" That one word held more understanding than it would have under normal circumstances.
"Yes, sir." Sam smiled at him relief.
The man next to her nudged her with his shoulder, keeping in contact with her longer than was necessary. Sam squeezed her eyes shut and looked very much like she was trying not to throw up.
Clearing her throat, she gave Jack the fakest smile he thought he'd ever seen. "Sir, this is Dr. Felger. He's just transferred here from Washington." The false cheer in her voice was not lost on Jack, but it only seemed to bolster the other man's confidence.
He smiled brightly at Sam, trying to catch her eye, but Sam determinedly avoided his gaze. She kept her eyes locked on the colonel's, pleading with him for help. She was thankful that, after four and a half years together, they had pretty much perfected their silent communication.
"Has he?" Jack smiled briefly at Sam, before turning to the doctor and returning the salute. The man wasn't military…why the hell was he saluting? Giving the man his best hardass military glare, he changed his bemused tone to a cold, removed one. "Dr. Felger. How are things coming along?"
The man nearly tripped over himself moving to stand next to Sam. Laying a hand on her shoulder he nearly shouted his answer. "Oh, it's going great, sir! Major Carter and I are getting along just as well!" He didn't seem to notice the less than gentle way Sam shook off his hand and moved to stand beside Jack.
Despite finding the situation hilarious, Jack couldn't help but feel a rush of pleasure run through him as Carter stepped closer to him. He also couldn't help the smug, childish thought that followed. 'Ha! She likes me better than you, pal!'
Felger did seem to notice, however, how close Sam was standing to the colonel. His smile dimmed and his eyes flicked between them.
Jack, feeling particularly evil (and because he would embrace any opportunity to touch Sam), landed a gentle hand on her shoulder. His inner teenager did a little triumphant dance when she didn't pull away and merely relaxed into his hand.
"That's great, doctor!" Jack said with fake enthusiasm. Despite still looking crestfallen over Sam's reaction to the colonel, Felger smiled and eagerly accepted the praise from the older man. He didn't seem to realize that the praise was sarcastic.
But, Sam did. If her badly disguised chuckle was any sort of giveaway.
Jack kept his hand on Carter's shoulder a moment longer before gently squeezing it and letting go. Sam instantly missed the contact, but was more than thankful that he had done what he did. She really didn't like Felger like that.
After a moment of silence where they all just looked at each other, Jack shoved his hands in his pockets and bounced on the balls of his feet.
"Well, I didn't mean to interrupt you kids--," Sam cut him off.
"No!" Realizing how loud her voice was, she continued at a more professional volume. "I mean, you didn't interrupt, sir." Sam shot him a glare when he smiled in amusement at her obvious discomfort. "Feel free to interrupt anytime, sir." Sam glanced at Felger and swallowed hard when he beamed back at her. "Anytime."
"Thanks, Carter…but I think I've done what I came here to do." Jack smiled mysteriously at Sam's exasperated glare. Winking at Felger, he lowered his voice conspiratorially. "Take good care of her for me, Felger."
Jack thought the man might burst at the seams. "Sir, yes, sir!" The man jumped to attention, knocking a chair over in the process. Sam looked like she wanted nothing more than to throttle the colonel.
Taking a few hasty steps toward the briefing room stairs, Jack gave her a Cheshire cat grin. As much as he hated it when other men hit on Carter, he couldn't resist messing with her a little. Recent events had forced certain…feelings…into the open, so he wasn't worried that she would suffocate him in his sleep.
Not completely, anyway.
"Thank you, sir." Carter called after him, sarcastically.
"Anytime, Carter!" He answered jovially over his shoulder as he jogged up the steps.
He saw her roll her eyes before reluctantly picking up the overturned chair and sitting back down; Felger sitting down so close he was practically on her lap. Ignoring the jealously that flashed through him, Jack comforted himself with the fact that he could crush the little scientist if he felt the burning desire to do so.
