See Disclaimer in Chapter 1. Still doing this for love, not money.

(AN at bottom)

FHtA: Sam, Lies and Videotape, part 1: Getting to know you … better than I want to

Outside Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona

Downtime Day 10

If one is not naturally gifted with patience, one might feel that the closer one gets to one's goal, the more time slows down. If a car full of … ones… is approaching the Grand Canyon National Park Administration Office at 55 mph, and that office is 9.5 miles away, how long will it take the car to arrive?

Solving a math problem, ten minutes and change.

Sitting in the back seat, approximately 107 years.

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Jack O'Neill sat in the back of a non-descript four door sedan and tried manfully not to fidget. He glanced over at Jonas Quinn, who was smiling slightly as the alien took in yet another first – probably something like 'being chauffeured by the Men in Black for the first time'. He sighed.

"Colonel O'Neill? Is there something I can do for you?" the younger FBI agent asked. She was a young, slim redhead built along the same lines as Doctor Fraiser, and she had that same professional intensity. Instead of scrubs, she wore a black pantsuit with a white shirt. He could almost remember her name…

"Anderson?" her partner asked from the driver's seat. This guy O'Neill could remember. Special Agent Michael Tapping was as tall, dark and lanky as O'Neill himself, but there the resemblance ended. He was wearing his own black suit, white shirt combination, and it made him look like an undertaker. Or an alien hunting FBI agent.

His patient smile at their introduction had set Jack's teeth on edge – this guy seemed prepared to indulge Jack and Jonas in their delusions of adequacy. Of course, when the time came to do any real investigation … the two military types could probably fetch the detectives' coffee. Maybe.

"No, Agent Anderson. Agent Mapping. We're fine back here." Jack's response was as serious as he could make it, but he saw Jonas smirking out of the corner of his eye. C'mon! Did his team really believe that he was that bad with names by accident?

If Jack had been hoping for an explosion, he was disappointed. The agent in the driver's seat smothered a sigh, as if he wondered what exactly he'd done to deserve this assignment. "That's Tapping, Colonel O'Neill. Agent Tapping with a T."

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Special Agent Christina Anderson swallowed a smile as she saw her longtime partner begin his "count to 10" routine. He and Col. O'Neill were a pair if she'd ever seen one. And she'd rather not say a pair of what.

She and Tapping had flown in from D.C. on the red eye to find Colonel O'Neill and Mr. Quinn all but walking the walls in their desire to get searching. Her partner had grumbled all the way to Arizona about being sucked into an "absolutely no publicity under any circumstances" missing persons case. Until he'd gotten to the dossier Chris had been able to put together on Major Samantha Carter, that is.

Once he found out that she worked for a highly classified "Deep Space Radar Telemetry Project" he'd been ready to get behind the plane and push. He hadn't said as much to the perennially down-to-earth Chris, but she knew, just knew that he was trying to fit Samantha Carter into the profile of either:

a) an embezzling, treasonous Mata Hari, OR

b) a brilliant, military damsel in distress.

For an up and coming agent with a Master's Degree in Criminalistics and several years of solving tough cases, he could be awfully blind about the general character of professional, ambitious women who were not his partner. If he hadn't been such a good investigator, she'd have smacked him upside his head with the relevant files.

"Sorry," Colonel O'Neill lied, reclaiming her attention. "I'm really bad with names. But no, Agent Anderson. I'm just patiently waiting til we get to the park offices and start finding Carter. Because we'd hate to have the 'investigative team' show up in pieces and get answers as soon as possible."

Chris arranged her face along calm lines and ignored the jab. It took time to get authority to investigate in a national park despite the FBI's mandate. Especially since they couldn't be sure that a crime had actually been committed. Her boss had been thrilled with that part of the explanation. She just had to remember that O'Neill and Quinn didn't know how far out on a limb she'd gone to get this case and give it priority over the others on her desk. The mass of others. A backlog, even. Her boss was trusting her to establish that a crime had been committed and then turn in a crisp, by the book report complete with suspect and rescued victim. She hoped it would be that simple.

