AN: Thanks again for reading and following and reviewing!

Two blue eyes looked at him. But she said nothing. Jack so much wanted to be somewhere else in this moment. Why never came an unscheduled activation if you needed one?

"So, Carter. What is it so urgent?", he asked trying to be as calmly as possible. His hands were clenched into fists and safe buried in his pockets. He just had to stay calm. Only don't show any feelings and downplay the whole thing.

Obviously surprised by his question Sam stared at him – she seemed to be a little bit… confused.

"Carter? What do you want to discuss with me?", he asked again with a slightly irritated tone.

"Ummm ... Sir ... well ... I" Sam stammered. She never stammered. And of course, he knew exactly what she wanted to discuss with him.

"Well, I ... I wanted to talk to you about last week."

"Last week ...?" Jack asked, quietly.

"Yes, sir… you know…the test..."

"I know what was last week, Carter..." His voice sounded slightly irritated, though he honestly tried to sound casual. "So, what's to discuss about it?" He tried to stay calm. Sam's eyes widened, however.

"Well, sir. I wanted to ask how we will go on with this."

"What do you mean?" It really was increasingly difficult for him to stay calm.

"Well I…. I do not want that this test stands between us."

Jack looked at Sam as calm as possible, but inwardly he was incredibly tense. "Why should it?"

"Well, I thought ..." But Sam did not end the sentence.

"Carter, we generally agreed on this, didn't we?", he said in a much more snippy tone than he had intended. He swallowed and waited for Sam's reaction.

"Yes sir," she said quietly.

"So everything is clear isn't it, Major?" She looked at him with big eyes.

"Yes sir," she then answered quietly and as Jack noticed, unconvincing.

"Okay, then I think we have clarified this. So I will go and prepare for the mission. We will see in the gate room." With that he turned and left Sam back in her lab without having a look at her anymore.

Of course he knew that this had not been a great performance. It was not fair to Sam. But what should he have done either? He just couldn't be near her anymore. He needed to get away before he did something rash. And he was sure it was the best to simply carry on as before. In the course of time the thing would end up itself. At least he told himself that.

Once in the men's locker room he met Teal'c and Daniel.
No sooner he had entered the room, Daniel asked him directly if everything was okay between him and Sam. Jack rolled his eyes. It has to happen sometime. Daniel really escaped nothing. Thankfully Teal'c was more the silent type. Daniel, however did not give up so quickly, so that he precautionary prepared for the upcoming cross-examination.

"What do you mean?" Jack asked a counter question to confuse Daniel. But it did not work. Crud!

"Well, you are kind of weird today."

"What do you mean?" Jack continued to follow his tactics and at the same time changed his clothes for the mission.

"Well, you are somehow silent today."

"You think so?"

"Yes, I think so! Has anything happened between the two of you?"

Jack stopped in his movement and slowly turned towards Daniel. Then he glanced at Teal'c, but his expression did not change.

"What do you mean?" Jack sat down on the bench.

"Ooah Jack, I have no idea! That's why I ask you... " Daniel gestured wildly with his arms. And Jack knew he almost had him ready… Daniel would give up in a few seconds.

"So Daniel, I really don't know what you mean." He stood up from the bench where he had just tied his shoes and left them in the locker room without an additional comment.

Sam was still standing in her laboratory, stunned. What had just happened? She could feel tears gathering in her eyes. But she tried to fight these tears. She had to pull herself together right now. Finally, they would start their mission in about an hour.

Sam took a deep breath and went to the locker room to get ready. Entering the locker room she met Janet Fraiser and Janet noticed immediately that something was wrong with Sam and asked her.

"Hey Sam, is everything okay?" However, the answer to her question the lively doctor already knew. Of course not everything was okay, which was clearly visible.

"Why do you ask?"

"You know exactly. So…? " When Sam did not respond, Janet asked: "Have you talked to the Colonel?"

"I tried ...", she sighed.

"And?"

"He has played everything down and meant that there was nothing to discuss further", Sam explained quietly. Janet put a hand on her shoulder and Sam was truly grateful for this comforting gesture.

"Sam, you know how much the Colonel likes talking about his feelings. And I'm sure this confession while the zatarc test was not this easy for him" Sam nodded. She knew that Janet was right. "Perhaps you talk to him in peace again after the mission?", Janet suggested. Sam would think about it. But now she had to concentrate on the upcoming mission. She was quite excited about what the Tok'ra had developed. And she was looking forward to see her father.

Shortly before 1500 Sam and Janet arrived at the gate room. However, they were not the last, because Colonel O'Neill was still missing. Just as the General wanted to ask for him he turned around the corner and entered the gate room.
The gate had already been activated, as now also the last symbol engaged and established the wormhole.

"SG1, Dr. Fraiser, you have the go-ahead" they heard General Hammond saying through the loudspeakers.

Then O'Neill said: "All right guys, then let's go visit the Tok'ra." However, he couldn't hide certain resentment in his voice. They ran one after another up the ramp and disappeared into the event horizon of the wormhole.