"T!" Jack greeted the big man as he entered the briefing room. Teal'c turned to him and inclined his head in greeting.
"General Hammond has requested my presence." Teal'c said, pre-empting the question he knew the younger man would ask.
"Ah. In trouble, are we?" Jack joked, taking a seat at the table.
Teal'c frowned and sat in the chair opposite Jack. "I do not believe that I have done anything to warrant the ire of General Hammond."
Jack bit back a laugh at the thought of Hammond's 'ire.' "Of course you haven't, Teal'c." Jack winked, causing Teal'c to frown again.
Deciding it was time to change the subject, Teal'c turned the question on Jack. "What of you, O'Neill? Why have you been summoned to meet with General Hammond?"
Jack shrugged. "I wasn't." When the older man raised an eyebrow, Jack grinned guiltily. "I saw Carter in the control room and decided to have a little fun with her new admirer." When Teal'c's eyebrow rose further, Jack's grin grew guiltier. "One of the new scientists has a crush on Carter."
Teal'c nodded and waited for O'Neill to continue. "She looked desperate so I went in and…had some fun." When Teal'c shot him a suspicious glare, Jack half-raised his hands. "I didn't do anything bad." He paused. "Well, not too bad anyways."
"That does not explain how you ended up in the briefing room, O'Neill." Teal'c questioned, careful to keep his amusement hidden. He knew of the shared feelings between O'Neill and Major Carter. He also knew that O'Neill had more than likely given the new scientist a few hints that Major Carter was not to be touched. Whether the other man understood or not was his own problem.
Teal'c knew that if the scientist tried anything with Major Carter…there would be hell to pay.
"Well," Jack averted his eyes, embarrassed. "I needed a cool getaway…and the briefing room was the closest thing to me…so I just…" he waved his hand in a so on and so forth motion.
"I see." Teal'c folded his hands in front of him and nodded, though his tone suggested the opposite.
Noting the disbelief in his friend's voice, Jack shrugged. "I was just having a little fun."
"Even if it was at Major Carter's expense." Teal'c's eyes focused accusingly on O'Neill's.
"It wasn't at her expense." Jack said quickly. Thinking back, Jack realized that, in actuality, it had been. "Well, it wasn't supposed to be at her expense. I was trying to freak the new guy out."
Teal'c stayed silent. He had learned that when people of the Tau'ri were feeling even the slightest bit guilty, the best thing to do was stay silent. This usually increased their feeling of guilt and discomfort, which usually led to a confession.
Jack shifted uncomfortably under Teal'c's knowing stare. "It's just…Carter's usually so composed…and I just thought…I mean…" he trailed, silently acknowledging that he had been a jerk. "Crap. She's gonna kill me."
"Indeed." Teal'c inclined his head again, triumphant that his silent tactics had paid off yet again.
Jack looked over at him, betrayed. "What—that's it? I'm gonna be murdered by my own teammate and all you have to say is 'indeed?'"
Teal'c paused. "Indeed." He repeated.
Jack opened his mouth, paused, then shut it again. His friend was a real piece of work. "Well, I appreciate your concern." He said after a minute.
"You are welcome, O'Neill." Teal'c said, though he knew full well that the younger man was being sarcastic.
Jack paused a moment, looking thoughtful. "You know…she did look really uncomfortable." Another pause. "And she practically flew out of her chair when I came up behind them."
Teal'c nodded, fighting the smile that tried to form upon hearing Major Carter's reaction.
"I don't know." Jack continued looking at the stairwell. "Maybe I should have helped her out."
In his office, General Hammond finished with the President and hung up the phone. Standing and straightening his uniform he stepped out from behind his desk and opened the door to the briefing room. He had asked Teal'c to come by so that he might get a more detailed account of what had happened during the Zatarc incident. He wasn't expecting much, but Teal'c was the only person he had yet to ask.
His foot had barely cleared the threshold when Teal'c's deep voice stopped him in his tracks.