"I expect that we'll get a good idea of what happened as soon as we examine the security tapes" she soothed. "I understand that there's already a search of the canyon floor ongoing."

"Mr. Quinn, how certain were you that Major Carter would visit the Grand Canyon on her way to San Diego? Or is there a possibility that she was going to get your information on the way back?" Tapping burst in. The faint gleam in his eye wasn't lost on either back seat passenger.

"I'm really not sure whether Sam was going to stop on the way there or the way back, Agent Tapping. I just know that this is the only other point on her itinerary that any of us were aware of. We know she's not in San Diego, so this was the only logical place to look for her." Jonas explained patiently.

"I see. Did she tell you if she was meeting anyone here? A friend or a contact of some kind?" Anderson stiffened at her partner's carefully non-insinuating tone. He had been asking leading questions in this vein ever since they met the military representatives riding in the back seat. Tapping was pushing the boundary between friendly questioning and casual interrogation already.

"No, I don't believe she was meeting anyone until she got to her brother's house. In fact, given that this time off came together in a hurry, I doubt she'd have had the chance to make plans to meet a friend." Jonas was just as unsubtle as Tapping, but both men still held on to a veneer of civility. "And part of the point of camping instead of driving straight through is the freedom to travel without a set schedule. So, no, I don't think she came by here to meet anyone."

"Mmm-hmm. Are either of you very familiar with Major Carter's life off base? Is she social? Does she have hobbies or groups that she belongs to?" Again with the neutral tone. They needed all this information for the investigation, sure, but the way he was asking… Chris turned to give him a what-the-heck-are-you-up-to look. He ignored her.

"Carter works more than she's at home. She has to be ordered to take it easy," O'Neill bit out. "Her work is her 'hobby' and her colleagues are her 'group'. She's very … conscientious." Anderson guessed that O'Neill had been the person ordering Sa- Major Carter to relax and take a break, and he probably hadn't been that successful. But he'd obviously rather sing show tunes naked while juggling unicycles than give Tapping ammunition for a witch hunt. She grasped for a way to turn the conversation aside. There was a reason she usually did the friends-and-family interviews.

"I see. And did she have any recent changes in her patterns? Any change of mood or routine? Any unusually large purchases?"

Anderson jumped in before the Colonel with the extremely classified service record demonstrated the nasty part of his resume on her partner. "Oh, look, we're almost there. I think the administration office is on the second right, after the main park entrance. Hopefully the security chief is ready to help. I'm sure he's busy with all the tourists that come here." Lame, lame, lame. She shot a look at the older man in the backseat and hurried on. "Had the two of you known Major Carter long?"

Colonel O'Neill stayed silent just beyond the limit of polite. Jonas slid a glance over at him and responded. "I've only known Sam for about a year, but Colonel O'Neill has worked with her for about 6 years."

Tapping's next casual question was anything but. "Do you have any evidence that Major Carter even came to Arizona, Mr. Quinn? I thought the last contact with her was from New Mexico. She could have gone anywhere by now."

Chris could see the Colonel bristle at the "gone" instead of "been taken", but he stayed lock-jawed silent and let Jonas respond.

"Well, Agent… Tapping, I guess I'd have to admit I don't have any evidence. The last time I spoke to her was on base 10 days ago. I understood from the general that she talked to her brother the night after she left the Springs." Jonas sounded as unhappy as Colonel O'Neill looked.

"And is there any proof that she traveled this way after she left Colorado Springs?" Tapping tried again.

