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Chapter 3

Sam had lain awake for a while, thinking. She had made a decision. She would talk to him. She had to talk to him. This confession about their feelings stood between them with no doubt. She had to check this point with him and she would. Tomorrow, right after the mission briefing. Satisfied with her decision she turned around and fell asleep a few minutes later.

Awaking on the next morning she felt sleepy. Her alarm clock had forced her to get up even though she had battered on it to stop the damn beeping. But it hadn't helped. It had won. Stupid alarm clock.

So, unfortunately, she had no other choice then getting up. It has been a bad night in which she did not slept very well. Though, in the end that wasn't true. She slept well but fitful. She had dreamed of Jack, again. She had dreamed of him quite a lot over the last week, since she knew that he also had feelings for her. The dreams in which Jack plays a major role, of course, hadn't just started after the zatarc test. But since then the intensity of this dreams had greatly increased. And the dream last night had been very nice, lively and intense. And just for a second or two she thought about how it would be if this dream became true. God Sam, she admonished herself, pull yourself together. Shaking her head about her thoughts she finally got up.

After having a fast breakfast in the canteen Sam got herself a cup of coffee and had left for her lab. She wanted to continue the work on her latest project which was a miniature version of a naquadah reactor. When this would work it could make so many things much easier. She was so engrossed in her work that she didn't noticed how the time passed by, until she heard Daniels voice.

"Hey, Sam." She jerked.

"God, Daniel... have you scared me!" She stared at him.

"Um, sorry, I wasn't intend to."

"All right. What can I do for you?"

"I just wanted to pick you up for lunch."

Sam looked at the watch at the wall opposite her and realised that it was actually noon. And some kind of panic built up inside her. The mission briefing would be in less than an hour.

"Um, yeah. I just have completely lost track of time..." she explained.

Daniel raised an eyebrow and said dryly "You don't say. Shall we go then?"

Sam pressed some keys on the laptop in order to secure the data obtained and then went to the canteen with Daniel. Arriving there her heart had stopped beating for a second and she felt heat arise inside her. She saw Teal'c sitting at a table and opposite him sat Jack with his back to the door. She hadn't seen him for one week but now it was time. A queasy feeling spread through her stomach and suddenly she hadn't felt hungry anymore. But she forced herself to put some food on her tray and went, after having paid, to her teammates. Daniel had taken the seat next to Jack so for her only the seat next to Teal'c remained, on which she sat exactly directly opposite to Jack. She greeted him with "Colonel" and then sat down. He glanced at her shortly, nodded and murmured a "Carter" before concentrating on his food again.

Daniel frowned about Sams and Jacks behaviour and he wondered what was wrong with them. He had never seen them this monosyllables and even now they didn't say a word. His look wandered to Teal'c. But the Jaffa had kept a straight expression and continued his meal in silence. So, Daniel decided to leave it at that - for the moment - and also continued eating.

The queasy feeling in Sam's stomach was getting worse. She poked around in her food and hardly dared to look up at Jack or anywhere else. Due to lack of alternatives only her plate remained and she concentrated on this. When she dared and gazed up she saw that Jack was focusing on his plate as well, poking the eating. Daniel and Teal'c meanwhile had started a conversation about something. It seemed they were talking about the negotiations with the Tok'ra and the agreement that had been found. But Sam just didn't listen. From the Colonel she heard an "oh" or "ah" from time to time but not more. If someone had asked her about the content of this conversation she wouldn't have been able to answer.

Jack really couldn't stand this any longer. He had to go out there. Being near her drove him insane. He had a plan. A well thought and simple plan. He would treat her as always. He would keep her at distance. But this wasn't possible here in the canteen while having lunch with his teammates. So he would leave. He needed some distance. Distance from her.

Daniel and Teal'c had started talking some time ago about... He really had no idea what they were talking about. And actually, he didn't care. Then suddenly he stood up and his chair nearly tipped backwards. All looked at him strangely and Sam had winced before she had looked at him, too. He hadn't seen her for a week. One damn week. Did he really thought it would be easy to see her again? Only one look into her blue eyes and she had him, again. That's why he had to leave. Now. He couldn't be near her. It just was impossible. And when Daniel asked him where he would go Jack had answered that he had forgotten something very important.

"See you in the mission briefing." With these words he left the canteen hastily without clearing his tray and without noticing the staring of his teammates behind him.

He walked aimlessly through the aisles of the Stargate Center until he stopped in front of the elevator. Turning once around himself he wondered how he got there. The elevator came in handy. He would go to the surface and get some fresh air. He would clear his mind and prepare himself for the meeting. Because one thing was fact: He would not be able to leave the mission briefing as he had left the canteen. How should he explain an escape to Hammond? Should he tell him that he couldn't sit next to his major because he had a crush on her? He wasn't a god damn teenager. Moreover Hammond wouldn't find this pretty funny... And not to talk about the consequences...

After a few minutes that felt like eternity to him he reached the surface and walked to a small plateau. He sat down on the bench he had sat on several times and just looked down at the city in the valley in front of him. He had been there a few times only sitting and thinking, such as a lot of his comrades did. It was a good refuge when the grey corridors of the SGC became too tight. He enjoyed breathing fresh air, closed his eyes and tried to relax. In his mind he saw Sam – she looked at him with her beautiful blue eyes and smiled at him the smile she only saved for him. He began to smile but admonished himself in the very next moment to pull himself together. After all he had come up there to prepare himself of this bewitching eyes and this charming smile. God Jack, get a grip! You have to treat her as always otherwise very quickly all hell breaks loose.