"I do not believe Major Carter would mind if you merely inserted yourself."
Jack was about to laugh at Teal'c's phrasing when he became aware that someone else was in the room. Glancing up, he saw the general himself standing frozen just inside his office. Jack leapt to his feet and was followed by Teal'c at a more sedate pace.
"General! That wasn't…I mean…I--," Jack stopped floundering for an explanation when the General held up his hand.
"I don't want to know." Hammond closed his eyes briefly and shook his head. He, like everyone else on base, knew about the feelings between the two military members of SG-1. He also knew that they had too much respect for each other to act on those feelings.
"But, sir, with all due respect, Teal'c didn't mean what it sounded like he meant." Jack said in a rush, flinching at the pathetic explanation.
Teal'c glanced between General Hammond and O'Neill not understanding what he had said wrong. It had been a simple suggestion. He was sure that Major Carter would not mind if O'Neill inserted himself into her current predicament and helped her discourage the unwanted attention.
What was wrong with that?
Hammond continued to shake his head and glanced back up at his 2IC. "I know that Teal'c didn't mean anything by it, Colonel." George was trying his best to stifle the laughter that was fighting to break forth. Just the fact that the colonel was getting so flustered meant that the man would probably like nothing more than to…do what Teal'c suggested he do.
George shook himself inwardly. He had to stop those kinds of thoughts immediately. They were beyond disturbing. He was basically encouraging his to best officers to…no. No, that line of thought stopped right there.
Jack nodded sharply, looking thoroughly embarrassed and shot Teal'c a 'why?' look before turning back to the general. "Sir, with your permission…"
Deciding to put the younger man out of his misery the general nodded. "Dismissed."
Jack nodded, threw one more look to Teal'c before hurrying down the stairs.
"I do not understand, General Hammond." Teal'c's brow furrowed and he turned questioning eyes on the general.
"Don't worry about it, son." Hammond smiled and sat down. 'Now the hard part…'
Back down in the control room, Jack stopped just behind Carter. She appeared to be staring at the computer screen, but he could tell by the tense way she was sitting that she was watching the doctor out of the corner of her eye.
"Carter!" he called in a cheery voice.
In an almost scarily similar movement as the previous time he had done this, she jumped up and spun around, blushing when she saw how close he was.
Felger jumped up too.
Before either could say anything, Jack spoke loudly, taking a page out of Teal'c's book. "Major Carter," he smiled. "I require your assistance." HammHamHHa
"You do?" Sam asked, too quickly. She cleared her throat. "I mean, what can I do for you, sir?"
'Anything you wanted to.' Jack shook his head inwardly. Now was not the time to start that. "I have a…science related, uh, question." Jack grimaced and Sam rolled her eyes. "Insubordination!" he cried suddenly, causing both her and Felger to jump.
Winking at her, he grabbed her arm and began dragging her towards the hallway. "How dare you disrespect me, Carter? I am your commanding officer!" he yelled theatrically. "We will have to teach you proper respect...and…" he searched for the right word.
"Discipline." Sam whispered as he continued to drag her towards the elevator.
"Yes! Discipline!" He let go of her as the elevator doors shut. He didn't want to…but, if he didn't, it would look suspicious.
Sam let out a sigh of relief and sagged against the elevator wall. "Thank you, sir."
"Not a problem, Carter. Always happy to help." He smiled down at her.
She returned his smile. "Where are we going?"
"Commissary. You up for some cake?" he rocked back on his heels and gave her a charmingly hopeful smile.
Sam bit her lip and rolled her eyes playfully. "How could I say no to someone who just rescued me?"
"Yeah, I'm a regular Prince Charming." He quipped. Though he could get used to 'rescuing' Carter.
Sam merely grinned.
Oh, he had no idea.
TBC
A/N: This is the longest one I've ever done! Whew! Hand…cramping…LOL. Please R&R!