"Thought of that already," the colonel busted in. His every sentence was bullet pointed with a thick dab of controlled ire. "We drove the route that Carter would have taken to Albuquerque. We verified that route by the gas stations shown on her credit card records. We stopped by the motel that showed up on her brother's phone records. We asked the manager if she rented a room there that night. The manager said yes. We followed her credit card trail to a gas station in a small town about a half hour's drive from here. She bought super unleaded, a map of the canyon and surrounding area, a pack of tissues and a diet soda. The store manager recognized her picture. He mentioned that they get very few strangers through there. He remembered her smile. He didn't think she was agitated or uneasy and he didn't have another customer for an hour. He didn't think she was followed. We drove here. We saw no sign of Carter or her car anywhere. We got here and waited for you."

Agent Tapping was not amused. "And just how did you get those phone and credit card records, Colonel O'Neill? Credit card charges aren't available unless you have a warrant."

Jonas took over. "Sam left power of attorney over her finances with General Hammond." He must have noticed Tapping's incredulous look as he continued. "It's standard when … projects may leave base personnel… incommunicado for long periods of time. He faxed over the paperwork and the company sent back the records. It's completely legal."

Tapping scowled as if he'd been shown up. Which, in fact, he had been. Nothing like having a civilian cover all your bases before you even got the case. Anderson tried again to diffuse the situation. "Thanks for doing that, Colonel. Mr. Quinn. It was a really good idea for you two to get those records and establish the trail here. If the credit card company released them to you without a problem you just saved us a step."

Colonel O'Neill grunted in a mostly non-irritated fashion, but Jonas gave her a grateful smile. "It's Jonas, Agent Anderson. I'm not used to being called anything else."

Tapping, of course, had to stick his nose in again. "Did you do a photo array for the identifications or just show one picture? Did the motel manager identify anyone that may have been with her? Did her new car linger in anyone's memory?"

Anderson stepped in before the testosterone could get any thicker. "Jonas, you should call me Chris. And you too, Colonel O'Neill. We'll be working together to find out where Major Carter is and we may as well develop a good working relationship."

Tapping couldn't pretend not to get that. He finally subsided. But Chris wasn't taking his good behavior for granted after the last five minutes. She tacked on a last sentence to distract her partner. "I think we should split up and try to cover as much territory as possible as soon as possible once we get oriented by the security chief."

Tapping's shoulders tensed and he twisted to glare at her. "I'm not sure splitting up's a great idea, Anderson. If there's any suggestion of foul play, I'd rather that we were in a position to back each other up."

She rolled her eyes at him. Granted, he was 6'4" to her 5'2½", but that didn't affect his opinion of her effectiveness as an agent. Unless Chris suggested putting them in equal physical danger. His switch from hard nosed investigation to protectiveness was a wee bit irritating since she regularly kicked his ass on the sparring mat, but it was a useful and time-honored distraction. "C'mon, Tapping, you know I can look after myself. And if we didn't have the Colonel and Jonas for back up, we'd still be using the same game plan. It's only common sense to have a division of labor."

Tapping turned into the parking lot and frowned. "Let's see what the situation is here before we make any decisions."

Chris checked the rear view mirror and raised an eyebrow. Tapping was concentrating on entering the park and she wanted to see the results of their little conversation before his attention returned. Jonas seemed to understand that she'd pulled some kind of bait-and-switch on her partner and he smiled up at her. The Colonel, however, still looked two pointed questions away from maiming Tapping. She'd have to arrange to keep the Colonel with her and away from Tapping when they got their plan together.

Tapping had barely brought the car to a stop before Colonel O'Neill flung his door open and headed for the nearest entrance at a brisk walk. Tapping swore under his breath and jogged to catch up. She could almost hear him thinking 'this is an official FBI inquiry and I don't need Colonel O'Neanderthal to make the first impression'.

Chris climbed slowly out of the car and found Jonas standing politely by her door with his hand out to help her. She smiled up at him automatically, but the smirk on his face as he watched Tapping and O'Neill race for the building forced a laugh from the tiny redhead. Jonas met her eye and grinned.

"How long do you think they can keep this up, Agent Anderson?" Jonas asked as he shut Chris' door behind her.

"It's Chris, Jonas. And if you mean the 'leader of the pack' contest? I think they can keep it up for the entire investigation." She grinned up at the tall, friendly man. Might as well ask some of the more delicate questions while the other two were off proving how big their … authority was.

"Jonas, I know Tapping asked the basics about Sa- Major Carter's life, but I get the feeling there's a lot more you could tell me. Do you think you could help?" She hoped her unthreatening tinyness worked in her favor here.

Jonas' smile flickered, but he didn't falter as they approached the entrance. "Well, we work at a secure base on a classified project, so I'm sure there's a lot we can't tell you. It's nothing personal, it's just- "

"Classified," Chris offered. "I know. I was a military brat and believe me, I know what classified means. I don't expect either one of you to break security. And that's not really what I'm after. There are some personal questions that we need to ask in any adult missing persons case."

She paused to come up with the most neutral words possible. "What I meant was… how sure are you that Major Carter didn't just… disappear? I know Tapping was hammering the issue, but it is a standard question in a case like this. Can you be completely sure that she didn't … take a holiday?"

"No!" Jonas denied. Chris was surprised at his vehemence. "I mean, yes, I'm sure. It's not that I've never thought that Sam should take a vacation. But I've never actually known her to voluntarily take a day off, and I've worked with her for almost a year. There's literally no way she would worry us like this."

Chris still didn't look convinced, but his earnestness was hard to discount.

"Look, I know that people do strange things for even stranger reasons on this pl – particular career path. Okay, yeah, Sam's under a lot of stress at work. But most of that pressure she puts on herself. Plus, and this is the biggest reason, we just got the colonel back."

"Back from where?" Chris asked. She'd caught Jonas' slip, but she couldn't figure out what he'd meant to say. Pl? Platform? DePloyment? Plane of existence? Better to ignore it and let Tapping be the bad cop. He was doing such a wonderful job already.

"More like back from whom." Jonas glanced over her. "I can't tell you the details, obviously, but Colonel O'Neill … went missing on our last mission. We were escorting … a fugitive who found a way to… escape and… take the colonel with him. Sam was on site at the time and when she regained consciousness they were nowhere to be found."

His eyes took on a weary look. "It took us more than three weeks to find and retrieve the colonel, and Sam searched harder than any of us. She wouldn't let us give up on him. Even if she was going to purposefully disappear, and I don't think she ever would, she wouldn't put the rest of the team through that. Especially not right now."

Chris took in his sincere expression and nodded slowly. He truly believed what he was saying and she had no reason to doubt him. But there was at least one other question she had to ask before they went in.

"Okay, Jonas. So she wouldn't stage her own disappearance. And from her service record I'll assume she didn't go missing voluntarily. But is there anything, anything else that would make this a non-routine kidnapping case, if that turns out to be what happened here?"

Jonas paled and sent a weak smile at the little Fed with the Fraiser-worthy 'confess or die' stare. He looked like he'd rather eat road kill than answer that. A lot of it. So much for a simple by-the-book case.

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Author's Note:

Sorry this is so late! I've been wrestling with my muse, Moo, and she's "bored now" and wants to start writing about Sam's adventures, but we compromised and got at least this ready to go. I have two more chapters that we're fighting over before the evidence starts accumulating and (hopefully) the plot gets enough momentum to steamroll her. Stupid grumpy muse!

Hope you liked my oh-so-subtle homage. ;-)

Agent Michael (Shanks) (Amanda) Tapping may be a jerk, but that's no reflection on his namesakes. And Agent Christina (Christopher Judge) (Richard Dean) Anderson should be enough to make up for him, at least. Right? Oh, and originally Anderson and Tapping were way more Mulder and Scully than they ended up here, but it just didn't fit so picture the 'FBI's most unwanted' as these two if you like.

PLEASE PLEASE READ AND REVIEW! It gives me ammo to hurl at Moo when she wants to wander!